Freeman, the world’s leading provider of integrated services for face-to-face marketing events, entered 2010 with robust, innovative customer offerings, strengthened industry alliances and a new roster of Tradeshow Week 200 clients. As part of the company’s five-year plan to shift from primarily an expo contractor to an integrated marketing services company, Freeman continues to elevate the face-to-face marketing industry as a whole, delivering quality solutions and strategic, creative thinking that solidify the company as the industry benchmark.
Freeman’s leadership and innovation is recognized industry wide and continues to attract new customers, including the American Dental Association (ADA), Premiere Beauty and ACE. With more than 65 years of history with the competition, these new clients represent a significant change of partnerships within the top 200 largest U.S. trade shows.
Historically, Freeman has excelled in providing logistics for the exposition and events marketplace. In recent years, the industry has looked to Freeman to take a broader approach to meeting their event marketing needs. Over the last few years, Freeman has embraced the request, evolving and expanding its suite of strategic and creative solutions.
In today’s economy, companies are looking for new means to engage their customers as travel and meeting budgets have decreased.
The recently formed alliance with Maritz, a leading sales and marketing services company, delivers a set of solutions which are immediately accessible, and deliver on the important need for forward-thinking partners with the ability to Freeman bring a full range of capabilities to the table. This alliance brings an immediate greater value to the industry.
“Over the course of the past year our industry has faced new realities that have fueled the need for quick, strategic response,” said Joe Popolo, CEO of Freeman. “Through strengthened alliances, innovative technology developments, and strategic, creative products and services, Freeman continues to help redefine the face-to-face marketing industry. Our drive for innovation, commitment to customer service and, above all, high standards of ethics continues to be embraced by our market and a contributor to our success.”
The Freeman-Maritz alliance brings to market a virtual engagement platform that is considered to be best in class, comprising the first effective solution for extending the live experience into a productive virtual experience.
“Through our alliance with Freeman, Maritz better understands the association industry’s need to leverage and share best practices gained from events and deliver more engaging opportunities for members,” said Rick Buer, senior vice president, Maritz Travel. “That in combination with our deep understanding of what drives human behaviors, and leading approach to designing meeting, event and incentive travel programs, allows us to bring a new, effective virtual engagement solution to the market. Implementing a virtual solution as a supplement to the face-to-face event fosters collaboration, builds a stronger sense of community and enhances the customer experience.”
Already, clients are benefitting from the Freeman-Maritz alliance.
“The Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC) produces the largest and most comprehensive tradeshows for the graphic communications industry in the Americas. Like other Top 200 Tradeshows ours, too, have been tested by the current economy.
Freeman has been a valuable and responsive partner for us in the past and, like GASC, continues to innovate which is why we have chosen the new Freeman-Maritz solution,” said Chris Price, GASC vice president. “We believe that by producing a virtual preview of our upcoming GRAPH EXPO show, we will engage past attendees early on at an entirely new level, strengthen their interest and commitment in attending, attract new prospects that have not responded to other marketing vehicles, and deliver an even more engaged audience to our exhibitors.”
