Exhibitor Spam Warning

As an exhibitor, you may receive emails and phone calls from various companies soliciting housing, attendee lists, etc.

These companies are NOT affiliated with OR Business Management Conference and are NOT authorized by OR Business Management Conference to contact exhibitors. Do not reply to these requests.

Many of these companies retrieve your public information from the interactive floor plan and may even contact the main company number to obtain your name and direct line or email. Your personal contact information is never posted online by OR Business Management Conference and is only shared with approved show vendors.

All official conference correspondence will be sent directly from OR Business Management Conference or one of the approved show vendors via an email newsletter, direct email, direct mail, or a phone call. If any correspondence is received from an unsolicited source, please do not respond to any of their inquiries.

Official Show Vendors:

  • Hotel Reservations: Connections Housing*
  • Booth Services (Furnishings, Shipping, I&D): Freeman
  • Electric/Internet/Rigging: Saddlebrook Resort*
  • Tabletop Catering: Saddlebrook Resort*
  • Lead Retrieval: Swoogo.

*Exclusive, no other company will be permitted to perform these services.

The companies “pirating” these bogus “services” threaten the conference industry as they disrupt the process and cause confusion with exhibitors. They aim to scam exhibitors and attendees and have them purchase fraudulent lists or book rooms that may never be reserved. 

Here’s a quick checklist to keep in mind:

  • If someone calls you from an organization, don’t assume they’re calling from that organization. Call them back on the main number. Caller ID isn’t a reliable way to verify a caller’s identity.
  • If someone emails you about something urgent, get their phone number and call them to ask questions. Don’t reply to the email and don’t send money. The ‘sender’ field can be altered and is not a reliable way to verify if an email is legitimate or not.
  • If in doubt, ask us! We are happy to confirm the legitimacy of any e-mails you receive from an outside vendor.

How Can You Help? File a Fraud Report!

If your company has received fraudulent emails or phone calls soliciting you to purchase attendee lists, book hotel rooms, or other products/services – file a report!

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has created a new process for individuals and companies to report these activities. The FTC will share these reports with their law enforcement partners to help with investigations and stop these practices

How to file a fraud report:

  •   Go to Federal Trade Commission: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
  •   Click on “Report Now”
  •   For Question 1:  “Is your report about any of these common problems?”
        Select “An Impersonator” (top left answer)
  •   For Question 2:  “Who were they pretending to be?”
        Select “Well-known or trusted business”
  •   Click “Continue”
  •   Add as much information as you have and submit!

Thank you for helping us report these frauds – with enough complaints, we can work to stop these practices from targeting exhibitors!

Additional Resources: