Exhibit and Sponsorship Opportunities
Welcome Exhibitors and/or Sponsors to the 2024 Annual Conference!
Brought to you by WCM and the Midwest Region of the Alliance for Community Media
The annual Wisconsin Community Media / Alliance for Community Media - Midwest Region Annual Conference is the best way to meet community media professionals from across the Midwest! Every year, equipment retailers and manufacturers, program providers, and other businesses who serve the needs of community media centers exhibit at the conference and/or sponsor the conference.
Exhibiting Basics
Date: Thursday & Friday May 16 & 17, 2024.
Exhibitor Registration Fee: $325 plus a raffle prize valued at $100 retail
Print promotion deadline: To see your logo in our printed and mailed promotional brochure, register and pay by Monday, March 1.
Exhibitor Registration deadline: We welcome you to register to exhibit until about 10 days before the conference.
Place: Lismore Hotel, A DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 333 Gibson St., Eau Claire, WI 54701
Exhibit Hours: 11 am – 6:30 pm Thursday;
9:00 - Noon Friday.
Exhibitors Reception: 5 – 6:30 pm Thursday just before the Best of the Midwest Media Fest Banquet and Show!
Exhibitors Raffle: During the Friday Lunch, exhibitors give away items at a retail value of $100. (Attendees must be present to win!)
Who comes?
The conference attracts city employees who are managing cable access channels, city websites, and/or social media outlets, teachers who are providing video production training to high school and college students, and nonprofit community access television staff, who train the public in the use of media. We also attract some high school and college students and community producers with our line-up of workshops.
Low power FM radio station managers and producers also come to the conference. About 20% of attendees are from out of state.
Role of Exhibitors
Fair - The Exhibitor Fair is open throughout the conference and is held in the ballroom used for our general gatherings, so you are always where the action is! The transition time between each workshop is 15 minutes, giving attendees time throughout the day to visit with exhibitors.
Exhibitors Reception - Held just prior to the start of the Best of the Midwest Media Fest Banquet and Show on Thursday. This hour and a half popular event puts our Exhibitors front and center. You'll meet award-winning video and radio producers while enjoying snacks and drinks of your choice.
Workshop Participants - Exhibitors also have a great opportunity to be a part of our slate of workshops. We often draw from Exhibitors for speakers.
The Lismore Hotel in downtown Eau Claire!
Meal Sponsorships
Meal sponsorships are open to Exhibitors and Non-Exhibitors. Meal sponsors are noted in all our print and digital materials and promoted via social media. Sponsors are announced during the sponsored meal and we also feature our sponsor’s promotional signs and distribute our sponsor’s materials to meal attendees. If you are also in attendance as an Exhibitor, your sponsorship entitles you to speak up to five minutes to the group at that meal.
We accept more than one company's sponsorship for each meal.
Sponsor the Friday Breakfast ($100). Approximately 55 attendees.
Sponsor the Thursday Opening Luncheon ($150). Approximately 70 attendees.
Sponsor the Thursday night Best of the Midwest Media Banquet and Show ($200). Approximately 100 attendees.
What's all included for Exhibitors
The Wilson Ballroom where exhibits will be located.
TABLES - 6’ by 30” Skirted table. If you need a second table, ask! Exhibits are located in the same room that all meals and general sessions are held.
ELECTRICITY & INTERNET ACCESS - Included. WiFi is available hotel-wide.
TWO MEALS FREE: Pick from Thursday lunch, Friday breakfast, or Friday lunch. You may elect to include the Banquet in your two meals for $30, a discount of $20. All Banquet tickets must be purchased through Film Freeway. Additional meals can be purchased at our cost.
YOUR LOGO PRINTED in all our printed promotional materials -- our mailed postcard, the Media Fest program, and a one-piece vendor promo sheet in conference attendee folders. Deadline to appear in our mailed postcard is Monday, March 1, 2024.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT IN SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
YOUR LOGO ON OUR CONFERENCE WEBPAGES
YOUR CLICKABLE LOGO on the bottom of WCM’s public website and on our member homepage for ONE year (see below).
UP-TO-DATE CONTACT INFO for all WCM member centers and conference attendees.
EXHIBITORS RECEPTION: Open to all conference and banquet attendees. This hour and a half featured event is held just before the Best of the Midwest Media Fest Banquet and Show begins in the Ballroom where the Vendor Exhibits are. Attendees enjoy appetizers and drinks.
What's optional
SPEAK AT A WORKSHOP. We often integrate exhibitors into our workshops. If you have a suggestion for a topic, please get it to us as soon as possible or no later than the first week of January. You may be asked in February to speak.
GIVE AWAY YOUR RAFFLE PRIZE WORTH $100 RETAIL to a lucky winner at Friday's closing luncheon (or we'll do it for you).
SPONSOR A MEAL (Open to exhibitors and non-exhibitors)
Hotel
Hotel rooms are $127 for a single/double plus taxes and fees.
For room reservations call the Lismore Hotel at 715-835-8888. Select option “0” to go to the Lismore Front Desk. Reference the Group Code WIM.
For online reservation information go here.
Shipping packages to the hotel
The hotel asks that you alert them one week prior to the conference that you are sending a package. Packages should arrive no more than three days ahead and include the name of the conference, the date you will arrive, and the “number of items” in the package.
WISCONSIN COMMUNITY MEDIA and the Midwest Region of the ALLIANCE FOR COMMUNITY MEDIA appreciate your support.
