A conference on nursing research ditches the typical trade-show format in favor of a whole new look—designed to foster better conversation.
Gonewerethepipeanddrapingandharshover- head lights, replaced with softly billowing blue- white structures, each of which housed round tables and a few padded chairs.Hadyou stumbled across this exhibit hall—filled with soft light and these pillow-like spaces—at theOmniShoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., in late September, you might have thought the 1,000 professionals gathered there were interior designers. But, no, this was the setting for the American
Academy ofNursing’s (AAN) 2010 Congress on Nursing Research, and the attendees were nurse sci- entists seeking insights andCMEcredit, speakers
president ofColumbia, Md.–based FutureShow, for a new look. The result was not just an aesthetically pleasing
space, but an event with an entirely different tone. “As you walked into the exhibit hall, you were struck by the atmosphere of calm,” Guerrieri said. “Exhibitors and attendees knew immediate- ly this was something different than the stan- dard, run-of-the-mill show. The fabric walls and blue booth lights softened the room and made it more welcoming. Attendees toldmethey thought thenewsetupmade the exhibitorsmore approach- able and allowed for better engagement.” Rhonda Flenoy-Younger, the
UCLASchoolofNursing’s director of recruitment, outreach, and admis- sions—who has been exhibiting at AANformorethan20years—was “amazed” by the exhibit hall. “I felt likewefinally enteredthe21st centu- ry,” she said. “The atmosphere was relaxing, charming, and welcoming for the exhibitors and attendees.” That wasn’t an accident. Hughes
“wanted to design a décor that wouldenable ahuman connection,” he said. “Creating a space where
andaward recipients eager to share new lab find- ings and leading-edge practices, researchers on the hunt for funding, and suppliers (including 35 exhibitors) hoping to increase their market share. Why would a traditional three-day medical
meeting choose such a different exhibit-hall design? BeforeAAN’s 2010 meeting—which turned out to be one ofthe best-attended in its recent history — Meetings and Events Manager Gale Quilter Guerrieri,CMP, decided she wanted to try some- thing different, décor-wise, to dress up “a stodgy event.” She turned to designer Robert Hughes,
people can feel welcome—where they’re ‘invited’ by the configuration to relax, stop, and engage— can actually urge attendees toworkwith exhibitors on solutions. Ifmy design helps buyers and sellers feelmore approachable, theodds are increased that substantive conversations will take place.” Which, naturally, translates into more suc-
cessful face-to-face events. His goal as a designer, Hughes said, is to increase exhibitors’ROIby shift- ing their costs and planners’ costs “away from logistics and into marketing,” because it’s time “to re-invent the association-ownedmedical show.”
ON_THE_WEB: To learn more about the American Academy of Nursing, visit www.aannet.org. For more information about FutureShow, visit www.futureshow.net.
60 pcma convene December 2010 ILLUSTRATION BY MICK WIGGINS
Different by Design “Youhave to be smart with your dol- lars these days,” AAN’s Gale Guerrieri said. “But if you do a cost-comparison, you’ll find that stan- dard drayage compa- nies do a lot less for not much less the cost. To have your attendees and exhibitors make posi- tive comments veri- fies that youmade the right decision by redesigning the look of your event. They’re encouraged to come back next year because of the results they achieved.”
Bob James (www.themighty copywriter.com) has more than 30 years of copywriting experience with associations and businesses, and writes a blog atwww.the mightycopywriter .blogspot.com.
Innovative Meetings is sponsored by the Irving, Texas, Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.irvingtexas.com.
SCENES FROM THE NURSING CONGRESS: “Humanizing” the meet- ing space and boosting the emotional comfort level of both attendees and exhibitors, accord- ing to FutureShow’s Robert Hughes, encour- ages spontaneous growth of a positive “emotional contagion.”