BtoB Media Business - September 2010 - (Page 16)

Events Questex expands events EVENTS New exec VP looks to launch exclusive shows in multiple vertical markets Q Media Business: You are going to be focusuestex Media Group tasked new ing on expansion. What are your next steps? exec VP Philip McKay with accelMcKay: Directly after [launching Portals], erating the aggressive growth of we’re looking to launch a food and beverage the company’s appointment-based events event. Then we have a publication for golf suportfolio. perintendents, and we’re looking to Q&A The industry veteran has long do an event in that space, as well as been the champion of exclusive hospitality and beauty retail. We’re events, which bring top-level buyalso looking to do four more technolers and sellers together for netogy events in the information manworking, educational sessions and agement space under the Info360 one-on-one meetings—all set umbrella. We’re going to be busy. against a backdrop of leisure and of We are in so many verticals luxury hotels, paid for by vendors right now that we can launch 10 of that hope to build relationships PHILIP MCKAY these successfully in 2011 and Exec VP, that lead to sales. Questex Media keep on going. Some of the events The model has gained momen- Group that might be successful in the tum in the events industry and has United States, we are planning to been a natural fit for the Questex travel verti- bring over to Europe and also to Asia-Pacifcal, which launched its Incentive Travel Ex- ic. They would be easy brand extensions. change appointment-based series in 2005. We’re also looking into new verticals. We November will see the company’s Info360 believe that we will grow this hosted model brand introduce the Portals, the Content & to be a significant contributor to Questex. MB: How will these events work in conCollaboration summit in the technology space, and Questex also is poised to debut 10 junction with existing trade shows? new appointment-based events in existing McKay: Some of our launches will be and new verticals. [collocated] with our larger trade shows. Media Business caught up with McKay to We’re looking in the technology space at the talk about the popularity of the model, the AIIM and the On Demand shows. We will company’s goals and all the business plans have some aspect of the hosted model with he has been drafting. each of them and bring in that high-level perBY CHARLOTTE WOOLARD son who right now may not be going to that event. It will be a collocated event that will run as a standalone, but we will share some aspects. Attendees will be able to have private viewings of the show floor, have one-onone appointments with the bigger exhibitors and have shared content with keynotes. MB: What is the allure of the appointmentbased model, especially in an economy that has marketers second-guessing event spending? McKay: These events guarantee the audience to the vendors. They don’t [require] big booths. You take out about 60% of the spend the company would have at a large trade show. These events are easier to launch than a big trade show because you’re looking at smaller universes. Marketing costs go down, total exposure is much less. On the revenue side, they’re very scalable. You’re only spend is on access to the attendees so, if you do have 50 or 60 exhibitors, you’re getting up there revenue-wise too. Each year, [margins] get better. If you start off the first year in the 20% range, you’re doing well; but these events can work out well over 50% in years to come. They’re very profitable. The exhibitors pay the freight and cover the cost of the attendees. There’s quite a vetting process that an attendee has to go through. We have to make sure we have the right people with the right titles and the right responsibilities—and more important, that they are also ready to buy. I love talking about the buying and selling aspects of these events because you actually see people writing orders. SHOW SPOTLIGHT Licensing International Expo Producer: Advanstar Communications What: Annual event bringing together retail and manufacturing executives in the $191 billion licensing industry Where: Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas Date 2011: June 14–16 Date 2010: June 8–10 2010 floor space: 185,000 sq. ft. 2009 floor space: 176,000 sq. ft. No. of attendees in 2010: 18,000 No. of attendees in 2009: 15,300 No. of exhibitors in 2010: 400 No. of exhibitors in 2009: 375 Producer comment: “We put a lot of emphasis on attendance development and marketing this year,” said Georgiann Decenzo, exec VP-licensing and market development at Advanstar. “We knew we had to hit one out of the ballpark.” Exhibitor comment: “On the licensing side it’s primarily an opportunity to see face-to-face the retailers and licensees we work with day in and out,” said Barry Ziehl, a spokesman with Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “It’s an opportunity to meet, catch up and do some strategic planning together. It’s also a great way to put on display what our priorities are.” Breakdown: The show saw attendance rebound during the second year of its relocation to Las Vegas. The number of exhibitors also grew, as did square footage. Those numbers were buoyed by global consumer interest in branded retail products, Decenzo said. Advanstar developed a flexible marketing strategy that allowed organizers to hone their messages as they listened to audience feedback. Outreach for the first time included Web landing pages in six languages. The event grew its sports licensing and online gaming segments. —C.W. 16 | Media Business | September 2010 | mediabusinessonline.com http://www.mediabusinessonline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BtoB Media Business - September 2010

BtoB Media Business - September 2010
Contents
ABM/ANA Study Looks at Marketers’ Plans
Forecast Uncertain for B-to-B Media M&A Activity
New Delivery Channels Help Boost Revenue
Sales & Marketing
Audience Development
Events
Production
People
Benchmarks
Lessons to be Learned From General Patton

BtoB Media Business - September 2010