Trade Show Insights

The trade show industry is beginning to show signs of life again! But it won’t be as easy as flipping a switch to bring things back all at once. Jim Wurm from the Exhibitor Appointed Contractor Association joins us in this rebroadcast of Virtual Lunch in the Exhibit Marketers Café to share insights on: How the new Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance is advocating for the industry How vendors and venues may ramp up the workforce as needed What might (or might not) be required to attend trade shows and events What financial relief might be on the horizon Here are

Last year, when everyone was scrambling to do meetings online, you might have been able to get away with a bad video now and then. Those days are over. Now, if you want to appear as the professional you truly are, it’s time to step up your game. So in this rebroadcast of Virtual Lunch in the Exhibit Marketers Café, Ramon Ray shares tips on: Maintaining effective eye contact Creating a ‘stage’ that’s appropriate for you Getting the basic tech tools you need to look and sound good Here are links to items mentioned during the interview: Digital Charisma: 8

Trade shows and events won’t go back to the way they were pre-2020 – which means we all must adapt and evolve for the next generation. In this rebroadcast of Virtual Lunch in the Exhibit Marketers Café, Allen Yesilevich shares tips for dealing with disruption in the trade show industry and improving your digital playbook, including how to: Thrive during disruption Deliver value and make money with virtual events Create a community for future events Build alliances in the industry Here are links to items mentioned during the interview: Why & How Modern Marketers Thrive During Disruption (Allen’s article) What

We kicked off this year’s Virtual Lunch in the Exhibit Marketers Café with a special, inspirational guest: Melva LaJoy Jones from LaJoy Plans. Listen in as she shares how to use the lessons from our past to build our future. Here are links to some of the items mentioned in the interview: Doubt Always Loses (from Melva’s blog) Event Planning Lessons from My Father (from Melva’s blog) Melva’s website, LaJoy Plans Here’s where you can watch the entire Virtual Lunch broadcast About Melva LaJoy Jones: Melva LaJoy Jones is a former educator turned certified events management professional with over 20

One of the challenges event planners faced in 2020 was how to create connections among attendees in a virtual platform. But it’s not necessarily a new – or online only – problem. Nancy Drapeau from the Center from Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) shares trends and data from their report on trade show matchmaking in this rebroadcast of our Virtual Lunch in the Exhibit Marketers Cafe. Here are links to items mentioned in this interview: CEIR report: Matchmaking Before & During COVID-19: How North American B2B Exhibition Organizers Use Technology to Connect People and Products Transcript from the #ExpoChat on Making

Are you ignoring – or worse yet, alienating – a large percentage of the population in your trade shows, whether online or in person? Chances are you have been, even if you didn’t mean to. So I invited accessibility advocate Samantha Evans to join us for Virtual Lunch in the Exhibit Marketers Cafe to share what your events need to include to be more accessible to all. You’ll learn: What to look for and ask about when checking out virtual event platforms Things to consider when adding captions and interpreters How to overcome some of the challenges presented by wearing

On this week’s Virtual Lunch in the Exhibit Marketers Cafe, Alan Arnold joins Marlys for a conversation about how to tap your creativity when faced with a challenge. You’ll learn how to: Stimulate your creative juices Recharge like powerful people do Keep an idea journal Have insightful conversations Here are links to items in the interview: Apple’s “Here’s to the crazy ones …” ad Here’s where you can watch the entire Virtual Lunch broadcast  

It seems everyone’s talking about how procedures will change as trade shows reopen – from registration to scheduling to floor plans. But there’s one aspect of future shows that’s getting very little attention these days. So on this week’s Virtual Lunch, I invited Mel White from Classic Exhibits to provide insights on how exhibitors will need to adapt their exhibits as shows reopen. You’ll discover ideas for: Accommodating traffic flow restrictions Implementing tech tools Adapting your booth layout for each show Incorporating lessons learned from virtual shows Here are links to items mentioned in the interview: Trade Show Design Challenges

Just because events are going virtual doesn’t mean there aren’t still great ways for sponsors to get their message out. On this week’s Virtual Lunch replay, guest Nicole Burkart from Conference Care Package shares ideas for sponsors to: Host virtual happy hours Encourage sponsor and audience interaction Gamify participation Reinforce the importance of giving back Here are links to some of the items mentioned in the interview: Request the 30 Sponsorship Ideas report Conference Care Package (Nicole’s website) Here’s where you can watch the entire Virtual Lunch broadcast About Nicole Burkart: Nicole Burkart is no stranger to the events industry.

For months, I’ve wished there was something I could do for all my trade show friends who were suddenly thrust into searching for a new career. Then I met career expert Leslie Evans Thorne in an online group, and knew I had to have her as a guest on our weekly Virtual Lunch! So listen in as she shares insights on how to: Recognize the difference between your skills and talents Convey the benefits your unique talents bring to any job  “Rona-proof” your career Here are links to some of the items mentioned in the interview: The 3 Questions: How