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Checking Your List Twice For ROI

Jim Turner — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:38:34 +0000

I have been inundated with projects and things that I need to get done and one of my saving grace’s is making lists for myself. Of course, making a list about making a list is getting crazy. I received a list of things in the trade show industry from Skyline Trade Show Tips and thought I would send you all over to help them form their list or just to have a look to see if your list is anything like their list.

I was particularly interested in item number 6 of their list:

"Go back to the highest R.O.I. shows from previous years"

This seems like a no-brainer but then I began to think of how many businesses spend their entire year traveling to and from this show and that show. I myself attend a conference or convention every month and I began to think about the return on investment issue. This is a big three letter word in today’s economy. Now I need to make another list for myself. What’s on your list?

Tags: Trade Show Tips, Skyline, Trade Shows, Conventions, Conferences

Sleeping In Seattle

Jim Turner — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:40:07 +0000

I always like visiting this city and I spend a lot of time there at conferences at one of my favorite locations, Bell Harbor International Conference Center. I will be headed there again to attend a tech conference next month and look forward to going to Pike Place Market and being in downtown Seattle. If nothing else I can hardly wait to experience the coffee and seafood I get to have while there. The Bell Harbor International Conference Center was one of the first places I attended where I truly knew I was in a facility that catered to the technological set. From their comfortable chairs to their location on the water I knew this was a place to hold a technology event. They state on their site itself:

Guests who book a meeting or event at Bell Harbor will have access to some of the most technologically advanced space on the West Coast. Operated by an expert onsite technology team, our property features full-service state-of-the-art presentation equipment including:

Built-in rear projection systems in all major conference rooms

Complimentary high-speed internet access throughout the facility with sufficient bandwidth for hundreds of heavy users and the ability to support thousands of clients with connections up to 100 Mb/s

IP and ISDN videoconferencing

Touch-screen presentation control systems

Soundproof walls, adjustable task-appropriate lighting, satellite down-linking, and electronic polling systems

Video and audio recording and webcast services available

An enhanced business center with full-time concierge support for general administrative needs, including photocopying and faxing

White boards, tackable wall surfaces, analog lines, data ports, ISDN lines, shared lines, and T-1 internet access in each conference room

The Bay Auditorium with six built-in simultaneous interpretation booths for multiple language needs

Onsite technology team

I hope to get some pictures while I am there and perhaps I’ll tell you all about that good coffee as well.

Tags: Technology, Trade Shows, Events, Meetings, Seattle, Bell Harbor

Watching Your Convention Center Paint Dry

Jim Turner — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:54:41 +0000

I had to share this all of you because it struck me as somewhat funny. I do believe it to be a fun way to see the progress of construction on a convention center site and a great way to follow along. The Irving Convention Center has a web cam that you can follow the progress of construction. The convention center is in Irving Texas and this is their elevator pitch on the city and why you should hold your event there:

Located immediately adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and in between Dallas and Fort Worth, Irving, Texas, (www.irvingtexas.com) boasts more than 75 hotels and more than 11,000 rooms. Las Colinas is a 12,000-acre master-planned community within the city of Irving, and is known worldwide for its quality and uniqueness. The area has a total taxable base of more than $7 billion and is home to 8,000+ companies, 30 Fortune 500 companies, plus the world headquarters of four. In the next three years, the area will see more than $4 billion in hotel, retail, entertainment, office, residential and meeting facility development.

I think that is pretty impressive for a smaller town in Texas if there is such a thing. I may wait until they actually paint to see the paint dry but nonetheless I intend to keep an eye on it and see how it progresses.

Tags: Irving, Texas, Conventions, Trade Shows, Convention Centers

Economic Hardships Continue For Las Vegas and Others

Jim Turner — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:26:20 +0000

I was reading a short report put together by Trade Show Week about the state of the visitors to Las Vegas in the month of May:

According to the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority Executive Summary, convention attendance continued to decline in May in Las Vegas, with 341,846 attendees, compared with 509,482 attendees in the same time period last year, a 32.9-percent decrease. The number of conventions and meetings held in May also fell again to 1,643 from 2,208 last May, a 25.6-percent decrease.

I know that Las Vegas will weather the storm but I was just thinking about all of us having 25% less. I can say that I would be feeling the decrease pretty hard. The slide is continuing, but I am also hearing about people that are using some of the conventions and trade shows as networking events to find more jobs, to find more customers. They are going back to the basics and what has worked for them in the past. They are planning on attending events that are upcoming to see if they can change their luck. Something I am sure Las Vegas has heard before.

Tags: Trade Show Week, Las Vegas, Nevada, Conventions, Trade Shows, Meeting, Industry Events

Does Your Trade Show Matter?

Jim Turner — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:07:38 +0000

One of the people that I read on a regular basis is Seth Godin. Seth has a way of putting things into words that makes me think about things from a different perspective, and makes me stop and think which for me sometimes is a very good thing. I was reading a blog post by Seth today that had a line in it I thought I would share with the rest of you (emphasis mine):

The reason the New York Times matters isn’t about the delivery of news (it’s old by the time it arrives) or even the analysis (which is often spotty or wrong or banal or biased or boring). No, the reason it matters is because everyone else reads it.

That’s the reason certain trade shows matter.

That jumped out and slapped me across the face and made me wonder. Does your trade show matter? Is it on the list of must attend events? If not, how do you make it the one in that category? Many are the trade shows that matter because there is a lack of choice, others are a must attend show because they really are a must attend. Which show is yours?

Tags: Trade Shows, Events, Conventions, Seth Godin

Planning Special Events

Jim Turner — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:55:45 +0000

As I sat in the funeral home yesterday, my mind flashed about all the things I needed to get done and posting something here on the blog was one of them. That made me think about the event I was at, and then I thought about the irony of sitting in a funeral home attending one of my own family member’s service while at the same time they were at the Staples Center in Los Angeles attending an event of the decade, Michael Jackson’s service. It was a spectacle to be sure and they had very little time to put it together. It just goes to show that planning a special event given the proper motivation and open check book can accomplish most anything. I have yet to see the numbers that were derived from the event at the Staples Center but I’m sure it was just somewhere ahead of the numbers I had with Grandmother’s service. I had somewhat of a chuckle as I imagined her in line at the gates of heaven with the likes of Mr. Jackson.

Tags: Michael Jackson, Staples Center, Event Planning, Special Events

Javits To Finally Expand in The Big Apple?

Jim Turner — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:21:23 +0000

Was recently reading in Trade Show Week that the Javits Center expansion is now back on. It seem that this has been a point of contention with each passing quarter. Is it going forward or not going forward? According to the Governor, it’s back on again and the administration recognizes that during these tough economic times it is the best time to make changes. I’m curious if the administration likes the idea of a bigger facility or the jobs it creates to actually make it bigger?

New York Gov. David A. Paterson announced the Public Authority Control Board approved a plan that will add 100,000 square feet to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York. The expansion will contain 40,000 net sq. ft. of exhibit space. “In these challenging economic times, it is vital that we invest in projects that spur local business and create new employment opportunities," Paterson said. "This project achieves both, while also ensuring that we improve upon an invaluable asset.”

I would like to check out the facility behind the scenes. I was recently in New York at an event and was not able to get a look at their facility. I am hoping that in the near future I will get a chance to speak in New York and see this center and how it looks now to see how the changes are going to make it a better "asset" for the city. Good luck.

Tags: Jacob Javits Center, New York, Conventions, Trade Shows, Trade Show Week

Photo via eejay20736

Does The Idea of Free Work?

Jim Turner — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:38:55 +0000

In my business these days there is a notion that Free is the new black. I am not so sure and I am still trying to wrap my head around the idea that technology and writing and applications that surround that market is all being given away. Many of the business models are just now figuring out that someone, be it the company or advertisers or others have to pay for the free.

I am still working on this but I wanted to address it here as well. I think we are going to start to see this idea of free spill over to other fields and other models. Is it finding its way to conventions and trade shows? I have heard tell that people are thinking of giving things away for free and passing on the costs from other areas. Can you say "free wifi?" I am hearing of people attending conferences from the comfort of their living room and watching it on their laptop as it is streamed lived to them. is this a new phenomena and will it take hold? Only time will tell and these are the questions I have been plagued with in my own arena. Right now I am not working on giving away the cow for free.

Tags: Free Economy, Conventions, Trade Shows

Photo via ephramjames

A Social Media Case Study You Can Attend

Jim Turner — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:51:50 +0000

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to the folks at Pathable that are doing an Events Case Study Webinar tomorrow, or is it today, I have lost track or my time suddenly? This is a webinar I myself would like to attend because of this one statement:

I’ve seen too many webinars and blog posts that promise to teach me “secrets of social media” but end up saying, in effect “use Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, they’re great.” We hope to break this mold on Wednesday, July 1st with a webinar that offers a succinct toolkit for social media and events, with recommendations on what to use, what not to use, when and why, based on case studies and data.

Amen to that and I wish I had the time to check it out. That is not to say that you should not go over and see if what they have to offer is a good event. I also think that "webinars" are a good topic of discussion for another time as well. Webinars are somewhat like virtual conferences. The virtual convention or conference could be the new black?

Tags: Pathable, Webinar, Events, Case Study

Social Networks For Anyone and Everyone

Jim Turner — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:41:17 +0000

I know that by now all of you have heard of Facebook, and some of the more prominent social networks out there. I for one use LinkedIn regularly as well and Ning.com and lots of other social networks. Yes, I am a professional, or at least play one on TV. I wanted alert everyone that might be lurking here or at least those of you that happen by that there is also a social network for you. Yes, I am speaking about event people on in this case eventpeeps.com. From Canadian Peeps to Trade Show Peeps to even those interested in Twitter Peeps. Social Networks are the new black and many of you are already a part of it. I wanted to make sure to give a shout out to the conventions and event industry peeps as well!

Tags: Social Networks, Event Peeps, Facebook, Ning, Twitter, Events, Conventions, Trade Shows