Blogs
Sep 26, 2017
Nothing ruins an outdoor event faster than severe weather. However, intentional planning for weather conditions is key for a successful outdoor event or meeting. Weather can be tricky and hard to predict, but with a little insight and a few tips, any event planner can be prepared for what’s in the forecast.
Most people rely on free weather apps for up-to-date weather alerts. However, they lack real-time, location-specific information, are unreliable and can’t accurately predict where and when lightning will strike. Delayed lightening detection is nearly as bad as not having it at all. It can… more
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Sep 25, 2017
No. 1: Always have a “Plan B”
One of the questions I’m often asked as a trade show industry veteran is, “What do you wish you’d known back in your first year of managing trade show exhibits that you know now?” To answer this question, here is the first in a series of posts addressing the most important lessons I’ve learned, mostly as a lifelong student of the University of Hard Knocks.
If you’ve ever heard of Murphy’s Law (“Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”), I can tell you that I think Murphy was an optimist when it comes to trade show exhibiting. In addition to having a “Plan B”… more
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Sep 21, 2017
Registration vendors and show management work together all year making decisions to maximize their show’s impact on attendees and exhibitors. How can you determine if your decisions reflect the needs, experiences and challenges of attendees?
Attending an event and taking the time to “walk in your attendees’ shoes” provides an amazing perspective and insight into their experience. I have learned more from time spent onsite than I could ever learn while sitting in my office.
Observation No. 1: Get Your Badge and Go
There is one common goal with all attendees and exhibitors: the desire to… more
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Sep 14, 2017
From Facebook Live to Periscope to YouTube, live streaming is more popular than ever. In fact, some marketing analysts have dubbed live streaming “the future of social media.” You can live stream everything from a backyard softball game to a congressional hearing.
The big money is in live streaming professional sports games, fashion shows and music festivals. Big-name brands are investing significant sums in sponsoring live streams. T-Mobile sponsored the YouTube stream of the Coachella music festival, and 7Up is rumored to have spent upwards of $30 million to sponsor festivals and DJs in… more
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Sep 12, 2017
Since 2008, there has been a statistic making its way around the Internet that the EPA ranked the trade show industry as the second most wasteful industry - second only to manufacturing. You may have heard this statistic before. I have even used that information in an article I wrote for TSNN. Recently, I decided to look deeper into that stat that gives a bad rap to our industry. What I discovered was that even on the EPA website, I can find no reference to this statistic. Furthermore, many of the articles that referenced the statistic have been removed from the web.
Still, we all know that… more
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Sep 07, 2017
During a recent Thinking Thursday event, we gathered industry experts to discuss ideas for solving the elusive audience attraction mystery, which often feels like harnessing a unicorn. The concept sounds sparkly and amazing, but the process of corralling attendees – not just any attendees, but the RIGHT ones – and keep them coming back can feel unrealistic.
While it’s tempting to dust off tried-and-true marketing tactics during planning, especially with limited time, staff and budgets, you’ll reap better results with fresh approaches that go digital.
Between our experts’ astute advice and… more
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Sep 05, 2017
The trade show industry is quite a revolutionary one, with new trade events, consumer shows, festivals and a variety of applied technologies. However, over the course of time, the trade show booth system has remained stagnant and untransformed. Traditional pipe and drape, which was introduced in the 1950s, is still a major part of the event planning process, almost overlooked as the backdrop to our events.
While technology has changed in all other facets of the industry, the basics of booth setup have been passed over as if it’s just a part of the fabric of the floor plan. There are options… more
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Aug 31, 2017
Every audience touchpoint gives show organizers an opportunity to engage, educate and build lasting, meaningful relationships between brands and consumers. But what was considered “meaningful” yesterday has been forever altered, thanks to intense competition, evolving demographics and emerging technology.
To better understand the ways in which event marketers are responding to these change drivers, Freeman commissioned research firm SSI to conduct an independent, global study of more than 1,000 marketers in a range of roles across North America, Asia and Western Europe.
This research… more
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Nov 12, 0018
Trade shows are a fantastic way to establish yourself in your industry and collect tons of leads. However, the best ways to manage the leads and contacts you collect, as well as the visitor experience can be hard to manage. After all, you only have a small assigned area to effectively pitch yourself, engage your visitors and capture contact information!
Thank goodness for mobile apps. Now, countless apps have been developed to streamline trade show operations seamlessly - and most don’t even depend on wifi. (After all, wifi may be nonexistent or spotty at best in large convention centers… more
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Dec 04, 2017
Last week I had the great pleasure of taking part in the International Association of Exhibitions and Event’s Women’s Leadership Experience, held Nov. 28, the first day of Expo! Expo! in San Antonio Texas.
It wasn’t the first time IAEE has supported women’s leadership with an event, but it was the first time they were holding it during Expo! Expo!
The room was packed with mostly women (there was one man!), and the speaker – Emilie Aries – founder and CEO of www.BossedUp.org kicked things off by setting the stage on where things are for women in the workplace.
We’ve all heard the statistics… more
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Partner Voices
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