Champion Exposition Services: The Experiential Edge: News, tidbits & tools for show organizers and corporate event planners.

Champion Adds New Business, Renews Current Customers July 23, 2010

Champion Exposition Services is pleased to welcome the Autodesk One Team Conference 2011 to our customer community. In addition, Champion has recently renewed collaborations with the following organizations and events:

·         American College of Medical Genetics Annual Meeting

·         College Art Association Annual Conference

·         COLLABORATE 11

·         Exhibitor Show (Exhibitor Magazine)

·         Institute for Healthcare Improvement

·         Mobile Air Conditioning Society Worldwide Convention and Trade Show

New to the Champion Account Management Team July 16, 2010

Champion Exposition Services is pleased to announce two new additions of Cristy Dauphin and David Kendrick to the Account Management team.

Dauphin joins as an Account Executive based in Chicago and brings 10 years experience, most recently with GES in Chicago. She was part of the Account Management team on several major pieces of business such as IMTS (Manufacturing Technology), International Sanitary Supply and Pack Expo. Prior to GES she was with The Expo Group and Smith Bucklin Corporation.

Kendrick (pictured left) joins as a Senior Account Executive and will be based in Austin Texas. David has spent the last 16 years with GES and has managed such accounts as Medtrade (Nielsen), Orgill, Inc., and National Wood Flooring.

Pre-Show Research Provides PCBC Pulse June 21, 2010

According to a recent survey of home builders, the recession has had a negative impact on almost all West Coast builders, but many are now starting to see their businesses improve. The Recession Impact and Adaptation Study was conducted by Immersa Marketing, the strategic marketing arm of Champion Exposition Services, on behalf of PCBC, a major building industry trade show and conference. PCBC The Show is held each summer in San Francisco's Moscone Center and features hundreds of exhibiting companies displaying the latest product and service innovations and three days of executive conferences, forums, workshops, and speakers. The PCBC Successful Exhibitor Program included pre-show research designed to provide exhibiting partners with insights about the quality of the audience, attendee purchasing plans, data on how attendees have maintained their business during the recession, and how attendees are experiencing or anticipating the economic recovery. Read news release.

Connection Café @ Sweets and Snacks Expo June 7, 2010

Social networking tools have gained traction among conference attendees providing innovative ways to expand an event's reach from attendees and exhibitors, to also include industry news bloggers and potential customers. This year the National Confectioners Association (NCA) changed the name of their show from the All Candy Expo to the Sweets and Snacks Expo to convey the event's expanded reach and scope. As the largest confectionary, cookie and snack trade show in North America--over 450 exhibitors and 14,000 attendees from 69 countries--NCA wanted to promote the new name and new programs to serve a $300 billion industry worldwide. Champion Exposition Services called on its sister company Immersa Marketing to develop a Connection Café located in the center of the trade show floor. A month prior to the show, Immersa provide training to NCA and its stakeholders on how to utilize the micro-blog service to engage attendees. NCA reached out to industry influencers and coordinated messages with its show daily about new features of the renamed show. NCA built buzz by asking attendees what they were most looking forward to see at the show, promoting keynote sessions and engaging attendees in new programs. The Connection Café offered a sleek comfortable space for attendees to email, blog and tweet about what they were seeing and tasting, as well as connect with each other. Internet access was sponsored by Mars Chocolate with signage including the Green M&Ms character inviting attendees to "Tweet Me" to learn about new product promotions. Two large plasma screens featured live Tweeter feed including the trade show daily highlighting such new programs as Gourmet Marketplace, Merchandising Solutions and New Product Showcase. Laptop computers were available for attendees to update their Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn profiles will news from trade show floor to drive social networking onsite, and amplify awareness and excitement outward. How Sweet!

Air Your Thoughts: Utilizing Flip Video Technology May 24, 2010

With more than 20,000 attendees and 1300 exhibitors, the WINDPOWER 2010 Conference nd Exposition is one of the largest and most anticipated programs for wind energy. Show organizers American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) wanted to leverage event attendance to build momentum for their new advocacy campaign. Champion Exposition Services collaborated with its strategic marketing arm Immersa Marketing to develop a community engagement program to amplify the message onsite--and beyond. One initiative utilized flip video technology and roving reporters who conducted attendee interviews explaining why "Wind Works for Me." The sound bites were edited into daily video feeds titled "Air Your Thoughts" and posted on the conference website, allowing AWEA supporters to put a face--and a voice--on the burgeoning clean energy movement. Watch Air Your Thoughts videos.

Champion Partners with PCMA May 17, 2010

Champion Exposition Services is pleased to collaborate with the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) as a Premier Partner. The collaboration will create new learning opportunities and resources for PCMA members in the area of exhibition management.  Specifically, Champion will collaborate with PCMA and its Exhibitor Task Force to be held at both PCMA's 2011 Annual Meeting and the 2011 Education Conference. Champion will assist with session development around these topics as well as community engagement at these events and provide speakers based on topic expertise.   Read more: PCMA_CES Premier Partnership.pdf 

Oracle's Green Team Set New Standards April 30, 2010

With more than 40,000 attendees and 400 exhibitors, Oracle's green team ensures its OpenWorld conference make less of an impact--on the environment, that is. Champion is proud to be the part of the team to produce one of the greenest shows in the business. Champion's EcoSign™ solutions helped Oracle OpenWorld reduce waste by having 62% of signage utilize recyclable or renewable materials. To take such a large-scale event and turn it into something where sustainability is the core part of standard operating practice is amazing. Sustainability is measured in nine categories: destination, venue, accommodations, food and beverage, transportation, A/V, exhibit production, marketing communications, and onsite office/practices. Read the Successful Meetings article.

New to the Champion Team April 27, 2010