SISO CEO Summit: Who's Who of For-profit Trade Show Industry Will Gather April 8-11 on Kiawah Island, S.C.

March 30, 2013

If last year’s SISO CEO Summit is any indication, with a 17-percent attendance jump from the year before, then this year’s event, on tap April 8-11 at The Sanctuary Kiawah Island Golf Resort South Carolina, is shaping up to be the place to be for the who’s who of the for-profit trade show industry.  

Several hundred C-level executives, as well as suppliers and invited guests, will take part in not only two days of education sessions, but also several networking events, including dinners, golf tournament and more.

“With so many new members and so many that are Global, attendees will take away great content from the new business model, featuring pricing as part of the customer value proposition, to networking and determining how one can extend their brand beyond their own borders through networking and meeting decision makers from South America to Asia,” said Lew Shomer, SISO’s executive director.

He added, “It’s the one place in the Industry where the future strategic nature of the business is revealed and all the top people are there to make it happen.”

The event kicks off with an opening reception and dinner before getting down to business the next morning with the tradition of having everyone in the room introduce themselves, followed by Denzil Rankine from AMR International talking about defining the value of exhibitions and another session led by Rankine – “The Customer Value Proposition, Business Model Change or Innovative Experiment session” – in which the heads of Reed Exhibitions North America, jwc gmbh and UBM Asia will take part.

The rest of the day is packed full of sessions. Here is a sampling of what’s in store:

·         The Value of Content in Creating New Markets – presented by  Mark Sullivan, president of Formula 4 Media

·         Presentation of the Annual CEIR Index by CEIR President and CEO Doug Ducate

·         A panel discussion that includes several mobile app suppliers, “Investing in Mobile Apps, ROI or Wasted Expense?”

Besides the ones already mentioned, there are other sessions on the first day focused on Crowd-sourced festivals and hosted-buyer events before everyone heads to another reception and dinner, followed by an Afterglow event.

The next morning starts off with a session highlighting the value of travel presented by the U.S. Travel Association, as well as a joint UFI/SISO session - Understanding the Value of Emerging Markets – with several industry leaders.

The education sessions wrap up with looking at what kind of buyer/seller companies are – “Market Smackdown: Strategics vs. Financials. Realizing the best value for events companies” followed by Rankine summarizing what transpired during the event.

That afternoon, attendees have the choice of golfing, playing tennis, croquet, bocce ball or sailing, with another evening filled with more networking at drinks and dinner.

For a full schedule of events please visit www.SISO.org.

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