AWEA:AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION 2010 WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition—May 23–26, Dallas www.windpowerexpo.com
AWEA has the opposite attendance challenge that most organizations have recently experienced: Par- ticipation in its annual meeting, WINDPOWER, has doubled in each of the past three years. With attendance reaching 20,000 and with
1,400 companies exhibiting in 2010, it was time for AWEA to step up its game—both logistically and in terms of making the event look “more profes- sional in nature,” said Stephen Miner, senior vice president for conference, membership, and busi- ness development. AWEA worked with Immersa, the strategic mar-
keting arm of Champion Exposition Services, to reduce the wait time for registration—which took as long as four hours in 2009—to 40 seconds for express registration and under four minutes for on- site registration in 2010. That was accomplished by adding: More than four times as many registration stations and laptop computers (from 30 to 112) over the previous year. Registration services on multiple levels of the Dallas Convention
At the Picture It! photo booth, digital photos of event attendees were superimposed on a background of wind turbines, and the images were printed and mounted on five-and-a-half-foot, three-dimensional letters spelling WIND WORKS. Flip videos were created by having roving reporters conduct on-site interviews, asking atten- dees to explain why “WindWorks for Me.” The interviews were edited to create two- to three- minute videos called “Air Your Thoughts,” posted online and streaming in the AWEA hub. A Google Maps mash-up was on display, using four 50-inch plasma screens that featured Google Maps applications tagged with locations of 250 wind projects and 300 U.S. product manufacturers. Attendees were able to learn more about existing wind projects at work—and add their own. Wearable “WindWorks for Me” messages were carried through on t-shirts and temporary tattoos available to attendees. “The tattoos were just another impression that we could leave people with as far as their
AWEA’s “WindWorks for Me” message was reinforced throughout the WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition.
Center, including self-service kiosks, and four new stations at two HQ hotels. Color-coded overhead signs and carpets to guide attendees to the correct station— express, on-site, exhibitor, or presenter. Wanting to position the wind-power community
as a leader in the clean-energy movement, AWEA also worked with Immersa to create the campaign theme “WindWorks.” And, to engage attendees in support of the pending Renewable Electricity Stan- dard (RES), part of the national climate change debate, WINDPOWER 2010 featured the following initiatives:
support of wind [energy],” Miner said. “It’s hard to walk around with a wind turbine, but you can have a little piece of you demonstrate your support of wind.” Finally, the entire show took on a new look and
feel to reflect the industry itself and to position it forward. In addition to the images of wind energy, the show’s dark wood panels conveyed the message of a strong, established wind-power movement. “The wind industry has beautiful visuals,”Miner
said. “For the first time, we really incorporated those visuals in the design.”—Michelle Russell