Recent Posts

Nov 16, 2017 by Candy Adams
Have you ever heard somebody say when you’re planning your trade show exhibit, “Don’t worry about what you wear in your booth. It’s a trade show, not a fashion show!” In my stakeholder team meetings, I can easily plow through everything else on my agenda and reach consensus on the show strategy and tactics and then come to a screeching halt when the discussion comes to the exhibit staff “uniform.” So how do you get your staff to buy into a corporate look in your exhibit? The eas...  

Nov 01, 2017 by Lisa Apolinksi
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/smartsource-936987538/pairing-booth-content-with-attendee-expectations[/embed] Click Link On Image to Hear Podcast RELATED ARTICLE FOLLOWS If you haven’t noticed yet, content is king, and our audiences are always searching for more. A recent infographic from The Word Pro shows that in just 60 seconds, 4 million posts are engaged with and liked, 300 hours of video are uploaded, and nearly 350,000 tweets are sent. Wow, that’s a lot of content engagement. Whe...  

Oct 31, 2017 by Danalynne Wheeler Menegus
Event marketing can occupy a substantial portion of a company’s overall marketing budget. So it’s important that the events be effective. A previous article in this series discussed establishing goals and objectives for corporate meetings and trade shows. This article focuses exclusively on the human resources and technology required to achieve the maximum return on investment from events. Get Buy-In From Sales Staff Event marketing and sales staffs need to work together to fully realize t...  

Sep 13, 2017 by Danalynne Wheeler Menegus
By Danalynne Wheeler Menegus Corporate event marketing is a numbers game. Whether you’re hosting your own event, or exhibiting at someone else’s, it’s important to establish goals and objectives. It can be challenging in a corporate environment where there are multiple stakeholders investing time and budget into the same event. Be Explicit About Your Metrics As an event planner, how do you go about setting event objectives and goals? Are they measurable? Do you differentiate betwe...  

Sep 13, 2017 by Michelle Bruno
The data is mounting that video content is popular, compelling, and highly motivational. It makes sense then that companies hosting corporate events would turn to video to deliver important messaging and enhance the attendee experience. But the process for delivering video across multiple devices can be challenging. Technical meeting and event production expert Brandt Krueger has some advice on best practices for deploying video at a corporate event. Matching the digital files with the devi...  

Aug 30, 2017 by Donna M. Autuori
Ever wonder just how much impact a single donation can have? When team members at SmartSource® Computer & Audio Visual Rentals (“SmartSource,” Hauppauge, NY, www.smartsourcerentals.com) decided to donate 25 laptops to Globetops (www.globetops.com) last year, that question may not have crossed their minds. Recently, however, the company learned just how valuable that donation was to so many. Globetops – Empowering Those in Need with Technology Globetops is a non-profit organizatio...  

Aug 29, 2017 by Lillian Taylor
If you’re like most exhibitors, you probably devote a large part of your budget to printed product information and static graphics and signage to promote products at trade shows. Well, a new report by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) indicates your money is better spent elsewhere. Their 2017 Attendee Floor Engagement Study, Part I* found that a whopping 87% of exhibitors are still spending a significant portion of their resources on costly printed product collateral, whil...  

Aug 29, 2017 by Michelle Bruno
A decade or more ago, the exchange of information between trade show exhibitors and attendees consisted of a mutual handing over of business cards and stuffing of the show tote bag with glossy brochures. It was an inefficient process that left many leads and sales on the table. Today, a full range of tools for a two-way (digital) exchange of information is available to exhibition participants. They make a brief meeting in the booth more productive and create a digital trail that helps exhibit...  

Jul 26, 2017 by Lillian Taylor
Attendees at B2C trade shows want to buy products right there on the show floor. With the right technology you can make cashless sales a breeze. According to a new report by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR)*, 57% of attendees can’t resist the opportunity to make on-premises product purchases. The downside? Only 19% of exhibitors have the technology to provide an in-booth shopping experience. So how can you facilitate on-premises selling? There are two avenues association...  

Jul 25, 2017 by Michelle Bruno
The term “technology stack” can have several meanings. It is both a descriptor and a tool that event planners can use to understand the role that specific technologies play in their events. Visualizing a technology stack can help planners make better technology decisions, address challenges, and save money. What is a technology stack? A technology stack, sometimes called a solution stack or software stack, can refer to all of the components needed to make a system work.  An event website,...