CHICAGO — The inaugural edition of Newtopia Now, held in Denver this year and produced by Informa Markets’ New Hope Network, wowed attendees with numerous offsite experiences, including events at Meow Wolf and Red Rocks.
Trade Show Executive (TSE) spoke with Jessica Rubino, Vice President, Content and Summits at New Hope Network, to learn about the value of offsite experiences and get tips for organizers.
Why Host an Offsite Experience?
According to Rubino, offsite experiences help attendees create strong connections in an exciting atmosphere. Also, they can give events a leg up in today’s competitive landscape.
“When you get people off of the trade show floor, the conversations are going to sound different,” Rubino said. “You’re likely going to meet people that you would not have connected with on the show floor. You may be talking with someone for 15-20 minutes and not realize that they’re the lead buyer for your category at Target, but you just had this great, stimulating conversation about a topic that you’re both really passionate about … that’s when something more authentic can come out.
“I also think that to continue to stay competitive and on the leading edge of events, you have to be creative and innovative … make sure that you’re doing things that people haven’t experienced before and that feel fresh and exciting — that’s really complementary to more formal conversations and activations that may happen on a trade show floor.”
Tip No. 1: Curate a Strong Audience
Rubino believes that crafting a strong guest list should be your first priority.
“If you extend a personal invite or do that more direct outreach, that’s what’s going to get people really excited,” Rubino explained. “When you get the right people in the room, that’s the most important thing — whether it’s a crazy room at Meow Wolf or really cool restaurant.”
Tip No. 2: Know Your Attendees
Once you have the right audience for an offsite experience, it should dictate your planning process.
“It’s really important to choose offsite experiences based on the audience. Who’s going to be there and what is it that they want to achieve?” Rubino said. “Think about what’s going to draw in the target audience and feel relevant to them, really putting yourself in the position of the attendee or the exhibitor and asking ‘what would make you want to come to this event and what would get you excited in a new way that you haven’t had before?’”
Attendee goals directly influence Rubino’s work as Co-Chair of NBJ Summit, a networking and education conference for C-Suite executives in the dietary supplement and nutrition industries.
“Networking is a huge part of that event,” Rubino said. “There’s a lot of pressure right now in this industry and they’re coming there to connect with their people, meet new people and just enjoy as well as learn.”
With these objectives in mind, NBJ Summit hosted a networking excursion at Catalina Island this year.
“It was a risk because it was a full-day networking event — at NBJ Summit, we also have education and content happening throughout,” Rubino explained. “But we took about half of the attendees over to Catalina Island for a full day of fun experiences there. There was zip lining, water sports and great food … it was so well done, [and] so well received.”
Related. Newtopia Now’s Sales Model Is Guided by Attendee Feedback and Needs
Tip No. 3: Include Local Features to Surprise and Delight
Rubino shared that hosting local experiences can raise attendee satisfaction and make your event more attractive.
“One of the things that we looked at for Newtopia Now was what was unique to the area and what would really get people excited to be in Denver,” Rubino said, telling organizers to note “what’s going to be special and unique to the place in which you’re hosting the event,” creating a “business-meets-pleasure-and-leisure environment where you have something to look forward to.”
Tip No. 4: Choose Experiences that Reflect Your Event
Offering offsite opportunities that tie into and inform your event can create a more cohesive experience for attendees and a stronger brand.
For example, Newtopia Now had offsite dinners at local restaurants that aligned with its show floor’s neighborhoods.
The event also held a networking experience at a Colorado State University educational space centered on agriculture, food equity and water conservation (themes in the show).
“That was really awesome because it was contextually relevant for the industry, but also something that many people hadn’t experienced,” Rubino said.
Tip No. 5: Aim for a Balanced Experience
Creating a balanced event is key too.
“I avoid offsite experiences that are going to allow for limited interaction,” Rubino said. “Let’s say it’s a concert and it’s too noisy — you can’t talk to people and hear what they’re saying — or if it’s something where there’s a lot of instruction involved and people can’t mix and mingle … sometimes you can get blinded by the razzle-dazzle of an experience, but lose sight of the main goal of the experience, which is connecting people. Different people feel comfortable connecting in different ways. An exciting offsite experience is going to appeal to a lot of people, but not everyone.
“It’s making sure that your event is the right balance. Some people always will gravitate towards a traditional, more cut-and-dry way of doing business and it’s making sure that you stay true to that for those people as well … don’t lose sight of the core objectives of your business, and of the particular event, and make sure that these types of experiences can complement and enhance that as opposed to replace that.”
Tip No. 6: Have an “Anything Is Possible” Mindset
While budgeting and scheduling are important considerations, an open mind is necessary to craft innovative, exciting experiences.
“Things that are outside of the norm for a trade show environment are increasingly becoming not only embraced, but I think people are starting to demand them — really think big. A really creative way to begin is great and then you can start narrowing down to what’s truly possible,” Rubino said.
The next edition of Newtopia Now will take place Aug. 20-22, 2025, in Denver. Learn more here.
Photo Credit: Bryan Beasley Photography
