Show Business: What Makes a Conference Worth Attending If you use conferences, meetings, or other events as a marketing vehicle, knowing the keys to a successful event is critical. The same is true if you can choose only one or two events a year to attend. ...

Building the Perfect Exhibit By Thomas Tennant, MeetingsNet Deanna Nord, account executive, Live Marketing, Chicago, and Tom Frisby, creative director, 1220 Exhibits, Orlando, Fla., were team members in exhibit designs that won Grand Awards in The Trade Show Exhibitors Association's 2002 Exhibit Focus awards. ...

Thinking Outside the Booth , MeetingsNet Show organizers these days are finding that they have to do far more consulting with and selling to potential supporters than they have in the past. "Meeting planners usually don’t have a sales background, so this isn’t something they’re used to doing," says Nancy Frede, president, MarketSense, Framingham, Mass. "But in today’s competitive climate, you don’t have a choice." ...

Sponsorship, Sponsorship, Sponsorship By Sue Pelletier, MeetingsNet In real estate, it’s location, location, location. In trade shows, it’s sponsorship, sponsorship, sponsorship. ...

The Future of Trade Shows By Regina McGee The days of relentless growth in trade show attendance are behind us, declared Douglas L. Ducate, president/CEO of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, at the annual meeting of the International Association for Exhibition Management, December 1 to 3, in San Antonio. "These are the good old days," he said....

Event Pros Show How to Show It Off BY NATASHA GARBER, Special Events Nothing adds zing to a corporation's trade show presence like a live and often very lively special event. So say design pros along with their savvy marketing...