Aug 24
maureen-pickellTrade Shows ASAE & the Center, economy, meeting industry
Second day of the ASAE Expo.
Haven’t seen any celebrities..unless you count the famous meeting planners who have stopped by the ConventionPlanit.com booth to view the website.
General sessions have been very creative with yesterday’s offering attendees a special screening of their very own sitcom…”Guilt By Association.” Humor abounded in a storyline that followed the trials and tribulations of association execs. studying for a CAE exam. As you can imagine, this is a topic that can be mined for lots of laughs:)
There are always quotes galore at a state of the industry breakout session…my favorite so far is this bit of enlightment:
“We have data indicating that things could turn around – provided they don’t get worse.”
See you tomorrow…
Aug 23
maureen-pickellTrade Shows ASAE & the Center, Event Industry Networking, meeting experiences
Los Angeles provided a warm welcome for delegates attending the ASAE the Center for Association Leadership’s Annual Meeting & Exposition…84 degrees and sun for Saturday and a perfect evening for the outdoor opening reception at L.A. Live. If you weren’t impressed by the delicious food prepared by Wolfgang Puck, the exuberant concert by Melissa Etheridge should have “rocked your socks off!”
Yesterday, I was accompanied by ConventionPlanit.com’s Julie on the trade show floor. We shared the floor with supplier partners such as the Anchorage CVB, the Mexican Tourism Board, the Detroit and Memphis CVBs and American, Continental and Delta Airlines among others. With extended hours and one fewer day for the Expo, planners and suppliers were making the most of this opportunity to connect.
More information to come as the expo continues!
Jun 28
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners ASAE & the Center, meeting experiences, meeting ideas, Trade Shows
Need some creative ideas for public relations at your next convention or tradeshow? The ASAE Greater Washington Network recently held a PR Idea Swap at ASAE headquarters in Washington, DC, with content and planning provided by the ASAE Communication Section Council.
One of the table discussions during the event focused on convention and tradeshow public relations. Here are some of the ideas that participants offered:
• An association of builders held a live building competition on its tradeshow floor as a way to generate interest from the media. Held over several days and complete with awards for the best design, the building competition was a draw to the show floor and allowed the association to highlight the art of the profession.
• A special exhibit sponsored by the host association can generate interest in a tradeshow. For example, the association of builders arranged to borrow a well-known exhibit that had appeared in the National Building Museum for display in its exhibit hall.
• Special displays can help attract media attention. For example, SNAXPO, the tradeshow of the Snack Food Association, featured a display of the newest and most innovative snack foods, which is always a popular draw for members of the media. The display helps reporters by showcasing the latest trends in the snack food industry.
• Another creative way to generate publicity around a convention is to utilize a captivating theme for the convention as it relates to the organization. For example, an association of funeral homes built its convention theme one year around “Survivor.”
• A national association of museums generates PR by partnering with local museums in the cities in which it holds its annual convention. The local museums often have already developed relationships with the local media, and the national convention gives the local museums a chance to hook in reporters to a broader conversation about museums, while drawing positive attention to their own museums.
• Create something unusual and attention-getting on the exhibit floor – The American Industrial Hygiene Association built a “mock meth lab” in its tradeshow to demonstrate the health and safety hazards associated with meth labs and the role of industrial hygienists in dealing with these dangers after the labs are shut down. It attracted lots of media attention. On another occasion AIHA got CNN to feature a “mold dog” from one of its exhibitors, since industrial hygienists diagnose mold problems. The dog actually searched out mold in a television studio live on CNN.
What are some of your own creative PR ideas?
Jan 25
Ashley ChalmersTrade Shows ASAE & the Center, imex, meeting industry
Today is the first day in the Washington DC area the temperature has hit 60 degrees since winter kicked in, and we’re already excited for spring!
Be sure to mark your calendars for these spring industry events:
Dec 01
Ashley ChalmersContests, Tips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows ASAE & the Center, attendee interaction, meeting attendance
As conference attendees consider the events they will continue to attend, or are forced to justify attendance to their employers, the value of the conference must be high.
What better way to incorporate the needs and desires of your attendees than to value their feedback?
Karen Freeman, CMP with VSR Financial Services, Inc. says:
Incorporate feedback sheets for your conference as a way to gain insight on how your attendees feel. Collect them as they leave or ask them to fax or mail them to you. Put your address and fax number on the feedback sheet so they don’t have to hunt for the information later. Then read them and listen to what folks have to say.
The most important step is to incorporate some of the ideas into the next conference. When folks know you really listen they feel more like they are a part of the conference. And all meetings are created for the attendee…right?
I received an email yesterday about ASAE & the Center’s 2010 Annual Meeting & Expo. The message focused on the changes for 2010 based on attendee feedback, in a question answer type format. (First by identifying the problem followed by the solution.)
ASAE is utilizing attendee feedback to create a better experience for the attendee…and what better way to engage the audience than by taking their opinions to heart? An attendee whose input and ideas are implemented will be more likely to continue and increase involvement within the organization.
So let’s keep the feedback forms coming!
Karen Freeman’s advice won the November ConventionPlanit.com Stellar Tip Contest. If you have a meeting related tip to share, submit your thoughts for the December contest – and respond to this post, too!
Aug 19
Ashley ChalmersContests, RFP, Tips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows ASAE & the Center, rfp valet, Trade Shows
As the attendees of the ASAE Annual Expo headed home today, Maureen Pickell, our friendly blogger from the show, offers some closing insights from the expo hall:
“Planners have been stopping by the ConventionPlanit.com booth in spite of the fact that we are not giving out prizes for playing booth games.
What is attracting the planners is a quick tour of the site and learning about our special RFP Valet American Express Reward card offer for using this service.”
…Well, maybe you can win a prize at our booth after all!
Aug 18
Ashley ChalmersMember News, Tips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows ASAE & the Center, attendee interaction, Event Industry Networking, Keep America Meeting, meeting education, social media, Trade Shows
What are planners looking for from the ASAE Expo?
A survey taken on the floor the first two days found planners looking for new ideas and new partnerships. To quote one association planner,
“In order to be successful, we look at our exhibitors not just as exhibitors, but as business partners.”
Face to face interaction with business partners at the expo is an important way to foster connections.
After ASAE has concluded, planners can solidify these new relationships by using ConventionPlanit.com as a web portal to our varied portfolio of suppliers.
Technology, especially social networking, are important components to the meetings industry, but can be made much more successful through new face to face connections!
Aug 17
Ashley ChalmersMember News, News, Tips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows ASAE & the Center, meeting education, social media, Trade Shows
All morning we’ve been able to stay involved with ASAE’s Annual Meeting & Expo from our own office.
The General Session was streaming live, and many users of the popular networking site, Twitter, were sharing real time updates and information. (Look for #asae09 to see what attendees are saying)
The International Section of the Exhibit Hall is showcasing ConventionPlanit.com supplier members from Dubai, Singapore and (soon to be members) South Africa and Korea.
Association meeting planners and executives can visit with these experts from different regions of the world…or if they miss this opportunity to do business face to face, just consult ConventionPlanit.com to research these exciting destinations and submit RFP’s.
Stay tuned for more information and updates from the show!
Aug 13
Ashley ChalmersNews, Trade Shows ASAE & the Center, meeting industry, Trade Shows
ASAE’s Annual Meeting and Expo kicks off this weekend in Toronto.
If you’re attending, keep an eye out for Maureen Pickell, Julie Roberts and Al Rickard on our team. They’ll be at the show, and exhibiting at Booth 2227.
Stay tuned for updates from the road – they will be sharing their experiences here on the blog and on Twitter (click here to follow us!)
Apr 17
Ashley ChalmersNews, Trade Shows ASAE & the Center, meeting education, meeting industry, Springtime Expo
Yesterday we attended ASAE’s the Springtime Expo 2009 in Washington, DC. It’s the biggest meeting expo of the season!
We met some great meeting planners at our booth and gave live demos of ConventionPlanit.com. It was great to see friends and colleagues in the industry – and meet new ones.
The show was bustling with planners and suppliers interacting, networking, and most importantly, learning! Our vote for favorite booth goes to the Philadelphia CVB for serving up such yummy authentic Philly cheesetakes. The tantalizing aroma filled the expo hall!
What was your favorite part of the show? What did you learn? We are already looking forward to next year’s show – April 8, 2010. Thanks for a great time, ASAE!
Older Entries Newer Entries
Current Discussions