“A client recently called a colleague of mine asking how to get their logo on hotel key cards for a major exhibition in Brazil. They wanted to have a presence with the attendee big hitters staying in the large, American-style hotels in Sao Paulo. Just like in Las Vegas and at other major U.S. venues, the client wanted to use key cards to reach attendees and build awareness. This is the kind of stuff that keeps me in my job! Our client had made a common, fatal error in international exhibiting which crops up time and time again …”
To find out what the fatal error was and to read more from “They Do Things Differently Over There: A new mantra for the exhibit manager going abroad,” by CEMA member Vanessa Saunders of MC2, check out the September issue of The Communicator, CEMA's monthly e-newsletter. If you'd like to receive the online publication, contact the Computer Event Marketing Association (www.cemaonline.com), 490 Boston Post Road, Sudbury, Mass. 01776, (978) 579-2022, cema@cemaonline.com
The recent terrorist tragedies coupled with the economic recession have made the IT event industry reevaluate how to reach and market to customers. From alternatives to travel, including videoconferencing, to regional meetings to road shows, CEMA members have reviewed, reevaluated, and responded quickly to recent demands.
Our Face-to-Face seminar during Comdex, “Tools for the Times: How to Reach Your Target Audience When They Won't Come To You” will explore various marketing alternatives with panelists representing road shows and broadband interactive marketing.
“Ask CEMA” is an industry forum run via e-mail and the CEMA Web site. Members submit industry-related questions to cema@cemaonline.com, which are then forwarded to the entire CEMA membership. Members with comments to share on a particular issue are encouraged to reply directly. All “Ask CEMA” questions and answers are archived on the association's Web site for everyone's benefit. “Ask CEMA” allows members to learn from the experience of others and to share their knowledge and insights. The “Ask CEMA” feature builds community in a virtual sense, and gives members access to the combined knowledge of more than 600 industry peers.
The events of September 11 have left all of us dazed. As we shake away the shock and bewilderment, we find that everything has changed, including our profession. As the airline industry struggles to stay solvent, we see with clarity how closely linked the airlines are to the event marketing industry. What will it take for attendees to stand in long airport lines to go to a trade show? What will it take for exhibitors to keep spending massive amounts of money in this slumping economy to participate in these shows? Independent, standardized audits are the answer. The risk for exhibitors will significantly decrease once these audits are available to verify the attendee demographics at all IT shows. And if exhibitors have confidence in their face-to-face marketing decisions, that can translate into more sponsorship and peripheral spending at the right shows. CEMA is more steadfast than ever in its stand to make standardized, independent audits the de facto standard in the IT event industry. But if you don't ask, it won't happen. The sound of a silent exhibit hall means it's too late. Ask show management for independent, standardized audits now.
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