The National FFA Convention & Expo was highlighted by senior editor Hil Anderson in the December issue of Trade Show Executive. Some notable exerpts from the feature:
Exhibit space at the Indiana Convention Center topped 225,000 net square feet this year (at the 2011 National FFA Convention & Expo). The exhibitors were varied, ranging from major equipment manufacturers down through agricultural colleges and retailers selling souvenirs and everything else to keep an army of teenagers out on the town well-supplied.
This wide variety of companies going face-to-face with attendees who are more likely to have part-time jobs than expense accounts required the FFA to take a different tack in convincing ROIconscious firms to sign up for one or more of the event’s 10’x10’ booths. “The approach prior to 2008 was more of a soft-sell to sponsors and current exhibiting companies,” said (National FFA Organization senior exhibit manager Bryan) Kelly, who arrived at FFA in 2008. “We’ve taken a more streamlined and harder approach in the past year and are reaching out to companies that may not have had us on their radar or thought about the potential of exhibiting with us.”
Check out the scene inside the 2011 Expo.
National FFA Convention and Expo Blog 