COMMENTS
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Vegan as an Economical
Choice
I enjoyed your December issue, as usual,
and although I was unable to attend
PCMA’s Convening Leaders in Vancouver, I was heartened to read about the
new “Wellness Track.” In fact, I’ve been
seeing wellness overtake green meetings as a key component to meeting
planning lately.
So I was a bit surprised that your
F&B article on dealing with rising food
costs [ convn.org/f-and-b-costs] made
no mention of offering more vegan
options. Meat- and dairy-free meals are
healthier, they leave a smaller carbon
footprint, and can be produced more
economically. Not only that, but as
someone who has been eating vegan for
more than two years now, I can attest
that my “special meal” is often the envy
of those around me.
Julie Epplett, CMP, Global Account Manager,
ConferenceDirect
Editor’s Note: Great comment, Julie.
While we have written about accommodating attendees’ special dietary requirements (including a write-up of a session
that addressed this topic at Convening
Leaders 2016 —
convn.org/diet-chal-lenge), we haven’t approached adding
vegan options from an economical standpoint. Thank you for that insight.
PCMA@CATALYST
More Magnetic Expos
Alexandra Smith, a student at Purdue
University–Indianapolis (IUPUI),
recently reached out to the Catalyst
community with a question about a
company where she worked as an intern.
“The company has an annual convention
every year, and we are trying to come
up with ways to attract the attendees
to the exhibit hall. This was truly a
struggle last year,” Smith wrote. “The
attendees of this conference also bring
their children, so it can be something
family-friendly as well (although this is
not required). Any suggestions would be
greatly appreciated!”
I have a contest in our exhibit hall every
year. You have to visit X number of exhibitors and get a sticker [at each]. Once
you have received [a certain] number of
stickers, you are entered into a drawing
for a prize. I usually spend around $200
on the prize, which has ranged from a
Kindle to a camera to gas cards. Sometimes, depending on their prices, I offer
two gifts. We do tell people, however, that
they can’t send their children to get the
stickers, because it’s unfair to the exhibitors. They can, however, make it a joint
venture with Mom or Dad!
Wanda Calvin Claiborne, CMP, Director of
Meetings, Maryland State Bar Association
While we have similar issues attracting
people to exhibit halls during our conference, a great draw for a hall in which
families may attend are giant-sized versions of games. Kids can be entertained
for hours with giant chess, Jenga, Connect Four, and similar games.
Make-it-yourself food stations are
a draw as well, such as an ice-cream-sundae bar, trail-mix bar, etc. Finally, if
you have the funds or the sponsorship,
“Build-a-Bear” setups are a huge draw in
expo halls.
Kahlee Yeldell, Conference and Events
Manager, Council on Foundations
Giveaways, raffles, games, and F&B in the
exhibit hall always attract attendance. At
my previous association, our expo dou-
bled as a reception, with each attendee
receiving two drink tickets. We also put
together a passport game where attend-
ees visited every booth and received a
stamp for their time. Completed pass-
ports were entered into a drawing.
You could also foster learning on
the show floor by planning short, fun
presentations that aren’t available else-
where in your program.
You could consider adding a theme,
such as a luau. That’s fun for families!
Sarah Bigorowski, Training Communications
and Event Manager, ClickDimensions
One of our clients offered child care for
attendees, so they were free to attend
sessions and the expo hall. In addition,
they set up gamification with our event
app, where attendees have to do a scavenger hunt for QR codes throughout
the venue. One of the QR codes was
right at the expo entrance to collect
points for visiting the expo.
Silke Fleischer, Co-Founder, ATIV Software/
EventPilot conference app
Have phone-charging stations located
throughout the hall, plus have some
popcorn popping, as the aroma attracts
people. Also, have a bit of lively, not
loud, music playing. People will want to
know what all the buzz is about.
Norma Charette, Director of Conference
Sales – West, Campus Conference Solutions
PCMA@CATALYST
How to Listen
I attended a great local sales event this
week, and one of the presentations was
about listening. The speaker presented
a great message, and it was a reminder
to not just listen but to hear what the
person has to say. Much of what she
said was a refresher and a reminder. I
find I need those from time to time!
The one item that really struck me
‘Meat- and dairy-free meals are healthier, they
leave a smaller carbon footprint, and can be
produced more economically.’
