The doling out of priority points to exhibitors to establish a hierarchy for show floor space has long been practiced in events throughout the industry. Now, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events has researched the practice and released a best-practices guide for how points might best be handled in a variety of situations.
The report, called Exhibition Guidelines for Priority Points Systems, was generated by a task force that consisted of both association and independent exhibition organizers. Its results segment the non-profit and for-profit arenas as well as events run by associations versus events put on by independent show organizers. It found that money talks when dealing with independent organizers who designated priority according to how much an exhibitor spent. Associations, on the other hand, were more likely to use point systems that took into account longevity and association membership.
But the report also found that all groups have much in common when it comes to awarding points as a tool to manage exhibitor relationships, and it provides a thorough overview of the options available to ensure organizers are using the practices most likely to encourage exhibitor retention. “Exhibition organizers have long expressed a need for best practices when it comes to assigning exhibit space,” said IAEE Vice President of Partnership Relations Rick Jennings, CEM and staff liaison to the IAEE Priority Points Systems Task Force. “These guidelines offer well-rounded detail of the options they may choose to use and the factors they will need to consider when making that choice.”
Aside from examining various ways to earn points, the report also details methods for managing points in the cases of mergers and acquisitions, ties, international shows, and when a company forfeits the points its earned. The full report is available at www.iaee.com.
