Hanley Wood Exhibitions Synchs and Secures Data

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Hanley Wood Exhibitions Synchs and Secures Data

“The a2zShow exhibitions management system is the heart of our business. Everything runs through it. … It enables us to take better care of our data, which is one of our key assets — that and our customers’ good will.”
— Shawn Pierce, Director of Infrastructure, Hanley Wood Exhibitions

CHALLENGE:
Hanley Wood Exhibitions produces industry-leading conferences and exhibitions such as World of Concrete, Surfaces and the International Pool & Spa Expo. The Irving, TX-based company is a division of housing and construction media giant Hanley Wood LLC. Up until 2003, the company used a combination of products for functions such as customer relationship management, CAD-based floor plan management and website content management. This conglomeration of systems was not only costly but also failed to link customer data across events. Each show was treated as an individual entity, making it difficult to track histories across shows and products. Simply identifying the top 100 customers would take a labor-intensive two weeks. When data security became an issue, finding a way to secure and consolidate customer data in one cost-effective system became imperative.

SOLUTION:
Hanley Wood selected a2zShow Enterprise because the product’s scalable architecture allowed it to accommodate the requirements of a multiple show organizer. The a2z system consolidated event management, floor planning, and inventory and financial management, as well as provided a platform for website content management. The implementation team converted sales to SalesLogix®, then integrated this application with a2zShow, so customer data is automatically synched and up to date. The six-month implementation process culminated in September 2004, when a2zShow went live in time to manage the 2005 International Roofing Expo. Each subsequent event rolled over to a2zShow, which now handles 15 events per year. In 2007, Hanley Wood implemented NetZone to connect people and generate additional revenue.

RESULTS:
The a2zShow system seamlessly integrates exhibition sales, marketing and management functions to provide data security, streamlined processes and cost savings across multiple shows. Reports that had been hand compiled are now automatically generated in seconds. The sales force can see complete customer histories and target market by industry, event and product. From the smallest show, with 60 exhibitors and 700 attendees, to the largest, with 1,800 exhibitors and 90,000 attendees, Hanley Wood has experienced measurable results in nearly every functional area since implementing a2zShow Enterprise:

Increased exhibit sales — Cross-product sales have gone up in excess of 10 percent since 2004, due in part to the integration of SalesLogix and a2zShow, which gives sales visibility into customer buying patterns,
Decreased attendee marketing costs — Event websites, the No. 1 marketing vehicle, used to cost $25,000–$65,000 to deploy and maintain. Now, database- driven websites with deep content are created for every show at no added cost.
Enhanced exhibitor exposure — Exhibitors get immediate online access to the event website, where they can enter and update their directory profiles, and the information publishes instantly.
Expanded search capability — Floor plans are now linked to the event website to give users access to more searchable company and product data.
Streamlined financial management — Reporting procedures now take 30–40 percent less time, and custom reports can be saved and run automatically.
Lower IT licensing and maintenance costs — Fees have dropped from $150,000 per year to about $50,000 per year, enabling Hanley Wood to produce 50 percent more shows at one third the IT cost.
Reduced risk — Exhibitions account for a large portion of Hanley Wood’s bottom line. A major data loss incident would mean lost revenue. That risk has been eliminated.

“If all you own is your database, and that can walk out of your business without your knowing it, that’s huge. The exhibitions account for a large portion of Hanley Wood’s bottom line. We were sold to J.P. Morgan Partners last year in one of the largest business-to-business acquisitions. a2zShow secured our data, giving our new equity partner confidence in our systems.”
— Shawn Pierce, Director of Infrastructure, Hanley Wood Exhibitions