About Expo

MHEC’s Expo is an annual in-person tradeshow that has a long history of being the “go-to” event each year for our members. Expo is held at the DCU in Worcester, MA and offers 10×10 spaces for exhibits, many of them tabletops and pop-ups. Exhibitors may purchase additional spaces to extend the length of their booth and make a greater impression if they wish. We are providing price breaks on spaces at the back of the hall and reserved them for small businesses on our contracts to reduce the barrier of participating.

SUPPLIER MARKETING:

MHEC has created a flyer template that suppliers can complete to help communicate their participation in Expo to their customers.

KEY RESOURCES

Below are key resources for exhibitors to make the most of their time at EXPO 2022:

• Exhibitor EXPO 2022 FAQ
• Booth Registration
  
• Exhibitor Service Manual from Capital Convention Contractors
• Exhibitor Prospectus
  
• Lodgings: Hilton Garden Inn
• Lodgings: Holiday Inn Express

THEME:

Expo is known for its creative themes that add an element of fun to the event. This year, MHEC celebrates 45 years of making purchasing simple, savvy, and diverse. In recognition of our start in 1977, we are “turning back the clocks” to celebrate in the style of the ‘70’s. We encourage our exhibitors to participate in theming their booth décor to remind us all of that iconic time….yes, we’re talking bell bottoms, mood rings, and big hair! (There is an award for those innovative participants!).  

ATTENDANCE:

Attendees hale from all 6 New England states and come from  numerous sectors, primarily cities and towns, K-12, higher education and libraries. This offers our membership’s a chance to meet suppliers on our contracts, see demonstrations of supplier offerings, learn about new products, and get the information they need to make buying decisions. Expo 2022 comes back after a two-year interruption by the pandemic and attendee excitement is causing us to expect a return to the trends that typified attendance of past years:  600 registrations, 400+ on-premise attendees. We are raffling off a weekend in New York City during the holidays for attendees that register by August 1^st and attend the Expo.  

BENEFITS TO MEMBERS FOR ATTENDING

• FREE registration  
• FREE parking
• FREE catered breakfast & lunch 
• meeting 180+ suppliers on MHEC contracts      
• gain product knowledge to make better buying decisions
• see demonstrations to gain a practical understanding of value
• networking with peers from greater New England
• raffles & prizes for attendees
• grand prize drawing

MHEC MARKETING: 

MHEC began marketing Expo in June and is currently emailing every other week with “Throw-back Thursday” keeping the vibe alive with Expo information and trivia questions about the times. We will be promoting exhibitors who will be doing demos in their booth. To qualify for this free opportunity, send a paragraph (and photo if possible) to: Christina Betances-Orrell, Sr. Marketing Coordinator that includes:

1. Product Name
2. Contract it is being sold on
3. 1 – 3 brief bullets on the value proposition of the product
4. Description of the demo
5. Who to contact if we have questions
6. Your booth number

CHARITY PARTICIPATION

MHEC returns to Expo with Worcester Toys for Tots giving attendees and exhibitors alike an opportunity to share their good fortune with those less fortunate by bringing the  joy of toys to children at Christmas time.  

Join us in Worcester and get your groove on!