The Next Phase of Trade Show Management Innovation

October 25, 2015

As event organizers work through the various stages of adoption of technology for managing their trade shows and conferences, they realize significant incremental benefits, including reduced human error, more data integrity, fewer man hours required for data entry, and better, richer data for decision-making.

This is especially true for teams managing multiple shows spread over different geographical regions, across different months in the year as well as across many years.

Global administration of multiple applications across multiple shows allows organizers to manage all of the applications being used for all the shows in a portfolio from a single dashboard. A centralized management solution provides many inherent benefits to event organizers, including:

1.      Greater control over data. Global administration systems enable organizers to consolidate data from multiple applications and multiple shows into a single database to eliminate redundancies, and provide real-time management and reporting capabilities.

2.      Better decision-making capabilities. Being able to distill large amounts of data down into specific data points (the pace of registration, the status of booth sales, etc.) for multiple shows through a single dashboard increases the organizer’s decision-making power.

3.      More control over access to information. Maintaining one central system for data makes it easier for organizers to transfer data to outside applications, such as a mobile app, and monitor logins so that individuals—contractors or other software developers, for example—can only access the information they are authorized to obtain.

4.      Enhanced historical insight. Having easy access to data from multiple years and multiple shows helps organizers put milestones into context, apply resources where needed, and revise programming strategies if required.

What began in the early years of automation as a faster, more efficient way to work has evolved into a way for event organizers to gain a competitive edge. With more data available from more sources, event organizers need to move beyond the digitization of workflows toward the harvesting of insight. Global administration is opening doors to better trade show management and events that meet the needs of changing exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees.

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Overview: The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality. In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way. “We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.” Amenities: The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.  The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need. Gold Key Members The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events. OCCC Events: This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.  The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:  AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023 200,000 Attendees $257 Million in Economic Impact MEGACON 2023 160,000 Attendees $205 Million in Economic Impact Open Championship Series 2023 69,500 Attendees $89 Million in Economic Impact Sunshine Classic 2023 42,000 Attendees $54 Million in Economic Impact Premiere Orlando 2023 42,000 Attendees $108 Million in Economic Impact