The2010 Snow Show attracted 845 exhibitors, 125 of which were first-timers.
For 37 years, SnowSports Industries America (SIA) had held its annual Snow Show—the No. 1 trade event for the skiing and snow- boarding industry—in Las Vegas. But in 2007, with costs in the city “getting a little ridiculous,” accord- ing to SIA President David Ingemie, the organization decided to pull up its ski poles and move north, to Denver and the Colorado Conven- tion Center, for its 2010 show. The association also wanted to
add certain aspects to the show that couldn’t be done in Las Vegas —such as an “on-snow piece,” as Ingemie put it—as well as to posi- tion itself within a community that was part of the winter-sports world.
“The vibe [in Denver] changed
dramatically,” Ingemie said. For one, laborers at the convention center were energized, because many of them were skiers and snowboard- ers. “The embracing of the show from the community perspective,” Ingemie said, “was way above what we expected.” And the numbers more than held up, even without the national draw of Las Vegas: SIA recorded a six-year high in atten- dance at the 2010 Snow Show, with 18,932 attendees and 845 exhibitors. The decision to relocate occurred well before the recession reared its head,making Ingemie “even more glad that we made the move.”—Hunter R. Slaton
yeah, that’s the confer- ence materials packet.” We have threaded throughout the entire event—before, during, and after—things that are tied in with “café,” including four-person tables, very café-like.
STAGES OF THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE BD: There’s a phrase that I learned about attracting people to the experience—the actual “entering” of the experi- ence. Think about great experiences you’ve had, like going into a mu- seum that you were excited about, or, for a baseball fan, going to Cooperstown’s Baseball Hall of Fame. SL: The architectural term for this is “liminal space,” or the space between the space; the place where you go from here to there, the pas- sageway. And transitions are everything. How you link the transitions—in writing, in physical space, and in experience design—helps set the stage for people’s over- all experiences.
[ 68 How are meetings and conventions innovating?
John Patronski, EVP – Industry Development, Global Experience Specialists (GES) “The world of trade shows and meetings is changing at an accelerated pace. Show organizers and marketers realize the importance of
creating meaningful and memorable experiences, and are looking for measurement and experimentation, creative design, and opportunities
to foster new ideas to drive attendance and engagement in every aspect of the show—pre-show, during the show, and post-show,
with networking and educational opportunities that allow their event to go far beyond the three or four days of the show.”
pcma convene December 2010 ]
THE SIGNATURE MOMENT BD: People can think back to a really great conference or learning event, and they will remember certain things that happened very vividly. Sometimes those things they remember were intentionally designed; other times they might be just things that happened sponta- neously. A little bit of both is probably good. But designing signature moments and content related to that is really important, as one of the best times to present some key content in a conference is when you can combine it with a signature moment.