There are two non-negotiables behind Freeman’s work at conferences like CES, NRF and GDC: on-site visits and constant collaboration.
“It’s a full-year planning cycle,” said Anthony Bartolomeo, who serves as senior vice president of client relations at the event agency and production company.
Founded in 1927, Freeman has long-standing relationships with the world’s biggest trade shows, including HIMSS, where they designed or rigged nearly every booth on the trade show floor.
“Our clients will design their space, or if they want help, they can work with Freeman on that,” said HIMSS Head of Marketing Lauren Whittington, making it clear that brands can bring in their own contractors.
It just so happens they all want the same one.
“The majority of our exhibitors partner with Freeman,” she said.
Strolling down the floor at last month’s HIMSS, Vendelux was hard pressed to find a single event marketer who didn’t work with Freeman or its subsidiaries in some capacity.
Freeman staff also set up much of the digital and structural technology employed by the actual conference.
“We were chosen as the official general contractor for the event,” Bartolomeo said.
They designed the graphics appearing on the digital signage across The Venetian Expo in Las Vegas, while its subsidiary, Sparks, worked with individual brands on designing and building the actual booths.
“One that comes to mind for me is Microsoft,’ Bartolomeo said, referring to the software maker’s complex network of booths that included a small theater with multiple scheduled demonstrations per day. “Their exhibit on the show floor was just a showstopper.”
The HIMSS and Freeman link has been going strong for almost three decades.
“There are people here that were there for nearly all 30 years,” Bartolomeo said. “That’s why I feel our partnership has been so successful.”
But in a sector with so many options for logistics, operations and management, how does Freeman stand out?
“I think for us, communication and collaboration is key,” Bartolomeo said. “The more time we have, and the more information we have, that’s when we’re setting ourselves up for success.”
A time-tested partnership comes in handy, especially when things change at breakneck speed. For the past three years, HIMSS has been held in Vegas, Orlando and Chicago.
“There’s a lot of reinventing the brand,” said Bartolomeo. “In a different setting and a different forum, it’s key to work with a team that’s willing to do site visits.”
That’s especially important when capabilities vary between venues. Last year’s site, the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, didn’t have digital signage. That means Freeman had to get to work sourcing screens and building the technological infrastructure from scratch. This year, Freeman took advantage of the ample screens on nearly every column and wall at the Venetian Expo in Vegas, which allowed them to display graphics directing guests to the conference’s myriad panels, speeches, lunches and happy hours.
“It frees up a lot of time building it. But again, there’s still different ways to apply that content and video to the facility’s digital screen,” he said.
With nearly 5,000 employees globally, it’s no surprise that Freeman values conference planners that can stay in touch year-round.
While Bartolomeo’s staff begins work on location 10 days before an event, the planning stages can stretch as far back as two years.
“We’re already looking at [HIMSS] 2026, 2027. It’s 365 days a year, and we’re constantly looking to improve upon last year,” Bartolomeo said.
