Our 2016 Trade Show is "New and Improved" for Vendors!

To our Innkeeping Industry Partners, My most important message:  We heard you! The 2016 Trade Show will be improved for YOU! First of all, I’m pleased to be the Conference Manager for the 2016 conference and show – and I am very excited to make improvements on the trade show, in particular. As some of you know, I was on “your side of the table” in my previous life – as a manufacturer, my company exhibited in about 30 shows every year. So, I do understand your challenges, and I intend to do everything I can to make the 2016 show successful for all of us. Here are some of the improvements we already have planned: More days of trade show! The trade show will open on Monday, January 11 at 3 pm – so, for many attendees, this will be the first activity. (There may be a pre-conference workshop going on, but for those who are arriving that day,this will definitely be their first stop.) In addition, the Welcome reception will be held in the exhibit hall, so that even those who attend the pre-conference workshop will be sure to join us on the trade show floor around 5:30. Longer hours! We heard you – that while serving lunch in the exhibit hall does draw the Innkeepers in, there was not enough time for lunch and visiting booths. So, we will extend the dedicated trade show time for one more hour on both Tuesday and Wednesday. This means we will be starting the conference programming earlier each morning and shortening the breakouts by a few minutes in order to provide this extra time for trade show. Enhanced vendor listings in the Conference Program with a brief explanation of what your business offers, not just your company name. More advance communication with Innkeepers and registered attendees – such as December emails with enhanced vendor listings that encourage Innkeepers to make appointments. We will be forming a Conference Community Committee soon – and I encourage you to volunteer. The purpose of this committee is to create ways to make the conference and trade show more cohesive and to build more of an inclusive industry community – let’s get innovative! This industry is small and we all need each other to thrive…you value the Innkeepers as your customers and Innkeepers cannot run their businesses without reliable suppliers like you. We are grateful for your past support, and we truly hope you’ll be part of our “new and improved 2016 Innkeeping Conference & Trade Show! Please do not hesitate to send me your comments, questions or ideas – I look forward to working with you to make the biggest and best show ever. And, don’t forget our Early Bird promotion for trade show booths running now through June 10.  Buy now for the best possible price. http://www.innkeepingshow.com/exhibitor-information to register. See you in Austin! Sincerely, Ruth Ann Hattori, Conference Manager