Thought Leadership

FHTglobal / FHTvirtual recently completed a white paper on the impact of COVID-19 on international attendance at US medical conventions in 2021 and beyond. International attendees make up to 34% of attendance at many of the largest medical conventions and play a key role in overall attendance at a wide array of meetings and events in the USA. This study, taking into consideration the current pandemic, brings insights from international participants that are relevant to all types of programs in the USA that rely on international attendees. While focused on the medical meetings sector, the points are relevant across the board, and can help organizers of major events in taking into consideration how to best include international participants in their programs, whether in-person or virtual.

FHT works with international groups in supporting their logistical needs for participation in global meetings as well as working closely with associations and organizers in developing best practices of how to maximize the experience of international participants.

This study presents:

Key insights from over 300 international physicians and their views on experiences with virtual meetings

Understanding the unknowns as related to planning post-pandemic

Best practices in providing international attendees the best opportunities for attending global meetings in-person and virtually

A copy of the document can be found here:

Download the International Attendees at US Meetings & Events

At the May 21-23 Connect Expo Leadership Summit twenty-five exhibition industry thought leaders, both exhibition organizers and suppliers, convened for two days of intensive sharing of ideas, observations and each contributed a unique Preferred Practice that is currently in play within their organizations.

Preferred Practices (formerly known as Best Practices) are unique and creative business solutions that are relevant to the exhibition industry. Why the change in terminology? Several crafty plaintiff’s attorneys discovered that by citing “Best Practices” within an industry, they would have new and powerful strategies with which to win judgments in court. A defendant who admits to not employing a “Best Practice”, for example, becomes liable to be accused of negligence. Thus, it became apparent that the term Best Practice should be reframed so as not to place professionals or their organizations in peril.

Here are just a few of the ‘Preferred Practices’. Download the report to discover more!

• Stephen Hahn, VP Sales, Visit New Orleans discussed how to hold a truly successful site selection visit.
• Usha James talks about “Experiential Areas on the Show Floor That Promote Engagement”
• Starting a Sales Plan and Process Post Event is discussed by Mike Carlucci

Download A Compilation Of Preferred Practices

Any marketing team can utilize the time-tested benefits of trade show marketing, but how can you determine whether it’s a good value for your brand?

Nimlok’s new e-book, 5 Steps to Evaluating Trade Show Value, is a step-by-step guide to understanding and analyzing the benefits of face-to-face marketing events.

This e-book will help you eliminate the guesswork, set clear-cut goals, track measurable metrics and outline the process of continuous refinement to ensure that you get the most value from each and every trade show.

What's Inside:

Establishing Quantifiable Goals
Tips for Refining Your Audience
Essential Trade Show Metrics
Tactics for Nurturing New Leads
Analytic Tools for Determining Value

Download the 5 Steps to Evaluating Trade Show Value

The events industry within the United States generates an estimated $283 billion a year. The security of large venues across the country has never been more important, and keeping the thousands of guests that attend an event safe presents challenges that are constantly changing. Sharing experiences and knowledge are integral in maintaining a welcoming and secure environment.

The MCCA's years of experience hosting events at our convention centers gives us unique insights into planning for a wide range of public safety needs and implementing effective security measures. In partnership with the Massachusetts Large Venue Security Task Force, the Boston Police, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security, conventions held at the BCEC or the Hynes constantly maintain the highest level of safety.

In Signature Boston’s whitepaper Safety and Security Lessons, we explore lessons learned from two major events that took place in Boston: the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing, and the 2015 Pokémon World Championship, where the Boston Police and the MCCA Public Safety Team successfully prevented a mass casualty incident at the Hynes. Find out how our security experts plan for known and unknown emergencies, assess event risk, staff venue security, and collaborate with law enforcement partners. These best practices give event planners peace of mind when choosing Boston as a destination, and provide attendees a safe and satisfying experience.

Download the Signature Boston Safety and Security Lessons

Want to increase registrations, grow sponsorship revenues, and increase attendee satisfaction at your next event? A Guide to Session Attendance Tracking will get you jump started in the right direction to meeting these objectives.

This guide will help you understand the true value of tracking session attendance. You will learn:

• The importance of session attendance tracking for critical event insights
• What functions to look for in a good session attendance tracking solution
• How to build a better event with session tracking data

Sessions are often a key deciding factor for attendees to participate in your event. Therefore, it is important for event organizers to accurately assess the performance and value of their live sessions. With the right session tracking solution, you have the capability to produce high quality events that audiences will want to experience year after year.

Download A Guide to Session Attendance Tracking

We are witnessing big shifts in the industry around several event technology trends. Many new technologies are changing the way we plan and execute events and engage attendees. To help you stay abreast of these new technologies and decide which to incorporate at your next event, we have compiled the top event technology trends of 2018 into this one eBook.

In this eBook you’ll discover:

• The latest event technologies and how to implement them
• Technologies to engage and delight attendees
• Creative technology strategies to give attendees a more fulfilling event experience
• Advanced techniques for obtaining attendee data and feedback
• Fresh ideas for getting attendees to interact and exchange information using technology
• Expert advice on incorporating new social media features and platforms
• and more!

Have questions about this ebook? Want to know more? Contact Kate Dodd, Vice President, Marketing, Expo Logic, kdodd@expologic.com

Download the 2018 Event Technology Trends Ebook

The Event Organizer’s Guide to Lead Retrieval provides a basic understanding of digital lead retrieval along with a high-level description on how it operates. This white paper explains why this technology is integral to events and the benefits to event stakeholders: exhibitors, event organizers, and attendees.

· Exhibitors can digitally capture, store, and qualify leads using their own device anytime, anywhere. Lead retrieval facilitates meaningful connections and can measure ROI.

· Event organizers can demonstrate ROI to sponsors and exhibitors. The data collected can help better plan, market, and execute future events.

· Attendees receive information on booths visited to share with colleagues or follow-up directly. Exhibitors can extend their engagement with attendees with post-event special offers.

Download The Bartizan Connects WhitepapeR