Best Practices
At the International Sign Association’s (ISA) 18,000-attendee meeting, the International Sign Expo, the organization’s two member groups — national sign companies and local custom sign installers — are largely segregated, attending different sessions and interacting with different vendors. Many small custom sign installers may never run into the national sign companies who could give them recession-busting business. So, to ensure that they make those important connections, ISA last year launched a special event to bring together its National Sign Company(NSC) and Custom Sign Company (CSC) membership divisions.
To attract more students to its annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference and inform them about career opportunities in the lighting industry, Lightfair International (LFI) executives last year launched a new student outreach program to make it economically feasible for college students to attend and bolster new talent coming into the industry.
Part of the New Orleans’ Ernest N.Morial Convention Center’s greening
effort (a partnership with the city started in 2007 in response to
client demand) called for 210 new recycling bins for paper, plastic and
waste. But instead of sending the existing trash cans to the landfill, convention center employees stepped forward to repurpose and reuse the old ones, saving the center more than $100,000 and diverting mounds of nonbiodegradable fiberglass cans from the local landfill.
Cheat Sheet
Data mining can help you make the most of the information you have about your attendees, exhibitors and prospects. Here’s how to find the mother lode.
Cover Story
For the Natural Products Expo (NPE), environmentalism would seem to be a natural fit.
And it is. But when New Hope Natural Media (www.newhope.com), a division of Penton
Media, producers of the Natural Products Expo East and West, committed to a complete greening of its trade show portfolio in 2000, the initial outlook was less than rosy. Surprisingly, cost wasn’t the biggest obstacle. Access was. Most venues didn’t recycle, organic food was nowhere on the menus and contractors didn’t offer options in environmentally friendly materials whether or not you wanted to pay more for them.
Event Technology
Need to get important info like session changes, weather-related notices or transportation schedules to your attendees quickly and efficiently? Take a cue from organizations like the National Sheriff’s Association and consider Nixle’s text messaging technology. The technology allows organizers to instantly send 132-character text messages to large groups of users from secure and identity-certified sources so that only authorized users deemed by show staff can publish information. The technology also allows organizers to send texts with tiny URLs that users with smartphones can click on to access pages of additional information as well as attachments, photos and video.
Initially created as a customer service initiative, Hanley Wood’s Connection-Point portals take service to a whole new level. The portals not only personalize the show experience for attendees and exhibitors, but also serve as a marketing tool and revenue generator for the shows.
Considering a WiFi buyout for your show, but not sure how it works? EXPO spoke with two event technology experts from communications provider Smart City Networks — David Langford, Vice President of Technology, and Patrick Sarcinella, Senior Director of Operations, Southeast Region — to get the lowdown.
EXPO Plus...
What’s in this season when it comes to food and beverage? Whether you’re holding an event on-site or at a local restaurant, here are some ways to help jazz up your awards dinners, cocktail receptions or other special events.
If you’re considering hiring a professional photographer, it pays to do some homework beforehand. EXPO checked in with Robert Shiverts, Director of Photography at Oscar Einzig (www.oscareinzig.com), a photographic and imaging provider for trade shows and events, for some tips and expert advice. Here’s what you need to know before making your first phone call.
Passkey has three new features that give organizers real-time information on block pick-up, delegate lists, reservation pace, revenue and other data, as well as tools to submit and modify hotel room lists, run
reports and analyze trends.
Planning to hold an outdoor event for your next board or committee meeting? Here are some ideas to make your alfresco affair a crowd pleaser:
Feature Articles
As a cookbook author, Denise Medved has more than a few coveted recipes. But the one she may prize the most is the one she used to launch the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show (MCES, www.metrocooking.com).
For the Natural Products Expo (NPE), environmentalism would seem to be a natural fit.
And it is. But when New Hope Natural Media (www.newhope.com), a division of Penton
Media, producers of the Natural Products Expo East and West, committed to a complete greening of its trade show portfolio in 2000, the initial outlook was less than rosy. Surprisingly, cost wasn’t the biggest obstacle. Access was. Most venues didn’t recycle, organic food was nowhere on the menus and contractors didn’t offer options in environmentally friendly materials whether or not you wanted to pay more for them.
When executed effectively, exhibitor education can result in benefits to both exhibitors and show organizers: exhibitors who employ the right strategy and know-how will see higher attendance at their booths, giving them the ROI they need to impress the higher-ups back home, and organizers will see higher retention rates as exhibitors make their shows must-attend events.
Openers
The Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau (GHCVB) is facilitating communication between attendees and show management with a text-messaging program called GuestAssist-Conference, which enables attendees to reach event staff with questions and concerns via text message and receive immediate assistance. The service can be used for everything from giving direction and providing updates and schedule changes to responding to first-aid needs. To use the program, one to two show staffers need to be available to handle the questions that come through; replies are distributed via GuestAssist software through a computer and are sent out similar to an e-mail blast.
Publisher's Column
OK, I caved. After much pressure from family and friends, I finally created a Facebook page. To all of those who previously supported my decision to abstain, I can only offer my apologies. The lure of sharing my children’s photos was too great. And to all of you with your snide little comments about me finally joining the 21st century, I’ll be “unfriending” you soon.
Sales and Marketing
Want to make video a big part of your next e-mail piece? You’re not alone. More and more marketers are turning to video as the latest way to engage prospects and clients via e-mail. And although there are now e-mail marketing companies that can embed video into e-mails as part of their package of services, oftentimes ISPs and e-mail security vendors block video from ever reaching inboxes to ward off the possibility of viruses
and spam.
There are so many metrics to look at on sales reports that I’m not sure which ones are the best indicators of my show’s health. What are the key indicators I should look for and why?
With the proliferation of online social networking, there’s no shortage of ways to connect attendees and exhibitors pre-show. But a service by Whereoware, an online marketing solutions provider, not only facilitates setting up appointments and making connections before the show, but also purports to keep buyers and sellers connected — and making deals — long after the last truck has exited the convention hall.
The Buzz
Every show organizer knows that a successful convention typically means that at peak times, the conference rooms are filled and the masses are converging on the show floor. The San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) has those elements — and more — and the consumer press is taking notice.
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