The Biennial #ExpoChat Love Chat

If you are seeing this e-mail it is because you are still subscribed to our old site’s RSS feed. We have moved to expochat.org so you will want to remove your name from this list (unsubscribe at the bottom) and sign up for the mailing list on the new site.

(No we cannot just move you over because WordPress does not supply us with the email addresses for those who signed up for the feed here)

One March rolls around we will not be posting weekly topics on this site…we will not be shutting it down completely, it will just host the old archives.

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It’s time to bring back the #expochat love chat. Come share the love!

In the spirit of the topic, please invite someone to join us on the chat.

#ExpoChat topic for Wednesday, February 11, 3pm ET/noon PT
With moderator Dana Freker Doody, @expodana (also tweeting @theexpogroup)

We don’t always take time to reflect on the positives when we are running around making improvements and bemoaning where things are lacking. Take time for it this week with your fellow industry social media buffs.

Q1 If you had candy conversation hearts in your booth, what would they say?

Q2 What do you love about expos, exhibitions and events?

Q3 What do you love about your job in particular?

Q4 What city do you love enough to tack extra days onto your trip?

Q5 Which jeweler do you wish made wearable tech pieces suitable for Valentine’s Day?

Q6 What element of your tradeshow or exhibit do you love so much you would never change?

Q7 What program/conference/expo in our industry do you love enough to recommend?

Q8 What blogs/podcasts so you love enough to recommend?

Q9 What do you love about #expochat?

Rest assured, I believe in a thing called love. I also believe this guy’s zipper broke.

 

 

Plans for 2015

You are receiving this email because you have a) not signed up for our new email list at the new ExpoChat website (www.expochat.org) and you should because this mailing list will no longer be used soon. b) you have signed up for the new mailing list on the new site but you forgot to unsubscribe here.

ExpoChat Topic for Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Moderator: Dana Freker Doody (@ExpoDana)

It’s 2015. Yes, 2015!

By the time we reach our next #ExpoChat I will be fresh out of PCMA’s Convening Leaders, an annual conference for the Professional Convention Management Association community. This year’s theme was Make No Little Plans, with lots of blueprint imagery involved, so let’s discuss your plans for the new year. I’d love to hear what everyone in this community thinks they can achieve in 2015, and what threats and opportunities lie in wait.

Q1 First up —  Was anyone at PCMA Convening Leaders? What takeaways can you share?

Q2 What do you think more people in our industry should resolve to do in 2015?

Q3 What obstacles will expos/exhibits/meetings/etc face in 2015?

Q4 What specific opportunities do you see for our industry in 2015?

Q5 What’s at the top of your professional to-do list for 2015?

Q6 How do you go about creating a blueprint to achieve your professional goals?

Q6 … meaning I’m looking for tips on what gets you fired up about goal-setting…

Q7 What was the best strategic planning or professional development experience you have had and why?

Q8 How about personally – what’s at the top of that to do list? What have you resolved for 2015?

Look forward to chatting with you! If you are looking for inspiration, check out our previous chat transcripts at https://expochat.wordpress.com/

Be sure to take a picture and tweet it to us during chat if you have any actual blueprints to share!

Dana

Important: #Expochat Has Moved

ExpoChat moved from expochat.wordpress.com to ExpoChat.org

Why is this important for you to know?

It’s important because you signed up to receive weekly updates through expochat.wordpress.com via RSS. That feed will be going away soon.

Stay informed!

If you want to continue to receive weekly updates on upcoming chat topics and important ExpoChat announcements then you need to sign-up on our new email list now!

We’ll continue to post chat updates on the old site for the month of January, but as of February 1st that old site will just be a host for our archives from the last three years.

So please, sign up now before you forget. Once you’ve put yourself on our new list you can unsubscribe to this old one. Just scroll down and use the “unsubscribe” link. That way you won’t be annoyed by two emails every Monday. But not before you click on the link below and sign up for our new list!

ExpoChat Email List SignUp

Note: #ExpoChat is on holiday and will be returning Wednesday January 7th 3pm ET/noon PT

ExpoChat is Moving…

ExpoChat is moving from expochat.wordpress.com to ExpoChat.org

Why is this important for you to know?

It’s important because you signed up to receive weekly updates through expochat.wordpress.com via RSS. That feed will be going away soon.

Stay informed!

If you want to continue to receive weekly updates on upcoming chat topics and important ExpoChat announcements then you need to sign-up on our new email list now!

We’ll continue to post chat updates on the old site for the month of January, but as of February 1st that old site will just be a host for our archives from the last three years.

So please, sign up now before you forget. Once you’ve put yourself on our new list you can unsubscribe to this old one. Just scroll down and use the “unsubscribe” link. That way you won’t be annoyed by two emails every Monday. But not before you click on the link below and sign up for our new list!

ExpoChat Email List SignUp

Note: #ExpoChat is on holiday and will be returning Wednesday January 7th 3pm ET/noon PT

Marketing – Deconstructing Digital

Today’s archive is now available via Storify – https://storify.com/tracibrowne/marketing-deconstructing-digital

#ExpoChat topic for Wednesday, December 17, 2014 3pm ET/Noon PT

moderator: Traci Browne (@TraciBrowne)

This week we’re going to be taking a look at the advertising and marketing opportunities shows provide their exhibitors. Much of the talk in our industry is about ditching print for digital. Many shows have turned their printed program into a mobile version of the same thing. Shows are doing away with printed dailies and publishing them on the mobile app.

Is it really a case of one or the other? Can we deconstruct what our print and show apps are really doing and then choose a way to best deliver that function?

Are our mobile apps the answer to everyone’s (show organizer, attendee, and exhibitor) prayers, or are we missing the point of mobile entirely?

Q1. How useful are program books? Because they are printed in advance (1-2 months), are they outdated/missing info?

Q2. Are digital-only communication vehicles preferred, or do attendees still want a printed program to refer to?

Q3 What information do attendees really need/want in a printed program?

Q4. What information can mobile apps deliver better than print?

Q5. Are exhibitors making the most of opportunities on mobile apps? Where are they falling short?

Q6. Are there enough tools out there for exhibitors to announce their onsite presence? What should be added? Gotten rid of?

Q7. What can be done onsite w/ a show daily, program book, mobile app to promote new products at exhibit booths?

Q8. If a genie granted you one wish…what tool would you ask for to market your exhibit booth (can exist already or you can invest it)

Should show organizers give exhibitors what they want, or what they need…is there a difference?

Chaos and Change

The archive from today’s chat is available via Storify – https://storify.com/tracibrowne/chaos-and-change

ExpoChat Topic for Wednesday, December 10, 2014 3pm ET/noon PT

Moderator: Dana Freker Doody (@expodana)

Change can be a scary prospect, we too often get comfortable and fight off disruption. But for a business or association to do so can be deadly. We all have heard stories of trade shows that no longer exist and companies that were torn asunder by rigid adherence to the same old-same old.

Business is in a state of flux, forcing chaos on many in our line of work and for those whom we serve in our professions. Embracing that chaos stems from recognizing it for what it is and setting nostalgia and and aside to fluidly respond. Robert Safian of Fast Company delivered this message at IAEE Expo!Expo! So let’s see what the #expochat community thinks.

Q1 What have you changed lately that has worked out for you or your organization?
Q2 What specifically have you tried in your expo or exhibit marketing that has had an impact? Negative or positive.
Q3 How can we all be more targeted in our marketing, something lots of folks at #expoexpo are asking? What’s needed?
Q4 What’s the first indicator for you that a chaotic situation is upon you? @rsafian said knowing its chaos is key. Key insight is to recognize WHEN we are in chaos and when not so we can respond appropriately @rsafian #expoexpo
Q5 Would you agree or disagree events industry is no longer working under any set rules of business, that anything goes?
Q6 In keynote @rsafian said Edit and Amplify. What could you cut out of your event, exhibit, show?
Q7 How can you pull marketing, conference and ops  together to make those kind changes and prepare to be fluid?
Q8 What are the consequences of standing still for you personally in your business role?

Cult of the Cocktail

Today’s archive is now available via Storify – https://storify.com/tracibrowne/cult-of-cocktails

#ExpoChat topic for Wednesday, December 3, 2014, 3pm ET/noon PT

Moderator: Michelle Bruno (@MichelleBruno)

There is both a serious and a light side to serving alcohol at trade shows and conferences. Not everyone drinks alcohol, so to a certain extent, using it to attract people to a networking event (think about how many people would attend a reception or gala dinner if either were “dry”) is exclusionary—not to mention the fact that liability is associated with the practice, especially when guests overindulge.

On the other hand, those who do view a glass of wine or a beer, even a “themed” cocktail, as a pleasant additive to social get togethers, welcome the presence of alcohol and believe it helps them relax and have fun after a long day on the show floor.

Given the fact that serving alcohol comes with baggage for event organizers and attendees, does alcohol hurt or help business-to-business events? Can you really do business when you’ve had a couple of drinks? Do we place too much importance on drinking at events?

Here are the questions we’ll be discussing on #ExpoChat this week:

Q1 What are the advantages of serving alcohol at an industry event?
Q2 What are the disadvantages of serving alcohol at an industry event?
Q3 When does serving alcohol at a business event get “out of hand”?
Q4 How can event organizers include both drinkers and nondrinkers in networking events?
Q5 What types of networking events should NOT include alcohol?
Q6 Organizers: What alcohol policies do you have at your trade shows?
Q7 Suppliers: What policies do you have governing staff at events that serve alcohol?
Q8 What types of networking events should definitely include alcohol?
Q9 What effect could serving alcohol at networking events have on the industry it serves?
Q10 What effect would curbing the use of alcohol as an ingredient in networking have on the industry the event serves?
Q11 On a lighter side: what is your absolute favorite alcoholic beverage?

#ExpoChat Cancelled This Week Due To Turkey

There will be no #ExpoChat this week as everyone in the U.S. will be heading over the river and through the woods to their grandma’s house.

Those not traveling will either be running to packed grocery stores in search of the cranberries they forgot to buy the day before, or they will be trying to get a *jumped jump on the roasted vegetables, or they will be involved in a deep philosophical debate on spatchcocking.

There are those, not mentioning any names, who will be participating in the ever important holiday tradition of forgetting about all of the above and spending the evening in the bar with friends.

Yes, folks…it’s that time of year here in the U.S. The season of gluttony.

Happy Thanksgiving!

To those not living in the U.S., happy “just another day at the office.”

*Retraction/Correction: We deeply apologize for our spelling error. We did not intend to portray vegetables as thugs and/or bandits.

Aha moments from Niche Event Fest

The archive of today’s chat is now available via Storify

#ExpoChat topic for Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 3pm ET/noon PT

moderator: Traci Browne (@TraciBrowne)

A couple weeks ago Traci Browne (@TraciBrowne), Michelle Bruno (@MichelleBruno) and Stephanie Selesnick (@StephSelesnick) were all in New Orleans for the very first Niche Event Fest produced by Niche Media.

This was an event attended by 128 business to business publishers, consumer magazine publishers, corporate event producers and association event managers. One of the things I (Traci) loved about this event was the fact that this was a whole new crowd of people. New people means new ideas.

This week on #ExpoChat Traci, Michelle and Stephanie will share some of their “aha moments” from the event and we can talk about how those ideas/moments/observations might relate to trade shows and expos.

Here’s a little somethin’ somethin’ from A-ha

Shaking Up The Expo Floor Plan

Today’s #ExpoChat archive is now available for viewing here.

#ExpoChat topic for Wednesday, November 12th, 3PM ET/Noon PT
Moderator: Dana Freker Doody (@expodana)

We’re talking this week about how to draw floor plans, with special guests from the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE).

Joining us and receiving some direct questions from the moderator and the group will be Scott Craighead, CEM, Vice President of Exhibitions and Events; and Rick Jennings, CEM, Vice President of Partnership Relations. IAEE has shaken up their floor plan a bit so check it out here.

ALL: Who’s going to IAEE Expo!Expo! this year Dec 9-11 in LA?
IAEE: Looks like you are shaking things up at Expo!Expo! with diagonal cross aisles and more. Why?
ALL: What floorplan designs have you seen or tried? Pros and cons?
IAEE: Who was involved in the decision to shake up the floor plan in this way?
IAEE: How did you get feedback from members about redesigning the floor plan?
ALL: What is important to *keep* when making changes like this?
IAEE: What other tactics are you using to shake up the floorplan?
ALL: What have you seen work on the trade show floor to boost attendee & exhibitor interaction & engagement?
IAEE: What was the reaction of exhibitors during the sales process?
ALL: What tricks & tips can you share about placing anchors and interaction points on the show floor?
ALL: What other questions might you have about the IAEE floorplan for 2014 Expo!Expo!?