We would like to take a few minutes to review some industry trends (from our point of view) that we are seeing in the event marketing industry. The last two years have seen dramatic budget cuts, reduction in show attendance and higher cost per lead at any given event…now the good news. The industry continues to bounce back with greater innovation, new ideas and smarter spending. Here are just a few of the trends we are witnessing:

- “Do More with Less” -
We have all heard this term over the last couple of years. It is still an important trend to focus on. We are helping our customers stretch the value for their exhibiting dollars. The use of lighter weight materials saves on material handling costs, creating simple structures to assemble saves on labor costs and smart crating helps to save on shipping expenses.

- Reducing Floor Space –
our customers across the board are reducing the square footage for their shows. A reduction in floorspace almost always includes the requirement for more products and solutions to be displayed even in a smaller space. This challenge is met with more efficient CAD layouts and floorplans. In addition, our extensive inventory of rental components often can help reduce floorspace by replacing larger custom elements. This is usually accomplished at affordable prices.

- Virtual Meetings -
Most exhibiting companies have at least one virtual event included in their 2010 marketing budget. We are finding that virtual events from companies such as INXPO (www.inxpo.com) are not replacing face-to-face meetings, they are complimenting them by capturing alternative audiences and generating measurable ROI.

- Outsource Marketing –
Many customers have reduced their marketing expenses by cutting back internally and outsourcing or contracting outside assistance. We are noticing an increase in companies requesting outsource marketing services from companies like ours. Outside services may include; venue selection, VIP hosting, managing contracted services, on-site services, vendor management and travel. We are assisting our clients in a wide variety of ways and helping ease their workload through effective outsourcing.

- Corporate Interiors -
One of the biggest trends we are noticing is the allocation of marketing dollars to design and build customer experience centers. These projects are usually constructed inside the customer’s facility and range from lobby/entrance experiences to meeting room and briefing centers. Bringing customers direct to the sales facility has proven to be more effective in many cases. The greatest benefit is dedicated audience acquisition and the full attention of your customer or prospect to present solutions.

We hope that you can benefit from some of these inside observations. We know that there are more trends will develop as we move closer to 2011 and hope to see more great ideas and marketing solutions evolve into the new year.