Exhibition Success Stories

Exhibition Success Stories are provided by meeting professionals on a voluntary basis. The recommendations may or may not be appropriate for every organization. Please consider your organization's policies prior to the implementation of the suggestions outlined below.

A summary of each success story is provided below. For more detailed information, click on the link at the end of each summary.

VNU Expositions, Inc.
Issue: Attendees staying in hotels outside the contracted convention hotel.
Success Story Solution: Initiating a mandatory shuttle pass for the event. The pass was distributed by the hotels upon check-in to individuals staying in the convention block. The pass (wristband) was worn or carried by participants during the 3-day shuttle. If the guest did not participate in the program, his/her options included taking a taxicab to the convention, purchasing a wristband, or changing a guest room reservation at the front desk to reflect that the individual was participating in the room block (to receive a wristband).
Click here for more details on this success story.

VNU Expositions, Inc.
Lisa V. Deck
Contract Administrator
14685 Avion Parkway Suite 400
Chantilly, VA 20151
ldeck@vnuexpo.com

This is a brief summary of the room block program initiative by one of our clients: VNU Expositions has a client that uses approximately 50 hotels in a citywide event. The event has shuttle service during event days only and is available only to guests of hotels participating in the block.

In reviewing the ridership reports from the shuttle company, it was determined that several of the outlying properties were picking up more attendees than the room block for the particular hotel. (Some people outside the block were taking the shuttle and the local participants were parking their vehicles and boarding the buses.)

The client made a conscientious decision to "force" people back into the contracted hotel block by initiating a mandatory shuttle pass for the event. The pass was distributed by the hotels upon check- in for individuals participating in the room block program. The pass (wristband) was worn or carried by the participants during the three-day shuttle. If the guest did not participate in the program, there were options, take a taxi-cab to the convention, purchase a wristband, or change the guest room reservation at the front desk to reflect that the individual was participating in the room block and then receive the wristband.

As a result, the group added one (1) motor coach to one of the thirteen routes. Although the final pickup report has not been published, we are confident that the numbers will be strong.