By Manish Chandak

“What is EBMS?”, you may wonder while reading this article. EBMS stands for “Event Business Management Systems” and many of Ungerboeck’s long-standing customers across the globe remember it as the very first name for Ungerboeck’s event management software that was used for many years. Even today, when we meet at Unite events, whether virtually or in person, “EBMS” is still used to refer to the platform by many customers within the Ungerboeck community as it has become an essential tool in their event professionals’ careers.

35 years ago, the world’s event software provider was a small startup founded by a young Austrian couple, Catherine and Dieter Ungerboeck. Today, Ungerboeck has more than 500 employees worldwide and is at the forefront of event management technology, offering forward thinking solutions to elevate the event experience worldwide. 

Ungerboeck has become a leader in the industry, powering over 980 organizations across the globe and supporting over 50,000 event professionals in their daily job. 

Throwback on three decades of innovation and successes:  

1985 -  Ungerboeck and EBMS were born
Ungerboeck Systems Inc. was founded in 1985 in Chesterfield, Missouri. At the time, the company was building custom solutions for the process manufacturing industry. The small team was led by Dieter Ungerboeck, in charge of customer relationships, and his wife Catherine, who was leading the development of the software. 

In 1989, Ungerboeck Systems Inc. received a request from the St. Louis Convention and Exhibition Bureau and Los Angeles Convention Center to build a custom solution for their venues. Following the advice of their business partner at the time, IBM, Ungerboeck Systems Inc. took on the two projects and secured ownership of the code created. EBMS was created and the company kept on improving the software to answer the needs of the event industry ever since. 

Over the years, Ungerboeck Systems Inc. kept on growing organically, expanding its footprint worldwide by opening regional offices in Oceania, Europe, Middle East, and China, to better support its global customers.

In 1994, the first PC-based software of “EBMS” was released, with the widely known “Version 19” of the system launched in 2003 and welcomed by a large customer basis for many years.

Version 20 – it all began with a sketch by Dieter Ungerboeck

In 2012, Ungerboeck Systems Inc. completely revamped the user experience and look and feel of its event management software. With the release of its browser-based Version 20, Ungerboeck decided to step away from the product name EBMS and from the company name Ungerboeck Systems Inc. The company was now referred to as Ungerboeck Software International, and the software name became Ungerboeck software. The shift towards browser-based software and increased usability was an important milestone in Ungerboeck history.

Version 30 – a leap towards UX, increased speed || Ungerboeck in the New Event World

In 2019, Ungerboeck Software International finally became Ungerboeck. The company took a big leap in its strategy, working on major software releases to significantly elevate its customers’ experiences. Focusing on mobility, agility, and connectivity, Ungerboeck is envisioning the solutions needed in tomorrow’s world. 

Innovative mobile solutions allow for increased productivity in event management organizations across all departments. Real-time information gives event professionals the power to be more customer-centric and more flexible than ever.

2020 – Extending events with virtual elements

2020 certainly marks a year of change for many event organizations, with the COVID-19 crisis heavily affecting the execution of events, exhibitions, trade shows, and conferences. The international teams at Ungerboeck have been reactive and communicative towards their customer community from the beginning of the pandemic, allowing for support and guidance in every situation.

As the Unite Conferences in the APAC and EMEA regions were turned into Virtual Conferences, the company decided to open these online events to all customers for free, attracting a record number of attendees. With the sudden and forced rise of Virtual Conferences and Online Meetings, Ungerboeck quickly responded to the market’s changing needs and released a Virtual Event Extension to seamlessly manage online participants and events details as well as statistics within the Ungerboeck platform. 

This extension is a first step towards new functionalities currently being developed by the team at Ungerboeck. The company is closely collaborating with customers and industry experts to shape the future of events, bring hybrid concepts to life and develop future event technology designed to bring people together, whether onsite or online.

Ungerboeck overcame many global crises over the past 35 years and the company has always shown stability, continued to innovate, and stood strong with its customers. As the event industry recovers from the latest and keeps evolving with new concepts, Ungerboeck will stay true to its mission of empowering people that bring people together by building the solutions for tomorrow’s world.

Manish Chandak, is CEO of Ungerboeck.

By R.V. Baugus

Be sure and save the rapidly approaching date to participate in the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals’ (NCBMP) July 23 Zoom panel meeting on “The State of Black Culture.” The panel session begins at 1 pm EDT.

The State of Black Culture will explore the lifestyle, development and ethnology of Black communities, families, and businesses. It presents a unique opportunity for national thought leaders to consciously educate and challenge the Black community and allies to all be their best selves.

For a full roster of panelists and to register for this important discussion that will be presented at no cost, please click here.

By Hilarie Carpenter, CTA

ASM Global’s Kathy Bart, an IAVM member and Director of Sales & Event Services for DeVos Place Convention Center, has been named “Best Supplier” in Michigan Meetings + Events magazine’s 2020 Hall of Fame.

Michigan Meetings + Events’ Hall of Fame honors professionals who are making their mark in the meetings and events industry. In Kathy’s role at DeVos Place, she is responsible for growing and managing the business strategies at national, regional, and local levels. She works collectively with Experience Grand Rapids, the West Michigan Sports Commission and area hotels in filling the event calendar and oversees the coordinating team to execute events ranging from holiday parties to major corporate and large annual association events.

Bart has been active with Michigan Society of Association Executives (MSAE) through committee work, facilitating certification classes and leading sessions at annual conventions. Bart can also be seen at Grand Valley State University where she speaks to students in the Hospitality program as well as at DeVos Place where she assists professors with on-site learning opportunities. Bart has been a part of the ASM Global (formerly SMG) team for 22 years. Starting with the company in the Van Andel Arena and DeVos Performance Hall box office, she transitioned into the DeVos Place sales department in 2004. She was named Director of Sales in 2008, and her role expanded to include Event Services in 2018.

“I’m extremely honored to be a part of the Hall of Fame alongside many outstanding professionals in this industry,” Bart said. “We continue to work our hardest in Grand Rapids to showcase all that the city has to offer, and take pride in the way that our staff at DeVos Place and all of our partners work together to create the best possible experience for our clients.”

Michigan Meetings + Events’ magazine also recently released the winners of their Best of 2020 Awards. These annual awards provide an opportunity for industry professionals to vote on the best professionals and organizations within the meeting and events industry each year. DeVos Place’s hotel partner and exclusive food and beverage provider, Amway Grand Plaza, Curio Collection by Hilton, was voted “Best Hotel with Meeting/Event Space (200 or More Guest Rooms)” and Bluewater, DeVos Place’s preferred audio/visual provider, was named “Best A/V Provider.” DeVos Place was voted runner up for “Best Convention Center” this year, an honor awarded to the ASM Global-managed TCF Center in Detroit. DeVos Place was voted “Best Convention Center” in Michigan Meetings + Events’ Best of 2017 Awards. For a complete list of Michigan Meetings + Events’ 2020 Hall of Fame and Best of 2020 Awards winners, visit MI.MeetingsMags.com.

Hilarie Carpenter, CTA, is Director of Marketing for ASM Global – Van Andel Arena, DeVos Place & DeVos Performance Hall.

Voting is now open and will remain so through July 17, 2020 at midnight CST. The complete slate including biographical information and photos can be viewed on the IAVM web site.  Our voting process has changed with the introduction of a new nomination/application process for sector directors.  The ballot you will see this year will only include the Second Vice Chair election, and if you identified as one of the following sectors: Allied, Arenas, or Universities you will find the election for that Sector Director.  At most, you will be voting for two incoming positions on the 2020 – 2021 Board of Directors.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL:  All voting members should have already received an email titled “2020-2021 IAVM Board of Directors Election-login information below”. The email contains a generated user name and password to use when logging in to submit votes.  If you haven’t received the email, please contact Rosanne Duke via email or by calling 972.538.1025.

As in the past, the ballot is available through Survey & Ballot Systems allowing complete confidentiality and security to our members.  The results of the voting will be posted following the closing of the ballot on July 17. 

By Mary Tucker

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) released the results of its latest poll tracking the impact COVID-19 is having on the U.S. business-to-business (B2B) exhibition industry during a recent free webinar.

“The persistence of COVID-19 and the uncertainty of whether events can take place in their scheduled destinations are forcing an increasing number of U.S. B2B exhibition organizers to either postpone their events to late 2020/early 2021 or cancel them entirely,” noted CEIR CEO Cathy Breden, CMP, CAE, CEM. “This trend is devastating to an industry that contributed over $101 billion to the U.S. GDP last year. CEIR provides valuable impact information to both Exhibitions Mean Business and the Go LIVE Together initiatives for use in advocating for the industry to Congress.”

CEIR Vice President of Research Nancy Drapeau, PRC added, “The top two reasons speak to the chaos of the current situation, as 74% of those forced to cancel say the lack of clarity in knowing whether large group meetings will be allowed to take place at the scheduled time due to state and local lockdown orders prompted them to this decision. IMTS scheduled to take place in Chicago is a prime example. In addition, many organizers (69%) attribute the persistence of corporate ‘no travel’ policies and the impact they might have on participation levels as a reason for foregoing a 2020 in-person event.”

Exhibition organizers are doing all that they can to defend the health of their organizations and serve the needs of their communities in the midst of this crisis. A new question CEIR’s June survey posed to organizers that have postponed an event is whether they have added a hybrid or virtual component to these events. Responses reflect that 63% have, with 44% giving attendees the option to attend in-person or virtually and the same percentage (44%) having a virtual event backup plan in the event they are forced to cancel at the last minute.

Among organizers forced to cancel 2020 events, the shift to digital has grown to 81%, compared to 69% in the April survey. What is most notable is the increase in full virtual trade shows, 41% compared to 15% in the April survey.

The June survey also profiles data on gross revenues retained and gained from efforts to move participants of canceled events to digital options or other face-to-face (F2F) events offered by an organizer. It also explores the revenue outlook for virtual events, whether there was a fee to attend, and whether these organizers sought revenues via sponsorship and virtual booth sales. Lastly, it quantifies which tactics and strategies executives plan to undertake moving forward, in a post-COVID world.

This webinar also provides commentary and case study sharing by two event organizers who participated in the event: Brian Cuthbert, Group Vice President of Diversified Communications and Rochelle Richardson, CEM, Senior Vice President, Exposition and Event Services at AVIXA InfoComm USA. Richardson shared lessons learned from the recent launch of AVIXA’s virtual event, InfoComm 2020 Connected, that took place two weeks ago.

CEIR’s most recent survey was fielded on 9-21 June 2020, inviting executives with oversight of U.S. B2B exhibitions run or managed by their organizations to respond. A total of 169 executives participated, similar to the level of participation generated in the April survey, which includes a sample of 164 executives. The June sample was generated from qualified members from the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO), and Trade Show News Network (TSNN) subscribers.

A full report of survey results is available in the webinar deck downloadable at no cost on the CEIR online store. Click here to download the full webinar presentation.

Be sure to save the date for CEIR’s next webinar on 15 July 2020, which is also free to attend. During this webinar – moderated by CEIR CEO Cathy Breden, CMP, CAE, CEM – CEIR Economist Dr. Allen Shaw will update his perspective on COVID-19’s impact on the U.S. economy and B2B exhibition industry. Click here to register.

The annual CEIR Predict Conference will be held 22 September 2020 at the MGM National Harbor, just outside Washington, D.C. Predict will provide insights into the performance of the exhibitions industry and a forecast through year-end, along with an economic presentation by Alex Chausovsky of ITR Economics discussing how world events are expected to impact the global economy. Registration for the CEIR Predict Conference is now open, and complete details are available here.

Mary Tucker is Sr. PR/Communications Manager for CEIR.