Experient – Inventing the Integrated Meeting & Event
Solutions Industry
In August 2006, Experient, the source for integrated meetings and event solutions, was
introduced to the meeting and event industry. Although the name and the integrated services
concept was new, the foundation of this company was well-known. Conferon, the industry leader
in meeting planning, ExpoExchange (formerly Galaxy Information), the industry leader in
registration and sales lead retrieval services and ITS International Travel Service), the industry
leader in housing and room block management services, together became Experient, the source
for integrated event services.
Experient was launched with a vision to perfect the event experience and a mission to help bring
people together to drive business. Throughout the years the Experient thought leaders have
developed industry standards, best practices and innovative products that have helped the event
industry become a thriving business avenue.
Background
Experient is the name of Conferon Global Services (CGS) that was launched in August of 2006 to
form one united identity for the industry leaders: Conferon, ExpoExchange and ITS. This name
uniquely identifies a company with long-term expertise, vast resources and the right combination
of services, technology and strategic partners. Experient offers a legacy of experience…
International Travel Pioneers
1945
International Travel Service (ITS) was founded with the purpose of expanding the reach
of travel for U.S. based associations.
1946
ITS formed as a leading source for room block management and travel services.
A New Industry is Born
1970
Conferon was founded in Northeast Ohio in 1970 to represent hotels to companies
planning meetings. Conferon begins assisting companies with meeting planning, defining
a market and doing what Tradeshow Week magazine has called “helping turn meeting
planning into a profession.”
1978
Rolled out the first “one-stop shopping” registration housing and travel operation.
Technology-based Advancement
1981
Galaxy Conferences founder, John Laughlin, formed the company in Frederick, Maryland
to help tradeshow managers identify their attendees by collecting information from them
and using the information to print name badges that attendees wear while at an event as
well as embossed plastic cards that attendees can use on the exhibit floor to request
information from exhibitors. Exhibitors collect this information through the use of creditcard type embossers, making an imprint of the attendees’ embossed card, thus collecting
sales leads.
Data Collection & Dissemination Quantum Leap
1991
Galaxy introduced ExpoCard electronic lead retrieval. The company replaced the former
embossed card with a card containing a computer chip onto which the information
gathered about an attendee during the registration process is loaded. Exhibitors collect
this information by inserting attendees’ ExpoCards into electronic ExpoCard readers
which record the information and produce printed copies of the sales leads.
Electronic Registration Transfer Evolution
1992
We were the first to engineer the electronic transfer of housing data with prominent
hotels.
Industry Technology Transformation
1994
Galaxy changed their ExpoCard technology from chip cards to 3-track magnetic stripe
cards, creating an affordable method for recording large amounts of attendee data.
These magnetic stripe electronic business cards became the industry standard in lead
retrieval technology.
Simplified Hotel Contracting
1996
Conferon initiated standardized contract templates with national hotel chains to
dramatically shorten and improve the negotiation process.
Integrated Registration and Housing Reservations Offered Online
1996
ITS became the first third-party company to offer fully integrated registration and housing
reservations via the Internet.
Two Become One
1997
Galaxy and ITS combine under common ownership. The new company name is
ExpoExchange.
Web-based Show Management Tools
1998
ExpoExchange introduced InfoManager, bringing Web-based event reporting to show
managers. With InfoManager, ExpoExchange clients are able to monitor their events’
progress throughout the registration process.
Experient Begins Publication Series to Serve the Industry
1998
Conferon released a 48-page comprehensive “Guide To Room Block Management.” This
publication, sponsored by Hilton Hotels, details the best practices of room block
management and shares meeting planning logistics. It was the first of a series of
publications – including the “Guide to Meeting Management,” the “Hotel Contract
Checklist,” the “On-site Management Checklist,” and the “Guide to the Food & Beverage
Experience” – which continues to provide important information for event planners today.
1998
We introduced InfoManager to show manager clients, bringing them Web-based, realtime event reports. With InfoManager, show organizers could monitor their event’s
progress throughout the registration process.
Experient Sales Network
1999
Conferon created a nationwide network of independent sales agents.
Online Tradeshows
2000
Galaxy developed the first, web-based, virtual tradeshow and eCommerce engine for the
hospitality industry.
Web-based Housing and Registration
2000
We introduced Destination Manager; a Web-based, housing room block booking and
management tool. Today, this tool is widely used by attendees, exhibitors and show
organizers, providing up-to-the-minute reservation services, live customer service, and
reporting.
Meet With Success Series Introduced
2000
Conferon developed a series of educational one-day meeting planning seminars
available to industry personnel called Meet with Success.
Developed Project Attrition in Conjunction with CIC
2003
Conferon and Bruce Harris initiated Project Attrition with the Convention Industry Council.
The study provided industry education and best practices for maximizing room pick up
and avoiding attrition.
2003
We continued to strengthen our industry leader status by adding dynamic HTML email
marketing, online and printed show floor and city maps, PDA-downloadable event
programs, web-based post-event attendance reports, electronic online meeting match,
and more. We also joined our three brands together, Conferon, ExpoExchange and ITS,
to form Conferon Global Services, the meeting industry's leading outsourcing company.
Leader in Technology Adoption
2005
ExpoExchange utilized RFID technology as a way to track tradeshow floor traffic and
session attendance.
Experient is the Source for Integrated Meeting and Event Solutions
2006
Conferon and ExpoExchange announced the retirement of all former identities. The
company was fully integrated as Experient. The announcement was made at the
company’s annual meeting in Denver.
2006
We changed our name to Experient to reflect our ability to deliver one integrated, event
services company with the strength to meet all of our client’s event needs.
Redefining Industry Solutions
2007
Experient introduced Attendee Customer Relationship Management (ACRM), a yearround attendance building tool combining data warehousing, database management, and
targeted campaign management.
2007
Experient introduced EM2 – Enterprise Meeting Management – the solution to the
corporate market’s need for a strategic meetings management program for multiple
events.
2007
Experient introduced ExpoPURL, a direct marketing tool designed to help exhibitors
maximize their ROI. The product combined dynamic four-color printing, branded microportals for lead qualification, and personalized URLs.
2007
We opened our first operations center in Las Vegas, Nevada reducing the carbon
footprint of shipping equipment to this often-used venue.
Experient Incorporates “Green” Event Practices
2008
Experient developed the “Experient Environmental Event Solutions Checklist” and
formally integrated green meeting consultation into standard practice. Each of the
Experient meeting and event managers began to offer environmental sustainability
practices and recommendations to our clients, and clients have to “opt-out” of
participation in green practices.
2008
We launched three new products for the tradeshow world: ExpoPURL™—a tradeshow
marketing program driving attendees to exhibitor booths through a series of personalized
communications and a URL, allowing exhibitors to close the sale on the show floor; the
Optium™ M800 Wireless Reader—a fully mobile, battery-powered lead retrieval device;
and ExpoROI+™—a complete toolkit for exhibitors to maximize ROI and for show
managers to retain and attract new exhibitors.
2008
Our Deerfield, IL office relocated to a state-of-the-art facility in Vernon Hills, IL, which
coincided with the launch of our new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone
system that increases call center efficiency and allows our customer service teams to
better serve our company’s attendee and exhibitor customers.
2010
We introduced enhancements to our EventXL™ registration and housing services
software to include our client information portal, DecisionPoint™—an at-a-glance
dashboard of key event stats—and PCI compliance to protect sensitive credit card
information.
2010
We also launched SWAP®, a next-generation smartphone-based lead retrieval app
system that integrates data collected from traditional lead retrieval devices with
smartphone-based lead capture capability (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Android).
2011
We introduced Luminosity™—a new family of service offerings based on the return on
investment measurement methodology developed by the ROI Institute and endorsed by
major meeting industry organizations that efficiently enables organizers to validate the
tangible and intangible business impact of their events in alignment with the specific
objectives for each event.
Industry Leaders Combine
2012
Experient is acquired by Maritz Travel Company, a global leader in providing full-service
meeting, event and incentive travel programs to corporate clients. The move brings
together two of the largest and most respected companies in the meetings and events
industry, and as a result, Experient and Maritz Travel realign their service delivery to
better serve target markets, with Experient focusing on association, tradeshow and
government markets, and corporate efforts aligning with the Maritz Travel brand.
2012
Experient also unveils several new technology solutions and upgrades, including the
ability to process foreign currency at international events; SWAP® 2.5, an upgrade to the
popular lead retrieval app that provides the ability to scan QR codes directly from the
badges of attendees; and Engage™, a total mobile event platform that integrates
registration, housing, lead retrieval and data management into one easy-to-use solution.
Experient, Conferon, ExpoExchange, ExpoCard, InfoManager, “Guide To Room Block
Management,” “Guide to Meeting Management,” “Hotel Contract Checklist,” “On-site
Management Checklist,” “Guide to the Food & Beverage Experience,” Destination Manager, Meet
With Success, SmartEvent, ACRM, EM2 and ExpoPURL are all intellectual property of Experient,
Inc. and are either Trademarked or Registered to Experient.
The complete list of Experient publications can be found on www.experient-inc.com in the
Knowledge Center.