I am often asked what giveaways are the most popular at trade shows. Event managers feel they should offer something but they are at a loss of what will draw people in so they can talk to them. However, they find that while giveaways were a good draw in the past, many of today’s show attendees are not interested in them. I have had multiple show-goers decline my offer of a giveaway because they don’t need it and this response has become much more frequent over the past three years.

Digital technology has changed the way in which business operates. At one time companies just had to focus on radio and print advertisements to gain popularity. The advent of television complicated this, let alone the rise of the internet. Suddenly advertisements are everywhere and come in a wide range of forms. Some businesses even only operate online! This means that companies and brands have had to become savier and more strategic in reaching their consumers if they want to succeed.

A sustainable event is one in which attendees remain connected to the organizer, sponsors and fellow conference-goers from the opening reception to closing remarks. General session seats are filled early, and facilitated networking events are as well attended as impromptu groups forming in hotel lobby bars.

You might not think the definition of perishable can possibly describe a corporate event but think of it in these terms: something perishable is likely to rot or decay because the core of the event lacks sustenance and nourishment to keep the energy alive.

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.  It’s important to be reminded of this as we get caught up in our ‘can do’ mode tackling projects for which we may not be the best qualified. If you imagine décor and music are all it takes to design experiences, my conversation with Julian Lwin, a spatial innovation and experiential design director, may change your perspective.

It’s that time again! Can you believe it’s been almost six months since our first quarterly reader survey?

I’ve always been better at the first two of the three “R”s (reading and ’riting, clearly not so much ’rithmetic), but I’m also going to go with the excuse of being so busy sourcing and writing articles that the time just flew by.

Our second reader survey is now available, and will be open through July 23.

In a world of networking events and big conferences, thinking of unique ways to make a lasting impression can be tough. Luckily, almost anything is possible when it comes to large-format printing and branding materials. Below are six out-of-the-box ways to use your conference signage to make a big splash with attendees.

Apps are the hot new way to communicate with your event attendees. In fact, many attendees have grown so accustomed to seeking information from apps that they expect your event to have one. But how can you tell if your app is truly successful at engaging their attention? And how can you improve it to deliver the results you want?

Strategic events change behavior, support sales cycles and bring marketing messages to life. With a clear goal and firm understanding of the event’s desired outcome, a strategic vision is brought into focus. This vision is the foundation of the strategic plan, upon which layers of details are built, all of which come together to create an experience.

Did you know that almost 50% of the plastic we produce is single use? This means it goes into landfill or worse, ends up in the ocean, where thousands of animals and ecosystems are suffering. According to the Ocean Conservancy, plastic has been found in more than 60% of all seabirds and 100% of sea turtle species. Ingesting plastic has life-threatening effects on wildlife and this plastic eventually ends up being digested by humans.

What is Structured Data?

Simply put, structured data is a way for web developers to help search engines understand the content of your page. It is markup added to a web page that tells a search engine like Google specifics about your page information. Google’s crawler can do amazing things but it can’t always pull the right information from a web page. For example, if you own a restaurant and have a website, Google can’t automatically decipher the name, address and hours for your restaurant without a little help.