Case Study:
The Worldwide Education Symposium & Expo 2012 (WW12)
The Department of Defense (DoD) holds The Worldwide Education Symposium & Expo 2012 (WW12) once every
three years. The conference attracts over 2,000 attendees including military, civilian, and contract personnel as
well as academic and industry partners. In 2009, the organizing committee selected Las Vegas, Nevada as its
next conference location. Through the planning phase, controversy hit the meeting planning industry.
Investigations of government conferences such as the 2010 General Services Administration Employee
Conference revealed excessive spending. With increased attention on and uncertainty for government
conferences, WW12 still had to attract attendees, exhibitors and sponsors while adhering to changing
expectations and requirements set forth by Congress and agencies.
The Challenge: Increase Attendance and Exhibit Sales
during the GSA Excessive Conference Spending
Scrutiny
Benefits
▶
▶
Since 1994, the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support
(DANTES) coordinated The Worldwide Education Symposium, which hosted
sessions that support recruitment, readiness and retention in our Armed
Forces. Under the threat of budget cuts, DANTES contracted APEX Meetings
(APEX) for the conference management under a zero-cost contracting
vehicle. APEX would be solely responsible for developing the pricing,
marketing, selling exhibitor space and sponsorships, registration and
production. Since all the revenue generated would be applied to the
conference, it was imperative that APEX maximizes its efforts to attract as
many attendees, exhibitors and sponsors as possible.
▶
▶
No cost to
the government
Program officer
concentrated on
agency’s mission
and objectives
Increased educational
opportunities
Additional revenuegenerating opportunities
enacted by non-federal
entity (NFE) which
otherwise could not
be done by government
agency
See next page…
Marketing | Registration | Event Management
www.apexmeetings.com
The Solution: APEX Meetings (APEX) Provided a Zero-Cost Contract with a
Comprehensive Set of Conference Management Solutions to Generate
Revenue that Paid for WW12
APEX’s services featured marketing, registration, speaker management, exhibitor/sponsor sales and event
production.
Results
Leveraging Integrated Marketing
Through an integrated marketing effort, APEX Meetings increased
attendee registrations, exhibitor sales and sponsorship revenue. Each
market had a dedicated strategy that involved direct mail, email,
telemarketing, e-media and social media tactics. List acquisition and
competitive research resulted in a more robust database of prospects.
Telemarketing & CRM
APEX Meetings used telemarketers to call all prospects for exhibitors and
sponsors. Customer relationship management (CRM) software was built to
track leads, manage contracts, issue invoices/receipts, and collect
information needed for decorator and booth management. The CRM
hosted a series of customizable reports, which provided essential
information to DANTES, vendors and APEX.
Online Technology to Streamline Processes
WW12’s website provided a customized experience for the conference
attendee. After creating a secure account online via the WW12 website,
the user could identify him/herself as an attendee, speaker, exhibitor,
sponsor or a combination of profiles.
Speakers submitted online applications in response to a call for papers.
DANTES then could approve and schedule selected speakers online.
Since the information was captured in a database, DANTES saved time by
not having to redo the data entry and could provide feedback to
speakers in real-time. When prompted, the information would
automatically be published and updated on the website’s session
schedule with speaker/panelist name and bio. Information was easily
extracted for conference programs and scheduling purposes.
Exhibitors applied for exhibit space online as well as had a real-time
diagram view of booths that were available for selection. As soon as
booths were approved, the exhibitor could further manage information
that was needed for their booth signage, directory descriptions and
invoices/payments. An online shopping cart allowed for credit card
transactions as well as notifications that a check will be sent. All payments
posted to the exhibitor’s account giving them real-time status updates.
APEX Meetings…
▶ Attracted 2,000 attendees
▶ Increased exhibitors by 66%
▶ Increased sponsorships by
19%
The cost to produce the
conference did not apply to
DoD’s budget and was well
within the guidelines set forth
in the Digital Accountability
and Transparency Act.
About The Worldwide
Education
Symposium
& Expo 2012
Over 50% of WW12 attendees
represented DoD (military,
civilian and contract
personnel). Others included
officials from over 250
colleges, universities, and
others who support higher
education.
About DANTES
DANTES proudly educates
American patriots.
To find out more, visit
www.dantes.doded.mil.
APEX Meetings & Events
PO Box 650514 | Potomac Falls, VA 20165-0514 | Ph: 703.579.1496 | [email protected]
Marketing | Registration | Event Management
www.apexmeetings.com