MediaLive Unleashes New Initiatives
By Margo McCall -- Tradeshow Week, 6/7/2004
MediaLive Intl. is launching a slate of new services to help exhibitors track sales, boost show results and manage press coverage. It's also establishing a research department and opening a division in China — all in time for its first birthday.
In the year since the formerly public Key3Media Group emerged from bankruptcy as the privately held MediaLive, the company has cut staff from 900 to 275, streamlined events, named new show managers, moved its headquarters from Los Angeles to San Francisco, embraced attendance audits and brought in CNET Networks executive Art Fatum as CFO and COO.
The latest flurry of initiatives by MediaLive — producer of COMDEX and NetWorld+ Interop— is aimed at improving the experience of technology exhibitors. "As their needs have changed, we've changed too," said MediaLive CEO Bob Priest-Heck. "We're working really, really hard to gain credibility with technology marketers and raise credibility for all events."
The company is launching a "measurement toolkit" that includes an ROI Research program, a PR Watch program and access to attendance audit results. The ROI program will provide exhibitors with report cards intended to gauge their effectiveness at convincing buyers, as well as information from on-site and post-show attendee surveys. PR Watch will offer exhibitors access to an online cache of press releases, show coverage and information about specific reporters. Attendance audit results will enable exhibitors to select events that meet their marketing needs.
The research department, headed by longtime employee Jeffrey Stanley, will use information from the company's buyer database to produce reports on different technology sectors and purchasing dynamics as well as custom research.
MediaLive's establishment of a China division, with headquarters in Hong Kong and an office in Beijing, is driven by a recent surge in technology spending in the region. MediaLive plans to use the division both to launch new events and expand existing show brands. Versions of NetWorld+ Interop are planned for Beijing in September and Singapore in October. In addition, an Asian version of COMDEX is planned for the second quarter of next year.
Priest-Heck said that while some of MediaLive's international events were canceled during the recent technology downturn, the infrastructure for its international operations remained largely in place.
He added that with several acquisitions in the pipeline, its holdings — both domestic and international — are poised to expand. "We went through a really challenging time. Technology buyers went through a challenging time. Now the market's coming back. We're seeing technology buyers return with their checkbooks," he said.
