It may be difficult to get the "cream of the crop" to attend events, but for seven years, the Exhibition and Convention Executives Forum (ECEF), has been doing just that. Each year, this event for C-level attendees only has attracted consistently higher attendance numbers and is growing at a rate of 17 percent per year. According to Sam Lippman, ECEF founder and producer, marketing a conference to the C-suite requires a distinct set of strategies.

Lippman and his founding partner Michael Hough launched ECEF after they "realized there was no place for association and independent executives in the industry to come together and discuss best practices or exchange ideas," Lippman said. "ECEF was created to provide an opportunity for executives from all sides of the industry to gather to improve the industry."

Here's how the conference attracts high-level movers and shakers.

Creating an Attractive Event
Because Lippman personally selects each speaker, each year's lineup offers content that is timely, pertinent, and aimed specifically at the audience of convention industry chief executives. "I put together a meeting that would be interesting to me," Lippman said. "I make sure that content is original, and I review each speaker's presentation in advance to make sure that it's on point for our audience."

Speakers and presentations at ECEF are often quite different from those at other industry events, as attendees frequently note on post-event surveys. For instance, at last year's event, executives from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security discussed visas, a topic of concern among event organizers targeting international attendees.

To ensure that valuable networking opportunities won't be compromised, Lippman maintains a ratio of five attendees to every one sponsor. "Attendees know that they won't just be talking to people who are trying to sell something, but they'll almost always be talking to a colleague," he said.

The conference schedule is divided evenly: 50 percent of the time is spent in sessions, and 50 percent of the time is for networking. And there are no e-mail stations in the lobby. "Although lots of people still check their BlackBerry, the message is that they're here to be talking to the CEOs right next to them, not to be worrying about what's going on back at the office."

And Lippman makes sure that everyone in the room is worth talking to. "For this conference, you don't register, you have to qualify to attend." To meet the conference's strict eligibility requirements, attendees must be employed by an organization (association or independent) that directly owns and produces one or more exhibitions/conventions, and must be at a strategic, decision-making (principal or VP) level in an organization that owns and produces events. No more than two attendees from each event-producing organization may attend in one year.

ECEF lasts only one evening and one workday. Lippman also surveys attendees two weeks before the event and polls them five or six times during the event to obtain fresh, actionable data that can be incorporated into the conference.

Innovative Meetings Take Away

ECEF uses these growth strategies:

• Content. Lippman reviews each speaker's presentation in advance to ensure it's on point. uratio. With five attendees to every one sponsor, attendees won't be talking to salespeople, but to a colleague.
• FIFTY/FIFTY. Half the time is spent in sessions; the other half, networking.
• QUALIFY. Attendees qualify to attend.
• RESTRICT. No more than two attendees from each organization may attend in one year. 
• RESPECT TIME. ECEF lasts one evening and one workday.
• Survey. Attendees are surveyed two weeks before the event; polled five or six times at the event.

Editor's Note: Part 2 of this will appear in the May issue. Contributing Editor Nancy Mann Jackson is a freelance writer in Birmingham, Ala. The Innovative Meetings column is sponsored by the Irving, Texas Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.irving texas.com.