Association News

TS2 2009 experience industry firsts

Qualified buyers, industry partnerships and new technology are forefront of 2009 event

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — TS², Total Solutions Marketing for the Exhibit and Event Professional staged July 20 through July 23 at McCormick Place West in Chicago, Ill.

The four-day conference and two-day expo, featuring 150 exhibiting companies and 70 powerful conference sessions held strong in spite of the sagging economy. National Trade Productions, Inc., owners and operators of TS² since 2004, announced today that the event experienced only a 15 percent decrease in attendance from the 2008 event, which boasted its best attendance since the 2004 purchase of the show.

"The largest decrease we saw this year was in booth personnel, which made the exhibitor to attendee ratio much more favorable. Additionally, more decision-makers attended alone as opposed to bringing lower-level staff to this year's event, increasing the level of qualified buyers," said Robert Harar, Chairman of National Trade Productions.

The exhibit hall showcased 30,000 net square feet of exhibits in addition to the interactive IN Zone, new product showcase, the Premiere Zone, Exhibit Hall Education and more. "We doubled our leads from last year and expect to start doing new business within a week of the show. Compared to years past, we found we were talking a lot more to the decision-maker, rather than an assistant which streamlined the process ten-fold," said Ray Baum, Director of Client Relations, ListeNation.

The 2009 Premiere Zone featured 22 new products and services introduced to the industry over the last year. A panel of industry judges reviewed all entries, and their votes were tallied along with the votes of all show attendees to determine the 2009 Breakthrough Award winners. The winners are as follows:

• 1st Place goes to Trade Show Planning & Measurement Tool by Exhibit Surveys, Inc.
• 2nd Place goes to Project Edition by Exhibitforce.com
• 3rd Place goes to MinipaK by Vector5 Collaborative

In addition to the Premiere Zone awards, awards are also given for Best in Show. These awards are determined by a panel of judges considering company identity, exhibit environment, design, presentation, exhibit personnel effectiveness, and overall "wow" factor. The 2009 winners are:

• Overall Best in Show goes to Deckel & Moneypenny Exhibits
• Runner Up – Island Booths goes to Out of the Box Exhibits
• Runner Up – Inline Booths goes to 3D Exhibits

The 2009 event also featured the use of various technologies new to the industry including the MingleStick by Mingle360, Tradeshow Wayfinder by Prism Technologies and ChirpE by a2z, Inc. The MingleSticks, essentially an electronic business card, allowed show participants to swap contact information with the click of a button.

All connections were then made available to the participants online where they can follow-up with these contacts directly. The Tradeshow Wayfinders served as interactive directional maps for attendees looking for exhibitors and meeting rooms while at the show. ChirpE allowed attendees with Smart Phones to search exhibitors and conference sessions directly on their mobile devices. "The use of technology was definitely the buzz at TS² this year," said Shauna Peters, Marketing Manager. "It was exciting to learn about new ways to connect and keep in touch by trying them out first-hand."

With the launch of The International Center for Exhibitor and Event Marketing, a joint venture between National Trade Productions and the International Association of Exhibition and Events (IAEE), already featuring more than 8,000 members, TS² 2009 debuted an industry meeting place, bringing together show organizers, exhibitors and suppliers for an industry first. "The foundation we have established through our partnership with so many industry organizations is extremely exciting. By bringing together all aspects of the industry, TS² will continue to be at the forefront of face-to-face marketing and the future of trade shows," said Harar.
For more information on TS² 2009, visit http://www.ts2show.com/.

TS² 2010, Total Solutions Marketing for the Exhibit and Event Professional, will be held Monday, July 12 – Thursday, July 15, 2010 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in Boston, MA. The conference and exposition is a one-stop resource for marketing industry best practices presented by industry gurus, leading-edge marketing initiatives and support for every step of the way from justifying budgets to proving ROI to developing the marketer’s career.

TS² is owned and produced by National Trade Productions (NTP), a leader in the production, management, and marketing of trade expositions, conferences and special events. For more information about attending or exhibiting, please contact NTP at 703-683-8500, or visit the TS² Web site, http://www.ts2show.com.

Since 1966, TSEA has been providing knowledge to marketing and management professionals who use exhibits, events and face-to-face marketing to promote and sell their products, as well as to those who supply them with products and services. Members benefit from access to education, networking, resources, advocacy and member-only discounts on products and services that all exhibit and event professionals use. TSEA is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and regional chapters exist throughout the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.tsea.org.