Freeman and BDMetrics Form Strategic Partnership

DALLAS and BALTIMORE, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Executives of Freeman and BDMetrics have announced the formation of an industry-changing strategic partnership between their companies. This unique partnership will enable show organizers to enhance their live face-to-face events with online media in ways that will bring new value to the event industry.

In making the announcement, Jeff Price, executive vice president for Freeman, said, "Show organizers know the value that a face-to-face event brings to their exhibitors and attendees. At the same time, they are increasingly seeing the importance of extending the life of that event year-round in an online world to create a more meaningful relationship with exhibitors and attendees alike. BDMetrics has unique and proprietary personalization technology, as well as a full complement of services unsurpassed by others in this field. The company has proven its value in the events industry. We are very excited to be working together to bring new products and services to our mutual clients that will further enhance the value of their events, both live and online."

Rick Geritz, chief executive officer of BDMetrics, said, "The tradeshow and event industry is sitting on a paradigm-changing opportunity that it has never experienced before. By combining the power of online with the face-to-face experience, we can now quantify, with hard data, that exhibiting at and attending tradeshows is the best use of a company's resources. Especially in today's economic climate, the focus on ROI is critical to providing event owners with an integrated solution which will better serve all participants, strengthen the event, and extend the experience all year long. Freeman's vision and commitment to ROI in the tradeshow industry uniquely positions them to drive this important change. We are very pleased to partner with an organization of such high integrity on this important initiative."

The two companies currently service many mutual clients who have previously enlisted their services independently, including SEMICON West, BIO, CTIA Wireless, the National Association of Convenience Stores, and Diversified's International Boston Seafood Show. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has fully deployed BDMetrics technology in their events for years, and will be using Freeman this spring for the first time as their official service contractor. Chris Brown, executive vice president, Conventions & Business Operations for NAB, commented, "Measurable ROI is very critical to the growth and quality of our show and to the industry. Having these two leading companies working side by side, focused on bringing more value to my event for exhibitors and attendees, is very exciting."

BDMetrics recently received the prestigious Innovation in Business Solutions Award at IAEE's annual convention in December 2007, and is frequently featured in trade publications for their cutting-edge and comprehensive online technology solutions. Their web-based technology integrates seamlessly into a show producer's in-house systems, as well as with all major registration companies' systems.

The result is deployment of online performance tools for exhibitors and attendees that "makes everyone involved in the event smarter," as Geritz says. For example, attendees receive personalized agendas mapped to their needs, including their own personal "walking map" of the show before they arrive. The result is more attendees showing up at events, doing more while they are at the show and then staying connected to the show 365 days a year. Exhibitors, in turn, can reach attendees who have special interest in their products and services, expand their visibility with online tools, and exhibitors are easily accessible for those attendees both before and after the event. The combined result is a powerful and relevant ongoing community created around the face-to-face event.

One of the main objectives of the strategic partnership between BDMetrics and Freeman will be the development of new proprietary digital services for their mutual clients, beginning with new product development in 2008.

Price added, "Freeman has long been recognized in the industry for its expertise in logistics and execution of face-to-face events, and recently has expanded its value to clients as a strategic partner as well. Like the recent acquisition of ProActive, we think the partnership with BDMetrics brings an additional level of value to our mutual clients. We continue to be excited about the growth and future direction of the event industry, and the new possibilities this partnership brings our clients will certainly foster that growth."

About Freeman

Freeman is the world's leading provider of integrated services for face-to-face marketing events including expositions, conventions, corporate events, and exhibits. The company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has offices in 41 cities across North America. Freeman produces over 3,900 expositions annually including 100 of the largest 200 U.S. trade shows, and over 10,000 other events worldwide. Founded in 1927, the company remains privately held by the Freeman family as well as the full-time employee owners through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Visit http://www.freemanco.com

About BDMetrics

Baltimore-based BDMetrics is the creator of You-Based(TM) personalization technology for leading tradeshows and associations. This personalization technology customizes the entire event around the unique needs and interests of all participants and extends business relationships and interaction 365 days a year. The technology drives attendance, increases exhibitor participation, facilitates relevant business relationships and ensures positive constituent ROI. BDMetrics partners with leading tradeshow owners and associations to redefine and elevate the value of the face-to-face business experience and converts their communities into commerce. Visit http://www.bdmetrics.com