I was recently in Las Vegas at a convention and trade show and was sitting at a table and was speaking too a group of people when someone interrupted and asked where the first aid station was and where they could go to get someone looked at.  This is a bit disconcerting as I was one of the organizers of the event.  I had no idea where the attendee could get help. 

As it turned out the person was having some issues related to their blood pressure medicine and a scary moment was turned into a not so scary moment.  It did however teach me a lesson.  Everyone on your organizational staff must know all about emergency procedures, including fire escape plans and in this case, where the first aid station is located.  Had this person had a more serious problem, the difference between surviving a bad event and not could be the fact of getting help as soon as possible.  Before your event or show begins, sit down with everyone and go over a disaster preparedness plan and all other possible emergency procedures.

Tags: Conventions, Trade Shows, First Aid, Las Vegas

I can’t stress enough the importance of keeping your exhibit booth clean. I have seen the exhibit floor empty and how it looks without thousands of people walking around and on the floor, and I can tell those that care about how their booth looks and those that do not.  Keeping your area free from debris and clutter can make the difference between a good contact and lead that can be a sale or an attendee walking past to someone that looks more professional.

As an organizer I think it is important to budget if needed for housekeeping.  We recently had our event at the Las Vegas Convention Center and once the show floor had been set up ad ready for attendees, you could tell that we needed to have a little clean up.  A person or two with a vacuum was brought in for carpet clean up which made all the difference in the world.  Keep it clean.  It helps your exhibitors and makes for a better experience for the attendees.

Tags: Exhibit Booths, Cleaning, Conventions, Trade Shows

One of the criticisms of conventions and trade shows is the lack of networking. This was a problem at my own show in Las Vegas as people loved going to the parties but the music and the lights and the party atmosphere was not conducive to meeting and discussing business with people.  One of the things that we did this year that we had not done in year’s past was including a networking strategy into the event.

This year what we did differently than we had done in the past was to make it possible to have a networking event on the show floor itself. We had a bar and snacks period where people could mingle and talk while on the show floor.  This was a win win situation with both the attendees and the exhibitors as well.  It allowed people to have drinks and bar snacks and network in and around the booths.  It allowed booth people to help start conversations and helped keep our show floor full of interested people.

I think it is important for everyone to keep in mind the ability to make it a perfect environment for people to network.  This is a large reason for people to attend and be a part of your event.  If this is something that will make them come back the next year that makes it a bonus for all involved.

Tags: conventions, trade shows, networking events, events, business, marketing

One of the things that I have tried to do this year is to hydrate more.  I know that all the experts tell us to drink 8 ounces of water at a time and that we should drink like a hundred of those an hour, okay I’m kidding, but it’s tough to always be near a watering hole.  I wanted to make sure I got this post up because this is an issue with some conferences, they don’t provide enough ways to stay hydrated.

One thing I certainly noticed at our most recent event in Vegas was the number of parties that took place. Parties mean drinking alcohol and staying up late and that all equals a recipe for needs to hydrate to get over the party flu.  If you have an event, it is important that you give the attendees ways to get back on their feet.  Places like Las Vegas that sit in the middle of the desert are even more at risk for poor hydration.  Put plenty of tables with bottled water, or in our case, we set up portable drinking fountains.  Attendees were able to walk by and grab a water bottle or a cup of water when they had it handy.  It makes for a healthier attendee and that means they come away with a better experience and the chance to attend the next time.

Tags: Conventions, Trade Shows, Water, Concessions

I want to let everyone know why I have been absent for a while from the blog.  I have been in complete trade show and convention mode for the last 6 weeks and it has been quite an experience.  I talk about a lot of things that are part of our industry, such as travel, meeting venues and trade shows that are occurring but never have I given real life experiences that I have had.  That all can change now as I went through that process last week in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center.  We had a three day conference with a two day full on exhibited trade show at that location and I was in the heart of the show and its inner workings.  I have much to discuss as it relates to the real inside of a trade show and convention.  There were some good, bad and ugly stories and I want to share all of those with you.

I had to deal with vendors, exhibitors, speakers, attendees, location managers, and staff and everyone else involved with the show. From the planning to the inner workings, to the post show analysis debriefing I was involved from start to finish.  The good news is I have been invited back to do it all again next year, and for some that might even be bad news.

I want to thank the folks at Conventions.net for giving me the latitude for some real inside research and participation.  I am hoping to pass on some of that knowledge I learned, some funny stories, and perhaps a nightmare or two.  Stay tuned here as I go through the process.  I am afraid I still have one event left and that will be at the Marriott Waikiki in beautiful Hawaii.  It’s not a bad gig but still it is working on a conference and convention.

Tags: trade shows, conventions, Las Vegas Convention Center, LCVA, BlogWorld Expo, BWE09, Hawaii, Rethink Hawaii

I was just thinking that I am getting into the busy part of my “season” with the trade shows and conventions I attend, and then I realized that I have been busy since this time last year.  That mens that I really did not have a down time or a slow time.  It began with a trip to Las Vegas last year in November, and now I am planning the same trip in October and not a month went by that I didn’t attend an event or convention, conference or trade show.

Is your industry seasonal?  I have friends that have a convention they work on that is scheduled every other year.  They work 18 months for one show and then the net show is not for another 2 years.  That is a long a drawn out process for a convention, but when it is as big as these are it makes sense.  I on the other hand am covering more than one industry and my industry is multiple industry events.  I will be in Los Angeles coming up shortly to speak at an event, followed quickly by Houston, and then back to Las Vegas. The good part is I get to see a number of facilities.  The bad news is, I get to see a number of facilities. Let me know about your industry.  Does it have a season?

[photo via peasap]

I have been following along with a large amount of buzz about the CEA show in Las Vegas in 2010.  It seems that everyone is clamoring to be the main source of breaking news as to whether Apple will have a presence and whether Steve Jobs will be speaking at the event.  I spoke about MacWorld back in December and its own woes.  First it was reported that Steve Jobs would be involved which then was rebuffed and now a correction has been issued by the Wall Street Journal:

Correction: It is not clear whether Apple will attend the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show. This post previously stated that Apple would attend.

I am not much concerned with the reporter getting the conversation at dinner wrong as much as how crazy it was when people thought Apple was going to be a part of CEA.  For one company to make that much of a splash in the headlines, you would think they would have more of presence at trade shows or conventions than they do at present.  I find it interesting that their statement has always been, that trade shows don’t help them marketing.  I will be at CES in January most likely and I suppose I might even take my Mac laptop. Nope, that is not even going to make the 11 o’clock news.

Tags: Apple, CES 2010, CEA, Las Vegas, Conventions, Trade Shows

I was reading a short report put together by Trade Show Week about the state of the visitors to Las Vegas in the month of May:

According to the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority Executive Summary, convention attendance continued to decline in May in Las Vegas, with 341,846 attendees, compared with 509,482 attendees in the same time period last year, a 32.9-percent decrease. The number of conventions and meetings held in May also fell again to 1,643 from 2,208 last May, a 25.6-percent decrease.

I know that Las Vegas will weather the storm but I was just thinking about all of us having 25% less.  I can say that I would be feeling the decrease pretty hard.  The slide is continuing, but I am also hearing about people that are using some of the conventions and trade shows as networking events to find more jobs, to find more customers. They are going back to the basics and what has worked for them in the past.  They are planning on attending events that are upcoming to see if they can change their luck.  Something I am sure Las Vegas has heard before.

Tags: Trade Show Week, Las Vegas, Nevada, Conventions, Trade Shows, Meeting, Industry Events

Apparently in some cases size does matter.  Sorry, I couldn’t resist that opening line.  Now to deal with all the crazy searches that will produce–but I digress.  I was actually reading a piece put together in the Las Vegas Business Press written by Ben Spillman, called "Small, nimble conventions thrive as behemoths struggle."  The idea is that the bigger conventions being held in Las Vegas are hurting as much as anyone else in the business, and smaller conventions and trade shows are seeing some benefits that the big guys are not.  The article talks about some of the larger shows, like the National Association of Broadcasters and the Consumer Electronics Show which were held this last year in Vegas.

"[NAB]…one of the largest and longest-running in town, saw its attendance fall more than 19 percent from 2008 to 2009, falling from 103,938 to 83,842.

Attendance in 2009 was the lowest in at least 13 years and down more than 27 percent from a peak of 115,293 in 2000.

The Consumer Electronics Show, the largest annual convention in Las Vegas, was down 22 percent in 2009 to about 110,000."

Those are some pretty scary numbers.  I am sure that we can all run and hide and say the sky is falling with thoughts of these shows beginning to decline but the interesting part of the piece I found most interesting is the facts that come out about smaller shows:

"Some small shows, like the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, are doing just fine. The cemetery show, held during the same time as the broadcasters’ event, enjoyed record attendance of about 1,400.

Small show operators who might have been overlooked during the boom time are now benefiting from the lower costs of space, hotel rooms and airfare that make Las Vegas a great venue.

Exhibitors are also enjoying that lighter attendance means a higher percentage of attendees are dedicated buyers, not sightseers. That means small exhibitors and small shows don’t have to dedicate personnel to accommodate attendees who aren’t serious about making deals."

It goes to show that the bad news is not bad for everyone.

Tags: Las Vegas, Ben Spillman, Conventions, Trade Shows, Consumer Electronics Show, National Association of Broadcasters, NAB, CES

I have been meaning to talk about this since January.  I travel to Las Vegas on a number of occasions throughout the year.  Las Vegas if you have been there can be a dry climate area.  Same with Arizona’s climate and I was there this last weekend. I always have need for lip balm in these areas.  Where do I always get my lip balm?  I get it from events I attend.

This is just a small example of how a promotional product can play into your marketing plan when setting out a strategy to get the most bang for your buck when talking to attendees at your event.  I have been carrying around a lip balm cartridge for a month or more from when I was at a Las Vegas event in January.  It just ran out and I am at another event right now in San Francisco and I can’t seem to fin anther exhibitor that has this as a give away marketing product.  I think I should talk to one of our sponsors to talk to some of these exhibitors.  What do you give away at your trade show booth.  Does it have your logo on it and is it something I carry around in my pocket a month or two?  That is a great branding tool and should be considered when you decide to give away a cool product that others can use.  Now where is that letter opener I need?

Tags: Promotional Products, Exhibitors, Trade Show Booths