Jeff Janes is Creative Director at GES. With more than 25 years of design experience, including more than 20 years at GES, his firsthand experience ranges from project leadership and creative strategy to designing exhibits, permanent installation, interiors, events and marketing.
I knew going to Cuba this past year would be a culture shock. I was anticipating getting lost in salsa music and diving into the daily life of a local — a detour from my ordinary routine.
But actually being in Cuba helped me realize the importance of face-to-face experiences. The language barrier (I don’t speak fluent Spanish, and most Cubans I met — including my host family — do not speak English well) created a real communication challenge.
Jenny Wang is an Associate Strategist at FreemanXP where she uses project management skills to gather the puzzle pieces and glue them together to form the big picture.
By Elizabeth Johnson
Meetings and events are not immune to crises. Everything from severe weather/natural disasters to protests to a tragic accident can affect an event and require immediate and confident communication with attendees, the media and other stakeholders.
And, while many events and the venues in which they reside have operational crisis plans in place, far fewer have communication strategies prepare ahead of time.
With the stroke of a pen last Friday, President Donald Trump put in place an Executive Order calling for the ban of Syrian refugees entering the U.S. for the next four months and anyone from six other countries - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen – would not be permitted into the United States for the next three months.
The action not only created chaos at airports as people were detained, even some who were holding Green Cards, but also protests erupted in several locations.
Ed Several, formerly senior vice president and general manager of PGA Worldwide Golf Exhibitions, has been tapped for a new role as senior vice president, integration and commercial optimization–Reed Exhibitions Americas.
In his new role and during the transition, Several will continue to assist with relationships and long-term strategy on events from his previous portfolio and will be reporting directly to Hervé Sedky, President of Reed Exhibitions Americas.
These days, incentivizing attendees to attend your trade show isn’t always a simple or easy feat. That’s why creative, customized attendee marketing efforts can be key in not only drawing your audience to the show but in also bringing them back year after year.
But, with all the “noise” multiple shows are making as they vie for attention, getting your voice heard among the fray can be a challenge. So, what are professional event marketers doing to separate themselves from the pack when it comes to attracting new and returning attendees to the shows they represent?
In a mere eight years, U.K.-based Informa PLC’s Global Exhibitions division has grown from a $100 million company in annual revenues with its business primarily focused in the Dubai region to now a $600 million company in annual revenues, as estimated by Deustche bank for 2017, and shows being held in countries all around the globe.
“The minute you think you've got it made, disaster is just around the corner.” – Joe Paterno
