Convention Insider (Conventions.net)

I have been asking many of the event coordinators I know how they gather feedback from their attendees.  With all of the social media tools that we have that allow us to listen in online to conversations that others are having, we get a chance to hear first hand what many are saying.   We can see what they say on Twitter during the show and we can see what they say on their Facebook pages after they get home and finally blogs are a great source for reviews of how your event went or how the show was perceived by those in attendance.

Listening to that feedback can be invaluable when you are wanting to implement changes to your format, your exhibit space or other parts of a show to make sure you are keeping the sponsors happy, the attendees and the exhibitors.  I was reading recently that a convention that was taking place in Las Vegas is now moving due to the feedback received by the attendees.  This is a bit of a drastic move on the part of the organizers but it may provide to be the best move for their business. They listened to what was being said about the location and now are moving from Las Vegas to Anaheim.  Listening to your detractors is hard but you can make it a positive.

I have been meaning to write this post for a while but I thought that it was interesting to note that Las Vegas convention attendance in the month of July showed an increase of 28%.  Trade Show News Network reports:

The month of July, though, saw a huge uptick, with 320,724 attendees coming to the city, compared with 249,692 during the same time period last year, according to the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority’s Executive Summary.

They say that the upswing was due to some new shows that are in town and that makes sense as Las Vegas has a better draw for those going and attending conventions.  The economy is driving shows to where they can have the best attendance and where the professional convention planners and the capital of conventions occurs.  This is actually good news as we see some solid numbers increase in Las Vegas the good news will only begin to spread.

Other indicators like room rates that have increased slightly may point to further indicators of economic recovery in the world of conventions and trade shows.  We will continue to take a look a the numbers as they are released.  Are we looking at a recovery?  Or perhaps a short blip in the screen?  My gut tells me not to start throwing a party.

I am not sure if that is the case for all of you, but when my kids head back to school, it means I need to gear up for my own convention season.  Many of my conventions in the social media world begin in the fall and run through to the beginning of summer again.  I am not sure if this is a trend in all of the convention world, but it seems to make sense that while we parents are freed from our kids being under foot during summer we get back into the swing of conventions.  My kids finally go back to school today and I for one am looking forward to freedom of herding them, keeping them entertained, and trying to make sure they are not playing in traffic.

My first convention I will be attending this year is in Vegas and in fact I will be an exhibitor and a speaker, and I am actually helping run a track about non-profits and causes in the social media world.  Stay tuned as I get ready for that to kick off and you will be hearing more about what I have in store for that show in Las Vegas in October.  I have some smaller events that I am going to be attending and some I will be speaking at and will report my progress as we get back into the swing of convention season.  In the meantime, parents be happy those kids are headed back to school!

Photo via Avolore

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]

As you can see from our last couple of months we have been showcasing many of the convention centers around the country and letting you know their offerings and how they might fit into your convention plan. No matter if you are planning a large event or a smaller conference, we want to be seen as the place to come for information. You can find all of the information on any city or center just by looking at the categories we have here, or perhaps making sure to visit Conventions.net for the latest information on any of our locations we have featured there.

I wanted to get back to some of the nuts and bolts of actually going through the planning of a convention, trade show or conference. I have been busy with a few of my own shows, one in Las Vegas in 2009 at BlogWorld & New Media Expo, followed very quickly by the Social Media Business Summit in Hawaii at the [re]Think Hawaii event, and most recently I have been working on the Modern Media Man Summit in Atlanta which will take place in September, 2010.  It seems I have a few plates in the air and have been doing many jobs over the last couple of years.  I am sure this will continue as I think it is a great way to gain experience doing a number of different jobs in different locations.

This week I am going to start talking about some of the things that go on behind the doors or events.  These are the things that might not be the glamorous things that occur and it might not be the things that we like to showcase as owners of events or conference directors or exhibit booth salespersons.  I have met a number of interesting people along the way and want to talk about a few of those as well so stay tuned while I start my brain dump of all the things that go into what I see as convention planning!

[photo via Retronaut]

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