in both the Women ’ s Leadership Forum , as well as during the breakout sessions over the conference ’ s two days . The way we market our shows , build our communities , drive value and experience , sell across omnichannel assets , employ and retain diverse talent on our teams , etc ., are all critical discussion points that became part of this year ’ s dialogue .”
The opening general session , Becoming a Must-Attend Event : The Rise of Quality Over Quantity featured a panel moderated by Jess Taylor , MJBiz , a division of Emerald and cochair of the conference , and included Jenn Heinold , Taffy Event Strategies ; Kevin Thornton , Informa Markets and MK Goodwin , Emerald . The first three speakers work with traditional exhibitions , Goodwin with consumer ( fan ) events .
The rise of quality as numbers take a back seat
Stephanie Selesnick reports from Oklahoma City on the SISO Summer Conference
ne hundred and sixty
O delegates descended on Oklahoma City , Oklahoma ’ s year-old $ 288m Convention Center , for the annual SISO Summer Conference in early August . Attendees for the two-day event were a mix of young leaders , directors , vice-presidents and CEOs in the US exhibition industry .
Unlike other countries , the US exhibition market is composed of approximately 65 % association and not-for-profit shows , with the remainder being for-profit organisers . This means many trade shows in the US are one-off annual or biennial events . SISO represents for-profit show producers .
The conference kicked off with a dinner reception at the
First Americans Museum which celebrates the 39 Native American tribes still residing within the State ’ s borders . Guests were permitted to roam the museum and entertainment by Native dancers and musicians riveted all .
Michelle Metter , partner , Fast Forward Events and co-chair of the Conference , said : “ In approaching this year ’ s education we wanted to get our heads out of Covid and stop talking , as much as possible , about our industry ’ s recovery . We wanted to address present day realities while looking ahead at what the future of work within our industry will look like in the years to come .
“ We have some real opportunities as industry marketplaces and many of those discussions come to light
Above : Heading out on the exhibition highway , with Stephanie Selesnick and friends
Some of trends they identified : 1 . We ’ re doing more with less . ( Tyler ) SS : This is all of us postpandemic world !
2 . It ’ s about continuous engagement all year round – and using data to discover , on a deeper level , who our audience is , and what ’ s important to them . ( Thornton ) 3 . Since so much content is available online , concentrate more on show demos , offer experientially designed workshops . ( Heinold )
4 . Conference revenue is slower coming back than anticipated . We are partnering with other organisations and associations , plus using digital to drive people to shows . ( Thornton )
5 . Marketing is about finding and messaging to the right people . We ’ re concentrating on bringing influencers ( and their followers ) into our communities . ( Heinold ) SS : There are influencers out there who have more followers than you have visitors at your show . If you ’ re not presently engaging with them , it ’ s a big mistake .
6 . Invest in making the show identity and experience the ► www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 5 2022 17