By Mary Tucker | Sr. Communications & Content Manager | IAEE
Ray Baum has served on the IAEE Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter Board of Directors since January 2019. His combined attitude and willingness to further the industry have been crucial in the chapter’s successful efforts to provide relevant, well-organized events and increased sponsorship dollars.
Ray’s contributions include creating new programs and enhancing existing programs which have directly engaged new chapter members and opportunities for learning; championing efforts for the IAEE DFW Chapter’s sponsorships programs; and generating record attendance at several chapter events. In addition to serving on the IAEE DFW Board, he has served as the IAEE Southwest Chapter Director of Marketing and Communications as well as on numerous IAEE committees for education, including the Expo! Expo! Advisory Committee.
Ray’s commitment to helping his chapter succeed earned him the IAEE Chapter Merit Award last year, for which he was recognized this past December during Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Dallas, Texas (watch Ray’s acceptance speech here).
Here, Ray shares with IAEE how his experience in the radio and music industries shaped his ability to connect with people, and how the IAEE DFW Chapter succeeds at creating fun and engaging events that keep their members coming back for more, year over year.
What drew you to exhibitions and events, and what do you find most fulfilling about your career in this industry?
Ray: Like many people I know, I got into the industry accidentally. Prior to 2001, I had been entrenched in the radio and records world when a new technology emerged, the MP3. I saw the writing on the wall. The label I was working for was a compilation label, which means they make their money putting out compilation and greatest hit releases of existing songs. They started downsizing as sales literally dropped overnight because people could now download their music from Napster and other sites.
Needing a job, my wife told me about an opening within a company at her office. That job ended up being at ListeNation, the first company to ever introduce voicemail broadcasting to the trade show world. We were thriving in the mortgage and automotive industries and then came the “Do Not Call” list, which forced our hand to find clients who had B2B relationships. We had one small association client – or that’s what we thought – AEM, and decided to do a little research. That’s when we found IAEM (now IAEE). I started a conversation with Jeff Ducate and Susan Brower way back then and from there, the rest is history.
What motivated you to take on serving in a chapter leadership position, and what has been your favorite part about it?
Ray: As a newbie in the industry, I really hadn’t a clue about all the nuances that went into building a trade show. So, I had taken it upon myself to learn what I could from my peers and find the resources which were readily available. I was a member of the IAEE Southwest Chapter, so I volunteered to join the Events Committee. From there, I eventually accepted the MARCOMM Director position on the board. What was satisfying from a professional standpoint was getting an invaluable education from all the seasoned professionals I was now engaging with. But personally, my favorite part was watching the chapter grow event after event.
Fast forward to 2019 when I joined the IAEE Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter Board. I was able to take what I learned from the Southwest Chapter and apply it to DFW. We track attendance at every event we hold, and to witness the same results over the past five years has been incredible. Even with the onset of COVID, the chapter has continued to grow, sponsorships are up and member satisfaction is high. And it all started with jumping on a committee.
You have been commended for your ability to network. What words of wisdom can you share for those who would like to be better at growing their network and/or engaging with their colleagues more effectively?
Ray: Thank you for the compliment. This is a great question. The best answer I can provide here is this: when attending events with co-workers, don’t stand around and talk to your co-workers. You can see them whenever you want to. If it is a true networking function, walk away from them and find someone new, or, find a colleague and ask them to introduce you to someone they may know that you would like to meet.
A great icebreaker – and I still do this today – is to walk up to someone and say, “Hi xxx, what do you do, where are you from?” I know it seems a bit obvious and remedial, but with those two questions, you will get a lot of info. Even in just the basic answers, you’ll know if they are a competitor, potential client, partner or just a colleague. You’ll also get an idea of where they are from, and here’s the kicker, hear if they have any particular accent. All of these elements come into play when I meet someone for the first time. You can ask any of my current and former colleagues how many times I can pick out a Jersey accent and strike up a conversation.
Your peers also applaud you for being so successful in enticing members to participate in chapter activities. Where do you find inspiration for the programs you create and what does the future hold for the DFW chapter?
Ray: I think this comes from my ADHD! In the 70’s, ADHD was referred to as hyperactive, and yes, that’s me to a “T.” Back then they blamed it on the Cocoa Krispies I used to have for breakfast because they didn’t know any better. LOL! The hardest thing for me to do as a kid was to sit still. And my wife will tell you, that exists even to this day. So, needless to say, we try to find locales that can hold a person’s (and my) attention.
When we are planning our events, I try to include some element of fun or creativity that will get people to want to come to the next event and the same event next year. We’ve all gone to “Lunch & Learns” where an educational session is provided along with some overcooked chicken or something similar, and that’s what we try to avoid. When we plan events, we try to find locations that have their own uniqueness which we hope will inspire our attendees to think about hosting their own event there. It accomplishes two goals: the first being that it keeps the event fresh. Our “Craft & Draft” events are quite successful and we’ve held them at several local breweries, each with their own twist on craft beverages. Secondly, it shows the sponsor how much we value their participation by drawing attention to their willingness to think outside the box as well. And now that I think of it, there may be a third benefit as we’ve also increased awareness to the location provider. We held an event a couple of years back at a local property that people are still telling us that they go to quite frequently. So there’s that too.
Moving into the future, our chapter faces a good problem. There are several schools which now provide degrees in event management and we’re starting to see the students at our events. We’re lucky to have Professor MT Hickman in our chapter, so she’s always sharing information and ideas with us about what’s important to the next generation of event specialists. With the increased awareness of upcoming trends, adopting new technologies as a way to engage our chapter, and trying to stay ahead of the curve, the bottom line is we hope to become one of the most active chapters in the association.
