By Tim Mercer, Vice President, CustomNEWS, Inc.

When the Pulse nightclub massacre happened in Orlando this past June, there was an international outpouring of shock, sadness and compassion. One of CustomNEWS’ show daily clients, the American Library Association (ALA), was to hold its annual conference in the Florida city only a couple of weeks later. The organization quickly sprang into action: arranging a memorial service at the conference, not only for the victims and their families, but also for the greater Orlando community and association members and conference attendees affected by the tragedy. It also arranged for an onsite blood drive to help replenish the region’s blood supply. The memorial service was attended by more than 1,000 conference attendees, who listened to poignant presentations by the organization’s LBGTQ and Hispanic member groups, along with comments from the organization’s president and even a member of Congress.

The show daily published by CustomNEWS was a key component of the organization’s coverage of the memorial service – providing quotes from the presenters, photos and video of the entire presentation included in the digital Highlights issue published after the conference. The reporter covering the event for the show daily is also part of the LBGTQ community – and he was able to participate, mourn and celebrate the lives of those who died along with the other thousands of conference attendees and the tens of thousands more reached by the digital issue.

So while we talk about show dailies bringing life to a meeting, providing exhibitors an unmatched way to reach their prime customers when they’re in a position to buy, and giving the association an effective way to reach attendees when they need to the most — we also get real chances to tell real stories that make a difference. From astronauts to presidents; from world business leaders to Olympic athletes; from commemorating lifetime careers of key members to an association’s thoughtful response to a national tragedy – show dailies can lift up a meeting: in ways that are much more powerful than just words on a laptop screen or on paper.

Contact Tim Mercer via email, tmercer@showdailies.com, to learn more about CustomNEWS’ publishing services.