The 2008 SISO Executive Conference 
Schedule

MONDAY, AUGUST 4

Conference registration from 12:00 Noon – 5:00 pm at the Westin Peachtree Plaza.
Sponsored by Midwest Airlines Center.

NEW FOR 2008! How Clients Make Spending Decisions: Case Study Boot Camp
1:30 – 5:00 pm
Do you ever wonder how and why your exhibitors and sponsors choose where to spend their marketing and advertising dollars? Case Study Boot Camp will help solve this mystery. In this unique, intensive class, you ’ll experience firsthand how your customers make tough decisions about where to spend their dollars. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll no doubt have an easier time persuading them to spend their money with your company.

In 2007, SISO commissioned Professor Frederic Brunel to author a case study to introduce graduate students to the exhibition industry. The case, about an actual exhibitor at the International Boston Seafood Show, has been presented twice to Boston University MBA candidates with quite favorable results.

Case author Professor Frederic Brunel of Boston University will present this class at the Westin Peachtree Plaza.

SISO Board of Directors Meeting 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel – International A

Opening Night Networking Reception and Dinner
Georgia Aquarium 6:00 – 9:00 pm

Meet with old friends and make new ones in a spectacular setting... the Georgia Aquarium is the world’s largest! With eight million gallons of fresh and marine water and more aquatic life than found in any other aquarium, you are sure to see things you have never seen before.
Sponsored by the Georgia Aquarium and Wolfgang Puck Catering.

Buses leave for the reception from the Westin Peachtree Plaza beginning at 5:30 pm. Buses will return to the Westin beginning at 8:45 pm.

Networking Gaming Night 9:00 pm
Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel – Plaza Ballroom

The second annual SISO Networking Poker Party offers experienced players the chance to hone their skills – and offers newcomers the chance to learn gaming essentials. This event is SO much fun... a great way to network and meet people. This event will be held at the Westin Peachtree Plaza.
Sponsored by the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 5

Tuesday’s session will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center. Buses will leave the Westin Peachtree Plaza from 7:00 – 8:30 am. Breakfast 7:30 – 8:30 am, Georgia Ballroom Section 1
Sponsored by the Georgia World Congress Center.

Breakfast 7:30 am – 8:30 am
Georgia Ballroom Section 1
Sponsored by Georgia World Congress Center. best attendance sales and marketing practices – even in this economy.

Introductions 8:45 – 9:15 am
Georgia Ballroom Section 2
This is a can’t miss event!! Put faces with names during this popular SISO tradition, as each person introduces themselves and their company.

Keynote: Ambassador Andrew Young 9:15 – 9:45 am
Georgia Ballroom Section 2
Ambassador Andrew Young’s lifelong work as a politician, human rights activist, and businessman has been in great measure responsible for the development of Atlanta as an international city. Formerly a colleague of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Congressman, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during the Carter administration, Mayor of Atlanta, Mr. Young is currently a professor at Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. Ambassador Young will officially welcome us to Atlanta, and offer fascinating and unique insights into the world.
Sponsored by the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau and McCormick Place.

Sales and Marketing Executive Track Room C304
Attendance Sales – Getting Them There!
How do they do it? 10:00 am – 11:15 am
This session will feature the events that consistently grow their attendance, not due to the hot markets they serve, but based on the best attendance sales and marketing practices – even in this economy. Find out what sets these events apart from the others, and how you can make your events recession proof.

Speaker: Cris Levy, Encore Media Partners. Cris is consistently rated one of SISO’s top speakers.

Management / Executive / CEO Track Room C303
Innovations in Sponsorship Communications
10:00 am – 11:15 am
We’re living in the most media dense, high technology, ubiquitous information and attention span-battered business climate in all of history. Today’s exhibitor/sponsor is more informed and sophisticated than ever before in today’s event marketing era of ‘justification for’ and
‘measurement of’ every marketing dollar expended.

Today, show organizers must have something better to sell... and be more consultative in marketing it. This is another way of saying that our communications method of selling sponsorships must be
increasingly ‘innovated’ as much as our sponsorship offerings must be increasingly ‘innovative’. Welcome to the age of “educational selling” that facilitates the best possible investment decision possible for each exhibitor with regards to the optimal (customized and integrated) ‘total event marketing program’.

The ‘take-always’ from this session will help you:
1. Greatly increase exhibitor success / ROI by ‘matching’ objectives and solutions via ‘analysis of objective evidence’.
2. Resulting in significant increases in ‘exhibitor retention rates’
3. Dramatically increase your sponsorship revenues
4. Concurrently, enhance the event ‘experience’ for all

Speaker: Charles Allen, Chairman & CEO, The C.W. Allen Group
Sponsored by Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center.

Technology Track 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Room C301
The SISO Technical Track is a fresh look at technical solutions. In a case study format, members and their favorite technical providers outline the reasons why a particular technical product made an event better, makes a company more profitable, or solved a problem. Because both show organizers and vendors present these sessions, you can ask the tough questions and receive straightforward answers. Sessions are scheduled throughout the Executive Conference.
The Technical Tracks for both Tuesday and Wednesday are sponsored by Expocad.

Do you love your technology provider?
Nominate them with an e-mail to SISO’s Executive Director Mary Beth Rebedeau: MBR@siso.org.

Networking & Refreshment Break 11:15 – 11:30 am
C303/C304 Galleria
Sponsored by the Georgia World Congress Center.

Chasing the Dollars – Sponsorship Sales
11:30 am – 12:45 pm
With recent findings showing that face-to-face events are the best way for companies to find and keep customers, the art of selling sponsorships becomes even more important. You’ll learn when and
how to sell for the best effect, how to market them and how they should be fulfilled for the best customer satisfaction and retention. Be there as we explore the most innovative stuff in the marketplace!

Sponsorship sales expert Nancy Largay, Vice President, Reed Exhibitions, will present this session.
Sponsored by the Orange County Convention Center.

Management / Executive / CEO Track Room C303
Managing Association Shows 11:30 am – 12:45 pm
There is a big outsourcing industry that exists, and many SISO members have built good businesses managing events for other people. How do the numbers work? What kind of percentages work? The results of the SISO Management Contract Survey will be reported and ideas for attracting clients will be discussed.

Moderated by Mary Beth Rebedeau, President of the Rebedeau Group and Executive Director of SISO. Panelists include Glen Feder, President, Client Events Division, National Trade Productions and Henry Schaffer, Attorney, Jenner and Block.
Sponsored by Freeman.

Lunch 12:45 – 2:10 pm
SISO Member Meeting, and the Second Annual SISO Web Awards
Georgia Ballroom Section 1
The SISO Web Awards, co-sponsored by Trade Show Week and the Jordan Edmiston Group, recognize and celebrate the best web sites in our industry – those that provide the industries we serve with unfettered access before, during, and after our face-to-face events. You’ll be in good company with the best of the best!
Sponsored by the Georgia World Congress Center.

Sales and Marketing Executive Track Room C304
Marketing to the Masses 2:15 – 3:30 pm
What can the b-2-b industry learn from public shows? There is a myriad of media options available from consumer show producers, and out of necessity, they are very adept at tailoring the media to their audiences.

Learn best practices from consumer and public event producers, including top tips and how these techniques and new ideas can be used in the b-2-b world.
Moderated by Mary Beth Rebedeau, President of The Rebedeau Group and SISO’s Executive Director, with panelists including Karla Little, President of the Fine Furnishings Show, Scott Diamont, Partner, Palm Beach Show Group; and Eric Udler, Super Pet Expo  Management / Executive / CEO Track Room C303

How They Buy: Exhibitor Event Selection Processes and Their Implications for Selling 2:15 – 3:30 pm
This session will be the first public presentation of the newly completed study: How They Buy: Exhibitor Event Selection Processes. Extra Mile Media Research has underwritten and designed the study to uncover the methods used by marketers to determine where they will exhibit and where they will not. The survey was fielded to the exhibitor and prospective exhibitor lists of multiple events covering a variety of industries. SISO members produce most of the events that participated
in the study. The session will answer questions important to many event producers.

Michael Goodman, President of Extra Mile Media Sales Training and Extra Mile Media Research, will present and analyze the data. He will also recommend “optimal sales practices” based on the findings.
Sponsored by the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Networking & Refreshment Break 3:30 – 3:45 pm
C303/C304 Galleria
Sponsored by the Georgia World Congress Center.

Sales and Marketing Executive Track Room C304
International In-Depth Session – Exhibit Sales 3:45 – 5:00 pm
In this session, international exhibit sales will be examined and dissected. Is the weak dollar our friend or our foe? How can we take advantage of global market conditions? Can international participation shore up our events given current market conditions? Be with us as successful experts from around the globe help to navigate the trade show world.

Moderated by John Gallagher, Senior Vice President of E. J. Krause and Cherif Moujabber, President, Creative Expos and Conferences. Panelists include: Chris Nemchek, Senior Vice President, NASFT, producers of the Fancy Food Shows and Stephanie Selesnick, President ITI.
Sponsored by the International Exposition Center.

 Management / Executive / CEO Track Room C303
Bringing Databases – and Other Bits of Info – Together
3:45 – 5:00 pm
Integrating data from different sources is important – and at times daunting. Whether through merger, acquisition, partnerships, or management contracts it’s necessary to merge, purge, slice, dice
and marry together different systems, different fields, different styles and different data storage strategies. Where are they, where should they live, how to bring your team together to work towards a happy solution – this session is a primer for non-geek managers seeking understandable answers.

Speakers: Shawn Pierce, Hanley Wood Exhibitions; Tom Greaves, Spar Point Research; and Roy Turner, dmg.
Sponsored by ASP.

Networking Reception and Dinner 6:30 – 9:30 pm
High Museum of Art Atlanta
Tuesday’s dinner will be held at the High Museum of Art – the leading art museum in the southeastern U.S.! With more than 11,000 works of art in its permanent collection, you will also have access to their Louvre exhibit. “Louvre Atlanta” is bringing hundreds of works of art from Paris to Atlanta through a series of thematic exhibitions.
Sponsored by Freeman Expo, GES Expo, Georgia International Convention Center, Cobb Galleria Center, High Museum of Art Atlanta and the Gwinnett Center.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6

Wednesday’s session will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Buses will leave the Westin Peachtree Plaza from 7:00 – 8:30 am.

Breakfast 7:30 – 8:30 am
Georgia Ballroom Section 1
Sponsored by the Georgia World Congress Center.

Keynote: Best Practices on the Web for the Face-to-Face Industry
8:30 – 9:40 am
Georgia Ballroom Section 2
The SISO Web Award winners are explained! The judges will share the important web site features and benefits that make the winning sites great. Best practices will be explored.

Moderated by Richard Mead, Managing Director, The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. Judges/panelists include Sal Fuentes, CEO, Decision Counsel; Malcolm Lotzof, CEO, InXpo; and Jack Powers, Director, International Informatics Institute.
Sponsored by a2z, Inc.

Sales and Marketing Executive Track Room C304
Developing Your Conference Program for Fun and Profit
9:45 – 11:00 am
A rousing session that will wake you up to the importance of a robust conference program, and tips about how you can develop audiences by providing attendees with the speakers and topics they want to hear.

Speaker: Jack Powers, Director, International Informatics Institute.
Sponsored by Metropolitan Expo Services.

Management / Executive / CEO Track Room C303
Planning for Sustainable Business Growth 9:45 – 11:00 am
When implementing the business development strategy, whether it is through organic growth or acquisitions, it’s important that the team understands the financial ramifications/implications on the decisions made and sources of capital available to achieve goals. This session will address the importance of both events and digital to round out the portfolio and increase valuation for the company – which translates to wealth for the entrepreneur.

Moderated by Claudia Flowers, Vice President of Business Development, Questex Media Group, Inc.
Panel includes Seth Rosenfield, Managing Director, BMO Capital Markets; John Stuttard, Vice President and Group Director, CMP Information USA; Zahava Stroud, President and Co-Founder,
iHollywood Forum; and John Failla, CEO of Tesoro Events.

Technology Track 9:45 am – 12:30 pm
Room C301
Sponsored by Expocad.

Networking & Refreshment Break 11:00 – 11:15 am
C303/C304 Galleria
Sponsored by the Georgia World Congress Center.

Sales and Marketing Executive Track Room C304
International In-Depth Session – Attendance Sales
11:15 am – 12:30 pm
The U. S. is on sale! With the weak dollar, many smart show organizers are looking overseas to boost attendance. How can we take advantage of global market conditions? Can international participation shore up our events given current market conditions? Be with us as successful experts share their strategies to attract international attendees.

Speakers: Tim Bostwick, Executive Vice President, AMI, and Tara Gibb, Vice President of Marketing, Think Services Game Group
Sponsored by Berkery, Noyes & Company LLC.

Management / Executive / CEO Track Room C303
VP/Show Director Roundtable – Where the Rubber Meets the Road 11:15 am – 12:30 pm
Exchange ideas with your counterparts at other companies and associations, including innovative team building techniques; managing up and down; making the numbers in a slow economy; and reaching the next level in your career.

Speakers: John Gallagher, E. J. Krause; Rick McConnell, Hanley Wood Exhibitions; Jim Pittas, PMMI; and Roy Turner, dmg.
Sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority.

Management / Executive / CEO Track Room C302
Small Company Roundtable 11:15 am – 12:30 pm
This is a mini-CEO Summit for small companies focusing on growth – where to find new ideas for launches and vertical events; how to partner with associations, publishers, and other show organizers; where the opportunities live during uncertain economic times; financing and funding;
and vertical events. A must attend for small companies!

Speaker: George Jage, World Tea Expo.

Lunch and Tour at Turner Field 755 Club
Buses leave for Turner Field from the Georgia World Congress Center at 12:30 pm. and will return to the Westin Peachtree Plaza at 3:00 pm.
Sponsored by Aramark, 755 Club and Turner Field.

Technical Track Room C301
And Now for Something Completely Different!!
The SISO Technical Track is a fresh look at technical solutions. In a case study format, members and their favorite technical providers outline the reasons why a particular technical product made an event better, makes a company more profitable, or solved a problem. Because both show organizers and vendors present these sessions, you can ask the tough questions and receive straightforward answers. Sessions will be scheduled throughout the Executive Conference.
The Technical Tracks for both Tuesday and Wednesday are sponsored by Expocad.

Do you love your technology provider? Nominate them with an e-mail to SISO’s Executive Director Mary Beth Rebedeau: MBR@siso.org