2024 Exhibitor Prospectus

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Thank you for your interest and participation in the California IT in Education (CITE) Exhibit Show. Our show is unique in that we reserve the majority of a single day for vendors to share news about their products with our attendees. We look forward to having you join our 2024 show at the San Diego Convention Center.

Information in this document will be updated periodically to inform potential exhibitors of the policies, rules, and regulations. Check our website for more information. 

The CITE Exhibit Show typically sells out and has a significant waitlist. We encourage you to secure your booth as early as possible. 

Who Attends?

CITE supports over 2,000 members across the state of California along with hundreds of non-members who attend the show each year. We find that due to school district budgets, a good portion of our attendees are only able to attend in alternate years, therefore we encourage you to plan to participate in the exhibit show multiple years in order to reach the largest audience. 

The 1,200 - 1,500 school, District, and County Office  attendees who participate in our conference represent over 500 unique public organizations, 99% located in California. With greater than 640 unique job titles, those most commonly attending include:

• Director of Technology/Chief Technology Officer
• Information Technology Administrator or Manager
• Network Administrator, Engineer, or Manager
• Systems Analyst
• Instructional or Educational Technologist
• Technician

When is the Exhibit Show?

We open the show with a lively reception at 5:00 pm the night before the main show day. On Wednesday, the show opens at 8:30 am and closes at 3:30 pm.

Monday, November 18, 2024

• 8:00am - 6:00pm Exhibitor Move-In
• 3:00pm - 6:00pm Registration Open (Badge Pick Up)

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

• 7:00am - 5:00pm Registration Open (Badge Pick Up)
• 8:00am - 12:00pm Exhibit hall Move-In
  • Aisles must be clear by 12:00 pm
• 12:00pm - 5:00pm Exhibit Hall final set-up
• 5:00pm - 7:00pm Opening Reception
  • Exhibitor badge must be picked up from registration by 5pm for admission into the Expo Hall Reception. Failure to pickup your badge by 5pm may result in denial of entrance to the reception.

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

• 7:00am - 12:00pm Registration Open (Badge Pick Up)
• 7:00am - 8:00am Exhibitor Breakfast (In Exhibit Hall)
• 8:30am - 3:30pm Exhibit Show (Boxed Lunch Provided)
• 3:30pm - 7:30pm Move-Out

Note: The Exhibit Show will be held at the San Diego Convention Center.

Please do not ship any items to the exhibit hall or hotels; please coordinate all shipments with Tricord Event Services. 

What Comes with a Booth?

In addition to exposure to attendees, our exhibitors are provided with the following amenities. All booths include access to show-supplied wireless internet, which is acceptable for checking email but cannot stream video content.

Startup tables are only available for eligible applicants. If you are interested in applying for a startup table or discount, click here to learn more about eligibility requirements.

Kiosk booths are predesigned and include two stools, power, and lighted graphics. No additional pipe, drape, or furniture items are allowed. 

Additional furniture, hard-wired internet, electrical, internet, and other items may be purchased through Tricord event services via the Exhibitor Kit (To access the Exhibitor Kit please log into the exhibitor portal and find it in the tasks).

Included Exhibitor Meals

• President's Reception (Heavy Appetizers)
• Expo Hall Opening Reception (Heavy Appetizers)
• Breakfast - Expo Day (Continental)
• Lunch - Expo Day (Boxed Lunch)

Note: The Exhibit Show will be held at the San Diego Convention Center. Please do not ship any items to the exhibit hall or hotels; please coordinate all shipments with Tricord Event Services. This information will be provided in the Exhibitor Kit, which will be available in the exhibitor portal.

Can I Purchase More Badges?

If you would like to purchase additional badges beyond those supplied with your booth purchase, you may register online and purchase additional show badges for $150. 

Can I Combine or Sublease Booth Space?

No, CITE does not allow exhibitors either to combine smaller booths to create a larger space, nor sublease booth space to another exhibitor.

How Do I Get Attendee Info?

Lists of attendees who have not opted out to have their information shared will be emailed to the primary attendee on record three (3) times: three weeks prior to the event, one week prior, and within one month after the show. No additional lists will be produced. 

You may send up to two electronic communications before the show and one electronic communication within three weeks of our sending the post-conference list. All communications must include required opt-out/unsubscribe links. We also ask you to consider the number of inquiries our attendees get immediately following the show when planning your outreach. In addition, we encourage you to check local school district calendars so that your outreach efforts do not conflict with scheduled holidays or testing windows.

Can I Do a Vendor Session?

Our attendees have historically eschewed vendor sessions, except as part of our competitive Showdown. Other breakout session opportunities are listed below:

• Showdowns: If you are interested in highlighting your product as part of a Showdown, please fill out our Showdown interest form: 
• Sponsorship: If you are interested in joining our group of sponsors, please contact Touda, Director of Member Experience, at sponsors@cite.org
• Call of Speakers: If you have been working with staff from one or more schools, districts, or other non-profit educational agency AND your topic applies beyond a single product or company, please submit a session as part of our Call for Speakers opens Spring 2024). Please note the names and contact information for your school district presenters in the submission.

Can Exhibitors Attend Keynotes, Breakout Sessions, and Other Meals?

Exhibit badges grant access to the Expo Hall Opening Reception on Tuesday (part of exhibit show) and the show on Wednesday and includes a boxed lunch. In addition, we invite exhibitors to attend the Welcome Reception (more details will be announced on the website closer to the event date). To attend additional conference activities, purchase a One Day or Affiliate Conference registration. 

Where Can I Get My Badge?

Badges for exhibitors will be available at the San Diego Convention Center. You may not print badges for other booth staff; you may only print your own badge and a photo ID will be required to pick up your badge. Any badge that needs to be reprinted (usually because someone else tried to be helpful and print their colleague's badge) will be charged $45 payable immediately via credit card. 

What About Off-Site Hospitalities?

We ask that you please refrain from scheduling hospitalities or specialized vendor appointments during breakout sessions, the Welcome Reception on Monday evening, and the raffle immediately following the exhibit show. If you have scheduled a hospitality reception, we encourage you to let us know by filling out our hospitality form here: 

Are There Other Ways I Can Advertise?

We will be providing additional sponsorship opportunities in early 2024.

Can We Hold a Raffle in Our Booth?

We do not allow live raffles in the booths. This creates too much noise and crowding in one area. Exhibitors are allowed to collect business cards or have games in their booths that qualify the attendee for a prize that is awarded at a specific time. Because our attendees are public employees and must abide by state gift reporting laws, we encourage you to submit an item to the CITE-hosted raffle, held immediately after the exhibit show. Information on raffle details will be sent to exhibitors later this year.

CITE is defined by the IRS as a 501 (c)(6) organization and as such please note that these items are not tax deductible as a donation but can be written off as a business expense if your organization's standard operating procedure allows it. E-Rate gifting rules apply. 

We offer the following suggestions for prizes. Our attendees are true "techies" and appreciate the geekiest, nerdiest items you can devise. Popular items include equipment (monitors, projectors, etc.), devices (tablets, watches, etc.), gift cards/gift baskets, protective cases, and live opportunities such as event tickets, conference passes, and free professional development. 

I Have a Problem...Where Do I Go?

The Tricord exhibit services desk will be in the exhibit hall. For registration or conference issues outside of the expo show, please visit our registration desk. For any other questions or concerns prior to the event, please contact the conference team at exhibit@cite.org.