by Celestia Ward
Among the 100 sessions available on seven different tracks at EXHIBITORLIVE 2023, there will be a total of 33 new educational sessions and workshops making their debut, including some one-of-a-kind field trips taking advantage of museums in Louisville, Kentucky.
On the Personal and Career track, you can start your week with author and wellness coach Catharine Chestnut’s Monday morning session on mindfulness and how to apply meditation and journaling. Later that evening, Arielle Langlais and Maddie Ogren of Access TCA will co-teach a 45-minute session on “Onboarding New Employees: No, It’s Not the Same as Orientation.” From offer acceptance to ongoing training and evaluation, they will outline the basics and help you develop a successful onboarding program. Tuesday morning, J.D. Gershbein, CEO of Owlish Communications, will lead “LinkedIn: The Next Frontier,” a comprehensive lesson on optimizing your profile and tapping the hidden value in your LinkedIn network.
Three New Offerings
The Marketing and Sales track also has three new offerings, two of which examine aspects of sponsorship. In “You Want Me to Pay for What?” attendees will learn how to create and evaluate effective sponsorships from Kodi Morton, senior marketing and events specialist at Bruker Scientific. Robin Gathman of New Beginnings Tradeshow Advisors will lead a 90-minute session “Sponsorships: Do We or Don’t We,” looking at types of sponsorships and how to build them into your budget. If you are curious about what the next big thing isn’t, check out “Why NFTs and the Metaverse Aren’t the Next Big Thing for Events … at Least Yet,” in which Christina Piedlow of TPG Trade Show and Event Marketing will lead a discussion on strategies and best practices for novel engagement approaches.
Planning and Execution
Planning and execution are at the heart of making any event happen, so it makes sense that the Planning and Execution track has 10 new educational sessions looking at everything from basics to incorporating next-gen ideas. Scott Tokar, founder of Corporate-FX, Tradeshow Magic Group, will go over the basics of booth layout and engagement as well as common errors in “Booth Basics Book Camp 2.0,” and in “Stuff Nobody Tells You About Exhibiting” he’ll share some of his personal money-saving secrets. “Where Do I Start: Trade Shows and Events for Novices” will offer tips and tricks from Janet Lozinski of LBB Specialties.
Strategy and Partnerships
Strategy and partnerships can make all the difference, and you can learn about both in several new sessions. In “Checkmake: The Winning Strategy You Need to Excel on the Show Floor and Beyond,” Dana Esposito and Jillian Fafard of BlueHive Exhibits will sharpen your approach to design and economics. Todd Dailey of Visual Communications and Steve Cuomo of JetFuel Studio team up to demonstrate what goes into forming a symbiotic relationship in “How to Nurture the Relationship Between Your Agency and Exhibit House.” Jessica Sibila of The Exhibitor Advocate will lead a 90-minute session, “The Exhibitors’ Influence: Collaboration Is Key to Optimizing Results,” on how to address common concerns with the help of show management, contractors and suppliers. Partnership also means working with your own staff and providers, of course. To that end, Anders Boulanger of Engagify will offer a session on “How to Train Your Booth Staff,” explaining his three-step process on firing up your “booth hustle” culture, while Jaclyn Lebert of Markey’s answers your questions about staging, rigging, lighting, live streaming and more in “Successfully Partnering with Your AV Provider.”
Finally, the Planning and Execution track has two new sessions geared toward futuristic tech that’s available now. First, Anne Trompeter of Live Marketing and Joe Federbush of EVOLIO Marketing help you understand hybrid events with “Next-Gen Hybrid Events: A Playbook to Affordably and Successfully Plan, Execute and Measure.” Since these hybrid events are here to stay, this session will review five ways to define a hybrid event and how to determine a hybrid plan that fits your goals. Christina Piedlow of TPG Trade Show and Event Marketing will show attendees how to integrate digital kiosks and other interactive experiences in “The Foolproof Plan for Creating Engaging Digital Interactive Experiences.”
Expand the Borders
For event marketing pros who want to expand the borders of their knowledge, the Global Exhibit Marketing track will feature “Cultural Agility for Global Connectivity,” with Terri Morrison, author of the “Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands” book series, discussing protocol, communication and negotiation styles all over the world. Later, Corbin Butcher of Beire Exhibitions s.r.o. in Prague will offer “An Insider’s Guide to Showing in Europe,” explaining how EU-based marketing managers choose and plan exhibitions. Finally, founder and CEO of Aluvision Ann Vancoillie will go over how exhibitions have evolved in the United States and internationally, examining current trends and the future of the industry in “Exhibitions and Events: A Global Vision Today and Tomorrow.”
The Exhibits, Experiences and Events Track is brimming with new offerings; 12 of them to be exact. Jim Gilmore, co-founder of Strategic Horizons LLP and co-author of “The Experience Economy: Competing for Time, Attention, and Money,” is bringing his teaching experience to EXHIBITORLIVE for two educational opportunities. In a Tuesday workshop, Gilmore will guide 25 lucky registrants on a tour of the Louisville Slugger Museum to pick up lessons on spotting talent, creating a design framework and managing performance. In a half-day workshop and field trip on Wednesday, another 25 registrants will learn Gilmore’s “six looking glasses” and then put these observational techniques into practice at the KMAC Museum of Contemporary Art and the 21C Hotel.
Designing for Decision Makers
New sessions focused on design continue with “Designing for Decision Makers though Analytical Design,” presented by Jay Menashe of EDE, which will meld art and science to show you how to visualize data that can drive attendee engagement. Mitchell Mauk of Mauk Design will teach a 45-minute primer, “How to Get the Exhibit You Really Want: Insight into the Exhibit Design Process,” aimed at helping participants learn how to work with designers to distill their message and get the most out of the many design elements available. “Designing Meaningful Event Experiences” features DrFirst.com senior manager of Events Marketing Erin Lease Hall discussing how to elevate mundane meetings and business dinners into something unforgettable. Steve Deckel, CEO of Deckel and Moneypenny, will run a 45-minute session “Playbook for Designing Exhibits and Activations that Deliver,” summarizing key elements for designing and executing spaces that can stop traffic and start conversations.
Making Wow Relevant
Rounding out the sessions new this year on the Exhibits, Experiences and Events track are several unique looks at creating engagement. “Making Wow Relevant” with BlueHive’s Finn Yonkers will examine what makes memorability through case studies of successes and failures. Blake McCurdy of Freeman will share ideas on storytelling-driven brand experiences versus educating customers with product marketing in “Balancing Brand Experience and Product Marketing in Exhibits.” Tuesday evening, attendees will have to choose between two new sessions running concurrently: Engagify’s Anders Boulanger will run an interactive session on the neuroscience behind engagement tactics in “Neuro-Engagement: How to Grab Your Attendee’s Attention,” and Smyle’s strategy director Dax Callner will go over the necessity of making events and experiences that are diverse, equitable and inclusive in “The DEI Imperative.” Corbin Ball will discuss the potential benefits and limitations of the metaverse in “The Metaverse for Events and Exhibitions: Is It Hype or the Next Big Thing,” and John Nee of Act 1 Partners will discuss how to leverage the podcasting boom during his talk, “On the Air! Podcasting to Grow your Business and Your Event.”
Trade Show Measurement Made Easy
The last, vital step of any event or experience is gauging what worked and how well. To that end, the Measurement and Analytics track has three new sessions debuting this year. In “Trade Show Measurement Made Easy,” Marc Crosier of Sirtex Medical will offer a primer on the newer technology that can streamline measurement and offer real-time data. Spiro’s Kevin Ruiz will offer a 45-minute session on “Navigating F2F Data Collection and Analysis Techniques and Deciphering the Results,” aimed at helping you integrate digital measurement strategies and gain useful insights. If you’re curious about what artificial intelligence can offer event professionals, “Trade Show and Event Analytics Using AI” with Kalon Welch of FastSensor will go over machine learning as it applies to event measurement and how to use the resulting data during and after your event.
