The Power of Face-to -Face: Making an Emotional Connection
As digital and social media channels continue to mature, marketers may be trying to figure out the proper mix. It remains clear that all channels are important and can be best leveraged when used in concert with one another.

As efficiently as we can deliver written, visual and audio communication through digital channels, it only represents 2/5ths of the senses of communication. Interpersonal communication is a critical building block of relationships and decision-making.

Decision-making is more greatly impacted by emotional triggers than many realize. Subconscious influencers and non-verbal cues have a significant influence on decisions. If relationships are an important element of your brand strategy, then the impact of non-verbal communication and emotional connection is critical. If your business is driven by referrals and the advocacy of individuals, you may be under-valuing the impact of each face-to-face connection your brand makes.

Until recently, a marketer’s main challenge had been managing the broadcast of their brand’s image: setting the perception with the public of what their brand represents. The challenge now is to create harmony in the consumer’s perceptions of the brand through the various touch points they have with it.

To create that harmony, know the voice of your customer and your brand conductors (employees).

Understanding the Performers
With voices coming from various points of view, how do you effectively manage the challenge? A clear definition of your audiences can help you get in tune with their stated needs, their historical behavior, their motivations and their inspirations. These differences can be defined through personas. By defining your personas, you know your altos, sopranos, tenors and baritones.

The Instruments and the Score
Great songs don’t happen arbitrarily; there’s a score or structure to the parts each instrument plays and how they build off one another. The instruments don’t usually play the same part; the harmony comes from the convergence of different parts that align. Once you know your personas and their touchpoints, you can develop your score or integrated and inter-related channel strategy for each persona.

This is often called journey or experience mapping, and it is important to remain rooted in the persona point of view. Specific touch points, message architecture, content needs, social outreach and engagement strategy are just a few of the issues that can be addressed through experience mapping. Think of these as your rhythm, melody and lyrics.

Persona journey mapping challenges marketers to let go of pre-conceived concepts and instead focus on how everything is integrated. It enables you to develop entirely new and innovative ways of driving expressions with your customers.

The Encore
By examining every aspect of your performance at face-to-face events and how the pieces work together, you can move your audience to establish stronger connections to your brand and to become influential broadcasters of your message. The details matter. Make an impression and that impression becomes a shared expression that moves people to action more quickly and gets others to jump on your bandwagon.

To read the entire white paper, including how to look at ‘impressions’ versus ‘expressions,’ click here for “Composing Brand Harmony.”

Ken Demith is Director of Customer Innovation at Freeman. He can be reached at ken.demith@freemanco.com

I was fortunate to have served on the APEX panel with quite a few industry experts that developed the nine standards:

1. Accommodations
2. Audio Visual
3. Communications and Marketing
4. Destinations
5. Exhibits
6. Food and Beverage
7. Meeting Venue
8. On Site Offices
9. Transportation

The APEX panel steered the vision of the standards and navigated the complex considerations of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). In addition to the APEX panel, each standard mentioned above had a committee that created the criteria for each individual standard. Each standard has eight impact areas that include:

• Staff Management and Environmental Policy
• Communication
• Waste
• Energy
• Air Quality
• Water
• Procurement
• Community Partners

Each impact area of the standard has 4 levels to be rated by, levels 1 – 4, with level 1 being the most attainable. An event may claim a level as long as every standard and impact area meet the standard, so in the case of every area meeting level 4 except one item that was only a level 3, the entire meeting can only claim a level 3 meeting. An individual event may not use all of the standards, as not all standards may be applicable, so only the standards relevant would be used. As an example, an event that doesn’t have any food service might not need to include the Food and Beverage standard. The standards are voluntary and are not certified by any entity – it is an honor system.

When creating the standards, we felt it was important to have four distinct levels. This way, event planners that might not have had sustainability at the top of their criteria for their event, (perhaps because they didn’t know where to start) may be able to use the standards as a learning tool to educate themselves in making their event more sustainable.

For event planners that have had the sustainability as a priority, they may also use the standards and aim for a level 4 event. The standards really serve several purposes:

• a guide for learning how to improve the sustainability of your event
• a guide for moving the needle and improving the sustainability of an event
• determining how successful a team was in improving the sustainability of the event by the level achieved

As I mentioned earlier, I was fortunate to have served on the panel, as, along with my contributions to our efforts I also learned a great deal from all of the knowledgeable people I served with. It was a great experience, there were quite a few competing perspectives on the panel that needed to be addressed and sometimes common ground was quite difficult to reach! Through it all, the standards are an important entrance for our industry to improve our sustainability that will yield real benefits in reducing our impact on the environment.

The APEX/ASTM Sustainable Meetings Standards will allow event planners and suppliers to actually set goals for the level they want to achieve, state the level they have achieved and most importantly make a difference in reducing the impact their events have on the environment!

In my opinion, the APEX/ASTM Standards will create a new awareness to include environmentally-friendly initiatives for our events and our day to day operations. The standards will also lead to new practices and innovations as they are adopted and applied that will reduce our environmental footprint. In the near future environmental impact will be included in all of our discussions because it is the right thing to do, and in many cases there are financial benefits in reducing our footprint as it may reduce our overall show-production expenses. We all want to be good stewards of the environment; now with these standards in place, we have a template the industry can use to achieve this goal.

- Joseph J Pestka is a Senior National Account Manager with Freeman. For more information on greening your event, contact him at joe.pestka@freemanco.com

In my case, it was “the desk.” The desk in our house is in the kitchen. As you’d expect, it’s a central point for gathering junk.  Over time, people (my family) put the junk into the desk’s drawers. Those drawers get filled with other things that were once very important. The result? “Junk Drawers” are born.

This project took a couple of hours because you can’t just grab, identify, and throw away. You have to relive certain key archaeological finds and share them with your children and tell them about the good ‘ole days.

But, I held on to one discovery to share with my colleagues. Buried within some documents carried home from a previous job were copies of Convene and Association Management from 2001. Yes, 10 years prior. Post-9/11. The covers read:

Association Management:  “The Big Question: What Matters Most?”
Convene: 2002 Meeting Industry Almanac

I want to share two very interesting articles that stuck with me. In the editorial “P.S.” called “Connecting the Dots,” by the legendary Peter Shure, Peter addressed how the 9/11 terrorist attacks demonstrate how dependent associations are on the funding that comes from their trade shows. The article goes on to describe how 50 percent of survey respondents said that registration fees, booth sales, sponsorships, etc. accounted for more than 40 percent of their organization’s income. He asked, “What happens to the association community if this critical revenue flow is disrupted?”

My second observation was a section of the PCMA 2002 Almanac dedicated to “Exhibitions,” with the heading “Who Will Come to Tomorrow’s Exhibitions?” by Douglas Ducate, then and still of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR).  He noted:

• “The tragic events of September 11^th may strike a devastating blow to the meetings and exhibitions industry that was already feeling the pinch of a soft economy and the collapse of the dot-com business.”
• “The introduction of tougher airline security measures, while justified, will add to the ‘hassle’ factor, giving even more reasons not to fly if one doesn’t have to.”
• “The success of an event will be proportional to the organizers’ ability to convince attendees and exhibitors that their event is essential.”
• (Under “Technology”)  “The threat of the 1990’s – Virtual Exhibitions – did not materialize…when it does, some physical exhibitions will be negatively affected. But that is not the only threat technology presents. Today, we are seeing a massive shift in how companies use exhibitions. The No. 1 reason to exhibit used to be to introduce new products. That is not true today. Given the frequency of new product development and the rush to be first-to-market, companies can’t afford to wait for their favorite exhibition to unveil their latest products. The Internet now offers a low-cost alternative for companies to contact their existing and potential customers in real time at a very low unit cost.”
• “Online marketing is in its infancy, but it is already a major competitor for budget dollars. And, given the elimination of many advertising budgets, the next major target is the exhibition budget.”

The Present
Has anything really changed in the last 10 years? These major themes, with the exception that technology is no longer viewed as a threat but as an immense tool in the show organizer’s marketing bag of tricks, are true today.

Since 2001, we have emerged from the recession and enjoyed incredibly productive years between 2002-2006 only to enter into the next recession.

The Future
In today’s “Looking Ahead” section, I provide the real juxtaposition of that last 10 years.

• The successful exhibition manager of tomorrow will be the one who is sensitive to the competition for marketing dollars and can build the most compelling case for face-to-face marketing.
• We’ve got to convince customers to exchange their online way of life for the experience of using all the senses so they don’t miss out on the good information that can only be discovered from face-to-face meetings.

The first is still true; however, I think we have seen online and face-to-face move toward a merging of experiences that allow us to extend the reach and shelf life of the exhibition experience.

There are many moving parts, and the economy is just as much a problem today as the post-9/11 world was 10 years ago.  What remains is the need to realize there is competition for dollars from marketers, just like there is competition for our attendees’ time. Creating value, now or 10 years ago, is still the elusive prey we chase.

This past December at Expo! Expo!, we debuted YOUR Freeman: a state-of-the-art, interactive exhibit that allows visitors to create their own brand experience. Recently, we also displayed YOUR Freeman at The Exhibitor Show 2012.

The experience was the final product of many ideas, man hours and experimentations. Here, three individuals involved in different aspects of development share their story and how YOUR Freeman works for our clients.

Mike McCauley; Vice President – Creative Director
The booth is quite symbolic. The openness symbolizes the open nature of working with Freeman. It’s organic with no right angles, signifying the organic nature of the design process. The cones point up to illustrate how Freeman elevates your brand.

The phrases on the back wall are conversation starters meant to elevate the discourse of our customers’ brands. It asks questions and provides provocative statements.

On the media side, you will see YOUR Freeman. It’s a play on words. Meaning “our” Freeman is “yours.” Our clients have full access to all of our services. The ability to change lighting patterns and projected images of course means the client is in control and we adapt to their needs in real time.

As for the touch panels and iPads, they are meant to provide innumerable access points to learn about Freeman, and how we will meet clients at whatever level they would like us to.

The entire design is meant to be a real departure. This is the future of Freeman.  Very brand centric, very creative and fresh.

Mike Wohlitz, Director of Corporate Solutions
I was honored when my colleagues asked me to join a creative session which helped shape the AV experience within the environment developed by Tom Yurkin and Mike McCauley.  The lines of the space suggested a clean, high-tech, interactive experience for the participator.  We all shared the same vision that in today’s connected environment, we needed a unique technology solution that allows the participator to directly interact with all AV elements within the booth and learn of the Freeman story and experience in their own way.

When Mike and Tom created the concept of YOUR Freeman, it became obvious that the correct step was to allow the participator to create their own environment within the booth.  From that was born the Experience Table, an interface that would allow the user to design their own environment by setting their own unique lighting cues, audio and floor texturing for the booth; you could build YOUR Freeman experience.

My first thought was “fingerprints.”   I immediately felt the environment should encourage the client to touch and feel the Freeman legacy, and by touching the experience, they could walk themselves through our story at their own pace.  The design and environment demanded that it be immersive and interactive.

The booth truly helps reinforce the pillars of Freeman by telling of our strengths in logistics, strategy, innovation and creative.

Tom Yurkin, Vice President of Creative Design
I have been involved with creating Freeman’s image at our industry shows for several years now.  Thus, I have an understanding of the different audiences and challenges of creating one structure to be used across several shows.   In this particular case, I worked with Mike McCauley to create an experience around “YOUR Freeman.”

I am always looking at materials, technology and trends in the marketplace.  The idea of “YOUR Freeman” was a great concept to wrap an experience around.  My challenge was how to create such an experience.

We started off really artsy then went very traditional – ending up somewhere in between.  The idea was a sense of discovery – a surprise followed by the unexpected.

Regarding objectives, we wanted to represent Freeman’s four pillars – Creative, Strategy, Innovation and Logistics. Create one experience or exhibit that would work in each of our markets.  Create a “WOW” on the show floor that has people talking.

As far as challenges, we faced the usual: budget, gravity and creating an experience that fit the brand while pushing the envelope on fabrication and AV.

Going back to the idea of YOUR Freeman, this is something which works really well internally and externally.  Freeman is a company with many resources.  What we set out to create is “YOUR Freeman Experience.”  It’s not about Freeman – it’s about how you work with Freeman to create your own unique experience.  This can be taken many different ways, both by employees and customers within our different industries.

For more photos and news, connect with us on Facebook.

That can mean only one thing: Exhibitor Show is upon us!

The annual trade show for trade show companies is arriving in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on March 4th and continues through March 8th , as both exhibits and educational offerings are showcased. The Certified Trade Show Manager (CTSM) educational program will provide several hundred sessions, three of which I teach.

This is my 9th year as an instructor at Exhibitor, but my first as a Freeman employee (visit our brand new booth #1423). While I teach a variety of subjects (one of which I will detail shortly) I am continually amazed at the ever expanding content offered by Exhibitor. With topics ranging from event design to ROI measurement – experiential marketing to transportation – graphics boot camps to entertainment booking – the library is extensive and growing.

I am also amazed by the ever changing audience I encounter. There are few places that offer so much content in such a compact program. The attendees are there to learn about our industry and how to apply proven techniques and ideas to their company’s objectives.

This year I have been asked to teach my most challenging topic – “Using Target Audience Profiles to Create Memorable Events That Drive Results.” The primary concept of this topic is the more targeted and pertinent your program, the more effective it will be. My session starts with the “whys” and the “hows” of creating a target audience profile, then explores how to use the profile to create a highly targeted event that motivates attendees to action.

To implement this program correctly, a company needs:

• discipline to gather the right type of target information,
• to navigate this information through all company departments for input

Thereafter, the company would develop a customer profile which becomes the foundation for creating messaging that connects with the target audience. Speaking the right message to the right people at the right time will always produce the best business outcome possible.

The ultimate use of this program is to transition the target audience into the company sales funnel. Again, using the information gained during the creation of the target audience profile, the steps required to move the target audience from awareness to action become easier to develop. This process reduces and sometimes eliminates the guessing that occurs when trying to develop a topic of interest, a marketing message, or an event that stands out among the many programs available to a trade show audience.

(Please excuse me while I toot my own horn) – this extensive topic is of great value to many companies – I encourage you to join if you are attending The Exhibitor Show 2012.

This year, though, I am in a challenging time slot. My session is one of the first of the entire program – Monday at 8:00 AM. I may have some students who will be suffering from jet lag (that’s their story and they are sticking to it) so I will be on my ‘A game’ during the presentation. But I thoroughly enjoy the experience. I know I will run into former students who have successfully applied the principles I taught them and that is one of the great rewards for being an instructor.

So I have made all my preparations. My flight was booked several months ago (got a great rate). My room has been reserved (I always stay on the 17th floor – guess why), and my presentation is up to date and handouts are complete.

I leave for Sin City this Sunday (how appropriate) and will be connecting with my target audience – the attendees at the Exhibitor Show – bright and early Monday morning – delivering a message with value that resonates with my students.

I hope to see you there!

-Todd Simon is Director of Branch Design Collaboration at Freeman.  His first session at The Exhibitor Show 2012 is M314: Using Target Audience Profiles to Create Memorable Events that Drive Results.

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN, NOR WILL A PURCHASE IMPROVE ONE’S CHANCES OF WINNING

1.  SPONSOR:  Freeman Decorating Services, Inc., dba Freeman, 1600 Viceroy, Suite 100, Dallas, TX 75235-2306, is solely responsible for all aspects of this sweepstakes (“Sweepstakes”).

2.  ELIGIBILITY:  To be eligible for this Sweepstakes, at the time of entering you must be:  [1] a natural person legally residing in, and physically located within, one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; [2] 18 years of age or older; and [3] willing to have your Entry featured and published on the Sponsor’s Twitter page (“Page”) or otherwise distributed, in connection with, or to promote, the Sweepstakes and/or the Page. By entering the sweepstakes you are confirming you comply with the eligibility requirements.

3.     ENTRY AND PROMOTION PERIOD: During the 3-day period beginning at 9:00 A.M. (CST), February 29, 2012, and ending at 4:00 P.M. (CST), March 2, 2012, this Sweepstakes will be conducted as 3 separate daily sweepstakes (individually, “Daily Sweepstakes”), each commencing at 9:00 A.M. and ending at 4:00 P.M. of the same day (“Daily Entry Period”). You will be invited to enter each Daily Sweepstakes during the applicable Daily Entry Period by submitting your entry via the Internet by tweeting to Sponsor’s Twitter Account at “@FreemanCo” using the hashtag  “#yourfreeman” and submitting an answer to the request required in the daily Twitter invitation for that Daily Sweepstakes (collectively, “Entry”). On or about 9:00 A.M. of each Daily Entry Period, Sponsor will announce in its daily Twitter invitation for that Daily Sweepstakes a description of the topic required for entry into that Sweepstakes. For purposes of these Official Rules (“Rules”), all times and days are Central Standard Time, Sponsor’s computer is the official clock, and time stamps for all entries will be determined by Sponsor’s Twitter Application (regardless of time stamps shown in other Twitter applications). Normal Internet access and usage charges imposed by your online service will apply. It is your sole responsibility to notify the Sponsor in writing if you change your Twitter Handle.  In order to enter the Sweepstakes you must have a valid Twitter® account and be a follower of Freeman. You can obtain an account and become a follower during the Sweepstakes Period by going to www.twitter.com, and (1) if you already have a Twitter account, log on using your Twitter user name and password, then become a follower of Freeman.com by searching for “Freeman”, clicking on the ‘Freeman.com’ icon and then clicking the “Follow” button or (2) if you do not already have a Twitter account, create a Twitter account according to the instructions on the Twitter website and follow Freeman.com as indicated in (1) above. Please note that you must agree to comply with the Twitter Terms of Service in order to create a Twitter account.

4.     SWEEPSTAKES MATERIALS:  “Materials” include:  [1] all information and material submitted by you in connection with these Sweepstakes, including the Entry and all other forms, contracts or releases required to be submitted by you as an entrant, whether required by Sponsor prior to or after Entry; [2] your name, likeness, image and biographical data as contained in or reflected by the Entry and [3] all photographs, artwork, writings, statements, dramatic materials, ideas, quotations and any other intellectual properties created by you in connection with the Sweepstakes, whether submitted to the Sponsor or not, including the Entry.  All material owned by the Sponsor or the Sponsor’s affiliated companies, including but not limited to any picture, logo, title art, etc., shall remain their property, and you shall acquire no rights therein by virtue of these Sweepstakes.   Except as specifically provided herein, by entering these Sweepstakes, you agree to grant to Sponsor a non-exclusive, fully-paid, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable and transferable worldwide license to use, re-use, reproduce, transmit, display, distribute, re-distribute, copy, store, modify, adapt, translate, create derivative works based upon and publicly perform the contents of the Materials, in whole or in part, in all media, formats and channels now known or hereafter devised, for the duration of the rights in each country, area and space, and throughout the universe, in perpetuity and in all languages, formats and versions. Upon Sponsor’s request, you agree to assist the Sponsor in obtaining the consent for any other applications.

5.     LIMITATIONS:  By submitting the Materials in these Sweepstakes, you represent and warrant to Sponsor that the Materials and everything depicted therein: [1] are original with you and do not originate from a magazine, newspaper or other commercial or proprietary source; [2] do not infringe upon or otherwise violate any right of any person, firm or entity; [3] do comply with the Rules; [4] do not contain any trademarks, logos, insignia, location signage, photographs, artwork or sculptures or other material (e.g., on props, costumes, background) that would infringe any third party’s copyrights or trademarks; [5] have not previously been submitted in a promotion of any kind or exhibited or displayed publicly through any means; [6] do not contain the likeness or photograph of any person other than you and [7] do not contain material which is (or promote activities which are) sexually explicit, obscene, pornographic, violent (e.g., relating to murder, the sales of weapons, cruelty, abuse, etc.), discriminatory (based on race, sex, religion, national origin, physical disability, sexual orientation or age), illegal (e.g. underage drinking, substance abuse, computer hacking, etc.), offensive, threatening, profane, harassing, defamatory, libelous, infringing or otherwise objectionable or unlawful as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. You further represent and warrant to Sponsor that: [x] you have all rights, licenses, permissions and consents necessary to submit the Materials in accordance with the Rules; [y] no person or entity other than you  has any right, title or interest in and to any part of the  Materials and [z] you are not subject to any agreement or arrangement that would interfere with your entering these Sweepstakes and granting all the rights granted hereunder or that would conflict with any other documentation required hereunder. Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, disqualify and remove any entrant that Sponsor deems to be in violation of these Limitations at any time.  There is no limit to the number of Entries which may be submitted per person in each Daily Sweepstakes. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the person submitting an Entry, the Entry will be deemed to be submitted by the person in whose name the Twitter Handle is registered.  Entries by any method other than set forth above in Section 3 are void.  Any use of automated or programmed methods of effecting Entry is prohibited.  Neither the Sponsor, nor any of its officers, directors, shareholders, employees, agents or representatives (individually and collectively, “Releasees”) are responsible for the following (even if caused by the negligence of any of the Releasees): [A] Entries from persons residing, or physically located, outside the Territory; [B]  Entries that are altered, contain the images of more than one person, delayed, deleted, destroyed, forged, fraudulent, improperly accessed, inaccurate, incomplete, interrupted, irregular in any way, late, lost, misrouted, multiple, non-delivered, stolen, tampered with, unauthorized, unintelligible or otherwise not in compliance with these Rules; [C]  for lost, interrupted or unavailable network, server or other connections; [D] miscommunications; [E] failed phone, computer hardware or software or telephone transmissions; [F] technical failures; [G] unauthorized human intervention; [H] traffic congestion; [I] garbled or jumbled transmissions; [J] undeliverable emails resulting from any form of active or passive email filtering; [K] insufficient space in entrant’s email account to receive email or [L] other errors of any kind, whether due to electronic, human, mechanical, printing, production or technical errors or other causes.  Each of such potential Entries will be disqualified.  Void where prohibited or restricted by law and subject to all applicable federal, state, local and municipal laws and regulations.

6.  PRIZES: THREE (3) DAILY PRIZES (one for each Daily Sweepstakes):   Upon winner’s selection, the Sponsor will notify winner as to which one of the following Daily Prizes will be awarded to him/her. One (1) different prize will be awarded for each Daily Sweepstakes.

DAILY PRIZE DESCRIPTION            ARV

Apple TV                                                   $99
AMEX Gift Card                                      $100
Kindle Fire                                               $199

Total ARV of all prizes: $398.00.  Limit one prize per person/Twitter Handle for all Daily Sweepstakes. Any depiction of prizes is for illustrative purposes only. Prizes are not redeemable for cash or transferable. No substitution allowed except, at Sponsor’s sole discretion, a prize of equal or greater value may be substituted. Sponsor will not replace any lost or stolen prizes. A prize cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or offer.  Prize elements may not be separated. Only the number of prizes stated in the Rules is available to be won. All prizes will be awarded, provided that a sufficient number of eligible Entries are received and prizes are validly claimed by March 15, 2012, after which no alternate winners will be selected or unclaimed prizes awarded.  

7.     PROCEDURES:  All Entries for each Daily Sweepstakes must be received during the corresponding Daily Entry Period. The potential winner of each Daily Sweepstakes will be the first eligible Entry submitted during the Daily Entry Period for that Daily Sweepstakes as determined solely by the Sponsor. Odds of winning depend on the timing of the submission of the eligible Entry.Total ARV of all prizes: $398.00.  Limit one prize per person/Twitter Handle for all Daily Sweepstakes. Any depiction of prizes is for illustrative purposes only. Prizes are not redeemable for cash or transferable. No substitution allowed except, at Sponsor’s sole discretion, a prize of equal or greater value may be substituted. Sponsor will not replace any lost or stolen prizes. A prize cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or offer.  Prize elements may not be separated. Only the number of prizes stated in the Rules is available to be won. All prizes will be awarded, provided that a sufficient number of eligible Entries are received and prizes are validly claimed by March 15, 2012, after which no alternate winners will be selected or unclaimed prizes awarded.  

8.  WINNERS:  The potential winner of each Daily Sweepstakes will be sent a Direct Message by Sponsor within 24 hours after each Daily Sweepstakes. In order to be declared a winner, you must meet the eligibility requirements in Section 2 above and, within 24 hours of the time Sponsor sent you the Direct Message, you must respond to Sponsor’s Direct Message by sending your name, shipping address, birth date and phone number to Sponsor.  At the sole discretion of the Sponsor, disqualification, forfeiture and the selection of an alternate winner may result from any of the following: [1] potential winner’s failure to respond to the notification within twenty-four (24) hours after its transmission with the required information; [2] the return of any notification or prize as undeliverable; [3] potential winner’s failure to return the Affidavit and Release as specified in Section 10; [4] potential winner’s failure to validly claim any prize by March 6, 2012; [5] potential winner’s failure to validly claim any prize within five (5) days after it is sent and [6] any other non-compliance with the Rules. In the event of a prize forfeiture, the Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, award or not award the forfeited prize to an alternate winner. All taxes are solely the responsibility of each winner. The odds of winning this Promotion depend on the number of eligible entries received.

9.  PRIVACY POLICY/DATA COLLECTION:  All personal information provided by you for these Sweepstakes is subject to Sponsor’s privacy policy located at http://www.freemanco.com/freemanco/freeman/privacy.jsp

10.   CONDITIONS: By entering these Sweepstakes and/or accepting any prize you may win, you agree that: [1] you will be bound by the Rules and the Sponsor’s decisions, which shall be final in all respects; [2] the Entry will not be acknowledged or returned; [3] you release and hold harmless the Releasees from any and all liability for claims, injuries, losses or damages of any kind, including without limitation death and bodily injury, resulting, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly,  from the awarding, delivery, acceptance, use, misuse, possession, loss or misdirection of any prize; participation in these Sweepstakes or any Sweepstakes-related activity or travel or from any interaction with, or downloading of, computer Sweepstakes information; [4] the Releasees do not make any representation, warranty or guarantee, express or implied, relating to these Sweepstakes or prizes; [5] winner’s acceptance of any prize constitutes the grant to Sponsor and its assigns of an unconditional right to use winner’s name, address (city and state only), voice, likeness, photograph, biographical and prize information, statements about the promotion and/or live and taped performances of interviews for any programming, publicity, advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law; [6] in the event viruses, bugs, unauthorized human intervention, Acts of God, acts or regulations of any governmental or supra-national authority, war, national emergency, accident, fire, riot, strikes, lock-outs, industrial disputes, acts of terrorism or other matters beyond the Sponsor’s reasonable control,  corrupt,  prevent or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play of these Sweepstakes, so that they cannot be conducted as originally planned,  Sponsor has the right, in its sole discretion, to modify the Rules or to cancel, modify, terminate or suspend these Sweepstakes and, in such event, to select winners by such method as Sponsor in its sole discretion shall consider equitable; [7] the Releasees are not responsible for typographical or other errors in the offer or administration of these Sweepstakes, including but not limited to: errors in the advertising, Rules, selection and announcement of the winners and distribution of the prizes; [8] any portion of any prize not accepted or used by any winner will be forfeited; [9] the Releasees are not responsible for any inability of any winner to accept or use any prize (or any portion thereof) for any reason;  [10] the Sponsor has the right, at any time and at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it suspects to be doing any of the following: (a) tampering or attempting to tamper with the Entry process or the operation of these Sweepstakes; (b) violating the Rules;  (c) violating the terms of service, privacy policy or other terms, conditions of use and/or general rules or guidelines of any Sweepstakes property or service; (d)  acting in bad faith, unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person or (e) for any other good cause as determined solely by the Sponsor; [11] all disputes, claims and causes of action at law or in equity (individually, “Claim”) arising out of or relating to these Sweepstakes, the meaning or interpretation of the Rules or any prize awarded shall be resolved by applying the laws of Texas, without regard to conflict of laws provisions therein, and shall be solely and exclusively brought in the state or federal courts within that state; [12] any Claims shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action and [13] Sponsor has the right to modify prize award procedures at its sole discretion. Except where prohibited: any potential winner may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility (including social security number) and a liability/publicity release. Affidavits and releases must be returned within five (5) days from the date that Sponsor first tries to notify the potential winner.

11. DISCLAIMERS: SPONSOR ENTITIES MAKE NO WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS OR GUARANTEES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN FACT OR IN LAW, AS REGARDS THIS PROMOTION OR THE MERCHANTABILITY, QUALITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING ANY PRIZE OR ANY COMPONENT OF ANY PRIZE. (vii) CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS PROMOTION MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND/OR CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.  The value(s) of the prize(s) set forth above represent Sponsor’s good faith determination of the approximate retail value(s) thereof; the actual fair market value(s) as ultimately determined by Sponsor are final and binding and cannot be challenged or appealed. In the event the stated approximate retail value(s) of a prize is more than the actual fair market value of that prize, the difference will not be awarded in cash or otherwise. No substitution or compensation will be given for any portion of the prize that is not used.

12. WINNER LIST: For a list containing the names of the winners, send a self-addresses stamped envelope, within six (6) months of the Drawing Date, to: Winner List, “Your Freeman Experience”, Freeman, PO Box 660613, Dallas, TX 75266-0613.

The sport of Parkour originated in France (though many in my family will argue the Russians do it better). The primary characteristics of the sport are efficiency and speed. It has its historical roots in military training. What makes it thrilling to watch is seeing someone leaping without knowing how or where they’re going to land. But the jumper, to be successful, has to visually connect reliable landings and think ahead while living very much in the moment. It’s a physical manifestation of a nimble mind.

Being a creative person means having a nimble mind. The best creative people I know have the skill to leap from idea to idea, making connections and seeing stories others may not have seen. Part of that is the ability to make connections between seemingly unrelated subjects. But equally important, going back to my version of Parkour, are the boulders, which are the landings between the leaps. Landings are springboards towards new perspectives. As a creative person, I thrive on idea exchange – which I think of as landings. In my mind, landings are the collaborative and engaging moments I have with inspiring people. Sometimes they are people I know. Sometimes, they are strangers I sit next to on a plane, or experts in a very specialized field. They all become an exponentially growing network of insights and inspiring points of view. They are the landings that enable the leaps.

I still like jumping, but at this point in my life, I call it cerebral leaping. The boulders in my life today are my family, colleagues, clients, and friends. If you’re fortunate like me, you’re also surrounded by boulders. Start jumping.

Who are the boulders in your life?

- Olga Arseniev is a creative director at Freeman, specializing in new business development. To learn how Freeman’s creative capabilities can help your business, email olga.arseniev@freemanco.com

As the events industry continues to evolve, the need for professional training and development remains an important priority for both established and emerging event pros. Freeman has long been committed to professional education and networking through its support many of the industries associations and events.

We recently caught up with Charlotte Pearson, a senior sales manager based in Las Vegas, who served as IAEE Education Chair for the recent Expo! Expo! annual meeting.

Face to Face with Freeman: Congratulations on a successful education program at IAEE annual meeting.
Charlotte Pearson: It was my honor to be the chair of the education committee this year for Expo! Expo! 2011 in Las Vegas. Living and working in Las Vegas, it was my distinct privilege to Chair the Education in my city which has its 17^th  consecutive year as the top Convention Destination in North America. Some of the highlights of this year’s education was that the attendance surpassed all of our expectations and several of the sessions were standing room only! Vegas Means Business!

F2F: The events industry is experiencing a transformation. How did you select topics?
CP: Our goal was to have the sessions speak to what is happening in our industry right now, with timely and insightful information that you can take back to your job! This year’s program was developed by an IAEE Education Committee that represented a cross section of the industry …Large and small show organizers, registration companies, technology companies, public events organizers, and service contractors.. We reviewed session topics and presenters to ensure the highest quality content.

We were very proud to present the most timely and relevant educational programming through networking, developing new ideas and business contacts, and providing attendees compelling content to help drive their business through growth and innovation. IAEE understands that business growth and prosperity depends on the exhibitions and events industry addressing the topics that our members find challenging today.

F2F: What were some of the most popular topics?
CP: The sessions that received the highest rating from attendees ranged from Real World ROI from Your Mobile Apps, Best Global Opportunities: Targeting Europe, the Middle East and Africa, to a Case Study : How one Company Revamped its Sales Processes to Position itself for Long Term Growth.  How to Conduct a Successful Site Visit , and tactics to get the International Buyer to Events were sessions filled with useful takeaway information for show managers and suppliers alike. Also, IAEE, ESCA, SISO and IAVM sponsored and action packed Session entitled “Freedom of Choice” that addressed in house exclusives at publicly-owned facilities. It was quite a lively discussion.

The education program provided much needed networking and learning opportunities. There is an invaluable peer to peer interaction that makes the face to face education at IAEE something that cannot be achieved in any other forum.

For more information on involvement with IAEE, contact Charlotte at charlotte.pearson@freemanco.com

Branding is the sum of all points of contact your audience has with your event. It’s the wait, or lack of a wait in the registration line. It’s the eye contact from that same team member when your attendee gets to the front of that line, and the graphic identity on your website.

Brand identities that evolve over time are inevitable and healthy. If too much change happens too frequently those same identities lose momentum. Change is good, to a point.

Every event should have one element that if replicated, is perceived as replicated and is viewed as a compliment for doing so. There are many things that shape your event brand. Here are just thee examples:

Create a dialogue. Ideally interactions should happen before, during and after the event. While social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have expanded connection points, many events struggle with how to ensure high quality content in these interactions. Also be sure to check out the event technologies that allow exhibitors to make appointments with attendees prior a trade show or encourage attendees ask speakers questions after an event. Your event’s ability to provide several points of contact contributes to an event’s brand equity.

Develop consistency and progression of the brand identity. An event brand is more than just a logo and tagline. Be sure your graphic identity conveys the right tone for your current and future audience. Consider the legendary Olympic rings—the five colored interlocking rings never change color or position, but the typeface and the host city icon or mascot to ensure the event is always relevant and reflects the tone of the times. And the event brand is stronger than ever.

Consider a Signature Element. One of the main reasons for attending an event is the networking opportunities. For some events that comes in the format a special keynote from a world leader not directly connected to the industry or thought leader from the within the industry. For others, it’s a social reception, offsite concert or volunteer activity in the host city. A key trend to watch is the less classroom style education and more networking style information sharing like the PCMA Learning Labs. In this setting, sponsors and thought leaders present TED-style shorter bits of top level information and encourage interaction.

Scarcity of supply in experiencing an event, real or perceived, is a brand attribute that can be very powerful.

- Tony Lorenz Founder of bXb. He was joined by Freeman EVP and Immersa Marketing CEO Bob Priest-Heck at PCMA’s Convening Leaders for an educational session titled “Brand Your Meeting: Advantages of Face to Face and Hybrid Marketing. ” Last week, Freeman announced that Priest-Heck will become the new Chief Sales Officer effective in June.

For starters, we are seeing a fundamental shift in human behavior. This is primarily being driven by the Internet, and more specifically, Web 2.0 technologies. These technology innovations, coupled with a generational shift are redefining how we engage—especially in groups. The ability to organize a group is simple today. You can do it in a matter of minutes.

We have access to more information today than in our descendants’ entire lifetime. This puts consumers in control. It’s no longer just about “one-to-many” messaging, but also “one-to-one” and “many-to-many” communications.

In fact, in a recent Time Magazine article on Hillary Clinton — she talked about the changing participation model, the ability for citizens to self-organize, and the effects that this has on government.  We have clearly witnessed this over the past year in theMiddle East.

So, this is not only transforming the way we think about trade shows and events, but society as a whole. Consumers expect to engage on their own terms. They expect to receive information “the way they want it,” “when they want it,” and they expect it to be “contextualized for them.”

Event organizers need to rethink how they build events. The face-to-face experience is as important as ever, however, the engagement model has been transformed. Exhibitors need to leverage their trade show and event presence in ways that create experiences for attendees and that make lasting impressions. They are competing for “share of mind” in addition to “share of wallet.”

Exhibitors and corporate event planners are increasingly aware that it is not enough for events offer only one “engagement” point with attendees and potential customers. Show Organizers and Exhibitors are starting to understand the need to create several touch points at the event, and throughout the year—before, during and after an event. Further, they need to bridge the gap between their trade show presence and other experiences throughout the year, both live and online.

For Show Organizers specifically, this “new model” requires them to think differently about their trade shows and events, as well as the overall communities they serve. Attendees expect more engaging experiences. Therefore, trade show and event organizers need to re-think how they build an experience that meets these expectations.

Bob Priest-Heck is Executive Vice President at Freeman and CEO of Immersa Marketing. He will be moderating a panel at PCMA January 2012, titled “What Marketers Really Want from Tradeshows and Conferences.”