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EVENT RECAP CAEM Annual Conference Posts Record Attendance BY DANICA TORMOHLEN, contributing editor Halifax, NS – More than 150 attendees gathered to discuss industry trends at the Canadian Association of Exposition Manage- ment (CAEM) Annual Conference, held June 24-26 at the Westin Nova Scotian. Te 2012 Supplier Summit, a trade show held in conjunction with the conference, sold out with 41 exhibiting companies cover- ing 5,724 nsf. "Attendance in 2012 was down slightly from the 200 attendees in London, ON in 2011, but it's the highest attendance on record for a CAEM Annual Conference held outside of Ontario," said Serge Micheli, CAEM executive director. By comparison, the 2010 conference attracted 100 attend- ees when it was held in Kelowna, BC. Te show rotates from an Eastern prov- ince to the central province of Ontario and then to a Western province on a three-year cycle. "A majority of CAEM's membership is based in Ontario, so at- tendance is typically higher when the an- nual conference is held in Ontario," said Micheli. "Te 2012 trade show was also smaller in terms of space than last year because it was held in a hotel," he said. "We were limited by space, not demand." At the event, CAEM unveiled its two- year strategic plan for 2012-2014. "Te association will focus on leading Canada's vibrant events industry over the next three years," said Micheli. "We will be develop- ing industry best practices for Canada and producing research and statistics for the Canadian market." Sharing Best Practices Te annual conference featured three days of educational sessions on a wide variety of topics. Te conference kicked off with an opening keynote by Mark Jeffries, a former stockbroker turned communica- tions consultant and author of Creating the Perfect Event. Jeffries discussed using strategic communication to retain clients, motivate staff and grow profits. To ensure that new contacts become valued connections, Jeffries shared his three Rs of networking: Radar, recall and reward. "Within a week of meeting someone new, send an email to put your- self on their radar," said Jeffries. "Recall something they said to you when you met, and then offer up a reward, such as a cool website link." During the Executive Leadership Panel, industry leaders representing general contractors, facility operators, consumer show organizers and B-to-B show produc- ers discussed what keeps them up at night. Staffing and personnel continue to be criti- cal issues, particularly training the next generation of leaders. "Unrealistic entry- level expectations were discussed, along with the need to create more awareness about careers in the industry," said Micheli. At the hands-on workshop, "Engaging Beyond the Hype," Autom Tagsa, senior marketing specialist for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, spoke about defining your social media strategy. "A social media policy matters — a lot," said Tagsa. He said a clear direction is para- mount so that your staff is on the same page. Have your IT and legal depart- ments review the policy, he suggested. In addition, the conference featured six roundtable exchanges. Among the topics discussed: How to Grow Your Show in Rev- enue and Attendance; Customer Demands – 16 August 2012 | Trade Show Executive