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The IAEE Art of the Show Competition’s Convention Center Promotion category evaluates promotion of a convention center using any marketing channel. Judges take into consideration all marketing components used and how effectively they correlate as a promotion campaign on behalf of the convention center.
Judging criteria includes: overall presentation, visual appeal and creativity of the campaign; whether the information presented effectively communicates the convention center’s offerings; how each marketing component contributes to the overall campaign and how skillfully it was applied in its individual context; how user-friendly the component is to an interested party; and how well the campaign met its intended goals.
In today’s IAEE Art of the Show Competition Winners Circle, we highlight the winner of last year’s Convention Center Promotion category, the Orange County Convention Center – Orlando. (Special note: show sizes do not apply to this category.)
The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), located in the heart of Orlando’s Convention Center District and only 15 minutes from the Orlando International Airport, provides a multitude of event options in two beautifully appointed buildings with 2.1 million square feet of exhibit space. The West Concourse showcases tropical atriums, skylights and inviting courtyards. With distinctive architecture and tropical ambiance, the North/South Concourses are designed for flexibility and functionality, featuring a dramatic 1,500-foot oversight pedestrian bridge with moving sidewalks leading to the West Concourse.
The convention center is surrounded by 116,000 guestrooms, including more than 5,000 directly connected to the facility by pedestrian bridge. A broad offering of show management and exhibitor services, ranging from catering to telecommunications, are considered the finest in the convention industry.
The OCCC recognizes that event planners, exhibitors and attendees rely on its website to get the latest information about the center and surrounding district. In 2017, it updated its website with its target audience in the convention industry – ranging from attendees and exhibitors to show management and meeting planners – in mind.
The goal of this promotion was to build and launch an all-new website with the latest web standards and interactivity to offer a better experience for anyone who needs information about the facility. Located in the heart of Orlando’s tourism district, the Orange County Convention Center is a hub for constant activity, hosting a combination of trade shows, meetings and public-ticketed events.
To promote the new website, the OCCC developed an email campaign that teased the features of the website and what new look people could expect. This email campaign was sent out to previous, current and future clients. The new website launched in May 2017. Upgrades to the site resulted in a more responsive design so that it can be utilized on multiple platforms and devices. The site included an all-new interactive floor plan to help with navigation and provide virtual tours of the facility. Once the site was live, the promotion of the website continued with an ad campaign within industry publications.
“We now have the ability to communicate to our clients and visitors in real time on what is going on at the Orange County Convention Center,” said Yulita Osuba, Deputy Director for the OCCC. “The website continues to grow and promote facility features as well as what we offer our clients, exhibitors and attendees.”
The 2018 IAEE Art of the Show Competition is now underway – you have until 14 September 2018 to submit your entries! Check out all the winners from the 2017 competition.
