Creative Brief

Every November, transportation professionals descend on Hershey, Pennsylvania, for the APC/PennDOT/PTC Fall Seminar. This premier industry conference attracts 1,800+ attendees, including key clients, consultants & contractors for two days of education and collaboration.

PennDOT and PTC are two of Urban Engineers Inc.’s (Urban) biggest clients and given our headquarters and 50% of our staff are based in Pennsylvania, the conference provides a major business development opportunity. We leveraged that opportunity by funding the attendance of 32 employees whose mission was to connect with clients and teaming partners. Their presence reinforced our support for the Pennsylvania transportation industry.

Urban has attended this conference for years, rarely varying our approach, but we decided to shake things up and try something new and more strategic in 2023. This involved collaborative planning sessions, the addition of a highly visible, prominent sponsorship, and a strategically located booth. Planning started in July, with the goal of obtaining approval in August to secure the top sponsorship and first-choice booth location in September. 

Although hugely competitive, our team secured the General Closing Session sponsorship, which included a 90-second video and, upon request, allowed Urban's CEO to introduce it. His remarks and the video reached 800+ attendees and garnered positive feedback. The booth location was selected specifically for its visibility in the exhibit hall and proximity to food tables, which yielded heavy foot traffic. Our efforts are worthy of this recognition as they demonstrate how collaborative planning changed traditional practices and maximized our investment in the conference.