Meetings industry buyers and suppliers should mark their calendars for the three 2006 Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s (HSMAI) Affordable Meetings® shows…
Meetings industry buyers and suppliers should mark their calendars for the three 2006 Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s (HSMAI) Affordable Meetings® shows, the premier exposition qualified meeting planners and boasts an impressive 3-to-1 planner/exhibitor ratio for doing business.
The calendar for 2006 is as follows:
HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® Mid-America
March 29 – 30, 2006
Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® West
June 14 – 15, 2006
Long Beach Convention Center
Long Beach, CA
HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® National
Sept. 6 – 7, 2006
Washington Convention Center
Washington, D.C.
“We’ve been riding an extraordinary wave of success with sold-out events or outstanding attendance numbers throughout the entire year, and we anticipate that the 2006 program will yield equal if not more remarkable results,” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI.
The first show in the 2005 series, HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings Mid-America, a successful, sold-out event, welcomed 1,100 meetings planners, building momentum for a sensational year. The second event of the year, HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® West, marked an impressive eight percent increase in meeting planner attendance. Following suit, HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® National also saw an eight percent rise in attendance figures from the year prior.
Meeting and event planners attending HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® exposition and educational conferences represent a variety of organizations, with a majority from association, corporate and independent sectors. Attendance is free-of-charge for qualified meeting planners.
Each of the HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® events offers an exceptional educational component that presents a broad range of topics such as meeting contracts, on-site management, negotiation skills, budgeting, effective communication, technology, marketing, designing a brochure and more. As an added benefit, attendees receive a complimentary bound book containing handouts from all of the seminars.
One of the most appealing components of each HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® show is the diverse trade show featuring an abundance of properties and services at all price points. Exhibitors represent hotels and resorts, university conference centers, unique meeting sites, convention and visitor bureaus, transportation companies, trade publications, software and audio/visual businesses, and other meeting and convention suppliers.
Prepared to provide the best products and services, exhibitors assist planners by offering cost-effective meeting packages and enticing incentives.
In addition to a broad selection of destinations, hotels and services, the trade show floor features a Speaker’s Booth where meeting planners can liaise with industry experts. The HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® Bookstore, is 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. Travel and cash prizes, as well as drawings at many exhibitor booths remain popular attractions.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
