Experts & Opinions
Jun 25, 2019
Most trade show booth traffic is “passive.”People passing the booth recognize the company name and look to see “what’s new.”Others recognize the equipment on display and decide they want to learn more.
Exhibitors who rely on passive traffic alone, however, miss out on a huge number of qualified prospects who simply don’t “see” their booth or actively choose to ignore it.
Expert exhibitors know maximizing the number of qualified leads they get from each show means actively attracting traffic to their booth and enticing qualified buyers into the booth to meet the booth team.
So how do you… more
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Jun 20, 2019
Trade shows are a time to get away, network with other people in your industry, make new friends and promote your business. For other vendors, trade shows are simply a way of life because it’s the lifeblood of their business.
No matter which category you fall into, you must take trade show security into consideration. If you don’t, all that fun can go away in a moment because of one little security slip.
Who’s on the Take
When we talk about preventing theft from your trade show booth, most of us think about the shifty-eyed criminal walking around in a hoodie and casing all the displays.… more
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Jun 17, 2019
When I was in my previous career in marketing and communications, I worked on a team that planned corporate events. My role was graphic design, so I didn’t usually offer input about much other than fonts and colors.
At the same time, being green was super-important to me in my personal life. And I saw lots of opportunities for my team’s events to be more sustainable.
I wondered for a long time how to propose the idea of greener events to the team. Would my boss and the team leaders think I was being presumptuous? Would they be willing to change the way we had always done things?
Presenting… more
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Jun 13, 2019
There’s always that one booth on the trade showfloor. It’s the booth that everyone talks about, that people call their friends over to see, where people are constantly taking photos. How do you build that booth?
There are a few different ways to make that sort of stand-out booth design, a booth that provides a memorable experience and drives the kind of interactions you want with potential clients and partners. At a recent event I attended in Las Vegas, I noticed a few particular booth ideas that stood out from the crowd.
Make It Larger Than Life
The interior of one particular booth… more
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Jun 11, 2019
Audiovisual is a critical—albeit often overlooked—component of successful events. Depending on what the planner needs, an event’s AV may appear invisible or it can take the spotlight. Either way, every event needs some kind of AV.
AV providers come in as many shapes and sizes as there are kinds of events. There are large and small companies and in-house and independent providers. Event planners should evaluate these options as carefully as a venue and caterer.
Each event you hold should fit into your organization’s long-term strategy and mirror the brand’s image. A good AV company will… more
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Jun 05, 2019
A trade show website is a critical part of the overall event experience. It promotes the event, drives attendance, generates awareness, and maintains interest afterward. Following are five trade show website must-haves to ensure your event gets the extra boost it needs to succeed.
1. Develop a Strategy Within the Greater Strategy
Other than word of mouth and email, your website is the primary communication vehicle that potential attendees, exhibitors and sponsors will use to learn about your event. Thus, having website-first mentality — including the development of a clear, measurable… more
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Jun 03, 2019
Attend any major B2B or B2C event today and you might think you were heading onto a Hollywood set, with bright lights, lively audio, captivating video and where interactivity abounds.
On the horizon and already on display at some leading-edge trade shows and conventions are new trends such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and advanced online ticketing and registration. These existing and emerging event technologies are paving the way for more successful events and overall enhanced experiences for event planners, exhibitors and attendees.
Where the real… more
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May 28, 2019
A lot of people are genuinely “exhibiting.” They have a product and it’s on display. Look at it. See it’s brilliant innovation. See what our company has done to advance the industry’s technology a light year ahead. The future is here: look at it. And when you’ve seen enough of the future, you may continue on to the rest of the trade show.
That’s exhibiting. The ultimate goal is showing off your stuff. It’s an expensive goal to achieve – most 20 x 20 booths will spend at least $175,000 (including booth construction) to get people to look at their stuff.
Businesses understand, however, that… more
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May 23, 2019
It was 2017 and I was working at the Black Hat Conference at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. A charismatic sales engineer had a crowd spilling out of his booth and blocking the aisle. His prospects were transfixed – cheering on his command, eagerly leaning forward, ready to do anything he asked. No, he wasn’t doing a raffle, he was using the principles of rhetoric to persuade and mesmerize his audience.
Aristotle defined Rhetoric as “the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion.” He defined the three means of persuasion as ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion)… more
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May 21, 2019
Upping your event food game while supporting local chefs is as important as ever. Below we outline step-by-step ways you can try to improve the quality of cuisine at your next event.
Set Clear goals
Events definitely have goals, and every person’s goal is different from event to event. Some organizers want to ensure people feel like family and can gather together over their event, while others want their event to feel like an all-out festival. Knowing what you want to achieve before you start researching vendors will not only better shape your approach to the different elements of your… more
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Partner Voices
Overview:
The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality.
In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way.
“We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.”
Amenities:
The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.
The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience
The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need.
Gold Key Members
The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events.
OCCC Events:
This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.
The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:
AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023
200,000 Attendees
$257 Million in Economic Impact
MEGACON 2023
160,000 Attendees
$205 Million in Economic Impact
Open Championship Series 2023
69,500 Attendees
$89 Million in Economic Impact
Sunshine Classic 2023
42,000 Attendees
$54 Million in Economic Impact
Premiere Orlando 2023
42,000 Attendees
$108 Million in Economic Impact