Looking Back at 2022 (So Far): Sold Out Trade Shows, Fresh Faces and New Business
It’s been a busy year here at Corcoran HQ as we continued to help our association clients return to live trade shows safely and successfully. Over the past six months, our team has managed 10 in-person trade shows across the country and we’re gearing up for an even busier fall/winter season. It’s an exciting time for trade shows in the post-vaccine world and we wanted to share a few highlights of our year so far!
Buzzing Exhibit Halls
We kicked the year off at home in Chicago with the American Baseball Coaches Association at the 78th Annual ABCA Convention & Trade Show, featuring the largest exhibit hall in ABCA history with more than 800 booths. To help promote safety and ensure the well-being of the thousands of exhibitors and coaches in attendance, this year’s floor plan featured distancing measures and inline booths were spread out to create cross-aisles between every two standard booths.
In March, our team traveled to Portland, Oregon with the Public Library Association for the PLA 2022 Conference, the premier event for public libraries. Over 4,000 attendees had the chance to explore the 70,000+ square foot exhibit hall featuring 200+ exhibitors showcasing their innovative products and services.
More than 160 companies and thousands of water quality professionals gathered in Orlando, Florida, April 6-8, for the 2022 WQA Convention & Exposition, the premier water treatment industry event of the year organized by the Water Quality Association.
Last month, we celebrated the start of the summer trade show season with a sold out exhibit hall at the 2022 Vascular Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. Vascular surgeons and vascular health professionals had a chance to connect face-to-face with over 100 exhibiting companies (33% first-time exhibitors!) showcasing the latest technologies for the management and treatment of vascular disease. Sold out with a waiting list, this year's show floor was 6% larger compared to our last trip to Boston with Society for Vascular Surgery for VAM 2018. We’re excited to build on this year’s success as we start booth sales for VAM 2023 in National Harbor, Maryland.
Our Growing Team
This February, we were excited to welcome two new members to the Corcoran crew: Bianca Garcia and Madison Schmelig.
BIANCA GARCIA
Exhibit Coordinator
MADISON SCHMELIG
Exhibit Coordinator
As Exhibit Coordinators, Bianca and Madison provide support to our team of Exhibit Managers on various projects relating to exhibitor customer service and assist with sales email marketing, data maintenance, floor plan management, booth renewal programs and onsite show management.
Bianca joined Corcoran with a background in health care customer service, previously serving as Patient Liason at Northwestern Hospital. She holds a BS in Marketing from the University of Illinois Chicago and studied in Madrid, Spain for 2 years where she received a Certification of Assistance from LAE Madrid Spanish Language School.
Prior to joining Corcoran, Madison served as Store Manager at World Market in Evanston, Illinois while attending university. In her management role, Madison was responsible for hiring and training, interfacing with customers and driving in-store and e-commerce sales. She helped pioneer a social media program within the store environment, creating content across channels to promote the World Market brand and generate sales. Madison holds a BA in Communications and a minor in French from Loyola University Chicago.
Valued Partnerships
We’re proud to announce that Corcoran has been contracted by the Woodworking Network for exhibit sales and management of the Woodworking Machinery & Supply (WMS) Conference and Expo, Canada’s largest event for the wood industry, through 2027.
The biennial event was last held in person in 2019 at the International Centre in Ontario, Canada, and featured 75,000 square feet of exhibit space and more than 175 exhibitors.
This summer, Corcoran will conduct an online booth renewal program on A2Z Events for WMS 2023, which returns to the International Centre in November.
We are also excited to share that Corcoran will provide sponsorship sales and management services for our current partner the Association of College and Research Libraries beginning in 2023, in addition to exhibit sales and management, for their biennial conference.
Need help reinvigorating your expo sales? As one of the country’s premier independent trade show organizers, partnering with Corcoran means gaining an entire team with the expertise and the resources to help you create a strong sales program that attracts companies to your expo and helps maintain an important source of revenue for your association. The Corcoran team is ready to help you unlock the potential of your trade show!
