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The 2009 HCEA Annual Meeting utilizes many event marketing leading trends. The events website includes a steaming video on the events homepage. The video is a news clip on the benefits and features of this year’s Annual Meeting. The meeting also uses faster technology with real time registration that allows attendees to register twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. After registering for the Annual Meeting, guests will receive instant confirmation and some even got special discounts if they registered early enough. Guests that register early receive a discounted rate. The event also includes seamless registration with transportation, accommodation, and ancillary events all available on the website so the association can capture maximum revenue. After the initial registration of the event, there is a form that is needed to be filled out that lists all the ancillary and meeting events. It asks the registrant which they will be attending and for the ancillary events (safari tour, golf tournament) there is a central website available for them to register for the tour or tournament. The events are extra and not included in the Annual Meeting admission price. The site asking for the guests which events they will be attending is a smart way to figure out an approximate amount of people that will be attending certain events during the meeting. In this way, along with many others, the event obtains maximum revenue. Another way that this is achieved is the scheduled events before and immediately after main meetings; this allows for the opportunity to draw guests to other events without relocating them. Due to the current state of our nation’s economy, there are certain steps the event marketing team for the 2009 HCEA Annual Meeting can do to still maximize attendance. One way is by offering networking events during the Annual Meeting to encourage business to business development and stimulate employment. The HCEA Annual Meeting is offering 11 official networking events throughout the meeting, which last from June 13- 16. Another suggestion to boost attendance is to offer family passes at a reduced rate. The HCEA’s price for guest or spouse is only $175. The meeting offers a family friendly event in the beginning (** Serengeti ** ** Safari Tour and Lunch Cruise) ** that is an additional $60 dollars that would be attractive to families. The location of the event is also being held in Tampa Bay, Florida which would be a great vacation destination for families to enjoy for a week. This could help bring in more than one person and help to raise the overall per capita spending on food, drink, souvenirs. Most likely, the guests will also be spending money in the city as well; this could help stimulate the city’s economy as well. Another way to attract a family crowd is to advertise the local attractions, Busch Gardens, Tampa Lowry Park Zoo, and Adventure Island, which could turn the Annual Meeting into a vacation for a family as well. Another step an event marketer may take for higher attendance is to offer a super saver discount before the April 10th, 2009 and another discount on registration before May 10th to boost attendance. One final step they may take is offering sessions on dealing with the tough economic downturn to help the industry professionals better cope with the circumstances. The 2009 HCEA Annual meeting is offering sessions that deal with economizing in the convention marketing and exhibiting industry. These are a few of the sessions available “The New Economy- Doing More with Less,” “Consolidating Your Corporate Event,” “Achieving Economies with Smart Convention Marketing.”
 * Chapter 8 **