Exhibit City News - November/December 2018

Call For Entries: ECN’s First Annual I&D Ace Awards!

November/December 2018 • VOL. 24 • ISSUE 6

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATORS ARE TRANSFORMING THE INDUSTRY

SPOTLIGHT ON BOOTH TALENT MARKETING TO MILLENNIALS BUILT TO LAST STARTS ITS SIXTH SEASON WORLD’S LARGEST CONVENTION CENTER EXHIBITCITYNEWS.COM

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Celebrating the life of

Kurt Walker June 10, 1954-August 17, 2018

Although everyone who is associated with Momentum Management... employees, partners and customers... are shocked at the passing of our friend Kurt Walker, we want to celebrate the fact that nobody seemed to have more fun in everything than he did. Kurt was a great friend to a countless number of people in and outside of our industry.

Kurt worked hard for Momentum Management to make sure that his customers were well cared for. Perhaps it was his time as a professional hockey player that allowed him to truly appreciate the value of a team.

Kurt is missed every day. His work with the non-profit he created, “Dignity After Hockey”, reflects his concern not only for his beloved game of hockey but for the players involved in it. When you see a red Momentum shirt with a “26” (Kurt’s hockey number) on the sleeve, know it’s a small way that we are trying to tell everyone in the industry that we collectively lost a great friend. We hope you’ll keep his memory, as well as his family and friends, in your prayers. As we say goodbye to our friend, we pray you rest in peace, Kurt Walker. You were loved and you will be missed.

Sincerely, Your Momentum Management Family

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

18

Call For Entries: ECN’s First Annual I&D Ace Awards!

November/December 2018 • VOL. 24 • ISSUE 6

30

China is Building the World’s Largest Convention Center

32-34

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATORS ARE TRANSFORMING THE INDUSTRY

Spotlight on Booth Talent

You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby

36-37

Revamping the Marketing Model for Millennials

SPOTLIGHT ON BOOTH TALENT MARKETING TO MILLENNIALS

38

BUILT TO LAST STARTS ITS SIXTH SEASON WORLD’S LARGEST CONVENTION CENTER

Tradeshow Strategies

EXHIBITCITYNEWS.COM

On our cover, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort is at the forefront of innovative technology

Melon Carving: A Booth Traffic Draw

39

Feature Story

Your Brand on Display

28-29

41

The Swan and Dolphin Resort

Shop to Showfloor Section

Technology Innovators Who Are Transforming the Industry

I&D and Event Labor

42-43

Columns

Built to Last Starts Its Sixth Season on TV in Chicago

12

As The Saw Turns

44-45

Experiential: What’s Old is New

Las Vegas Power Professionals

14

Keeping Exhibitions Safe

The Green Piece

46

Strides in Sustainability Matter

16

Andy’s Apps

Apps for Organizing & Getting Where You Need to Go

18

New Column: EACA News

42

The Digital Experience What’s a Chatbot Doing in Face-to-Face Marketing?

20

The International Man

A Passion for International Connectivity

22

Social Media Strategies Social Media in the Tradeshow & Events Industry

Departments 8 10 24 52 56 60 66 74 76 80 95 102 105

Publisher’s Words The Convention Center Snapshot The Airport Snapshot International Focus AIPC The Convention Center Spotlight People on the Move Events & Venues The D.E.A.L. Regional Show Calendar Service Guide Classified Ads Advertiser Index

Glass Slipper v. Golden Fleece Award

48

Q&A Spotlight with Jim Wurm Five Questions for EACA’s Exec. Dir.

54

Putting a Price Tag on Creativity How Design is Changing its Perceived Value in the Industry

62

Association News

EDPA NorCal Chapter Tours The Newly Renovated Moscone Center

64

The Don & Mike Show

The Don & Mike Show Goes Live at RSMGC in Georgia

72

LVHA Rising Star

Alyson Lyden Makes Her Mark in Las Vegas

73

Corp. Profile: C2it Productions An Exhibit House with Big Walls— LED Video Walls, That Is!

70

In Memoriam

Kurt Walker & Dennis Oliva

6 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

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PUBLISHER’S WORDS

Greetings to readers everywhere!

A

s the ECN team race to put the finishing touches on this, the November/December print edition…several things come to mind.

»» The results of the mid-term elections will soon bear fruit…and it will have effects on the economy…and our industry is affected by the economy! »» What will employers do to find new talent? We are close to full employment now. »» 2018 is nearing the end of its course…and 2019 is knocking at the door!

We are an industry of hard workers.

Many of us work long days, weekends and evenings. Although our industry has a diverse workforce with diverse opinions when it comes to politics, our work ethic is a binding element that binds us together and helps define us as one workforce. Although there are certainly exceptions (just look to any social media outlet for proof) , most of us are so absorbed with our work and taking care of our exhibitors that we keep our collective noses to the grindstone. My suggestion is make time to vote, no matter who you vote for…it is not just our civic duty…but our duty as an industry!

How long can this era of near full employment last? Finding workers for the multitude of positions and talents needed to put on nationwide and wordwide events…where will new people come from? With an aging workforce across most industry sectors, especially

CSAL

CONVENTION SERVICES ASSOCIATION

AS VEGAS

PUBLISHER Donald V. Svehla Jr. (702) 309-8023 ext. 102 DonS@exhibitcitynews.com

on the showfloor labor side, where will new blood come from?

I’m not sure about you…but 2018 is a blur…as I have kept my nose to the grindstone covering events and living much of the time in airports…every time I look up…months have evaporated.

Now I look up…and the big autumn rush of tradeshows and events are upon us.

Hopefully to be followed by some time to reflect on the year, give thanks for our blessings and spend time off with family and friends for the holidays.

Be sure to check out Jim Wurm’s new EACA column in our Shop to Showfloor section as he bestows “Golden Slippers” and “Golden Fleece” awards.

We’re also welcoming new columnist and staff writer Amadeus Finlay and looking forward to reading his Social Media Strategies and other stories.

And, as always, we’re in the forefront of new technology advances for the tradeshow industry, marketing to millennials, booth marketing strategies and so much more. We’re excited that the Carpenters Union is Chicago is going on six seasons with their Built To Last TV show and are happy to feature it.

One thing is for sure. 2019 will take its course…and it should be an exciting action-packed ride!

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jeanne Brei (702) 309-8023 ext. 103 JeanneB@exhibitcitynews.com ART DIRECTOR Thomas Speak Tom@Speak-Design.com STAFF WRITER/EDITOR F. Andrew Taylor (702) 309-8023 ext. 105 FAndrewT@exhibitcitynews.com COLUMNISTS Amadeus Finlay Haley Freeman Larry Kulchawik Lesley Martin Jim Obermeyer Cynthya Porter F. Andrew Taylor Jim Wurm CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Aloysius Arlando Vince Battaglia Crystal Chu David Cucinotta Mike Morrison Leslie Mujica Glen Roberts Melinda Stewart NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Christy DiGiambattista (702) 309-8023 ext. 111 ChristyD@exhibitcitynews.com CIRCULATION Manny Chico Mike Morrison

Don Svehla | Publisher

Vol. 24, issue 6, copyright 2018 by EXHIBIT CITY NEWS, published six times a year by Mr. Tradeshow Communications, LLC, 1675 E. Desert Inn Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89169. Editorial views presented within this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher and no liability is inherent. To subscribe, go to ExhibitCityNews.com or call (702) 309-8023. Reproduction/reuse of this material may only be permitted with expressed permission of Exhibit City News. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to location listed above.

8 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

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Introducing the 1st Annual ECN I&D ACE Awards!

Call For Entries!

Exhibit City News magazine, celebrating its 25th year in 2019, is proud to honor the men and women on your crew with the first national awards honoring I&D, contractors and laborers who make the tradeshows and events HAPPEN! The ACE Awards honor the “BEST of” Aces for those who bring excellence to the show floors and exhibit houses. I&D ACES will be recognized for their dedication to company, customer, facility and co-workers—for going above and beyond with their hard work, loyalty and dedication.

SUBMISSIONS FOR ACE AWARDS ARE DUE BY JAN. 1, 2019 The 1st annual ECN I&D ACE Awards will be presented in Las Vegas in February

Categories include: · ECN I&D ACE Regional awards · Firefighter of the Year ACE award · Best Traveling Lead ACE award (Best at Putting Out those Fires!) · William F. Nixon, Sr., Lifetime · Best City or Regional Achievement ACE award Manager ACE award (with 30+ years in the business) · Rookie of the Year ACE award · ECN’s Posthumous (less than 2 years in the business) Hall of Fame I&D ACE award · Seasoned Show Floor Veteran of the Year ACE award · For a complete list visit (with 20+ years in the business) ExhibitCityNews.com

For more info, visit www.ExhibitCityNews.com

CONVENTION CENTER SNAPSHOT

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New Orleans Morial Convention Center Location: 900 Convention Center Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70130 (two miles south of the French Quarter in the trendy Warehouse District) Year Built: Hall A and the La Louisiane ballroom were built as the Great Hall of the World’s Fair in 1984, the year before it became the New Orleans CC Square Footage: With 1.1 million sq.ft. of contiguous exhibit space, the MCCNO is the sixth largest convention facility in the U.S. (at 3 million+ sq.ft. of total space and nearly 11 blocks long), and is about to break ground on a $557 million upgrade to the facility with $379 million earmarked for new meeting rooms, public areas, restrooms, A/V equipment, escalators and elevators and $79 million for a pedestrian park and surrounding area, in addition to a new $507 million, 1,200room Omni Convention Center Hotel with 150,000 sq.ft. of meeting space

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Renovations: The 2006 renovations included the creation of the 4,032-seat New Orleans Theater Parking: Parking lots F & G are across from Halls I & J for a daily fee

Wi-Fi: Complimentary WiFi is available in the public areas Hotels: 22,000+ hotel rooms in the downtown area and 38,000+ in the greater metro area as of Jan. 2017 Airport Info: The MCCNO is 17.5 miles from the Louis Armstrong Airport Website: www.mccno.com ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 11

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COLUMN As the Saw Turns

What’s Old is New

I

recently spent two days in a series of meetings focused on sales strategy for our organization. The consensus of many in our industry is that our business is changing, and we must change with it.

There is more of a focus on interacting with the tradeshow audience, on engaging and creating experiences for attendees. Everyone is talking about being experiential and everyone is suddenly pitching their expertise in this area.

The weird thing to me (perhaps because I’ve been around this industry so long) is that this is not a new concept. I of ExhibitorLIVE, and

By Jim Obermeyer remember sitting in his message of buildTS2 conference sessions in ing stronger relationships with the late ‘80s and ‘90s when customers resonated well with Allen Konopacki, an industhat audience. try guru at the time, was And here we are almost 20 talking about how we must years later talking about stratbecome more marketing egy and engaging the audience focused and pay more atand creating experiences like tention to the audience and it’s some new idea. Not really. how to get them engaged.

What are we actually talking I remember meeting with about here? We’re talking Fred Kitzing, founder of about finding ways to interact Kitzing, Inc., in Chicago, and with the attendees, to create an talking about strategy for experience for the attendees in engaging audiences, setting our exhibit, to engage attendobjectives and goals and meaees in a conversation about our suring results. He was a huge product and our brand, to have proponent of creating experithem leave with our message ences on the show floor. and remember it. I’m sorry, In 1999, Jim Gilmore’s book, but this is nothing new. This is The Experience Economy, was exactly what thought leaders in released and a lot of us in this this industry have been talking industry found it to be a great about for decades. resource. Gilmore spent a Professional booth staff number of years on the faculty trainers and those of us that

have done it “on the side” for our clients, have been talking about engaging audiences for a very long time. I remember three such experiences that we created more than 20 years ago: Working for a major defense contractor who had a big part in Operation Desert Storm, we created an experience where the tradeshow audience became an audience for a speech by General Norman Schwarzkopf (actually an actor we hired) talking about the reliability and performance of this company’s weaponry used in this conflict. The audience was convinced he was the real thing and were enthralled by his message.

In another show featuring robotic technology where we were wanting the audience to experience the technolo-

gy and ‘interact’ with it, we had robots pouring coffee for attendees. The message was about how precise robotic technology had become. The audience was fully engaged, and fully caffeinated.

And then there was the work we did for a pet products company, where in every city we did a show we worked with local animal shelters and breeders to bring puppies into the show for a day and have the audience engage with the puppies while they heard a message about the product.

Who doesn’t want to hold a puppy for a few minutes?

Creating experiences on the show floor is not a new thing.

Interacting with the audience is not new. I think what’s new is the technology—virtual reality, augmented reality, Microsoft HoloLens and the advances in gamification and digital marketing around the tradeshow. Perhaps that is what is driving this resurgence.

If it causes more exhibitors to spend more time thinking about engaging audiences, that would be a good thing.

But the concept of engaging an audience, of creating interactive experiences, is not new.

Perhaps it’s just never been fully embraced by an industry caught up in designing and building exhibits.

Maybe this time around the idea will stick.

See you on the show floor.

Jim Obermeyer has been in the tradeshow industry 35 years, both as a corporate tradeshow manager and exhibit house owner. He is currently a vice president at Hamilton Exhibits and can be reached at jobermeyer@hamilton-exhibits.com.

12 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

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COLUMN The Green Piece

Strides in Sustainability Matter

O

n October 8, the U.N. Intergovmizing the industry’s carbon footprint in ernmental Panel on Climate significant ways.

Change (IPCC) issued a comprehensive report warning that world govTravel and Transportation ernments must make “rapid, far-reaching People also have to be transported to and unprecedented changes in all aspects event locations. With the environment in of society” to prevent irreversible consemind, more organizations and meeting quences related to global warming. planners are, when possible, localizing The report identifies the year event venues, using technology to 2030 as a crucial benchmark, link participants and speakers in when global temperatures are lieu of in-person attendance, and expected to reach 1.5 degrees using eco-conscious travel strateCelsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) gies like carpooling or buying carabove pre-industrial levels. Exbon offsets. Major convention perts warn that at this level and By Haley Wilson-Freeman cities are effectively creating beyond, we can expect increased heatalternative transportation options for waves, sea level rise, droughts, devastating business travelers, with accessible and storms and for coral reefs to all but disapdesirable public transportation connecting pear—conditions we are already beginning airports and hotel-convention corridors. to experience at current temperatures (1 degree C above pre-industrial levels).

Convention Centers This sobering news signals the absolute and Meeting Venues necessity for all industries, governments, Convention centers and other meeting institutions and communities to pull tovenues have taken deliberate steps to gether to save our planet. This is everyone’s make facilities greener while creating a problem, and no one has the privilege of higher quality experience for visitors. conducting business as usual while others The public and private sectors have make the sacrifices necessary to ensure joined forces across the nation to plan for that future generations have a future. and build infrastructure that helps to reThis is a good time for us, as an induce energy usage and carbon emissions dustry, to review where we have made and increase recycling and composting strides in sustainability and why it is iminitiatives. Bold innovations in green portant that we renew our commitment building have yielded beautiful structures to the environment. that bring technology and nature together in new ways. From green roofs that are Logistics and Shipping havens to bee communities, to buildings There is no getting around the fact that powered by geothermal and solar energy, the shipping of freight, sometimes over these monuments to the future—many of long distances, is necessary to staging a which are LEED certified—are sources of large meeting or convention. Logistics pride to local communities and a draw to companies have been proactive about green-minded event hosts. evaluating environmental performance and implementing creative strategies to Green Meetings green the supply chain. From energy-efTrade organizations, corporate leaders ficient warehouse facilities, to cleaner and event planning professionals have burning vehicles, to logistical tactics that responded to the call for a cleaner, greener minimize shipping distances, emphasize industry by collaborating to define and two-way truck moves and facilitate recyimplement sustainable meetings practices. cling efforts, these companies are miniTechnology is replacing paper, and dispos14 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

...I recently visited a venue where landfillclogging coffee stirrers were replaced by sticks of linguini—ingenius! able water bottles are going the way of the dinosaur. Virtually every show floor boasts recycling bins, and kitchens are engineering clever ways to reduce food and service ware waste. I recently visited a venue where landfill-clogging coffee stirrers were replaced by sticks of linguini—ingenious!

In May 2018, the Events Industry Council (EIC) hosted the first Global Sustainable Event Standards Forum at IMEX Frankfurt, where sustainability leaders from around the world drafted a definition for event sustainability and four guiding principles for sustainable event standards.

The EIC and other organizations are continuing to remake the industry through ongoing education and collaboration, resulting in actions that have transformed our profession from one of the biggest environmental offenders, to one of the greatest environmental leaders.

We must press on, blazing a trail for other industries that would be greener, while sending the message to political leaders at home and abroad that our planet is in crisis. They need to know that we are willing to give up the old ways, and we are eager to innovate and collaborate. We can be the heroes of the new millennium, the champions who stood for change, or we can be the generation that destroyed the world. Who would you rather be?

Haley Freeman is a writer and a passionate advocate for the environment and sustainable business practices. Connect with her at www.linkedin.com/ in/haley-wilson-freeman-378b8413/

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COLUMN Andy’s Apps

Apps for Organizing & Getting Where You Need to Go

A

ny.do is a relatively Transit simple organizing Once you’re in that unfamilapp that can link to iar city, getting from one point your Google account. It has a to another can be eased by an handful of features that can app like Transit. The interface keep things running smoothly seems a little clunky at first, but in your busy, multi-tasking once you get used to it, it’s a world. For instance, fairly painless way to find if you send a call to out how to get from one voicemail while you’re place to another in a in a meeting, the app variety of ways when will remind you to you don’t have your return the call when own automobile. The the meeting is over. It By F. Andrew Taylor app offers information allows you to create to-do lists on which bus lines go where with daily reminders. It’s the you want to go and when the daily reminders that people next one is leaving. It also offers in need of some organization estimates on how long it will skills will appreciate. Like any take to get to a location via ride program, you get out of it what share services, like Uber and you put into it, but the setup Lyft or by bicycle, if you happen of this app is such that it can to have one or are lucky enough make adding reminders into to be in one of the cities with a a habit that will save some bike share service. Interestingly, headspace for other tasks. in most cities bicycles are the quickest way around, but they Gate Guru aren’t generally practical for Gate Guru is a useful app convention visitors who may be for frequent flyers trying to lugging around equipment or sort things out in an unfadon’t relish the idea of arriving miliar airport. You can use at a meet and greet soaked in it to find services in more sweat with one pant leg rolled than 200 airports, including up. The app also offers routes restaurants, retailers and, of and an estimate of how long it course, gates. Users can also will take to get to a location on review the amenities, the foot. Be aware that it shows the security hassles and in some most direct route, not necescases, even the layout of the sarily the safest. For example, I facility. There is a “Tips” tab mapped a test route to a hotel a on the airport where user/ few miles from the office and it reviewers make note of a went through a neighborhood I wide array of things, includwouldn’t walk through on foot ing the best times to go to with full body armor flanked by avoid a long line at the TSA Rambo and John Wick. and where the best places to nap are. The airport search F. Andrew Taylor is an award-winning function could use a little journalist, artist, photographer, work. For example, a search cartoonist and illustrator. He also for Hartford, Conn., failed to works in film production, does local turn in any results, so if you historical research and has been an don’t know the name of the amateur stunt driver and rodeo parairport or its three letter ATA ticipant. Contact him at fandrewt@ code, you’re out of luck. exhibitcitynews.com.

16 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

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COLUMN The Digital Experience

What’s a Chatbot Doing in Face-to-Face Marketing?

“Hey Betty, What’s the WiFi Password?”

A

ccording to DigitalGo, 2 bilnatural language processing (or the malion messages are sent between chine’s ability to understand and interpret people and businesses monthly. human language) have made interactions From phone calls to social media much more sophisticated. Betty can and web messengers, people are accurately interpret the user’s communicating one-to-one with question and deliver the correct businesses like never before. response with an amazing 96 BizBash Media Inc., a media percent accuracy. The global company and resource for the metric for First Call Resolution in professional event industry, found By Lesley Martin a call center is 70-75 percent. that they were communicating with Advancements in AI combined with customers on seven channels–from the ubiquity of text messaging have phone calls to multiple social media accelerated the growth of chatbots in the networks. Many of the questions they last two years. “[For the show organizer], received were repetitive and munSMS is the lowest friction medium to dane–questions that could be answered communicate with attendees,” explains if people actually read the FAQs. With Robert Caldwell, founding partner and the intent to improve productivity with chief revenue officer at Sciensio, the technology, BizBash worked with Eventcompany behind Betty that deploys fully Bots by Sciensio to create a chatbot and functioning chatbots for events. “They’ve named her Betty. already delivered this information via If you’re attending a BizBash event, you email and print, but you won’t look at can text Betty your questions regarding that until you need it. This is another registration, location and other FAQs. channel that delivers everything to you Her AI responds to 90+ user needs that in less than three seconds. SMS has a can be asked more than 3.2 million ways.

98 percent open rate. That makes this She’s available 24/7, never has a busy an incredibly powerful channel to which tone and answers within a few seconds. everyone has access.” It’s also a way To put that in perspective, let’s compare for show organizers to communicate in to a call center, where the global metric real-time with their attendees, such as for average speed to answer is 28 seconds, when it’s okay to re-enter the building the average call duration is four minutes, after a fire alarm goes off. and the percentage of users who hang-up Additionally, Sciensio delivers bots that before an agent answers is 5-8 percent. can be programmed in the brand voice.

“The beauty of the bot is that you have For example, Betty was programmed to one bot who’s having a one-to-one conhave a personality. Her responses are versation with thousands of people, and friendly, containing lots of emojis with a they’re having the same conversation evhint of snark. Betty not only has a name ery time,” says Nicole Peck, executive vice and voice, but a face as well. “As someone president of BizBash Media. “Additionalwith a marketing background, I felt that ly, the EventBot keeps a record of every it was important to give her something conversation, which can be used for data friendly, loving, enjoyable to look at and analysis and continual improvements.” made you smile,” says Peck.

Chatbots are not new, but rapid adResearch by eMarketer reveals that vancements in machine learning and “more than 35 million Americans use

voice-activated, personal assistants at least once a month.” While the tech giants are pouring money into chatbots, the technology is becoming accessible to all-sized companies. A chatbot for an event can start at $250 and go live within an hour. More robust bots cost several thousand and can be deployed within six weeks. For BizBash, Sciensio recently delivered their sixth Betty to them.

Yet relationships are at the core of the face-to-face industry. So in our increasingly robotic world, do bots hinder the human connection? “Not at all,” says Caldwell. “Chatbots are answering the non-value-added questions that are important to the customer at the moment, but not unique or of long-term consequence. That allows people to resolve anxieties and needs immediately which opens them up to continuing conversation.”

As bots become readily available as customer service solutions, businesses need to know how they can intelligently leverage this technology to save time and money. Caldwell adds, “It is really easy to build a bot, but it is really, really hard to build one that works. We tell our clients to focus on actually solving a business problem when they deploy bots, or any technology.” In this age of technology acceleration, that is pretty good advice for just about any solution.

Lesley Martin is a writer and digital producer working in San Francisco, Calif. Connect with her at www.linkedin.com/in/lesleymartin.

18 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

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COLUMN The International Man

A Passion for International Connectivity Building Awareness for the Power of Tradeshow Marketing

O

ver the past 30 years, U.S. exhibit industry pioneers have crossed the line of “normal” and pushed to create a new normal within the tradeshow marketing industry. People like Fred Kitzing, Don Freeman, Leo McDonald, Dick Swanby, Barry Siskind, Allen Konapacki, Rich Erschik and Lee Knight each influenced a change in our thinking about the value of tradeshow marketing in the U.S. We in the industry may have pushed for changes along the way, but in the end, the decision to really change strategies starts with the exhibitor companies. They were the ones who pushed for new ways of thinking to add value to their tradeshow marketing investments.

The tradeshow industry now is a global marketplace, but was not always that way as little as 15 years ago in the U.S. The shift to expand tradeshow marketing internationally is now a new normal for U.S. exhibitors. Show organizers, trade associations and show contractors each are playing a role to expand the reach internationally.

Beyond the entrepreneurs in the U.S., a number of international exhibit suppliers also were exploring ways to bring the tradeshow world together as one. The start of the Euroshop event, launched in 1966, really promoted the beginning of international trade thinking in the U.S. The event reached out beyond tradeshow marketing with show halls dedicated to lighting, store interiors and shopping center design. Each year more and more international exhibit supplier companies exhibited at Euroshop, held once every three years. Today, it is the leading international tradeshow dedicated to retail and exhibit design.

Many international exhibit suppliers, like Octanorm, saw an opportunity to promote their exhibit building systems to be available for exhibitors at shows worldwide. Hans Bruder, then president

of Octanorm, developed OSPI (Octanorm Service Partners International), a network of exhibit supplier companies from all major countries. Each supplier cooperated to support each other for shows abroad. This was a new and innovative concept. Others then followed to create a similar strategy for global growth.

Another global visionary thinker was Roger Taurant of Belgium. He founded the concept of connecting exhibit service supplier associations to follow a similar code of conduct and assist each other to help their exhibiting customers at European shows. Six country associations joined together in 1984 to form IFES. Today, IFES represents 45 countries who provide direct services at international events.

In the U.K., Simon Burton was always ahead of the curve in his thinking.

His passion for effective global marketing was unmatched! He started as an exhibits manager in London, then created the Exhibiting Show in London.

The Exhibiting Show, like ExhibitorLive in the U.S., focused on helping exhibit managers improve and measure results at tradeshows. The show was successful for five years, reaching out to exhibitors and suppliers worldwide to grow internationally. Simon included educational sessions dedicated to global marketing tactics. At each show he passionately spoke on his concept of ROE (Return on Emotion) which helped to launch the “experiential marketing” way of thinking we see everywhere today.

“I think that there are challenges with a straight ROI measurement approach for exhibitors, particularly bigger exhibitors in industries with long sales cycles and multiple touch points,” says Simon Burton. “Exhibitions aren’t simply about leads, they are about relationships, both creating, nurturing and brand profiling.

I’ve always believed that there’s a sweet spot where the exhibitor’s objectives and

By Larry Kulchawik

Simon Burton

direct commercial return overlap with face-to-face human contact.

Engagement (emotion) requires both parties—exhibitor and visitor—to create a meaningful relationship.”

As Peter Drucker taught: “What gets measured gets managed.”

Today, Simon Burton is launching a worldwide exhibit design award program called the Worldwide Exhibition Stand Award, partnering with Exhibition World magazine. The purpose of the award is to recognize excellent exhibit design within the countries they target.

An award program of this nature allows exhibitors and exhibit design companies to demonstrate their sensitivity when exhibiting abroad. Bravo to the innovative thinkers who help drive the industry!

Larry Kulchawik is the head of Larry Kulchawik Consulting and author of “Tradeshows from One Country to the Next.” For more info, visit www.LarryKulchawik.com

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COLUMN Social Media Strategies

Social Media in the Tradeshow & Events Industry

I

n today’s highly-globalized economy, strategic use of social media is as important to a successful exhibit program as any physical component of the booth itself. From pre-show promotions, all the way through to live engagement and post-event activities, social marketing is found at every touch point on the exhibit journey. In my first column on social media strategies in the tradeshow and event industry, I’ll step into the digital realm to uncover the influence of one of the most active forms of communication the world has ever seen, and explain how event professionals can use it to their advantage.

Let’s dismiss a misconception at the outset: social media is more than a handful of apps designed to support the throwaway commentary of millennials and their contemporaries. On the contrary, according to CES By The Numbers, 82 percent of event marketers use social media to market their events, and thanks to the power of this mighty online influencer, social media often carry a brand’s message to more individuals than attended the show in person. Take CES as a case study. While

this year’s show saw more than 182,000 industry professionals on the show floor, it recorded almost one million hashtag and direct mentions, 49 million Snapchat Live story views, and more than 224,00 video views on Facebook.

And which platform came out on top?

According to AdWeek, the answer would be Twitter. According to this ever-dependable resource, 93 percent of industry professionals rate Twitter as the most useful social media tool for engaging with events.

Unlike similar, conversation-based competitors, Facebook and LinkedIn, Twitter has the advantage of permitting unlimited access to any account with which a professional might wish to connect. Additionally, since Twitter is hashtag-driven, users can follow a specific event without expending the time and effort of labor-intensive searching. Finally, it is concise (280 characters, to be precise), meaning messages can be relayed swiftly and with focus, making it ideal for quick and effective communication.

That’s not to say Twitter is the one and only solution to effective tradeshow and event social media. LinkedIn, long

the preserve of professionals seeking to add value as thought leaders within their space, has upped its ante somewhat in recent years. Following extensive feedback from its users, the platform now supports hashtags as well as direct profile and personal tagging, allowing for additional ease of use. With these enhanced tools, LinkedIn has cemented its position as the leading platform for professionals seeking to add real digital value to their everyday endeavors. Popular uses include the ability to publish extended essays on nuanced topics, discovering the latest trends through interactions on industry-specific forums and the ability to connect with C-Level executives.

What of Facebook? At this point, almost everyone is on the platform; more than 68 percent of adults in the U.S., to be precise. Given its popularity and widespread use, there isn’t much that hasn’t already been said about Facebook, but the one tool that event professionals should consider using—if they aren’t already—is Facebook Live. Touching on the exclusivity of younger platforms such as Snapchat, Facebook Live allows users to livesteam from anywhere in the world, so long as they have a cell phone (and Wi-Fi) handy. This makes for an excellent method of communication from the show floor, as event marketers can share experiences with those unable to attend with the intimacy of real life.

The takeaway? Without an active social media strategy, brands (companies, as well as individuals) risk missing out on the benefits of an engaged and influential audience beyond the confines of the show floor. One thing is for sure…the pioneers have already blazed the trail; be careful not to get left behind.

Amadeus Finlay is a writer, strategic growth marketer and communications/public relations consultant who resides in Rhode Island. A University of Edinburgh graduate, he’s lived in the U.S. since 2014. He was featured in both Worcester Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 and Pulse Magazine’s 16 to Watch in 2016. Contact him at AmadeusF@ ExhibitCityNews.com.

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AIRPORT SNAPSHOT

Louis Armstrong New Orleans Int’l. Airport ATA Code: MSY Address: 900 Airline Dr., Kenner, LA (11 miles west of downtown New Orleans) Year Opened: Moisant Field was built on the Moisant Stock Yards, where early aviator John Bevins Moisant (1868-1910) crashed. The U.S. government built an airport for the Army Air Force in 1942 and returned it to the city in 1946.

Size: MSY covers 1,500 acres with two runways and currently has one terminal with four gates. A new $993.7 million terminal with 35 gates is set to open on the north side of the runways in May 2019, replacing the current terminal south of the runways. In 2017 a record breaking 12,009,512 people came through the airport, making it 37th busiest in the U.S. Transportation: Bus service provided

by New Orleans Regional Transit Authority Airport. Also, hotel shuttles, taxis, charter services and ride shares.

Fun Facts: MSY replaced a smaller, airport built in 1934 as Shushan Airport; now Lakeside (a private airport that kept the ATA code of NEW). Its Art Deco terminal was in the 2011 film Green Lantern starring Ryan Reynolds.

MSY is the second lowest-lying int’l. airport in the world at an average of 4.5 feet above sea level. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Int’l. Airport is the lowest at 11 feet below sea level.

It was given its current name in July 2001, to honor the 100th anniversary of musical legend Louis Armstrong’s birth.

MSY was temporarily closed after it was submerged under two feet of water in the wake of a 1947 hurricane.

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 25

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INDUSTRY NEWS

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort: TECHNOLOGY INNOVATORS WHO ARE TRANSFORMING THE INDUSTRY

BY JEANNE BREI

B

ack in the mid-´90s, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort launched what was believed to be the hotel industry´s first property-specific website. They followed that up by being one of the first to debut a property-specific downloadable mobile app for Apple´s iPhone in 2009. They were also one of the first to use 360-degree photography to showcase property amenities.

And now, nearly a decade later, they continue to be at the forefront of technological advances in hospitality and events. At a recent Technology Showcase at the Swan and Dolphin, Audrey Cornu, Tishman´s vice president for internet for Tishman Hotels Corporation, owners of the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, spoke of assembling a team to create a GPS that would work indoors and be able to guide you from floor to floor, navigating escalators, stairs and elevators.

Years earlier, she had approached both Google and Apple, but the technology did not exist. Fortunately, she recently found a willing collaborator in Mist Technologies.

Mist, a pioneer in self-learning networks powered by artificial intelligence, partnered with Tishman to bring new indoor wireless location experiences to the Swan and Dolphin. The resort is using the Mist Learning WLAN to deliver exceptional onsite mobile experiences to guests, event attendees and planners, including in-building navigation, asset tracking/event analytics and proximity notifications.

“The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort is a unique property servicing guests from around the world and hosting some of the largest enterprise conferences in the industry,” says Cornu. “We have been working with Mist to deliver a state-of-the-art indoor location experience to business groups and leisure guests while building an asset tracking infrastructure for events and in-house use.”

“Mist’s virtual beacon technology and machine learning are game changers in the BLE space,” says Carlos Lugo, director of IT at the Swan and Dolphin. “The accuracy is quite good and everything is managed via the cloud, which is a huge help to the IT staff

Pictured L-R: Nagarjun Srinivasan, technical staff, Mist Systems; Jeff Aaron, VP marketing at Mist; Bob Friday, CTO & co-founder, Mist Systems; Audrey Cornu , vice president internet, Tishman Hotel Corp.; David Ely, TurnoutNow co-founder & COO; and Guy Goldstone, VP of systems engineering, Mist

as they no longer have to deal with battery-powered physical beacons or on-premise temporary appliances. Our Wi-Fi/ BLE APs are permanently installed and cabled throughout the building.”

In addition to wayfinding, the Swan and Dolphin is also using the Mist solution for proximity-based messaging to guests. “Personalized services are key to delivering a great meetings experience, and Mist makes this possible,” explains Gino Marasco, director of sales and marketing for the hotel.

Mist’s vBLE/Wi-Fi system comprises more than 300 access points located throughout the property that can identify and send relevant “user states” or data regarding a user’s downloading traffic, coverage, and throughput to distinguish anomalies from mobile devices every few seconds. The company’s technology can determine whether connectivity issues are related to the network, phones or operating systems and predict future trends that enable operators and IT staff

to better plan for high-density environments and other scenarios. In Swan and Dolphin’s latest remodel, new technology added includes electronic reader boards throughout the meeting space and the latest in high-density Wi-Fi offering high-speed, uninterrupted internet to groups as large as 15,000 people.

The Swan and Dolphin plans to offer premier event services throughout its meetings and public spaces by giving show organizers a turnkey solution for delivering meeting information, schedules, floor plans and directions to attendees. No additional hardware is required by the organizers, which saves planners on time and logistics, when planning an event.

Mist and the Swan and Dolphin have also partnered with TurnoutNow, the world’s most innovative event data capture platform, for asset tracking throughout the resort. Organizers can track booth visits, dwell times and offer personalized advertising opportunities that are customized based on user

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behavior and/or location.

At the technology showcase, they discussed how the built-in (cabled) AP beacons can detect if 500 people have wandered into the lobby bar and how the AI aspect can immediately text three more bartenders to go and assist—without the need of managers to get involved. It can also detect if there’s slow booth traffic in one corner of the tradeshow area and can text show management to take counter actions–such as sending a food or beverage cart to that area.

According to Bob Friday, chief technology officer for Mist, “It’s been an exciting project for the entire team, and we are excited to be on the forefront of offering cutting-edge, location-based services in hospitality. We expect this technology will continue to help distinguish the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort as a leading resort for meetings and conventions.”

A recipient of the prestigious Meetings & Conventions Hall of Fame Award, @ExhibitCityNews

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the luxurious Swan and Dolphin Resort is a nationally respected and recognized leader in the convention resort arena.

Ideally located in the heart of Walt Disney World, the resort opened in June of 1990 and offers 2,270 guest rooms and more than 331,000 square feet of meeting space. Features consist of 86 meeting rooms, including two executive boardrooms, four ballroom options, 110,500 square feet of contiguous convention/exhibit space, outdoor function areas and two business centers. The Marriott/Starwood-managed resort offers unique Disney Differences with character appearances, theme park events, Disney Institute seminars, and much more.

For its 25th anniversary, the resort underwent a three-year, $150 million renovation which included a redesign of all guest rooms, complete transformation of the Dolphin Resort lobby (with 9,890 individual crystals in the new Dolphin lobby chandelier) and renovation of all meeting space, which finished its final phase in fall 2017. It’s currently undergoing a $3 million transformation of the Swan Resort’s lobby, public spaces and coffee bar. Upon completion by the end of 2018, the resort’s two main lobbies, all guest rooms and meeting spaces will all have completely updated appearances. In September, they

announced they’re breaking ground soon for a third tower (currently unnamed) that will be 14 stories tall and include:

»» More than 22,000 sq.ft. of meeting space, including two ballrooms, 12 meeting rooms and a rooftop reception space offering spectacular views of the nightly Walt Disney World fireworks »» 349 guest rooms including 151 suites featuring separate working and private spaces, built-in AV system, large conference table and other features designed to create the perfect collaboration space »» Landscaped 16,800-sq.ft. elevated outdoor deck with a fire pit and pool »» 90-seat restaurant and a 50-seat lounge »» Health club, business center, grab-and-go market, upscale craft cocktail lobby bar, Disney benefits Scheduled to be completed in fall 2020, the new structure will be located next to the Swan Resort on the site of the tennis courts. Once the new tower is completed, the resort will offer more than 2,600 total guestrooms and 350,000 sq.ft. of meeting space. The new location will be open for group bookings March 1, 2021 “This new resort is designed to allow us to better meet the needs of meetings and groups,“ says Director of Sales and Marketing Gino Marasco.

“Its unique new features will complement our location, recent renovation and service

to give planners even more options to enjoy.”

Both leisure guests and conference attendees enjoy the cutting-edge technology that the innovators at the Swan and Dolphin provide.

Cornu, an accomplished hospitality executive who oversees internet development and marketing for more than 10 Tishman hotels and resorts, is a champion for web technology and its positive implications for the hotel industry in particular. She continues to lead her company in defining innovative ways to incorporate it into their daily business. In 2000, she led the beta version of a hotel website for The Ocean Villas at the Westin Rio Mar Beach in Puerto Rico. The resort’s internet-based virtual “concierge” allowed guests to make restaurant reservations to tee times online and order the kind of food they wanted stocked in their refrigerator.

“People love technology,” says Cornu. “I’ve been in IT for over 30 years and hospitality for over 20. I’m always looking for the next big technology that’s going to change our industry. The last couple of years, I’ve been studying AI and location-based services to learn how they can help the hospitality industry deliver a better customer experience to both our leisure guests and our conference attendees. With Mist, we have found the right blend of AI and location-based services.

It’s not only going to improve the customer service, but lay the foundation of how we deliver services to our guests in the future.”

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 29

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Building the World’s Largest Convention Center Shenzhen World to have 5.4 Million Sq.Ft.

by F. Andrew Taylor

O

fficials for the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center in China presented at IMEX America on Oct. 16 and screened a video showing renderings of the project, statistics, transportation options and a time lapse of previous construction.

Phase 1 of the project is set to deliver 4.3 million sq.ft. of exhibition space and after Phase 2 is completed, the venue will realize its full potential at 5.4 million square feet. Shenzhen World (SWECC) is projected to be completed in late 2019, at which point it will become the largest convention and exhibition space in the world.

The completed facility is set to have 4.3 million sq.ft. of prime exhibition space, 16 column-free halls that will each be 210,000 sq.ft., a 485,000 sq.ft. mega hall with only four columns and a 14,000 seat event center with retractable seating. The completed campus is also set to

have a three level conference center with meeting rooms, a 70,000 sq.ft. ballroom and a VIP breakout area and lounge in addition to 130 break out rooms, 12 meeting rooms ranging from 60-650 capacity, theater-style and 13 meeting rooms ranging from 100-900 capacity, theater-style.

There will also be complimentary Wi-Fi, catering for banquets of more than 5,000; more than 100 food outlets, on-site safe rigging services, venue APP with visitor services, wayfinding and the first plug-nplay electrical services in China.

Transportation to the area is available by two airports within seven km (less than five miles) and the Hong Kong Airport is just 75 km (about 46.6 miles) away. Shenzhen can also be reached by ferry, highway and a bullet train that takes less than an hour from Hong Kong.

Often cited as being just a small fishing village prior to being singled out to be the first of the five special economic zones in 1980, it has, in actuality, been a regional market town for some years. Currently it is nicknamed the “Silicon Valley of China” and a reported 90 percent of the world’s electronics are made in the rapidly growing city. It is home to the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center which was completed in 2004 at a cost of CNY3.2 billion and has held almost 300 exhibitions and more than 1,350 conferences since its opening. The developers of Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center project that it will become the center of exhibitions and conventions for all of South China and perhaps even a wider region.

At IMEX America 2018, Gregg Caren, SMG’s executive

vice president/convention and exhibition centers, noted that “Today, we are most proud of the friendship we have formed with our colleagues from Shenzhen.” Officials for the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center in China named SMG as the venue’s new manager in July of 2017.

SMG manages more than 230 venues, including exhibition centers, arenas, stadiums, theaters, equestrian centers, science centers, and more.

Within the SMG portfolio are 1.5 million sports and entertainment seats and 15 million square feet of exhibition space, including McCormick Place and Cobo Center in Detroit. Once SWECC opens next year, it will bring the firm’s venue management portfolio to more than 15 million square feet of exhibition space worldwide.

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ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 31

BOOTH STAFF/TALENT

Spotlight on Booth Talent: YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY

BY CYNTHYA PORTER

32 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

One needn’t look far into history books to find the ubiquitous “booth babe” of tradeshows past, as the practice of draping products with beautiful, usually scantily clad women was de rigeur for shows of virtually every kind for at least four decades. But talent agency professionals say those days are largely gone— at least the half-naked part—because exhibit managers are finding that today it takes a lot more than sex appeal to sell products. What’s more, there is a new reality in the tradeshow world: The rise of women in the ranks of most industries may sometimes work against booths sporting babes as much as it may have helped in years gone by.

To be fair, beauty is still in high demand on the show floor, and agencies still have catalogues full of perfectly polished smiles and expertly coiffed hair. However, what’s different is that a competitive resume today needs to contain a lot more than a pretty photo and a bra size. “When I started out in this industry as a tradeshow model 40 years ago, models were always females selected and hired on their beauty and body measurements, and the majority of the bookings required the models to wear bathing suits, shorts or short dresses and very high heels,” says Jerrie Williams, owner of the talent firm J. Williams Agency.

Williams said the modeling industry started to make a gradual turn decades ago

...crowd gatherers, product demonstrators, pre-qualifiers, translators, even salespeople and presenters can all be sourced from a talent agency...

when medical shows rose in prominence, as not many medical device manufacturers or pharmaceutical companies were looking for a 34/D in hot pants and go-go boots.

While beautiful faces were still required, temporary staffers were beginning to take on a more genteel role as booth hostesses or receptionists wearing classic business skirts and blouses, she says. “Attractive, pretty models were still needed,” she explains, “but the industry was ready for a new category. Smart, attractive, intelligent hostesses and product demonstrators were being requested.” The desire to fill that gap, she adds, is what led her to transition from a model in the industry to the owner of her own talent firm 37 years ago. @ExhibitCityNews

Judy Venn, founder of talent agency JVA Inc., agrees that decades ago, it was a completely different industry, at least as far as its portrayal of women was concerned. “When I started in the industry 45 years ago, most exhibitors hired very sexy models or booth babes,” Venn admits. A woman herself, Venn knew that expecting so little of hired talent was selling the workers she had short. “I saw a need and tried to change the industries thinking about that. I wanted to show that most talent had more to offer to the exhibitors and attendees.”

In 1981, Margery Dosey and Harriett Fuller opened the doors of Productions Plus: The Talent Shop on the same premise, believing that the traditional booth babe was going the way of the dinosaur and that a smarter sales strategy was to have booth staff who could interact with attendees in a meaningful way. “They saw an opportunity to elevate the role of the ‘car show model’ when founding the company,” says Production Plus President Hedy Popson. “Both women realized that there was a disconnect between the beautiful women and the cars they were showcasing. Although they drew attention to the vehicles, the models were discouraged from speaking to the consumers about the product and therefore

the element of attract and engage was lost.” In an effort to modernize thinking about the roles of booth talent, according to Popson, Productions Plus was among the forerunners of the transition from product models to product specialists.

It would seem that the industry largely came to agree with the founders of these organizations, as today having scantily clad women in a booth is an exception rather than the norm.

In the industry for 10 years, Ben Rossi of Vantage Advertising says he rarely hears the term “booth babe” anymore, though he agrees it was part of the tradeshow lexicon for a very long time. “I can say that 99 percent of the time, that is not what we are sending out as talent. And that’s not just us using terminology that is politically correct, it is not what our clients are looking for,” he says.

Instead, Rossi explains, clients are looking for articulate, professional talent—which he acknowledges is still primarily female—to interact with booth visitors in ways far beyond laying on the hood of a car looking pretty. For many exhibitors, the booth babe of days gone by evolved into badge scanners—a function largely going by the wayside now and giving way to brand ambassadors. They are still generally very attractive, Rossi admits, but also much more covered up and expected to be able to interact with visitors about a product intelligently.

But the roles played by hired talent in today’s tradeshow environment don’t stop there. Crowd gatherers, hostesses, product demonstrators, pre-qualifiers, translators, even salespeople and presenters can all be sourced from a talent agency. According to Williams, emcee talent is an emerging specialty for temporary staffers, and while the preparation for such a role takes more time, the results for a company can be worth the effort. “The talent is prepared with all the client’s company product information and is able to have a quick response to ad-lib in difficult situations,” Williams says. “An emcee keeps attendees engaged Continued on p. 34 ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 33

BOOTH STAFF/TALENT Continued from p. 33 and entertained while getting the client’s product message delivered with high energy and fun.”

For situations in which talent will be expected to interact with attendees, Rossi says clients typically send over product information in advance of the show or they have workers come an hour before the doors open to review brand messaging. Many of the workers available from agencies have vast experience with shows and are skilled at stepping into the role with minimal preparation.

“Many people do this full time,” he explains, “and they’ve been doing it for years. They can walk into a show, do a 30- or 60-minute run-through and hit the ground running.”

In reality, the average resume of tradeshow talent might come as a surprise to those new to hiring them, Rossi says.

“Many of the ladies we work with have college degrees,” he explains. “But they can make so much money doing tradeshows that they love doing this instead.”

Rates for temporary booth talent can vary dramatically based on the services and skills of an individual and the geographic

34 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

location of the show, he says, but on the top end of the industry, an in-demand presenter can pull in $1,200 per day—not bad for a six-hour shift. Of course, sometimes all an exhibitor needs is a knockout to smile and hand out brochures, says Rossi, but competitive agencies today will have the gamut of talent available for a variety of needs.

Productions Plus’s talent pool is predominantly college educated too, says Popson, and those who are polished, bilingual or professional public speakers are especially in demand. As the person who sources talent for Productions Plus, Halie Rosenberg also looks for workers who are tech savvy, as the likelihood that they will need to operate things such as iPads, RFID scanners or virtual reality programs for clients is high.

It used to be that an exhibit manager could thumb through a stack of photos along with body measurements and be finished hiring booth workers in minutes.

Today, the process for hiring tradeshow talent is somewhere in-between a job interview and a full-out casting call.

“Exhibitors are asking for resumes with

pictures a lot more now than in years past,” Venn says, “and they base their choices on both talent experiences and their look.”

That “look,” Rossi says, needs to align with a client’s brand whether through age or nationality or style. “It’s an image thing,” he explains. “Hired talent need to reflect the culture of the company. Asian exhibitors may want American workers, American exhibitors may want diverse ethnicities. The company may have a certain style it wants to portray. When hiring temporary talent, exhibitors need to keep in mind what their goals are.”

And those goals, Rosenberg says, seem increasingly to be to focus attention on products, not sex appeal. “At this point, it seems that most industries have caught onto the fact that talent don’t need to be underdressed to help promote products,” she says. “Even tradeshows like SEMA, which was known for scantily clad booth babes for decades, now have wardrobe parameters. While there is still a lot of emphasis on sex appeal at after-market shows, we have seen a shift to much more tasteful wardrobes and product training for booth talent.”

Agency representatives all agree that there are pockets of the tradeshow universe where so-called booth babes are still fairly common—and those shows are typically primarily attended by men. “Automotive, racing and gaming shows still have a larger request of ‘booth babes’ than other conventions,” Williams says. “But things are changing. Even the trucking industry shows have followed the new trend of having attractive, smart and well-dressed hostesses wearing high-end looks.”

Some shows have enacted dress codes intended to eradicate provocatively dressed workers on the show floor, including some gaming shows, electronics shows, and even the Nightclub and Bar Show. In doing so, each show says it is working to elevate the environment of the event to one that is serious about products rather than flesh. While some regard it as prudish, others praise it as a positive evolution. “When the per-

son showcasing the product knows key information that is vital to the reason the brand is exhibiting at any show, there is no longer a need to dress those individuals in scanty attire to draw interest,” Popson explains. “With the advancement of technology that provides constant streaming information, the attendee’s focus and desire has shifted from ‘attract me’ to ‘tell me what I need to know.’”

It’s hard to argue with the fact that attractive faces do draw attention towards an exhibit, but using hired talent can benefit a company in so many other ways, all agency representatives agree.

“Company staff can be a great asset to a booth as they are experts in the brand,” says Rosenberg. “However, what they are usually not experts in is how to drive traffic to the booth, how to easily get a lead or even how to make a dry technical presentation more engaging and exciting. Booth talent can help with all those elements. Booth talent can learn highly technical and new information quickly, they are engaging and extremely personable and they truly enjoy working with an audience.”

Beyond that, hiring staff in a tradeshow city can significantly reduce the cost of sending company employees to a show.

“Besides being able to tap into specific experience and skills that may be needed for an event,” Venn explains, “it is often less expensive to hire outside independent contractors for those special needs @ExhibitCityNews

rather than pay salaries, bonuses, benefits and travel expenses to permanent employees attending a show.”

Williams couldn’t agree more. “All exhibitors should consider hiring a professional talent agency specializing in tradeshows and conventions instead of bringing in more office staff,” she says. “The cost of airlines, hotels, ground transportation and meals is offset with local talent.” Moreover, she adds, professional talent is very often more skilled on the show floor than company staffers, contributing to more effective crowd gathering, higher leads and a better return on investment than expected.

In some cases, Venn adds, her company is even receiving requests for staffers who will man a small exhibit alone, with the client shipping materials and the talent taking responsibility for everything from set-up to tear-down.

But not all talent agencies are creat-

ed equal, talent reps say, and they urge exhibitors to do their homework before working with one. Some of the most critical qualities of an agency should be that it specializes in tradeshows and conventions, it knows its talent very well and it will facilitate whatever depth of interviews a client wants with talent before hiring, including telephone interviews and in-person auditions if requested.

Also, industry veterans warn that this is one area where cheaper is likely not better, and it’s important to make sure an agency is well established and highly regarded in the industry.

Detailed resumes for talent are imperative too, they say, and so are references from previous shows. It’s the only way an exhibitor will know the talent they bring in can run games, not just show off gams, sell products instead of sex appeal and gather leads rather than gawkers for the booth.

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 35

TRADESHOW/MARKETING STRATEGIES

Revamping the Marketing Model for Millennials

BY CYNTHYA PORTER

For exhibition managers, change is a constant in terms of the tradeshow environment, with evolving technology, economic factors and design trends upending the status quo on the show floor from one year, even one show, to the next. Analysts call it disruption and say it can usually be traced to external forces such as new innovation or shifting economic stability that affects a population. But for the first time, researchers say, one of the greatest disruptions facing the exhibition industry is the population itself. The reason? The millennial generation now outnumbers everyone else in

the exhibit hall, bringing with it a distinctly different way of doing business when compared to years past.

According to research by the Pew Research Center, millennials–loosely defined as those born between 1981 and 1996–overtook baby boomers in 2016 to become the predominant age group in the work force, and their numbers have multiplied exponentially each year since. In a report published by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), Barry Siskind, president of International Training and Management, says that tradeshow marketers who don’t adjust their tactics to

36 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

conform to the preferences of this new wave of business professionals stand to lose greatly, as millennials have entirely different motivators and will not respond to the things that brought marketing success with the generations that came before.

Since millennials entered the workforce, CEIR has been studying their preferences, particularly the ways in which they depart from the Gen Xers and Baby Boomers. It found that while boomers self-identify as career driven, brand loyal, motivated by meetings and dialogue, and often defined by their work, millennials do not generally

identify strongly with any of those traits. Rather, they are more likely to prize idealism, big dreams and things that energize them personally and professionally, as well as authenticity in brands and the people representing them.

Siskind’s report, titled “It’s Not Your Father’s or Mother’s Tradeshow Anymore–Engage With Caution” says that successful engagement with boomers often includes trying to impress them with a product’s history and the relationship it has with other companies. Instead, he notes, a millennial buyer walking the show floor is more likely to be looking for inspiration and shared values with companies it considers doing business with. As such, a story about corporate success will not resonate with a millennial attendee in the same way that a story about corporate charity will, and a faceless company persona will never promote attendee engagement the way a personal interaction with a company representative does.

In fact, CEIR studies find that millennials are hyper-sensitive to the reception they receive from booth staff, Siskind writes in his report, with the majority saying they look for exhibitors who are friendly and welcoming when deciding which booths to explore. They also prefer games, interactive product displays and selfie-worthy situations, and they respond most favorably to companies that have a savvy social media presence.

However, even with millennials dominating the show floor and this research illuminating their preferences,

studies by CEIR are finding a disconnect between the things attendees are drawn to and the things exhibitors are doing to attract them. For example, according to CEIR’s “Attendee Floor Engagement Study Part One,” 67 percent of attendees like educational games, but only 7 percent of exhibitors provide them. Also, 78 percent of attendees like interactive product displays while just 43 percent use them, and 65 percent respond favorably to celebrities holding booth hours though only 5 percent of exhibitors arrange that as a draw. There is also a chasm in social media efforts, with millennials reporting an affinity for brands that interact with them via digital means while comparatively few exhibitors actually do so. Siskind believes it points to a degree of skepticism among exhibiting professionals about the need to change engagement tactics, though he notes that a failure to do so can doom even the largest exhibiting programs.

Experts at the American Marketing Association say that, in part, the reason extra effort to engage in a personal way on the show floor is needed is because tech savvy millennials are more likely to research products and companies online, talk to their peers about them and make buying decisions based on reviews and influencers rather than company sales presentations. As such, time spent on the show floor is often geared more at building relationships than gaining product knowledge for millennials, and companies that don’t offer an interpersonal element are likely to be passed by. @ExhibitCityNews

Jillian Tempestini, a social media expert for Nimlok, says efforts to create that relationship should begin pre-show with posts about the exhibit and special activities, contests or giveaways that will happen there. Also, she says, exhibitors need to incorporate the show’s official hashtag into any social media posting and they should monitor the hashtag to see what other exhibitors are doing and what attendees are saying. “Once

Tempestini. “Instead, sound like the human you are. For instance, include opinions (that reflect brand identity) on shared content, post live videos of booth activities and reach out to followers on a personal level.”

While attendees can be quick to unfollow accounts they find overly spammy or focused on a sales pitch, they can be just as quick to cleave to brands that demonstrate a human element through social

...accept that the incoming generation of millennial buyers is different and reinvent the selling model to accommodate it. your brand has established a presence within the hashtag,” Tempestini explains, “it’ll be easy to join the conversation and reach out to attendees on an individual basis.”

She adds that exhibit managers would do well to encourage everyone on the team to get involved with social media posts during the show as it helps a company create personal inroads to attendees who prefer human interaction over corporate posts. Keeping that in mind, she says, those doing the posting would be wise to keep sales pitches to a minimum in the social media space. “Lifeless messages with no emotion sent over and over again, or the same message used to respond to multiple people are a big no-no,” says

media channels, Tempestini says. “Show your fun side by sharing the non-business part of exhibiting,” she says.

“If you’re attending events, award ceremonies or even team dinners associated with the show, share a few photos here and there. Showing your fun side will help attendees relate to your brand on a more personal level.”

Aside from being human, Tempestini also encourages those in charge of posting on social media to be helpful.

“Whether it’s info about an industry topic or practical advice during the show, being useful will make you a trusted resource,” she says. “Think outside of the box to provide information attendees are looking for like show tips for

newbies, advice on where to eat in the area or activities for those arriving early or staying late.” Posting “best-of” notes, quotes and statistics from educational sessions can be perceived well too, she says, as can the sharing of original content like blog posts from within the company.

Those interpersonal relationships can be deepened in a booth, Siskind’s report suggests, when staffers remember that they are trying to engage attendees rather than sell them something, because, as the American Marketing Association simply puts it, millennials just do not want to be sold to. They want relationships, authenticity and a brand they can believe in, not to mention having people be sincerely welcoming to them–without trying to sell something to them–when they pass by.

That approach may present something of a conundrum for exhibitors who need to sell to survive. The key to success, the AMA says, is to accept that the incoming generation of millennial buyers is different and to reinvent the selling model to accommodate it. According to Siskind, leading questions that encourage an attendee to talk, curiosity about an attendee’s needs and good listening skills can promote an exchange that millennials will value. When paired with a humanized social media presence and something interactive in a display to intrigue them, an exhibitor may find that the soft-sell indeed serves them well when trying to foster the relationships that millennials crave.

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 37

TRADESHOW STRATEGIES

Melon Carving A POPULAR BOOTH TRAFFIC DRAW

BY AMADEUS FINLAY

CUBE EXTRUSION W/BACKLIT FABRIC

It is commonly accepted that tropical fruits are good for the soul, but how about the exhibit floor? Philadelphia-based chef Joseph Poon certainly seems to think so.

For the past 20 years, this award-winning creator of Asian fusion cuisine has been gracing tradeshows across the

country with his unique art of watermelon carving. Just this summer, Poon entertained the crowds at PMA Foodservice Conference and Expo in Monterey, Calif., and at the New

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England Produce show in Boston, Mass., with the 69-year old artisan showing no signs of stopping any time soon.

“I’ve made friends and built relationships with so many people that I’ve met and worked with at the tradeshows,” says Poon, “the visitors really like the watermelon carving displays. The art draws them to the booth and then I get to talk with them.”

His unique style is influenced by the Chinese tradition of carving fruit for special occasions, where artists present ideas in intricate detail with an emphasis placed on the ability to use an entire fruit as the canvas. For Poon, the challenge of the practice is what makes it so attractive.

The chef’s more extravagant endeavors include turning pumpkins into swans and finding dragons in watermelons, but it is in the fine detailing of flowers and eyes that Poon demonstrates his mastery.

Poon first took his art onto the exhibit floor after the National Watermelon Promotion Board, for which he is a consultant and spokesperson,

asked him to appear at their booth at the PMA show. This appearance launched his career in the tradeshow industry, and while Poon still supports the Board at events, his watermelon carving at conventions has led him to support brands such as Kroger, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Dexas.

But that’s not all. This native of Hong Kong also studied martial arts under Bruce Lee and made the discovery that if you submerge carved potatoes in water and wine vinegar in a clear glass bowl, they will remain white. Poon has also appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, as well as being the recipient of the Asian American Award for Outstanding Community Service and the March of Dimes Guy Przybycien Award for volunteer acts within the community and excellence in culinary arts. Not bad for someone who arrived in Philadelphia as a young man with little grasp of the English language and just $8 in his pocket.

For more info, visit www. josephpoon.com

38 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

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TRADESHOW/MARKETING STRATEGIES

Tradeshow Exhibits: Your Brand on Display

BY DAVID CUCINOTTA & AMADEUS FINLAY

In July, Sarah Chew, sales and marketing director at Kingsmen Exhibits, wrote a provocative synopsis and evaluation of brand encounters on the show floor. But ensuring that your striking, custom-built booth properly represents the true essence of your brand is a challenge that begins long before you ever set foot in the convention center. Brand strategist David Cucinotta, president of brand-centric marketing agency, Galileo Associates, details the strategic and tactical considerations needed to navigate this complex challenge in order to generate results that last.

It starts with the basics The most basic of which is, understanding your brand.

So, what is a brand? How do you define it? There are myriad explanations, but the simple distillation of all of them is this: a brand, your brand, is the sum of the experiences that your customers have with your company, product or service. Brand is a dynamic force, a living breathing personality that extends into every facet of your business.

In a tradeshow setting, where you are vying for the attention of hundreds or thousands of customers, potential customers and competitors too, every aspect of brand @ExhibitCityNews

039_YourBrandonDisplay_1118.indd 1

expression comes into play.

Which means you can either prepare your brand properly in advance and present it in a fashion that will generate growth, or hope for the best and be forced to wait for an opportunity, if and when that may come.

Understanding the Dynamics Every aspect of marketing your brand is important in this process. In the tradeshow environment, this requires great visual design that connects with your customer, and there is no shortage of technological options to help make this happen. But a great visual experience that does not properly reflect the true essence of your brand can reveal a disconnect that is more obvious that one might think.

So, the question is: does each and every component of your tradeshow strategy reflect and reinforce your brand?

And yes, I did say strategy.

An overarching strategy that extends before and beyond the confines of the exhibit hall is a necessity.

Tradeshow/Exhibition Strategy — Your Brand in Action Whether you are a first-time exhibitor or a seasoned veteran of your industry, a strategic approach to your time on the

floor will only improve your potential return on what is always a significant investment.

A well-articulated reason for exhibiting in the first place is a great start, one that is often overlooked. “ I’m exhibiting because all of my competition is here” is not necessarily the

A brand, your brand, is the sum of the experiences that your customers have with your company, product or service... best of reasons. Do you have a defined goal? Increasing sales, creating awareness of a new line or product, introducing your new brand to the market—these are defined goals that you can build a strategy around and create a tactical plan to support.

Once you have a well-reasoned goal, a well-devised strategy puts your brand in the best position to tell the story of who you are, and

why someone could visit you. From this point you can determine the best tactical implementation of the strategy.

What kind of training does my floor team need to present the brand? What kind of experience does my physical booth structure need to convey?

What kind of digital and social media strategy preparation is required to advance and support my company’s presence at this exhibition, and nurture customer engagement after the show has concluded?

Maximizing Your Brand Experience The great brands that immediately come to mind were not built overnight. They were diligent and consistent in their message to consumers. And once they had defined what they were as a brand, everything revolved around the personality and consumer experience they had created. Everything else they did was maximizing the tactical tools at their disposal to make sure that every message was the same, reaching as deeply and broadly as possible. And more than likely, for many of these brands, tradeshows and exhibitions are where they created the pivotal boost they needed, year after year.

David Cucinotta is president of Galileo Associates, a Mass.-based, brand-centric, growth-marketing company that specializes in working with start-ups, early stage and maturing SMBs. Founded in 2006, they have served clients in technology, manufacturing, healthcare, fashion and consumer products. Contact him at david@galileoassociates.com.

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 39

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SHOP TO SHOWFLOOR An In-Depth Look into Today’s World of I&D and Event Labor

Host Rob North filming an episode of Built to Last for ABC-TV in Chicago.

“Built to Last” Starts Its Sixth Season

EACA Column

Focusing on Skilled Labor Training

LV Power Professionals

Keeping Exhibitions Safe

Pp.42-43

Pp. 44-45

Pp. 46

Glass Slipper v.

Golden Fleece Awards

Q&A Spotlight with Jim Wurm

5 Questions for EACA’s Exec. Dir.

Pp. 48

This section is dedicated to all exhibit house professionals, as well as all exhibit managers and tradeshow coordinators worldwide.

For advertising information and rates, please call our offices at 702-309-8023 and ask for sales. @ExhibitCityNews

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ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 41

10/25/18 10:42 AM

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

“BUILT TO LAST” STARTS ITS SIXTH SEASON ON TV IN CHICAGO Focusing on Skilled Labor Training & The Stories Behind Every Project

by F. Andrew Taylor

W

hen the Carpenters union in Chicago was trying to hammer out some ideas on how to spread the word about what it does, the Chicago Regional Council turned to television. The result is Built to Last, a product of the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters’ Labor and Management Committee and a TV show that is currently in production for its sixth season set to air in the spring.

“It isn’t a show about swinging hammers,” says Anthony Janowski, marketing director for the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters. “It’s about the importance of skilled labor. It illustrates the unique benefits provided by skilled labor and the contributions it can make to the community. We never really push ‘union’ on the show. We focus on the productivity

of skilled labor training. That’s what it’s all about—training, training, training.”

The show currently has three hosts: Mark Nilsson, Rob North and Monica Pedersen.

Episodes may focus on multiple projects and how they affect the community. For example, the seventh episode of season four showed how skilled labor converted a former jail into a center for the arts, but the first segment in the episode is probably of more interest to readers of Exhibit City News. It showed how carpenters transformed McCormick Place into what is essentially the world’s largest factory in just two weeks for The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS).

“Our council decided to tell stories about our carpenters and create awareness about the many crafts within the carpentry

trade, and when we first started it was just that,” says Janowski. “Now we find the story behind every project. Once we have that, then we bring the carpenters in.

They might not come until the end of the story, but there’s always a reason why the carpenters are involved—it could mean assisting the community, driving public awareness, or inspiring advocacy.”

The segment about McCormick Place and the IMTS opens with a brief history of the facility and how Chicago became important in the exhibition industry, particularly exhibitions involving manufacturers.

From there it segues into anecdotes and testimonials by individuals involved in the industry and the community, intermixed with visuals of impressive displays including a car being manipulated by a

42 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

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11/14/18 1:19 PM

robot arm in the midst of the convention space. Only after all of that is established do the carpenters enter the picture.

Initially the show aired on public television, but after three seasons the popular educational vehicle increasingly commanded a greater reach capability and was picked up by ABC Television. The show now airs on Sunday mornings on ABC 7 in Chicago. All five seasons are also available for viewing at BuiltToLastTV.com.

“The ABC Television brand is the most familiar to America,” explains Michael Terenzio, business development executive of ABC Television. “And it reaches the kind of audience that appreciates the benefits of skilled labor, as well as potential new members seeking a better life.”

The show was nominated each of the last two years for an Emmy for “Outstanding Achievement for Magazine Programming” by the Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Season five spotlighted how skilled labor sets the benchmark for performance training, safety best practices and

@ExhibitCityNews

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industry-best productivity, making it the smart choice of professional contractors.

Season five also showcased public and private economic developments and partnerships and interesting projects and individuals that collectively exemplify the real-world contributions that organized labor makes toward the community. It also introduced how other forms of skilled labor work in concert with the carpenters to better the community, “We’ve taken it from more of a carpenters show to a skilled labor show,” says Sean Murray, the show’s executive producer. “We brought in the electricians and painters last season. We think that by adding diversity of the building trades, we’ll grow the audience.”

One of the hopes of the show creators is that the show will help grow the numbers of new people interested in joining the skilled labor force. “There are benefits to joining a skilled labor union,” says Janowski. “You can earn while you learn and you usually get placed and have a solid career afterwards, which is more

than a lot of college graduates can say.”

Production is about to start for season six, and the union and the creators of the show hope to expand its scope and shooting locations. They envision getting other regions of the country involved and infusing more participation from other branches of skilled labor.

“The Carpenters’ Labor and Management Committee has proudly invested in Built to Last as it invests in the communities where we live, work and play,” says Gary Perinar, executive secretary-treasurer of the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters.

“This show is a success because of the people involved, their dedication to the carpentry trade and proficiency in a wealth of crafts, the seamless collaboration between union labor and professional contractors and enticing stories with fascinating people that elicit emotions ranging from compassion and inspiration to intrigue and exultation.”

Look for Built to Last, season six, in 2019!

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 43

11/14/18 1:19 PM

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

LAS VEGAS POWER PROFESSIONALS Keeping Exhibitions Safe

by Leslie Mujica & F. Andrew Taylor

A

spate of minor fires have plagued Las Vegas exhibitions in recent years. For example, a Nov. 12, 2015 fire at an ophthalmology convention at the Sands Expo and Convention Center caused an estimated $100,000 in damage. This year two fires took place at conventions, ironically related

to smoking products. On Feb. 20 there was a fire at Champs Tradeshow, a nearly 20-yearold show which touts itself as the premier counterculture B2B Expo. The fire at the LVCC took place while the event was open and it was put out before fire crews arrived, but the event was disrupted as smoke and chemical fire re-

tardant had to be cleared from the convention space.

The same venue also suffered an overnight fire on July 15 at the convention and international tradeshow of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

The fire delayed the opening of the show and caused flooding damage when the sprin-

klers were triggered. Fortunately, no one was hurt in any of these fires, and although carpets had to be replaced Cigar Aficionado magazine reported that no cigars were damaged in the incident.

Many of the fires seem to have a common cause: shoddy electrical wiring in display walls shipped to the U.S. but built in countries with lower wiring standards. For this reason, in Las Vegas, union electricians are now inspecting booths and the wiring sent from other countries.

“In our country we have UL Standards and some of the wiring coming in from other countries is substandard to our requirements and the booths are not wired for that capacity which is extremely dangerous,” explains Max Carter, a business agent with IBEW 357. “That is why companies are requiring inspections by IBEW professionals, which is another reason why at every tradeshow, electrical is an exclusive and independents are not allowed.”

For the leaders at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 357, safety and training are top priorities and this issue goes to the very core of what IBEW represents. They say that providing quality craftsmanship and safe installations is what makes them a leader in the industry.

“Freeman advises international customers planning to build an exhibit for use in the U.S. to have a good understanding of the National Electrical Code as well as the state and local codes for the cities in which they will exhibit,” says Sam Hornbeck, vice

44 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

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president electrical services for Freeman. “For specific electrical questions or general facility questions we always recommend that you reach out directly to your service provider. Freeman Electric has subject matter experts who will advise, recommend and answer any questions.”

In many cases the issues can be a simple misunderstanding of how things work in the U.S. These are issues that can be overcome by communication and concise instructions. “As a provider of utility services we require a floor plan with measurements indicating all power location needs along with amperage and voltage requirements,” says Hornbeck.

“We tell our customers to be sure to contact us as soon as

@ExhibitCityNews

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possible to talk through expectations for success.”

All of that care and communication can be for naught if a company subcontracts to a builder who will not listen or doesn’t care and wires a booth in a manner that wouldn’t pass muster in any part of the country.

“There is a growing concern in the tradeshow industry with illegal, dangerous wiring of booth structures,” says John Hinkell, vice president of electrical for GES. “Many challenges occur when working with overseas infrastructure.

Some overseas booth builders are constructing disposable structures for clients using poor quality materials. The electrical work is generally not up to par with U.S. codes and

regulations. Ceilings and walls are pre-wired in warehouses and shipped to venues to be pieced together. The wiring is consistently undersized gauge, two-wire, ungrounded systems with open, bare splices.”

In order to combat this dangerous trend, GES, in conjunction with the various venues’ fire and safety departments, constantly monitor the show floor and the work being performed, looking for any potential hazards. When any subpar wiring is found, a violation is issued and a booth inspection is required at that point. Any items found during the inspection are rectified immediately, and the booth is not energized until all wiring is up to U.S. safety standards.

“At GES we take pride in partnering with all of our facilities and we work closely with their fire and safety departments,” says Hinkell.

“We work together to ensure and enforce the standards, because the safety of everyone is a top priority.”

Leslie Mujica worked with ECN staff writer F. Andrew Taylor to craft this story. She is the executive director of Las Vegas Power Professionals, a non-profit that strives to create and inspires a collaborative and impartial environment in which labor and management identify challenges and resolve conflicts in a fair manner.

LVPP also endeavors to elevate and promote its members and electrical industry in the interest of a higher standard of citizenship. For more info, visit https://lvpowerpro.org/

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 45

10/25/18 10:48 AM

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

EACA’S GLASS SLIPPERS OF THE MONTH

LVCC Strengthens Ties with EACs & Exhibit Experience Earns The Fleece Award

W

ith apologies to Cinderella, I’d like to introduce a new column to Exhibit City News. This column will introduce and recount issues and stories that make us proud to work in the tradeshow industry.

Glass Slipper for the LVCC Congratulations to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

In an effort to recognize the value of the collective efforts of the EAC community, and its impact on the servicing of exhibitors at shows in their facility, senior management of the LVCC organized a meeting with the EAC community in Las Vegas recently.

A number of topics were covered that were of mutual interest to both the building and EACs like parking,

security and use of the docks for unloading equipment. And while there are still a number of issues that need to be worked through and resolved, the very idea that facility management initiated this dialogue with the EAC community is a terrific step forward for events at the LVCC. The outcome of this effort was undeniable. LVCC management is excited about the prospects for stronger relations with EACs in Las Vegas, and the EAC community is pleased and proud to be recognized as a valued component of the Las Vegas tradeshow service offering.

Glass Slipper for NAB Show Cares Congratulations to the National Association of Broadcasters.

Developed in response to exhibitor complaints about the cost and unpredictability of exhibiting expenses, NAB has introduced the NAB Show Cares program.

Launched just in time for the 2019 booth space sales held onsite at the 2018 NAB Show last April, a key aspect of NAB Show Cares is the Unlimited Material Handling initiative.

This initiative reduces fees for moving freight from dock to booth and back via a fixed rate per square foot that covers any

By Jim Wurm

or all items an exhibitor brings into the show regardless of quantity, weight or volume.

Instead of receiving an invoice for material handling after the show, exhibitors simply pay for the service up front when they purchase their booth space. While some exhibitors who previously didn’t use the service will now pay a minimal fee, the initiative has resulted in an overall average savings of nearly 40 percent and up for some of the larger exhibiting companies.

Editor’s Note: This column originally was entitled EACA’s “Glass Slipper v.

Golden Fleece Awards” but the recipient of the November’s Golden Fleece award has requested that we “publish a full and fair retraction of the ‘libelous’ article with an apology.”

So, on behalf of Jim Wurm, EACA’s executive director and writer, and on behalf of Exhibit City News magazine, we apologize to Exhibit Experience for any damage to their reputation and we have retracted the story.

Jim Wurm is the exec. director of EACA, an association dedicated to “raising the level of service excellence on the showfloor,” with 30 years of tradeshow marketing and show mgmt. experience. Contact him at jimwurm@eaca.com.

46 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

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ACE Award Winners/Museums/Exhibits

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(May/June)

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SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

Jim Wurm and his wife, CJ

Q&A SPOTLIGHT WITH JIM WURM

Five Questions for the Executive Director of EACA

by Jeanne Brei

J

im Wurm was born in Cleveland and moved to Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Long Island growing up and then went to Philadelphia on a baseball scholarship. Planning to go to medical school, he studied biology at the University of Pennsylvania but decided he didn’t like hospitals and ended up doing cancer research for three years. Says Wurm, “I didn’t see this as a long-term career opportunity so I applied and got into graduate school for business and moved to Atlanta for graduate school.”

As he explains, “I met Jack McEntee at the Atlanta Sporting Club playing pick-up basketball. We became friends for more than a year. At the time I was the Atlanta branch man-

ager for a national personnel agency. The personnel agency was sold to an international firm who decided to close my division and the Atlanta office. I called Jack the same day I got the news and he asked if I wanted to come to work for him. I said, ‘I’ve known you for more than a year but I really don’t understand what you do.’

He said, ‘Meet me at the GWCC on Saturday morning and I’ll show you around the American Bankers show.’ When I walked onto the show floor I got an immediate positive vibe. I told him I loved it. He asked why. I said because I was involved in a lot of theater productions in college and this reminds me of that…. only this is business theater.”

He’s launched and orga-

48 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

nized tradeshows throughout the U.S. and in Europe, and worked for I&D, Inc. (now Nth Degree) as director of marketing and national sales manager. With 30 years of tradeshow marketing and management experience, he’s created and managed his own tradeshows (CleanRooms and CleanRooms Europa), and has served as group director of high tech shows for Miller Freeman, Inc. (at the time, the third largest show organizer in the world).

Currently, he resides in Bend, Oregon and he’s the executive director of the Exhibitor Appointed Contractor Association (EACA), a tradeshow industry association dedicated to “raising the level of service excellence on the show floor.”

He’s the proud father of five young adults, happily married to his wife of 13 years, CJ. ECN: What do you like best about your job?

JW: I love working with some of the best people I’ve ever known in my life. There is nothing that can diminish the can-do spirit of EACs and the tradeshow workforce.

They are truly amazing.

ECN: Did you have a mentor? If so, could you tell us a little about him/her and how they assisted you? Are you a mentor yourself now?

JW: My first job in the industry was working in sales at I&D, Inc. (now known as Nth Degree). I was hired by Jack McEntee. Jack was an inspirational leader, motivator and teacher. His vision and efforts greatly revolutionized the way exhibitors are serviced at tradeshows and I was very fortunate to have him as my mentor.

ECN: Do you have something you wish you could tell

exhibit managers to make your job easier?

JW: My job is to help make exhibit managers jobs easier, not the other way around. As executive director of EACA, the primary mission of our organization, and my job, is to create an environment in tradeshows where exhibit managers can be more successful. The only thing I would wish from exhibit managers is to let me know what’s working, what’s not and what’s missing that they’d like to see.

ECN: Do you have a favorite tradeshow? Or a favorite tradeshow city? Or a favorite tradeshow memory to share?

JW: It’s hard to pick one favorite show or one favorite city.

They all have their advantages and unique qualities. I was first attracted to the tradeshow industry because it reminded me of my experiences in college working in the performing arts.

I see tradeshows as business theater. The show floor has the same energy before the show opens as the theater does before the curtain goes up. It’s both exciting and nerve racking at the same time.

ECN: Do you have any advice for someone just entering the industry?

JW: My bias would be to recommend they learn the industry the way that I did, from the ground up. I was in sales but when a big show was moving in the I&D philosophy was all hands-on deck. Everyone understood that we were there to help any way needed whether that was working in a set-up job, sweeping the floor or running errands. Customer service is a team effort and we were well aware that we all needed to learn how to succeed in any capacity that was assigned to us.

TRADESHOW/EVENT SOLUTIONS

ALUVISION CASE STUDY Cofense by Capitol Tradeshow Services (a division of Capitol Exhibit Services, Inc.)

Photo credit: Cofense by Capitol Tradeshow Services booth

Omni-55 frame

The well-known Aluvision ‘frame with holes’, available straight and curved, that connects without any tools. This is the backbone of the Aluvision modular exhibit system.

For the rebranding of cyber security client Phishme, Capitol Tradeshow Services’ challenge was for the client to settle on a booth design in time to make the Black Hat USA conference in Las Vegas.

Eventually, the newly named Cofense approved a third concept – a 30x30 exhibit using the Aluvision system, showcasing a video presentation wall made up of 40 Aluvision LED 55 P2 tiles and double sided work stations for one-on-one demonstrations. Post show client satisfaction said it all…”The booth was a smash success!

EVERYONE loved it including our founders. The LED tiles were superb. Thank you again for knocking it out of the park!”

LED tile 55 P2

The thinnest LED tile available on the market that connects to the frames with holes; with its 2.8 or 2.5 pixel pitch and its CrystalView technology, it offers superb image quality. The LED tiles connect to the wall frames without any tools. The tiles are fully front and rear serviceable and several accessories are available: rigging bars, wedges for curved LED walls, magnetic tool for easy service, etc.

V-corner post Basic Mounting Set Z

Easy to use and tool free brackets that hook on the inside of the frames; these brackets allow to mount a piece of wood into the frame.

In this project they were used to mount the 3D logo to the main tower structure.

Premium Omni-55 door

High-quality pivot door; it can be skinned with hard panels and/or SEG fabrics, its opening direction can be switched in a jiffy and several options are available: digital door handle, integrated self-closer, integrated window, etc.

Corners come in a range of options and angles and provide a strong corner connection along with a clean finish.

Constru profile

Structural profile for larger spans and for adding stability; it also can be used as a connecting post or beam with frames. In this project, Constru profiles were used all around the U-shaped opening between the main tower and the smaller tower on the right to guarantee a strong and stable structure.

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The heart of quality lies with our people who are invested in making your customer experience a memorable one.

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INTERNATIONAL FOCUS Germany

Germany Exhibition Industry Booming

by Cynthya Porter

D

espite economic challenges in the recent past that plagued tradeshow organizers globally, Germany remains a dominant force in the European exhibition industry and is widening the gap between itself and the nearest competitor for king of the European tradeshow hill.

A recent study by the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA) found that five of the world’s top ten revenue-producing exhibition organizers are in Germany, up from four last year. Reporting the highest revenues among German firms was Messe Frankfurt, which came in third overall behind Reed Exhibitions and UBM. The remaining four German companies in the top ten were deeper in the list, but the amount of space those and other German organizers

occupy in the international market is disproportionate in relation to the nation’s diminutive geographic mass.

According to AUMA, twothirds of the world’s leading international trade fairs take place in Germany. What’s more, the country has four of the world’s eight largest exhibition venues and there are 25 facilities with over 2.8 million square meters of show hall space. In 2017, AUMA says, the number of exhibitors country-wide grew by 3.7 percent to surpass 176,000 companies, and the amount of stand space sold grew by nearly the same margin. The number of visitors to German shows last year was just over 9.7 million, a figure statistically unchanged from the previous year. Thirty-five percent of those visitors, however, are coming from

52 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

outside of Germany, and a quarter of them are coming from outside of Europe. Conversely, 60 percent of the exhibitors surveyed came from places other than Germany, and one-third came from countries outside of Europe, suggesting that Germany is something of a global hub for the exhibitions industry.

Those statistics fuel the optimistic outlook found in a recent study by UFI, the Global Association of the Tradeshow Industry. In the association’s July 2018 Global Exhibitions Barometer, some 70 percent of German organizers said they expected an increase in gross revenue in the first half of 2019, up from 55 percent who said the same for the second half of 2018.

German organizers are less concerned about the state of the economy in their home market when compared to organizers in other countries (14 percent compared to 24 percent). They are also less worried about competition from within the industry and internal challenges than company officials surveyed outside

of Germany. What German firms are worried about by a large margin, however, is the stability, or instability, of global economics, with 31 percent saying it is among the most important issues in the exhibition industry. Only 18 percent of organizers worldwide felt the same.

In addition, German organizers were more likely to be concerned about the impacts of digitization to the industry than organizers from other countries, UFI found. To remain on the cutting edge of the digitization revolution, 83 percent say they have implemented new digital services in their exhibitions compared to 64 percent of organizers globally, and 75 percent say they have converted internal processes and workflows into digital processes compared to 54 percent elsewhere. The most marked gap in digitization between German organizers and others was in the development of a companywide digital transformation strategy, which 67 percent in Germany said they had, as opposed to just 37 percent of their global peers.

Noting an increase in the number of German events for 2018 that are yet to be calculated into the totals, officials say that the future is bright on the German exhibition front, and that it appears likely to remain at the front of the pack for some time to come.

Cynthya Porter is a 70-time award-winning journalist recognized by national and international associations for her journalistic expertise in tradeshow topics, travel writing, photography and news.

International Pavilions General Contractors Large Format Printing Custom Display Audio & Video Systems

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@ExhibitCityNews

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ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 53

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

Shanghai Airport at World Routes 2018 in Guangzhou

Putting a Price Tag on Creativity How Design is Changing its Perceived Value in the Exhibitions & Events Industry

By Crystal Chu

T

he exhibitions and events industry is constantly evolving and is where information, technology and people coincide. In an industry where businesses are focused on achieving their business and marketing goals, design may be side-lined. Design brings value that may be neglected and seen as unimportant. In the dynamic exhibitions and events space, design has the potential to enhance the visitor experience and bring brands to achieve greater business goals through collaboration, reinvention of its offerings and pairing up with the right digital resources.

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Beating the Odds of Technology and Ubiquity All industries are being disrupted by the fast-paced digital transformation taking place; the exhibition and events space is no exception. Information in this age is obtained swiftly and understood in a fasttrack setup. Think of the ease of user experience and the immaculate prototypes of products that have stimulated the ways we retrieve information. As more brands embrace digitalization in its operation, some may choose swift function over elaborated aesthetics. However, the idea

of sacrificing the latter over the former does not have to be the case.

Good design draws on the brand’s established identity and finds its distinctive qualities to stand out. This can be achieved through the theme of the show, the target market and most importantly, the narrative that attendees experience.

Not only does design help to make bold statements and loud impacts to achieve a desired outcome, they show this through digital channels to get content across more platform. Through this, the innovative process behind design and technology can work together simultaneously without one impeding on the other.

An Interactive Take Design has found itself at a crossroad of interactions. With multiple stakeholders and different expectations, it is crucial for design to market itself as the problem solver across the different ideas

and concerns. Various players from clients, external designers or even the attendees who have yet to attend the event can contribute to the show’s outlook, shaping the creative direction of a space.

Beyond technicalities of the build or look of the exhibit, design has expanded its service into understanding and anticipating experiential and emotive reactions for the attendees. To establish common objectives, client, designer and other agencies go through thorough back and forth communication. More research and analysis is now also needed to understand current trends, attendees reception and to consider fresh ways to execute an exhibition or event. A collaborative and transformative effort is shaping where design is headed.

Rebranding the Service of Design Even though exhibition spaces are short-lived in the span of an event’s

Design for our time should consolidate problemsolving and decisionmaking approaches to provide a one-stop service...” time, good design is able to balance between thoughtful display and efficient function, adding value to the space in unobtrusive ways. Design, unlike a commodity, is an adaptable and innovative process. It integrates “user-cen-

tric” approach, reinvents concept and takes risk.

Design for our time should consolidate problem-solving and decision-making approaches to provide a one-stop service.

While design as a profession is adapting to the challenges faced, clients, too, have to adapt to the value of the service. Rather than profit or cost concerns, the willingness to pay for a customized service establishes a business partnership. It becomes a consultancy process in which a designer and client collaborate to create an immersive space and communicate information to the world. Putting a price on creativity could be inevitable, but its value goes into creating an experience that keeps people coming back for more.

Crystal Chu is the creative director of Kingsmen Exhibits Pte Ltd, a leading communication design and production group in Asia Pacific, Middle East and the U.S.

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YOUR PARTNER ON THE SHOW FLOOR SINCE 1993 www. w sho-link.com w.

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Join our Winning I&D T Team: hr@sho-link.com ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 55

AIPC

Addressing the Growing Generation of Millennial Business Travelers

BY ALOYSIUS ARLANDO, AIPC PRESIDENT

By 2020, millennials will make up more than half of the global workforce and account for the largest segment of business travelers. Millennial travelers are our future and there is no better time for industry organizations, particularly center management, to explore the potential of this new market.

Millennials are a unique group, with expectations and experiences-seeking that are very different from the Gen-Xers and baby boomers we have been working with. In my opinion, to remain relevant and competitive, venues and event organizers need to recognize that they can no longer function on a “one-size-fit-all” basis when it comes to event design and space planning. Instead, a deep understanding of the burgeoning group of millennial business travelers, who eventually will form the next generation of decision makers, is critical.

Events which are powered by data and technology and able to provide differentiated and authentic experiences will appeal to the young business travelers as they wish to stay connected throughout the customer journey. The instant gratification mind set of millennials also means that every touch point, both online and offline greatly matters—from technological integration to the onsite experience, food as well as venue setup. Millennials want to be heard, hope to make a difference and crave affiliation with communities that they can identify with. Therefore, it is critical for event organizers and venue managers to keep young business travelers actively engaged in inviting spaces, so that they can develop a strong sense of belonging with

Aloysius Arlando

other like-minded individuals. They often have short attention spans and lose interest quickly, hence the desire for concise, engaging and productive meetings which are out of the norm and less formal.

As millennials are deeply influenced by technology and extremely reliant on their smartphones and laptops, moving ahead, only centers which are highly wired and able to provide stronger and more reliable and seamless wi-fi coverage will be able to address the growing needs of these tech savvy business visitors and make them feel at “home.”

Globally, event organizers are also increasingly making use of mobile apps to engage their target audience and create customized value propositions. What distinguishes a good venue from a truly

world-class one will be how well it allows events partners to harness the potential of technology. As technology continues to evolve and improve, it is important for center management teams to constantly review their equipment and remain flexible towards changes which are necessary.

Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF), which is held yearly at the Singapore EXPO, for example, relies heavily on its mobile app to communicate with its attendees. To appeal to the millennial audience, who typically have a shorter attention span and many screens competing for their attention all the time, the app was gamified and loaded with heavy and eye-catching images. This required strong support from the venue management which provided scalable wi-fi to support the data requirements of the app.

This younger group of business visitors values personal connections and desires to participate and immerse themselves in communities of like-minded individuals, according to a study done by AmEx Global Business Travel. Consequently, they are increasingly looking for immersive learning and unique experiences.

Gone are the days where event organizers can involve their target audience in a one-to-many kind of dialogue. It is thus vital for venues to transform and begin to work more closely with event organizers to create and deliver differentiated experiences that leave an impression on event attendees.

SFF also sought to appeal to the millennials’ need for differentiated and authentic experiences by serving Instagram-able fusion dishes such as “Nasi Lemak” (coconut infused fra-

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grant rice dish) sushi on a conveyor belt and bite-size portioned food in brown bags to allow attendees to grab and go.

In addition, the venue management worked closely with the event organizer to enhance creativity in event space design through multiple-themed zones to interest and engage even the young visitors. This includes the Sandbox, with a design inspired by the Singapore vintage dragon-shaped playground, as well as the F&B zone with a Straits Chinese heritage theme.

Similarly, the past Echelon Asia Summit, made use of beanbags instead of chairs to create an informal and conducive corner for ideation and community building. Instead of the usual catering, event organizers, through the assistance of the venue provider, brought in food trucks which served novel dishes to cater to the largely millennial crowd.

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Everything, including the meetings, exhibition, conference and dining are all meshed together into one large playground so that visitors stay continuously engaged.

While the orientation of most events is mostly decided by organizers, as venue providers, it is important that we keep abreast of the needs of the industry. Innovative event designs that are user-centric can only be made possible through active collaboration between organizers and venues. Venues ought to remain flexible and evolve their suite of services to suit the evolving needs of customers now and in the future.

In addition to his role as AIPC president, Arlando is the CEO of SingEx Holdings, which comprises several entities focusing on the MICE business; including the management of the Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition

Center. He is also the incoming president of the Singapore Association for Convention and Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (SACEOS), organizer of Singapore MICE Forum. For more info, visit www.saceos.org.sg.

AIPC represents a global network of more than 185 leading centers in 60 countries with the active involvement of more than 900 management-level professionals worldwide. It is committed to encouraging and recognizing excellence in convention center management, based on the diverse experience and expertise of its international representation, and maintains a variety of educational, research, networking and standards programs to achieve this. AIPC also celebrates and promotes the essential role of the international meetings industry in supporting economic, academic and professional development and enhancing global relations amongst highly diverse business and cultural interests. For more info, visit www.aipc.org.

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 57

10/25/18 10:50 AM

Get Ready for an Amazing Evening at the Silent Auction

Be Part of the Story.

Visit www.edpa.com/edpafoundation to see how.

This is the EDPA Foundation’s premiere fundraising event of the year.

Please consider making a donation and joining us at this special event! √ Electronics, trips, food, wine and much more! √ Special pre-reception for grantor companies. √ Proceeds go to industry families in need, scholarships and partner schools.

We are ver y proud of what the EDPA Foundation is accomplishing with your help.

Together we have provided early 100 scholarships. Together we have helped more than 150 industr y families in need. Together we have helped suppor t the future with par tnerships at FIT and Bemidji State. Together we’re making a real difference.

Thanks to all our Founding Grantors and Grantors, we are well on our way to reaching our goal of $1 million raised.

Join us on the ‘Road to One Million’ Learn more at www.edpa.com/edpafoundation or contact: Amanda Helgemoe ahelgemoe@nuvistaonline.com

Together, We Are Making a Difference.

CONVENTION CENTER SPOTLIGHT

EAT

The New Orleans Morial Convention Center

by F. Andrew Taylor

T

he New Orleans Morial Convention Center has made a habit of overcoming adversity. The first buildings that became the convention center were built as part of the Great Hall of the World’s Fair in 1984, which was the first world exposition to declare bankruptcy during the event and the last to be held in the U.S. The following year the convention center was established and in 1992 it was named in honor of Ernest N. Morial, the city’s first African American mayor. In August 2005, Wheel of Fortune came to tape three weeks of shows at the MCCNO but as Hurricane Katrina neared, they canceled the last week in order to evacuate. The MCCNO was the second most important shelter for survivors, after the Louisiana Superdome but there was no power, water, food, medical supplies, proper sanitation and public order for several days with thousands of survivors staying there.

Despite that, the convention center thrives. It is the sixth largest convention facility in the U.S., with 3 million sq.ft. of world class, continuously improved meeting space of which 1.1 million sq.ft. of contiguous exhibit space. It consistently ranks in the country’s top ten of facilities that hold the most conventions and trade-

shows annually. More than 2,600 major conventions and tradeshows have taken place there since 1984 and it has been host to more than 15 million attendees and industry leaders from all over the world.

A complete renovation of the facility in 2006 included the creation of the 4,032-seat New Orleans Theater, a concert hall used primarily for concerts, Broadway stage shows, and other special events. In 2008, it was renamed the New Orleans Morial Convention Center in order to emphasize its location.

The convention center is located on the Mississippi River, about a mile south of the city’s famous French Quarter. The operators of the MCCNO believe it is an essential component of what makes the city’s major business events so successful.

In June, the MCCNO Authority adopted a $557 million five-year capital improvement plan that includes renovations of the 34-year old center and a convention center headquarters hotel with a physical connection to the center. A 7.5-acre pedestrian park that spans the length of the center along Convention Center Boulevard is planned to create a picturesque and safer space for visitors. The project is projected to be complete in 2020.

Just across the street from the MCCNO is Mulates, the Original Cajun Restaurant, 201 Julia St., It features live Cajun music and dancing along with great Cajun food seven days a week. Emeril’s New Orleans, 800 Tchoupitoulas St., is four blocks up the street. It is Emeril Lagasse’s flagship restaurant built in a renovated pharmacy warehouse and famed for its contemporary New Orleans cuisine. It has earned rave reviews and accolades for nearly 25 years, including Esquire magazine’s “Restaurant of the Year” and Wine Spectator’s “Grand Award” every year since 2000..

SLEEP There are many well known hotel chains within walking distance of the MCCNO with a range of amenities and price ranges, but for a more unique New Orleans experience there are places like The Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St. It looks exactly like a postcard of New Orleans, with a cobbled, plant-lined courtyard, a saltwater pool and wrought iron balcony railings.

For those looking for that same quaint, New Orleans charm, but without being surrounded by the joyful madness of Bourbon Street, there is Soniat House.

The hotel is small, high end and quiet, while still just a leisurely stroll to more exuberant parts of the French Quarter.

PLAY Did we mention the French quarter and Bourbon Street? Jazz clubs, cajun dining, seafood and a wide array of oddities abound there. You can visit a Museum of Jazz, a Mardi Gras Museum and a New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum or one of many related, including Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo, 739 Bourbon St. It isn’t really a challenge to jump in with both feet and “let the good times roll,” or as the locals say, “Laissez les bons temps rouler!”

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10/25/18 10:51 AM

Installing and Dismantling Exhibits Throughout California

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What a pleasure it was to work with Lisa on our convention. She went above and beyond to make sure everything went smooth and all our needs were meant.

Nothing was impossible.

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ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 61

ASSOCIATION NEWS

EDPA NorCal Chapter Tours Moscone

BY MELINDA STEWART

On Oct. 18, a beautiful fall day in San Francisco, more than 40 prominent tradeshow professionals gathered at BeSpoke, a unique event and office center in the Westfield Mall, next to the Moscone Center. Oleg Nakonechny, director, Convention Services, SF Travel was joined by colleagues Kacie Marshall and Brett Allor and

gave a compelling presentation on what’s coming up on the San Francisco event and convention schedule and what to expect as the available room nights and convention and event space continue to grow. After a San Francisco-themed lunch from Boudin Cafe, the group strolled

CONCERTS CONVENTIONS DINING ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT SHOPPING SPORTING EVENTS

ROSEMONT’S IMPACT FIELD 62 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

through the Yerba Buena Garden to meet Bob Sauter, general manager of Moscone Center, in the nearly finished South Lobby for a behind-thescenes tour of the new $550M expansion that will officially open on Jan. 3, 2019.

The NorCal chapter’s next event is Jan. 17 at the Jameson Brown Farm House, next to the Triton Museum in San Jose, where Pat Friedlander and Dan Greene will reveal the results of the EDPA’s annual Economic Survey and discuss important trends in the tradeshow and event business. A big thank you to host BeSpoke and to SF Travel and SMG for their support and outstanding presentations.

Pictured L-R: The board of directors for the EDPA Chapter of NorCal (front row) Naveen Korenu, Expand; Melinda Stewart, OnSite Exhibitor Service; Erin Winn, Platinum Cargo; (back row) Don Svehla, ECN, Chris Clark; John Peck, Cort; and Stan Bender AAA Flag.

TRADESHOW/EVENTS PODCAST

The Don & Mike Show went live at the EDPA Southeast Chapter’s 24th annual Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic on October 5 at the Chateau Elan golf course in Braselton, Ga. Next up: they’re going live at EDPA Access 2018 in Naples, Fla., in Nov., and at IAEE’s Expo Expo and the ESCA Awards meeting in New Orleans in Dec.

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Check out the Latest Interviews from the Don & Mike Show »» Sept. 1: Glenn Diehl joins Don and Mike -

»» Oct. 5: The Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic

Experiential Symmetry in Exhibits »» Sept. 7: CEO of The American Marketing Association Russ Klein- Nike move this week on The Don and Mike Show! »» Sept. 14: Dave Walens from EDPA Foundation joins Don and Mike - Don and Mike talk about Hotel Poaching, Emotional Marketing »» Sept. 21: ESCA’s Rich Curran joins Don and Mike »» Sept. 28: Cathy Breden from CEIR is back on The Don and Mike Show! CEO of The Center for Exhibition Industry Research Cathy Breden joins the show to speak about the most recent CEIR Predict event, trends discussed and concerns for the industry in the next few years. Don and Mike talk about polarizing events of the week, ACE Awards, Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic next week and much more!

and Brent Turner joins Don and Mike - The 24th Annual Randy Smith Memorial was the site of this week’s show. Interviews with many who are the core of the event and we also speak with Brent Turner of Cramer Agency in Boston on the symmetries and trends with Experiential and Trade Shows/Events. »» Oct. 12: The China Tariffs with Rob Cohen; Airplane Seats; Hurricanes and more with Don and Mike -- Rob Cohen, VP of Sales at Display Supply and Lighting talks about the China Tariffs and their effects on the industry. Don and Mike talk about the new FAA mandates, hurricane Michael and more! »» Oct. 19: Jason Eisenhut, Employco for healthcare benefit information talks to Don and Mike

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THE DON & MIKE SHOW INTERACTIVE LUCKY LISTENER/ PARTICIPANT CONTEST WIN $2,000 CASH! By participating and interacting with The Don & Mike Show podcast Just like and share the show on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, etc.), call in during a show on their toll-free number or leave comments on the tracks online between Aug. 1–Dec. 1 to receive entries for the drawing.

The Lucky Listener/Participant will be announced on Dec. 13 during the live broadcast at Expo Expo in New Orleans.

The more you participate— the more entries you earn!

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 65

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

People on the Move

K

evin Kirby (right) has been named as the new executive director of the Meeting Professionals International Foundation.

Kirby was chairman of the MPI International Board of Directors in 2014-15 and has been a member of the MPI Foundation Global Board of Trustees since 2016, currently serving as the chapter liaison.

IBTM, part of leading global exhibition organizer Reed Travel Exhibitions, has appointed David Thompson as exhibition director for IBTM World, scheduled for Nov. 27-29 at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona. Thompson has spent the last 14 years in the industry producing award-winning events for the likes of Haymarket Exhibitions, BBC, Informa, Daily Mail Group and Clarion Events.

Informa Exhibitions, the global trade and consumer exhibitions leader and world’s premier yacht show organizer, have named Lana F. Bernstein (right) as VP of marketing for the company’s U.S. boat shows. Bernstein will lead global marketing initiatives for the Ft. Lauderdale Int’l. Boat Show, Miami Yacht Show and Palm Beach Int’l. Boat Show—three of the world’s largest in-water boat shows—as well as the St. Petersburg Boat Show and Suncoast Boat Show in Sarasota. Following the combination of Informa PLC and UBM, Informa Exhibitions has appointed Mark Temple-Smith as managing director for the Group’s Fashion Exhibitions business, which includes leading brands such as WWDMAGIC, COTERIE, PROJECT and PROJECT WOMENS. Prior to joining Informa, he was CEO/Asia for the B2B media group Tarsus Group and managing director/Asia for ITE Group plc.

International Market Centers has named Jennifer Muna, CEM, as the general manager of tradeshows. In the 66 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

by Exhibit City News

newly created position, Muna will be responsible for the overall management, business activities, strategies, leadership, oversight and overall direction for event management, exhibitor services, guest services and contract partners for the new World Market Exposition Center opening in Las Vegas in summer 2020. Her previous experience includes sales and ops positions with The Venetian | The Palazzo | Sands Expo Center as well as Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. Most recently, she was the director of venues & housing for UBM. Oak View Group Facilities has named Shura Garnett (right) as senior VP, convention centers.

She will lead the company’s expansion into convention center management, as well as oversee their current convention centers. Garnett joins them from Spectra where she served as divisional senior VP overseeing the company’s 5.2-million-sq.ft. of convention center space, and mid-west region of facilities. She previously served as a board member of Trade Show Executives Exposition Forecasting Board and the CEIR Foundation and is a current member of ASAE, IAEE, IAVM, MPI and PCMA. EXPO Convention Contractors, Inc., a Florida-based general contractor, has promoted Richard P. Curran (right), vice president, to CEO and president, effective immediately as his father, founder and former president Richard J. Curran, transitions to chairman. “I am grateful for the training and mentoring over the past 18 years that I have received from my father,” says Curran. “He is an icon in this industry and it’s an honor to have his trust and to take this role and responsibility. EXPO has enormous

potential and I am excited to continue expanding and improving our capabilities, just as my father did for many years.”

Industry veteran Rob Majerowski has joined Exhibitus as general manager of the Chicago division. Majerowski brings more than 20 years experience leading and mentoring creative design and business development teams for experiential marketing success. From ‘02-’17, Majerowski was VP creative at mg, where he interfaced with clients throughout the sales and creative processes. In 2017, he transitioned to VP of new business strategy at mg, where he developed a marketing strategy for business development execs.

MC², an award-winning brand experience agency, has hired Todd Radwanski as account executive to support the company’s growth initiatives. Based in their Las Vegas office, Radwanski will focus on building and maintaining relationships with existing clients and developing new business opportunities. He brings more than 20 years experience selling innovative experiential concepts and marketing programs from tradeshows to events and pop-up environments to briefing centers.

Rockway Exhibits + Events (previously Nimlok Orlando), a full-service tradeshow exhibit solutions provider, announce Mickey Moe as the company’s new director of production. Moe brings more than six years of industry experience in addition to a strong background in construction and design. Having served in multiple positions including estimator, project manager, detailer, show floor supervisor, rental manager and production manager, his vast knowledge of event marketing allows him to evaluate projects from different angles.

ProExhibits, an award-winning design and production team of exhibit, event Continued on p. 68

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ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 67

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Continued from p. 66 and environment experts serving clients worldwide, has hired Yael Stuart to lead its sales management team. As director of sales, Stuart will be hiring up to 10 account executives over the coming months. With more than 15 years of sales management experience, Yael has hired and developed teams of high performing account executives for global companies such as FedEx and Experian.

Nick Peery (right) is the newest addition to the team at FG|PG, an Orange County, Calif.-based exhibit design and marketing agency. As general manager, Peery will work alongside CEO Freddie Georges and CFO Melanie Chomchavalit to oversee all FG|PG sales and operations, expanding senior leadership to support FG|PG’s continued growth. Peery began his career as a carpenter and traveling supervisor for Absolute Exhibits, where he worked his way up to general manager over the course of nine years. He partnered with the team that opened Exhibit Options in 2009.

Exhibit Fabrications Inc., an independent fabricator of custom tradeshow exhibits, announce that Joe Florio joined the company as director of operations on Sept. 4. Ric Kelly, owner of EFI says, “Joe and I worked together successfully for many years at The Exhibit House Ltd., and I am looking forward to recreating that synergy at EFI.” Steelcase Event Experiences, a strategic space design service, recently hired Melissa Holm (right) as a creative director, where she will spearhead design innovations in crafting meaningful participant experiences. She joins Steelcase Event Experiences from Gensler, where she worked for the last 15 years, most recently as the interior design director for the Phoenix office.

Desert Display Services, Inc., serving Arizona with highly skilled I&D labor since 1995, welcomes Dan Bostwick 68 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

to their team. Bostwick joins DDS from Nth Degree/Zenith LaborNet Services where he was a labor planning manager. During his 38-plus years in the industry, he has worked as a manager in exhibits, special events, customer service and planning and as a supervisor of crowd management and security.

Stronco, Canada’s largest privately owned general service contractor, has appointed Saira Beig (above right) to general manager. She started as an owner of a tradeshow and publication 20 years ago and she is on the board as an official contractor member at ESCA. Taffy Event Strategies, a full-service event management firm based in Arlington, Va., has added Jamie Rich to its team. Rich began her career with the Consumer Technology Association in 2005, marketing and growing attendance for CES. Most recently, she was the affiliate relations manager at the International Sign Association.

Plus Studios, a Las Vegas-based creative company specializing in experiential events, immersive exhibits and unique environments, has promoted Susie Munoz (right) from director of purchasing & logistics to new business development and hired Natalie Naert-Bennett as a new business development rep. They also hired two recent UNLV graduates, Travis Vance and Celine Ngo. Vance was named the director of purchasing and logistics. Ngo comes on board with a B.S. in hospitality and an event certification from The International School of Hospitality (TISOH).

They also held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house party on Aug. 29 to celebrate their five year anniversary.

Sho-Link Inc., a premier installation and dismantle service company, also held

a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug 29 to celebrate their new headquarters location in Lake Forest, Ill. Circle TPR, a leading guest experience agency, has named Alicia Rosen general manager for their Las Vegas production facility; Mark Moden was hired to be shop foreman; Shayla Allen joins as traffic manager (with experience working at GES’ show service desk and Astound), Don Nguyen has joined as a designer and Howert Collins has returned as senior project manager.

Providing human resource solutions for tradeshow companies of all sizes, Employco’s newest team member is Rebecca Ceja, HR coordinator. She’ll provide two days of onsite human resources support in Itasca, Ill. and the other three days per week will be at Employco’s office providing offsite support.

Florida-based Richard Erschik has established the Trade Show Exhibit Manager Academy, an online community for tradeshow exhibit managers who want to continue their education, reference information, talk to experts and enjoy peer-to-peer networking and discussion. He has also been named regional VP of sales of Exhibit City News.

Spectra, the providers of venue management and food services & hospitality to the Owensboro Convention Center in Kentucky, is pleased to announce Natalie Russell has been promoted to sales manager, Mallori Betz has been promoted to wedding sales coordinator and Executive Chef Matthew Dewalt joins the Owensboro team from another Spectra venue, the Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Penn.

Atlanta’s Hospitality Hall of Fame welcomes four new inductees as part of its 20th annual celebration on Nov. 1. The ceremony will honor Kathleen Bertrand, Gov. Nathan Deal, Claudia Mashburn and Ben Shanley.

@ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 69

LVHA RISING STAR

Alyson Lyden Makes Her Mark in Las Vegas When Alyson Lyden moved to Las Vegas five years ago, she had no idea she would find a job in a new career and excel so much that she would be awarded as an influential member of the community.

The Las Vegas Hospitality Association honored influential members of the community during its 2018 Distinction Awards on Sept. 20. The nonprofit organization dedicated to driving the city’s hospitality industry forward awarded Las Vegans making a significant impact on their organizations and the community. The awards went to one game changing organization, The Vegas Golden Knights, and four individuals. Stacey Purcell of Caesars Entertainment took home The Spirit Award, John Unwin of The Drew Las Vegas was honored with The Industry Leader Award and The Legacy Award was presented posthumously to Mark Hellrung of the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas.

Lyden was selected to receive the The Rising Star Award, which recognizes an LVHA member, who has been extensively involved on committees, participated in meetings and with the development of LVHA over the past five years. Among the reasons she was chosen was that she has exhibited ambition and drive to become

a future leader in the hospitality industry. Lyden served for a time on the LVHA board of directors and yet she was both surprised and delighted to be chosen for recognition.

“The award was such an honor and I’m humbled by that,” Lyden says “I think that they recognized that I try to do a lot in the community with associ-

ations and that I’m always out trying to promote Las Vegas.”

Since 2014 Lyden has been a national business development manager for Freeman, but her career started in the hotel industry in New Jersey and New York. From there she segued into events and catering. But her situation changed so she decided to

change it further by moving.

“I said to myself, ‘Why not got to Las Vegas and get back into hotels?’ so that’s what I did,” Lyden says. “Basically I knew just two people in Las Vegas and the rest is history. I fell into tradeshows.”

For Lyden, her work experience was secondary to her outgoing personality.

She says she got her current position because somebody saw something they liked in her and wanted her to work with them. “”I’m a master networker,” she explains. “I’m not afraid to talk to people. I throw myself into any situation. I like to meet people, talk to them and get a feel for what they do. I love to learn about different industries.”

Lyden particularly enjoys the creative side of the industry. “I like to create experiences for my clients,” she says.

“I like meeting and exceeding my expectations. I like making awesome events for my clients and making them look good.”

She’s up to facing the challenges associated with the work. She’s aware there are many moving parts to any event and a lot of personalities and variable involved. “There are a lot of opinions in any event planning,” she admits, “so it’s a just a matter of navigating that and finding a way to make everybody happy.”

Photo by Andrew F. Taylor

BY F. ANDREW TAYLOR

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CORPORATE PROFILE

C2it Productions: An Exhibit House with Big Walls LED VIDEO WALLS, THAT IS!

BY GLEN ROBERTS

With video walls of any size, standard and interactive video displays, sound systems and other technologies, C2it Productions goes beyond normal exhibit house offerings with an impressive array of in-house audio-visual gear and expertise to help clients capture attention and make the impressions they need. The video walls can scale to any size…like the back wall of a booth, for example, or even a stage backdrop.

And while sometimes bigger is better, smaller displays work great, too.

That’s according to C2it owner Jerry Azoulay, who adds that there is one common denominator, “Quite simply, it’s movement,” he says. “When you’re fighting for attention at a tradeshow, nothing beats motion to catch the eye and create @ExhibitCityNews

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interest. Small or large, any video can do that. It can be both dynamic and informative. And it can deliver a clearly-defined message repeatedly that won’t lose energy on the last day of a tradeshow. Many companies already have great videos that can do the job but don’t use them at tradeshows for fear of the cost.

That’s where we come in.”

Azoulay says, “We can provide technology more affordably because we own it ourselves. Most houses outsource A/V: the design, the equipment and the staff; all or some of it is subcontracted. And beyond that cost is a hidden issue: third-party designers aren’t always connected with the client.

They might call out an element that just doesn’t makes sense.”

“But it’s our client, and we do care,” Azoulay emphasizes,

“whether it’s a live presentation area or interactive technology, we do it all in-house.” A recent challenge was to design a mock slot machine for high-end giveaways, with the client’s logo among the symbols rolling past and stopping on the “pay line” of the digital reels. “We delivered on the idea—without outsourcing—and it was pretty exciting! The crowd drew a lot of attention; the line moved quickly and allowed the client to interact with attendees as they waited. Everyone had a lot of fun, and most importantly, it was a success.”

Azoulay’s background speaks to why. Working for a themed-entertainment integrator in 1997, he oversaw the design/build of “Islands of Adventure” at Universal Studios Orlando. Then he headed to Las Vegas, where he landed GameWorks, an imaginative landmark that stood on the Strip for years; as well as the original sports book at MGM…no small feat.

Exhibit house MC2, who had provided Azoulay with an office, thought to tap him for help with some of their own clients, such as electronics giants Pioneer and Sharp. “I found my new calling, and never looked back,” he adds with a laugh.

He joined MC2 and stayed 10 years, later working with TSF (Trade Show Fabricators), Derse and others; and always with an eye to design-compelling A/V presentations. He still enjoys long-standing relationships with many clients, including LG Electronics and Imagine Communications.

“We also do traditional booths using the latest in modular booth design and can provide whatever the client wants

at any scale,” says Azoulay. “In fact, that’s what C2it means: Whatever you want, we ‘see to it.’ We’ve got great talent and great connections.”

Azoulay singles out team member Larry Berlinger as an example. “Larry managed events for three landmark nightclubs in Vegas: Tao, Lavo and Marquee. So, we’ve got connections to handle events at any level.” Location is rarely an issue, says Azoulay, noting, “We just finished a large tradeshow in Amsterdam with great results; this week we’re in Atlanta, Indianapolis, Orlando and, of course, Las Vegas.”

Just past their one-year anniversary, C2it Productions offers turnkey tradeshow services through a strategic partnership between Azoulay and long-time friend and colleague Matt Naert, founder of Plus Studios. With solid industry ties and businesses adjacent to one another; Azoulay can often be seen assisting and advising the Plus Studios team on A/V design; Naert in turn gives Azoulay access to much of Plus Studios’ resources.

C2it leverages several video wall brands, including Absen, infilLED and LEDskin, a modular LED display offered by beMatrix that integrates with their frame system. Because very few beMatrix houses carry the LEDskins, some have tapped Azoulay to add his tiles to their designs. “It’s a small industry,” Azoulay notes. “We help anywhere we can.”

C2it Productions is an exhibit house based in Las Vegas that also provides audio-visual equipment and expertise as part of their offering. For more info, visit. www.c2itproductions.com, or call (866) 995-2248.

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 71

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IN MEMORIAM

Kurt Walker

June 10, 1954 – August 17, 2018

K

urt Walker, a former professional hockey player and tradeshow industry veteran, was born in Weymouth, Mass., and passed away on Aug. 17 in Atlanta after a brief illness.

His pro hockey career, which spanned 1974-80, included 71 NHL games over three seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs where he amassed nine points to go with his 152 penalty minutes.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound career defenseman played as an enforcer throughout his hockey career and required 17 surgeries to repair injuries.

He criticized the NHL Alumni organization, for not supporting retired players enough financially. He created Dignity after Hockey to raise awareness and funds to provide healthcare to retired players.

After his pro hockey career ended, Kurt started in the tradeshow industry with I&D in 1984 and started his own company, SOS (Service On Site) several years later, then joined forces with Renaissance and later, Momentum Management. Kurt was well known and loved throughout the industry with his passion for service and his king-size personality.

Peter Stoddard remembers, “Kurt and I were fellow sales guys for the same corporate events company. The firm moved me to Chicago and Kurt to Boston to open their first regional sales offices...I hosted Kurt often on his

business trips to Chicago. In 1985 I knew Kurt only as a genuine, smart and immensely fun guy to be around—who happened to have played a few years in the NHL. I had no clue he was a legendary enforcer for his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs.

“In 1985 Kurt invited me to a Legends of Hockey fundraiser game he organized. It was indicative of charitable acts he would perform his entire life,” says Stoddard. “The venue was Chicago’s UIC Pavilion, and Kurt fulfilled his promise that big names would take the ice. Following a spirited contest I walked down to the rink. The first to skate off was Gordie Howe. Followed by Bobby Hull. Then came Stan Mikita. Then Keith Magnuson and other Hall of Famers.

Each slowed as they exited, likely expecting that I wanted their autograph. I felt I had to say something, like, “Thanks, I’m waiting for Kurt Walker.”

Stoddard attended Kurt’s memorial service and life celebration in Atlanta in August and called it “amazing.” Tradeshow industry legend Johnny Merritt attended and speakers included his daughter, Zoe, and former Atlanta & Calgary Flames players including Richard Mulhern, Tim Ecclestone, Willi Plett and Eric Vail who spoke of “Kurt’s courage, loyalty, drive, spontaneity and generosity. His former teammates confessed to having many stories not appropriate

for a family friendly audience,” Stoddard says. But he adds, “One constant prevailed throughout this day of celebration: Kurt Walker lived his life to help others.

He relished in it. More often than not he helped those who had zero opportunity to return the favor. Kurt’s dedication to those in need is manifest in Dignity After Hockey. Kurt founded the non-profit group to assist former professional hockey players who have fallen on hard times. Dignity After Hockey lives on through the efforts of Kurt Walker’s friends and family. They ask that you honor the life of this great man by making a donation to continue Kurt’s mission.”

On his tribute wall, a friend wrote, “Kurt was always thinking of others, not just people, but the animals too. He’s the only one that I’ve ever met who had not only a pet squirrel, but also a peacock. Kurt will be greatly missed and will live on thru D.A.H.” John Ramaglia, VP operations, Momentum Management, recalls, “I was fortunate enough to have worked with Kurt for 20 years and knew him even before he joined forces with Momentum. I do miss the big guy and his gentle spirit. The thing that I found the most endearing about Kurt was that he was connected with people in the tradeshow world at all levels. From CEOs to freight handlers and everything in between. He had an uncanny knack for meeting people, making them feel

special and then of course he would throw in that he played professional hockey and without saying so he would give them the impression they were talking to a celebrity. All across the country teamsters, carpenters, electricians, truck drivers, exhibitors, show managers, shop supervisors and all who make up a tradeshow will miss Kurt and his biggerthan-life personality.”

Glen Ruggiero, senior account executive, Momentum Management, reminisces, “I had stumbled into the industry in 2002 after being laid off from a sales job when the internet bubble had busted.

I was picking up work on the show floor whenever I could and met Kurt while installing one of his client’s booths at Hinman Dental in Atlanta.

Since I was new he wanted to get to know me and I told him my story. He said that he could help me out and proceeded to hire me to drive up to Dalton, Ga., where his supplier of carpet was. The rolls of carpet were sold in 12’ wide rolls and they had to be cut down to 10’ rolls for the show floor. He also wanted to introduce his son, Cole, to the industry so, seven times a year, we would go up and cut 2’ strips off of thousands of feet of carpet! It was a perfect example of how Kurt would do anything to help anyone.”

His daughter, Zoe, spoke at this year’s Randy Smith golf tournament in tribute to her father and said, “..you may remember me as the little girl who hustled tips in exchange for house tours at one of my dad’s many parties! When anyone needed a job, help

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getting back on their feet, or even temporary work while visiting Georgia, my dad was the first one you called. He helped everyone and expected nothing in return.

“Exhibit A, no pun intended, he entered the tradeshow industry that way. He was working at Carlos McGee’s, shutting down the bar late one night, and Steve Johnson walked in looking to eat something. Kitchen was closed, but my daddy with the biggest heart said, ‘What do you guys want and I’ll go back

and make it.’ Steve thought to himself, ‘We need to hire that guy’ and gave him his business card. My dad, looking for work after the glory days of hockey, immediately called Steve and the rest was history.

“Over the last couple months, today included, when I introduce myself to many who knew my dad, I’m immediately greeted with the biggest grin and it’s usually followed by some hilarious, inappropriate or just plain awesome story of how my dad helped save you,

Dennis James Oliva June 20, 1954-September 16, 2018

D

ennis Oliva died unexpectedly on Sept. 16. He had worked for 25 years in tradeshow and exhibition-related jobs, including the job he held at the time of his passing, manager/business development for McRae Imaging in Mississauga, Ontario. He had spent the last 13 years at McRae Imaging, a provider of expertise and high definition fabric printing, fabrication of custom structures and light boxes for the tradeshow, event and retail sectors in Canada, U.S. and Europe.

Prior to his jump into the tradeshow and exhibition industry, he worked for many years in the newspaper and print industry and as a realtor. He entered the industry in 1995 at Stevens Exhibit Design Group, serving until 1999 as the vice president of sales and marketing. The company deals in exhibit sales custom and modular trade show exhibits. While there he developed and implemented Penguin Banners stands into North America under the brand Penguin NA. He also worked as the sales and marketing manager for Octanorm Canada Ltd. from 2001-2004 where he worked with designers and Octanorm service partners with the design and purchasing of Octanorm extrusions in the design and build of tradeshow and exhibit structures.

Gary Parsons, sales and marketing manager at Archex Display Ltd., met Oliva when they both worked at Stevens Exhibit Design Group and he worked with him on many projects over the years in several companies and capacities. They were friends for a quarter century.

Says Parsons, “He was an absolute professional and definitely knew his products. He was always straightforward and honest

believed in you or just made your day better by making you laugh. Because his presence was larger than life, he made sure everyone else felt it too. I think we’re all feeling it tonight. I recently acquired my father’s phone. One of the most recent pics he had was a short song verse that I believe truly sums him up, so I wanna leave you all with it today: If you need someone to count on, count me in; Someone you can rely on through thick and thin.

When you

start to count the ones that you might ever doubt; if you think of counting me, count me out.”

Kurt is survived by his wife, Joanne, son, Cole and daughter, Zoe and thousands and thousands of hockey and tradeshow fans, colleagues and friends. To share condolences and memories in his online tribute wall, visit https://www.northsidechapel. com/obituaries/Kurt-Walker/#!/TributeWall, or at https://www.facebook.com/ kurtleaf26.

and his advice, opinions and most importantly, his word could be trusted. He always went that extra five miles to make it happen. You could always rely on Dennis, he was a stand up guy.”

Todd Arnold, who worked with him at Expographiq, wrote in his guest book, “We were so shocked to hear of the sudden passing of our friend Dennis. All of us at Expographiq will miss him dearly. We have worked alongside Dennis for many years including his time with our Toronto office, as our sales rep with Octanorm Canada and finally his dedication to our projects with McRae. He will be surely missed. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends. The Expographiq Team.”

Barry Matthews also wrote in his guest book, “I was very saddened to hear of the sudden loss of Dennis. Dennis also was an employee at my advertising agency in the late ‘70s. One can never forget Dennis, he was a very hard working man and always full of comical remarks. When we had company parties at the cottage Dennis was usually the entertainer. My favorite memories of Dennis are when he felt it was necessary to impress someone, he washed my car and borrowed it, then went wherever he was supposed to go…My deepest sympathy and condolences to his family. Dennis will always be remembered by those who knew him.”

He is survived by his wife Cheryl (nee James) of 37 years; children Andrew (Cathy), Craig (Kristen) and Lauren (Matt Ferraz); and grandchildren Aiden, Emmett, Ryan, Hudson and Rowan.

To share a memory in his online guestbook, visit https://www. dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/cambridge-on/dennis-oliva-7992593/add-memory. His family says that as expressions of sympathy, donations to the Canadian Diabetes Assoc. or Canadian Mental Health Assoc. would be greatly appreciated.

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VENUES/EVENTS

Dining with Sharks

BY F. ANDREW TAYLOR

Las Vegas has no shortage of meeting spaces, but only one that gives attendees an opportunity to dine or drink with an eye-to-eye view of 15 species of sharks.

Tucked away behind an unmarked door at the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay is a truly unique meeting space, the Seascape Ballroom. The intimate, 1,675-sq.ft. space can accommodate up to 80 people for a sit-down meal and up to 100 for a cocktail reception. The space is perfect for intimate receptions, dinners and board meetings.

The clean, modern look includes hidden lighting and a projection screen but the real highlight is the wall of four floor-to-ceiling windows hidden behind automated (and customizable) screens.

At the push of a button, the screens rise to reveal that the room is adjacent to the largest tank of the Shark Reef, its 74 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

1.3-million-gallon exhibit. Guests are treated to a close-up view of more than 30 sharks, sea turtles and other sea creatures leisurely swimming among the faux wreckage of a sunken ship.

An adjoining outdoor patio and lounge, with a shade structure for ambiance and privacy, allows for flexible use of this distinctive space.

The space is available to book from 7 a.m.-11 p.m. seven days a week. Catering is available and booking the space includes full access to the Shark Reef Aquarium. For an additional fee, guides can provide private tours of the aquarium with its 2,000 animals including Johnstone’s crocodiles, sawfish, piranhas, shark rays and two rare, male, juvenile Komodo dragons. For larger groups, the Shark Reef Aquarium may also be rented out for up to 1,500 guests. And for still larger groups, they

can create a package so that guests may enjoy Mandalay Beach (with its wave pool and sand), the aquarium and the Seascape Ballroom.

One popular option is the opportunity to scuba dive in the tank. The venue has had events where a company’s CEO has made a surprise appearance by swimming up to the window and making announcements to the room via a wipe board. Another option is to customize the wall of automated screens with a company logo or message.

The Seascape Ballroom is a one-of-akind location allowing guests to be immersed in the beauty and serenity of this underwater scene. The scene is so captivating that organizers may find in necessary to eventually roll the screens back down to get the attendees to focus anywhere else, but it’s certainly a venue and an experience that they won’t forget.

The Shark Reef Aquarium is located at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino, 3950 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89119, (702) 632-4555. For more info, visit mandalaybay.com. To book the Seascape Ballroom for a meeting, contact the sales office at (877)632-7900

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THE D.E.A.L. By Jeanne Brei

Dining, Entertainment, Attractions & Lodging

Court of Two Sisters

Dining Steeped in History From Beignets to PoBoys to Shrimp Remoulade New Orleans is celebrating its 300th anniversary this year, so it’s a real treat to feature dining establishments that are more than 100 years old and feature live musicians—after all, this is the Big Easy a.k.a. the Birthplace of Jazz.

No visit to N’awlins (as the locals pronounce it) would be complete without a stop for beignets—deep fried doughnuts that are covered in powdered sugar for a sugary, sweet taste. The original Cafe du Monde Coffee Stand was established in 1862 in the New Orleans French Market.

The Cafe is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week except Christmas. Of course, it has competition—Morning Call is located in City Park and has been serving traditional beignets and cafe au lait since 1870 and is also 24/7 all year long—and competitor Café Beignet has live jazz nightly. There’s a friendly dispute over which is better—one reviewer writes “Cafe Beignet’s are chew-

ier and Du Monde’s are airier” which just means you need to try them both!

The Commander’s Palace, a six-time James Beard Award-winning restaurant that opened in 1893, is located in a bright blue, Victorian mansion in the Garden District across from a typical raisedtomb graveyard and prides itself on its traditional fine dining with an enforced dress code. Each table is topped with balloons and the hospitality sets the bar for restaurants everywhere (with a documentary and book to prove it). Chefs like Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme started here. Commander’s invented the jazz brunch and staples include the turtle soup, gumbo du jour and pecan-crusted gulf fish. Weekday lunches feature 25 cent martinis—up to four per person!

At the 112-year-old Galatoire on Bourbon Street the style is seriously old-school.

A long, boozy Friday lunch at this elegant (jackets-required) Creole institution is a local century-old tradition (prepare to stand in line and have a ball). With incredible shrimp remoulade, seafood okra gumbo, pompano with crab meat and filet mignon, don’t bother with the menu. Just

ask your waiter what to order.

No more space to rave about Arnaud’s 100th anniversary table d’hôte with dishes from the first 30 years in service, like crawfish bisque (with stuffed crawfish heads), chicken Clemenceau, and baked Alaska for $50. Or Brennan’s which invented bananas Foster, flamed tableside back in the ‘30s. Or The Court of Two Sisters with its jazz brunch and history dating back to the 1860s. Or brightly colored Frady’s One Stop Food Store in the bohemian Bywater neighborhood, that serves good and cheap po-boys, a $5 “grumpy old man plate,” and plate lunches like liver and onions. Or Emeril LaGasse’s…(well, the list of N’awlins restaurants to not be missed is endless!)

Café du Monde, 800 Decatur St., (504) 525-4544; Cafe Beignet, 334 Royal St., (504) 524-5530; Commander’s Palace, 1403 Washington Ave., (504) 899-8221; Galatoire, 209 Bourbon St., (504) 525-2021; Arnaud’s Restaurant, 813 Bienville St., (504) 523-5433; Brennan’s, 417 Royal St., (504) 525-9711; Court of Two Sisters, 613 Royal St., (504) 522-7261; Frady’s One Stop Food Store, 3231 Dauphine St., (504) 949-9688, Emeril’s New Orleans, 800 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 528-9393.

76 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

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10/25/18 10:55 AM

Photo by Zac Smith

DINING

Preservation Hall

ENTERTAINMENT

Photo by Zac Smith

The Big Easy is the Birthplace of Jazz!

From the sounds of a brass band busking on Royal Street to the dueling piano bar at Pat O’Brien’s in the French Quarter, from zydeco to Cajun, from blues to gospel, from rock-n-roll to traditional jazz at Preservation Hall, there is music in the air everywhere in N’awlins. It’s hard to find moments that aren’t entertaining in the Big Easy—people watching could be a full time occupation in a city that sees approximately 10 million tourists annually. Many of those come for music festivals—after all, there are approximately 130 festivals in New Orleans each year, which equates to roughly one festival every three days. From Mardi Gras to JazzFest to French Quarter Festival to Satchmo Summer Fest and many, many more—music lovers love to visit the Crescent City.

One of the best things about New Orleans is that sometimes, seemingly @ExhibitCityNews

076_TheDeal_1118.indd 2

out of nowhere, a second line parade just starts rolling down the street. When that happens, just drop everything and roll with them. If a brass band is your style, you can catch the Soul Rebels at Le Bon Temps Roule or the Rebirth Brass Band on a Tuesday night at the Maple Leaf.

While the tourists head to Preservation Hall for trad jazz, if you’d like to visit a local musician’s hang-out, may I recommend New Orleans oldest operating jazz club: Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub at 733 Bourbon Street. Nestled in an historic 1831 building, the jazz club was founded in 1969 and has been a mecca for traditional jazz lovers and musicians alike.

And they welcome sit-ins by professional musicians from around the world!

And then, of course, there’s Lulu White’s Mahogany Hall, where you can get an authentic New Orleans “experience” of great live jazz, cocktails (a little presentation about the history of Absinthe and then the Green Fairy will prepare your Absinthe in their signature preparation method) and burlesque from the Green Fairy, just steps from Canal and Bourbon Street. They bill it as “the

Absinthe Experience!” It’s a one of a kind show that embodies the spirit of New Orleans with a unique experience you can only get at Mahogany Jazz Hall.

If you’ve spent a week reveling in all the French Quarter has to offer, you may want to hear the church choir at the St. Louis Cathedral on Sunday morning or the amazing Jazz Fest Shabbat at Touro Synagogue, the Trinity Church organ series, or the Soulful Voices Choir at St. Augustine Church.

Your musical cup will runneth over as you enjoy live musicians playing on street corners, at jazz brunches, coffee shops, nightclubs, festival venues, churches— may you carry some of the music back home with you so that you can keep on jazzin’ even after you leave the Big Easy!

Pat O’Brien’s, 718 St. Peter; Preservation Hall, 726 St. Peter; Le Bon Temps Roule, 4801 Magazine St.; Maple Leaf, 8316 Oak St.; Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub at 733 Bourbon St.; Lulu White’s Mahogany Hall, 237 Basin Street; St. Louis Cathedral, 615 Pere Antoine Alley; Touro Synagogue, 4238 St. Charles Ave.; Trinity Church, 1329 Jackson Ave.; and St. Augustine Church, 1210 Governor Nicholls Street.

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 77

10/25/18 10:55 AM

THE D.E.A.L. By Jeanne Brei

Dining, Entertainment, Attractions & Lodging

Mercedes-Benz Superdome

ATTRACTIONS

A Long Bucket List of New Orleans Not-ToBe-Missed Attractions Ten Super Bowl games, two World’s Fairs and 300 years of history surrounding you…New Orleans is a one-of-a-kind city with hundreds of attractions to choose from as a tourist.

There’s more than 45 museums in the city showcasing a world of fine art, history, culture, Mardi Gras, military and nature, including NOMA, The National WWII Museum, the Pharmacy Museum, Audubon Zoo and Aquarium of the Americas, Mardi Gras World, The Historic New Orleans Collection, Le Musee de f.p.c., Louisiana’s Civil War Museum, Ogden Museum of Southern Art and many more.

Mardi Gras World is where the amazing floats for the Carnival season parades are built. Watch the artists at work and take a tour of the museum/warehouse to learn the history of the events, and if you’re an EDM fan, time your visit with the Buku Festival, which is held there every year.

You could ride the carousel in City Park, take a horse and buggy-guided tour, watch the street dancers in Jackson Square, see a Saints game in the Superdome or try on Carnival masks at a chintzy souvenir shop.

You could hop on a historic streetcar at Canal Street in Mid-City and ride all the way down to the Mississippi. Then transfer to the St. Charles line and ride all along The Avenue and down Carrollton. You could visit one of NOLA’s historic cemeteries/mausoleums and see Nic Cage’s huge pyramid-shaped tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.

You could go on a classic cocktail hop and have a Sazerac at The Sazerac Bar, a Ramos Gin Fizz at the Empire Bar, a Vieux Carre at the Carousel Bar, a Brandy Crusta (or French 75) at the French 75 Bar, a Grasshopper at Tujague’s, a Brandy Milk Punch at Brennan’s, a Pimm’s Cup at the Napoleon House, and so on... or hit the touristy spots and have Hurricanes at Pat O’Briens, Hand Grenades and Shark Attacks at Tropical Isle, and, naturally, a Purple Drank at Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop.

Or you could savor the beauty and romance of New Orleans skyline aboard a jazz cruise on the authentic Steamboat Natchez (the world renowned Dukes of Dixieland play on the Natchez) or her sister ship, The City of New Orleans (the New Orleans Spice Jazz Band plays on this authentic paddlewheeler powered by a 24 ft. diameter paddle wheel).

Or you could take a tour on The Creole Queen which has a two-and-a-half-hour narrated cruise on the Mississippi River along with a one hour visit to Chalmette Battlefield. You disembark at the site of the 1815 Battle of New Orleans (Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve) and tour the Chalmette Battlefield including the Malus-Beauregard House and the Chalmette Monument.

78 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

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10/25/18 10:56 AM

LODGING

Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery Has Storied History Located just three blocks from the French Quarter, the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery is the latest incarnation of a building that began its life in 1854 as a warehouse serving the Port of New Orleans.

The 167-room chic hotel opened in April 2015 following a renovation highlighting rustic original details—like hardwood floors and exposed brick walls—and pairs sophisticated modern design with culture and art rooted in New Orleans courtesy of partnerships with the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (a public arts high school, so much of the art in your room is done by teenagers), Where Y’Art and a chandlery (candle/soap store) filled with the work of local makers.

It bills itself as a New Orleans boutique hotel inspired by artistic vision that is

@ExhibitCityNews

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home to a rotating art gallery, Provenance Signature Amenities and Compère Lapin— one of New Orleans’ top restaurants.

Condé Nast Traveler announced its 29th annual Readers’ Choice Awards and six Provenance Hotels were honored as the top hotels in their respective regions—The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery, which Provenance Hotels opened in 2015, has been recognized as the #1 or #2 top hotel in New Orleans in the survey every year since it opened.

Their 300,000+ readers cite its ideal location—close enough to the French Quarter to walk—far enough the Quarter’s rowdiness doesn’t spill into the area around the hotel—and say, “The location and space of the rooms is enough of a reason to love the Old Hotel No. 77. The locally-stocked gift shop, top notch restaurant and friendly

staff are all just bonuses.”

The mini-bar is stocked with Southern goodies, like Zapp’s chips and Abita beers from Louisiana, plus Cathead Vodka from Mississippi, among other liquors.

You can even get Compère Lapin delivered to your room through room service.

This fine, boutique hotel with a storied history is at the gateway to the cultural epicenter of New Orleans.

The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery,535 Tchoupitoulas St reet. Telephone: (504) 599-2119 or https://old77hotel.com/

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 79

10/25/18 10:56 AM

Trade Show Calendar U.S. CENTRAL TRADESHOW RECAPS

Minnesota Educator Academy, Oct. 18, Saint Paul RiverCenter The most widely-attended event to hit Minnesota in the month of October, MEA was a one-day show that ran in St. Paul.

More than 10,000 educators from across the country joined with 300+ exhibitors to review the latest developments in the education industry, including computer coding in elementary schools and how to successfully manage classrooms with bi-lingual learners. The event’s keynote was delivered by Jitu Brown, national director for the Journey for Justice, an alliance of more than 30 grassroots organizations resisting the privatization of public schools, who addressed the attendees on the apparent threats of privatized education. For more info, visit www.educationminnesota.org/events/ mea/2018-MEA-details

National Safety Council, Oct. 22-24, George. R Brown Convention Center In a busy month in the Lone Star State, the NSC show brought more than 895 exhibitors and 13,000 attendees to downtown Houston. A truly international occasion, NSC attracted decision makers, consumers and distributors from a diversity of industries from across the world, including manufacturing, construction, petrochemical and utilities, as well as vendors from a number of supporting markets. Among the attendees were individuals with buying power from Boeing, Schneider Electric and British Petroleum, to name but a few. Education played a big part in this year’s show, with more than 125 sessions ranging from introductory classes to advanced seminars, including a new track on industry technology. The popular New Product Showcase also returned for its fourth year, with attendees voting the development they felt brought the most to the industry. For more info, visit www.nsc.org

ISSA/Interclean, Oct. 29-Nov. 1, Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center ISSA saw more than 15,861 attendees and 623 exhibitors return to Dallas for the first time since 1997. Commenting on the decision to return to the Big-D, ISSA explained that the city’s “Culture of Clean” initiative was a significant consideration in the selection process as it is seen to complement the association’s 80 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

by Amadeus Finlay

brand promise, “to change the way the world views cleaning.” In addition, the $15 billion that Dallas has invested in new developments in the 20 years since the show last set foot in northeast Texas seemingly tipped the balance in favor of the state’s third largest city. Attendees were presented with a plethora of educational seminars on myriad topics, including how to creative a cohesive corporate culture, before being entertained by former President George W. Bush, during Thursday’s informal keynote conversation with ISSA Executive Director John Barrett. Alongside discussing how strong leadership can make or break a business, the wide-ranging discussion also provided insights into Bush’s personal life, as well as his own views on how to be an effective leader. For more info, visit www.issa.com

Supercomputing, Nov. 12-15, Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Moving away from last year’s event in Denver, this year’s SC show will be held in Dallas. Marking the event’s 30th anniversary, this year’s SC is expected to attract more than 13,460 attendees and 371+ exhibitors during the four-day occasion. In special acknowledgement of the landmark celebration, attendees will be able to browse an exhibit displaying a range of memorabilia and historically significant artifacts loaned by exhibitors and attendees. Other highlights will include a walk-in video, to be debuted before the keynote and then shown over the course of the show, which will feature highlights from the past three decades, including acknowledgement of the show’s origins in Orlando back in 1988. For more info, visit https://sc18.supercomputing.org/

See complete listing of shows online at ExhibitCityNews.com/tradeshow-calendar

Att = Attendance | CC=Convention Center | Exh = Exhibitors | Nsf = Net Square Feet

U.S. CENTRAL Show Texas Health Care Association Annual Convention - THCA ISSA/Interclean - North America Educause Medical Design & Manufacturing - MD&M Minneapolis InnoTech American Association of Hip & Knee Surgeons - AAHKS Association for Molecular Pathology - AMP Association of American Medical Colleges - AAMC Annual Meeting National Association for Healthcare Quality - NAHQ Nat. Assoc.of RV Parks & Campgrounds - ARVC Outdoor Hospitality Conf. & Expo NAFCD + NBMDA Annual Convention - N. American Building Materials Distr. Assoc.

ATMAE - Association of Technology, Management & Applied Engineering American Physical Therapy Assn. - Private Practice - APTA American Academy of Optometry - AAOPT Safety & Health Summit Mid-Continent Dental Congress - GSLDS Texas Society of Architects - TSA Texas Academy of Family Physicians - TAFP National Agriculture Bankers Conference - ABA Texas Managed Care Conference & Expo - TAHP Supercomputing - SC Kansas Agri Business Expo DUG Midcontinent - Developing Unconventional Gas Midwest Design-2-Part Show National Council of Teachers of English - NCTE American Academy of Religion - AAR International Association of Fairs & Expositions - IAFE The Running Event - IRRA Association for Career & Technical Education - ACTE

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 10/29 10/29 10/30 10/31 11/01 11/01 11/01 11/02 11/05 11/05 11/06 11/07 11/07 11/07 11/08 11/08 11/08 11/09 11/11 11/12 11/12 11/13 11/13 11/14 11/15 11/17 11/25 11/27 11/28

View Complete Calendar Online

End 11/01 11/01 11/02 11/01 11/01 11/04 11/03 11/06 11/07 11/08 11/08 11/10 11/10 11/10 11/08 11/09 11/10 11/11 11/14 11/14 11/15 11/15 11/15 11/15 11/18 11/20 11/28 11/30 12/01

Venue Hyatt Regency Dallas Kay Bailey Hutchison CC Colorado CC Minneapolis CC Cox CC Hilton Anatole Henry B. Gonzalez CC Austin CC Minneapolis CC Cox CC Hilton Anatole Kansas City Marriott Downtown The Broadmoor Henry B. Gonzalez CC RL Hotel and CC St. Charles CC Ft. Worth CC Arlington CC CHI Health Center Hilton of the Americas Kay Bailey Hutchison CC Century II CC Cox CC St. Charles CC George R. Brown CC Colorado CC Henry B. Gonzalez CC Austin CC Henry B. Gonzalez CC

City Dallas Dallas Denver Minneapolis Oklahoma City Dallas San Antonio Austin Minneapolis Oklahoma City Dallas Kansas City Colorado Springs San Antonio Omaha St. Louis Ft. Worth Arlington Omaha Houston Dallas Wichita Oklahoma City St. Charles Houston Denver San Antonio Austin San Antonio

St TX TX CO MN OK TX TX TX MN OK TX MO CO TX NE MO TX TX NE TX TX KS OK MO TX CO TX TX TX

Att 750 15.8K 4000 5915 1500 2000

Exh 130 623 275 572 110

4500 1000 1200

59 200

875 700 5600 1000 2000 3000 450 600 300 13.4K 1100

14 138 168 100 100 285 135 45 50 371 150

750 6500 10K 5000 600 5000

110 120 200 300 250 300

Nsf Industry 11680 Healthcare 263K Laundry & Dry Cleaning Education 79990 Healthcare 12500 Healthcare Healthcare Healthcare 11000 Healthcare 40000 Sporting Goods & Rec. Building & Construction 1900 Manufacturing Healthcare 29500 Healthcare 8640 Healthcare 6000 Healthcare 27500 Building & Construction 24000 Healthcare 3600 Banking Healthcare 149K Computers & Apps Agriculture & Farming Petroleum, Oil & Plastics 11500 Manufacturing 12000 Education 20000 Religious & Entertainment 35000CityGaming Exhibit News’ best-read section!

22500 Sporting Goods & Rec. 40000 Education

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ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 81

Trade Show Calendar U.S. MIDWEST TRADESHOW RECAPS

National FFA Convention - Future Farmers of America, Oct. 24 – Oct. 27, Indiana Convention Center An educational conference and tradeshow focused on preparing youth leaders of tomorrow for careers in science, business and agricultural technology, FFA saw more than 60,000 attendees and more than 400 exhibitors spend four days looking to the future in the heart of the Hoosier State. Educational sessions were many and varied, ranging from how growing leaders can prepare for presentations and interviews, to how classrooms can support agricultural STEM projects.

All work and no play make for a dull conference, and attendees were not short of entertaining experiences. Not only was a three-day rodeo held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, but hypnotist Dr. Jim Wand took attendees on “a journey beyond imagination” on Thursday and Friday evenings. Last, but by very no means least, the reigning Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year, Garth Brooks, took to the stage on the opening night for an exclusive concert to kick-off the event. For more info, visit https:// convention.ffa.org/

82 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

American Academy of Ophthalmology, Oct. 27-Oct. 30, McCormick Convention Center With more than 24,525 attendees and more than 573 exhibitors from across the world, this year saw AAO take a different approach to the event than in the past.

During the opening session on October 28, attendees discovered how science and art intersect in the field of ophthalmology, a theme chosen because Chicago has a long history of art, as well as science.

In addition, further new items at this year’s show included the AAOE Practice Management Program, as well as increased Saturday programming. Attendees embarked on three days of education sessions that included how to treat malposition on the lower eyelid, as well as an in-depth session on how to manage cataracts in patients with glaucoma. For more info, visit www.aao.org

Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, Nov. 14-16, McCormick Convention Center As much a discussion about sustainability as an occasion for attendees to listen to the thoughts of major international players, this year’s GICE is slated to be one to remember. The opening plenary will be given by lawyer and human rights activist, Amal Clooney, with the closing message due to be delivered by Carmen Cruz, mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

by Amadeus Finlay

But one last surprise remains, for this year’s Greenbuild Celebration concert will be headlined by none other than seven-time Grammy Award-winner Buddy Guy. Outside the world of blues and high-level discussions, expect more than 19,058 attendees, as well as an exhibit floor packed with 548+ exhibitors from across the world. For more info, visit www.greenbuildexpo.com

Radiological Society of North America, Nov. 25-30, McCormick Convention Center In what promises to be a big occasion, the 104th RSNA scientific meeting is expected to attract more than 52,657 attendees and more than 692 exhibitors. In addition, attendees can expect more than 400 educational sessions over the fiveday show, including updates on imaging dementia. Featured exhibitors include Beekley Medical, Densitas Inc. and FUJIFILM Medical Systems, with global players such as GE Healthcare and Philips also scheduled to make an impact on the show floor. A sports imaging symposium will also be held, providing those working with athletes a deeper understanding of the nature of injuries and recovery. For more info, visit www.rsna.org

See complete listing of shows online at ExhibitCityNews.com/tradeshow-calendar

Att = Attendance | CC=Convention Center | Exh = Exhibitors | Nsf = Net Square Feet

U.S. MIDWEST

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Show Angus Convention Geological Society of America Annual Meeting & Expo - GSA Association for Financial Professionals - AFP National Tour Association - NTA Travel Exchange Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers - SHPE Bands of America Grand National Championships Illinois Nursing Home Administrators Association - INHAA Glass Expo Midwest Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association - ISVMA Private Label Manufacturers Association - PLMA CAEL International Conference - Council for Adult and Experiential Learning OCALICON - Autisum & Disabilities Conference Greenbuild International Conference & Expo International Conference on Missions - ICOM Illinois Association of School Boards - IASB Radiological Society of North America - RSNA International Smoke Expo Dental Implant Conference - AAOMS National Council for the Social Studies - NCSS SharePoint Fest Seed Expo - American Seed Trade Association - ASTA Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo Performance Racing Industry Show - PRI Lawn and Rural Equipment Expo - LAREE American Dental Congress The Midwest Clinic - International Band & Orchestra American Historical Association Annual Meeting - AHS Modern Language Association - MLA Chicago Boat, RV & Strictly Sail Show

Start 11/03 11/04 11/04 11/04 11/07 11/07 11/08 11/08 11/09 11/11 11/13 11/14 11/14 11/15 11/16 11/25 11/28 11/29 11/30 12/03 12/03 12/04 12/06 12/07 12/07 12/19 01/03 01/03 01/09

End 11/05 11/07 11/07 11/08 11/11 11/10 11/09 11/09 11/11 11/13 11/16 11/16 11/16 11/18 11/18 11/30 11/29 12/01 12/02 12/07 12/06 12/06 12/08 12/08 12/08 12/22 01/06 01/06 01/13

Venue Greater Columbus CC Indiana CC McCormick Place Wisconsin Center Huntington CC Lucas Oil Stadium Springfield Crowne Plaza JW Marriott Tinley Park CC Donald E. Stephens CC Greater Columbus CC McCormick Place Duke Energy Center Hyatt Regency Chicago McCormick Place Donald E. Stephens CC Sheraton Grand Chicago Hyatt Regency Chicago McCormick Place Hyatt Regency Chicago Devos Place Conference Center Indiana CC Roberts Centre McCormick Place

McCormick Place

City Columbus Indianapolis Chicago Milwaukee Cleveland Indianapolis Springfield Indianapolis Tinley Park Rosemont Cleveland Columbus Chicago Cincinnati Chicago Chicago Rosemont Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Grand Rapids Indianapolis Wilmington Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago

St OH IN IL WI OH IN IL IN IL IL OH OH IL OH IL IL IL IL IL IL IL MI IN OH IL IL IL IL IL

Att

Exh

Nsf

6500

168 250

6000 85K 200

70

7000

1000 95 10.2K 1K

7100 229K

1955 19K

94 548 144K

10K 52.6K 2000 1500 4500 500 2800 4000 44.5K 30K

692 100 90 170 30 150 380 1.2K 250

5000 7000 54K

422K 50000 11000 35000 2000 16000 74800 273K 150K

Industry Agriculture & Farming Science Financial & Legal Travel Industry Engineering Art, Music & Culture Healthcare Ceramics & Glass Healthcare Apparel Education Healthcare Building & Construction Religious Education Healthcare

Healthcare Science Computers & Apps Agriculture & Farming Agriculture & Farming Automotive & Trucking Agriculture & Farming Healthcare 350 45000 Art, Music & Culture 100 13000 Associations Associations 297 Boats

• Delivery in Las Vegas, FedEx/UPS to all cities • Be a HERO use Horizon Print Solutions and make it EZ • Everything for your show or event from a top quality 25 year supplier!

Color Printing • Rack cards • Brochures • Booklets • Everything else @ExhibitCityNews

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Promotional Products • Giveaways • Table Drapes & Signage • Branded Apparel • Gifts & Awards

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 83

Trade Show Calendar U.S. NORTHEAST TRADESHOW RECAPS

RuPaul’s DragCon NYC, Sept. 2830, Javits Center, NYC : Following the success of the world’s largest drag convention, RuPaul’s DragCon LA, (which has tripled in size since launching in 2015), the second annual RuPaul’s DragCon NYC attracted more than 35,000 attendees, as well as journalists from across Europe and Asia. The show netted more than $1.4 million in ticket sales alone, with $8 million in merchandise generated between both shows. RuPaul’s DragCon LA is scheduled to return in the spring of 2019. For more info, visit https://rupaulsdragcon.com.

AABB, Oct.13-16, Boston: Described as a “highly targeted educational forum,” AABB brought industry leaders in the blood transfusion and cellular therapies industries to Boston. Alongside a slew of educational forums, exhibitors provided attendees with information on current research in the field, including the latest findings in regenerative medicine, hospital transfusions and cryopreservation, as well as the technologies designed to support the discoveries. For more info, visit http://www.aabb.org/annual-meeting.

Pack Expo, Oct. 14-17, McCormick Place, Chicago: Maintaining its position as the world’s leading event in the packaging industry, this year’s Pack Expo attracted more than 50,000 attendees and 2,500 exhibitors from across the globe. The show highlighted innovative product storage solutions designed to reflect a changing market, while the unexpected release of this year’s State of the Industry findings (alongside a specially commissioned report on e-commerce) during the show’s opening ceremony was met with enthusiasm by the attendees.

For more info, visit https://www.packexpointernational.com.

New England Cannabis Show, Oct. 20-21 at the Rhode Island CC in Providence, RI: The cannabis industry is blossoming in the Ocean State, and the packed exhibit hall at the fourth annual Rhode Island cannabis convention, NECANN indicated that this is an event to watch as it continues to grow. This year’s show attracted sponsors such as Elevate Northeast, Motif Magazine and Canna Care Docs, with exhibitors ranging from dispensaries and professional services, to national distributors and artisan edibles.

For more info, visit www.necann.com/.

by Amadeus Finlay

American Academy of Ophthalmology, Oct. 27-30, Chicago: AAO18, the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, attractd more than 15,000 physicians and 2,000 thought leaders. The four-day event revealed the latest findings in the field of ophthalmologic medicine, including developments from more than 500 exhibitors. A last-minute addition saw GenSight Biologics, a biopharma company focused on gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases, choose the occasion to present the results of an extensive test of the firm’s GS010 gene therapy vector technology. For more info, visit https://www.aao.org.

Greater NY Dental Meeting, Nov. 25-28, Javits Center, NYC: Slated to attract more than 52,000 attendees and 600 exhibitors, GNYDM will see the launch of an expanded World Implant Expo, as well as a 3-D printing conference, a symposium on oral health and a pediatric summit. Last year’s popular Dental Laboratory Education seminar will also be returning. For more info, visit https://www.gnydm.com/.

84 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

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10/25/18 10:57 AM

See complete listing of shows online at ExhibitCityNews.com/tradeshow-calendar

Att = Attendance | CC=Convention Center | Exh = Exhibitors | Nsf = Net Square Feet

U.S. NORTHEAST Show Northeastern Society of Orthodontists REALTORS Conference & Expo International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering - ISPE American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences - AAPS PharmSci 360 New York Library Association - NYLA New Jersey Education Association Convention - NJEA Ocean City Resort & Gift Expo HX: The Hotel Experience BDNY - Boutique Design New York Kosherfest New Jersey League of Municipalities - NJLM The Gerontological Society of America - GSA Automation Fair - Rockwell Automation ISE East - Security Solutions National Association for the Education of Young Children - NAEYC National Science Teachers Association - NSTA American Speech-Language-Hearing Association - ASHA Materials Research Society Fall Meeting & Exhibit - MRS Greater New York Dental Meeting - GNYDM AMSUS - The Society of Federal Health Professionals Government Video Technology Expo - GVEXPO ArchitectureBoston Expo - ABX Triple Play REALTOR Convention & Expo FFANY New York Shoe Expo International Council of Shopping Centers/New York - ICSC Massachusetts Conference for Women Pri-Med East PostGraduate Assembly in Anesthesiology - NYSSA American Geophysical Union - AGU

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 11/02 11/02 11/04 11/04 11/07 11/08 11/11 11/11 11/11 11/13 11/13 11/14 11/14 11/14 11/14 11/15 11/15 11/25 11/25 11/26 11/27 11/28 12/03 12/04 12/04 12/05 12/06 12/07 12/10

End 11/03 11/05 11/07 11/07 11/10 11/09 11/13 11/12 11/12 11/14 11/15 11/18 11/15 11/15 11/17 11/17 11/17 11/30 11/28 11/30 11/29 11/29 12/06 12/06 12/06 12/06 12/09 12/11 12/14

Venue Mohegan Sun Boston Conv. & Exhibition Ctr. Pennsylvania CC Walter E. Washington CC Rochester Riverside CC Atlantic City CC Roland E. Powell CC Javits Center Javits Center Meadowlands Expo. Ctr. Atlantic City CC Hynes CC Javits Center Walter E. Washington CC Gaylord National Boston Conv. & Exhibition Ctr. Hynes CC Javits Center Gaylord National Walter E. Washington CC Boston Conv. & Exhibition Ctr. Atlantic City CC Warwick New York Hotel Javits Center Boston Conv. & Exhibition Ctr. Hynes CC Marriott Marquis

City Uncasville Boston Philadelphia Washington Rochester Atlantic City Ocean City New York New York Secaucus Atlantic City Boston Philadelphia New York Washington Washington Boston Boston New York Washington Washington Boston Atlantic City New York New York Boston Boston New York Washington

St CT MA PA DC NY NJ MD NY NY NJ NJ MA PA NY DC DC MA MA NY DC DC MA NJ NY NY MA MA NY DC

Att 1700 19.7K 2500 8500 1000 40K 1600 14.7K 6922 6000 10.5K 6000 14.5K 10K 7000 4000 12K 5000 53K 4000 6000 9586 3000 4500 10K 10K 5000 3700 24K

Exh 100 393 280 600 150 600 150 455 534 350 725 100 150 225

Nsf 13000 97394 13000 130K 12000 70000 20000 73850 81155 33000 110K

150 300 275 704 400 175 409 205 300 530 250 215 105 187

25000

62500 72000

27500 141K 30000 30000 57600 30000 210K

Industry Healthcare Real Estate Healthcare Healthcare Libraries Education Gifts Hotels & Resorts Home Furn. & Int. Design Food & Beverage Government Healthcare Manufacturing Security Education Education Associations Chemical Healthcare Healthcare Government Architecture Real Estate Apparel Real Estate

65600 Healthcare 12640 Healthcare 31600 Science

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Trade Show Calendar U.S. NORTHWEST TRADESHOW RECAPS

CDA Presents The Art and Science of Dentistry, Sept. 6-8, Moscone Center, San Francisco Nearly 15,000 people attended the event, including more than 4,200 dentists. There were 379 exhibiting companies participating and more than 150 lectures and workshops. The exhibit hall hours were the same as the last several years. The next CDA Presents is scheduled for May 16-19, 2019, at the Anaheim Convention Center. There is no CDA meeting in fall 2019 due to the American Dental Association’s annual meeting which is scheduled for Sept. 5-7 in San Francisco. For more info, visit CDAPresents.com.

86 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

National Communications Association Conference, Nov. 8-11, Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City The NCA’s 104th Annual Convention: Communication at Play is expected to have more than 5,000 attendees. The Opening Session of the National Communication Association is set to feature an interactive panel of communication scholars and poets who do work around social identity, difference, performance poetry and embodied learning as communication praxis. The invited panelists and poets plan to use poetry and aesthetic responses to ask each other and the audience to think critically. The event is also set to include the NCA presidential address by Dr. Stephen J. Hartnett and the Carroll C. Arnold Distinguished Lecture. For more info, visit natcom.org.

The Liver Meeting, Nov. 9-13, Moscone Center, San Francisco More than 9,500 hepatologists and hepatology health professionals from across the nation and around the world are set to attend the meeting to exchange the latest liver disease research, discuss treatment options and interact with colleagues at the premiere meeting in the science and practice of hepatology.

Approximately 100 exhibitors are set to be on site. The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases is the leading organization of scientists and health care professionals committed to preventing and curing liver disease. For more info, visit aasld.org.

F. Andrew Taylor

The American Association of Equine Practitioners annual convention and tradeshow, Dec. 1-5, Moscone Center, San Francisco More than 7,000 attendees are set to come to the event for meetings, seminars and a three-day tradeshow from Dec. 2-4 featuring 300+ exhibitors. For exhibitors, the tradeshow is a valuable opportunity to promote their products and services to thousands of equine veterinarians, veterinary students and technicians. For attendees, the tradeshow offers onestop shopping with a diverse selection of companies who serve the equine veterinary industry. The AAEP’s mission is to improve the health and welfare of horses, to further the professional development of its members, and to provide resources and leadership for the benefit of the equine industry. For more info, visit aaep.org.

See complete listing of shows online at ExhibitCityNews.com/tradeshow-calendar

Att = Attendance | CC=Convention Center | Exh = Exhibitors | Nsf = Net Square Feet

U.S. NORTHWEST Show American Medical Informatics Association - AMIA Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry - SETAC Annual Meeting FireShowsWest Professional Association for SQL Server - PASS Utah Department of Transportation - UDOT Annual SecureWorld Expo National Communications Association - NCA National Student Nurses’ Association Midyear Conference - NSNA The Liver Meeting - AASLD California Library Association - CLA Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities Annual - KAHCF CETPA - California Education Technology Professionals Association Washington State School Directors’ Association - WSSDA Printed Electronics USA American Anthropological Association - AAA Annual Meeting Wearable USA Energy Storage Innovations USA Sensors USA American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology - ACAAI California Optometric Association Monterey Symposium NACE Western Area Conference American Association of Equine Practitioners - AAEP American Exploration & Mining Association National Agricultural Aviation Association - NAAA Craft Beverage Expo - CBExpo The Almond Conference - Almond Board of California BIOMED Device San Jose - MDM North Coast Wine Industry Expo (WINexpo) WTS - The Smart Technology Show

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 11/03 11/04 11/05 11/06 11/06 11/07 11/08 11/08 11/09 11/09 11/13 11/13 11/14 11/14 11/14 11/14 11/14 11/14 11/15 11/16 11/27 12/01 12/02 12/03 12/04 12/04 12/05 12/06 12/11

End 11/07 11/08 11/08 11/09 11/08 11/08 11/11 11/11 11/13 11/11 11/15 11/16 11/17 11/15 11/18 11/15 11/15 11/15 11/19 11/18 11/29 12/05 12/07 12/06 12/06 12/06 12/06 12/06 12/12

Venue Hilton Union Square Sacramento CC Grand Sierra Resort Washington State CC Mountain America Expo Center Meydenbauer Center Salt Palace CC Galt House Hotel Moscone Center Santa Clara CC Galt House Hotel Sacramento CC Spokane CC Santa Clara CC San Jose CC Santa Clara CC Santa Clara CC Santa Clara CC Washington State CC Monterey CC Sheraton Seattle Hotel Moscone Center Spokane CC Reno-Sparks CC Omni Louisville Hotel Sacramento CC San Jose CC Sonoma County Fairgrounds Santa Clara CC

City San Francisco Sacramento Reno Seattle Sandy Seattle Salt Lake City Louisville San Francisco Santa Clara Louisville Sacramento Spokane Santa Clara San Jose Santa Clara Santa Clara Santa Clara Seattle Monterey Seattle San Francisco Spokane Reno Louisville Sacramento San Jose Santa Rosa Santa Clara

St CA CA NV WA UT WA UT KY CA CA KY CA WA CA CA CA CA CA WA CA WA CA WA NV KY CA CA CA CA

Att

Exh

5000

50

Industry Healthcare Science Fire & Fire Protection 10770 Computers & Apps

500 5000 1500 8000 1500

65 50 125 80 130

6500 10000 11000 25000 18000

1000 3500

48 270

3647

100 75 55

2300

200 7394 2800 1200 1300 3014 3300

250 155 160

Nsf

Security Communications Healthcare Healthcare Libraries Healthcare Education Education Electrical & Electronics Science Electrical & Electronics Renewable Energy Electrical & Electronics 24995 Healthcare Healthcare 4400 Healthcare 62500 Building & Construction Agriculture & Farming Food & Beverage

406 48993 Healthcare

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ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 87

Trade Show Calendar US SOUTHEAST TRADESHOW RECAPS

Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition, Oct. 16-18, Moultrie, GA: With more than 80,000 attendees and 1,200 exhibitors, SAE of Moultrie, Ga., was the region’s largest show in October. Spread across a 100-acre exhibit area with an adjoining 600-acre working research farm, SAE also offered educational seminars, technology demonstrations and crop harvesting, alongside tillage demonstrations and equipment test driving ranges. For more info, visit sunbeltexpo.com.

Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, Oct. 16-18, Orlando: The National Business Aviation Association’s annual meeting, BACE is one of the most widely-attended events in the aviation trade, and 2018 saw more than 25,000 industry professionals from across the world attend the three-day occasion at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Attendees were able to browse more than 1,100 indoor exhibitors, as well as a static display of 100 business airplanes on the outdoor ramp. Aircraft ranged from luxurious, wide body jetliners such as the Airbus ACJ319, to Honda’s debut airplane, the HA-420, which won the inaugural Flying Innovation Award in 2017. For more info, visit www.nbaa.org.

Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit Convention & Expo, Oct. 19-20, Orlando: Returning to Orlando after four years away, Fresh Summit (FS) attracted more than 20,000 international professionals from across the fresh produce and floral supply chains. Operating under a new format, “4 Big Voices. 4 Big Topics. 4 Forums for the Future,” FS saw keynote speakers from within and without the industry (including two-time Super Bowl champion Peyton Manning) speak on subjects that included leadership through adversity, disruptive innovation and the importance of storytelling in a business setting. For more info, visit www.pma. com/events/freshsummit.

FABTECH, Nov. 6-8, Atlanta: Rotating between Las Vegas, Chicago and Atlanta, North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event will return to the Georgia World Congress Center. With more than 130 sessions targeting the technical, operational, economic and managerial aspects of the industry, the FABTECH series sees more than 65,000 attendees from 90 countries, including Fortune 500 companies. Supporting events include the annual FABTECH Mexico and the biennial show, FABTECH Canada. For more info, visit www.fabtechexpo.com.

by Amadeus Finlay

International Association of Amusement Parks 2018, Nov. 13-16 at the Orange County CC in Orlando: 2018 is a special year for IAAPA, and not only on the show floor. Alongside supporting 1,100 exhibitors and more than 39,000 participants, the association will use IAAPA 2018 to mark the culmination of the association’s year-long 100th birthday celebrations. The five day event will feature amusement parks, theme parks, attractions, water parks, family entertainment centers, casino, zoos, aquariums, resorts, museums, themed entertainment, party rentals and much more. The birthday festivities will be celebrated at Universal Studios on Nov. 15, with multi award-winning Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies playing an exclusive concert for IAAPA attendees and exhibitors. For more info, visit www. iaapa.org.

88 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

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See complete listing of shows online at ExhibitCityNews.com/tradeshow-calendar

Att = Attendance | CC=Convention Center | Exh = Exhibitors | Nsf = Net Square Feet

US SOUTHEAST Show EMS World Expo Automotive Recyclers Association Convention & Expo - ARA NAILBA - National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies American Academy of Pediatrics - AAP National Association of Personnel Services Annual - NAPS Nat. Hospice & Palliative Care Organization - NHPCO’s Interdisciplinary Conf. iP Utility Safety Conference & Expo FABTECH International/AWS Welding Show/Metalform EdSpaces Georgia Educational Technology Conference - GaETC Athletic Business Conference & Expo American College of Phlebology - ACP The National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show Healthcare Financial Management Association - HFMA Region 9 American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery - ASMBS ObesityWeek NAMA Coffee Tea & Water Clean Gulf International Association of Amusement Parks - IAAPA International Jewelry Fair/General Merchandise Show I/ITSEC National Association for Interpretation - NAI International Work Boat Show National Science Teachers Association - NSTA SOHO Expo - Southeast Natural Products Assoc. - SENPA American Epilepsy Society - AES RES/CON - Resiliency and Disaster Management Conference POWER-GEN International Florida Chiropractic Assoc. - FCA Southwest Regional Convention & Expo Expo!Expo! - International Association of Exhibitions & Events - IAEE

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 10/29 10/31 10/31 11/02 11/04 11/05 11/06 11/06 11/07 11/07 11/07 11/08 11/09 11/11 11/11 11/12 11/13 11/13 11/15 11/26 11/27 11/28 11/29 11/29 11/30 12/04 12/04 12/06 12/11

View Complete Calendar Online

End 11/02 11/03 11/02 11/06 11/06 11/07 11/08 11/08 11/09 11/09 11/10 11/11 11/10 11/13 11/15 11/14 11/15 11/16 11/18 11/30 12/01 11/30 12/01 12/02 12/04 12/06 12/06 12/09 12/13

Venue Music City Center Disney World Dolphin Resort Gaylord Palms Orange County CC Coconut Point Resort & Spa Hyatt Regency Caribe Royale Hotel and CC Georgia World Congress Center Tampa CC Georgia International CC Morial CC Gaylord Opryland Cobb Galleria Sheraton New Orleans Music City Center Hyatt Regency Morial CC Orange County CC Morial CC Orange County CC Marriott New Orleans on Canal Morial CC Charlotte CC Gaylord Palms Morial CC Morial CC Orange County CC Naples Grande Beach Resort

City Nashville Orlando Orlando Orlando Bonita Springs New Orleans Orlando Atlanta Tampa Atlanta New Orleans Nashville Atlanta New Orleans Nashville New Orleans New Orleans Orlando New Orleans Orlando New Orleans New Orleans Charlotte Orlando New Orleans New Orleans Orlando Naples New Orleans

St TN FL FL FL FL LA FL GA FL GA LA TN GA LA TN LA LA FL LA FL LA LA NC FL LA LA FL FL LA

Att 5700 1500 10K 800 700 26K 936 2500 2400 600 2000 500 4000 767 2500 35K 18.6K 16.2K 600 14.7K 4000 1700 5000 4000 21.5K 1000 1449

Exh 360 100 140 360 40 60 50 1.2K 152 225 251 80 47 120 125 150 1K 442 485 75 1K 180 375 82 150 1.3K 150 269

Nsf 120K

Industry Healthcare Automotive & Trucking 16000 Insurance 65K Healthcare 4000 Business 25379 Healthcare Safety 465K Welding 47000 Education 30000 Education 53240 Sporting Goods & Rec. 6720 Healthcare Business 4700 Healthcare 26300 Healthcare Food & Beverage 23000 Pollution Control 560K Gaming & Entertainment 101K Jewelry 186K Military Associations 218K Boats 45000 Education 35000 Food & Beverage 17040 Healthcare 31000 Building & Construction 382KCityEnergy Exhibit News’ best-read section!

12000 Healthcare 39100 Exhibition & Meeting Ind.

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ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 89

Trade Show Calendar US SOUTHWEST TRADESHOW RECAPS

CEDIA Expo, Sept. 6-8, San Diego Convention Center CEDIA Expo, the leading event for technology within the intelligently built environment, connected more than 20,000 home tech pros and nearly 500 exhibitors--approximately the same attendance from last year, which was up from 18,750 in 2016. This year’s show featured a number of “firsts,” including the latest products and breakthrough innovations in home technology, all-new programming on the new Smart Stage and a host of networking opportunities created to further design and technology integration. The next CEDIA Expo is scheduled for Sept. 10-14, 2019, in Denver. For more info, visit cediaexpo.com.

GSX, Sept. 23-27, Las Vegas Convention Center Around 20,000 people attended the event, which is a little down for the previous year’s attendance of 22,000 but Amy Fisher, v.p. of marketing and communications for GSX, says the change wasn’t unexpected or terribly concerning.

“We’ve been getting response that while the number of attendees was a little lower, the quality was higher,” Fisher says.

“We knew in advance that there would be some challenges this year for a number of reasons. It’s a transitional time for us and we’re rebuilding and we rebranded this year as the Global Security Exchange.

We think we’ve set up a foundation for a much better year in 2019.”

GSX delivered on ASIS International’s promise of investing in and rebuilding a stronger and more expansive holistic secu90 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

rity conference, bringing proven security best practices and education to the show and fostering much needed collaboration between operational and cyber security professionals. Education sessions featuring chief security officers from Amazon, Snapchat, Facebook and MillerCoors had standing room only and covered critical topics including soft target protection, developing smart cities, preventing workplace violence, school security best practices, threats to critical infrastructure and the future of AI and cybersecurity. The next GSX is scheduled for Sept. 8-12, 2019, in Chicago. For more info, visit gsx.org.

Supply Side West, Nov. 6-10, Mandalay Bay Las Vegas More than 16,000 ingredient buyers and suppliers from the dietary supplement, beverage, functional food, personal care and sports nutrition industries are expected to attend this event. SupplySide West focuses on the science and strategy around the development of finished products that drive the global business economy. Attendees can learn about new trends from more than 1,300 exhibitors and 140 hours of educational and conference programming. For more info, visit supplysideshow.com.

American Public Health Association, Nov. 9-14, San Diego Convention Center The American Public Health Association annual meeting and expo is the largest annual gathering of public health professionals. The theme of this year’s

F. Andrew Taylor

meeting is “Creating the Healthiest Nation: Health Equity Now” putting health equity at the center of public health attention. More than 12,000 people are expected to attend and learn about new cutting edge researches done in the domain of the public health sector, hear from many respected and established professionals and learn from their experiences. The event offers an opportunity to both professionals and students to learn about the latest developments, researches and innovations taking place in the public health sector. With numerous dignitaries, hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of attendees APHA 2018 also offers an excellent networking opportunity. For more info, visit apha.org.

MJBizCon - National Marijuana Business Conference & Expo, Nov. 14-16, Las Vegas Convention Center More than 20,000 cannabis professionals and 1,000 exhibitors are expected to be at MJBizDaily’s flagship event, the pre-eminent event for cannabis industry professionals. Designed to drive business deals and forge valuable connections with cannabis professionals, it is the largest cannabis conference in the world and promoters assert that it’s “where business ideas become business deals.”

A new addition this year is Marijuana Business Daily’s Institutional Investor Conference from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Westgate Hotel. The one-day, high-level conference is set to connect sophisticated investors tied to family offices, banks, hedge funds and institutional investment firms with critical information and data needed to make informed decisions in a rapidly growing yet complex industry. For more info, visit mjbizconference.com.

See complete listing of shows online at ExhibitCityNews.com/tradeshow-calendar

Att = Attendance | CC=Convention Center | Exh = Exhibitors | Nsf = Net Square Feet

US SOUTHWEST Show International Fastener Expo AAPEX - Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo SEMA Show International Pool Spa Patio Expo - PSP The West Coast Franchise Expo - IFA Society for Neuroscience - SfN Energy Storage North America - ESNA SupplySide West HEALTHCARE DESIGN CONFERENCE American Public Health Association - APHA Global Congress of Gynecology - AAGL California Association of Health Facilities - CAHF EVENTtech Streaming Media West TechNet Asia-Pacific - AFCEA Diving Equipment & Marketing Association - DEMA MJBizCon - National Marijuana Business Conference & Expo AutoMobility LA Los Angeles Auto Show American Society of Hematology - ASH American Society of Health-System Pharmacists - ASHP Midyear Irrigation Show & Education Conference International Council of Air Shows Annual Conv - ICAS Ground Water Expo - NGWA American Association of Respiratory Care - AARC National Workers’ Compensation & Disability Conf. & Expo American Society for Cell Biology - ASCB Baseball Winter Meetings Fetch, a dvm360 conference

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 10/30 10/30 10/30 10/31 11/01 11/03 11/06 11/06 11/10 11/10 11/11 11/11 11/12 11/13 11/13 11/14 11/14 11/26 11/30 12/01 12/02 12/03 12/03 12/03 12/04 12/05 12/08 12/09 12/13

End 11/01 11/01 11/02 11/02 11/03 11/07 11/08 11/10 11/13 11/14 11/15 11/14 11/14 11/14 11/15 11/17 11/16 11/29 12/09 12/04 12/06 12/07 12/06 12/06 12/07 12/07 12/12 12/13 12/16

Venue Mandalay Bay Sands Expo Center Las Vegas CC Mandalay Bay Los Angeles CC San Diego CC Pasadena Civic Auditorium Mandalay Bay Phoenix CC San Diego CC MGM Grand Palm Springs CC Paris Las Vegas Hotel Hyatt Regency Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Las Vegas CC Las Vegas CC Los Angeles CC Los Angeles CC San Diego CC Anaheim CC Long Beach CC Paris Las Vegas Hotel Las Vegas CC Mandalay Bay San Diego CC Mandalay Bay

City Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas Los Angeles San Diego Pasadena Las Vegas Phoenix San Diego Las Vegas Palm Springs Las Vegas Huntington Beach Honolulu Las Vegas Las Vegas Los Angeles Los Angeles San Diego Anaheim Long Beach Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas San Diego Las Vegas San Diego

St NV NV NV NV CA CA CA NV AZ CA NV CA NV CA HI NV NV CA CA CA CA CA NV NV NV NV CA NV CA

Att 2044 175K 175K 10.2K 10K 30K 2000 10.6K 2170 12K

Exh 634 2.3K 2.5K 548 250 573 40 1.1K 268 420 90 1800 180 1600 65 6000 125 4036 158 9815 644 18K 678 25K 175 150 20.6K 272 20K 250 5000 300 1500 325 5000 325 6000 100 4200 260 6000 350 3500 254 4000 200

Nsf 82900 501K 1.2M 155K 60000 102K 7800 186K 51840 50000 23300 24000 7500

Industry Building & Construction Automotive & Trucking Automotive & Trucking Building & Construction Business Healthcare Energy Food & Beverage Healthcare Healthcare Healthcare Healthcare Exhibition & Meeting Ind. Communications 21411 Military 146K Sporting Goods & Rec. 1M 1M 116K 110K 90000 26000 69000 24000 38500 50000 38000 23000

Automotive & Trucking Automotive & Trucking Healthcare Healthcare Agriculture & Farming Aerospace & Aviation Water Healthcare Insurance Healthcare Sporting Goods & Rec. Healthcare

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ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 91

Trade Show Calendar CANADA TRADESHOW RECAPS

Grocery Innovations Canada, Sept.

30-Oct. 3, Toronto Congress Center Attracting more than 5,100 attendees over the course of four days, Grocery Innovations Canada is the country’s largest tradeshow and conference dedicated to the Canadian grocery industry. The annual event is popular among industry decision makers, and this year’s event saw 21 percent of its attendees coming from the Owner/C-Suite/President/CEO category, with more than 90 percent of all those who attended equipped with buying authority. The keynote speech on October 1 was given by Natalie Green, head of industry for food, beverages and restaurants at Google Canada. In a wide-ranging discussion, Green spoke on winning the customer journey in an omni-channel world, industry disruption as well as unveiling the latest insights into customer behavior and buying practices. For more info, visit https://groceryinnovations.cfig.ca

by Amadeus Finlay

The National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show, Oct. 27-28, Palais des congrès, Montreal North America’s largest franchise and business opportunities event saw more than 5,000 attendees and 90 exhibitors meet in downtown Montréal to share knowledge and develop commercial partnerships. With educational sessions held in French and English, attendees were able to benefit from seminars that included financing solutions for buying a franchise and establishing franchises in Quebec. On-site advisors were also present to answer questions and provide advice on a range of matters, including small business consulting, legal services and federal government regulations. An additional highlight was a three-part seminar on tradeshow best practice that was available for exhibitors online before the show. For more info, visit http://www.nationalevent.com

American Academy of Periodontology, Oct. 27-30, Vancouver CC Held in collaboration with the Canadian Academy of Periodontology, the Japanese Academy of Clinical Periodontology and the Japanese Society of Periodontology, AAP attracted more than 2,500 attendees and more than 150 exhibitors from across the world. With a focus on education, the four-day event offered seminars that included the cost of surgical com92 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

plications, the art of microsurgery and a class on vertical ridge augmentation that was sold-out before the event began. In addition to classroom-based education, attendees were invited to attend corporate forums hosted by thought leaders from across the industry, including Sonia Leziy, DDS, Michael McGuire, DDS and Harold S. Baumgarten, DMD. For more info, visit https://members.perio.org/am2018/home

Canadian Western Agribition, Nov. 19-24, Evraz Place, Regina, SK The country’s largest livestock show, CWA is expected to draw more than 145,000 attendees and more than 450 exhibitors to discuss the latest in animal husbandry. An extensive agribusiness tradeshow will be at the heart of the occasion, with an International Trade Center adjacent to the exhibit floor that promises to attract more than 1,200 global visitors from 86 countries across the world. The event will also host pro-rodeos each evening, a full contact, horseback joust, as well as showcasing indigenous cultures from across the region. As for the main attraction, CWA will see scores of animals, including beef cattle, longhorns, horses and even bison grace the enclosure floor. But that’s not all, because this year’s show sees some new additions, including a mental health seminar and an agri-preneurship workshop. Last, but not least, the popular running with the bulls contest returns for another year, where 75 contestants will get the chance to demonstrate their bravery (and recklessness) to be in with the a chance of winning some cash and a shiny belt buckle. For more info, visit https://www.agribition.com

See complete listing of shows online at ExhibitCityNews.com/tradeshow-calendar

Att = Attendance | CC=Convention Center | Exh = Exhibitors | Nsf = Net Square Feet

CANADA Show Canadian Physiotherapy Association - CPA Congress Salon Vision The FranchiseCanada Show - CFA Pharmacy U Buildex, Construct & Design Trends Calgary Toronto Academy of Dentistry - Winter Clinic - TAD The National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show Entomological Society of America Water Quality Technology Conference & Expo - AWWA Air Transport Association of Canada - ATAC Family Medicine Forum - FMF PackEx, Des. & Mfg., Powder & Bulk Solids, ATX, ExpoPlast, Aerocon, Contract Mfg. Expo Green Industry Show & Conference - GISC Canadian Western Agribition CONTEC - Montreal The Buildings Show S.M.A.Q. Montreal Craft Show Landscape Ontario Congress Truck Loggers Association Annual Coastal Forestry Convention & Trade Show - TLA Western Retail Lumber Association Prairie Showcase - WRLA Montreal International Auto Show Canadian Gift Association - Toronto Gift Fair

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 11/01 11/02 11/03 11/03 11/07 11/09 11/10 11/11 11/11 11/13 11/14 11/14 11/15 11/19 11/22 11/28 12/06 01/08 01/16 01/16 01/18 01/27

End 11/03 11/03 11/04 11/03 11/08 11/09 11/11 11/14 11/15 11/15 11/17 11/15 11/16 11/24 11/22 11/30 12/16 01/10 01/18 01/18 01/27 01/31

Venue Palais des Congres Palais des Congres Vancouver CC JW Marriott Parq Vancouver BMO Centre CINEPLEX Telus CC Vancouver CC Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel Westin Bayshore Hotel Metro Toronto CC Palais des Congres Edmonton Expo Centre Evraz Place Palais des Congres Metro Toronto CC Place Bonaventure Toronto Congress Centre Westin Bayshore Hotel BMO Centre The International Centre

City Montreal Montreal Vancouver Vancouver Calgary Toronto Calgary Vancouver Toronto Vancouver Toronto Montreal Edmonton Regina Montreal Toronto Montreal Toronto Vancouver Calgary Montreal Toronto

St QC QC BC BC AB ON AB BC ON BC ON QC AB SK QC ON QC ON BC AB QC ON

Att 700 2500 4000 3024 1500 3200 1300 600 2000 2000 145K 35K 13K 2K 2.8K 196K 22K

Exh

Nsf

Industry Healthcare Healthcare 45 Business Healthcare 225 25000 Building & Construction 144 Healthcare 60 22500 Business 70 7500 Healthcare 82 Water 50 6300 Aerospace & Aviation 150 15280 Healthcare 154 25400 Home Furn. & Int. Design 450 800K Agriculture & Farming Building & Construction 700 110K Building & Construction 325 Landscape & Garden 600 60 22000 Forest Products 265 61000 Building & Construction Automotive & Trucking 1.1K Gifts

*DISCLAIMER: Please note that tradeshow information is provided as a resource only. All show information is subject to change. Please check show dates and venues with official show organizers and producers. For updated show and event listings, visit www.exhibitcitynews.com/tradeshow-calendar.

@ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 93

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Aadvantaged Displays 99 BWC Visual Technologies 96 CDS 100 CEP (Chicago Exhibit Productions, Inc.) 97 Champion Logistics 100 Collazo Expo Services 97 Corey Johnson Photography 100 Corporate Communications 96 Corporate Events 96

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98 101 101 97 101 99 98 96 98

Last Minute Venues LipSmacking Foodie Tours Prism Lighting TSEMA.org TWI Group YOR Design

101 99 99 97 100 98

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10/25/18 10:45 AM

INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

KKOM Our marketing services provide an integrated approach which allows us to build responsive and effective programs that combine our in-house digital, print, web, video, and creative capabilities. With user experience (UX) at the forefront of our strategy, we offer integrated marketing that works: Digital Marketing (a combination of SEO, pay-per-click, social media, display advertising and email marketing), Creative Services (graphic design, photography, and video), Website Development (online presence for your business that displays beautifully on any device) and Printing Services (our in-house design and print team will distribute your company’s message from business cards to banners). Visit https://milwaukeemarketingservices.com.

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Exhibits

Exhibits & Events

Exhibit Services

Question: Where Can You Find Industry Features, Maps, Insider Information, Shop Talk And Free Stuff?

Answer: Exhibit City News, of course!

98 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

Sign up for six stunning, full-color issues of ECN and get our very special 20th anniversary edition, 52 weekly digital updates and free stuff to wear proudly!

VISIT US ONLINE:

SUBSCRIBE@EXHIBITCITYNEWS.COM OR CALL:

702.309.8023

INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

King Size LED Displays Our passion gives us the vision to create the experience of your dreams and make it a reality! No matter how small or King Size your vision is—we will make it happen! We provide the highest quality LED Video Walls that the world desires! Our services range from Rentals, Sales and Custom Installations to full on turnkey productions. We can provide you with amazing LED walls along with high-quality sound systems and awesome lighting packages. All the services you need for creating an extraordinary experience with one call at King Size LED. For more info, visit http://www.kingsizeled.com.

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Visit us online for more of our products & services

AadvantageDisplays.com Lighting

EYE-CATCHING LIGHTING SOLUTIONS •Perfect Lighting for Exhibits, Retail Environments & Special Projects •Full Line of Innovative LED Products; Flexible Strip Lighting, Recessed Lights, Arm Lights, LED DMX and so much more!

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PRISM – INNOVATION LIVES HERE!

WWW.PRISMLIGHTINGGROUP.COM | 1.866.620.1380 | SALESUSA@PRISMLIGHTINGGROUP.COM

@ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 99

INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE Champion Logistics Group has a transportation division specializing in the coordination of trade shows and special events. Champion provides the most reliable and flexible trade show transportation in the industry.

Champion Logistics Founded in 1980 with the commitment to give our clients the best possible service, Champion Logistics Group has grown to become a global logistics leader. Champion provides integrated global supply chain management solutions including transportation, warehousing, customs brokerage and import and export services. Our extensive experience and industry expertise gives our clients peace of mind when using any of Champion’s services. For more info, visit www.champlog.com

Chicago | Atlanta | Boston | Dallas | Las Vegas | Los Angeles | New Jersey

800.323.5401 | info@champlog.com | www.champlog.com

Logistics

Photography

exhibit and event experience photography

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www.cjphotog.com

ECN10

Las Vegas, Nevada 218 - 209 - 1466 corey@cjphotog.com

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Printing

Attention Exhibit and Event Companies Local Service for Trade Shows and Events In: Washington D.C. - Baltimore - Atlantic City Philly - NYC - Hartford - Boston All in same-day driving distance from us.

WHOLESALE Warehousing, Storage, Prep, Delivery Graphics, Supervision, & Rentals 800-367-2531

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We Can Provide You A Local Presence 100 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

Question: Where Can You Find Industry Features, Maps, Insider Information, Shop Talk And Free Stuff?

Answer: Exhibit City News, of course!

Sign up for six stunning, full-color issues of ECN and get our very special 20th anniversary edition, 52 weekly digital updates and free stuff to wear proudly!

VISIT US ONLINE:

SUBSCRIBE@EXHIBITCITYNEWS.COM OR CALL:

702.309.8023

INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

Exhibitrac Direct Marketing The Exhibitrac tradeshow exhibitor database is updated daily by our staff of researchers. This list of over 750,000 tradeshow exhibitors and over 10,000 shows is one of the most comprehensive, up-to-date B2B lists available anywhere.

If you supply products or services to companies that exhibit in tradeshows, you cannot find a more targeted list of prospects!

Our lists may be tailored exactly to your needs. Exhibitor records may be selected and sorted to your exact specifications: by show, by exhibiting frequency, by zip code, area code, even by booth size. For more info, visit https://exhibitrac.com

Printing

Tradeshow Furnishings

• Delivery in Las Vegas, FedEx/UPS to all cities • Be a HERO use Horizon Print Solutions and make it EZ • Everything for your show or event from a top quality 25 year supplier!

Color Printing • Rack cards • Brochures • Booklets • Everything else

Meeting & Event Supplies • Lanyards & Credentials • Binders, Tabs and inserts • Tote Bags & Inserts • Tickets & Programs

Promotional Products • Giveaways • Table Drapes & Signage • Branded Apparel • Gifts & Awards

FIXTURE & DISPLAY COVERS TRADE SHOW DISPLAY COVERS COMMERCIAL FURNITURE

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Venues

ADVERTISE IN THE SERVICE GUIDE •Added value with your ad in print and on our website.

•Engage a captive audience with 38,000 readers every month!

•Increase revenue and gain marketshare!

Print and Digital Distribution (Ads in print issues will run concurrently online.)

1 Issue: $500 per month 3 Issues: $400 per month 6 Issues: $300 per month 12 Issues: $200 per month Contact sales for details: 702-309-8023 or sales@exhibitcitynews.com @ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 101

Classifieds

Equity Partner Wanted

Exhibitrac is Hiring

Exhibitrac needs new show guides for its database, and will pay $10 - $20 per accepted guide. If you are an industry supplier, exhibitor, union or other employee who regularly attends or works at shows in major convention cities such as Las Vegas, Chicago, Boston, Orlando, etc.

Please contact us for details: klandrum@exhibitrac.com or call 702-824-9651 ext. 700

Well established exhibit builder, centrally located, with a CNC based shop and a large storage warehouse, is looking for an equity partner to grow into full ownership.

Company has steady clientele, no debt and quality employees.

Email blindbox1234@exhibitcitynews.com

Experienced Exhibit Account Executive Want to Get fired Up? Tired of the same old same? Need a new outlook? Need to exhibit your talents? Think you are too old to start new with a company? Think again! We loved “SEASONED” professionals to bring experience and good old fashioned “know how to our organization. Negotiable compensation packages and great benefits offered. We also

About SourceOne Events SourceOne Events is a nationwide leader in the events & expo industry, defined by our innovation and client experience.

Whether the need is for a trade show, special event, or corporate meeting, SourceOne Events delivers an unparalleled experience from beginning to end.

JOB SUMMARY: SourceOne Events seeks an experienced full-time sales representative in Lombard, IL and Orlando, FL who understands how to develop and maintain relationships with current and new clients. The sales representative is expected to build & maintain business through the use of phone, e-mail, live presentations, demos and client engagement.

hire AE’s with at least 5 years exhibit sales experience. We are a 50 year old family-owned company and we’re looking for some new family members. Located in Chicago, IL just minutes from McCormick Place.

Send Resumes to : juliem@stevensexhibits.com.

• Focuses on new business • Researches future event schedules of clients and prospects • Quotes projects • Manages client projects on-site • Addresses problems quickly to achieve successful outcomes • Responds immediately to customer grievances • Manages expenses • Attends Lombard industry events • Develops positive working relationship with the SourceOne operations team • Ability to achieve annual sales goals. A Goal Buster!

• Working knowledge of all Microsoft Office Software applications • Exceptional new business and customer service skills • Outstanding organizational skills

REQUIREMENTS:

EDUCATION:

• 3-5 years experience • Sales Goal of $300,000 – $500,000 first year • Sells SourceOne Event services: Expo management, furnishings, exhibit services, graphic production and branding

• High School Diploma or GED • Preferred: Bachelor’s Degree

102 November/December 2018 Exhibit City News

REQUIRED LICENSE OR CERTIFICATION: Driver’s License

Resume Submission: Please send resume and salary requirements to ruthi@sourceoneevents.com.

“SourceOne Events, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment with regard to race, color, religion, sex national origin, disability status, and protected veteran status. We conduct background checks and drug testing on all applicants.”

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, 401K plan, company match and one of the largest privately held Employee Stock Ownership Plans in the US. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act, if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position with SourceOne Events, please call (877) SOE-EXPO.

Classifieds

Progressive, rapidly growing, Chicago-based Display and Tradeshow company is expanding our team!

We are currently seeking an experienced Detailer and Project Manager/ Estimator.

DETAILER • Proficient with AutoCAD and/or SketchUp • Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office • Able to work with minimal supervision, both alone and in teams • Strong time management/ prioritization skills and organization • Understand exhibit fabrication

PROJECT MANAGER/ ESTIMATOR • Have a minimum of 5 years in the tradeshow industry • Have a minimum of 5 years of experience in estimating and CAD/SketchUp • Have a desire to be an integral part of a very fast-paced, rapidly growing organization • Be a team player • Strong time management/ prioritization skills and organization • Able to proof construction/set-up drawings • Ability to estimate from design renderings, as well as, ball parking.

• Ability to purchase from estimate, vendor relations

Competitive benefit package and 401k.

Salary based on experience.

Please send your cover letter, and resume to: davids@lakeshoreexhibits.com.

No phone calls please.

To place a classified ad: Call (702) 309-8023 or e-mail to: Sales@ExhibitCityNews.com

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CALL SALES TODAY! 702-309-8023 or at newsdesk@exhibitcitynews.com @ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 103

2019 EDITORIAL CALENDAR* *Content is subject to change

JANUARY-FEBRUARY

MARCH-APRIL

January (print & digital)

March (print & digital):

February (digital only)

April (digital only):

• Feature: Year in Review • Transportation/Warehousing/Material Handling • Vendors International Focus: Thailand

• Feature: EXHIBITORLive Preview • Furnishings • New Product Showcase International Focus: Chile & Argentina

• Technology Show/Products • AV/Lighting/Graphics/Photography • Corporate Social Responsibility Regional Focus: Northeast U.S.

• Exhibit Building & Design • Show Management/Kits • Extrusions Regional Focus: Southwest U.S.

MAY-JUNE

JULY-AUGUST

May (print & digital):

July (print & digital):

June (digital only):

August (digital only):

• Feature: Museums/Exhibits • ECN’s 2018 I&D Ace Award Winners • EXHIBITORLive Post Recap International Focus: Australia

• Feature: Women in the Industry • ECN’s 2018 Convention Center Parking Survey • Show Security/Safety International Focus: Dubai

• Mobile Exhibits • Warehousing/Material Handling • Corporate Social Responsibility Regional Focus: Central U.S.

• Insurance/Legal/Contracts • Floor Coverings/Flooring • Tension Fabric Regional Focus: Midwest U.S.

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER

September (print & digital):

November (print & digital):

October (digital only):

December (digital only):

• Feature: Giveaways/Incentives • General Contractors • Industry Salespeople International Focus: London

• Feature: Labor/Unions • Associations •Healthcare • Booth Staff/Talent/Brand Ambassadors International Focus: China

• Lead Retrieval v. Data Matching/CRM • Tradeshow Marketing/Traffic • Social Media Regional Focus: Northwest U.S.

Content covered digitally and in print Jan., March, May, July, Sept. and Nov. Other months, digital coverage only.

• Special/Corporate Events • Hybrid/Co-location Events • Corporate Social Sustainability Regional Focus: Southeast U.S.

Deadline / Space reservation: 8th day, or closest business day, of month prior to print issue.

We would love to hear from you! Share the coverage you would like to see in future issues at newsdesk@exhibitcitynews.com 3

ADVERTISERS

Advertiser Index 4 Productions

21

4Productions.com

65/108

Aluvision.com/us

67

AnglesOnDesign.com

2

beMatrix.us

13

Brumark.com

58-59

EDPA RSMGC Employco

31

CamdenTradeshow.com

Experience Transport Agency

63

47

CarpentersUnion.org & BuiltToLastTV.com

ChampionLogistics

Highmark Tech

26-27

31

Hill & Partners

67

75

CharliePalmer.com

Horizon Print Solution

45

61

CoboCenter.com

House of Signs

49

107

ColorReflections.com

Kingsmen Creatives Ltd.

83

53

Corpcom-Events.com

Labor Inc.

91

79

Lago Network

51

7 4

DEMcNabb.com

38

Rosemont – RES Sho-Link ShowNets, LLC Somers Furniture Rental Storage West Sunset Transportation

93

Superior Logistics

55 17 19 19 106 69

ShipSuperior.com

53

“Trade Shows From One Country to the Next”

94

LarryKulchawik.com

Events@ExhibitCItyNews.com

Willwork

Las Vegas Store Supply

46

Willworkinc.com

Last Minute Venues/ECN

62

Sunset-LV.com

LagoNetwork.com & OmegaExp.com.mx

Cort.com

5

StorageWest.com

LaborInc.ca

EventsNE.com

Orbus

SomersFurniture.com

Kingsmen-Int.com

Corporate Communications

61

ShowNets.net

LVHouseofSigns.com

ColorReflections

Onsite Exhibitor Service

Sho-link.com

PrintEfficiency.com

Cobo Center

15

Rosemont.com/DESConvention

HillPartners.com

CharliePalmer

Octanorm

Orbus.com

HighmarkTech.com

ChampLog.com

69

OnsiteExhibitorService.com

ETALV.com

Carpenters Union

Nolan Advisory Services (NAS)

Octanorm.com

Employco.com

Camden Tradeshow Furnishings

DesignToPrint.com.com

EDPAFoundation

94

NolanAdvisory.com

RSMGC.org/

Brumark

Design To Print

23

EDPA.com/edpafoundation

beMatrix

D.E. McNabb

EDPA ACCESS

NewGen Business Solutions NewGenNow.com

EDPA.com/ACCESS

Angles On Design

Cort

43

EACA.com

Aluvision

Corporate Events

EACA

LVStoreSupply.com/

Win Win Video

MomentumManagement

WinWinVideos.com

3

57 40 78

MomentumMgt.com

FOR ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES Contact sales: 702-309-8023 ext. 105, sales@exhibitcitynews.com @ExhibitCityNews

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ExhibitCityNews.com November/December 2018 105

10/25/18 1:54 PM

WE ENSURE YOUR TRADE SHOW SUCCESS! IT’S THAT SIMPLE.

As a unique Las Vegas based carrier, we are dedicated to one thing - trade shows.

With over 30 years of experience we are highly trained, skilled and focused on providing you with flawless service handling your exhibit materials in and out of Las Vegas convention venues.

What makes us so great? › › › › ›

24/7 nationwide service - year round Warehousing & exhibit crate repair Customized account management Show-to-show coordination On site show floor representation

› › › ›

Over 100,000 sq. ft. of booth storage Certified weight tickets/on-site truck scale Pad wrapping & color-coded show labels More than 100 vans, tractors & trailers solely serving the Las Vegas market

Proud member of

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info@sunset-lv.com

3200 Gowan Road North Las Vegas, NV 89130

702.914.0185

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