ETE is being developed as the first large-scale event fully dedicated to all aspects of technology as it relates to tradeshows, meetings and special events. ETE will be integrated into Affordable Meetings® National as a ‘show within a show.’

“We are delighted to be hosting a combined audience of exhibition organizers, association and corporate meeting planners, and special events producers,” stated Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI. “All of these groups are intent upon maintaining and enhancing their respective events and client relationships by using the latest tech tools designed specifically for the events industry. Finally, there will be a cost-effective marketplace for vendors to meet all of these groups in an atmosphere designed to foster business and education,” he added.

“ETE will be produced to the same high educational standards and rigorous business focus that have become the primary cornerstones of Affordable Meetings®. Starting with our base of leading meeting planners who traditionally attend Affordable Meeting®, we expect our expanded audience to reach a total of more than 2,000 decision makers over the course of the show,” Gilbert continued.

Gilbert also noted that while that number does not include exhibitor personnel, many of those firms, such as hotels and conventions centers, are also adopting event-related tech products to interact with their clients on a 365-day-per-year basis.

ETE will address a pressing need throughout all of these industries – tradeshow, meetings and special events – according to Jack Withiam, executive vice president of GLM and co-chair of the ETE Conference Advisory Board. “When I speak with my peers throughout the industry, as well as my associates across the 50-plus GLM shows, it’s clear that a comprehensive and intensive educational forum combined with a full-scale, hands-on product exhibition is needed to assist managers in the process of making mission-critical decisions that will affect their events and bottom line for years to come,” stated Withiam. “Recent press editorials have also underscored this need, and I foresee it intensifying as new technologies and applications continue to be introduced into the market,” he continued.

Rob Weissman, president of Alliance Consulting Strategies, and one of the original developers of Affordable Meetings®, will also be involved in the planning and production of ETE. “ETE will feature a full, two-day expo and conference format,” stated Weissman.

“In terms of event technology, anything less than two days is just too short to do justice to the market addressed. We plan a multi-track conference program that will be rich with timely content and practical information. Further, the Technology Expo will occupy a special area on the exhibit floor, and its layout will be specially designed to maximize buyer interaction with all of the products showcased. The tangible features of the tech products and services on display will lend itself to the “experiential” nature that is planned for the show,” added Weissman.

He also went on to point out that the well-publicized “graying” of the tradeshow and meetings participant universe should be a vital concern to all event organizers. The “Web 2.0” and social networking products that will be explained and demonstrated at ETE will become vital tools in addressing and attracting the new generation of business professionals.

ETE’s organizers emphasized the importance of the conference program. As a result of the product complexity, continuing evolution and innovation, and overlapping features and terminology, there is an acute need on the part of buyers for a comprehensive forum providing practical education combined with a full exhibition allowing product analysis and comparison. They cite that HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® has always been structured as a strict business and educational event. That mandate, combined with the input from the ETE Advisory Board, will ensure that the conference at the ETE achieves the same standard for excellence established during the past eighteen years by Affordable Meetings®.

In order to avoid the common pitfall of a “one size fits all” program, the conference at ETE will feature both introductory and overview educational sessions each day (included in the seven concurrent sessions to be offered at Affordable Meetings® National), but there will also be advanced sessions targeting best practices for specific event technologies and applications.

In keeping with the Affordable Meetings® model, the expo and conference will be free to all qualified industry participants. The organizers are designing ETE to be the first event of its kind to feature a comprehensive, domestic and international promo campaign designed to ensure participation of all audience segments. By show time, ETE will generate more than one million impressions to the target audience via digital and traditional media. The strength and magnitude of the attendee promotion has always been viewed as a critical counterpart to the quality of the conference and scope of Affordable Meetings®. For the premier of ETE, the organizers are planning an extremely aggressive campaign, both in-house, and in concert with their multi-industry association and media sponsors, so that all qualified attendees understand and appreciate the exceptional value of the show.

For more info contact, please contact Rob Weissman, president, Alliance Consulting Strategies, at (212)-679-9212 or e-mail raw@acsb2b.com, or Beth Petersen show manager, HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings®, George Little Management LLC at (804)-261-3929 or e-mail beth_petersen@glmshows.com.