Case Studies : Microsoft Tech Ed Sponsorship 2004

Event Brief

Tech.Ed is the definitive technical education conference and exhibition for Microsoft technology and is run annually. The sponsorship and exhibition component of the event was open to Microsoft partners and was an opportunity for them to reach committed and influential technical professionals who are driving adoption of Microsoft technologies.

The Thinking

The Forum Group have managed Tech.Ed for the past 3 years, and each year we work with other specialised companies to think of fresh ideas and ways to “wow” the attendees, as well as give the exhibitors and sponsors maximum exposure. This year for the first time ever we opened the partner showcase to the public on the first evening of the event, targeting a 30% increase of traffic through the exhibition hall and giving the exhibitors more exposure than ever before. New booths were also created that included light boxes for exhibitor’s to advertise and added a splash of colour to each booth - these really stood out and looked very effective. We also took an innovative approach when developing sponsorship opportunities - as the event was held in Canberra during August we played on the cold, wintry theme and offered coffee cart sponsorship with branded cups, serviettes and baristas.

The Exhibition Hall

The partner showcase was held in the National Convention Centre Exhibition Hall. It was in operation for 3 days and consisted of 32 booths lining the walls of the hall, one free standing area for the platinum sponsor, and a large free standing area in the centre of the hall for the Microsoft Ask the Experts stand. Throughout the event all catering and two evening social functions were held in the exhibition hall to encourage attendees to visit and mingle with all exhibitors. In keeping with the “Technology Theme” of the event and the professional caliber of people attending, the hall was set up with wireless technology so that delegates were able to access their email or the internet during the conference hours. This ensured they could keep on top of any work issues, and still attend their desired sessions.

The Outcome

Tech.Ed 2004 was a huge success with a record attendance of 1800 delegates. The partner showcase was the largest ever hosted in the history of the event. Organisations exhibiting at Tech.Ed 2004 made the following statements:

“Overall you did an outstanding job. This was one of the best expos in terms of organisation we’ve been involved with”.
Gina Burman, Dimension Data.

“The team was marvelous, nothing was too much trouble, and help was always available”.
Maureen Hart, Protocom Development Systems.

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