By Mary Tucker | Senior Communications and Content Manager | IAEE
Ray Baum has served on the IAEE Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter Board of Directors since January 2019. His general attitude and willingness to move the industry forward is critical to the chapter’s success in hosting relevant, well-organized events and increasing sponsorship dollars.
Ray’s contributions include creating new programs and improving existing ones that directly engage new chapter members and provide learning opportunities; supporting the IAEE DFW Chapter’s sponsorship program; and setting attendance records at several chapter events. In addition to serving on the IAEE DFW Board of Directors, he serves as the IAEE Southwest Chapter’s Director of Marketing and Communications and a member of numerous IAEE education committees, including the Expo! Expo! Advisory Committee.
Ray’s commitment to his chapter’s success earned him the IAEE Chapter Merit Award last year, which he received at Expo! IAEE’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in Dallas, Texas, in December (click here to watch Ray’s acceptance speech).
Here, Ray shares with IAEE how his experiences in the broadcast and music industries shaped his ability to connect with people, and how the IAEE DFW Chapter successfully hosts fun and engaging events that keep its members coming back year after year for more.
What draws you to exhibitions and events? What do you find most rewarding about your career in this industry?
ray: Like many people I know, I got into this industry by accident. I was deeply involved in the radio and record industry until 2001, when the new technology of MP3 came along. I saw the crisis coming. The record company I was working for at the time was a compilation label, meaning they made money by releasing compilations of existing songs and greatest hits. Because people could now download their music from Napster and other sites, their sales plummeted overnight and they began to scale back.
Needing a job, my wife told me about an opening at a company in her office. That job ended up being at ListeNation, the first company to introduce voicemail broadcasts to the trade show world. We thrived in the mortgage and auto industries, then the Do Not Call lists came along, which forced us to look for clients with B2B relationships. We had a small association client – or so we thought – AEM, and we decided to do some research. That’s when we found IAEM (now IAEE). From there, I started talking to Jeff Ducate and Susan Brower, and from there, the rest is history.
What inspired you to take on a chapter leadership role? What is your favorite part?
ray: Being new to the industry, I had no idea about all the ins and outs of running a trade show. So, I took the initiative to learn from my peers and find readily available resources. I was a member of the IAEE Southwest Chapter, so I volunteered to serve on the Events Committee. From there, I eventually accepted the MARCOMM Director position on the Board of Directors. From a professional perspective, it has been satisfying to gain valuable education from all the seasoned professionals I am now connecting with. But personally, my favorite part has been watching the Chapter grow over and over again.
Fast forward to 2019, and I joined the IAEE Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter Board of Directors. I was able to apply what I learned from the Southwest Chapter to DFW. We track attendance at every event, and it’s been incredible to see the same results over the past five years. Even post-COVID, the chapter continues to grow, with increased sponsorship and high member satisfaction. It all started by joining the committee.
You’ve been praised for your networking skills. What words of wisdom can you share with those who want to better network and/or interact more effectively with their colleagues?
ray: Thanks for the compliment. That’s a great question. The best answer I can give is this: When you’re at an event with coworkers, don’t stand there and chat with your coworkers. You can always see them. If it’s a real social event, leave them and find someone new, or find a coworker and ask them to introduce you to someone they might know that you want to meet.
A great icebreaker – and one I still do to this day – is to walk up to someone and say, “Hi, xxx, what do you do and where are you from?” I know it seems a little obvious and remedial, but you’ll get a lot of information with just these two questions. Even with just the basic answers, you’ll know if they’re a competitor, potential client, partner, or colleague. You’ll also know where they’re from, and most critically, hear if they have any particular accent. All of these elements come into play when I first meet someone. You can ask my current and former colleagues how many times I’ve been able to pick out a New Jersey accent and start a conversation.
Your peers have also praised you for being so successful in engaging members in chapter activities. Where did you get the inspiration to create your program? What does the future hold for the DFW chapter?
ray: I guess it stems from my ADHD! In the 70s ADHD was called hyperactivity, and yes, that’s what I had. At the time they blamed it on the Cocoa Krispies I ate for breakfast because they didn’t know any better. Haha! As a kid, the hardest thing for me to do was sit still. My wife will tell you that this continues to this day. So needless to say, we try to find places that will grab other people’s (and my) attention.
When we plan events, I try to include some fun or creative elements that will make people want to come to the next event and the same event next year. We’ve all been to “lunch and learn” events where educational sessions are offered along with some overcooked chicken or something similar, and that’s what we try to avoid. When we plan events, we try to find venues that have something unique of their own that we hope will inspire our attendees to consider hosting their own event there. It accomplishes two goals: First, it keeps the event fresh. Our “craft and draft” events have been very successful, and we’ve held them at several local breweries, each with their own craft beverage special. Second, it shows sponsors how much we value their participation by drawing their attention to their willingness to think outside the box. Now that I think about it, there’s probably a third benefit, because we’re also raising awareness for the venue provider. A few years ago, we held an event at a local hotel, and people still tell us they go there regularly. This one works the same way.
Looking ahead, we have a good problem facing our chapter. There are currently several schools offering event management degrees and we are starting to see students at our events. We are lucky to have Professor MT Hickman join our chapter so she is always sharing information and ideas with us on what the next generation of event professionals need to be aware of. With increasing awareness of future trends, adopting new technologies to engage our chapter, and working hard to stay ahead of the curve, we hope to be one of the most active chapters in the association.
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