Improve your show revenue through innovative exhibit space pricing, hiring the right people for the right positions and finding new potential international attendees.

1. Add More Muscle to Your
Exhibition:
Best Practices from ECEF
Sam Lippman, Founder and President, Lippman Connects
Lori Anderson, President/CEO, International Sign Association
Vinnie Polito, Managing Director, VP International

2. • Identify growth opportunities
• Develop strategies to keep your exhibition fresh
and relevant
• Explore how to upgrade and reorganize staff for the
continued success of your event
Learner Outcomes:

3. • Self-introductions
• Audience demographics polling
• Innovative exhibit space pricing
• Acquiring attendees
• Identifying and retaining top performers
Agenda

4. • 35 years producing
exhibitions, conferences, forums, a
nd roundtables
• Produced International
CES, GRAPH EXPO, and PRINT
• Consults in strategic
planning, management, and
marketing
• Facilitates board meetings; user
groups; and attendee and exhibitor
focus groups
• Produce by-invitation events for the
exhibition and convention industry
Sam Lippman
Founder and President
Lippman Connects

5. Show Name Attendance Purpose
200 industry
executives annually
• Exclusively for independent and
association executives
• Focuses on increasing revenue and the
relevance of events
16 attendees
3 times a year
• Show managers with at least 125,000 net
square feet of exhibit space
• Exchanges best practices for large shows
18 attendees
3 times a year
• Event marketers focus on ways to find,
attract, and retain quality attendees
• Tracks lifecycle of attendees
• Identifies new prospects and rebuilds lists
• Boosts conversion rates
18 attendees
3 times a year
• Exhibit sales and service managers share
sales technique
• Benchmarks exhibit pricing, space
assignment, and sponsorships
Lippman Connects Events

6. • CEO International Sign Association
since 2004
• Society of the Plastics Industry
1990 – 2004
• Hill staff
• Public school teacher
• BS and MS from University of
Maryland
Lori Anderson
President/CEO
International Sign
Association

7. • 20+ years in the events business
• Founder/Managing Director of VP
International
• IAEE Past Chair, member
PCMA, MATSO and SISO
• Senior VP Reed Exhibitions
• Vice President Ziff Davis/COMDEX
• August 2012 – Purchased
Marketing Design Group
Vinnie Polito
Managing Director
VP International

8. Innovative Exhibit Space Pricing

9. ECEF 2012 On-site Polling Results
• How do you set nsf pricing for your next show?
11%
71%
10%
8%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
We do not raise prices
We increase based on what the
market will bear
We increase consistent with the
cost of living
We raise prices $1.00 each
year

10. ECEF 2012 Pulse
• 56% of organizers open to the following exhibit space pricing:
18% - Charge based on different sections of the floor
15% - Offer multi-year contracts
10% - Change based on when the space is paid for
10% - Reduce net square foot charge the more space purchased
2% - Charge based on performance
45% - Other

11. Reed’s “Choice Exhibitor Pricing”
• Gives customers different prices based on location and timing
• Recognizes locations are valued differently by customers
• Offering ―Choice Pricing‖ changed how Reed Exhibitions:
– Design floor plans
– Price floor plans
– Forecast budgets
– Consult, more than sell, to customers

12. Exhibit Space Pricing
• Top exhibitor program
• Special events for top buyers and sellers

13. Acquiring International and
Domestic Attendees

14. ECEF 2012 On-site Polling Results
• For your events in the U.S., what percent of attendees come
from outside of the U.S.?
6%
26%
18%
25%
25%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Not Applicable
16% and higher
11 to 15%
6 to 10%
Up to 5%

15. ECEF 2012 Pulse
• 42% are exhibiting in overseas events to attract offshore
audiences to their U.S. events
• Annual spend on marketing to attract overseas attendees
(2011 compared to 2012)
25% more
10% more
Same as 2011
10% less

16. International Marketing: Best Practices
Website Integration
International Brochure
Advertising
Participation at Foreign Trade
Events
E-mail Blasts
Press and Buyer Relations
International Marketing Partners
International Buyer Program

17. Domestic Marketing: Best Practices
• Persona research

18. Status Quo- Jim
Meet Jim. Jim runs a small sign shop. He’s not keen
about new trends or the latest ―hot‖ idea.. He is interested
in talent management education and training younger
employees. He attends one conference per year, primarily
as a vacation. He is concerned with the proximity of the
conference and prefers that the conference be held in a
more central location, ideally close to his home.
“I don’t have time
to get away. I only
have a few
employees. But
when I do get to
an ISA Expo, I like
to make it a
vacation!” Motivators
• Less interested in current trends or educational sessions
• Attends to get time away/or vacation
• Likes hands-on approach when looking at new products
Expo Needs and ISA Performance (participants only)
Top Reasons to Attend
Need
Strength
ISA Performance
Relevant exhibitors High High
Vacation destination Average Average
Hands-on activities on show
floor
Average Low
Show Disposition
• Satisfaction with last ISA Expo – Average
• Likelihood to attend 2013 – Low
Background Facts
• Skews Baby Boomer (75%); Male (86%)
• Small business owner (1-5 employees)
• Low tech usage (low Internet and app usage)
• High school education
• Traditional, loyal to prods/suppliers
• Likes NASCAR, riding motorcycles
Most relevant
exhibitors
• Components
• Equipment
Time on exhibit floor
• Visits to learn about new
prods but doesn’t do much
research ahead of time.
• Walks floor but with minimal
vendor interaction

19. Meet Rebecca. Rebecca owns a small sign shop but is
looking to take her business to the next level. She is really
interested in learning about new trends and business
management practices. She enjoys learning from her
peers and from ISA Expo’s educational sessions.
Rebecca can’t afford to go to ISA every year but would if
she could.
“I enjoy taking
risks, and my gut
tells me that new
technologies will
change my world. I
come to ISA Expo
to see these new
technologies.” Motivators
• Mid-size business owner looking to grow
• Networking with peers/experts, at show and on exhibit
floor
• Values information on trends, business management
• Interested in getting involved, being on committees
Show Disposition
• Satisfaction with last ISA Expo – Very high
• Likelihood to attend 2013 – Very high
Background Facts
• Baby Boomer skews Millennial (35%) and female (31%)
• Small-mid size business owner (6-20 employees)
• College degree
• Persona with the largest ISA membership
• High technology comfort, uses Twitter, Facebook
• Also attends other trade shows
• Risk taker, opinion leader, creative, life long learner,
sensitive
Change Agent -- Rebecca
Time on exhibit floor
• Talk with new, current
vendors and plans her
show ahead of time
• Attends networking
events
• Hands on with new
prods
Most relevant exhibitors
• Printing
• Sign components
• Graphic design
software
Expo Needs and ISA Performance (participants only)
Top Reasons to Attend
Need
Strength
ISA Performance
Latest traditional technology High High
Networking opportunities High Average
Education High Very High
Cost High Average

20. Identifying and Retaining Top
Performers

21. ECEF 2012 On-site Polling
• Which departments are most in need of staff upgrades?
4%
13%
17%
19%
46%
Other
Conference programming
Exhibit & sponsorship sales
Attendance acquisition
Social media/internet
marketing
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

22. Staffing for Success
• Empower staff
• Set tone and get out of the way
• Change things up
• Laugh—a lot!

23. Thank you
For more information, please contact:
• Sam Lippman Sam@lippmanconnects.com
• Lori Anderson Lori.Anderson@signs.org
• Vinnie Polito Vinnie@vpelevate.com