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was a session focused on what fan events can bring to B2B events . Connolly and Levant agreed a key component in each of their events ’ success is year-round engagement with super fans via varied forms of content . ( In the B2B space , these are your show evangelists .) Dierdre advised : “ Understand who your customers are and what they want to buy . Then provide it .”
Fensterman who spent years developing and growing RX ’ s Reed- Pop division , is presently launching and building fan experiences for Fanatics Events advised , “ Don ’ t be trapped by your experience ! Leave space to experiment and change .”
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Diverted waste ‘ Sustainability meets the commercial world ’ with Carlotta Mast , New Hope Network , Informa Markets was another session .
Natural Products Expo West , held annually in Anaheim , CA attracted 3,000 exhibitors , 60,000 + attendees and diverted 52 % of the waste produced in its last edition . Mast said : “ Sustainability will be either the headwinds or the tailwinds for our industry and the communities we serve . Which one of these is our choice – and it will have an impact .”
She shared a couple of new , successful sponsorships from the show : replacing 21,000 single-use plastic water bottles in all official hotels with more sustainable water boxes ( with monetary compensation ) and a pilot programme for a Waste Diversion sponsor , helping them reinforce their own products recyclability and meaningfully connecting with attendees .
Mast offered organisers some sustainability initiatives which can also be money-makers :
• Sustainability can seed commercial opportunities .
• Talk to your market and exhibitors
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about the right opportunities to support sustainability .
• Be transparent and authentic with your efforts . No green washing !
• Think big and empower your team to lead the way – can you add sustainable and commercially successful events to your portfolio ?
‘ M & A : What ’ s on the Cards for 2024 ?’ was a session with Russell Wilcox , Clarion Events Ltd ., Gareth Bowhill , CloserStill Media and Simon Foster , Arc Network .
Topics included geographic interest , advice for sellers and integration of acquired properties ( if the culture isn ’ t a good alignment , pass on the property ).
Geographic regions of interest include the UK , Europe ( Germany specifically ), Southeast Asia and of course , North America .
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Above : Lisa Hannant |
Advice for sellers :
• 2024 is a very different environment than 2019 , so there ’ s a lot of thought going into deals . ( Bowhill )
• Think carefully about why you want to sell . What do you want out of a deal ? Be prepared and think about how your business / show will fit in with the buyer ’ s . ( Foster )
• There is a more strategic emphasis on where the proposed new company fits in with your company ’ s overall culture and alignment . ( Wilcox )
As Foster summed up : “ You do not buy the past . You buy the future .”
The SISO Leadership Conference takes place 13-15 August in Philadelphia , PA , USA . Registration is now open .
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