By Mary Tucker, Sr. Communications & Content Manager
Lisa Lazzaretto’s hard work, innovation and collaboration with sponsors led to a record-breaking sponsorship campaign at RSNA’s annual meeting held 27 November-1 December 2021. She led the Corporate Relations Department in bringing in sponsorship revenue reflecting a 34% growth over the previous in-person meeting in 2019.
This was not an easy accomplishment. Due to the uncertainty of an in-person meeting in 2021, the sales period was shortened from 12 months to less than 8 months. In this reduced timeframe, many conversations with sponsors were had to find their best-suited opportunities and to ensure their goals were achieved in the new post-COVID meeting environment.
Lisa put to good use her innovation and flexibility by developing special virtual-only and hybrid corporate symposiums. In-person symposiums could be livestreamed to extend the reach of their program at McCormick Place. Additionally, companies who could not travel to Chicago for RSNA 2021 had the ability to participate in the meeting with virtual presentations and/or virtual exhibits. These unique offerings and benefits assisted sponsors in maximizing their participation at the RSNA annual meeting.
As a testament to Lisa’s drive and desire to deliver unique opportunities to sponsors and meeting attendees, her team launched a brand-new theater in the exhibit hall in late-October – only four weeks out from the event. This theater nearly sold out and provided a new area of interest in the exhibit hall.
Lisa’s hard work was rewarded with the largest number of RSNA Corporate Partners in the Society’s history. The RSNA Corporate Partners program was designed to show appreciation for its industry partners by recognizing businesses and institutions that contribute to the ongoing success of the Society with gold, silver and bronze recognition levels. In 2021, RSNA had 24 Corporate Partners. The previous high was 21 in 2018.
In February 2022, Lisa’s responsibilities expanded to overseeing Exhibition Services in addition to Corporate Relations and it was noted by her colleagues who nominated her that she is a rising star in the industry! Lisa’s accomplishments earned her the IAEE Outstanding Marketing & Sales Award last year, for which she was recognized this past December during Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Louisville, KY (watch Lisa’s acceptance speech here).
2022 IAEE Awards Chairperson Daniel McKinnon, CEM (left) and IAEE President & CEO David DuBois, CMP-F, CAE, FASAE, CTA (right) present the Outstanding Marketing & Sales Award to Lisa Lazzaretto (middle) during Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition 2022 in Louisville, KY.
Here, Lisa shares with IAEE her approach to finding the best ways for sponsors and exhibitors to maximize their ROI, how RSNA came out on top during the most challenging of times for the industry, and where she finds inspiration for her creative solutions.
What drew you to the exhibitions and events industry, and what do you enjoy most about it?
Like many people, I fell into it! I started my career in local non-profits and found that I enjoyed working with sponsors. It is so fun to learn about a client’s objectives and find the perfect sponsorship match for them. The exhibitions and events industry is so dynamic, and I love being part of bringing people together – it is so powerful.
RSNA found itself in the predicament so many shows did in 2021, with the lingering uncertainties of how the pandemic would affect your annual meeting. What was your approach in determining which solutions were worth pursuing and which ideas to let go?
It was critical to really listen to our exhibitors and sponsors to understand their goals and objectives. Then we had to focus on the opportunities that matched the feedback we heard. While so many were eager to come back in person, they were also trying to find the balance of where their sponsorship dollars should go to maximize their audience reach. We were able to offer enough variety – fully virtual, hybrid, and in-person only – that we could work together to determine what would help them achieve their goals.
Despite these challenges, you achieved a 34% growth in sponsor revenue over your 2019 annual meeting and set an all-time record in corporate partner participation – that’s impressive! What are some of your tactics for effectively communicating and working with your show partners and sponsors?
This success was not one year in the making. I am so lucky to have a talented team at RSNA and truly wonderful sponsors that are willing to take some risks with us. I had developed a strong relationship and trust with our sponsors in prior years through consistent dialogue, listening and making recommendations that were in their best interest. During the uncertain time of 2021, I collaborated with all sponsors to set expectations throughout the sales process using benchmarking data and sharing registration trends. Then our small and mighty team at the time – Lindsey Hammond and Nancy DeLegge – worked with our stellar internal departments and show partners to provide flawless activation of all sponsorships.
Undoubtedly, you and your team learned valuable lessons through this arduous process. What were the most valuable insights gained, and how have those carried over to subsequent events?
The last few years were overwhelming at times. We had a lot of work to do in an extremely condensed timeline, so I came up with my 5% rule. My team still hears me talk about this all the time – we know we can’t do every new thing that comes to mind while also making a number of changes and improvements. So instead of focusing on the mountain of work or needing to completely overhaul things, I like to focus on where we can find the 5%. What can we make 5% better or more efficient? What is the 5% we can move forward today? It makes something that may feel insurmountable in the moment a little more achievable! (Unfortunately we haven’t had success applying this 5% rule to the piles of laundry in our house, hah!)
Your colleagues highly praised your creativity and innovative thinking. How do you find inspiration, and do you have advice for others who want to be in the know of the latest industry trends?
I love being able to take well placed risks and finding creative solutions. All issues you encounter are simply problems to be solved!
Once piece of advice is to simply be open to new ideas – take a nugget you hear, see or read in an IAEE newsletter or webinar and see if it can turn into something that could work for your show. Share the ideas with your colleagues, talk to your friends that attend trade shows outside of your organization’s field. You never know where you might find inspiration!
Recently I’ve had the opportunity to learn in a CEM course, see other shows and travel to meet with peers in the industry. It is always inspiring and invigorating to get out of the day-to-day grind. Take time to remind yourself about how special and exciting the work you are doing can be!
