THE NATIONAL ART EDUCATION ASSOCIATION (NAEA) is the leading professional organization for visual arts, design, and media arts education professionals. Its membership spans preK–12 educators, higher education faculty, researchers, museum educators, and students. Representing members across all 50 U.S. states and more than 25 countries, NAEA is a vital voice in the arts education community.
Each year, the NAEA National Convention brings together thousands of attendees for learning, networking, and creative inspiration. The expo floor plays a key role in the experience, offering exhibitors the opportunity to connect directly with a large and highly targeted audience of arts education professionals with purchasing influence.
THE CHALLENGE
Before 2025, NAEA relied on paper forms and static PDFs to manage their expo, offering limited interaction with potential exhibitors. With an open position for exhibits management, the association saw an opportunity to modernize. For the first time, they chose to outsource expo operations. With just five months remaining before the annual convention, NAEA needed a partner that could quickly move the expo into modern times. SB deployed our expertise in Cadmium Eventscribe to make it happen.
THE SOLUTION
NAEA partnered with SB Expos & Events to manage the expo under tight deadlines. Leveraging their expertise as a Cadmium-certified managed services provider, SB introduced enhancements to streamline and modernize the exhibitor experience. With SB’s support, NAEA could easily transition to a fully set-up online exhibitor portal without diverting internal resources.
SB offers staff who are Certified in Exhibition Management® (CEM), demonstrating the highest professional standard in exhibitions and events management. Our CEMs followed best practices in the field to improve NAEA’s expo.
Key actions included:
- Transitioning from PDFs to an interactive online floorplan using Cadmium, improving transparency, accuracy, and usability for staff and exhibitors.
- Collecting all relevant information regarding sponsorships and exhibitors in one place. Whereas NAEA previously used multiple forms and emails to collect data, the exhibitor portal allowed them to view comprehensive live reports anytime and easily track sponsorship deliverables, submissions for giveaways, and donations.
- Digitizing exhibitor communication and sales, making it easier to reserve booths and manage deadlines.
- Improving financial processes, allowing NAEA to receive payments more quickly.
- Enhancing customer support, offering prompt, professional assistance to exhibitors navigating the new system.
“Exhibitors loved the improvements SB Expos & Events brought to our expo. They introduced technology that made it easier for our exhibitors to pick a booth and pay for it. We were delighted with their work on our expo this year and know that the improvements they implemented will serve us well in the future.”
— Mosade Edwards, CSEP, Director of Convention and Events, NAEA
THE RESULTS
- Streamlined operations through the use of Cadmium’s Eventscribe.
- Faster revenue collection, with payments received in a timelier and more organized manner.
- Improved exhibitor experience, thanks to clear communication and real-time floorplan access.
- Reduced internal workload, allowing NAEA staff to shift focus to programming and member engagement.
- Established a scalable digital foundation for future conventions.
THE CONCLUSION
By outsourcing its expo operations for the first time, NAEA filled a staffing gap and seized the opportunity to modernize and improve its exhibitor experience. SB’s expertise as a Cadmium managed services provider helped transform a paper-based system into a responsive, digital platform that benefits both staff and exhibitors. The success of this collaboration highlights how strategic outsourcing can unlock long-term growth, efficiency, and value—even under a tight timeline.
SB delivers events that create non-dues revenue for our clients. We take care of everything—tradeshow sales, convention management, registration, lead retrieval, and tech support—so you can focus on your mission.
Cadmium Experts. Event Pros. Your Backstage Support Team.
We ???? Associations | SB Expos & Events