Trade Show Management – Concept to Completion

Trade Show Management is an art. To produce a successful show takes strong vision, calculated
planning, organized execution, and countless hours. A Show Manager requires an extremely diverse skill set or a competent and skilled team, as they are working with various stakeholders, components
and a myriad of details.

There are four stages to the process: Planning, Coordinating, Execution and Evaluation.

The Planning phase consists of reviewing the current operations, setting goals and objectives, identifying stakeholders, choosing your team and creating a budget. Understanding who the stakeholders are, how important each group is and how valuable good relationships with all of them are is the key to a smooth running show. Whether it be your exhibitors, attendees, sponsors, suppliers, venue contacts, media, staff and volunteers, each group brings a unique perspective with different needs; many with expertise in their area you can draw from. Utilize their knowledge.

Planning your team is equally important – given the variety of areas implicated in a trade show including administration and finance, sales, communications and marketing, registration and event management you will undoubtedly encounter a wide range of skills and personalities and it is important to utilize their strengths and involve them in all the planning in order for them to buy in to your ideas.

Other components of the planning stage consist of:

• Budget - including venue, all site expenses, speakers, marketing etc.
• Regulations – labour, safety, disability, fire code, licensing, insurance, green practices, etc.
• Logistics – this is one of the largest areas in the planning phase. It encompasses requests for proposals, site selections and floor plans, contracts, venue and service providers, scheduling, features and entertainment, AV, catering and more.

It is important to note that having a well designed, logical floor plan can make or break your show. If it is not well thought out, if exhibitors are not happy with their space/locations, if attendees can’t find features, if there are dead aisles, or if you haven’t followed safety, fire, or electrical regulations, you could be setting yourself up for disaster. I reiterate the value of all stakeholders – it’s important to keep them happy and coming back. A word of advice – keep the inspectors happy – it makes your life a lot easier.

Sales and marketing are another big part of the planning process. The first step should be to complete a Situation Analysis or a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) and from those responses look at market segmentation, ways to prospect and lead generation. Your marketing plan needs to be integrated, utilizing advertising, public relations, website, social and digital media. A marketing timeline should be created a year in advance and the different medians used depending on what stage of the plan you are in.

Creating a complete exhibitor prospectus which has all the pertinent information regarding the details of your show and the value of exhibiting is a must. Ensure everything the exhibitor needs to know is included: attendee demographics, logistics, floor plans and costs, conditions of contract, accommodations and travel tips, sponsorship opportunities and tips for exhibiting. The exhibitor guide should be equally as detailed with relevant information on setup, tear down, contractors, shipping, electrical, AV, security, material handling, storage, etc. The easier you make things for the exhibitors, the happier they are and more likely to return the next year.

The world of sponsorship has changed immensely. It is growing hugely and allows for much creativity. It is no longer signage and exposure; sponsors desire to be interactive and engaging. Constantly look for new opportunities to enhance your revenue. Research other shows and borrow their ideas.

The Planning, Coordination and Execution stages go hand in hand. As you are planning some stages you are also coordinating and executing others. The coordination phase consists of assigning tasks, timelines and personnel. How are things going to come together? It requires arranging tasks with all stakeholders, and takes the plan and prepares it for execution.

Executing is the coordination and managing of all logistics and the show as a whole. It is monitoring and controlling the sales process, ongoing tasks and the team while also identifying constraints and issues. The use of a project management plan and timelines is imperative to keep tasks on track and ensure completion of them.

The final stage which takes the least amount of time but is one of the most important is the
Evaluation.

Once you have completed the tasks, settled all contracts, completed all reports, collected exhibitor and attendee surveys, it is necessary to evaluate with all stakeholders, to get their feedback and recommendations and analyze all the information. This will assist you in making improvements for future success. It is important to note, one successful event does not make you an expert. Many different situations and new challenges can impact your event, often unpredicted, so being prepared and proactive, as well as understanding your market and its conditions, is extremely important.

The trade show business is a lot of hard work, but exciting and rewarding and most importantly unique - as nothing is as powerful as face-to-face marketing!

Nancy Milani, CEM, CMP, has produced and coordinated over 200 events in the past 20 years from a variety of charity fundraisers, to professional sporting events, corporate events, conferences, trade and consumer shows. Nancy facilitates Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM) courses throughout Canada, US and Asia for the Canadian Association of Exhibition Management (CAEM) and International Association Events & Exhibitions (IAEE) and presents workshops and sessions in event management, sales and marketing for corporations and at conferences. 

Image courtesy of emptyglass at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A Few Thoughts on Maximizing ROI For Your Sponsors...

If you have an event coming up and are looking for some ways to help maximize the investment your sponsors have made with you, here are a few tips that you may be interested in:

1. Give your delegates something to talk about.  Sponsors have selected your conference/event to sponsor, because your members and other meeting participants are targets that they believe will help drive sales.  Help your sponsors out – give your delegates some information in forms of social media, blogs and other content that will keep your sponsors top of mind.  Remember to include the fact that they are sponsoring your event, and will be there if they have questions, etc.
2. When onsite, make sure you are introducing your sponsors to as many people as you can.  When chatting with your delegates, many times you will come across problems, challenges, and areas that your sponsors can help solve.  Instead of just suggesting that they find the sponsor and have the conversation on their own – facilitate the introduction.  It will not only lessen the time it takes for a delegate to actively seek  out the contact, but will give your sponsor additional ROI.  
3. If part of your sponsorship includes a booth or table top, encourage sponsors to avoid being “just another exhibitor” that delegates will want to avoid.  Time is money, and you want to ensure that you have done everything you can to maximize their investment with you.  Perhaps come up with tips and best practices for your own event, focusing in what your unique delegates want to see/hear and how they want to be approached. 
4. If you can, have a meeting with your sponsors and exhibitors either the night before or first thing in the morning before your event.  Give them an opportunity to see that you appreciate them, and that their involvement is recognized.  Giving them time to ask questions, or perhaps learn about how and when they can do more to maximize their investment will show your sponsors that you have thought it through, and just haven’t taken their money without providing them with some sort of return. 

What things have you incorporated lately that has raised the ROI for your sponsors?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Measuring Success in your Marketing & Communications

In November 2014, a number of marketing-communications professionals gathered in downtown Ottawa to discuss analytics and measurement challenges facing non-profits and associations.  The discussion was led by CSAE member Joe Boughner, the Director of Communications at the Association of Canadian Financial Officers and also an analytics instructor at Algonquin College.

The key takeaways for participants were to ensure first that marcomm (marketing-communications) efforts align both organizational goals and to the needs of your members at every stage of the life-cycle.  In so doing, Boughner argued, you allow yourself to align your marketing KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) with your overall corporate objectives.  He recommended that all organizations create detailed journey maps for their key persona's to help all stakeholders, not just marketing and communications people, understand the member experience better.  He also advised the group to ensure that there is a straight line between organizational and marketing objectives.

By way of example, the group brainstormed a model for an association that is looking to increase membership revenue.  First, the participants boiled it down to a measurable goal - to increase new members (as opposed to looking at retention, for example).  Then they concluded that marketing analytics could then align to this goal, such as click through rates on ads geared for new members; form completion rates on the sign up form, etc.

Moving forward, this focus on member needs and organizational objectives can make measurement easier, which ensures ongoing buy-in for your marcomm efforts.

This post was written by Joe Boughner, Association of Canadian Financial Officers, and originally featured in the OG CSAE Winter Executive.

Image courtesy of Keerati at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Promote Your Publications by Harnessing the Power of Members

The tactic of using members to promote your association is nothing new. But have you ever considered using members to promote the value of your association’s publications? Here are five ways to use members, or even readers, to promote the value of your publications, leading to higher readership and possibly more advertising dollars.

1. Put them in print. Most associations continue to do print pieces to promote their association to members as well as non-members because print is still effective when used smartly. Your publications are a key member benefit, so the value of the publications is promoted in any print pieces you produce for the purpose of recruiting and retaining members.Print promotions are the perfect place to use targeted testimonials. Target testimonials allow you to show segments of your audience the value of the publications in a non-promotional way because the testimonials come from their colleagues, not from association staff. When using testimonials in print, or any other format, it is beneficial to include testimonials from different segments of your key audiences so that readers will see themselves represented and associate themselves with the value being presented.
2. Find the social media champions. Social Media is a great way to create engagement and spread information quickly. Many associations are already involved in this medium on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, blogs, and more. In addition to sharing information and creating conversation, you can use social media to locate individuals who are already talking about your association or the topics that you cover, and contact them about becoming a champion for your publication.This does not mean they promote your publication, or your association, but it does mean that you feed them important information or exciting things that are happening in your publications and ask them to participate in the conversation on your social media sites or on their own. If you recruit the right people to serve as champions, your content will get coverage without much effort on your part.
3. Encourage members to forward content via enewsletters. Using your members to help spread the word can be very simple if you are producing an e-newsletter to recruit members or to inform current members about key happenings in your association. It is simple because almost all email programs make it easy to insert a “forward-to-a-friend” link within your e-newsletter. Not everyone is going to actually take action on a forward-to-a-friend link, so to maximize its usage, suggest that e-newsletter readers pass the message along, and then track how many recipients actually do so.E-newsletters are also a great place to insert video testimonials or links to video testimonials. A video testimonial can be captured at one of your events or can be self-produced by a reader. Like a written testimonial, a video is a great way to promote your publications in your readers’ own words.
4. Feature testimonials on the website. Your website is a great way to communicate with members and non-members alike. Testimonials about your publications, videos about how members and non-members have benefited from your publications, and quotes from authors and social media champions can all be posted on your website for your community to see. The real estate on your website is very valuable and because of that, many of your association’s departments will want to have a presence on the site. However, since your publications are valuable member benefits, commit to making sure that publications have a regular presence there.
5. Promote from the inside. It may sound silly to cross promote your publications, but it is a smart thing to do. If you have multiple publications, promote content from one publication in another publication so readers of one will learn the benefits of another. Including testimonials or links to videos or social media comments about your publications within the publications is a good way to engage more people, ultimately leading to a higher level of commitment and understanding of your content offerings. Messaging about sharing the publication with other colleagues increases awareness within the right audience, with the added benefit that the publication was suggested by a colleague, not a staff member. The members of your association and your industry are resources that you should take advantage of. Having these types of people speak for your association and spread the word about your publications provides a level of legitimacy and authenticity that staff spokespeople cannot duplicate. If you are not already using members to tell your story, start doing so right away. Happy recruiting!

This post was submitted by Scott Oser, of Scott Oser Associates, with over 17 years of marketing experience in the association and publishing industries. Before starting the firm he worked for market leaders like National Geographic Society, AARP and Science.Throughout his career Scott has excelled in developing, implementing and analyzing multi-channel direct marketing programs. He is highly skilled in creating effective membership, marketing and sales programs with the ability to align resources and operations to consistently achieve and exceed goals.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

Why Smart Advertisers Choose Associations

During my almost 20-year career, I have been fortunate to work for — and with — both for-profit and association publications. Throughout this time, I have often heard that it is not as easy to sell ads in association publications as it is in consumer publications. Over the last seven years, as I have focused on selling advertising almost exclusively in association publications, I have learned that simply is not the case.

Here are a few reasons some people believe that association publications are not as valuable as consumer publications:

• The majority of readers do not make a commitment to the magazine; they are receiving it as a member benefit because they are a member of the association.
• Association publications are typically not audited, so an advertiser or an ad agency cannot easily compare an association publication to a consumer publication that is audited.
• Associations often do not have as many readers as consumer publications.

At face value, these are all good reasons that it is smarter for an advertiser to put their ad dollars toward a consumer publication as compared to an association publication. The good news for association publishers is that there are even more reasons why an association publication is a great advertising choice:

1. Associations keep their members. According to ASAE, the average association annual member-renewal rate is 80 percent . That means that advertisers are able to consistently reach the same individuals multiple times over multiple years if they advertise regularly over time. All marketers know that staying in front of potential customers is important. This consistency is almost guaranteed when working with associations.
2. Associations can be small, but they are targeted. Most associations and association publications are built around an industry or a mission that members support or believe in. This basically guarantees that the individuals who are receiving the publication are similar in need and focus. Targeting is important in advertising, and if you are able to reach an audience that is almost totally made up of the type of individual you are trying to reach, it will increase the likelihood of success.
3. Associations are communities of engaged members. Associations are putting more and more time and money into engaging their member community. They are giving members ways to communicate and even share information about products and services they use and like. With these engagement mechanisms already in place, companies that consistently advertise and do a good job of getting members to talk about their product or service to the larger community will see word of mouth about their offerings progress faster than they may see in a consumer environment.
4. Associations are trusted. As nonprofit organizations, associations are looked at with a level of respect and trust that for-profit entities often are not. A company that advertises in an association publication benefits from the perception of trust as well. Members also trust the association to provide them with the right information, products, and services, so companies that advertise in association publications may receive a more positive perception than they would if the ad were placed in a consumer publication.
5. Association members pay a good amount for dues. It is true that association members typically do not pay for their publication directly like a consumer would for a magazine. That said, members are making a choice to join the association and are typically paying a dues amount that is higher than the ever-shrinking price of a consumer magazine. Additionally, many consumer publications are controlled (qualified subscribers receive a free subscription) where a subscriber doesn’t pay anything for their subscription.

Selling advertising in an association publication is not an easy thing to do. However, if you educate your advertisers and potential advertisers to the benefits you bring to the table, it will be much easier. There are many benefits to advertising in an association publication — we just have to make them known.

This post was submitted by Scott Oser, of Scott Oser Associates, with over 17 years of marketing experience in the association and publishing industries. Before starting the firm he worked for market leaders like National Geographic Society, AARP and Science.Throughout his career Scott has excelled in developing, implementing and analyzing multi-channel direct marketing programs. He is highly skilled in creating effective membership, marketing and sales programs with the ability to align resources and operations to consistently achieve and exceed goals.

Image courtesy of cooldesign / FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

Lessons in Hybrid Meetings: 5 Steps to Getting Senior Management Buy-In

One of the main reasons why associations choose not to produce hybrid meetings is the lack of senior management buy-in. I believe that the key to convincing them of your decision is to know your facts. I recommend the following to gain executive level buy-in to ensure the success of your meeting or event.

Step 1: Help them recognize the need for change. 

Schedule a brief project meeting with your senior management team to review why you determined a hybrid meeting was right for the association.  Identify your strategy and walk them through how you plan to implement it. It is a good practice to submit a brief overview in advance so that executives have time to prepare.

Step 2: Present your event strategy.

Building on the decision to go hybrid or not, you will want to clearly define your vision through a 1-2 page event scenario. This should be a concise document that captures key elements of the event including content, timing, checkpoints, venue suggestions, basic logistics, budget, scope changes and associated costs, and questions that you require senior management input. This scenario will become a reference for senior management, not the agenda for your initial meeting.

Step 3: Present multiple options for implementation.

Avoid an all-or-nothing scenario by presenting at least three options.  Presenting two options is good, but opens the door for a “who likes which option the best” discussion.  Present three or more options to create a better chance for dialogue and collaboration about advantages, disadvantages and innovative ways of combing the options.

Step 4: Allow questions and discussion during the initial meeting, and be prepared for other ideas to surface.

Give your senior-level executives the time and opportunity to ask questions, discuss and get used to new ideas.  To assist in preparing for this meeting, you may want to discuss possible questions or scenarios with other meeting professionals. Then, listen well to the management team for their input and be prepared to implement their recommendations (or validate why the recommendations were not considered).

Step 5: Research other associations who have produced successful hybrid meeting.

Use one of the many examples of successful hybrid meetings to demonstrate your commitment and understanding of the opportunities and risks at hand.  Also, knowing what the competition is doing shows your dedication to ensuring your association is positioned to continuously meet the needs of its members.
Planning an event without senior management input is a little bit like playing a game of Russian roulette. Armed with enthusiasm and facts, you will be sure to gain the confidence of even the weariest senior executives.

Next lesson: Building your hybrid event budget.

Mahoganey Jones is a Certified Meeting Professional and Digital Event Strategist with a background in continuing professional development.  She has a proven success record in planning meetings and events that boost revenues and increase brand awareness. She specializes in ensuring all details are considered and that all targets are met and/or exceeded.

Image courtesy of 89studio / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Lessons in Hybrid Meetings: Hybrid or not?

With the rising interest in hybrid meetings - a meeting or event with at least one group of face-to-face participants connecting with other participants in one or more additional locations - planners have to ensure they are choosing options that not only fit their budgets, but also suit their members. Whether your goals are to increase revenues, improve performance or grow your membership, associations should start small and set realistic expectations. To ensure the success of your hybrid initiative, it is crucial to manage expectations of both the association executives and your members.

The hybrid model is so new that most association staff make incorrect assumptions about it. Hybrid meeting planners need to provide a clear rationale to both management and attendees that explains why the meeting is organized as a Hybrid and what they will be getting. If attendees are expecting the format of a talk show and they get a lecture from someone in a two-inch window, they’re going to have trouble staying engaged.

Questions to ask to help determine if you should produce a hybrid meeting or event:

• What problem might a hybrid meeting address, and how? 
• What opportunity might a hybrid meeting provide, and how?
• Which elements of your live event might be enhanced, and how? 
• What strategic objectives would a hybrid event achieve or support?
• What is the competition doing? Are they engaging your members more efficiently than you are?
• According to your membership surveys and attendance data, what are the main sources of value in your current physical events? 
• In what ways could this value be transferred and/or enhanced online? For whom?

Producing a hybrid meeting for the first time does take more time than planning a face-to-face meeting. After two or three hybrid meetings, this is no longer true. Initially, though, the planning process does become more elaborate as you coordinate for TWO audiences.

In my opinion, hybrid meetings are a way to enhance what your association is already doing well. Does your meeting bring in exceptional keynotes? Does your association produce innovative and engaging sessions?

Offering one or two keynote presentations as a webcast lets non-members “see what they are missing”, but the captured content now becomes a strategic tool for the association. The content can be re-purposed as a promotional tool for the meeting, a financial opportunity through the sale of the recording, or a member benefit by offering a copy of the recording for free in your resource library.

By embracing hybrid meetings, we as planners are able to show that we have the skills necessary to address the expectations of our members while demonstrating a clear commitment to innovation and new ways of adding value to our meetings.

Next lesson: Getting buy-in from senior management

Mahoganey Jones is a Certified Meeting Professional and Digital Event Strategist with a background in continuing professional development.  She has a proven success record in planning meetings and events that boost revenues and increase brand awareness. She specializes in ensuring all details are considered and that all targets are met and/or exceeded.

Image courtesy of ddpavumba / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

5 Big Sponsorship Trends to Watch for in 2014

The sponsorship landscape is rapidly changing. It’s also one of the few mediums experiencing year-over-year growth, with the Internet marketing showing the highest increase in marketing budget allocation. While sponsorship marketing accounts for up to 22% of corporate marketing budgets, getting the money is more difficult than ever due to the number of organizations competing for the same dollars and the increased sophistication of the value proposition that companies require before parting with their marketing dollars.


Here are 5 Trends that will have an impact on the association sponsorship sector in 2014 and how you need to shift your thinking to remain relevant:

Increased Focus on the Customization of Sponsorship Benefits Packages

Generic sponsorship packages will make way for customized proposals as companies become more focused on achieving their objectives and less concerned about “fitting into the boxes” created for them through these generic offerings.

Associations will need to be more nimble in listening to sponsor prospects and developing solutions-based proposals that respond to specific objectives. As well, any pre-set sponsor benefits packages should be positioned as baseline benefits and include a statement that leaves the door open for a certain level of customization depending on the prospects’ specific objectives.

Increased Focus on Sponsorship Activation

More emphasis will be placed by companies on leveraging their sponsorship through some form of “activation” that demonstrates brand attributes in a unique way and/or engages the audience at a meaningful level.  This is in sharp contrast to the old days when companies gave you money in exchange for some soft visibility opportunities (think banners and logos).

Successful associations will do a better job at presenting creative activation opportunities as part of their sponsorship offerings and encouraging sponsors to leverage their sponsorship in ways that engage audiences and add value to the customer experience.

Less Emphasis on the “Metal Levels”

The Gold, Silver, Bronze hierarchy could be dying a slow death as companies become less concerned about sponsorship levels and more concerned about value for dollar. With increased customization and activation, the levels are just not as important as they were perceived to be; and besides, there is certainly no evidence to suggest that a “gold” level sponsorship is looked upon more favourably than a silver or bronze level.

Associations will need to change their mindset on how they package their sponsorship opportunities and start thinking about how different sponsors can “own” distinct properties within a larger context and excel at leveraging that property to achieve specific objectives.

Increased Focus on Content Distribution

With over 27 million pieces of content shared daily, the trend towards sharing branded content is soaring upwards for 2014 with an estimated 40% of companies indicating that they will be increasing their efforts in this area in the coming year. Furthermore, 72% of these marketers say branded content is more effective than advertising in a magazine, and 69% say it is superior to direct mail and PR.

Any way you look at it, "content marketing" is something you'll hear a lot about in 2014.

An effective sponsorship will provide opportunities for companies to share branded content with a property's target audience through a variety of mediums such as articles in publications, newsletters, web site, social media channels and even onsite demonstrations and sampling opportunities. Associations need to position their sponsorship opportunity as a conduit to a highly targeted, engaged audience that will help a company build their audience quicker and at less cost than doing it on their own.

Integration with Social Media

Increasingly, companies are looking to engage with customers through the sponsored property’s social media channels as a form of cost-effective activation. Despite the huge shift to online marketing, I’m amazed at the number of not-for-profit organizations that still do not even provide a link from their web site to a sponsor site.

Associations need to start leveraging social media channels as part of their own business strategy and break down some of the barriers for sponsors to start leveraging a property’s online assets.

The bottom line for 2014 is that sponsor-seeking organizations will need to become more responsive than ever, to the specific needs of sponsorship clients and will need to get more creative in helping these clients engage with audiences in new ways. Associations that stick their old ways of doing things could easily find themselves on the outside looking in.

This post was provided by Bernie Colterman, Managing Partner of the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing (CEPSM).  Check out their line-up for the 2014 MARCOM Professional Development Forum, this coming June.

Hybrid Meetings - Myths, Opportunities and Lessons Learned

Join us on January 22nd at the Centurion Conference and Event Centre for what is shaping up to be a fantastic panel discussion on Hybrid Meetings.

The panel's moderator, Doreen Ashton Wagner, has shared some thoughts leading up to this session.  See her video below:

Panelists are:

Samuel J. Smith, Managing Director, Interactive Meeting Technology (via video conference)

Mitchell Beer, President, Smarter Shift

Mahoganey Jones, Manager, Continuing Professional Development, Canadian Opthalmological Society

Read more about them through their bios here.

For more information on the session, or to register, please click here.  We hope to see you there!

Top Ten Reasons to Book Within The Block

Managing hotel room inventory has often been compared to managing airline seats.  There are so many ways for delegates to secure a room for our conference while it is our responsibility to ensure they understand why it makes a difference to book within the block that we have secured on their behalf.

Group rate has been negotiated. 

The principles of ‘economy of scale’ are applied here as a group is consuming in volume.  Hotel rates are based on availability vs. occupancy.  As a delegate within the block you have priority to extending your stay prior/post the event at the conference rate.

You get what you pay for.

Booking with a discount website (Expedia; Hotels.com) may offer a low rate but do not expect to have the waterfront view or to have flexibility to make any changes to the booking.  The quality of the room you get is often based on the reservation method.

Staying outside of the block also costs more money in taxis getting to and from the conference – not to mention the inconvenience.

It is an easy purchase ~ online from your organization website or direct by phone

In advance there has been tremendous effort invested to ensure the group rate has been negotiated to be the ‘best available or lower’ over the dates of the program.  Your organizations’ needs and requirements have been communicated to the hotel and they are ready to accept reservations.  Often there are special benefits extended to delegates at the time of reservation which you would forfeit by not identifying that you are with ‘the group’.  

Convenient customer service with the hotel. 

When you book into the group block, you are identified as a special guest.  By booking at another hotel, it limits you to the level of service you will receive if your reservation is not within the host hotel.  This would include the concierge services and special relationships that the hotels have with cultural events including festivals and being able to get you preferred tickets or dinner reservations.

No questions asked when you make changes to your reservation(s).

As you are identified with the group, you receive the benefit of the collective value.  Your organization has ensured that you are included in the pre-negotiated understanding that you may need to make changes to your reservation.

Delegates within group are extended priority by the hotel.  

Like guests in your home, special attention is focused on their needs.  If there are only so many reservations taken for a popular onsite restaurant/event, the hotel guests are considered to be on the ‘A List’.

Convenient shuttle bus service (arranged transportation)

When you are within the identified host hotels, you have the benefit to having door-to-door service.

Accessible onsite information for delegates about the offsite events.

The itinerary and schedule printout is never close at hand when you really need it!  Hotel staff is well aware of your itinerary and can tell you exactly where your onsite or offsite events are being held.  If required, they can also hail you a taxi to get there.

Support your organization

Your stay counts!  Staying within the block increases the overall spend to the hotel which helps your organization meet their commitments to the hotel.  There are a number of costs that your organization has taken responsibility for to ensure the success of the conference.  Your support to stay in the block is appreciated.  

Increased networking opportunities with your colleagues.

Staying at the host hotel ensures that you have access to your fellow delegates.  Those serendipitous connections are often the best takeaways and staying at the hotel increases the chances of you making those connections.  

This post by submitted by Brenda Howes, Founder & CEO of The Howes Group, a global site selection company that advocates for clients to secure the best value for hotel room block contracts for conferences and meetings.  

Your Association's Tradeshow: An Important Source of Non-Dues Revenue

The Chapter was fortunate to bring together a panel of experts to discuss some of the latest trends and challenges of managing successful tradeshows. What made this workshop interesting was the varied background of our panel, which had representation from consumer and industry trade shows to innovative meeting and events expos.

Our panelists were:
Martine Proulx, Director of Events, Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries
Debbie van der Beek, Publisher, Ignite Magazine & Ignite Business Event Expo
Ian Forsyth, Show Director /Managing Partner, Caneast Shows Inc.

Our moderator for the morning workshop was Nancy Barrett, CAE, Partner, AMCES.

Panelists were asked to share their background and experience. Martine manages the CANSEC show, one of the largest military tradeshows in Canada with over 10,000 attendees and 400 exhibitors. Martine recognizes that your team of contractors are an integral part of a show’s success. Debbie who publishes Ignite magazine saw a gap in the market for a tradeshow with a difference, similar to Ignite’s innovative publication, and introduced the Iginite Business Event Expo three years ago with a fresh and new approach to tradeshows. Ian has been a passionate consumer show producer for over 26 years starting with the Cottage Life show in Toronto and now has five successful shows here in Ottawa - The Home and Design Show, Ottawa Pet Expo, The Home Renovation Show, Outdoor Adventure Travel Show and the Cottage & Backyard Show - with plans to add two more shows next year.

Debbie shared her vision of moving away from the traditional bowling alley tradeshow booth format to more of a golf course approach which includes lounges for delegates to rest, background music, wider aisles and angles. The idea is that if attendees enjoy their experience, exhibitors will join and participate.

Ian introduced the Pet Expo with a strategic policy - what better way to bring in people to the show then to have a ‘pets welcome policy’! Another strategy is to focus on high-end quality exhibitors while limiting the number of exhibitors within the same category. Ian is always looking to bring great value to both exhibitors and show attendees.  This approach has made the Ottawa Pet Expo one of the largest and most respected shows of its kind in Canada.

Working within the more traditional military industry tradeshow environment, Martine expanded  the CANSEC show with the introduction of a Business-to-Business (B2B) application which allows delegates to pre-book meetings with specific exhibitors. Martine ensures private offices/space is available for such meetings and networking. With multi-million dollar deals actually taking place at the event and increased visibility, the show now attracts international attention, and this year 50 foreign delegations attended CANSEC.

Martine expressed the challenges hosting the event which extended from Ottawa’s downtown core to the new Ernst and Young Centre. These were addressed with increased shuttle service and by allowing pre-registration at strategic downtown workplace locations. On the show floor, Martine always takes traffic flow into consideration and will ensure to anchor major exhibitors in strategic locations throughout the hall to create optimum traffic flow benefiting smaller exhibitors.

Debbie uses a similar approach with the Ignite Business Event Expo. The floor design includes various zones strategically located to promote delegate traffic throughout. She urges show producers to take risks, to see what works, evaluate afterwards, and adjust accordingly.

An important point of discussion was sponsorship and how to ensure sponsors get their return on investment (ROI). Ian emphasized open communication and the need to be transparent with your sponsors. You need to always look at ways to be creative and to over deliver on what is promised. Debbie is not big on the cookie-cutter style sponsorship prospectus and prefers to engage/dialogue with sponsors to find out what message they would like to integrate within the event, to look at ways to draw delegates and accomplish their goals for the event. Keys to retaining a sponsor for subsequent events are to look at ways to meet their needs, to be fair and flexible, to not be greedy, and to deliver what you promise.

The next discussion was on the importance of engaging delegates. Ian sees the consumer show industry as similar to the entertainment business. You want to create a positive experience so that when the attendee leaves the show they feel they received value. Debbie continually walks the show floor to keep an eye on delegates, making sure the atmosphere within the show is something the delegate wants to part of. Martine looks for ways to bring added value in the CANSEC show such as the B2B program mentioned earlier and introducing innovative networking activities such as BBQs .

The workshop finished with a discussion on industry trends. Ian has seen a marked change, due in part to the Internet, where people often arrive at a show with their purchase decision already made. They are looking to personalize the transaction at the show which can extend the selling cycle. Martine mentioned that even in the virtualization age, the need for face-to-face meetings is essential. An important role CANSEC plays is to connect people--the customer and the buyer.

Debbie sees a growing use of social media to engage delegates. The hosted planner program and appointment base system is very popular with exhibitors and delegates alike. She sees a younger generation coming to market and it is important to provide value and an environment that meets the needs of cross-generational attendees. The virtual/hybrid meeting is becoming mainstream; however, Debbie sees it as a way to eventually grow your attendee base, where the virtual experience augments a face-to-face meeting.

Martine concluded exhibitors must take some responsibility for the level of booth traffic they experience. Booth etiquette is an important issue - during tradeshows you often see exhibitors on the phone or distracted with food and drinks at their booth when they should be present and interacting with delegates.

Thank you to the many contributors who brought tremendous practical experience and insight about tradeshows as a non-dues revenue source to our workshop participants.

Attrition Busting Tips

Attrition: The difference between the actual number of sleeping rooms picked-up (or food-and-beverage covers or revenue projections) and the number or formulas agreed to in the terms of the facility’s contract. Usually there is an allowable shortfall before damages are assessed. 

Brenda Howes, Founder & CEO of The Howes Group, has provided five tips on how to ensure that you do not get get stuck with additional attrition charges.

1. Work from your History - Take at least four years of history and compare destinations.  Consult with us to help you determine which destination tends to draw the most delegates.
   
2. Create an incentive to ensure strong pickup – Having delegates stay at the main conference hotels should be an incentive to have them want to stay at the hotel you have chosen for your meeting.  Include incentives in your negotiations to ensure there is a benefit to staying within your block.
   
3. Communication – Ensure that your delegates and even board members understand how important it is to stay within your block.  Education and understanding why it is important to book within the block is key to ensure folks understand the ramifications of booking elsewhere.
   
4. Delegate Deposits - This has proven to be very helpful with clients to ensure there is a commitment to their reservation.  Cancelling 24 hours out may be allowed by the hotel while this ‘out’ can have a negative impact on your block.  A 50% deposit 30 days out reduces the risk to your organization.  Review cancellations on a case-per-case basis.
   
5. Registration Reduction – Reward your delegates who book within the block with a minimum registration reduction.  Often times it only takes a small reduction to ensure that they book within your block.