Michelle Metter is the co-founder and partner at Fast Forward Event Productions with a dynamic portfolio of business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) trade shows, conferences, festivals and digital media brands servicing the wine, beer, spirits, food and hospitality industries. Michelle has 25 years’ experience in business leadership as an owner/entrepreneur and also working within and for large national media companies (Peterson/EMAP) and trade association shows (Diving Equipment and Marketing Association).
Throughout the course of her career, Michelle has touched all aspects of strategic event production from concept to launch, business development, sales, marketing, digital media, and long-term growth of communities and events that service their professional needs and passions. Michelle serves on IAEE and SISO Board of Directors, on the Board of Directors for the San Diego Tourism Authority and is a member of Women in Exhibitions Network. Michelle co-founded Fast Forward Futures, a non-profit organization that raises funds for the advancement of professionals in hospitality through scholarships and grants awarded in the pursuit of continued education in line with an individual’s career objectives.
What inspired you to serve on IAEE’s Consumer Events Council and what role would you like to play in advocating for the B2C community?
I have been a B2B and B2C producer for over 20 years and have seen tremendous changes in the convergence of these two approaches to live event experiences. It is an exciting time where experience, belonging, community and utilization of our senses has deepened with respect to how we design our shows.
I think serving on and leading the Council throughout these years has inspired me to help champion our industry’s embrace of B2C shows and the lessons we can glean from them. I hope to continue to advocate for resources for producers who often go unrepresented in our legislative initiatives and look forward to turning more and more of my attention there.
What are some of the biggest obstacles B2C events currently face and where do you see the opportunity to grow from these challenges?
There is a glut of experiences that exists nationally as mainstream B2B producers are looking to connect with consumers. B2C events face increased competition for consumers’ attention, time and investment. Producers who understand their audience and can connect with them beyond the live event will have a greater chance of longevity and ability to create something of impact.
B2C shows excel at creating extraordinary experiences that deeply resonate with their attendees. What is your approach in fostering these relationships and where do you find inspiration for maintaining your or shows’ appeal?
We learned a long time ago that partnerships are the secret sauce here. We have amazing collaborators on our shows that bring subject matter experts, vertical penetration and content that is compelling to audiences we may not normally see attend otherwise. Groups like The Food Tank and the James Beard Foundation are great illustrations of this.
What can B2B exhibition/event organizers learn from the B2C approach to connecting with their attendees, exhibitors and sponsors?
How much time do we have here? We’ve spent full hours in this dialogue with webinars and at Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition covering this topic, and I feel like we have still only scratched the surface. Here are a few highlights that might spark some inspiration for anyone reading:
- We treat our exhibitors like attendees and look to find sponsors who want to be in front of our exhibit base to help us host surprise moments for them. For example, we host breakfast, espresso carts and thank you gifts for our exhibitors to make them feel as much a part of the moment as our attendees.
- Consumer sponsorship sales reach deep into non-endemics that are looking for lifestyle connections with our audiences. The Sponsorship Marketing Association has great resources for anyone wanting to up their sales strategies into alternative verticals that may not be obvious for your B2B shows.
- Consumer show producers tend to be scrappy and can’t often afford big tech solutions that B2B organizers use. So, we often have a different pool of resources for those of us who also produce B2B shows. We know what is available on both sides of the fence and can bring a cross section of solutions to both sides of our house. This enables us to connect with our customers, vendors, suppliers, and run our tech stack in a way that lets each department work uniformly to best service our clients’ needs.
- We run an “always on” approach to our shows, with both B2B and B2C. We never go dark and have digital media that engages our audiences year-round.
What would you like to see happen in the industry in the next five years?
I would like to see younger professionals enter our space and see more representation from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) professionals in leadership positions. I would like to see more innovation around helping entrepreneurs launch and sustain their ideas in this space – through launching association shows, for-profit events, tech platforms and solutions providers – entrepreneurship and small business is the backbone of our industry, in my humble opinion.
We have had incredible strides in seeing women assume CEO roles and Board seats within our industry, but we still have work to do to close some of the pay gap. I would like us to continue to make headway legislatively so that the if faced with another global crisis our industry is more resilient. I strongly advocate for anyone in our industry to take part in Legislative Action Day in the Spring.
