Association Forum of Chicagoland’s Holiday Showcase® is known as the Midwest’s largest and most-attended meeting sites and business services exposition, a unique one-day event that is the cornerstone to decision-making that fuels significant economic impact.
Associations in Chicagoland report spending $10.3B annually, which includes $947M on printing, IT, accounting, legal fees, and web design, and another $2.6B on conferences, conventions and meetings. The Chicago area is home to more than 1,600 associations — making it the second largest hub for association headquarters outside of Washington, DC.
On December 16, more than 2,300 meeting planners, association professionals and supplier partners will meet at the Hyatt Regency, Chicago, where attendees will learn new strategies for effective meetings and association management, and discover the latest innovations for essential association business services and the properties and destinations that are a primary factor in the big business of association’s meetings.
“Although I’ve only been with Association Forum for a couple of months, I came into this role knowing first hand that Holiday Showcase is the event that everyone in the industry makes plans to attend,” said Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, President and CEO, Association Forum of Chicagoland. Mason added, “Holiday Showcase is a unique opportunity to bring together every facet of the association and meetings industry for one dynamic day, under one roof, learning about and celebrating the industry we all are so passionate to serve.”
In spite its quarter-of-a-century tenure, Holiday Showcase continues to remain relevant by changing and evolving to continually meet the needs of both attendees and exhibitors. Holiday Showcase 2014 will provide a variety of compelling experiences:
The CEOnly® Seminar – Reserved exclusively for CEOs and executive directors of associations, this new segment features a networking breakfast followed by three high-impact discussions facilitated by association, corporate and entrepreneurial experts to help infuse association leaders with new approaches for overcoming their most pressing challenges and capitalizing on new opportunities. The Holiday Showcase CEOnly Seminar is generously sponsored by Synchronicities, the title sponsor; and Johnson Lambert and The Private Bank as supporting sponsors.
Innovation Hub in the Exhibit Hall – The new Holiday Showcase Innovation Hub will help association professionals easily identify the cutting-edge business services solutions their associations need and likewise, help the 30+ business services solutions providers stand out among more than 600 hospitality related booths. It will showcase businesses offering emerging solutions that help associations meet their needs for AMS, LMS, CMS, mobile apps, finance and HR support, IT solutions, marketing, communications, publishing solutions, and more.
The Shared Interest Group (SIG) Symposium – Making its Holiday Showcase debut this year is Association Forum’s Shared Interest Group Symposium. This series of smaller, topic-focused meetings is considered a premier benefit for Association Forum’s members as they appreciate the opportunities to connect with their like-minded peers to network and share ideas on common interests in a low-pressure setting. More than a dozen SIG meetings will be held during Holiday Showcase covering topics including book publishing, international activities, marketing, fundraising, government relations, it, membership, governance, and more.
The Holiday Showcase Happy Hour – New for 2014, the Holiday Showcase Happy Hour will be held in the heart of the action on the exhibit hall floor. All attendees are invited to visit the happy hour sponsor, Destination Cleveland, to enjoy a cocktail and celebrate the season while still getting their critical year-end business done.
Holiday Showcase 2014 education includes more than a dozen high-impact learning opportunities for association and meeting professionals alike. Education topics cover meetings, management, education and program development, marketing and more. The popular Solution Sessions allow suppliers to go head-to-head as they conduct 5- to 7-minute product demonstrations related to key topics such as mobile apps, event technology, floor plan management software and online membership tools. Attending Holiday Showcase education sessions and the SIG Symposium can earn participants up to 6.5 CAE and 2.75 CMP credit hours.
The Holiday Showcase Luncheon and General Session, generously sponsored by Niagra Falls, features Hall of Fame international comedian, musician and author Mike Rayburn, CSP, CPAE. Rayburn is an inspirational thought leader and one of the most in-demand and unconventional keynote artists in the world. At Holiday Showcase, he will deliver The “What If…?” Experience, utilizing his guitar and gut-busting comedy to tap into attendees’ peak performance skills enabling them to transcend the status quo.
During the Luncheon and General Session, attendees also will have the opportunity to recognize the second class of Association Forum and USAEs Forty Under 40® Awards honorees. This outstanding group of accomplished association and nonprofit professionals will be honored for their demonstrated potential in leadership roles and their strong commitment to the association management profession.
