What’s a C.E.M?
In the fall of 2010, after completing the required course work-9 courses and corresponding exams and 3 years of experience to be exact-I earned the ability to add the C.E.M. designation to my signature line and join the ranks of my fellow professional Exhibit Managers . I’m only the second person in my organization to earn this elite title in our 30 year tenure, so it’s something I’m quite proud of.
Let me start by explaining what those three letters stand for – Certified in Exhibition Management. “What’s that,” you ask? A very good question indeed – I want to take a bit of time to not only outline what this program is, but also detail what I learned in the courses I completed. So if you are thinking blog series, you are on the right track! Read on for an outline of the program and stay tuned for subsequent posts on the various coursework and applicable takeaways in the near future. Read more 
Du•ty: Noun. A service, function, or task and the compulsion felt to meet such obligation.
I knew my Jury Duty summons was coming, I had postponed a previous summons due to a scheduling conflict so it wasn’t a surprise, but when I saw the oh-so-distinct envelope in the mail box I couldn’t help but feel a bit of trepidation.
Isn’t it funny that they call it Jury “Duty”? I don’t think the naming convention was a mistake by any means – it’s one of those things that you know you should do, whether you want to or not. But like most individuals, I didn’t want to serve. I have a family, a job and most importantly a schedule that I don’t like having disrupted and this would most certainly put a bit of a kink in things.
The Ideal Exhibit Hall Game – Is There Really Such a Thing?
Over the years, MRA Services has literally managed hundreds of exhibit programs because that’s what we do. And based on our lengthy history, we have a great deal of past experience that we can call upon. Now of course, after all these years we have seen abundant success and maybe a few outcomes that we didn’t quite anticipate.
One theme that continues to remain constant is our focus on driving attendance into the exhibit hall. We all know that a packed hall typically ensures happy exhibitors, so every year we strive to create fresh ideas to get those attendees in the hall talking with our vendors. We do this in several ways, but my main focus here is to share some past experiences that pertain specifically to the exhibit hall games that we have seen that may make you think twice before implementing one in your exhibit hall. Read more
Holy GOBO’s Moss Man
“What in the name of John Moss and everything holy is a GOBO? Is it something that will attack the audience if it isn’t fed?” – Pat Gibbs, SACUBO
Our SACUBO friend and client, Pat Gibbs, isn’t the only one who has felt that we trade show professionals speak a foreign language composed of strange sounding acronyms. Maybe you’re one that has mastered the “smile and nod” approach, treading through the conversation in hopes of picking up a few contextual clues? Decoding industry jargon can be downright exhausting. Test your knowledge with the following conference and trade show management terms:
GOBO – Say What?!?! A gobo is a template through which light shines to project an image onto a given surface. The word “gobo” is an acronym that stands for “GOes Before Optics.” MRA Services use these primarily to highlight event and sponsor logos on a wall, floor or other large surface during a conference.
I&D - Refers to the Installation and Dismantle of an exhibit, not the Investigation Discovery Channel.
MIMO – This is not the name of the garb that your Aunt living in Boca dons, but rather a reference to the entire schedule of events at your conference, from Move In to Move Out.
CPE or is it CEU? Both! You may earn either Continuing Professional Education credits or Continuing Education Units by attending an event and the qualifying educational sessions offered. Oftentimes, certification is offered through accumulation of a specified amount of CPEs or CEUs.
High Jacker – This refers to the type of equipment used to lift people to a given height to hang items such as banners or aisle signs. You thought you had this one, didn’t you?
Deadman – No, we really don’t employ the deceased in setting up trade shows. The term actually refers to the temporary post used during installation to help support the weight of an overhead structure.
Now, if only someone would have shared this list with me when I entered into this profession 5 years ago. Then again, I would have missed a few smiles…
