Has it already been two weeks since CEMA Summit?

The CEMA Summit concluded two weeks ago, and many of us have settled back into our regular work and home routines. I hope these comments don’t get lost in the shuffle of “everyday life.”?My wish is that everyone in attendance at the CEMA Summit is doing SOMETHING to make a change or improve – themselves or their programs based on what inspired them at the conference.

I was excited to moderate one of the more popular breakout sessions at the Summit, “Building Your Strategy & Getting Scrappy at Third Party Events.”? Fortunately, for all involved, we got to tap into the knowledge and experience of these savvy event professionals on our panel:

• Heather Schneider (previously, Tyler Technologies – now, Celonis)
• Michelle Olmstead (ControlUp)
• Minal Shah (Salesforce)

We established these timely takeaways for the session:

• Determining the Right Investments for Your Organizational Goals
• Cost-Effective Tactics for Your Tradeshow Materials
• ??????? Leveraging Emerging Industry Trends & Data
• ??????? Managing Partnerships & Stakeholders

This was a pretty tall order for 40 minutes – but we managed to pack in a lot of real-world examples and tangible tips and tricks for anyone involved in a trade show program.? Some of those usable hacks included:

• ??????? Consider Digital:? digital photo frames or large monitors for signage, QR codes, etc.
• ??????? Create full sensory experiences:? find creative ways to appeal to all five senses
• ??????? Philanthropic approach to gifting: explore more meaningful swag options rather than trinkets
• ??????? Be specific:? messaging, objectives, expectations, metrics

As we wrapped up our limited time, we also shared these four practical guidelines that could be applied immediately:

• ??????? Start with your V2MOM: vision, values, methods, obstacles, and metrics
• ??????? Think Big Picture:? strategic sponsorships, sustainability, modular design, and bulk purchases
• ????????Keep Your Data Clean: Qualify your leads onsite and have a straightforward follow-up plan/process
• ??????? It Takes a Village: Bring your team and stakeholders along to keep everyone vested

CEMA Summit was such a great event in so many ways, and I was thrilled to contribute to its success!? See you in Austin next year!