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Thomas J. Petrella Appointed Vice President, National Accounts, Nth Degree

March 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Thomas J. Petrella Appointed Vice President, National Accounts, Nth Degree
Industry Veteran to Help Strengthen Sales Leadership Team

For more information:
Elise Simons
404-296-5282
esimons@nthdegree.com

ATLANTA, GA/March 08, 2013/Business Wire/ – Nth Degree, a leading full-service global event marketing and labor management company, has expanded its sales leadership team with the appointment of Thomas J. Petrella as Vice President, National Accounts. In this role, Petrella will provide strategic account management of Nth Degree’s top national client accounts and will also support sales activities and new business development efforts in key industries and markets.

Scott Bennett, EVP, Client Services, said, “Our toughest business challenge is finding the right people to add to our team. Tom was a long-time client and friend to our company for many years. He works hard and may be one of the most humble people I know. He is a person that understands that small gestures can make something better.”

Petrella has managed numerous high-profile marketing, trade show and public outreach marketing projects and has more than 25 years of executive-level marketing and communications leadership experience. As a former Partner with Avalon Exhibits, Petrella’s primary focus was on client development, product promotion, and creative sales strategy. For the past 6 years, Petrella has served the event and trade show industry leading business development efforts at Remline Corporation, a promotions and marketing communications firm based in Newark, DE that helps companies execute marketing programs.

In addition to Petrella’s client-focused responsibilities, he will also offer additional leadership to Nth Degree’s national sales team and support efforts to develop and implement new opportunities through both direct and indirect channels. He will also participate in long-range planning for product improvements, additional service offerings and further evolution of the company’s international operations.

“Nth Degree is a group of hard working people that care about each other and their clients. Somehow throughout the years, they never lost sight of this simple idea. They are a leader, have a strong management team and I’m humbled to be joining this team,” said Petrella.

Nth Degree, based in Atlanta, GA, is one of the world’s leading face-to-face marketing companies. The company offers event and trade show marketing and management, and installation and dismantle services worldwide to more than 1,100 domestic and multinational clients and supports more than 7,500 proprietary events, trade shows, and event marketing projects annually. Nth Degree has 21 North American offices, including all major convention cities, and offices in England, Germany, and China. Additional information is available at www.nthdegree.com.

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Getting Partners Involved in Event Marketing

January 24, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Marketing and attendee acquisition activities are rarely handled exclusively by the event organizer or lead sponsor and from our experience, getting the partners involved garners better results.  At Nth Degree we encourage our clients to see these activities as a combined effort – the event organizer brings the audience through the doorway, but it’s the partner’s job to get the attendees to their booth at the event.

Most partners understand the more people who attend and actually seek out their booth during the event, the better their chances are of making good contacts or actually lining up sales during a live event. However as an event organizer, you cannot rely on these partners to proactively promote your event – even if they realize it is to their benefit to do so – as they often do not have the tools or knowledge necessary to do so effectively. That is why you should consider it a part of your responsibility to provide them with those tools.

An active exhibitor marketing program can yield tremendous benefits for both the individual partner exhibitors and the event as a whole. Partner exhibitors often have contacts that the event organizers do not, providing a wider pool of potential attendees. In addition, partners are likely to have an existing relationship with these contacts, making it more likely that they will attend if invited by that individual partner directly. As an example, in 2012 one Nth Degree customer allowed us to provide exhibitor partners with marketing materials for their last event of the year after not doing so for previous events in the spring and summer. The result – registrations for this final event ended up nearly 50% higher than the earlier events.

To facilitate these activities, Nth Degree provides partner exhibitors at events we manage with Exhibitor Marketing Kits. These kits contain items such as a PDF invitation with live links to the event website, HTML files that can be sent as email blasts, banner ads to put on the partner exhibitor’s website, signatures that can be used in company emails, and pre-approved copy that can be posted on the partner exhibitor’s social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

In addition, event organizers can actually track all online activity through the use of tracking codes from websites such as Google Analytics in order to see which partners are actually driving traffic and registrations. These are the partners that event organizers may want to specifically engage with after the event to gauge what their experience was like and look for ways to improve marketing efforts for future events. Another way to effectively track activity is to provide the partner exhibitors each with a unique discount code, which they can give to their contacts. By tracking how many times a code is used, you can see which partner exhibitors are making the biggest effort to bring in attendees.

Providing marketing tools to partner exhibitors will boost your attendance numbers and make them feel more involved in the event. The most important thing to keep in mind is to be gracious and appreciative to them for taking the time to carry out marketing activities. If a partner exhibitor wants to change something or try a different tactic be open to it – they may have an idea that turns out to be effective. At the end of the day, working together will result in a better turnout and more positive event for everyone involved.

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Corporate Technology Events a Boost to Industry

September 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Proprietary corporate events are certainly not new in the face-to-face marketing industry, but they are gaining attention in the media as high-tech companies invest in this medium regardless of the current state of the economy. In an online article, The Wall Street Journal highlighted some big events this week including VMworld, the recently-completed event supported by the Nth Degree Events team, and took a closer look at what attracts thousands of attendees to these events. Read the full article here.

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Atlanta Working Conditions

August 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The summer is coming to a close and fall trade show planning is in full swing. We know that most of our event marketing clients attend more than one show and that they travel across the country and even across the pond to exhibit. With this in mind, we are making an effort to provide you with tools that will make this experience easier to manage and well, let’s face it, to survive! This month we are focusing on common working conditions and regulations in the Atlanta market. See a list of common questions and answers below that our labor operations team thought you might find helpful.

Main Facility: Georgia World Congress Center

Material Handling

  • Can exhibitor carry in merchandise/items into hall? Yes.
  • Can exhibitor use a hand truck or dolly/wheeled cart to bring exhibit materials into the hall? Yes. Exhibitors can hand carry exhibit materials or use a personal cart to do so ONLY if this is done through front doors/lobby. If unloading from POV on dock – limited amounts are acceptable using Exhibitor Appointed Contractor (EAC) dollies, but large quantities and/or multiple trips must be turned over to GC.

Work

  • Can shop supervisor or exhibitor work in this city or supervise ONLY? Both shop supervisors and exhibitors can work in this city since there are no union jurisdictions.
  • Can the exhibitor install & dismantle their display? Yes, since there are no union jurisdictions.
  • Can the exhibitor’s FT employees use tools to set up their displays? Yes, since there are no union jurisdictions.
  • Can an EAC set-up steel deck structures? Yes, as long as the structure is pre-approved by building engineering. Copies of approval are required on-site during install.

Electrical

  • Electrical service – from overhead or floor? Both. Main power is supplied from floor ports. Ceiling drops are only made if requested for booth design; if booth power exceeds floor port limits; and for hanging signage.
  • Can exhibitor or EAC run electrical cords under carpet? No. The initial lay must be made by GWCC electricians. Also, all cords under carpet MUST be provided by GWCC – no exceptions. After initial lay cords can be moved/re-laid without calling GWCC electricians back into the booth.
  • Can exhibitor or EAC run electrical cords above carpet? Yes. Cords run in the booth above carpet can be supplied by the shop and/or exhibitor. However, it must be 14ga wire or lower – no 16ga.
  • Can exhibitor or EAC plug lights and/or other devices into booth electrical outlets? Yes, no restrictions.
  • Can exhibitor/shop/EAC place lights? Can exhibitor/shop/EAC insert Dura trans in light boxes? Yes, no restrictions.
  • Can exhibitor/shop use Genie Lift? Yes. This does however, vary depending on the general contractor and/or show association. You must consult exhibitor show book regulations.

Other

  • Who can vacuum the booth carpet? The exhibitor can vacuum carpet (with their supplied vacuum) or order booth cleaning through the show contractor. EACs cannot vacuum in this facility.
  • Can exhibitor/shop have food/beverage brought into facility? No. Food/beverage (in small quantities) can be brought into facility through the install period only. From opening morning until the close of show, these items must be purchased from the house caterer.
  • Is there access to local specialty vendors? Yes. Note – some specialty vendors are not available on weekends.
  • Can EAC assemble hanging signage? No. This is the responsibility of GC rigging. EACs cannot assemble any hanging sign.

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6 Ways to Integrate Social Media into Your Events Now

August 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

There are more avenues available today to market your event (or your participation in an event) than ever before. This is a good thing in that it gives us event marketers more tools to try to capture the attention of potential attendees, but it also means those audiences are being bombarded with marketing information from so many sources that your message may be lost in the shuffle.

With so much competition for the limited amount of attention available, your social media plan must be comprehensive and easy to execute. We’ve taken the time to narrow down 6 easy steps for integrating social media into your event marketing plan today. 

Before you dive in and take action, remember that conversation is the number one way to ensure your social media push is effective. It is best to have someone monitoring your various social media accounts regularly – even multiple times per day – and replying to any messages directed to your accounts. You can also monitor some networks, such as Twitter, for conversations about your brand or event, which you can then respond to in order to prompt further discussion.

 Now you are ready to integrate social media into your event and here are 6 surefire ways to do it:

  • Designate a hashtag (#event) for your event so those Tweeting about it can see what others are saying about it as well.

  • Tweet relevant quotes from sessions in real time.
  • Accept questions from live audiences – especially in larger sessions – via Facebook, Twitter or even your event blog. This offers a double benefit of keeping attendees more engaged while also showing social media followers who are not at your event what they are missing.
  • Hold a social media contest before the event with prizes such as VIP passes or free admission for registered followers and again during the event, with prizes given out live on the final day.
  • Throw out questions based on topics raised during live sessions to spur online discussion and demonstrate the value of the content your event offers.
  • Send out secret event or party information only via social media to ensure attendees check it regularly.

Overall, social media provides an ideal medium for communicating with your event’s target audience and keeping them engaged before and during your event at a minimal cost. If done right, the time and effort you put into your social media campaign will be repaid many times over.

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A Newbie’s Trade Show Marketing Learning Experience at E3

June 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I traveled last week for my first-ever business trip to Los Angeles for the installation of the E3 trade show. This trip was meant to be a major observation/educational experience for me. And that is the trip it was!

I received a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Hospitality Administration so I wasn’t completely unprepared walking onto the floor. During school I took a course on Meetings, Expos, Events, and Conventions, but seeing is definitely believing with this industry. I got to see some incredible projects and exhibits and got a first-hand look at some innovative products for this lucrative portion of the entertainment industry. I’d like to share with you some of the things I learned last week:

  • Manpower – I’m not real sure who I thought installed and dismantled booths before I began working for Nth Degree. One of my co-workers said it best when she said, “I thought it had to be magic booth fairies!” Well, I wouldn’t exactly call them fairies, but they definitely have some magic! Nth Degree had 90+ very talented, purple-wearing people installing booths left and right and up and down. I had no concept of the sheer importance of a quality installation and dismantle company, before I began working for one. These guys work their tails off and it shows daily! One day it’s an empty space with electrical and carpet and the next day you can’t even see the booth next door because these labor teams have built buildings within buildings. Beyond the installation, it really is incredible to think of the impact a trade show has on a city.  Without ‘em, nothing would happen!
  • Labor Management – I was fortunate enough to see one of Nth Degree’s biggest project at E3 2012 being installed – the Microsoft Xbox exhibit. This is one of the projects that, as I said, involved constructing buildings within buildings – real, functioning buildings with 360-degree theaters, meeting rooms, event balconies, and even sprinkler systems (just in case!). It was like being at a construction site without the dirt! This booth, if one can even call it that, was so impressive. The on-site team explained to me their labor management pre-planning and on-site processes for this incredible space – the keys to successfully managing the labor for such projects. But I won’t tell any more than that because, well, our team is clearly good at what they do and I wouldn’t want to give any of their secrets away.
  • Connections/Relationships – Lastly, this trip showed me the importance of connections/relationships – good and bad. Apparently, this industry runs deep with lots of human history – (call me a cacklin’ hen, but human history is always the most interesting). This person once owned this business with this person, until THAT person wanted to go on their own to make that business which then became…you get my drift. Back to my point – relationships and connections run deep and I certainly witnessed those essential relationships at work at E3. Making new connections is vital to new business, while maintaining relationships is crucial to repeat business. It’s relationship marketing. Even within the company, it’s important for relationships to be maintained interdepartmentally. It’s a full circle when it comes to our labor team, customers, sales team, planning team, etc. as each depends on the other. So, if everyone effectively communicates through their various relationships to one another, then everyone will live in harmony…at least for that show, right? I don’t have many industry connections/relationships myself (YET), but I realized there is nowhere to go in the industry without them!

Aside from human history, labor management, and manpower, I learned a lot more – and could go on for days! But, I won’t. I’ve got plenty more lessons to learn and people to meet. Thanks for taking the time to allow me to share some experiences from a “newbie”!

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Lessons from the Event Marketing Summit – A Customer-Centric Strategy

May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Last week I had the opportunity to attend my first ever Event Marketing Summit. It was held in bustling Downtown Chicago at the Sheraton, a picturesque location, overlooking the Chicago River. The three day event seemed like a great opportunity to get a pulse on the current status and forward-looking direction of the event industry, and of course an opportunity to network with other event professionals.

Each day began with a keynote on various topics, followed by a full-day of breakout sessions, with a few breaks in between to visit the exhibit hall or network with co-attendees over meals and snacks. While it would be impossible to describe everything I learned at the conference, a few noteworthy presentations were:

  • Making A Commitment To Experiential ‘Platforms’
  • General Motors Case Study: Redesigning The Experience and
  • Creating An ‘Emotional Footprint’ At Tradeshows

After reviewing my notes and taking some time to reflect on all of the information I had gathered, I began to see a consistent pattern between the presentations – a pattern that is applicable to both B-to-B and B-to-C events. The concept: customer-centric marketing – allowing your customer to tell your story for you, to develop their own connection, and share their story with you and others around them.

In the past, a brand had a story to tell, and would push that story on their customers. Described in the General Motors case study presentation, imagine a circle…in the middle is GM, and all around them are their various customer types. A marketing campaign would be developed and was then pushed to the customer without regard to a key insight…did the customer actually understand the story being told? Were they even connected to the message? Today, those very questions are considered. Instead of GM as the center of the circle, the customer is the center, with all of GM’s car types and various divisions as the outer ring. Instead of  pushing a story to customers, GM now focuses on pulling those stories from their customers to build the most effective marketing campaigns to date…campaigns that the customer has helped create from their own experience – Customer-centric marketing.

Another example of this customer-centric, “pull marketing” was described in Creating an ‘Emotional Footprint’ at Tradeshows, presented by Intel. Their tradeshow experience came in the form of a large, technologically-advanced booth called, The Intel Connect to Life Experience. It was a 3-D virtual life simulation where attendees could create shapes using their hands (or just about any object) to create a bioluminescent life form on a towering 168-foot projection screen overhead. Instead of using the space for product advertising, they chose to allow customers to create their own unbranded experience, just for fun. In turn, attendees developed an emotional connection to the brand, creating their own individual Intel story. Pulling from customers, rather than pushing the story to them, with remarkable results and glowing reviews from attendees.

I left the Event Marketing Summit with some real food for thought. How will I implement this customer-centric approach to my future marketing strategies? How can I apply this to my day-to-day marketing activities?  How will I move into this new direction?

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Event Technology Trends

April 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

Nth Degree recently received a report from the Active Network and the Event Marketing Institute that reviews and analyzes survey results conducted by these organizations to better understand the relationship between events and technology, including trends in this space. As shown in the chart above and based on my experience with Nth Degree’s event marketing clients, it makes sense that lead retrieval is currently the most important event technology to respondents’ organizations. The desire for a measureable ROI will always hold true and lead retrieval will continue to be a coveted element of event ROI.

Additionally, improvement in other highly rated event technologies from this survey, such as Social Media and Web Site Development, is allowing brands to take what’s experienced and learned during a physical event and extend the interaction period and span of an event message. Attendees are able to use the combination of websites and social media channels to share an event experience with peers that may not be able to attend like never before. These sustained interactions are sure to grow as the technology improves.

 

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Nth Degree Spotted on the Show Floor

March 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Well, it’s not your typical show floor, but check out this photo of Nth Degree’s Charlie Bateham working hard on a Jaguar project at the 2012 Amelia Island Concours D’Elegance event. We’re sure Charlie didn’t mind working on the project in such a beautiful setting!  This annual event is a great example of the various trade shows, conferences and events where you might see an Nth Degree team member in action!

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RSA Conference Closing Notes from Nth Degree Newcomer Matt Kuzak

March 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

As RSA Conference 2012 came to a close last Friday afternoon, attendees were sent off with some final thoughts by former Prime Minister, Tony Blair. His inspiring sentiments asked each of us to do our part in making the world a better and safer place for everyone – a key takeaway that took shape throughout the 5-day security-focused event. The closing keynote also included a hilarious and fun segment called, The Hugh Thompson Show, where bestselling author Hugh Thomson, Ph.D., interviewed political consultant, Frank Lutz, with hilarious results! You can see a video of this keynote presentation here. The packed room was fully engaged and seemed to be enjoying it very much.

After the keynotes, the crowd disbanded onto the sunny streets of San Francisco, ready to apply the practical solutions they learned during RSA into their daily lives. Looking back, it was quite an exciting and informational week-long event and I can’t wait for RSA Conference 2013!  Now I am headed to Las Vegas for Exhibitor 2012 and as I write this post from my smart phone, I am reminded again how important internet security is as we disseminate sensitive information from a variety of technologies and places. RSA Conference is and will continue to be an important platform to share and collaborate on ideas that will keep us all safe in the technology age!  More to come…

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