Thanks for the great comments and insight, Dave!

All of us that participated in this experiment with Google Wave are convinced that its collaborative nature is going to be one of its greatest features! I love your comments regarding the use of creative sponsorships to drive aisle traffic.

Part Three of this article series will be posted later today… stay tuned!

@michaelmccurry

For larger shows and association annual meetings, I think Mike and Sam are going down the right track. Most shows that rely on considerable sponsorship and exhibit revenue are pulling out all the stops to first deliver high quality buyers/influencers and secondarily to drive new unknown prospects. We’re seeing quite a few organizers adopt Hosted Buyer models to deliver high quality buyers and increase the potential of exhibitors being able to measure a positive return. Organizers are also exploring co-location and partnerships with other shows to improve aisle density and protect exhibit revenue.

I’m also seeing more big shows reaching out to their exhibitors more and more to help with audience acquisition. While a social media strategy can help with this, you need an army of loyal followers, exhibitors, staff & speakers to make a significant impact.

On Hybrid meetings, I think it makes a ton of sense to capture the live meeting experience and share it for those that could not or did not attend. To Mike’s point about “leaving the attendees wanting more” – Amen! The best meetings are where attendees are torn on which breakout to attend…you want to be in 2 or 3 places at once. Meetings that accomplish this, get more attendees from each organization the following year.

Looking forward to the balance of this series!

Dave Lutz – @velchain