Jennifer Kerhin Five hundred ninety-nine days. That’s the amount of time between Sponsorship Boost’s last pre-COVID meeting and our return to live tradeshows. It’s been an exciting few weeks as our staff has finalized preparations and traveled to three in-person events – we’re thrilled to be back!
The 18+ months during which COVID severely impacted the viability of in-person events was a time of adjustment and growth for our team. We managed more than two-dozen virtual events and shared our expertise with clients as they attempted to replace the impact and revenue of live meetings with online offerings. Virtual conferences expanded the reach of our clients’ events, many of which became international in scope, and the popularity of items such as virtual plenary and educational sessions ensures that they are now a permanent part of the association conference toolkit. Virtual sponsorships took the form of content, commercials, and online ads.
But in truth, no matter how successful a virtual conference is, our Happy Place is the exhibit hall of an association client’s conference. There’s nowhere we would rather be than working face-to-face with our clients, watching the building of the exhibit booths, fulfilling sponsorships, and delivering an impactful meeting experience for everyone involved. And the feedback we received on showsite these past few weeks indicates that exhibiting and sponsoring companies agree – nothing can match the energy and productivity of an in-person tradeshow or conference.
We returned to in-person 
events on October 20-22 with The National Hydropower Association’s inaugural Clean Currents tradeshow+conference in Atlanta, Georgia. This innovative event, organized for the hydropower industry by the hydropower industry, included programming and networking that is vital to the industry. Social distancing and a mask requirement were minor inconveniences as participants overwhelmingly agreed that the event was a huge success. Click HERE for a testimonial video from NHA’s Director of Meetings and Events.
Two weeks later we were back in action at the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists’ Annual Meeting & Exhibition in San Diego, California. This is SB’s first year working with ASCP, and our staff enjoyed partnering with the association to produce a successful in-person event.
Our most recent event was the National Association for Gifted Children’s 68th Annual Convention held from November 11-14 in Denver, Colorado. Again, the safety of participants was paramount, and all attendees were required to show proof of vaccination, wear masks, and follow social distancing protocols.
We are excited to be in-person, helping our association clients produce profitable, productive, and memorable conferences. Our 2022 calendar is filled with live events – it’s going to be a great year!
If you are interested in learning more about how SB can enhance your Association meetings please email info@sponsorshipboost.com.