HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® Mid-america Offers Exclusive Customer Connections; Welcomes Notable First-time Exhibitors

MCLEAN, VA | Affordable Meetings Mid-America® (www.affordablemeetings.com), taking place April 11-12, 2008 at Chicago’s Navy Pier, known as a key venue for networking capabilities between suppliers and meeting professionals, will be welcoming a variety of new and notable exhibitors for the first time as a result of the reputation and past success of the show.

Schedule enhancements including new exposition hours and networking luncheons (scheduled for both days of the show) further highlight this extraordinary trade exposition. An electronic copy of the exhibitor brochure can be viewed at http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/hsmai/2008_accessmore.

Companies seeking to target quality meeting planners through one of the most highly-regarded trade expositions in the industry are encouraged to register now as booth space is still available for the eighth annual Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s (HSMAI) Affordable Meetings Mid-America show.

“We’ve attended HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings for more than 10 years. We love it. The meeting planners who come to this show are a big part of our meeting plan. We wouldn’t miss it,” said Ken Haas, Sales Executive, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Exhibitors can tap into an exceptional resource of meeting and event planners that are serious about conducting business and gathering information on venues and services. Over 1,000 meeting and event planners from a variety of organizations, representing corporate, association and independent sectors as well as government, non-profit, education, religious and medical/health care organizations, trade show management and the military, are expected to attend.

“It is an excellent opportunity to meet with meeting planners from the corporate, association and government markets. We’ve had excellent responses and booked several meetings from opportunities we received at Affordable Meetings,” said Paula Zimmer, Senior Sales Manager, San Jose Marriott.

New For 2008

For added value and networking opportunities during the exposition, a complimentary networking luncheon will be held each day of the show to further enhance relationships among exhibitors and planners.

New exposition hours: 12:30 – 3:00 pm on Wednesday (April 9) and 12:15 – 2:30 pm on Thursday (April 10), provide unopposed time for attendees to walk the expo floor increasing earning potential for exhibitors.

Additional Benefits Companies that choose to exhibit during HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings Mid-America program will benefit from the following:

• $600 discount for HSMAI members (one staff member of the applicant’s firm must be an active member of HSMAI and based at the address to which the contract is mailed)
• Free electronic post-show attendee list, including demographic information, profiles of attendees, and extensive contact information
• Exhibiting HSMAI members receive expedited on-site registration and member recognition badges
• Inclusion in an extensive marketing campaign featuring direct mail and comprehensive broadcast e-mails, reaching over 95,000 planners
• Complimentary promotional brochures
• A free listing in the official show directory and online directory
• A comprehensive booth package to help minimize on-site costs
• Automatic entry in “Best Booth Awards Program”
• Three (3) exhibitor badges per booth included in the exhibit fee
• 3:1 planner/exhibitor ratio
• Pre-show attendee lists at a bargain price
• Networking opportunities

Exhibitors at HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings Mid-America show will include hotels and resorts, university conference centers, unique meeting sites, convention and visitor bureaus, cruise lines, transportation companies, trade publications, software and audio/visual businesses, and other meeting and convention suppliers.

The exposition at HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings Mid-America provides over 37,000 square feet of exhibit space and will feature more than 320 booths representing over 300 companies.

New Companies Join Exhibition Line-Up

Evidence of its reputation for a powerful ‘return on investment’ for participants, the line-up for this year’s event will showcase a variety of new and notable suppliers including: Ghirardelli Chocolates; Biz Bash; Hooter’s Casino Hotel ; Shula's Hotel & Golf Club; IHG Latin America; Divi Resorts; Worktopia Inc.; Fitzgerald Casino; Las Vegas Monorail; Exceptional Specialty Promotions.

Beyond a broad selection of destinations, hotels and services at all price points, the exhibition will feature a Mid-America Affordable Meetings Bookstore offering a one-stop shopping source for attendees to find the most up-to-date publications and resource materials focusing on the needs of meeting planners at every level of experience, as well as a complete line of CMP study materials.

The exposition also offers opportunities for planners to meet one-on-one with industry experts at the Speakers Corner and research a broad selection of destinations and services at all price points.

Prizes, Prizes, Prizes – For Exhibitors and Planners!

For the third consecutive year, HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings will be conducting its “Best Booth Awards Program” to acknowledge those vendors who show exemplary efforts in targeting and enticing attendees. Categories to be recognized for single and multiple booths include: Best Overall Booth and Best On-Site Booth Promotion and Marketing. Winners will be announced and prizes awarded during the show.

Generous cash and other prizes, as well as drawings at many exhibitor booths, remain popular attractions.

Rounding out the program for meeting planners is an outstanding educational component that will feature 15 seminars and five in-depth workshops that present a broad range of topics such as meeting contracts, site selection, negotiation skills, budgeting, effective communication, food and beverage selections, technology, marketing and more.

Attendance at HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® Mid-America is free-of-charge for qualified meeting planners, defined as those who work full-time, part-time, or as decision-making volunteers for corporations, associations, independent planning businesses, or other active organizations.

Other shows for 2008 include: HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® West, (returns to Southern California), June 11-12, 2008, Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, and HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® National – Sept. 10-11, 2008, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.

HSMAI, George Little Management (GLM), and Alliance Consulting Strategies (ACS) will collaborate to produce the Event Technology Expo™ (ETE) at HSMAI’s 2008 Affordable Meetings National. ETE will be the first large-scale event dedicated to addressing all aspects of technology as it relates to tradeshows, meetings, and special events.

For exhibitor information, contact Beth Petersen, show manager, GLM, a dmg world media business, phone (804) 261-3929; fax (804) 918-1547; e-mail: beth_petersen@glmshows.com. Attendee information is available by calling 1-800-272-SHOW. Additional information and a complete program schedule can be obtained by visiting the show’s website at www.affordablemeetings.com.

HSMAI's MEET Mid-America 2012 3-4 April 2012 Navy Pier United States - Chicago, IL More Information | Website