Above, Nov. 30-Dec. 2, the official hotel for the EDPA ACCESS 2016 Conference will be the 21-acre Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, in Orlando, Fla.
After the turkey and the pumpkin pie comes EDPA ACCESS 2016, the networking and education opportunity for the exhibit industry. When EDPA was born, the exhibit industry was a little less complicated than it is today; now ACCESS gives designers and builders a forum where they can discuss contemporary industry challenges and explore solutions.
Now produced by PRO Management, EDPA ACCESS 2016 will be held at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando. Taking advantage of everything that Orlando has to offer, attendees can kick off the conference with golf, fishing, –or ziplining! These optional activities are a gateway to the networking that is such an integral part of this conference.
Important education for the industry
The education that takes place at ACCESS is critical to the success of both the conference and EDPA as a whole. Attendees have a choice from three tracks:
- Down to Business Track
- Leading the Way Track
- World Wide Track
EDPA members get little down time throughout the year to explore the business environment in which they work, so the speakers at ACCESS 2016 will offer a penetrating look at some of the issues attendees face, whether they are owners or employees of exhibit houses or exhibit related companies.
General sessions
Opening keynote speaker Eric Chester’s topic, On Fire at Work – How Great Leaders Ignite Passion in Their People without Burning Them Out, will focus on leadership issues–best practices, strategies, and tactics to encourage and retain top talent. At Thursday morning’s keynote, Personality Poker: The Playing Card Tool for Driving High-Performance Teamwork & Innovation, Stephen Shapiro will deconstruct the culture of innovation by means of his (what else?) innovative game, Personality Poker®. The closing general session will be an exploration of the partnership with show management, featuring David Dubois, president and CEO of International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE) along with a panel of show management professionals.
Meanwhile the three tracks mentioned above will promote relevant discussions in each category. From the annual Economic State of the Union address to the Portable Modular Summit, EDPA ACCESS offers something for everyone, no matter what their interests.
And don’t forget…
The annual meeting of Women in Exhibitions, chaired by Amy Sondrup, managing director Access TCA, will be held Wednesday evening at 6:15, as will the first-timers’ reception. Thursday afternoon at 4:30, a speed networking session will give attendees the opportunity to forge new partnerships. This will be followed by the “Not so Silent Auction: and the President’s Gala, black tie optional
Running throughout the entire event, the Supplier’s Showcase will be open between sessions with a special opening preview on Wednesday evening at 7:30 PM.
