ECEF leading from the front in DC
Stephanie Selesnick previews this year ’ s Exhibition and Conference Executives Forum ( ECEF ) ahead of it opening in Washington , DC , 1 June
am Lippman , of
S
Lippman Connects , producers of the annual ECEF Conference said a few weeks before the 2022 edition , taking place in Washington , DC 1 June , that it was on target to match the sold out 2017-2019 editions .
ECEF attracts C-level exhibition organisers from the For-Profit and Association worlds , along with top executive suppliers to the industry .
The day-long conference begins with 5 Points in 5 Minutes , where Lippman delivers a data-driven update / trend identification on the US exhibition industry . Freeman has partnered with ECEF for a sixth time to provide the data .
Lippman said : “ One of the more interesting tidbits is that visitors are coming back faster to exhibitions than exhibitors . What kind of ramifications does that have on future exhibit floor space purchases ?”
Keynote Erin Uritus , CEO of Out & Equal , works exclusively on LGBTQ workplace equality – and produces proprietary events . She will share her take on Diversity & Inclusion . Her partners include Bank of America , JP Morgan Chase & Co ., Apple , HP , Dell , GE , and Disney , so she knows how to incorporate D & I into organisations . “ Looking to the future , inclusion for your organisation and at your shows is imperative ,” Lippman noted .
The SHOT Show , held this past February in Las Vegas , NV is a great example of an Association ( NSSF ) and a For-Profit ( ConvExx ) successfully partnering to produce a world-class exhibition . Chris Dolnack and Jeff
Pressman will share some secrets to their success , with a focus on exhibitor education , including the famous Exhibitor Academy . ( Full disclosure : I taught at one of the Academies a few years ago .)
What do our exhibitors think about the Grand Reopen ? In 2019 , Siemens was an anchor exhibitor in five shows with 650sqm . In 2022 , they are taking 320sqm in those same expos . Jeannie Henson , director of exhibit management , Siemens Healthineers North America is to discuss thoughts from her company ’ s C-Suite , including the answer to the often-asked question , ‘ If there are fewer attendees , why should we keep the same amount of space ?’
A number of US Associations are celebrating over 100 years of existence and have been running
“ If there are fewer attendees , why should we keep the same amount of space ?” shows for at least half ( or more ) of that time . Debbie Holton , president of Metrix Connect LLC , an ASME company , will share how they were able to form a start-up company within a 140-year-old organisation . Lippman said : “ With some older associations , change is challenging . It ’ s almost as if one is being forced to run in ‘ concrete sneakers ’.
How can you stay innovative or pivot ? This session will talk about ways to change or remove those sneakers .”
Rounding out the programming included a discussion on succession with newly minted AEM president Megan Tanel and Nicole Hallada , Senior VP of exhibitions and marketing , and the closing panel discussion is set to feature both association and for-profit organisers talking about challenges and concerns as we move out of the Covid pandemic .
Networking is always important and ECEF 2022 begins with an opening reception on 30 May , and a full day of tech demos from 13 of the top technology providers in the industry .
More details : www . lippman connects . com / events / ecef EW
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 3 2022 27