Issue link: https://tradeshowexecutive.epubxp.com/i/107551
"In the near future, we will also be able to help brands measure key factors, such as which products are getting the most interest, which products are most viewed, and which products are placed in look books," he said. 4 Reach Mike at (212) 951-6642 or malic@advanstar.com Targeted Attendee Program Drives Customer Value Several years ago, Reed Exhibitions launched an internal program to better market and service its bellwether exhibitors. Now the company is also focused on establishing sustainable relationships with attendee bellwethers and providing them with what they need from Reed events. "Tis is really more of a philosophy and strategy for all events," said Matt Logan, senior vice president marketing for Reed. "It's not like a VIP program where we decide who the VIP is. We ask exhibitors who are the most important buyers they would like to have at the event. We have been able to identify many new attendee buyers using this approach. It's a key diferentiator for our shows." Reed has 11 people dedicated to its Targeted Attendee Program (TAP), which launched with a handful of shows in 2011 and now includes the company's entire portfolio of U.S. events. "It's extremely targeted," said Logan. "Even for our largest shows, we are talking about less than 1,000 buyers." TAP champions work closely with exhibit sales reps to identify key buyers who exhibitors 5 want to see. For example, for the National Hardware Show, Reed identifes all of the companies in the universe and builds organizational charts for buyers in each segment. "We spend a lot of time building and maintaining relationships with these buyers before, during and afer the show," said Logan. Starting about eight weeks before the show, Reed sends weekly hot sheets with customized marketspecifc trend, research and product information for each key buyer segment. "It's also creating far deeper relationships with exhibitors because we can provide them with a deeper level of buyer intelligence and insight," said Logan. "We can tell them who's coming to the show and whether it's the buyer they want to see." Te program has driven customer value for both sides — exhibitors and attendees. "Satisfaction and loyalty numbers have gone up over last two to three years," said Logan. And so have costs for both marketing and experiential programs on site. While Logan declined to comment on the specifc cost of TAP, he said the cost per attendee is higher — in the low double-digits — because the universe is smaller and more challenging. "Te range is wide for each event," he said. Increase Engagement and Interaction At the RSA Conference for information security professionals, educational sessions are a key component of the event, driving attendance of more than 20,000. In fact, there are more than 275 educational sessions across 22 tracks scheduled for RSA Conference 2013, which will be held February 25-March 1 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. "Tere are typically about 1,400 submissions Continued on page 50 Reach Matt at (203) 840-5813 or mlogan@reedexpo.com Points and Papers. Educational content is critical at the RSA Conference. The association is working behind the scenes with new technology and session formats to keep presentations lively www.TradeShowExecutive.com | February 2013 49 and on time.