Convention Insider (Conventions.net)

I have been doing some research recently about business in China and how they are as it relates to the global economy and other facets.  Yes, I am that crazy, or that bored as my wife accuses me of from time-to-time.  In doing some of the research I was doing I ran across a site that recently did an article on Trade Shows in China and thought I would pass that along to you as well.  I thought the statement that was made in the article was interesting when they said:

In China, trade shows are a much, much more prominent marketing and promotion channel than in the US.

I think I will have to do a little more research to make sure that is a statement that is true.  Perhaps it was their goal to make me think about that a little. Go on over and check out the article and more specifically the links they provide.

“Times they are a changing”… as I believe the the song goes.  This is what I first thought of as I happened along on a site that talked about the decline of trade shows.  All of this doom and gloom is not as a result of the day, being that it is Halloween and I felt like scaring all of you that read here and those involved in the trade show industry, but it is a time to look at how things are changing in the industry.  Here are some of the reasons they give for the decline of the trade show by those that use them for a marketing tool for their businesses.

• New products are first announced on the Internet
• Vendors and manufacturers do their competitive analysis on the Internet
• Potential buyers or existing customers gather information over the Internet.
• And Sales people are spoiling their time on booths, waiting for a visitor to pass along.

In addition to these that they have listed, they also indicate that the search engines of the world are making it very easy to find products and services:

It is not so much the Internet, which has killed the trade shows, but the search engines. They make it possible to find products and services 24 by 7 in a very easy and convenient way.
The whole Internet with all it’s websites, have become the biggest tradeshow, open night and day and with worldwide reach.

Conventions.net has realized that this is the case and want to make it easy for you and your company to be found on the Internet.  Visit our site today and let us know how we can make your company more findable!  Just Google the word “conventions”, and see where you show up.  How about the phrase “trade show”?  When you enter it into Google where does your company stand?  Let us help you.

Have I scared you yet?  Happy Halloween!!!

Experient, the source for integrated meeting and event solutions, is the registration and/or housing provider of choice for 7 of the 10 largest trade shows in the country, including the top three shows.

This information was compiled from Trade Show Executive magazine’s recently released first annual ranking of the nation’s 100 largest trade shows, the Gold 100. To be considered for inclusion in the Gold 100, trade shows had to be B-to-B shows that took place in 2007. Rankings were based on net square feet of exhibit space.

The seven shows in the top ten where Experient provides registration and/or housing services are:

• International CES (#1)
• International Construction & Utility Equipment Exposition (ICUEE) (#2)
• MAGIC Marketplace/August (#3)
• MAGIC Marketplace/February (#6)
• Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show – part of Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW) (#7)
• National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) annual meeting and convention (#8)
• International Builders’ Show (#9) 

“It’s exciting to see so many of our customers’ names at the top of the Gold 100 list,” says Rick Binford, CMP, Experient senior vice president. “We work with 36% of the 50 largest shows on the list. Knowing that these recognized industry leaders put their trust in Experient to serve their attendees and help optimize their ROI is extremely gratifying.”

In addition to naming the Gold 100, Trade Show Executive also recognized special award winners at their Award Gala & Summit on Sept. 17 – 19. Several Experient customers were named among these winners including:

• The International CES show named “The Largest Trade Show”
• Advanstar Communication’s fashion event MAGIC Marketplace/August took the honor for “The Largest Show Produced by an Independent Organizer”
• The Radiological Society of North America’s RSNA Scientific Assembly & Annual Meeting documented the “Highest Economic Impact on a Host City” in 2007
• SEMA 2007 was awarded “Most Innovative Practices”
• The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show received the “Highest Global Participation” award
• Surfaces won a Grand Award for being at “The Forefront of Technology”

Experient’s Terence Donnelly, CMP, vice president, was among those who attended the invitation-only gala where he co-presented a Trending and Spending seminar.

Experient is the source for integrated meeting and event solutions including full-service, customized registration, housing, event management and lead retrieval services. With a vision to perfect the event experience and a mission to help bring people together to drive business, this year Experient will create memorable event experiences at more than 3,300 events attended by more than 2.8 million people  occupying more than 5.5 million room nights. Visit us at www.experient-inc.com. For press inquiries or other media relations, email becky.stanley@experient-inc.com

Exhibitor 2009 is offering up a certification program or CTSM program for trade show marketers.  If you do not know what CTSM is, they describe what it is:

CTSM (Certified Trade Show Marketer) is the only university-affiliated professional certification program in the exhibit marketing industry. First and foremost the CTSM program trains candidates in trade show and event marketing. Candidates are required to complete a curriculum of 28 seminars which equals 42 hours of classroom study. These sessions are available at EXHIBITOR2009 and EXHIBITORFastTrak conferences. Upon completion, candidates earn 4 CEUs through our university affiliate Northern Illinois University Outreach.

Las Vegas-based GES Exposition Services, a subsidiary of Viad Corp (NYSE: VVI), is a sponsor of the program as well as being affiliated with Northern Illinois University.

“GES is committed to education and innovation in the industry, and we are proud to be affiliated with the CTSM program” said GES President and CEO Kevin Rabbitt. “The dedication these graduates show in completing CTSM certification exemplifies their commitment to excellence in the exhibition and events industry.”

The CTSM will take place at the EXHIBITOR2009 show at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, March 23 – 26, 2009.

The EXHIBITOR Show is the world’s leading education and training conference for trade show and event marketers. Each year, 6,000 exhibit and event marketing professionals from 29 countries and 50 states gather in Las Vegas to sharpen their skills in a comprehensive curriculum offering more than 200 knowledge sessions for all levels of experience.

Candidates must also pass a three hour exam for the certification and must also be currently working in the trade show marketing field.  For more information on how you too can become certified, you can contact the administrator at:

206 South Broadway Suite 745
Rochester, MN 55904
507-424-4881
Fax: 507-289-5253
wlewis@ctsm.com

When I first heard about the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program I was not quite sure what that meant.  I suddenly find myself now checking each location I go to for a convention or trade show or look at each meeting venue to see if they are a LEED certified building.  Trade Show Week recently reported that the Los Angeles Convention Center was named as a LEED certified building.  The LEED buildings are few across the United States and yet this is a growing number as more and more convention authorities try to keep up with the Jones’ in trying to meet the demands of the public that companies and buildings do all they can to join the environmental movement of “going green”.

The LEED certification is monitored by the U.S. Green Building Council.  Some of the benefits listed by the USGBC on their site for LEED certified buildings are:

LEED-certified buildings:

• Lower operating costs and increased asset value.
• Reduce waste sent to landfills.
• Conserve energy and water.
• Healthier and safer for occupants.
• Reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
• Qualify for tax rebates, zoning allowances and other incentives in hundreds of cities.
• Demonstrate an owner’s commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

In order to determine if your building can be certified as a LEED building, you can go to the website and see the rating system.  I have been to a LEED rated building while I was in Portland, and they take the rating very serious and wear their badge with honor.  If you are a meeting planner or convention and trade show planner, you should check your facility to see if it too is a LEED certified building.  You can become popular amongst your peers if you are looking out for the environment while planning your convention or trade show.

I noticed while thumbing through my latest issue of Exhibitor Magazine, yes I still read the real paper magazines that come in the mail, I found out that Exhibitor Magazine is taking entries for its Exhibit Design Awards.  This award is well established in the industry:

Established in 1986, Exhibit Design Awards honor the world’s best trade show exhibit designs. One EDGE Award (for Exhibit Design and Graphic Excellence) and multiple Gold, Silver, and Special Merit Awards are offered in 15 categories.

In addition, the list of judges is impressive:

The 2009 competition will be judged by a variety of design experts, such as Chris Calori, principal, Calori & Vanden-Eynden/Design Consultants; Michael Donovan, founder, Donovan/Green; Peter Dixon, senior partner, creative director, Lippincott Mercer; Graham Hanson, principal, Graham Hanson Design, New York; and Duncan Jackson, managing director, Billings Jackson.

The entry deadlines are November 24, 2008 for the early birds, and the deadline for the rest of us that love to procrastinate is December 12, 2008.  For further information you may contact Linda Armstrong at larmstrong@exhibitormagazine.com.   I myself wish I could be a fly on the wall so to speak as they unveil the entrants to tis award.  I love to look at innovative exhibit designs and people that are pushing the design envelope as it relates to the types of exhibits we see at trade shows and conventions.  I suppose we will just have to wait with the rest of the world as they tell us the winners in each category in May.  If you are submitting an entry, give me a shout I would love to get an interview and if you win, we’ll make you a feature here as well!

I guess I had to use that title since it has been that song that has been playing over in over in my head since I found out I was headed to San Jose for a conference at the end of October.  I’ll be attending the Blogwell event hosted by GasPedal, a marketing firm specializing in word of mouth marketing.  The conference is being held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center on October 28, 2008 from 1-5 p.m. and will include some big named companies that are presenting, including, Wal-Mart, Wells Fargo, Home Depot and others.  This will be my first time at the convention center in San Jose and from looking at their site and perusing the highlights, it reveals:

Meeting planners will find plenty of space inside the convention center. We have the ability to host events of all types and sizes by offering:

• 143,000 square feet of column-free exhibit space
• Room for 1,000 10′ x 10′ booths
• A 22,000-square-foot ballroom
• 100,000 square feet of pre-function space
• Up to 31 meeting rooms with capacities from 50 to 2,400 in theater-style seating
• Banquet seating and kitchen facilities for 5,000

I will be only out for the day so I wont have much time to meet with anyone from that facility but I hope to get some pictures and the ability to provide a review of that center while I am there.  I was interested to note that the City of San Jose boasts being the 10th largest city in the United States.  I would not have thought it to be the 10th largest city in California.

With the economy now going into the tank and the world seeing the new depression, it made me think of the old saw of the title of this post.  Actually I think it was Brother, Can you spare a dime, but you get the drift.  The other part of the title that is memorable is the idea of the Mac.  The world has been buzzing lately about the new Mac notebooks and I myself caught myself paying close attention to the news as it unfolded on Engadget as they live blogged the event as Steve Jobs announced the latest from Apple.  The next event for Apple is the Macworld Conference and Expo put on by IDG. IDG describes the event as:

Macworld Conference & Expo is the world’s most comprehensive Macintosh OS event, showcasing products and services for professionals involved in media and creative content development for corporate and home applications, as well as for consumers using the Mac at home.

The event is scheduled to be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on January 6-9, 2009.  They have a large list of exhibitors that will be showing their wares at the show and it will be again competing with the likes of the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas that same time.

Now about that title.  Apparently, Apple has made the price of a notebook more affordable by lowering the price to below $1,000. For a dime, or actually quite a few dimes I might be able to buy my own Mac notebook soon!

I wrestled for a while about how to write that title, but I picked the best one I could muster given the fact that I wanted to get the info out as soon as I could. Reading through my news in the convention and trade show arena, I found out that Shelly Justice was named in the top 25 entrepreneurs in Catalyst Magazine!  A well deserved award I have no doubt. 

The reason I was most interested in Justice and her group at Convention Models and Talent (CMT) for their role in the social media world.  Justice has a company blog and you can even follow her and some of her talent on Twitter!  Many companies are adopting this type of marketing and of course Conventions.net has made blogging and other forms of social media a part of their own mission for its customers. 

Congratulations to Shelly and her award from the magazine, but I also want to personally thank them for using some of the tools available to them online. I am now following Shelly on Twitter and I hope to perhaps get a chance to chat with her about her business.  Perhaps I can give her a tip or two about this world of blogging and how they can use this blog to its best benefit.  My only advice now is to see what they have to offer!

The 14th Annual Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic, benefiting families in the trade show industry who have suffered severe tragedies or face insurmountable medical expenses, will take place on October 24, 2008 at Chateau Elan in Braselton, Georgia, and there are still opportunities to participate!  “The Randy” started with friends helping one man’s family. A decade later, this event is an avalanche of hope for many families in the exhibition industry.

Mike Boone of Coastal International, one of many RSMGC supporters, is overwhelmed at the show of support for our industry and how many individuals and corporations have stepped up to help.

“Their generosity is amazing, but there will always be people in need. Individuals and Corporations can still help this year by participating in the golf class, or offering your help through one of our sponsorships. Wristbands, similar to LIVESTRONG, are available for a five-dollar donation.”

“If you are a member of the trade show community and have not supported this great cause, I hope you’ll start today! We all lead by example and you never know when your actions may help someone close to you who is in desperate need. Donate money and time – it always comes back to you in the long run. This is a very worthwhile charity event to support. All volunteers, all the time,” said Boone.

I wish I had the ability to be there for this event.  Not only would it be great to play golf somewhere that does not have a 1/2 inch of frost on the grass in the morning like here at home, but I think it is a great cause and one that we all should consider being a part of in our industry.