About 9000 risk professionals from around the world gathered in Philadelphia to experience RIMS 2012 Annual Conference & Exhibition. This year's conference was themed "No Boundaries" to reflect the transformation of the risk management role which has grown and multiplied over the past several years and now expands into activities such as leveraging risk as an opportunity. From the sessions to the keynotes to the Exhibit Hall, RIMS ’12 offered unlimited opportunities for learning, networking and sharing. According to Dave Bianconi of Progressive Medical, "The decision makers, owners, people who say "yes" to doing business are here. Where else could you go and see this many people in 3 or 4 days? Without RIMS, it would take you 6 months to a year to see this many people." Attendee Karen Flint of Textron commented, "The conference sessions have been very good. It’s information I can take back and apply immediately to my job."

Alex and Kim pictured with Rick

Alex d’Archangelo and Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes have been invited by two IAEE chapters to share MDG’s collective wisdom on the strategic use of social media for achieving event marketing and communication objectives.

Power to the People: improving Social Media ROI With One Basic Principle

Presented by Alexandra d’Archangelo and Kimberly Hardcastle
Friday, May 11  |  11:45 to 2:00 pm

Doubletree by Hilton, 8120 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland

In the not-so-distant future, social media will no longer be a function of the marketing department alone. We're already seeing many marketing-savvy organizations socially enabling all employees—not to mention customers and other stakeholders—as a way to increase the return on social. How can trade show professionals utilize decentralization to not only grow attendance, but to increase exhibitor participation, build buzz, strengthen loyalty, improve employee retention, enhance customer service and more? Find out during this engaging, interactive session where you'll learn how to soften the departmental silos and minimize the risk as you (((gasp))) relinquish control over your trade show brand.

Integrating Social Media into Your Marketing Plan

Presented by Alexandra d’Archangelo
Thursday, May 24  |  8:30 to 11:30 am

ALOFT Broomfield Denver, 8300 Arista Place,
Broomfield, Colorado

In this session, Alex will address how to strategically develop an effective social media campaign incorporating media, tools and tactics to achieve your event's objectives. Attendees will leave with ideas of how to integrate new media channels to build your brand, generate leads and increase attendance – in time for your next show cycle.

Case studies and best practices will be discussed regarding; turning industry influencers into brand evangelists, social media listening (how to find and join conversations that are already happening), online engagement, decentralization of social media within an organization, effectively using social media onsite, where to start with metrics, etc.

Marketing Design Group (MDG), the nation’s leading agency specializing in trade show marketing was hired to market the launch of STEM Solutions 2012. The conference, themed “STEM Means Jobs”, was created to explore solutions and successes in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education as thepathways to jobs. Corporations, educators and top policy makers will collaborate on solutions and best practices for filling jobs now and advancing the future STEM workforce.
 
STEM Solutions 2012 is taking place June 27-29, 2012 in Dallas, Texas. The event is presented by U.S. News, Innovate+educate and STEMconnector with participation and assistance from official sponsors and partnering co-chairorganizations. Vincent Polito’s VP International is managing the event. For more information, visit www.USNewsSTEMSolutions.com.

SURFACES saw a 10 percent increase in attendance from 2011, which is the largest attendance number since 2008. Thousands of serious floor covering professionals packed both floors of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas January 24-26 prepared to see the largest and best selection in floor covering products and design trends to hit the market. They got what they were looking for as every square foot of the show floor was overflowing with the products, tools and technologies attendees need for their business success. “2012 is going to be defined as a turning point for SURFACES and hopefully for the industry as a whole,” commented Amie Gilmore, Show Manager, SURFACES. “Leading up to the show the news headlines were becoming more and more positive and you could definitely see and feel that optimism and energy on the show floor.  Everywhere we went we would hear conversations about how great the show was going.”

DSE, the world’s largest and longest running International Conference and Tradeshow dedicated exclusively to digital signage, interactive technology and digital out-of-home networks, officially shattered previous records, set a new attendance milestone and reinforced DSE’s position as the digital signage industry’s preeminent show. Show management confirmed that new all-time benchmarks established last week include: 4,024 qualified attendees (excluding exhibitors) – a 9% increase over 2011, record conference attendance, record international attendance from a total of 69 countries and record exhibit sales: 62,440 net square feet – a 4% increase over 2011. Chris Gibbs, President of Exponation, LLC, which produces Digital Signage Expo said, “Not only was the show a success by all quantitative measures, but the quality and number of end-users who attended helped create a positive energy that kept the show floor humming right up to the ‘closing bell’ on Thursday.” He added, “Attendees were working the show floor harder and longer over the two-day event, which confirms the fact that attendees come to DSE to find the information they need.”

Growth in exhibitor participation and buyer attendance resulted in a packed floor throughout the 2011 SEMA Show.

The 2011 SEMA Show drew 132,000 participants, leaving association management pleased not only at the quantity of buyers but more importantly with the quality of attendance. Peter McGillivray, Vice President of Events and Communications, stated, "Based on what we are hearing from both exhibitors and buyers, this year’s show was successful at helping participants connect with others in the industry,  discover new products and capitalize on new business opportunities." This year, there were 2,100 total exhibitors and 1 million square feet of exhibits. Of the 2,100 exhibiting companies, about 600 were companies that were exhibiting at the SEMA Show for the very first time. McGillivray commented, "Most of these companies are small businesses, which are the lifeblood of our industry. We pride ourselves in catering to small businesses and helping them succeed – whether it’s through innovative programs like the new products showcase or the thousands of media that feature the new products from the Show."