The program, Destination Bid: Atlanta, offers exhibition organizers convention space at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) and VIP concessions from participating hotels and from the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB).
“The packages that have been created will fuel more face-to-face events that in turn have a far-reaching economic impact on the cities they serve,” said David DuBois, executive director, CEIR Foundation Fundraising Council. “To best support the mission of the CEIR Foundation, which is dedicated to ensuring the success of the exhibitions and events industry, we are very grateful to Atlanta for their support and dedication to the Foundation.”
Destination Bid: Atlanta is an online, silent-auction program. Exhibition organizers can participate by visiting the CEIR Foundation at www.ceir.org/foundation. There, organizers will find a description of three distinct packages, signature, premium and lite, with minimum bid requirements. Organizers can then directly submit their preferred dates and event packages online and upon date approval, they can begin bidding on the selected package.
Organizers also have the option to select “buy now” at heavily discounted prices, which closes all bidding on the selected package for that date. The CEIR Foundation will notify organizers by e-mail when they have been outbid and give them an opportunity to rebid. The auction process closes at 5 p.m. EST on Dec. 1.
The innovative new program is possible through an alliance between the CEIR Foundation, GWCC and ACVB.
“Research and education play a vital part of our industry’s success,” said Mark Zimmerman, general manager, GWCC. “The CEIR Foundation continues to be a catalyst in helping to promote the exhibition industry and how we positively impact the overall economy by stimulating job growth. The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau along with the GWCC offered the three convention center auction packages to express our support of the Foundation to continue promoting the value of face-to-face marketing.”
The CEIR Foundation is the new name for the Exhibition Industry Foundation, a catalyst for industry-wide change and collaborative partnerships with members of the exhibition and event industry. The foundation’s website is www.ceir.org/foundation.
