DALLAS — DALLAS, 15 July 2008 - The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) announced the release of a new Resource Center Special Report, the third report in this series following last year's special report on managing the needs of key exhibitors. The Acquisition and Retention of Key Attendees offers an in-depth and strategic examination of key attendees: how to identify these attendees, qualify their value and create best practices for acquisition and retention.

Key attendees, unlike key exhibitors, are often difficult to identify and expensive to retain. Additionally, the value of these attendees, while essential, can be challenging to quantify. Despite these obstacles, exhibition organizers are investing more resources in attendee acquisition than ever before. In response to organizers' emerging needs, several programs, tactics and business strategies for enhancing key attendee attainment efforts are outlined in this report, including:

• How to enhance key attendee productivity year round
• Tips for establishing a key attendee loyalty program
• How to establish visibility in key attendee arenas

Authored by Michelle Bruno, CMP, CEM, The Acquisition and Retention of Key Attendees also includes three case studies that lend support to the paper's guidelines for attracting and retaining key attendees, and further exhibit the value of securing these qualified attendees.

The 2008 IAEE Senior Executives Roundtable, held on 24 June 2008, had a session on the topic, and included a Roundtable discussion on case study experiences to supplement the rich resources contained within the white paper. Discussions held at the seminar will result in a proceedings document which will then be developed into an accompanying report.

These Roundtable discussions were led by Dave Lutz, managing director of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting in Ohio. In summarizing the white paper's key findings.

"The buying process for goods and services is evolving," Lutz said. "In order to compete and win, show organizers that commit people and dollars to attracting and keeping power attendees in their show will win the day. This white paper does an excellent job of identifying nine best practices to consider implementing."

The Acquisition and Retention of Key Attendees follows up on last year's Managing the Special Needs of Key Exhibitors & Market Leaders (RCSR 19.01), which provides a roadmap for exhibition organizers and other industry stakeholders to aid them in understanding the role of key exhibitors. Both reports are available from CEIR's Resource Library which offers an array of exhibition-related marketing and research reports, presentations, editorial insight and industry research pieces. This new Special Report was made possible in part by a grant from the Exhibition Industry Foundation.

Regardless of your level of exhibition involvement, CEIR's resources are proven to maximize exhibition marketing. This report is made available to CEIR members free as a benefit of membership. Non-members price: $160.

About Research Center Special Reports (RCSR)_Research Center Special Reports are a combination of focused reports covering a variety of industry-related topics. More information about these reports and other valuable research can be found at www.ceir.org.

CHICAGO — Executive Director Margit B. Weisgal announced that the Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA) has been accepted as an associate member of UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.  The membership was approved by UFI’s Board of Directors in June.

Headquartered in Paris, France, UFI’s main goal is to represent its members and the exhibit industry worldwide.  It promotes the unique characteristics of trade shows, acts as a world networking platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences, promotes trade shows and exhibitions as an unique marketing and communication tool, provides its members with valuable research and educational programs, and deals with issues of common interest in the exhibition industry.

“We are excited and delighted to be accepted as associate members of UFI,” Weisgal said.  “This means we will be able to bring many more connections and advantages to our American membership.  International networking is essential in today’s global economy.  Exhibitors and their service industries have common issues and needs worldwide. Membership in UFI will help TSEA to make international exhibiting easier and more profitable for our members.”

TSEA’s membership will be ratified by UFI at its Ordinary General Assembly meeting in Istanbul in November.

The mission of the Trade Show Exhibitor’s Association (TSEA) is to be the leader in providing education, information, advocacy, and professional advancement to all exhibitors and their service providers in all industries; to enhance the sense of community among exhibitors; and to educate all exhibitors so they can develop into more effective and successful users of this excellent and cost-effective marketing tool.

CHICAGO — The Windy City Chapter of TSEA has operated for more than 17 years providing networking, education and resources to TSEA members in the greater Chicago land area. The chapter has always had a home in the O'Hare area, with its founding meeting at the O'Hare Hyatt.  The chapter has moved through the years to The Rosemont Restaurant, and now it is still fairly close, residing at the Schaumburg Maggianno's during the last few years.

During this time, the chapter has flourished while being supported by a long list of outstanding companies. Most have been recognized by receiving awards such as "Allied Vendor of the Year."

As programming and scheduling have changed, acknowledgement habits have as well. The group no longer recognizes the sponsors in the same fashion; instead it publicly acknowledge their support at the meetings.  This year, however, the Operating Council of the Windy City Chapter elected to create a special award for a very special advocate.

"For as long as I can remember, David Houston and Rosemont Exposition Services have not only financially supported our efforts to operate; they went far and above the call of duty. It was more of 'what else can we do' attitude that prompted us to want to do something special for them," said Chapter Chair, Michael R. Seymour, CME, of 3D Exhibits, Inc.

Once the idea of an award was offered to the council, it was quickly approved and the award was especially created for RES. RES and their outstanding staff regularly attends the Windy City Chapter meetings and they sponsor education.  Additionally, they join in our golf outings, RES has hosted our meetings. They have even completely sponsored our holiday event. They do all they can to help educate the industry and to support the Windy City Chapter, and TSEA. 

For additional information about TSEA or the Windy City Chapter, go to www.tsea.org.

DALLAS — The Board of Directors of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) took several actions to provide members with support as the nation's air transportation system continues to deteriorate.

IAEE board members cited the essential need for the maintenance of a reliable, safe, and reasonably priced air transportation system during a meeting held in June and directed the following actions to be taken immediately:

• Create an Air Transportation Crisis Task Force that is charged with developing best practices for the management of exhibitions and events in the midst of the current crisis. The task force will examine key issues such as the anticipated material reduction of lift to certain cities, the elimination of air service to other communities, the inconveniences imposed upon the traveling business community by a system in disarray, TSA-imposed obstacles, safety issues and other elements that, when combined, have the potential to seriously reduce the number of attendees coming to events.
• Communicate the findings and recommendations of the task force and provide members with a regular source of information and advice through a new IAEE Air Transportation Newsletter that will be launched within weeks. It will contain tips, news and information that members will find especially valuable.
• Increase involvement and support of IAEE in the Travel Industry Association (TIA) — especially in its efforts to address business travel and air transportation issues.
• Launch a meeting of legislative representatives of member organizations in early September in Washington, D.C. with the objective of exploring ways for a new IAEE legislative network of lobbyists to address issues of common interest and concern.

William Swelbar, an airline industry expert with the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), addressed the issue at IAEE's Senior Executives Roundtable held 24 June 2008 in Schaumburg, Ill. His remarks, while chilling, opened many eyes to the harsh realities that lie ahead for the nation's air carriers.

Swelbar has been recruited to join Roger Martin-Fagg, a global economist from the United Kingdom, who will speak at the CEO Breakfast during Expo! Expo! IAEE's Annual Meeting and Exhibition 2008 to be held 9-10 December in Miami Beach, Fla. Martin-Fagg will present his forecast of the state of the economy in 2009 and Swelbar will provide updated information and analysis of the U.S. air transportation system. An encore presentation for those not eligible to attend the CEO Breakfast will be held.

Information will be posted as it becomes available on IAEE's Web site at www.iaee.com. More information regarding visa and travel issues can be found in the Resources/Advocacy section of the site at http://www.iaee.com/information__resources/visa_travel_issues.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Association professionals and industry partners are preparing to make connections at ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership’s Annual Meeting & Exposition, August 16-19 in San Diego, CA. Building on the momentum of last year’s meeting in Chicago, which drew a record 7,000 attendees, the 2008 meeting is bigger than ever and tailored to bring the best education sessions from our nation's best thought leaders.

The Annual Meeting is the best way to connect with industry partners and fellow ASAE & The Center members, during the Learning Labs, Thought Leader sessions, at the Association Solutions Marketplace, or at one of the evening events, like the Opening Celebration at Embarcadero Park on San Diego Bay, ASAE & The Center’s Food & Wine Classic, a top chef reception aboard the USS Midway, or the closing Block Party in the Gas Lamp District. The opening reception will showcase a sampling of San Diego’s Old Town, the birthplace of California, and provide an opportunity to mingle with colleagues in an enticing and interactive setting.

“ASAE & The Center's Annual Meeting & Exposition is the pinnacle of a year's worth of education and meeting planning by staff, volunteers and members,” said ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham IV, CAE. “The 2008 meeting brings new educational sessions and innovative presentations, based on suggestions from our members who attended last year’s event. Each year, we are determined to create an exceptional experience for attendees of our flagship meeting and this year we are ready to surpass all expectations.”

The Annual Meeting will officially kick off with an opening session focused on embracing diversity in the association community. Facilitated by Cokie and Steve Roberts, journalists and contributors to ABC, National Public Radio, the New York Times and U.S. News and World Report, experts will engage in a conversation around the challenges of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and address ethnicity and race, gender, age, disabilities, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and other identities and distinguishing characteristics. The session is intended to raise the level of awareness and stimulate new thinking about ways to strengthen and enrich our organizations.

The 2008 event features Learning Labs tailored to best communicate information crucial to association success. In addition to traditional learning sessions, attendees can also attend book club discussions and conversations around social responsibility and participate in sessions geared to philanthropic organizations. A new social media lab will be open throughout the event with sessions running continuously on implementing social media tools and practices. The meeting also boasts an extended number of CEO-only sessions and opportunities for organizations with small staff.

For more information about the 2008 Annual Meeting and Exposition or to register, visit www.asaecenter.org/annualmeeting.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Six associations have been selected by ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership’s Associations Advance America (AAA) Committee to receive the 2008 Summit Award – ASAE’s highest honor for associations that implement innovative community-based programs. The Summit Awards will be presented at the 9th Annual Summit Awards Dinner, September 23, at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

Part of the AAA Awards Program, the Summit Award symbolizes the very best efforts engineered by associations across the country in areas like public education/information, economic development, business and social innovation, skills training/development and civic and volunteer activities. The six Summit Award Recipients for 2008 were selected from a field of 38 Award of Excellence winners from three earlier AAA judging rounds this year.

“Congratulations to the winners of the 2008 Summit Award. These recognized programs exemplify the very best efforts of associations to benefit society. We received many outstanding submissions this year and are delighted to present these six organizations with the highest award in the association community,” said Matthew R. D’Uva, CAE, president of SOCAP International and chairman of the AAA Committee.

ASAE & The Center’s Summit Awards Dinner will bring together association executives, government officials and business and community leaders for an evening to celebrate the value of associations and their impact on society. For more information about attending the Summit Awards Dinner, contact Carla Lochiatto, CAE, at 202-626-2807 or clochiatto@asaenet.org.

“The winners of the 2008 Summit Award represent the very best characteristics and leadership in the association community,” said ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham IV, CAE. “We applaud the Summit Award winners for fostering strong communities and stewardship of American life.”

Click here to read about this year’s winners:

ATLANTA, Ga., — Karen Prieto, Director, Convention Marketing and Meeting Services for New York-based Forest Laboratories Inc., has been named President of the Healthcare Convention and Exhibition Association (HCEA) for 2008 to 2009.

Prieto has more than 12 years of experience in the health care exhibiting and marketing field. Currently, she's responsible for the development and execution of convention and exhibit programs and meeting services for Forest Laboratories, where she has worked for the past seven years.

TWINSBURG, Ohio — As the industry leader in event planning, Experient has formally integrated green meeting consultation into its standard practice.

Since its annual EnVision leadership meeting in St. Louis this past March, each of the company's 40 meeting and event managers started the process to offer environmental sustainability practices and recommendations to their clients. Experient manages more than 3,300 events a year, so the estimated impact of the program is substantial.

"We believe that we are the only meeting planning company of our size to integrate environmentally sustainable steps into our standard meeting planning practice-to the point where the client would have to opt out of going green, " said Mike Smith, CMP, strategic account manager and subject matter expert for Experient.  "Imagine the impact we can have on our world by integrating even the smallest green steps into all the events that we manage."

Experient formulated an Environmental Event Solutions checklist built from the ever-growing body of best practices to use as a launch point for discussions with customers about specific green initiatives. The checklist is included in the event specifications developed by the meeting and event managers. To help quantify the effect of these new steps, Experient is adding a greening section to their post-convention reports. Over time, all Experient clients' events will be planned according to company-established minimum green guidelines. The actual level of event greening is determined by the client.

"Greening your event smartly will not increase your expenses," said Dee Blakeney, CMP, vice president of meeting planning for Experient. She explains that beginning to be green doesn't have to be difficult or expensive, such as working with the hotel to agree to replace toiletries only when the existing ones are empty or utilizing linen and towel reuse programs.

"Changes in catering can be as simple as replacing bottled water with conveniently located water coolers and replacing individual sugar and creamer packets with the same condiments purchased in bulk," Blakeney said. "Being environmentally responsible is important on many fronts. As a company we respect the influence we have with our clients in the planning process, and we are willing to put time and energy into training our employees to help our customers make environmentally smart choices."

The greatest impact is realized when Experient and the client work together from the beginning. Blakeney says, "The start of a fresh cycle is the most effective time to work with a customer to determine what they would like to do and then to query facilities on what they can do. This starts a dialogue for us to negotiate a green solution that works for that particular event."