This year I’ve worked closely with IAEE staff and the MATSO Council via newly formed Education and City Working Groups to deliver on the most important benefit for major show organizers according to a needs assessment survey: informing members of the latest trends and information in the global industry. I am excited about the programming at the 2016 Expo! Expo! in Anaheim and want to share some of what to expect this December.
The changes are designed to ensure the MATSO Community is sharing with each other and that you have a complete schedule of MATSO activities throughout the show.
1 – MATSO show organizers with a director and above title are now invited to attend the IAEE Executive Breakfast Program on Wednesday, December 7th where experts will cover the State of the Economy, Big Data and Attendee Engagement. Attendance is encouraged because learnings from this session will later be addressed in new MATSO member-only deep dive sessions where the speakers will facilitate discussions (versus present).
2 – MATSO’s taking over Thursday and I’m most excited about the NEW deep dive sessions. First, Allen Gannet, founder and CEO of TrackMaven, a competitive intelligence platform for digital marketers will lead a conversation to discuss how large shows are using technology to ignite marketing creativity. Another deep dive session is under construction and will be announced soon.
Also new on Thursday, there will be special seating available for the MATSO community (RSVP required to Kimberly Castanuela with IAEE for seating). We know from our May roundtable meeting that this group loves to continue their conversations so we hope to see you there!
3 – City working groups will enjoy a new learning format designed for sharing. You can join roundtable meetings to discuss the latest developments in these large city venues: Anaheim, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York or Orlando. Only large show organizers may attend to ensure an open exchange of ideas and solutions in a competition-free environment.
4 – You can now browse by specialty to review 14 recommended sessions the MATSO education working group identified. Sessions run Tuesday – Thursday and touch on topics associated with large show challenges so you can maximize the time for every member of your event team.
MATSO joined IAEE as a council less than two years ago. It’s our goal to constantly shape what we do to meet your needs. What else is going on behind the scenes? A CEIR task force was created to review and endorse their new Economic Impact Calculator. We’re now also very active on MATSO MemberLink sharing information, asking questions, and connecting. Check your next MATSO quarterly newsletter for detailed updates or contact me.
These are 4 good reasons to register now for Expo! Expo! this December 6-8th in beautiful Anaheim. Need a fifth? Go ahead and enjoy California sunshine.
By Angela Harar, CEM, Senior Director of Trade Shows, The Vision Council, 2016 IAEE MATSO Council Chair
