Appeasing conference stakeholders has become more complex and difficult in today’s fast changing business climate. Maintaining and growing share of wallet, attention and loyalty requires intentionality. To out maneuver the conference competition, we have to be nimble, decisive and in constant beta mode. To compete today requires identifying, selling and leading change. This is a difficult skillset to master. Those meeting professionals that are adept at this core competency will discover … [Read more...]
Conference & Trade Show Sponsors Want Relevance
As we strive to deliver outstanding attendee experiences, our eyes turn to sponsorship. After all, somebody has to pay for this. Yet sponsorship tends to follow the same random path: Logos are slapped on every last bit of real estate. Banner ads and app alerts multiply. As the promotional noise increases, attendee attention plummets – thus making sponsorship less appealing. While eyeballs and clicks might have mattered to some degree in years past, that era is ending. Sponsorship investors … [Read more...]
Your Competitors Are Using Big Data To Improve Their Events [Infographic]
Big data has been on the lips of many business professionals for some time now. So is it a big mistake or a promising trend to apply? Expo and Global Experience Specialists (GES) developed a study that looks at how event producers and exhibitors are collecting and analyzing data to help their customers and their own organizations. Here is an infographic they produced with some highlights from the full report. How does your tradeshow data collection compare to this infographic? What … [Read more...]
Could Old School Exhibitors Damage Your Expo Brand?
I just Googled "Trade Show Sales Tips" and retrieved 2+ million results. No big surprise, as hardly a week goes by without spotting articles like these. Unfortunately, the people who need to read these articles never do. Does Acceptance Of All Exhibitors Come At A Cost? Some expo floors are run like well-oiled machines, where every element is inspected and perfected to ensure high satisfaction for both attendees and exhibitors. Others copy last year's playbook, rinse and repeat. Often … [Read more...]
20+ Tradeshow Trends For 2014 And Beyond
The events, exhibitions and meetings industry continues to evolve as it faces global changes and disruptive innovation. Here are 20+ tradeshow trends for exhibitors and show managers. 20+ Tradeshow Trends For 2014 & Beyond from Jeff Hurt View this the 20+ Tradeshow Trends for 2014 & Beyond in your own broswer . What trends would you add to this list? What trends are missing? … [Read more...]
Research: People Want Learning Opportunities At Tradeshows!
Many (exhibition) attendees have dual needs for attending: shopping (69%) and learning (66%). ~ CEIR, What Attendees Want From Exhibitions, February 4, 2013 They come to your tradeshow with very real learning needs related to their own personal and professional development. If you are not integrating more education experiences within and at your tradeshow, you are missing a valuable opportunity to reach more exhibition attendees. 50% Of Top Needs Included Learning The CEIR report … [Read more...]
It Is Time To Reinvent The Meetings Industry And The Meeting Professional
I think the meetings and conference industry has reached a plateau. For years the industry has focused on the logistical side of the meeting including registration, food and beverage, contracts, venue space, room sets, schedules, SMMP and more. The industry has matured and many meeting professionals have become very good at the details. Yet, the improvements in those details have not taken the meetings industry to the next level. In fact, many conferences are still suffering because the … [Read more...]
Four Essential Elements To An Incomparable Face To Face Conference And Tradeshow Experience
What type of experiences do you crave? Have you ever had any of those types of experiences at a conference or tradeshow? Conferences and tradeshows have a long way to go to merge the experiences we crave and want with those that actually occur at the event. Four Critical Elements To Success The recent report, Scenarios For The Future: Convention Exhibits & Tradeshows of 2016 by The ASAE Foundation, Center for Exhibition Industry Research Foundation, Freeman, Gaylord Entertainment and PCMA … [Read more...]
