Tradition – Webster’s tells us it is:

1 a : an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or a social custom) b : a belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable 2 : the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction 3 : cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions.  It’s something we all look forward to and can count on.

This is exactly how you want people to look at your next trade show or convention.  You want people to count on it year after year so that they make their reservation early and make them every year.  Yours needs to be the first thing they tell their peers that they should attend.  These three tips should make it a convention that is a tradition every year.

• Location – The location of your event is crucial to it being a tradition.  If you have an event every year at a different location it cannot become the go to event everyone looks forward to attending.  I love to hear “I will see you this year in Vegas?” That means they are already thinking of your event and when they give the location where they will see you next it means they are locked in to attending.
• Timing – Having your event every year at the same time makes it a tradition that everyone will remember. I go every year to SXSW in Austin, Texas in the Spring.  I know it is in the Spring because they call it “Spring Break For Geeks”.  I also know that every year they have it in Austin and I can count on making arrangements a year in advance.  I know I will be doing that event in the springtime.
• Program – Having the same type of program year after year allows you to make it a tradition for your speakers and exhibitors and your sponsors.  They love things that they can plan on and love it even more when you make it easy for them to stay in a groove so they can see what works best for them.  Stay with a program of breakout sessions and other typical actions of your event.

These tips will allow your event to become a tradition in your industry.  Becoming a tradition is crucial to making your event a success both financially and in the eyes of attendees, exhibitors and sponsors.  In a sense that makes it cyclical which is also somewhat of a tradition.

[photo via acameronhuff]

I have been doing a large amount of traveling to events this year that I have not been doing in the past and one of the things that seems to be high on my list of priorities is the ease of which I can get from the airport in a host city to the hotel and to the vent itself.  I think that one of the best things a hotel can provide is a free shuttle service to events and to major metropolitan cities.

I was in Austin Texas this year for SXSW and one of the best experiences I can remember about that trip was the fact that I did not have to worry about getting to the convention or trade show by Taxi. One of the things that I abhor is trying to carry enough cash to get me from event to event.  I would rent a car actually if I knew I had plenty of parking which is a huge problem for many locations.  If you were at the event in New York City like I was the other day, finding a parking sport for that event was more difficult I am sure than winning the New York State Lottery or the Powerball.

When planning an event, I know this never really enters into the plans of an event or show, but maybe this could be a way to differentiate your self from the crowd.  Make attendees get from point A to B with ease.  I say this and type this as my wife chauffeurs me to Omaha, Nebraska from Denver and I work on my laptop.  Now this is living.

Tags: Taxi, New York, Austin, Denver, Omaha, Conventions, Event Planning, SXSW

While I was in Austin recently I was fortunate to have some great BBQ and some wonderful company.  I had a chance to sit down also and talk with some new friends about social media and the meeting industry. 

Stephen Nold, an organizer for the recent MTO Summit in Washington DC paid for my brisket and root beer and also gave me some points to ponder as it relates to the meeting industry. We discussed the future of meetings, the past of events, and what the industry is doing and how it is fairing in the current economy.

I want to interview Stephen here and hopefully will get a chance.  Not only is he an influential in the business of meetings and events, but he also happens to be a blogger at Trade Show Week.  Stephen, next time I get to buy the BBQ and you get to win the argument!  Perhaps it will be at your event in London and we can discuss things over a pint and some bangers and mash!

Tags: Trade Shows, Meetings, Events, Social Media, London, Austin, MTO Summit, Washington DC, Stephen Nold

I wish I had the cure for the common cold.  I would cure myself right now.  I have spent the better part of the last three days coughing hacking and sneezing into toilet paper and bathroom tissue.  The reason?  Besides the obvious that I have caught a cold, I was at a convention and trade show.

As some of you know I was at the "Spring Break For Geeks" conference and trade show more fully known as SXSW Interactive in Austin Texas last week. I have been exposed to what they are calling "SXSW SARS"  No before you get into a panic if you have been there, it is really not as bad as it sounds.  My theory is that the people come home from a sickness like that because it is the season for giving.  We parents see this all the time.  You get many people in a room for the first time of the year and they spread germs like the plague.  Shaking hands, coughing into them and shaking them again.  It’s like a backfield handoff of germs and virus’ and bacteria.

My advice?  Whenever you think of it, wash your hands.  Your hands can never be washed too many times.  Now before you look like a freak with OCD about your cleanliness, you can also do this little trick.  Keep a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer in your pocket.  Many of the brands have small travel sizes that can be put into your pocket and used.  This is not a catch-all cure, but it can eliminate the probabilities that you will be sitting in front of your computer reading this while sneezing and blowing your nose thinking of how many hands you shook at an event.  Wash up, keep your hands away from your face and wear a space suit with o2 being pumped into it. Okay, maybe the last part is a bit of a stretch.  Stay safe and happy glad handing!

Tags: SXSW Interactive, Austin, Texas, Conventions, Trade Shows, Tips and Tricks

I have been spending the last four days in a room full of technical types doing live radio from inside the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas,  In what is called the "Spring Break For Geeks" or the Super Bowl for the Tech World, I have immersed myself with the locals, the tourists and the strange but true here in Austin.

I will describe to you the scenes I experienced and the what I have done over the last few days.  I will have a couple of links to share of the shows I did and you can listen in on what it was like there.

I first wanted to thank the City of Austin for its hospitality and the way I am always leaving, wishing I could stay longer.  The people at SXSW are doing a great job with this conference and trade show and the panels and the way they run the event.  I have a couple of photos I will share and will let you know about the restaurants I ate at the parties I attended and perhaps about some of the people I met. Most of all the great music, the food, and the company is always great and since this is my third year I cannot wait until I start getting ready for next year.

Tags: SXSW, Austin, SXSW Interactive, Austin Convention Center

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I was thinking about traveling to different cities today and the places that I have been and the places I will be going.  I have thought about the restaurants I have been to and some stand out as a place I have to go to again.  I will be headed to Austin soon and when in Austin, I always have to go to the Salt Lick.  Why?  Because it is great BBQ.  Better than anywhere else?  Probably no the best in the world, but definitely a great place to go while in Austin.

That made me think of the idea of a girl in every port, and of course, the rest of the brainstorming I was doing on a post here went you know where in a hand basket.  It did get me thinking about asking you the readers, what is your favorite place to eat when attending your convention or trade show?  I like Charley’s while in Orlando, I had some good Sushi at places in Seattle, Seafood in Boston, and Vegas, well everything I go to in Vegas seems to be good.  What conference do you attend and also attend because of the must have eats?

Tags: Restaurants, Food, Conventions, Trade Shows, BBQ, Orlando, Austin, SXSW

I’ll be headed down to Austin, Texas in a about 10 days to attend an event that I am becoming quite a veteran of called SXSW Interactive.  The technical and social media community gathers for this event each spring and it is becoming known as the "Spring Break For Geeks".  This is an event that has grown from a small music festival into a powerhouse convention in Texas.  This is a must attend event for many and one that I usually set aside time for each year now.

I am actually going to be doing a live radio show from the event this year and talking to attendees, sponsors and many others.  The best part of this event is the nightlife.  Austin offers live music and they have some of the best in the world.  I love the food the music and the warm weather.  I am sure if you are right now up in the Northeast of the country and fighting the wind and snow you too could attend an event that is warm and full of music, nightlife and food and drink!  If you are going to be down in Austin in the upcoming weeks, and I get a chance to talk, look me up.

Tags: SXSW, Austin, Texas, Convention Insider, Conventions, Trade Shows

Freeman created a new exhibit concept for eight Teas city and convention visitors bureaus that received a top award at the recent American Society of Association Executives

annual meeting in San Diego.  The exhibit was named “Best In Show – First Place” in the Island Booth category. 

The island booth had eight pods containing the eight visitor bureaus within the state of Texas, all surrounding off of a center island that had a stage for live musical performances.  This also supplemented by a bar that served refreshments Texas style to participants.  The cities of Arlington, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Grapevine, Houston, Irving, and San Antonio, were grouped together for the exhibit. Sounds like an elaborate exhibit booth but as they say everything is BIG in Texas–well at least elaborate in Texas.  Congratulations from all of us at Convention Insider and Conventions.net to the folks at Freeman on their award.

I am an avid BBQ fanatic. In fact the title of this post is a bit misleading given the fact that I often barbecue here in Colorado while it is snowing. I actually had them make sure I had a gas line in the perfect spot when I had

my home built so that I could get to my grill quickly and use it often. Grilling is a part of our everyday life. As we made dinner I was inspired to check out the National BBQ Association and find out where they

would be holding their annual convention. Turns out they are headed to Texas!

The trade show is scheduled to take place in Austin, Texas on February 17-21, 2009. The theme for the event is awesome:

“BBQ, Brews and Blues in the Heart of Texas”

The theme makes me want to register today!

The City of Austin is the perfect place for the event, not only because of the fact that when you think Texas you think BBQ and in fact Austin is the Capital of Texas BBQ, but the City of Austin is known for its music scene and its famous night life. I just spent a few days in Austin in the Spring this year and I think it is the perfect location for the event.

I have been trying to prepare for my trip to Austin over the last few days and I swear I make myself crazy as a result of the procrastination in am guilty of each time.  Whenever I travel I get stressed as a result of not giving myself enough time to pack, and get to the airport for the trip.  I am the last to give travel tips to you road warriors out their that travel to a number of cities each year to participate in conferences, trade shows, conventions or events. I suppose if I could give tips it would be the opposite of what I do, sort of the do as I say not as I do type situation. 

One of the things I do at the last minute is to make my travel plans.  I always seem to pay more for flights and have trouble getting to the destination because I don’t start thinking of the trip until it is on my radar. It usually doesn’t get on the radar until a couple of days before I need to be at my destination.  I am confirmed for speaking at a conference in Portland in May and I could just as easily have booked my trip there when I made reservations to where I am going now in Austin.  I also end up paying a premium fee for conventions because I don;t take advantage of the early bird specials.  I guess the tip I’m trying to give out here as free advice is don;t be a procrastinator like me!

I’ll be posting some pictures and posts from the SXSW Convention in Austin, Texas this week and on the weekend so stay tuned for some action shots.  This convention is referred to by some as “Spring Break for Geeks.”  I’m not sure I fit that title, but it is a working week for me as I attend parties and listen to live music.  Yes, it is a tough job but someone has to do it.