Standards were designed to advance live events and better serve customers
SAN FRANCISCO (January 6, 2020) – Leaders in the events industry from CadmiumCD, EXPOCAD, Freeman, GES, Map Your Show and Personify A2Z Events have come together to establish unified exhibitor data elements meant to streamline operations and improve the customer experience.
Historically, event industry professionals have spent countless hours creating and cleaning dynamic exhibitor data sets, which often vary among technology solution providers. Due to the growing amount of data available, there is a pervasive need across the industry to quickly deliver information across the event experience in a way that is efficient, accurate, and consistent. New standards seek to eliminate the manual process of managing data sets, allowing teams to better meet customer needs and provide them with a more seamless experience. The standards will also drive efficiencies and accuracy across the entire event ecosystem.
The initiative will continue to evolve as companies work together for the greater good of the industry and seek to move it forward. Data is central to proving the value of events, and these standards will elevate the level of sophistication for measurement to better demonstrate ROI. Through continued collaboration, event industry leaders can create meaningful change that cannot be generated by individual organizations alone.
To learn more about these standards and how to get involved, please contact Donald Bishop, Sales Engineer, Freeman (Donald.Bishop@Freeman.com) or Robynn Coulter, Sr. Systems Analyst, GES (rcoulter@ges.com).
Quotes:
"The promotion of exhibitors and sponsors at an event is a critical source of revenue for many events,” said Michelle Wyatt, Co-Founder & CEO, CadmiumCD. “Being able to communicate that data exchange effectively by using these standards across a variety of platforms that attendees use as part of their experience is a requirement for any show to be effective in reaching their target audience."
“Quite literally 30 years ago, in 1989, I sat in a meeting in Atlanta of major trade show organizers and official service contractors to create data and layer standards. The only agreement was to disagree,” said Rich Stone, CEO, EXPOCAD®. “We are glad to be a part of this initiative and to see progress that has been a long time coming! This is a well-deserved step in the right direction for the trade show industry.”
“Collaborating on a set of standards has the potential to revolutionize how we work and grow as an industry to meet customer demands. These standards will alleviate ambiguity, guarantee quality of work and boost productivity,” said Danielle Puceta, Senior Vice President of Digital at Freeman. “We have demonstrated our commitment to seamlessly exchange data in an appropriate and secure manner through recent initiatives and this standardization effort is another step forward.”
“As a result of establishing industry standards for exhibitor data, we are able to better serve our clients by providing a seamless process to share exhibitor data,” said GES Chief Information Officer Rick Britton. “Going forward, the quality of data all parties receive will dramatically improve, providing clarity and increased productivity. GES is honored to take a leading role in this industry initiative.”
“Creating standards for exhibitor information is a win for the entire industry,” said Don Kline, CEO, Map Your Show. “This seemingly small step makes putting on events more efficient and allows all vendors to focus on what’s important – the actual event.”
“We are thrilled to be part of establishing industry standards for managing exhibitor data,” said Roger Price, General Manager for Personify A2Z Events. “Our clients increasingly expect a seamless experience for their attendees, exhibitors and sponsors across channels. Creating standards that support interconnectivity across the show floor, mobile devices and website portals allows them to focus more time on creating exceptional experiences and less time managing technology. The implementation of these standards will help us and our clients deliver on that promise.”
Media Contacts:
Lea Lashley
Global External Communications Director, Freeman
214-543-8285
lea.lashley@freeman.com
Detra Page
Senior Manager of Corporate Communications, GES
702-591-3786
DPage@ges.com
About Exhibitor Data Standards Joint Group
Events industry leaders from CadmiumCD, EXPOCAD, Freeman, GES, Map Your Show and Personify A2Z Events formed a group to address the need for unified exhibitor data standards. These new standards seek to eliminate the manual process of managing data sets, allowing teams to better meet customer needs and provide them with a more seamless experience. The initiative will continue to evolve as companies work together for the greater good of the industry and seek to move it forward. To learn more about these standards and how to get involved, please contact Donald Bishop, Sales Engineer, Freeman (Donald.Bishop@Freeman.com) or Robynn Coulter, Sr. Systems Analyst, GES (rcoulter@ges.com) .