By Elizabeth Johnson

The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) will hold its annual Expo! Expo! Dec. 6-8 in Anaheim.

IAEE has slated a full program of 70 sessions “all about Action”. Sessions will include major topics such as safety and security, sales and sponsorship, show design and strategy, career advancement and tech trends and foresight.

“This year we are adding additional flairs to the education at Expo! Expo!” said Brooke Pierson, education manager at IAEE.

She added, “Our goal is to fully engage all attendees by creating casual and comfortable learning environments, implementing different aspects of neuroscience, and providing attendees with unmatched speakers and content that will deliver ACTIONABLE results attendees can take back and implement right away.”

Here’s a look at a few sessions:

Exhibitor Packages: Grow Your Show, Save Exhibitors Money and Rethink Material Handling. Mark Bogdansky, senior director, meeting and events, Auto Care Association, and Jason Miller, vice president, National Sales Manager, The Expo Group

During this session, show managers and other suppliers will learn how exhibitor packages can be very beneficial to the health of a show. By customizing packages to the overall strategic goal of the event, exhibition managers can help exhibitors achieve some of their major goals, such as:

·        Expanding their show presence by bringing in more equipment to show to potential buyers or to take larger space in general

·        Accurately predicting their material handling costs to create smarter ROI expectations pre-show

“One example we’ll share is about providing an unlimited material handling package plan based on the exhibitors’ square footage, which allowed them to bring more product and budget accurately,” shared Miller. “We’ll cover how to fit various spending levels, add in services each year and calculate exhibitor savings. In this particular example, exhibitors saved nearly 30 percent off market rates for the most-used services.” 

Driving Attendee Engagement with Event Technology: How Planners and Vendors Can Work Together to Create Exceptional Experiences Michael Doane, marketing manager, CadmiumCD, and Brittany Doyle, CMP, manger, exhibitor services and show floor operations, Solar Energy Trade Shows (SETS)

This session will cover the relationship between organizer and technology vendor during the planning process. Doane and Doyle will lead a dialogue that discusses the unspoken contract that comes with forming a partnership in the event industry. They’ll also review 10 tech tools that organizers can get excited about, how to engage attendees with these tools, and the roles of both the organizer and vendor. Attendees will also do some hands-on activities with their peers to make sure the knowledge sticks.

“The best place to turn for more knowledge is their own vendors,” Doane said. “Ask about new products and get advice on how to engage attendees with these tools.”

How Is Your Attendee Show Floor Engagement Strategies Working for Your Event? Nancy Drapeau, PRC, Director of Research, Center for Exhibition Industry Research and David Saef, CTSM, executive vice president, Strategy & MarketWorks, Global Experience Specialists (GES)

This session will cover preliminary findings from a new, landmark CEIR study on the topic of attendee engagement offerings on an exhibition floor. Drapeau and Saef will highlight key findings and offer insights on real-world approaches used by organizers and exhibitors. They’ll also offer examples of those who are ahead of the curve. In an effort to ramp up attendee engagement, attendees will learn:

·        Which exhibition-sponsored show floor activities (for example, new product showcases, food service areas, on-floor education and more) have traction with attendees

·        Which in-booth exhibitor engagement tactics enjoy high use and how organizers support exhibitors to maximize attendee engagement

·        Which digital tactics maximize value and engagement

·        How to maximize all variety of engagement opportunities made available to attendees while visiting a trade show floor

·        Which activities organizers and exhibitors want to undertake to maximize future floor attendee engagement offerings

Dealing with Stakeholders on a Global Basis. Stephanie Selesnick, CEM, president, International Trade Information, Inc.; Jo-Anne Kelleway CEO, Info Salons Group; Claudia Maurer, CEM vice president, Strategic Accounts, IMN Solutions

Working with stakeholders such as associations, media, venues, suppliers and governments in other countries to grow your shows can be daunting. Culture, history and politics all play parts in how business is done. This session will explain how to find the right people to work with when taking a show offshore or bringing exhibitors and attendees into the US. Attendees will learn:

·        How to use foreign and domestic governments to promote your exhibition

·        How to build relationships with associations and press

·        How engage exhibitors and attendees to grow your show

“Test your knowledge of the international tradeshow landscape and play against the experts during Expo! Expo!,” Maure said.  

To learn more about IAEE’s Expo! Expo!, visit www.myexpoexpo.com.