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[8thdiamond]

EXHIBITORLIVE 2019 Scrapbook

Earlier I covered the 2019 CTSM Dinner and exhibit trends I observed on the show floor. Here now is my annual “scrapbook” of other aspects of my conference experience, including the journey to Las Vegas.

Neal and I decided to drive to EXHIBITORLIVE 2019, rather than fly. A week before the conference we questioned our decision, as SNOW was on the ground in Las Vegas! It’s not unusual to see snow on the nearby mountains, but having the famous Strip blanketed in white is rare. One attendee said she remembered it snowing at EXHIBITOR more than 20 years ago, but I must have missed that year. (I’ve attended every year since at least 2003.) 

We had a fun road trip. Stops included Baker, California, home of the World’s Tallest Thermometer and Alien Fresh Jerky.  Since our last visit, Alien Fresh  Jerky upgraded its exterior, added a coffee place that looked about ready to open, and has a little UFO theme hotel in the works! This is something I’ll keep in mind for creative meetings or unusual event venues.

Alien Fresh Jerky.

Alien Fresh Jerky had a makeover since our last visit, with a new, improved façade, a coffee place in that back that looked ready to open, and, behind that temporary wooden fence, a UFO-theme hotel under construction.

Luckily by the time we left Southern California the roads were clear. We did see snow all the way up to the pavement in a few places when we neared the California-Nevada border.

The roads were clear, but there was still some snow on the ground as we neared the California-Nevada border.

This year the speaker hotel was The Delano, rather than Mandalay Bay. I had not stayed at The Delano since its THE Hotel days. I’ve always liked the suites. A sitting room and a guest bathroom are perfect for business meetings or just having visitors. 

Cute postcards with puppies welcomed us to our suite at The Delano.

The décor has gone to lots of WHITE to off-white and a few soft neutrals. That took a little getting used to, but the suite was as comfortable as ever, and the plain look worked well for turning the living room into a temporary film studio.

The bedroom. It was quite white.

Our living room at The Delano only looked like this when we first arrived and when we checked out. The rest of the time it functioned as a temporary film studio.

Neal and I took children's books to the book drive for Spread the Word LV, a non-profit that gives books to children and youth who otherwise might not have the joy of book ownership. This is what we brought this year.

Books for the book drive: Go Dog, Go!; Counting on Katherine (two copies); I am Sonia Sotomayor; Animals Helping with Healing; and Little Ladies: Bold Women in Black History.

We were told Go Dog, Go! is one of their most-requested titles. Next year we will bring multiple copies! We were given book marks to inscribe, and I asked Neal to write “Read Dog, Read!” on the bookmark for that classic.

On Monday my first session was a new one, “Optimize Program Performance: How Illumina Prioritizes Shows and Drives Results,” presented by Dave Frazer, Manager of Research and Analytics at GES and Vanessa Schultz, CTSM Gold, Senior Manager, Corporate Marketing, Events Center of Excellence at Illumina. I was glad to hear their thoughts on ranking and scoring shows, and compiling and reporting results.

Immediately after, I attended another new session, “Escape the Tyranny of ROI and Measure What Actually Matters.” My main complaint is the presenter allowed way too much time for questions, and the session ended at least fifteen minutes earlier than it should have. That is not supposed to happen.

Tuesday was my day to present, so I took my final class on Wednesday, “F&B, Hotels, and DMCs: Information to Bring More to Your Bottom Line,” by Kathleen Gunderson, CTSM Diamond, AVP Tradeshows and Events Project Manager, Wells Fargo. This was worthwhile, as a refresher course on Food and Beverage, and a good reminder of how the market changes. Many of us remember how much we could negotiate for when hotels were struggling, but that’s not the case these days. 

The session Bob Milam and I taught on “Effective Exhibiting for Companies with Niche Markets and Long Sales Cycles” sold out! And I was surprised that some of my fellow CTSM Diamonds came to “Ordering Electrical Services,” the very basic 45-minute session I presented with shiny new Diamond Glenda Brungardt. They said they always wanted to be more confident about this, and I was delighted. This is EXACTLY why I created this class! 

Another surprise with the electrical session -- the room was set with different types of custom furniture. Apparently this was done as an experiment for some of the sessions. Most attendees liked sitting in comfy chairs or on couches, but at least one sat towards the back at a high table, because it provided a surface for writing.

As always, I loved being part of this conference. The dates for the next EXHIBITORLIVE will be March 29 through April 2, 2020. I hope to see you there!