the November 2009 Issue in PDF Format - Trade Show Executive

IAEE Expo! Expo! Preview December 8-10 Atlanta, GA
Vendors and venues will display the
latest products, services and facilities
while their high-level executives are onhand
to answer questions. Bringing in the
big guns is a good idea because IAEE
estimates that 80% of the approximately
2,000 attendees come with the authority
to make buying decisions on their
organization’s behalf.
The show floor will include seating
areas for private conversations, and the
Prize Stage will award 15 prizes worth
more than $500 each.
Southern Hospitality
Networking and socializing
opportunities abound. There are ample
breaks between sessions and attendees
are bound to bump into friends while
strolling around the exhibit hall.
The traditional First Timer’s Orientation
Brunch Tuesday will be followed up
in the evening by the always-popular
Opening Reception, which will be held at the
Georgia Aquarium.
Wednesday evening will be
highlighted by a benefit concert at the
Tabernacle, a 100-year-old church that
was converted into a 2,600-seat concert
venue. GES Exposition Services is
sponsoring the event and the Austin
Convention & Visitors Bureau is
providing the band. Tickets are $75.
Proceeds go to Camp Sunshine, which
is located outside Atlanta and hosts
children stricken with cancer and their
families.
Those attendees who want to get
out and explore the neighborhoods
outside the GWCC will have the entire
downtown area at their feet.
Whatever the individual attendee’s
EXPO! EXPO! schedule is, it promises
to be full and rewarding regardless
whether it is downloaded on a handheld
wireless device or written down in the
old school manner with a pen and paper.
For questions or to register, contact Scott
Craighead, director of conventions & events,
at (972) 458-8002 or scraighead@iaee.com
Speaker Highlights
Tuesday,
December 8, 2009
Event Websites
Twitter and LinkedIn are the hot topics
in trade show marketing, but the show
website remains at the heart of any event’s
public outreach. Websites have become
a familiar and comfortable tool, but that
doesn’t mean they are an asset that can
be left on autopilot. This afternoon-long
session walks attendees though the latest
trends and capabilities adapted to show sites
with the hand-in-hand goals of increasing
traffic and show registrations. The session
is divided into two parts. The first half
is considered “entry level” and explains
some of the new
dashboards and
analytics tools
available off-theshelf.
Once familiar
with terminologies,
participants move
on to the second
half and learn
Coole
how to convert
new website visitors from tire-kickers to
registered attendees.
Presenters for the session/s are
Arran Coole, CEO & managing director,
aspEvents; John Curtis, president of
Quotient Integrated Solutions; and
Stephen Nold, president of Advon
Technologies.
Strategies for Saving and
Recovering Business
The recent downturn in trade show
attendance means it is more important
than ever for organizers to pay attention
to customers and the value they get from
an event. With ROI increasingly important
to exhibitors, there is a greater need to
analyze the value proposition that a show
offers in order to keep them coming back
year after year. This session offers ideas
on how to improve communications and
develop an effective retention strategy with
the assistance of advances in data mining,
surveys and basic personal communications
with attendees and exhibitors. “It is
important to take advantage of technology
and change your events based on the
feedback you receive from all persons
with an active interest in the event,” said
McKinnon
panelist Daniel McKinnon, executive
vice president, Messe Frankfurt USA.
Ignacio Cabrera, former vice president of
exhibition sales for the National Association
of Home Builders (NAHB), will moderate
the panel, which also includes Chuck
Schwartz, chairman of ConvExx.
Wednesday,
December 9, 2009
General Session Keynote: The
Art of Social Media Marketing
Social media is fast, free and increasingly
ubiquitous in the event marketing world,
but it is also a puzzle for show organizers
looking for proven ways to leverage this
www.TradeShowExecutive.com Trade Show Executive November 2009 29
Cabrera
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