Quality, Not Quantity for MANTS

EVENT: Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS)

2008 MEETING (January 9-11):
MANTS has had an average 5 percent annual increase in booked hotel rooms for the past three years; and a 96 percent exhibitor retention rate. "Other shows have education, speakers, demonstrations that take people off of the show floor. The MANTS philosophy is to be exhibitor-focused and attendee-driven," said Vanessa Finney, executive vice president.

CHALLENGE/INITIATIVE: As a private show not open to the general public, MANTS focuses on providing an environment where companies come to do business with other companies. That focus on buyers means discouraging certain attendance trends.

"We have always said that we would rather have 10,000 qualified buyers on the show floor, than 14,000 people roaming the halls," Finney said. "We believe that attendance is measured by quality not quantity." Rather than CFOs sending staff members to receive their professional certification, MANTS wants the CFOs to come themselves. Organizers market the show as a place where companies will make sales, not merely contacts.

MLA's Struggles With Bloggers

EVENT: Modern Language Association (MLA) Convention

2007 MEETING (December 27-30):
Attendance spiked slightly in Chicago, an increase that organizers believe might be related to an improved job market. With a large number of students and schools that interview at the convention, the job market plays a significant role in attendance.

CHALLENGE: The rise in popularity of blogging/proliferation of bloggers has led to blurry lines when it comes to media.

"Bloggers want to be treated the same as the standard press," said Maribeth Kraus, CMP, MLA director of convention programs. So in terms of pricing, access, and space, the question of just where bloggers fall in the media spectrum has sparked new and complicated discussions.

INITIATIVE: "We are struggling with these questions relative to next year's meeting," Kraus said. So far the MLA has decided to offer bloggers a separate pressroom that they can use to interview people. Since many MLA members themselves blog, the association is not offering press passes to the bloggers. With some mainstream press like The Chronicle of Higher Education, which has print and blogs, all members of the group are treated as traditional press.

SPECIAL REPORT: Atlanta
In 2007, Atlanta hosted 15 more citywide events and 39,315 room nights than in 2006. As of January 2008, the city has booked 56 citywide events (eight more than 2006) and 936,376 room nights (12,297 more than 2006). And by 2010, Atlanta will welcome more than 10 new hotels. Q Sporting events have been particularly successful: In the past two years Atlanta hosted the 2007 NCAA Men's Final Four and the 2008 NHL All-star Game. Business wins can be attributed to the existing infrastructure (Georgia Dome, Georgia World Congress Center, hotels, and attractions), as well the city's history of hosting similar events like Super Bowl XXVIII (1994), Super Bowl XXXIV (2000), the 2002 Men's NCAA Final Four basketball championship, and the 2003 NCAA Women's Final Four.