September 29th, 2011
OK, you are ready to plan that event, meeting or show. You know who’s coming and now all you need to do is decide where you are going to hold it. Sounds simple, but there’s a lot to choosing the right city and meeting place.
From services available at the event venue, costs and accommodation, to transportation and accessibility, making the right choice can make, or break, your event.
Just as well then that the world’s largest resource for destination marketing organizations (DMOs) has released an updated version of its online, destination comparison tool, empowerMINT.com. The tool, from the Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) has been streamlined and tweaked to allow event organisers to more easily compare destinations using a wide variety of criteria.
The new version of the free, online tool offers:
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Tags: business, exhibition, sales, show
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August 30th, 2011
The US economy is in a bad way which would lead many to assume that the US exhibition and events sector is in a similar state. But, no, against the odds the sector has continued to rally in 2011 and recorded a growth rate for the first half of 2011 of 2.4%.
That’s half a percent higher than the US GDP growth rate of 1.9% for the same period this year. This is some turnaround from this time last year. Data from the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) shows that the sector is now up 4.4% on the same time last year.
“During the first half of 2010, the exhibition industry lagged the macro economy,” said Allen Shaw, CEIR economist. “But the exhibition industry finally…. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: business, economy, exhibition, recession, show
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August 22nd, 2011
In an unprecedented move, four of the most important exhibition and events associations have announced their intention to band together in an effort to define industry best practices.
Described as a ‘long overdue breakthrough’ the four groups will address industry issues and set out a series of Guiding Principles to ensure best practice across the sector.
The four associations involved are the ASAE, the Exhibit Services and Contractors Association (ESCA), International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), and the Society of Independent Show Organizers’ (SISO).
“There have been many piecemeal attempts throughout the years to define those practices that are essential to the efficient and fair conduct of business in the exhibition industry”, explains Chuck Grouzard, Chairman of the Exhibit Services and Contractors Association (ESCA). “While we applaud all of those past attempts the fact remains there are too many troublesome issues….
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Tags: business, event, exhibition, marketing, show
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August 16th, 2011
Now that’s a big question. And most of the time the answer would be ‘Yes’.
On the one side of the fence, the exhibit/show organisers and venue owners will stand behind all of their business practices while on the other are the exhibitors, some of whom may not be all that happy with certain practices – especially those relating to pricing and customer treatment.
One recent piece of investigative journalism in the Chicago press shone the spotlight on several so-called ‘bad practices’ within the exhibition sector and suggested that the sector was a troubled one.
In response, Douglas L. Ducate, CEM, CMP, president and CEO of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) has come out all guns blazing to defend practices that, he claims, are common to all business sectors. In a white paper called “Are We a Troubled Industry?”, Ducate addresses the issues raised by the press.
He says:
“For some years there has been discussion about what has been called the exhibition industry business model. Some suggest that model is flawed and…. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: business, exhibition, marketing, sales
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August 10th, 2011
While it’s invaluable getting to shows and meeting new potential customers, a lot of companies overlook the value of making the best use of the data gathered after the show.
However, the proper gathering of post-show data can go a long way to improving how your company presents itself at these events.
Yes, sometimes the truth can hurt if attendees didn’t like your stand, staff or pitch but the upside is that you learn what works and what doesn’t.
Here’s some tips on how to get it right…. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: business, show, survey
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August 4th, 2011
Wi-Fi. Take any event in any state and in any industry sector and you will hear attendees grumbling about Wi-Fi access, or the lack of it. If it’s not too slow, it’ll be too expensive or too unreliable. It’s a serious issue facing the exhibition sector.
The rapid rise of Wi-Fi enabled smartphones and tablets means that attendees are demanding faster Wi-Fi. Research shows that 30 million tablets will be sold in the US alone this year, rising to 60 million in 2012. That’s a lot of Wi-Fi devices looking for access at your show.
The problem, of course, is who picks up the bill? Unsurprisingly, there is a difference of opinion.
A survey into the issue by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) examined how organizers, exhibitors and facility managers view some key issues surrounding the growing use of Internet connectivity in exhibition centers.
Here are some of the key-findings: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: business, exhibition, show, technology, wi-fi
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July 26th, 2011
The popularity of virtual events is on the rise.
Of course, that’s not news to those who spend a lot of time organising events but it’s always good to have some solid figures to show just how popular virtual events are becoming in everyday businesses.
Those is the know, in this case, would be the International Association of Exhibitions and Events [IAEE] and the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), which found that over 80% of the executives it interviewed offer some kind of virtual event. Even more interesting is the fact that many of those see virtual events as supportive of real-world events, not replacements.
The Virtual Event Study found that…. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: business, exhibition, marketing, sales, visitors
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July 19th, 2011
The U.S. exhibition industry is being asked to look to Europe in order to create a proper tradeshow rating system.
The Exhibit Industry Council (EIC), made up of five major tradeshow industry associations, has just released its latest best practices document, stating that the U.S. tradeshow industry should adopt a tradeshow rating system like that used in Europe.
It argues that exhibitors need a better, third-party validated marking system for events to make it easier for them to know which events are providing the best return on investment (ROI) for their cash.
As it stands, many exhibitors have to book space… Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: business, exhibition, sales, show
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July 12th, 2011
Design specialists, Catalyst Exhibits has scooped a prestigious design award at the 2011 B2 Awards, hosted and judged by the Business Marketing Association. Catalyst’s stunning exhibit stand for Zimmer at the AAOS 2010 Show in San Diego won the Best Trade Show Exhibit over 2,500sq feet.
The B2 Awards are an international business-to-business marketing and communications contest that recognizes excellence among top agencies and corporate marketers.
“Zimmer had an important story to tell to an audience of orthopedic surgeons not known for being easily impressed,” Catalyst explains. “They turned to Catalyst Exhibits to develop the strategy. The sense of theatre began before participants entered the viewing space. Massive, sweeping interconnecting paths converged above and below, bathed in white light and blue light. Circular stations led participants from one interactive, touch screen technology station to the next.”
“The showpiece element was a two-storey theatre where Zimmer experts would present innovations including Zimmer’s Trabecular Metal Technology that uniquely simulates bone, and a new highly cross-linked polyethylene, a significant advancement in wear reduction. The main blue path drew attendees through to the theater, a sound a light show in a multi-level high-definition screen backed a two-storey high screen, viewable from hundreds of feet away.”
Catalyst would like to thank its top team of designers – led by Mark Lynch – who worked on this project, and all of our projects, for all of their hard work.
Visit Catalyst here.
Tags: business, design, news, show
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June 21st, 2011
What happens when a show outgrows its traditional location? It moves on.
The recent success of the Electronic Entertainment Expo [E3] in Los Angeles has prompted calls for a badly needed expansion to the Los Angeles Convention Center [LACC]. Developers, union members and exhibitors have joined forces to get the city council to approve an expansion and modernization of the LACC before they lose more big shows.
E3 attracted 45,000 visitors and generated around $26 million in economic activity this month, making it LA.’s most important show but, there are fears, that the convention center will not be able to cope with future shows. The problem is that the LACC is divided into two wings with no large, connecting meeting place.
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Tags: business, exhibition, news
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