Due to the enhanced negative realities of COVID-19, the in-person portion of the 2020 International Association of Exhibitions and Events’ (IAEE) Expo! Expo! has been cancelled. In its place, IAEE will host a virtual event with many of the same show elements.
“In light of current health and safety concerns, the board has unanimously decided to transition this face-to-face event to a wholly virtual experience,” says IAEE chair, Bob McLean. “With this decision, the board and staff have recommitted our efforts to deliver the same high-quality event you have come to expect from IAEE.”
To take place Dec. 8-10, the virtual Expo! Expo! will feature a robust buyer experience with multiple ways to network with other attendees and exhibitors through chats and messaging functionality; a buyer resource centre housing important content spanning more than 60 product/service categories through case studies, product demos and research papers; and an exhibitor marketplace to conduct business for 2021 and beyond.
Relevant and timely content for planning future events will be presented through five education tracks: virtual event production; wellness and personal development; young professionals; an executive experience; and safely reopening exhibitions and events. Sixty-five sessions will be pre-recorded followed by live Q&A discussions, including the IAEE Asia forum. Additionally, specialty content will be featured over three days along with elements from the in-person show, including a tech theatre presenting technology use cases and new product pitches, and industry icon interviews through news and views theatre.
Key face-to-face activities will also be transformed into virtual activations for summit club, chapter leaders, newcomer orientations and more.
“While our core mission is to bring buyers and sellers together face-to-face, we are utilizing the Swapcard platform to deliver valuable content to plan future events while also providing an engaging marketplace to meet and make plans for 2021 and beyond,” says IAEE president and CEO, David DuBois.
Registration for the virtual event is $299 US for IAEE members and $499 US for non-members.
