Art of the Show Competition Winners Circle: Show Daily

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The IAEE Art of the Show Competition’s Show Daily category evaluates any communication (print or digital) updating attendees about the show and distributed on show site each day of the event. Judging criteria includes: overall presentation, visual appeal and creativity; content usefulness and appeal to the audience (what makes the information in the show daily interesting to participants of this particular show); how the show daily contributed to the overall show experience for participants; and effectiveness of distribution and access to the show daily throughout the show.

In today’s IAEE Blog, we highlight the winners of last year’s Show Daily category:

Under 75,000 nsf
Ontario Hospital Association
HealthAchieve

The signature conference and exhibition of the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) for over 90 years, HealthAchieve is an award-winning event that has long been one of the largest and most respected health care events in North America – the preeminent gathering place for health care and business leaders. HealthAchieve continues to inspire ideas and innovation by providing global health care and business leaders with an unparalleled opportunity to learn from each other, share their ideas and evolve their perspectives.

The event targets two distinct audiences: prospective attendees and potential exhibitors. The prospective attendees are made up of international health care and business leaders. The potential exhibitors are made up of medical suppliers and commercial vendors from across the globe. HealthAchieve provides the platform for unlimited networking opportunities between the two distinct audiences, and would not be the distinguished event that it is without ample participation from both.

The goal of the show daily was to keep the excitement, momentum and engagement going among healthAchieve attendees and exhibitors, and to showcase the event to those who couldn’t attend. The objective was to wrap up each day of the event with a daily-highlights email that featured highlights, not-to-miss features for the following day, winners of social media contests and special activities that took place at offsite locations in Thunder Bay and Halifax, as well as draw attention to the evaluation survey and event highlights video on the final day of the event.

The results for each of the show dailies are as follows:

  • Monday at HealthAchieve
    Of the 25,456 contacts this email was delivered to, it received a total of 10,568 opens – 6,214 of which were unique – representing a 42% open rate. It also received 390 clicks, representing a 6% click-to-open rate.
  • Tuesday at HealthAchieve:
    Of the 24,684 contacts this email was delivered to, it received a total of 9,216 opens – 5,720 of which were unique – representing a 37% open rate. It also received 345 clicks, representing a 4% click-to-open rate.
  • Wednesday at HealthAchieve:
    Of the 24,465 contacts this email was delivered to, it received a total of 8,055 opens – 4,961 of which were unique – representing a 33% open rate. It also received 778 clicks, representing an 11% click-to-open rate. A total of 304 individuals clicked on the video, supporting our goal to keep the excitement and momentum going.

With a total attendance of 6,364 attendees, these numbers supported the goal of showcasing the event to a large amount of individuals who couldn’t attend.

Over 200,001 nsf
Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™
CES 2016

CES is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years – the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. As the largest hands-on event of its kind CES features all aspects of the industry owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™, it attracts the world’s business leaders and pioneering thinkers.

The 2017 IAEE Art of the Show Competition is now underway – you have until 31 August 2017 to submit your entries! You can also view all of last year’s winners and honorable mentions here.

Art of the Show Competition Winners Circle: Show Brand Design/Development

Posted on by emcquade2015

The IAEE Art of the Show Competition’s Show Brand Design/Development category evaluates visual and messaging components used to build a new show’s brand or rebrand a show that was already in existence. Judges take into consideration all the separate elements of the marketing campaign to determine how well they leave a lasting impression on the target audience, and if they are effective in creating a brand association with the show.

Judging criteria includes: originality, visual appeal and creativity of the show logo and/or “theme” material; how effectively the individual marketing elements connect with the overall show brand; ease with which the audience correlates the branding back to the show; how well the branding speaks to the experiential value attendees can expect from the show; and how well each branding effort meets its marketing objectives.

In today’s IAEE Blog, we highlight the winners of last year’s Show Brand Design/Development category:

Under 75,000 nsf
Ontario Hospital Association
HealthAchieve

The signature conference and exhibition of the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) for over 90 years, HealthAchieve is an award-winning event that has long been one of the largest and most respected health care events in North America – the preeminent gathering place for health care and business leaders. HealthAchieve continues to inspire ideas and innovation by providing global health care and business leaders with an unparalleled opportunity to learn from each other, share their ideas and evolve their perspectives.

The event targets two distinct audiences: prospective attendees and potential exhibitors. The prospective attendees are made up of international health care and business leaders. The potential exhibitors are made up of medical suppliers and commercial vendors from across the globe. HealthAchieve provides the platform for unlimited networking opportunities between the two distinct audiences, and would not be the distinguished event that it is without ample participation from both.

The 2015 HealthAchieve brand focused on the key elements/reasons for attending the event: to “learn” from peers, “share” ideas and “evolve” perspectives. As an annual event, the HealthAchieve brand needs to differentiate itself from the previous year. To do this, OHA developed a different look and feel of the event through the use of subtly different color palettes. Building off the 2014 event, HealthAchieve 2015 introduced an array of lighter, more pastel versions of the 2014 color palette.

To ensure brand consistently over the years, HealthAchieve repeats graphic elements – most notably its “learn”, “share” and “evolve” icons – keeping with its theme and message that HealthAchieve exists to inspire ideas and innovation. The goal of HealthAchieve’s brand design and development campaign was to secure returning and new attendees. Its objective was to develop a collection of marketing materials that resonated with previous attendees familiar with the event and HealthAchieve brand, and capture the attention of new attendees who may not have heard of HealthAchieve. The show’s brand consistency and recognition with attendees helped it secure returning and new attendees.

Over 200,001 nsf
InfoComm 2016
InfoComm International & Works

InfoComm is the largest, most exciting event in the United States focused on the pro-AV industry, with nearly 1,000 exhibitors, thousands of products, and 40,000 attendees from 110+ countries. InfoComm offers attendees a once-a-year opportunity to see the latest audiovisual technology, learn the skills that will advance their careers, and grow their professional network.

The branding designed for the 2016 show was created to convey anticipation and excitement, since InfoComm is an event filled with innovative technology. Since attendees truly don’t know what they might see there, the branding campaign focused on the theme, “Press Play. Once you press play, you never know what lies ahead.”

The overall goal was to lay the groundwork for an exceptional experience; one that would set the proper tone for a tech conference of this scale and quality. Additionally, the goal was to create a branding system that could be utilized by the team that would be building the on-site dimensional materials.

With the potential for information overload, the team chose to simplify and then amplify – by drawing inspiration from the iconic “play” button and the universal primary colors found in A/V cables. They let the simplicity of the icon, and the boldness of colors and patterns build the story. By creating the “ic16” icon (an abbreviation for InfoComm16), they created intrigue around the brand for new comers, and a feeling of being “in the know” for long-time fans. A modular set of branding elements and patterns was also created to assist the team building the on-site materials. A system was designed to give them both the creative inspiration, and the rules to maintain consistency and a cohesive experience, without getting repetitive.

“We strive every year to be creative and present a fresh and fun approach to our show brand that captures the energy, excitement and exceptional experience of the professional audiovisual industry on display at our event,” said Jason McGraw, CTS®, CAE, Senior Vice President of Expositions, InfoComm International. “From the concept development with Works Progress Design to on-site implementation with Freeman and our terrific in-house marketing team, it’s rewarding to be recognized for everyone’s hard work.”

The 2017 IAEE Art of the Show Competition is now underway – you have until 31 August 2017 to submit your entries! You can also view all of last year’s winners and honorable mentions here.

Art of the Show Competition Winners Circle: Print Advertising Campaign

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The IAEE Art of the Show Competition’s Print Advertising Campaign category evaluates one or more print advertisements used by an organization to promote a show. Ad(s) must have appeared in a publication. Brochures are not included in this category. Judging criteria includes: overall presentation, visual appeal and creativity; clarity of information and content usefulness; for multiple ads, how well each ad ties into the overall ad campaign; how well the ad promotes/integrates the overall “theme” of the event; and how well the ad campaign met its intended goals.

In today’s IAEE Blog, we highlight the winners of last year’s Print Advertising Campaign category:

Under 75,000 nsf
mdg
Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference

 

The Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference is the Southeast region’s largest show for the pet grooming and service industry professionals, and is also one of the largest shows for this segment in North America. Attendees include pet service professionals, with groomers making up the majority of attendees. Pet boarding and daycare operators, kennel operators, breeders and other service professionals also make up a significant attendee segment, as do pet retailers. More than 100 exhibitors offer grooming and pet service supplies and services in a vibrant expo floor.

The Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference also places a heavy emphasis on education, providing more than 70 seminars and hands-on sessions focusing on retail strategies, grooming techniques and demonstrations, business operations tactics, and more. In 2016, the show moved to the Georgia International Convention Center. 2016 also marked the largest Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference in history, setting an attendance record for the second consecutive year.

The 2016 Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference print advertising campaign aimed to increase attendance among the key audience segments of grooming and pet service professionals. All ads took advantage of an engaging campaign concept that played into the core audience’s enthusiasm for social media and included eye catching visuals of animals receiving the “close-up” treatment. Ads also used fun and appealing copy that was delivered in a unique, first-person voice, as if the animal being groomed in the image is talking to prospects about the benefits and features of the show.

The general ad communicated Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference’s key benefits and features through this engaging lens. The ad was designed to provide an overview of the event that would appeal to groomers while showcasing key features to attract interest. The education ad capitalized on learning, a key attendance driver for most attendees, highlighting the breadth of education available at the event and encouraging prospects to register and secure education passes. A clever image and witty hashtag supported the theme, communicating at a glance that the event offers important education. Finally, the competition ad was designed to appeal to the segment of the grooming audience that enters the event’s popular grooming contests, which include the largest contests in North America. The dog breed chosen for the image is a groomer favorite and was designed to attract attention from groomers interested in competing.

“Under the leadership of Jessica Guzman from World Pet Association, the mdg team took Atlanta Pet Fair’s marketing to a fun new place, not typically seen in B2B marketing,” noted mdg President Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes. “Working collaboratively, the copywriters, designers and account services team created an advertising campaign that has a sense of humor, is on-trend and, most importantly, was effective at generating attendance.”

Account Director Elena Lien echoed those sentiments, adding, “I take great pride in these IAEE awards and even greater pride in the results we’ve achieved by serving as an extension of World Pet Association’s marketing team.”

Between 75,001 and 200,000 nsf
Frank Strategic Marketing
HPBExpo 2017

The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo is North America’s largest indoor-outdoor living showcase. Every year, over 350 leading hearth, patio and barbecue manufacturers and suppliers exhibit and demonstrate their latest home heating solutions; grills, grilling accessories and fully-equipped outdoor kitchens; casual patio furniture and outdoor accents; water and landscape features; all-weather entertainment products and more. It’s also a one-stop-shop for retailers nationwide to find not only the latest products for their showrooms, but also the latest services and technologies for their companies.

HPBExpo was seeking to position not only the show itself, but also the location (Atlanta) as vibrant and exciting. The goal was to create a sense of intrigue and drama and make a very bold statement that the show is not to be missed. The industry is replete with professionals that have a deep passion for what they do, and “immerse” themselves in their work. HPBExpo data and observations show a group exuding passion and camaraderie. All of the brand imagery is contemporary and cutting-edge to dovetail with the increasing sophistication of the outdoor living marketplace itself.

Over 200,001 nsf
mdg
CTIA Super Mobility 2016

Powered by CTIA, Super Mobility is North America’s largest and most influential forum for mobile innovation. A convergence of the leading authorities in the connected life all under one roof, CTIA provides professionals from across the mobile landscape (retail, enterprise IT, connected life, etc.) with unparalleled opportunities to hear the latest developments from top executives and entrepreneurs; see first-hand the next generation of technology shaping the future wireless such as 5G, IoT and security/privacy; and to network with fellow thought leaders. Unlike other events, CTIA is the backbone of the mobile industry – where the new technology and innovation emerges, before they are even translated into consumer products. It’s also perfectly timed for planning next year’s strategic roadmap and to jumpstart planning for the coming year.

CTIA went through a rebrand in 2016. Previously referred to as “CTIA – The Wireless Association,” it was repositioned to “CTIA – Everything Wireless” to more accurately capture the evolution in the industry and proliferation of wireless technology in every day life. CTIA serves as the background of the wireless industry, so it was important to draw a strong connection between the event and the association behind it. As such, a campaign was created using the association colors and a headline that played on the new tagline “Everything Wireless.” Lifestyle images were used to demonstrate the everyday use of the technology. The campaign developed to also show city images to help support the smart city theme that was being executed on the show floor.

“We are so fortunate to work with clients like Heather Lee Landers, formerly of CTIA and now the Executive Vice President of AUVSI, who trust us with their brands and have challenged us to take their event advertising to the next level,” said mdg President Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes. “I’m also grateful to our collaborative team of designers and copywriters who are creating the kind of attention-grabbing, design-forward, emotionally-appealing work that was once reserved for consumer marketing.”

Co-owner and Live Events Specialist Vinnie Polito echoed those sentiments, adding, “I take great pride in these awards and even greater pride in the results that the work has helped our clients achieve. Thank you, IAEE, for recognizing marketing and design excellence in our industry.”

The 2017 IAEE Art of the Show Competition is now underway – you have until 31 August 2017 to submit your entries! You can also view all of last year’s winners and honorable mentions here.

Art of the Show Competition Winners Circle: Most Innovative Use of Technology

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The IAEE Art of the Show Competition’s Most Innovative Use of Technology category is an open-ended and broad category. Entries are evaluated on how they used technology to promote, improve and enhance a show. Judging criteria includes: innovation of the technology component used and/or how it is applied; creativity in terms of how the component adds to the overall experience for show participants; and response from show participants to the component.

In today’s IAEE Blog, we highlight the winners of last year’s Most Innovative Use of Technology category:

Under 75,000 nsf
a2z, Inc.
E2E Summit

The purpose of the Executive-to-Executive (E2E) Summit is to bring together the top executives from manufacturers and contractors in the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing trades for focused one-on-one hosted buyer meetings that foster innovation. The appointments last 45 minutes each. Participants are guaranteed up to 15 meetings in a 48-hour period. The E2E Summit® is by invitation only. The event organizers custom approach evolves around participant experience and is specifically tailored to deliver results for them and their organizations.

a2z’s Connect Hosted Buyer Program solution took the guesswork and paperwork out of managing hosted buyer programs. By matching registered buyers with appropriate suppliers using smart, automated matchmaking technology, it helped event participants maximize their ROI by generating high quality appointments based completely on precise demographics data and event-specific business logic.

By leveraging a2z’s Connect platform, E2E Summit event organizers were able to streamline the matching process and create a business version of “eHarmony” (a dating app) for contractors and manufacturers. a2z’s Connect platform for automating hosted buyer program matches and appointment setting at trade shows addressed E2E’s particular requirements. The Connect platform allowed manufacturers to enter descriptions of their companies and products. It enabled contractors to go in and do their own research, select favorites, and complete surveys about their interests and company demographics – all data that was previously gathered manually. Connect then created a suggested appointments schedule for each participant using an intelligent matching algorithm and one click of the button.

Matching companies with buyers – doing research to determine which manufacturer’s products are the best fit for the types of projects in which contractor companies are interested – requires a lot of legwork. It involves phone calls, surveys, the collecting of “wish lists” and keeping files up to date. E2E was performing those tasks and then creating an Excel spreadsheet to serve as the master meeting schedule. The process was time-consuming (three weeks for one person) and sometimes there was overlap (companies scheduled for different meetings in the same time slot).

E2E organizers immediately felt the impact of automating the matchmaking and scheduling process for their 2016 summit. It previously took one person three weeks to prepare the spreadsheet of matches and appointments. Connect could do the same thing in about three minutes!

“When we used a2z Connect to create the first round of meetings, it completed about 70% of the meetings,” noted Kaitlan Klitzke, Project Manager at E2E Summit. “We were then able to spend about three weeks refining everyone’s meeting schedules, which we were never able to do in the past because we never had the time. It was also more accurate because with the spreadsheet we always had some overlap. I really liked the exhibitor capabilities of the Connect platform. They have an online booth where they can add their company description, website, and logo. It helps our contractors do their research. The favoriting feature was big for our company to be able to put that kind of control in the hands of the buyers.”

Between 75,001 and 200,000 nsf
Access Intelligence
EventTech 2015

Seven years ago, the need for a conference and exposition solely focused on how to use technology and social media to amplify events and drive attendance was identified. Cue the creation of EventTech. Since inception, EventTech has gone from being a small boutique event housed in unconventional locations in New York City, to one that draws over 1,300 attendees from around the world to Las Vegas each November. The core concept of EventTech is to present a ‘learning-loop’ educational format.

Attendees can go to a session on a specific technology then step outside the session and actually test drive that exact technology. Exhibits and education live in one space, a 100,000 sq. ft. arena called ‘The Campus.’ There is nothing like this conference anywhere in the world. Going into its sixth year, EventTech had established itself as one of the fastest growing conferences in the industry and the only one of its kind. It had manifested an educational program of over 100 sessions taught by some of the world’s biggest brands and leading technologists. It programmed three powerful pre-conference workshops covering some of the hottest digital trends in the events industry.

The goals for EventTech 2015 were to cancel out campus noise, engage attendees with compelling and relevant content, create a user friendly experience and keep the lines down as well as provide direction without the extravagant costs. Featured technologies used to accomplish this goal included:

  • Drone University – an afternoon workshop on using drones at events and bused attendees to an outdoor park 30 minutes from the Las Vegas strip where drone experts taught them all about drones and how to use drones at events for content capture, livestreaming, attendee engagement, etc.
  • Proximity Audio in Breakouts – EventTech’s 100,000 sq. ft. Campus does come with acoustical challenges, given that all breakout sessions are produced in open air amphitheaters. One of the challenges with placing educational sessions within exhibits naturally, is background noise. To provide attendees with an intimate experience, EventTech integrated a wireless audio proximity system into all breakout audiovisual theaters. It provided hi-tech transmitters and noise cancelling ear phones. Delegates could turn to a specific channel for each session and only hear audio from that session. The bustling hall noise around them gets cancelled out. Problem solved.
  • Self Check-in Kiosks – for the first time, EventTech offered self check-in kiosks as part of registration. Attendees would walk over to a kiosk, search their name, then print their badge and send it to the registration desk printers where an ambassador would hand them their badge and all relevant show information. This trimmed down lines and engaged the attendees showcasing an event technology from the moment they stepped on show site.
  • App – EventTech’s app held all the relevant conference information from education options and locations to sponsor information and contact details. Attendees were able to prepare their schedule before they got onsite with the in-app calendar and meeting planner. They could interact with other attendees through a messaging feature as well as promote themselves and their companies through the content feed. It allowed us to pop messages and reminders through push notifications as well as provide directional information with beacons.
  • Beacons – EventTech’s beacons were programmed and installed throughout the venue to push Bluetooth notifications to attendees who had the app installed on their phones and their Bluetooth function enabled. Once an attendee would get within 20ft of a beacon a message would appear on their phones even if their screen was locked. The messages encouraged them to attend certain sessions or special events in booths nearby.

Over 200,001 nsf
Freeman
SEMA Show 2015 Custom PlanTour Sponsorship Program

The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world. It draws the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to fill over a million square feet of the Las Vegas Convention Center. In addition, the SEMA Show offers attendees educational seminars, product demonstrations, special events, and networking opportunities. The 2015 SEMA Show drew more than 130,000 industry professionals including 60,000 domestic and international buyers and 2,400 exhibiting companies from every segment of the specialty equipment industry.

The SEMA Show has grown and changed during the past few years. Like many event organizers, SEMA was looking for ways to increase revenue without raising rates. They had previously used the Classic version of PlanTour by Freeman to promote sponsorship opportunities. PlanTour is a web-based tool that allows show managers to virtually tour event facilities to assist in planning their shows and events. It is also used to scout a venue for future events, view floor plans and plan potential sponsorship opportunities without an onsite visit. The responsive web design provides consistent user experience when accessed on tablets, PCs and smartphones.

SEMA commissioned a custom version of PlanTour to showcase all sponsorship opportunities at the Las Vegas Convention Center. In addition, they customized the site using the 360 panoramic tours to highlight the newly captured outdoor areas for magnetic signage, along with other sponsorship options to help exhibitors increase visibility at the popular trade show. The SEMA Custom PlanTour Sponsorship Program goals included:

  • Create new sponsorship options for new and returning sponsors and exhibitors;
  • Provide an easy to use tool for sponsors to view, select and envision their investment; and
  • Provide an easy to use tool for SEMA sales reps to coordinate or upsell prospects.

Unique users to the SEMA Custom PlanTour website increased by more than 50% compared to the previous year. This includes notable shifts in how users accessed the site such as a 190% increase via mobile, nearly 60% increase by desktops, and more than 13% on tablets. With ordering and other details easy to access and manage online, nearly all available inventory was sold out.

In addition, SEMA has 10 sales reps responsible for sponsorship and exhibitor relations. Working in a fast-paced high pressure environment, they don’t always have time to coordinate with each other. PlanTour allowed them to see a new or changed order, available inventory, deadlines and more – all in the real time to reduce errors and increase efficiency.

“This was our biggest year selling sponsorships,” said Peter MacGillivray, Vice President of Communications and Events for SEMA. “When you have a show that is wall-to-wall, you can raise more money in two ways. You can raise your prices, or you can sell sponsorships. We don’t want to raise our prices. We want to expand our revenue stream through sponsorships. Being able to have tools that help manage that – and ultimately sell that – has been a big hit for us. And this new technology has helped us blow past our goals.”

The 2017 IAEE Art of the Show Competition is now underway – you have until 31 August 2017 to submit your entries! You can also view all of last year’s winners and honorable mentions here.

Art of the Show Competition Winners Circle: Industry Promotion

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The IAEE Art of the Show Competition’s Industry Promotion category evaluates ways in which a show grew its audience by identifying new markets. Using creative thinking and new aspects of the show to attract new audiences, this category examines how well the marketing efforts of a show positioned its industry to attract new markets. This category is broken up into two parts: 1) How the show changed to attract a new audience(s) and 2) What marketing initiatives and metrics were used to drive attendee acquisition.

Judging criteria includes: identifying key factors that drove the marketing team to identify a new market segment; metrics used to identify goals and the subsequent marketing initiatives; and how the show changed to accommodate this new market.

In today’s IAEE Blog, we highlight the winners of last year’s Industry Promotion category:

Under 75,000 nsf
Diversified Communications
International Floriculture Expo

  

The International Floriculture Expo (IFE) is North America’s largest business-to-business trade show for the floral industry, uniting mass market retail buyers with suppliers of fresh cut flowers and products. The show features displays of fresh cut flowers, foliage/potted plants, giftware/accessories, lawn/garden, and floral-related business services. Some of the business categories that IFE attracts include: online retailers, supermarkets and supercenters, independent grocers, retail florists, designers and nurseries.

IFE aimed to find new retailers in smaller segments that still qualified for entry as buyers in the industry.  Promotions included significant online marketing, and also participating in industry initiatives that helped show their attendees and exhibitors that they truly care about their business and the industry.

The impact of the initiative was significant. Several exhibitors remarked that the traffic was the busiest it has been in 10 years. Within months, IFE’s social media presence quadrupled through its paid social campaigns.  Overall, the campaign produced positive reactions including “Excellent show! IFE is the pulse of the floral industry,” from one of its largest buyers.

“The added benefit of our promotion was that the staff at IFE and Diversified Communications as a whole also gained a deeper appreciation for the floral industry,” said Lora Burns, Marketing & Conference Coordinator for International Floriculture Expo. “When we handed out flowers for the Petal It Forward campaign, it was not just the marketing team on IFE but members of Diversified’s other teams – Seafood, Technology, Human Resources, HR – everyone from admins to VPs in the company participated.

“It really brought us together as a company by sharing the joy of flowers, something that helped give everyone an inside look into the work our attendees and exhibitors are so passionate about every day. Our hands-on involvement also really excited exhibitors and attendees – many remarked that they were touched that Diversified cared that deeply about the success of the floral industry, and that we were not just a trade show organizer, but allies in their industry.”

Over 200,001 nsf
Emerald Expositions, LLC
Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2016

Outdoor Retailer Winter Market brings together retailers, manufacturers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of winter outdoor recreation through a winter trade show, a product demo event, print and digital marketing opportunities, and web-based business solutions. Outdoor Retailer Winter Market also provides and promotes retailer education, advocacy, responsibility and face-to-face business initiatives within the outdoor industry.

The Venture Out industry promotion was created by Outdoor Retailer to address the growing urban and lifestyle trend that has influenced and invigorated a modern outdoor movement – a renewed interest in the outdoors, including traditional outdoor pursuits like camping and hiking, all influenced by a fashion aesthetic and driven by a strong social media community. Venture Out was designed to help brands validate the fact that outdoor function does exist in a fashionable solution, while expanding their brand reach to new market segments.

The key brands for this area are more fashion-driven and historically felt excluded from Outdoor Retailer, whose retailers traditionally value function over form. The “outdoor” trend was quickly gaining footing at fashion-driven shows and the Outdoor Retailer team recognized the opportunity early. Brands include Poler, Coal, Miir, Iron & Resin, Freewaters, Topo Designs, etc.

Venture Out was conceived as a way to satisfy and add additional value to our current retailers looking to draw new customers, but also a way to draw buyers from premium boutiques, who hadn’t considered Outdoor Retailer as a part of their buying process.

Venture Out is a show within a show. It is a carefully defined exhibit area with curated exhibitors occupying meticulously outfitted space (both turn-key and raw space options are available). The aesthetic is distinctly “outdoor” with the booths arranged around an open, park-like central community space, but with a modern flair. This concept has proven to be a very effective revenue driver for Outdoor Retailer and has enabled the show to provide new and compelling opportunities to keep our retailers on the leading edge of trend and innovation.

The turn-key booth space option is unique to Venture Out at Outdoor Retailer and allows smaller, less established brands an easy access point to the show. These smaller footprints help increase the overall exhibitor count within a maxed-out floor plan, giving the show an opportunity to grow. Venture Out also gives its retailers the opportunity to grow, with new products and new ideas. It features an on-floor education space where speakers lead idea exchanges that help retailers understand how to present these trends within their stores.

The performance of Venture Out has been highly successful for Outdoor Retailer as it continues to grow. Venture Out initially started out with 17 companies in 2014 and reached 75 participating companies in just two years. Retail goals have also exceeded expectation with not only drawing new buyers from stores that previously not attended Outdoor Retailer, but with the number of existing stores bringing more buyers to shop Venture Out, visiting the area multiple times with strong attendance all days of the show.

“The positive impact of the Venture Out initiative is clear,” said Jennifer Holcomb, Senior Marketing Director at Outdoor Retailer/Emerald Expositions. “As a catalyst for change in the industry, the brands and retailers supporting this area are helping to create a new definition for the industry. As a business model, Venture Out is a proven vehicle to incubate and launch new brands and new trends.”

The 2017 IAEE Art of the Show Competition is now underway – you have until 31 August 2017 to submit your entries! You can also view all of last year’s winners and honorable mentions here.

Art of the Show Competition Winners Circle: Exhibit Sales Brochure/Prospectus

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The IAEE Art of the Show Competition’s Exhibit Sales Brochure/Prospectus category evaluates a single sales piece targeting potential exhibitors for a show. It is important to note this category does not include any print advertising, which has its own category. Judging criteria includes: overall presentation, visual appeal and creativity; clarity of information and content usefulness; and how well the piece met its intended goals.

In today’s IAEE Blog, we highlight the winners of last year’s Exhibit Sales Brochure/Prospectus category:

Between 75,001 and 200,000 nsf
Frank Strategic Marketing
HPBExpo 2016

 

The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo is North America’s largest indoor-outdoor living showcase. Every year, over 350 leading hearth, patio and barbecue manufacturers and suppliers exhibit and demonstrate their latest home heating solutions; grills, grilling accessories and fully-equipped outdoor kitchens; casual patio furniture and outdoor accents; water and landscape features; all-weather entertainment products and more. It’s also a one-stop-shop for retailers nationwide to find not only the latest products for their showrooms, but also the latest services and technologies for their companies.

HPBExpo was seeking to position not only the show itself, but also the location (Atlanta) as vibrant and exciting. The goal was to create a highly non-traditional and dramatic campaign by making a bold statement that the show is not to be missed. All of the brand imagery was contemporary and cutting-edge to dovetail with the increasing sophistication of the outdoor living marketplace itself.

The brochure centered on the theme, “Your Products. Their Dreams.” It was specifically designed to be visually stunning (including the paper stock), as it was one of just a handful of print marketing pieces for the show, compared to the vast majority of the campaign being digital. The goal was to push the boundaries as much as possible to achieve maximum impact.

Over 200,001 nsf
Fixation Marketing
2016 NAHB International Builders’ Show

The International Builders’ Show (IBS) is the world’s largest annual residential and light construction show, attracting 60,000+ building industry professionals from 100 and featuring 1,400 manufacturers and suppliers in more than 300 product categories. IBS showcases the latest products, materials and technologies involved in all types of buildings – including wood, concrete, stone and brick.

The show features The New American Home (NAHB’s show home) which highlights new products and techniques. IBS also offers innovative education with 130+ sessions in eight tracks, taught by renowned building industry experts from across the country. The show has plenty of networking opportunities including the House Party, Spike Concert and The Centrals – hubs for programs, demonstrations and hands-on workshops.

An aggressive goal of 500,000 net square feet of exhibit space was set for the 2016 International Builders’ Show® (IBS) exhibit sales team. To meet this number, the exhibit sales prospectus had to accomplish the following: entice former exhibitors to return to IBS; convince those prospects that had yet to commit to IBS that 2016 is the year to do so; and encourage loyal customers to take bigger space. NAHB needed to illustrate that IBS is a dynamic, exciting place to get business done – a “can’t be missed” event – and the theme “Raise the Roof” helped to tell that story well.

As a result, the IBS exhibit sales team reached its goal of 500,000 net square feet, filling in the space with exhibitors from all tree targets: former exhibitors; prospects that had yet to commit; and loyal customers with bigger space.

“Our key objective was to speak to the growing optimism within the industry after a challenging stretch of time and convey that the show was bursting with opportunities for exhibitors to boost leads, sales and brand awareness,” said Megan Campbell, Vice President of Client Services & Strategy. “We worked to design a visually arresting concept that had flexibility and a spirited tone.”

The 2017 IAEE Art of the Show Competition is now underway – you have until 31 August 2017 to submit your entries! You can also view all of last year’s winners and honorable mentions here.

Art of the Show Competition Winners Circle: Email Promotion Campaign

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The IAEE Art of the Show Competition’s Email Promotion Campaign category evaluates a series of email messages disseminated to distinct target audiences in order to promote and/or inform interested parties about a show. Judging criteria includes: overall presentation, visual appeal and creativity; how well each individual email applies to its target audience; clarity of pertinent information, overall message and content usefulness; how well the email met its intended goals; and effectiveness of the email in terms of audience response.

In today’s IAEE Blog, we highlight the winners of last year’s Email Promotion Campaign category:

Under 75,000 nsf
Ontario Hospital Association
HealthAchieve

The signature conference and exhibition of the Ontario Hospital Association for over 90 years, HealthAchieve is an award-winning event that has long been one of the largest and most respected health care events in North America – the preeminent gathering place for health care and business leaders. HealthAchieve continues to inspire ideas and innovation by providing global health care and business leaders with an unparalleled opportunity to learn from each other, share their ideas and evolve their perspectives.

The event targets two distinct audiences: prospective attendees and potential exhibitors. The prospective attendees are made up of international health care and business leaders. The potential exhibitors are made up of medical suppliers and commercial vendors from across the globe. HealthAchieve provides the platform for unlimited networking opportunities between the two distinct audiences, and would not be the distinguished event that it is without ample participation from both.

Building on HealthAchieve’s theme of inspiring ideas and innovation, the goal of one of the campaign’s email was to showcase the show’s four keynote speakers to inspire prospective attendees with their stories to secure registrations. With such a broad audience of health care and business professionals, the objective was to capture the attention of each unique individual by differentiating the genre of the speakers as thought leaders, visionaries and creative minds. This email had a 26% open rate and received 271 clicks, representing a 5% click-to-open rate. A total of 50 contacts registered from this email, which helped secure a total registration of 6,364 attendees.

Another email was targeted to potential exhibitors, with the goal of securing more exhibitor contracts. The objective and design intent of this email was for potential exhibitors to understand that their most profitable return on investment would be realized if they attended HealthAchieve. This email garnered a 27% open rate, with over half as unique opens. The email drew 10 new exhibitors, helping secure a total of 231 exhibitor contracts.

“HealthAchieve offers a diverse range of health care professionals an opportunity to step out of their daily work environment,” said Craig Swatuk, Director, Brand Strategy and Marketing. “And we’re continually seeking new ways to express that experience, offering unique perspectives on health care.”

Between 75,001 and 200,000 nsf
Frank Strategic Marketing
HPBExpo 2016

The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo is North America’s largest indoor-outdoor living showcase. Every year, over 350 leading hearth, patio and barbecue manufacturers and suppliers exhibit and demonstrate their latest home heating solutions; grills, grilling accessories and fully-equipped outdoor kitchens; casual patio furniture and outdoor accents; water and landscape features; all-weather entertainment products and more. It’s also a one-stop-shop for retailers nationwide to find not only the latest products for their showrooms, but also the latest services and technologies for their companies.

The show’s email promotion campaign was created to build attendance by combining the appeal of New Orleans as a top destination city with event-centric brand messaging. Specifically, the creative branding features New Orleans typography and iconography, intertwined with hard-hitting benefit-driven messaging.

As a result, HPBExpo was named as one of TSNN’s 2016 top 25 fastest-growing shows in the United States in attendance. Aside from the prior year’s show in Nashville, attendance beat all other HPBExpo shows in the past five years.

Over 200,001 nsf
mdg
CTIA Super Mobility 2016

Powered by CTIA, Super Mobility is North America’s largest and most influential forum for mobile innovation. A convergence of the leading authorities in the connected life all under one roof, CTIA provides professionals from across the mobile landscape (retail, enterprise IT, connected life, etc.) with unparalleled opportunities to hear the latest developments from top executives and entrepreneurs; see first-hand the next generation of technology shaping the future wireless such as 5G, IoT and security/privacy; and to network with fellow thought leaders. Unlike other events, CTIA is the backbone of the mobile industry – where the new technology and innovation emerges, before they are even translated into consumer products. It’s also perfectly timed for planning next year’s strategic roadmap and to jumpstart planning for the coming year.

The email campaign promoted the theme “Everything Wireless” by telling the story that CTIA Super Mobility 2016 did not just represent a piece of the wireless industry; rather it encompassed EVERYTHING from start to finish. Messaging focused on the content around the show floor, conference and keynote programming. At the peak of the campaign, an email called “Technology Starts Here” tied it all together by taking the reader on a journey through the show floor from where technology STARTS (research, discovery, mobile innovation) to where technology ends (a consumer product on retail shelves). The campaign averaged an open rate of 18 percent and clicks averaged 6 percent.

“We are so fortunate to work with clients like Heather Lee Landers, formerly of CTIA and now the Executive Vice President of AUVSI, who trust us with their brands and have challenged us to take their event campaigns to the next level,” said mdg President Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes. “I’m also grateful to our collaborative team of designers, copywriters and digital marketers who are creating the kind of attention-grabbing, design-forward, emotionally-appealing work that was once reserved for consumer marketing.”

Co-owner and Live Events Specialist Vinnie Polito echoed those sentiments, adding, “I take great pride in these awards and even greater pride in the results that the work has helped our clients achieve. Thank you, IAEE, for recognizing marketing and design excellence in our industry.”

The 2017 IAEE Art of the Show Competition is now underway – you have until 31 August 2017 to submit your entries! You can also view all of last year’s winners and honorable mentions here.

Art of the Show Competition Winners Circle: Attendance Promotion Campaign

Posted on by emcquade2015

The IAEE Art of the Show Competition’s Attendance Promotion Campaign category evaluates a series of pieces used in a marketing campaign to promote attendance at a show (attendance promotion brochure, printed/digital ads, website, mobile app, etc.). Judging criteria includes overall presentation, visual appeal and creativity of the campaign; clarity of information, overall message and content usefulness; how each piece plays into the “big picture” (how it suits its intended role in the campaign); how the campaign relates to the overall “theme” of the event; and how well the campaign met its intended goals.

In today’s IAEE Blog, we highlight the winners of last year’s Attendance Promotion Campaign category:

Under 75,000 nsf
Frank Strategic Marketing
TRANSACT 16

TRANSACT 16 is the event for payments technology. It is produced by the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), the world’s largest payments industry trade group. TRANSACT 16 is where attendees make connections, secure partners and funding, and leverage emerging technologies. At TRANSACT 16, there were more than 4,000 attendees including ISOs, VARs, ISVs and Tech Startups that are driving innovation and responding to consumer demand at the POS. TRANSACT focuses on the payments technology industry, and It is where everyone in payments – all the big players and the latest tech companies – come together to meet, partner and drive innovation.

ETA positions the event as one for the leaders, titans, innovators, and the newest players changing the game; it is the one event where its target audience can see and meet everyone they need to in order to make things happen and move their company forward. The goal for TRANSACT 16 was to communicate the idea that this is where the “old/new” and “slow/fast” come together to create mutually beneficial partnerships. The campaign intended to help stalwarts understand that technology is nothing to fear or be intimidated by; and for start-ups/tech community to see that there is value in partnering with those experienced in the field. To that end, the tagline for TRANSACT 16 was “Connecting the Payments Technology World” – as it is the one place where the global payments and transactions ecosystem come together. In more than 60 sessions and five keynote presentations, speakers dug into big topics such as mobile payments, omni-channel commerce, security and fraud prevention and much more.

“This is a tremendous time of growth and change in our industry,” said ETA CEO Jason Oxman. “TRANSACT 16 brought together thousands of payments game-changers from traditional payment leaders and investors to innovators to chart the future of commerce.”

Between 75,001 and 200,000 nsf
Texas Nursery & Landscape Association
2016 Nursery/Landscape EXPO

For more than 60 years, the Nursery/Landscape EXPO has annually been produced by the Texas Nursery & Landscape Association (TNLA). Over 6,000 participants attend EXPO’s annual B2B trade show covering 150,000 nsf and featuring the latest products the industry has to offer. Participants include buyers representing various segments of the “Green” industry: retail garden centers; landscape and irrigation professionals; growers; arborists; and suppliers, brokers and distributors of nursery and landscape products.

The goal for this campaign was to brand the show throughout the year in order to reach current and new attendees. The western theme of “Saddle Up” encouraged the nursery and landscaping industry to get ready to build their business at EXPO. As the theme evolved and with the city of Houston as the destination, creative inspiration was derived from vintage rodeo imagery, incorporation of industrialism in Houston, the oil boom and skylines.

“Each year, TNLA brainstorms and develops a new theme and marketing campaign to brand EXPO to returning and potential attendees,” said Sarah Riggins, CEM, Director, TNLA & EXPO Marketing/Communications. “We review previous years of data and set benchmarks based on different aspects of the campaign to raise attendee’s EXPO brand awareness. To help further brand EXPO, the team utilizes a variety of marketing vehicles and tracks impressions from email open rates, website content click-throughs, social media ‘likes’ and EXPO’s mobile app downloads. One of the most important things we continue to place high value on throughout the entire marketing process is strong content, making sure that we are providing messaging to answer the question, ‘What is in it for the Attendee?’”

Over 200,001 nsf
Tarsus Group
Labelexpo Europe 2015

Founded in 1980, Labelexpo Europe is one of Tarsus’ flagship shows and a leading exhibition

brand. Held biennially in Brussels, it is widely acknowledged as the label industry’s leading and largest dedicated event. With a global audience, its exhibitors are machinery/material suppliers and visitors label printers who produce labels and packaging for the food, drink and pharmaceutical markets. The show is pretty unusual with its large scale, complex and technical exhibits of live working print machinery and high level buying audience. Dominating a niche market, it has no direct competition within the label sector, but does share a target audience/purchasing opportunities with general print industry shows like Drupa.

Despite many print shows suffering over the past few years, Labelexpo set the following key objectives:

  • Increase visitor numbers
  • Promote creative printing technologies
  • Expand the show by targeting other groups (e.g. flexible packaging)

The theme was intensively drilled down to every possible and conceivable touch point for the show visitor. From marketing collateral to registration, venue signage and ultimately the show floor, every aspect of the show echoed the fairy tale creative. It was because of this attention to detail and the very high quality of the printed materials, that Labelexpo Europe 2015 broke all previous records. Exhibitor, visitor and even press feedback all resonated around the quality of the show and how eye catching and imaginative the campaign and show look had been.

It was hugely influential in 2015’s show being the most successful in its 35-year history:

  • Highest visitor attendance ever: 35,739 (up 12.4% on 2013)
  • Increase in proportion of visitors from the flexible packaging sector (up 9.4%)
  • Highest number of exhibitors ever – 650 (600 in 2013)

“Creative, challenging and engaging, this particular campaign pushed our team to new limits and delivered excellent results,” noted Michael Hatton, Director of Marketing at Labelexpo. “It achieved more than the budget would suggest, because it caught the imagination of the Labelexpo community and wider printing world. It made people smile, talk about it and most importantly attend the show to find out how to improve their own business. We set out to separate our brand from the pack and we succeeded.”

The 2017 IAEE Art of the Show Competition is now underway – you have until 31 August 2017 to submit your entries! You can also view all of last year’s winners and honorable mentions here.

IAEE Art of the Show Competition Winners Circle Spotlight FreemanXP: 2015 Best of Show Winner

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FreemanXP took last year’s Best of Show prize in the IAEE Art of the Show Competition, as well as winning the Signage/Decoration: Over 200,001 nsf category for its Autodesk 2014 entry. Here, FreemanXP discusses how it met its mission to enhance attendee engagement through the creation of its Autodesk 2014 solution.

“Winning Best of Show for Autodesk University’s design in IAEE’s Art of the Show is a tremendous honor for FreemanXP,” said John Santangelo, the designer of Autodesk University. “Not merely for the fact that our tireless efforts to elevate the impact and effectiveness of our clients’ event presence were officially recognized by a respected organization, but also because the exposure gained from this award is also helping to solidify Freeman’s stance as a world-class provider of face-to-face marketing and as creative thought leader in the industry.”

THE CHALLENGE

Autodesk is a leader in 3-D design software for architecture, engineering, manufacturing, and more. For people serious about creating, the annual Autodesk University event is an opportunity to train on Autodesk software, learn about industry trends, and share knowledge with peers. But could FreemanXP create even deeper attendee engagement?

RE-IMAGINING THE EXPERIENCE

As we sought innovative ways to build connections with the brand while also adding an important touch of drama, we drew significant inspiration from the Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco. This stunning collection brings together stories from across the globe that highlight how exceptional design—aided by Autodesk technology – shapes the world around us, from the buildings we live and work in to the machines that propel us forward and the products that enrich our lives.

With this vision in mind, and through close collaboration with the client and a preferred vendor whose products are 100 percent sustainable, we applied a scalable, user-centric and evidence-based design methodology to create an event environment filled with surprise and delight.

2016.07.19 FreemanXP Experience

A crucial standout area was named “Central Park.” Heroically beautiful fabric structures created with an origami-inspired vibe led to unique, intimate spaces that showcased incredible examples of how Autodesk software is helping to change the world … exemplifying the possibilities of what dreams can do.

CONNECTIONS AND CONSISTENCY

With so much to engage them, attendees spent significantly more time on the show floor conversing with peers, vendors, and subject matter experts – which thrilled our client. What’s more, the event captured the essence of the Autodesk brand so well that, although the Central Park structures were intended to be rented, Autodesk asked to purchase them to bring additional brand consistency to its other events!

2016.07.19 FreemanXP Connections

Click here to view FreemanXP’s complete Autodesk presentation, and gather your marketing materials for the IAEE Art of the Show Competition which is now open! Think you have what it takes to be a part of the IAEE Art of the Show Competition Winners Circle? There are 15 categories addressing marketing activities directly related to successfully organizing and executing an exhibition and/or event. Read all about them here and start gathering your entries today! The deadline to submit your Art of the Show is 30 September 2016.

2016 AOS Competition Logo Horiz 960x453

 

What Makes a Good Entry – Art of the Show Insider Tip #7

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THERE ARE LESS THAN 10 DAYS REMAINING TO ENTER IAEE’s ART OF THE SHOW! HURRY, SUBMIT TODAY!

IAEE’s Art of the Show Competition celebrates outstanding promotion of exhibitions and events in 15 categories, including Signage/Decoration and Sponsorship Development Program. These elements comprise a well-rounded marketing plan, but what makes them so effective? IAEE asked its competition judges this question and offers these pointers:

Signage/Decoration
The general look and/or feel of an entire event, exhibit hall or booth. A photograph, montage, portfolio or drawing of creative use of space at an exhibition. Judges take into consideration creativity, design, layout of space, attendee attractiveness and overall presentation.

A few things to keep in mind:

  • Think BIG. You have your universal design principles (ie., no more than 2 fonts) and then you have your design principles for signage. Keep in mind the distances from which your signage will be viewed and design accordingly.
  • Images must be high resolution. You cannot make a respectable sign using a 10kb image file downloaded from your website – you need a high resolution, preferably vector, file. There is no such thing as “up res”-ing a low resolution image. Please don’t ask your graphic designer to try. Not. Possible. (Not yet, anyway).
  • Milk your brand. This is the time to incorporate your event’s brand/theme, whether it be through the color scheme, the tagline, the imagery or all of the above. Signage should incorporate the branding gracefully, but there should be no doubt about whose sign it is!

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Sponsorship Development Program
A visual of a sponsorship development/management program and the effect that it had on an event. Measurements must be provided as well. Judges take into consideration overall development and outcome measurement.

A few things to keep in mind:

  • What’s in it for you? Be clear about your goals and strategies for the program, and define how the sponsorship meets those needs.
  • What’s in it for them? In order for a sponsor to be interested in the program, you must show them the value proposition you bring into the agreement.
  • Show me the money! Track your results. A full report will not only show the success of the program, but will give you something to build on as you develop future opportunities.

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Do you have great marketing collateral the world should see? Show off your Art of the Show by entering IAEE’s Art of the Show Competition! Click here to get started. See last year’s winners here.

Oh no, I missed Tips #1-6! No worries, click here.