3. Photo map
The Exhibitor Show also invites attendees to attach their photo to a large world map to indicate where they are from. The map was first used eight years ago and participation increases each year, reaching more than 500 photos from every state and 60 countries at the 2012 conference. Photographers are stationed at the map to take instant thumbnail photos of attendees. Organizers say the map is an easy conversation-starter as attendees look for others from their area or from cities where they have lived in the past.
Photo: Courtesy of Exhibitor Show
5. Pre-event social media contests
Metropolitan Events & Production created a pre-event networking campaign for the Makeup Shows in Chicago and Orlando last year. Organizers encouraged attendees to upload photos of themselves holding a sign that read "Meet Me at the Makeup Show" and their name, which could then be posted, with the event's hashtag, to Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook. The idea was to create a sense of community and facilitate face recognition as people stepped onto the show floor. Organizers compiled the photos and shared them on the show's social networks. For the Orlando show in November, they added a contest, selecting one participant to win a gift bag.
Photo: Courtesy of the Makeup Show Chicago
