Exhibit City News - March/April 2018

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March/April 2018 • VOL. 24 • ISSUE 2

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

30 50

EXHIBITORLIVE New Product Showcase

March/April 2018 • VOL. 24 • ISSUE 2

30-33

EXHIBITORLIVE PREVIEW 34 New Products To Debut

40

History Series: Fred Kitzing Father of the Tradeshow Industry

44

Show Floor Technology

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CRM, Apps, RFID, NFC, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & More

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51

On our cover L-R: Bud Nichols, Kelly Clove, Roger Stevenson & Ben Reyes

Shop to Showfloor Section I&D and Event Labor

Feature Story

52

36-39

The Wow! Booth Goes Off-roading

EXHIBITORLIVE by Day Live Musicians by Night

Loki Box Design and Bombardier Recreational Products Can-Am On Tour

EXHIBITORLIVE is Filled with Talent Fulfilling Their Musical Dreams

56

MC2 Design Huddle

Columns

Team Building Designer Style

58

18

Camden Tradeshow Furniture

As the Saw Turns

Everything is Cleaned & Repaired Before It Goes Back on the Shelf

Who are your “Bigs”?

20

The Green Piece

Top Green Convention Cities in the U.S.

22

The Digital Experience There’s an App for That?

24

Andy’s Apps

There IS an App for That!

26

The International Man

UFI Survey of Worldwide Event Centers

28

Behind The Curtain The Cost of a Man Hour

Departments 8 Publisher’s Words 10 The Snapshot 62 International Focus 66 AIPC 70 Convention Center Spotlight 88 People on the Move 94 The D.E.A.L. 99 Regional Show Calendar 107 Service Guide 116 Classified Ads 121 Advertiser Index

52

64

The Age of Digitalization

The MICE Industry Feels The Impact

72

Tradeshow Strategies

Getting The Most Out of Your Data; Leads Are Not Enough; Everyone is Communicating, But Few are Connecting

78

Mentoring Recharges Pros

“Sending The Elevator Back Down”

80

In Memoriam

Matt Campbell and Larry Ciccotti

84

David Woods Celebrates 40 Years in the Exhibit Industry He Has a “Compendium of Tales”

88

Pat Dwyer Reflects on Her Life in the Industry

And Looks To Her Next Phase in Life

6 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

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PUBLISHER’S WORDS

Greetings to readers everywhere!

O

ne of the core pillars that ECN was founded on more than 20 years ago was the people in our industry—from the seemingly ordinary people who build extraordinary booths, shows and events on up to the movers-and-shakers. This edition proves that the pillar of people is as strong a foundation provider as it was back in the 1990s when ink first began to flow.

ECN highlights and celebrates our industry and those who make it happen!

In this issue we check in with Patricia Dwyer who recently received The Outstanding Achievement in Industry Leadership Award by the IAEE. Not bad for someone who retired six months earlier... (See story, page 88).

We’re also celebrating David Woods as he looks back on 40 years in the exhibit industry. Woods arrived in Canada in 1977 from the U.K. and traveled the world with Disney Display out of Toronto with offices in Germany, Singapore and London. (See story, page 84).

In addition to the two living legends just mentioned, ECN is profiling the “Father of Tradeshow Marketing” in the first in a series on important industry design/build companies whose names we cannot permit to fade to sawdust.

The first spotlight is shining on industry legend, Fred Kitzing. From 1950-1993, KITZING Inc., was among the companies that defined our industry. Kitzing, along with other Chicago industry pioneers including Michael Grivas,

CSAL

CONVENTION SERVICES ASSOCIATION

AS VEGAS

8 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

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

Robert Firks, Leo McDonald, and Otto Stegemann, built the foundation of the industry instrumental in establishing the EDPA in 1952 and the Trade Show Bureau (now CEIR). (See story, page 40).

There’s lots to see and read in this special EXHIBITORLIVE edition of ECN— we’re highlighting the new products you’ll see at the show (pp. 30-33), show floor technology trends (pp. 44-47), industry folk who moonlight as musicians (pp. 36-39), tradeshow strategies for maximizing ROI (pp. 72-76), and our Dining/Entertainment/Attractions/ Lodging and CC/Airport Snapshots are all about this amazing host city. While you’re here, take time out to enjoy a Foodie Tour, a Mob Tour, a Strip show, Mt. Charleston, and on March 1, our editor’s Speakeasy Swingers swing band at the Italian American Club.

Getting back to the people theme of this column…myself and the ECN team are looking forward to being face-to-face with many longtime readers…and meeting new faces as well at our booth 1161.

Get your tickets for our Willwork/ECN Networking Party at Light Nightclub on Feb. 27. This year the Spazmatics are back…ensuring a packed dance floor!

See you at the show and at Light!

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 Haley Freeman Larry Kulchawik Lesley Martin Jim Obermeyer Bob Reinecke F. Andrew Taylor CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Sarah Chew Richard Erschik Pat Friedlander Amber Johnson Eymie Labbe Lesley Martin Scott McKinney Doug Stevenson SALES REPS / MARKETING Gary Jesch 775-771-4330 Gary@exhibitcitynews.com Carol Wilhems 702-309-8023 ext. 106 CarolW@exhibitcitynews.com CIRCULATION Manny Chico

Don Svehla | Publisher

Vol. 24, issue 2, 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.

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CONVENTION CENTER SNAPSHOT

Las Vegas Convention Center Location: One block east of The Las Vegas Strip, on the site of the Las Vegas Park Speedway, a failed horse and automobile racing facility from the early 1950s) Year Opened: April 1959 as a 90,000 sq.ft. exhibition hall with a 6,300 seat, silver-domed rotunda Renovations & Expansions: Currently undergoing an $860 million expansion adding 500,000 sq.ft. to be completed by 2021, the 14th in its history. 1998’s expansion imploded the Landmark; in 2002 they built South Hall; in 2010 they added a Metro Police Substation and a Clark County Fire Station; in 2016 they imploded the Rivieria.

Ranking: 3rd largest convention center in the U.S. (after Chicago and Orlando) Square Footage: Currently, 3.2 million sq.ft. facility with approximately two million sq.ft. of exhibit space, 145 meeting rooms and 13 exhibit halls.

First Show: 1959 World Congress of Flight Largest Show to Date: Comdex with 200,000+ attendees; Conexpo-Con/ Agg in 2008 used the most space, PLUS! 2,400,000 sq.ft.

Where to eat, Fun Facts: The LVCC hosted two sleep and play near LVCC sold-out shows of the Beatles on p. 70 on Aug. 20, 1964; several major professional boxing fights, including Gene Fullmer v. Sugar Ray Robinson on March 4, 1961; Sonny Liston v. Floyd Patterson on July 22, 1963; and Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) v. Floyd Patterson on Nov. 22, 1965; and two Billy Graham Crusades between 1978-1980. Home to the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels men’s basketball team from 1966-1982; when the arena was demolished in 1990, it became one of the largest single-level convention center facilities in the world.

Website: www.lvcva.com ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 11

SPOTLIGHT EXTRA

Convention Center Spotlight Casts a Large Beam in Las Vegas!

A

t the end of 2010, the Las Vegas Valley had more than 10,000,000 sq.ft. of exhibit space. And it’s only grown larger and larger since then—not only has the Aria Hotel & Casino added to their previous 300,000 sq.ft. convention space by opening a 200,000 sq.ft. convention center space this month (where the old theater showing “Viva Elvis” used to be) but the LVCC is adding another 600,000 sq.ft. in their current expansion phase to be

completed by December 2020.

Our Las Vegas Convention Center Spotlight just wouldn’t be complete without highlighting a few more convention spaces in the city–most of which are less than three miles from the LVCC. After all, the Sands Expo CC/Venetian Meetings is the fifth largest convention center in the U.S. (after Chicago, Orlando, LVCC, and the Georgia World Congress Center) and is a little more than a mile from the LVCC and Mandalay Bay’s CC is the tenth largest in the country. Space constraints won’t permit us to feature many of the beautiful meeting spaces in Las Vegas—from the Station Casinos (such as Red Rock, Green Valley, Palms, Aliante, Sunset Station, Sante Fe Station, Texas Station, Boulder Station, Fiesta and more) to the JW Marriott/Rampart Casino to the South Point (with 151,000 sq.ft.) and the M Resort.

But even if we stick to the Strip, we can only do the top (largest) four – which leaves out Steve Wynn’s beautiful Wynn and Encore resorts (with 260,000 sq.ft.

Mandalay Bay Convention Center 3950 S. Las Vegas Blvd. (site of the old Hacienda Hotel & Casino) SQ.FT.: 1,700,000 sq ft (2.1 million gross sq. ft. of meeting and exhibit space which includes Event Center & ballrooms)

Sands Expo CC & Venetian Meetings (formerly Venetian/Palazzo Congress Center)

201 Sands Ave. (across street from old Sands Hotel & Casino) SQ.FT.: 2.25 million sq.ft.

DATE OPENED: 1990 (at the time it was the second largest convention center in the U.S.—it’s now fifth) MANAGEMENT: Owned and operated by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation (CEO Sheldon Aldeson) FUN FACT: in 1990, it was the only privately owned and operated convention center in the U.S. 12 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

DATE OPENED: 2003 (at the time it was the fifth largest convention center in the U.S.— it’s now tenth)

of meeting space), MGM Resorts International’s Bellagio (with 100.000 sq.ft. of meeting space), Mirage, Luxor, New YorkNew York, Excalibur, The Park/NoMad (formerly Monte Carlo) and Circus Circus; Caesars Entertainment’s Paris, Bally’s, Flamingo, Planet Hollywood, The Cromwell, The Rio, and Harrah’s; Boyd Gaming’s Sam’s Town, Main Street Station, Orleans, Suncoast, Gold Coast, Aliante, Cannery, Eastside Cannery, California, Fremont; etc., etc., the list just seems endless! But even so, we will miss The Cashman Center which opened in 1983 as the “hometown” conference center, a 483,000 sq ft complex on a 55 acres site.

Operated by the LVCVA until 2017 when it was turned over to the city of Las Vegas (and promptly closed) it included Cashman Field and a 100,000 sq ft convention center. The minor league ball team will be moving to Downtown Summerlin next year and the Harvest Crafts Fair, the Bridal Shows, and the local school functions will all have to find new homes.

MANAGEMENT: owned and operated by MGM Resorts International (it’s one of the largest privately owned and operated convention centers in the world) – CEO Jim Murren (formerly Kirk Kekorkian) FUN FACT: Although its convention square footage of 1.7 million square feet ranks it behind the LVCC, Mandalay Bay offers more meeting capacity (75,994) and banquet capacity (38,885) than any other facility in Las Vegas.

MGM Grand Convention Center

4701 Koval Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89109 (site of the old Marina Hotel & MGM Grand Theme Park) SQ.FT.: in 2012, it was 602,000 square feet of convention space includes the 380,000-square-foot Grand Conference Center and 92,000 square-foot Marquee Ballroom. Its latest expansion adds a 49,000 square-foot ballroom, a 32,000 square-foot ballroom, and three “junior” ball rooms.

DATE OPENED: April 1998 (originally cost $100 million to build) MANAGEMENT: owned and operated by MGM Resorts International – CEO Jim Murren

@ExhibitCityNews

FUN FACT: When the MGM Grand’s extension is completed in late 2018, MGM Resorts will have invested $350 million over four years to expand its meeting and convention space on the Strip by a quarter to more than four million square feet. MGM Resorts finished a 350,000 square foot expansion of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center last year and opened a 200,000-square-foot expansion of the Aria in February this year.

The Proposed Caesars Forum (The Linq / Harrah’s / Flamingo)

Will be built in the parking lot behind The Linq and the High Roller, stretching toward Koval Lane SQ.FT.: 550,000-sq-ft: it will have two 108,000-sq.ft. grand ballrooms and two 40,000-sq.ft. junior ballrooms, and a permanent 100,000-sq.ft. outdoor Forum Plaza

(in addition to the more than 300,000 sq.ft. at its Caesars Palace) DATE OPENED: Caesars Forum will be breaking ground this year for 2020 debut MANAGEMENT: Caesars Entertainment -CEO Mark P. Frissora FUN FACT: Pitched as hosting the “two largest pillarless ballrooms” in North America, a walkway over Linq Lane will connect guests to the retail and restaurants at The Linq Promenade, and a covered sky bridge will let conventioneers quickly travel directly to Harrah’s, The Linq Hotel, and the Monorail.

Featuring a glass design, the space will place a special emphasis on “natural light” and a “neutral pallet” to enable temporary branding opportunities.

ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 13

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AIRPORT SNAPSHOT

McCarran International Airport Location: 5757 Wayne Newton Blvd., Las Vegas, NV Year Opened: Built in 1942, the airport opened to commercial flights in 1948 and was given its current name in 1968 (it was originally called Alamo Field).

Size: McCarran International Airport (LAS) covers 2,800 acres with four runways and two terminals (one and three). In 2017, it served 48.5 million people making it the busiest year in the airport’s history. It is one of the top ten busiest airports in the U.S. Transportation: Buses from the RTC service the airport along with taxis, shuttles and ride shares services. The trams only offer service between terminals.

Fun Fact #1: Gaming starts the minute you disembark. McCarran and Reno-Tahoe are the only two airports in the U.S. with slots.

Fun Fact #2: McCarran is home to the third longest commercial runway in the U.S. Only Denver and John F. Kennedy in New York have longer ones. The runway closed in 2014 for a $67 million overhaul.

Fun Fact #3: McCarran is one of the closest airports to the city it serves. Only a short block separates the runway from the Strip.

Fun Fact #4: There’s no terminal two. It was demolished in 2014 when terminal three was built. The (mostly) international terminal three cost $2.4 billion--the costliest public works project in Nevada.

Fun Fact #5: The airport is home to what is arguably the largest museum in Nevada, The Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum. That claim stems from the location of its exhibits, scattered all across McCarran Airport, but also in the North Las Vegas Airport and the Henderson Executive Airport meaning exhibits can be as much as 22 miles apart.

ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 17

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COLUMN As the Saw Turns

Who Are Your “Bigs?”

I

was asked a while Karl Maxson was one back by a young of those guys who friend to answer always seemed to be that question. Who on the verge of his have I looked up to next big opportunity. as a “Big?” In other

By Jim Obermeyer He was a fellow trade words, who menshow manager, but he tored and inspired me in the was really an entrepreneur in early stages of my career? As the making. Some of the “busiI tripped back in time, I came nesses” he had while I knew upon several people that have him: selling fortune cookies taught me some of life’s lesmail order through Rolling sons (or at least some of this Stone magazine and selling industry’s important lessons). marble Corvette coasters to the What’s also interesting is Corvette Clubs of America. He what I found that “qualified” enjoyed the creative process, this group to be on my most the brainstorming, the “what influential list. Some of these ifs.” And that’s what I learned were not major life lessons, from him…stretch creatively, but small tweaks that later in don’t be afraid to try something life have made a big differnew. Ask “What if…” ence. As I share some of my My relationship with Dick “Bigs,” I would encourage Rothfuss, the director of you to take a few minutes and marketing at this company, think about who has been was not always a good one. He important in your career… could be a very difficult man Myron Levy was my first boss to work for. Our philosophies in the trade show industry. I on trade shows, on business, was one year out of college, and on life didn’t usually align. working for a large marketing But every time we got together department at a huge defense to talk about the next show contractor. Myron, two other we were doing, he would ask trade show coordinators and me the same three questions: I made up his department.

(1) What’s our message? (2) Myron was on the other end What’s the mode of delivery? of his career…three years from (3) How do we know our retirement. He taught me many message was delivered? We things, but what I remember always came away from those most was his steadfast trust in meetings with our objectives his people, and his unwavering defined (the message), what support for us. He would go to type of product demo/presenbat for us against the biggest tation we were going to do (the political guns in the company. mode of delivery) and how we (And in a huge defense contrac- were going to measure success tor, there were a lot of big guns) (was our message delivered?). I He taught me to find good still ask those questions of our people, and then support them people and of my clients today. with everything you have. They By the time I met Fred will perform for you.

Kitzing in 1986, I had been

18 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

doing trade shows for about five years. I thought I was pretty smart. I was about to be proven wrong.

I vividly remember our first meeting. I was visiting his company in Chicago because we were planning to buy a new exhibit, and his firm was in the running. As soon as I sat down across the table from him he started firing questions at me.

“Why did my company attend trade shows?” “How did we interact with the audience?”

“What were our quantifiable objectives?” “How would we measure those objectives?”

“What did a successful show look like for us?” And on and on. There were questions about our product, our company, our marketing direction, where trade shows fit in, and what trade shows meant to us.

And as I talked, he sketched.

He didn’t take notes. He sketched. On a pad of velum.

And he kept asking questions, and I kept stumbling through answers, and he kept sketching. And this went on for several hours, just him and me.

When it was over, I felt like an accused criminal coming out of the interrogation room. But my God, the design that developed from that conversation! It was by far the best design proposal we received for that program.

That first conversation grew into a long relationship with Fred that lasted until after he closed his company. After a while, I actually looked forward to those “interrogations,” because he challenged me to have the answers to his questions. He made me smarter about my company and my trade show marketing program. And he turned me

Our industry is full of mentors; those from whom we can learn and pattern ourselves after. from a trade show coordinator into a trade show marketer.

The sad thing is that none of these men are alive today to thank for their contributions to my life and my career.

I could go on, there have been so many more that have had their imprint on my life, but you get the idea. As we go through life we pick up bits and pieces from many people.

The reality is that our industry is full of mentors; those from whom we can learn and pattern ourselves after. The key I think is to get involved in the industry, get out and be a part of it.

Learn from your peers. This industry can be a lot of work, but it can also be a lot of fun.

And when you figure out who your “Bigs” are, thank them while you can. And remember while you are out there, you may be on somebody’s “Big” list, too.

See you on the show floor.

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

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COLUMN The Green Piece

Top Green Convention Cities in the U.S. San Francisco and San Diego Top The List

D

uring the decade since the EPA declared the meetings and conventions industry the second most wasteful in the U.S. (behind building and construction), this sector has made giant strides toward fashioning a smaller environmental footprint. An industrywide effort to mitigate the impact of air travel, food waste, consumption of energy and water and many other factors have all contributed to a greener business model and a cleaner planet.

Host cities across the nation have also stepped up and begun developing more sustainable meeting venues with access to clean energy and waste recycling; eco-friendly choices of transportation, lodging and food; along with an enhanced visitor experience that effectively integrates the urban and natural environments.

After cross-referencing the findings of several recent studies evaluating America’s greenest cities, I have composed my own list of top sustainable meeting destinations.

Over the next few months, we will be visiting these cities together and examining the qualities that make them extraordinary in their greenness.

The Findings In 2014, GreenBiz.com published its pick of top 10 U.S. cities for green meetings.

Its evaluation focused on the implementation of APEX/ ASTM standards by local convention centers, as well as the 20 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

overall green characteristics of each city.

In 2017, RewardExpert. com issued a study comparing 53 U.S. cities of more than 300,000 residents to help travelers determine which are the greenest places to visit.

Analysts evaluated 20 weighted metrics in five key areas: Ecotourism; Transportation; Lifestyle & Policy; Environment; and Energy, and generated a score and ranking for each city.

Also in 2017, WalletHub. com underwrote a study of 100 of the largest U.S. cities to determine which are promoting an environmentally friendly lifestyle. Its methodology evaluated 22 metrics across four dimensions: Environment; Transportation; Energy Sources; and Lifestyle & Policy. Seven of this study’s top 10 green cities are located in California. While I am a California resident and love my state’s eco-conscious culture,

I want to be fair to the rest of the country and the amazing accomplishments of other communities that welcome many thousands of convention visitors each year.

So, our tour of top green convention cities in the U.S. will begin in California, first in San Francisco (rated number one by both RewardExpert and WalletHub), then on to San Diego (rated number two by WalletHub and number 11 by RewardExpert). From there, we will cross to the East Coast and visit Washington D.C. (rated number three by RewardExpert; number six by WalletHub; and number nine by GreenBiz) and then Boston (rated number two by Reward Expert and number 14 by WalletHub), before heading back to the West Coast and looking in on our neighbors in Portland (rated number four by RewardExpert; number five by GreenBiz; and number nine by WalletHub).

By Haley Freeman

Expert contributors to the WalletHub study were asked to answer several questions, among them: What types of “green” policies or investments offer the biggest bang for the buck?. Arden Rowell, Professor of Law and University Scholar at the University of Illinois College of Law, gave an answer that is good for the meetings and conventions industry. She encouraged cities to continue investing in green infrastructure, which often pays for itself “in savings from traditional (or gray) infrastructure, and/or can be structured as conditions for development.

Cost-effective green infrastructure practices include promoting green roofs; planting trees and shrubs; permeable pavement; and water harvesting.”

Rowell went on state that the city of Chicago has been effective in promoting green roofs throughout the city. To prove her point, Chicago’s McCormick Place, the largest convention center in the Western Hemisphere, has partnered with Windy City Harvest to turn a half-acre of green roof space into a vegetable garden that supplies its sustainable kitchens.

Innovations like this one are in evidence in convention cities and venues around the country, stepping up the meeting experience for attendees, while protecting the environment and turning the industry’s formerly soiled reputation to a brilliant shade of green.

COLUMN The Digital Experience

There’s an App for That?

T

he technology contained in your As the data shows, people of all ages are smartphone is more powerful using apps, making it a powerful tool that that the computers that landed marketers can use for strategic initiatives. humans on the moon. Everywhere When effective, businesses can segment we go, we carry technology that users based on profiles and release enables communication and personalized, timely and relevant documentation in a way that content. That drives engagement has altered human behaviors and increased activity, which and revolutionized business. creates personalized and meanRemember a time when it was ingful experiences. When users

By Lesley Martin unimaginable to use your phone are active, apps can capture data to deposit a check, check-in to a flight, that can provide actionable insights to or as a ticket to a concert? Innovations optimize the experience. in every industry have harnessed the power of smartphones through apps.

Drive Engagement and Capture Data Software applications use the device’s Face-to-face marketing initiatives are features and functions in a meaningful notoriously difficult to track and meaway to engage consumers and capture sure. How can you measure the effectivedata. Now, it’s face-to-face marketing’s ness of a conversation in a booth? While turn to master apps. the perfect solution is not yet here, apps enable a strategic approach to trade Why Apps Matter show and events.

The word “apps” might conjure Apps allow users to create profiles and thoughts of mozzarella sticks and potato share their location. Exhibitors or show wedges. When talking tech, “apps” is the organizers can strategically use this data shortened term for software applications. to facilitate of networking based on job Here are some quick facts about apps titles, interests or activity. For example, from AppAnnie: based on a user’s preferences or latest activity, the attendee may receive rec»» The average user has 80 apps on their smartphone ommendations for relevant sessions and and uses 40 of them in a given month. speakers. This could be as simple as a »» Across mature markets, users on average are push notification – a little message that spending two hours per day—which equates to prompts her to take action – when she one month out of every year—in apps. enters an area. During the event, show »» Older users use apps just as much as younger organizers can use real-time information users: Worldwide, users in the 13-24 age range to monitor attendee engagement and satspend 89 percent of their time on smartphones isfaction based on activities and trending in apps, while users 45-plus spend 85 percent. discussions. Based on attendee activity 22 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

levels and responsiveness to tactics, show organizers can gain insights into top sessions, speakers, influencers, and overall user activity.

App Challenges While apps present enormous opportunity, apps for trade shows and events are high risk and high costs. The cost of producing an app (averaging $6,000 and up) becomes an investment that’s hard to sell, especially if it’s for a one-time initiative.

The market is also oversaturated with apps. In 2017, Apple’s App Store uploaded an average of 5,000 new apps per day. To reduce the bloat, Apple put a ban on apps developed by a “commercialized template or app generation service,” which has hindered event companies looking for a quick and cost-effective solution to apps.

The Future of Apps Since September 2017, there has been a significant increase in iPhone app downloads for the top-ranking apps by “Augmented Reality” app store search. As the gap between digital and physical narrows, the trade show and events industry needs to re-imagine what’s possible. In 2018, watch for digital trends in AR, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI). We’ll take a look at how all these technologies affect the trade show industry in my new column, The Digital Experience.

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

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COLUMN Andy’s Apps

Need to do Vegas?

There’s an app for that …

B

anking? Your refrigerator Fi signal. Add to that multiple overcontents? Virtual stapling? lapping signals and you could find There’s an app for that. your that your phone is a brick In fact, there are literally miland not a business tool. There are lions of apps to choose from. many good apps that can help This column’s goal is to help you you work out the problems, and

By F. Andrew Taylor pick ones that will help keep you in some cases, solve them. organized, streamline your workflow and WiFi Analyzer, a free Android app proimprove your life while at the same time vides a clear visual reference that allows help you to avoid things like, “I Am Rich,” you to see which signals are overlapping an iOS app that did nothing but display a and by how much. Often the fix to get a short affirmation letting the owner know faster signal is simply to switch to a difthey deserved to be rich and cost $999.99. ferent one, if you have the access.

EXHIBITORLIVE is set to draw thouWiFIAnalyzer (with no space) is ansands of people to Las Vegas and nearly other free Android app. It’s a little more every one of them will be fighting for a Wi- complex, so a little harder to work, but

24 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

it is open source, which should make it a more secure option.

Things get a little harder if you’re operating an iOS device. Apps aren’t allowed to access the Wi-Fi connection chip in iOS, so analyzers are limited in functionality.

Network Analyzer for iOS can’t detect surrounding Wi-Fi connections, but it can show you the details of your own device’s connections including the speed of downloads and uploads. The app is free with ads and $3.99 for the ad-free version.

Much of the convention action in Las Vegas is near or just off The Strip, a five-mile section of Las Vegas Boulevard.

In most cases directions to a restaurant, club, bar or convention center are simply a matter of finding out if you need to go north or south and on which side of the Strip you need to be. For iOS users, a compass app is built into the device. For android users, a free app called, appropriately enough, Compass, is available.

However, Las Vegas is one of the few places in the world where the architecture is designed to confuse and confound. The old saw is that casinos are built that way on the hopes that visitors will get lost and just sit down at whatever slot machine or green felt table is nearby and empty their wallets.

There are several well-known apps that will point you towards something if you know the name or address, but Around Me, a free app available for Android and iOS will search around you by category to point you to the nearest banks, pharmacies, restaurants or one of 14 other categories.

One category that isn’t available on Around Me is where to relieve yourself. Fortunately, you can stop crossing your legs, because there are several free apps for that available on both iOS and Android, including Toilet Finder and SitOrSquat, appropriately sponsored by Charmin. Of course.

F. Andrew Taylor is an award-winning journalist, artist, photographer, cartoonist and illustrator. He also works in film production, does local historical research and has been an amateur stunt driver and rodeo participant. He can be contacted at fandrewt@exhibitcitynews.com.

COLUMN The International Man

UFI 2018 Survey of Worldwide Event Centers

I

By Larry Kulchawik

percent net in terms of exhibition space (+1.3 percent on average per year).

All regions, except Central and South America, where several venues are no longer operational, have significantly overall increased their capacity since 2011. This is particularly true for Asia-Pacific (+24.4 percent), leading to the only region increasing its share of the global market (+3.2 percent).

Europe is home to the most exhibition space globally (15.8 million sqm), and Asia-Pacific now offers more exhibition venue space than North America (8.22 and 8.17 million sqm respectively).

Regarding the number of venues, Europe also is home to the biggest number of venues (496), followed by North America (394) and Asia-Pacific (203) respectively.

Main Results

For more info, visit http://www.ufi.org/industry-resources/surveys-and-studies/

26 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News UFI World Map of Exhibition Venues 2017 - Gross indoor exhibition space, venues over 5,000 sqm - PAGE REVISED IN JANUARY 2018 This document and the information it contains may not be copied, reproduced or redistributed in full or in part by any organisation without the express written permission of UFI - © UFI 2017

5

Graph provided by UFI

n North America, the Association of the Exposition the top venues, breaking convention and meeting Industry (www.ufi.org) stated down size in three partsindustry is said to generthat each of the world regions Large (over 100,000 square ate nearly $100 billion to the projected positive growth for meters), Medium (20,000US economy- ranked #22 in meetings and trade shows for 100,000 sqm), and Small contribution to the U.S. GNP. 2018. The study stated that (5000-20,000 sqm) in size.

Other than the revenue it the number of venues world“Top” venues (100,000 sqm generates, growth in the expo wide from 2011-2017 grew 1.4 or larger), in the context of industry is also measured by percent and available space this UFI report, are considthree other factors: space ocgrew by 7.7 percent. ered as the largest venues in cupied, number of exhibitors, Venue investments are long- the countries with the most and number of attendees. This term investments–so these exhibition space and bears no was nicely tracked for years trends underline the positive relation to the quality of that

by Trade Show Week in the outlook for the exhibition space. In the end, what really U.S. With a growing global industry mid- to long-term. matters are the sales generateconomy, the expo industry is In addition to adding new ed for the companies investnow best measured as a world space, many venue operators ing in a trade show. marketplace.

The market is have also made significant The total indoor exhibition Global results growing larger, and the world investments to upgrade their space worldwide reached is growing smaller. The trade existing venue services and 34.8 million sqm for the year winds are shifting, with new capacities. Long term invest2017 and 1,212 venues were Thevenues total indoor exhibition space worldwide reaches 34.8 million sqm for the year 2017 Compared and 1,212 venues identified. and facility expansions ments of this nature are not identified. with were Larry Kulchawik, is the head of growing each year. made in haste unless they the last census produced in Larry Kulchwawik Consulting and Compared withsurvey, the lastThe census produced in 2011, this shows ais1.4% net increase in terms of the number of venues, + 7.7%Shows net infrom terms A recent World believe that a return clearly 2011, this shows a 1.4 percent authorand of “Trade Oneof exhibition space (+1.3% on average per year).

Map of Exposition Venues, in sight down the road. net increase in terms of the Country to the Next.” For more info, conducted by UFI, the Global The UFI study measures number of venues, and +7.7 visit www.larrykulchawik.com

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COLUMN Behind The Curtain

The Cost of a Man-Hour Comparing the GC, Large and Small I&D Companies

I

have recently finished my everything goes well costs can 30th CES. I was working remain controllable. If things the install and dismantle go wrong usually the GC is not when something dawned on the cheapest answer. Also a me. Why is there a difference big advantage for smaller jobs in price from one company is that there’s no four hour to another on the show minimum for their labor. floor for the same If you only need four thing? Basically one men for two hours you man hour from a Las only pay for the eight Vegas Local Union hours which is very Teamster at CES on helpful on dismantles.

By Bob Reinecke straight time. I disLarge I&D corporacovered local I&D companies tions offer familiarity, consischarging as low as $64/hr. tency, brand, expertise, skills, while Freeman offered posted and on site answers--including show rates at a discounted hardware, materials, tools, and pre-order price of $79/hr. contacts. But it comes at a price. and larger corporate I&D Sometimes rates can be as high companies charging as much as 30 percent more than posted as $119/hr. They also don’t show rates. Having materials differ between rates for the and equipment on site and lead man or the low guy on available sometimes can be a the totem pole, the one who show saver. They also have city seems lost and without any managers and floor managers tools. But that’s another story. who walk the floor to make sure For now what is the difference jobs are going well and clients between the level of service are happy. They dress well and for the large gap in price. have the tools to solve most Here’s my take on the game… problems. Usually, there’s a General contractors offer four hour minimum per man brand, consistency, expertise, per day. If you need four men skills and onsite answers. We’ll for two hours you will be billed ignore the material handling, for the full 16 hours charge. rigging, electrical, graphics, and Local I&D companies offer furniture costs for this article. local familiarity, consistency, The labor rates are the low bar expertise, on site answers and for prices. It is a posted show are usually owned by ex-leadrate that most smaller I&D men/sales managers from one companies base their rates of the larger I&D companies on. The GC will provide all the or GCs who’ve start their own show labor for the pipe and business. They work almost drape, show furniture, rental entirely in the city and/or state and aisle carpets, as well as you are working in. They are exhibit building. Their workers staffed by local teams who are efficient if not experts. If have usually worked together

for years and have a need to succeed on every job they do.

Most of the time the owner or partner will be onsite making sure all goes as planned. But this also comes at a price; equipment is a large investment that cannot always be afforded for larger shows. They do not always have an expert on the system you are using.

Graphics application can be an issue. But they will stay with you till the end. The same four hour minimum rule applies but sometimes they will waive it.

Let’s say you need to hire four men for eight hours to install your booth at CES. You have multiple options. If you go with the GC, you will most likely receive four qualified, local, union teamsters to install your job. They may not be specialized in I&D, let alone your type of system, BUT they will have the ladders and dollies you will need plus the assistance of a fellow GC forklift driver to move freight around, maybe.

If they get the job done in the set 32 hours time, the cost will be approximately $2,528. Or if you hire a major I&D company with possibly 20 to 50 different jobs at the show, you will most likely receive four workers dressed in color coordinated shirts with tools, usually one being a lead in a collared shirt, the others being workers. They will have ladders and dollies and possibly the lead man is a local and he may know a forklift driver who might be able to help. Cost will be approximately $3,808 (or less if they get job done sooner). Or you could hire a local, smaller I&D company with maybe three or four jobs at the show and get four workers (two or three are usually full time with

the company and one or two workers to fill). They’re not always wearing matching shirts nor do all four come with tools.

They may sometimes be limited on ladders and equipment but they almost always know a forklift driver who can help out. The approximate cost is $2,048 (they may also get done sooner than the set 32 hours).

My call, 90 percent of the time, is to go with the smaller, local company. I have worked with other larger I&D companies but I feel more comfortable with a local. Labor, materials, runners, supervision, almost everything is less cost. Unless you are bringing a large project to the table you will get much more bang for your buck staying with someone who NEEDS to do a great job as opposed to being part of the next month’s flow chart.

You will also get much more help if things do go wrong.

Some advice: Have someone from your company there to “supervise.” Even if they don’t know about installing exhibits you’ll save up to 35 percent supervision fee charged by lots of labor companies. Why charge extra money for ALL workers when they don’t have supervision? Bad enough they may not have proper instructions to install but to go longer AND charge the extra 35 percent almost feels like I&D’s “material handling” charges.

Bob Reinecke is the pres/CEO of ABC Expo Services, LLC, and the man we pay attention to “Behind the Curtain” for tradeshow consultations, I&D supervision and nationwide service.

He’s worked show floors since 1984 as a lead man, project mgr, city mgr, regional mgr & owner. He can be reached at ABCExpoServices@gmail.com.

28 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

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2/14/18 8:17 AM

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EXHIBITORLIVE PREVIEW

The Latest and Hottest at EXHIBITORLIVE

55” OLED Flexible Signage by ABCOMRENTS

34 NEW PRODUCTS THAT SPEAK TO YOUR CUSTOMERS, IN SOME CASES LITERALLY

BY F. ANDREW TAYLOR

This year’s New Product Showcase at EXHIBITORLIVE features 34 products that attendees can see for the first time. An independent panel of judges is set to award the top products with a Buyers Choice Award, but you may want to check them all out yourself to see which ones you like best and which ones are most suited for your needs.

EXHIBITORS OF MULTIPLE NEW PRODUCTS Makitso USA Booth #1453 www.makitsodisplays.com Makitso USA has eight new products in the showcase this time around, the most of any company this year and they aren’t new to the exhibit industry.

“We originally launched our products through BrandStand and we’re still BrandStand International in other parts of the world,” says Anthony Bellemare, marketing and communication director for Makitso USA. “We no longer have a relationship with BrandStand America. This year we have come out and launched all our display products under the Makitso USDA name.

The name was originally applied only to the company’s line of digital products. Bellemare noted that the company was one of the pioneers of Tension Fabric displays.

In their search for the next big thing in the industry, they’re going all-in on backlit displays. The company has also combined lighting with inflatable furniture, which does not look or feel like inflatable pieces.

30 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

WaveLight Backlit Display The displays allow exhibit and event managers to deliver eye-catching graphic messages with ease. The eight-foot-tall, free-standing display is available in several widths, and LED lights provide bright, evenly diffused illumination.

WaveLight Inflatable Backlit Counter The square, rectangular, circular, or triangular counters packs flat and inflate to full size in less than 15 seconds.

WaveLight Inflatable Backlit Tower A 90-inch-tall, 23.6-inch-diameter tower packs flat and can fully inflate in less than 20 seconds with the push of a button. Internal LEDs cast a bright glow onto your custom silicone-edge fabric graphics and it is available with optional shelving.

WaveLine Inflatable Bench The bench also inflates in less than 20 seconds at the push of a button. and can be wrapped in a custom fabric graphic for instant branding. The stable core is capable of supporting the weight of multiple attendees.

WaveLine MonitorStand A compact, portable solution for displaying digital content. Its two-piece aluminum pole inserts into a roughly 24-inch-diameter hemisphere base that can be filled with water or sand for improved stability. An adjustable universal monitor mount can support up to a 55-inch flat screen display.

AuraScape LED Event Lighting When placed on the floor in front of or behind a fabric element, these roughly 29-inch-long and 2.5-inch-square “light bars” project colors and patterns onto a surface which can be controlled by your smart device and add another dimension to your tensioned-fabric displays Concierge Digital Kiosk It features a 21.5-inch, 10-point touchscreen, built-in Android interface, and multiple input ports and is a convenient tool for enabling attendees to explore your company’s digital content. A builtin motion detector brings the kiosk to life only when attendees are near, a feature that greatly extends the operating time of the internal rechargeable battery.

Sslab Jr Interactive Table This kid-friendly display is set at 16.5 inches with a 32-inch, 10-point touchscreen; rechargeable battery; and builtin Android interface capable of showcasing games, apps, and branded content.

Sslab Jr Interactive Table by Makisto USA

ABCOMRENTS Booth #1709 www.abcomrents.com 55” OLED Flexible Signage The 5-inch thick monitor flexes both landscape and portrait orientations and can be connected to create concave, convex, or flat video walls that are virtually seamless.

Innovate Portable Kiosk The roughly 3.5 feet tall and 10 inches wide, the unit features a 15.6-inch, 10-point projected-capacitive touchscreen and built-in audio kiosk can operate on battery power for the whole work day, freeing it for installation anywhere, without being constrained by a power cord.

Fusion Imaging Booth #1601 www.fusionimaging.com Klik Magic Podium The podium can be erected and ready to go in less than 60 seconds. Featuring proprietary hinge and magnet systems, the lightweight frame ships fully assembled and with an exhibitor’s custom tensioned-fabric graphics attached.

Klik SEG Frames Klik magnets allow for fast, tool-free assembly. Available in depths of either 4 inches or 7 inches, these lightweight aluminum frames can be wall mounted or made freestanding with the addition of feet that attach with a simple bolt and knob

Exhibitry Mixed Reality Kiosk The portable, self-contained VR station makes it possible to include virtual-reality activations in even small booths.

Exhibitry Tactile VR-AR A wireless, interactive controller and presentation device for VR and AR activations that is easy for any attendee to master.

Exhibitry VR Kiosk The self-contained VR station fits in a 4-by-2.5-foot footprint includes a 55inch touchscreen, a VR-compatible computer system, and an exhibitor’s choice of VR hardware.

Pulse Brandable VR Modules Pulse Studio LLC www.pulsestudio.com Booth #751 The system offers a set of six predesigned VR activations formatted for Oculus Rift or Vive systems. The modules’ game-based formats range from an escape-room challenge to a snowboarding experience, all of which can be tailored for a specific audience with custom branding, virtual objects, and video content that convey key product and marketing messages.

Exhibitry Booth #1150 www.exhibitry.com Exhibitry AR Vue Xray The latest AR technology allows staffers to escort attendees to a physical product model in the exhibit and give them a look inside via the screen of practically any tablet device, smartphone, or laptop.

Exhibitry AR Vue Xray

“We’ve built all of these from the ground up so we have a lot of control over what we can do in them,” says Tom Munz, one of the owners. “It can be as simple as changing elements to match a company’s color scheme or as complex as adding the products into the game as 3-D objects and more.”

Munz says that they can incorporate question and answer games related to a company’s products, incorporate informational videos or swap out game elements to increase in game branding.

“For example, if a soft drink company wanted to use one of our VR modules in its exhibit, we could make it so that instead of throwing balloons in one of the games, you’d throw cans of their product.”

SOFTWARE Digital Fishbowl SocialPoint www.socialpoint.io Booth #653 Using an iPad or tablet-based computer, show-goers input their data in a custom, gamified program to be entered in a prize drawing either at the end of the day or the end of the event. The Digital Fishbowl program is compatible with SocialPoint’s Audience Engagement Platform and Event Manager Portal, which allows users to set up, measure, and report results from multiple shows and events in one system. Results can be compared across different locations, days, and teams from a single dashboard and easily exported for sharing with management.

ExhibitPower ExhibitPower LLC www.exhibitpower.com Booth #1657 ExhibitPower is a Software as a Service (SaaS) system that eases many of the administrative, physical, and logistical burdens endemic to the trade show industry, resulting in better communication and efficiency for both suppliers and exhibitors.

Continued on p. 32 ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 31

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EXHIBITORLIVE PREVIEW Continued from p. 31 Pulsetracker Sales & Marketing CRM Pulsetracker www.pulsetracker.com Booth #1162 Pulsetracker’s Sales and Marketing CRM (customer relationship management) is an all-in-one Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that simplifies a range of marketing and sales functions. Capable of seamlessly integrating with an exhibitor’s existing CRM system.

REP Connect Reality Engineering Solutions www.realityengineering.com Booth #1917 Professional hosts and hostesses at the reception desk of a large exhibit sometimes struggle to connect attendees to appropriate staffers, as they often don’t know the sales reps, what they look like, or if they’re currently in the booth--or even at the show. REP Connect, an add-on module to Reality Engineering Solutions’ lead and digital-literature management platform, offers a way to speed up these crucial in-booth engagements.

WorkTrip WorkTrip www.worktrip.com Booth #643 This Software as a Service (SaaS) system serves as a hub for organizing the deluge of documents and information involved in staging corporate events and attending trade shows, including travel reservations, agendas, schedules, contracts, expenses, and more. Changes to documents and event details are reflected in real time across all devices.

32 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

New Analytics for the Brumark Sensor Floor Powered by Sencorables Brumark www.brumark.com Booth #1125 The product removes several of the variables of measuring booth traffic via a concentrated network of pressure-sensitive sensors embedded in a layer of polypropylene. The system is quickly installed under almost any type of flooring and tracks attendees’ footsteps to measure the number of visitors, their traffic patterns, how long they remain in the exhibit, and where they spend their time.

LED Wall Wash Track Head by Step 1 Dezigns

HARDWARE Display Flooring Logo Mats LLC www.logomatsllc.com Booth #753 These 5-by-10-foot panels are less than .25 inches thick and feature a dye-sublimated, full-bleed print on polyester fabric backed by nitrile rubber. Available in seven highly detailed imprints, including marble, grass, barn board, and rustic wood.

Adjustable Molded Monitor Case Philly Case Co. www.phillycase.com Booth #1414 Thanks to a system of plastic and foam inserts that allow for two-inch incremental adjustments in the cases’ interior height and width, a single unit can accommodate a range of monitor sizes. Additional features include a sturdy but lightweight polyethylene

body, recessed wheels, and heavy-duty bumpers.

Tech Tablet Chair CORT Events www.cortevents.com Booth #1425 Each 30.5-inch-wide chair is upholstered in gray vinyl and features a chrome base, an under-the-seat shelf, generously sized armrests, and an optional swiveling table that can be branded with corporate logos or graphics. A suite of three USB ports at the rear of one armrest and an additional AC outlet at the base of the chair allow attendees to charge their cellphones, tablets, and laptops simultaneously.

Joule Case Joule Case www.joulecase.com Booth #552 One only needs to search Twitter for #CESBlackout

to see what impact a loss of electricity can have on a show floor. the Joule Case is a high-wattage battery system capable of powering a small exhibit for an entire day. The company was co-founded by Alex Livingstone and James Wagner in 2014.

“We both had been working in advanced battery technology for several years in and around electric cars,” says Livingstone. “We felt there was a missing segment in the power market. Joule Case is different in that you can stack energy and input/output modules to increase the runtime.”

Stackable energy modules allow exhibitors to customize the scale of their power supply, the Joule Case offers multiple AC and USB outlets and can be completely recharged in less than two and a half hours via an integrated 200-watt charger.

PLAYS, WALL AND LIGHTS

DIS-

HSI 3D LED Video Wall in 2.5mm Haverford Systems www.haverford.com Booth #733 The video wall comprised of approximately 19-inchsquare LED tiles is scalable to practically any size and offers several advantages over conventional Surface-Mounted-Device tiles at a lower cost.

LED Wall Wash Track Head Step 1 Dezigns www.step1dezigns.com Booth #1634 Crafted from die-cast aluminum and compatible with Step 1 Dezigns’ H-style track system or it can be mounted to a tripod or portable light stand. The unit’s 5.75-by2.8-inch head is capable of rotating 90 degrees vertically and almost 360 degrees horizontally, enabling it to cast its 21-watt, 5,000K glow in practically any direction.

LEDskin beMatrix USA www.bematrix.us Booth #1033 The LED panels simplifies installation and maintenance by integrating into the company’s b62 frame system. Each proprietary LED tile casing is designed to fit perfectly inside a frame and be installed without tools.

Magic Book PeopleVisionFX www.peoplevisionfx.com Booth #1705 The book is a sculpted projection screen that mimics an opened tome, a dimensional projector, and a solid-state media player. Content is rear-projected onto the screen, and users dive into your company’s story by turning the “pages” with a wave of their hands.

Tiger Beacon Tiger Presentations

www.tigerpresentations.com Booth #460 The battery-powered tubular lightboxes can operate for up to 14 hours and are available in 38-, 52-, and 86-inch-tall models. Internal LEDs can generate more than 16 million colors and any number of preset and custom color-changing patterns, all of which can be controlled by a smartphone app.

Thought Bubbles enVu www.envu.com Booth #950 When passersby activate the kiosk’s motion-tracking sensor, they appear on the unit’s 55-inch monitor.

Augmented-reality software then places thought bubbles over their heads that move with them until they step out of view. The thought bubbles’ content is created by the exhibitor and can be either humorous or infor-

mative, depending on the exhibitor’s objectives.

“People pay attention when they see themselves on screen and when they see a thoughtful or funny thought bubble appear, they stop and take a look,” says Sandy Lisonbee, Envu’s director of marketing.

“We’ve been collecting data on laughing and stopping power.”

Based on that data, they’ve come up with some tried and tested phrases for the bubbles.

The company recommends its customer use a mix of about 50-60 percent of those pretested phrases along with 15-20 percent branded phrases and the rest about the show itself.

“We find that if you can put the customers in a time and place that has a better chance of grabbing their attention than just random thoughts,” Lisonbee said. “If you have a company representative nearby to draw them in further, a lot of the work is already done for you, because they’re already engaged.”

Thought Bubbles by enVu

SGS-6000 Battery LED Light Stand Prism Lighting Group www.prismlightinggroup.com Booth #1661 The battery powered lights can be mounted on the telescoping aluminum pole which quickly adjusts from four feet to eight feet tall. The lighting heads can operate for approximately 11 hours at full intensity and up to 100 hours at the lowest dim setting on a single charge.

ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 33

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EXHIBITORLIVE PREVIEW

EXHIBITORLIVE

by Day; Live Musicians

by Night EXHIBITORLIVE IS FILLED WITH TALENT FULFILLING THEIR MUSICAL DREAMS

BY JEANNE BREI

“We’re puttin’ the band back together…We’re on a mission from God.” The tradeshow industry is filled with talent–and not just with hammers, drill guns and screwdrivers. And, as Jake and Elwood learned in the Blues Brothers, their bandmates may have taken “straight” jobs, but their passion is still making music.

More than 20 years ago, several talented EXHIBITORLIVE exhibitors and attendees decided to put together a jam band and play during the tradeshow. It was such a success that they did it for about three years (not sure what happened after that). Industry veterans and ECN contributors Pat Friedlander and Bob Reinecke were reminiscing about that band (Friedlander had played keys in that jam band) so, here’s a spotlight on some of the industry folks by day/musicians by night who just might be attending EXHIBITORLIVE this year.

With just one rehearsal session each year, Doug MacLean

(drums), Walt Rich (bass), Jeff Thomas (blues guitar), Ben Reyes (keys), Bud Nichols (harmonica), John Provost (guitar), Pat Friedlander (keys), Rich Farina (drums), Bob Jankowski (bass), Cory DeBrake (bass & drums), and Lorraine Denham (vocals) would rock the night away back in the mid-90s.

Rumor has it that some may have left the tradeshow industry to follow their performing dreams, but Reyes and Nichols have managed to excel at both. Reyes, who hails from the East Bay area near Oakland, played keyboards through most of his 20s and 30s and only had three jobs before AV Images (doing I.T. work for a design firm and working at a bank). The owner of AV Images called his music writing partner in 1993 and asked him to bring his friend with the marketing experience with him. Now he’s a senior account executive who says, “it’s definitely tough to do both. There was a time I didn’t play for almost ten years.

We were really growing fast and we were working 70-80 hours a week, 17 days straight at a time. We had built our own custom size, large screen projection system that was 72 inches diagonally that got us a LOT of work.”

Reyes is currently in two bands, Imua Live (Hawaiian for “going forward”) that plays a fusion of Hawaiian music with R&B and a smaller duo called Kaleo & Akoni (he’s Akoni) that plays smooth jazz fused with R&B. Reyes is part Polynesian (his dad was Filipino), and one big influence was Tower of Power. Later this month, Imua Live will be

playing a benefit for the Palo Alto Symphony and Reyes says, “Life is good, business is good and the music is great.

I’m pushing towards the days when I can play music fulltime when I retire.” He loves to travel with his wife, and likes New Orleans, Chicago and Las Vegas for the music scenes and to visit friends. His most memorable tradeshow memory was being stuck in Atlanta during 9/11 at Network World + Interop with 48 customers (and they weren’t even the official providers!) including Intel, Cisco, IBM, etc. Says Reyes, “Seeing all those empty booths with all

36 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

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L-R: Roger Stevenson and Kelly Clove from Burn Unit doing PR

the screens playing the news continuously was so memorable. All our customers had left and there were no more cars to rent or bus seats.”

Fortunately, “touring in Japan was a really good experience— playing in front of thousands people was great” and he firmly believes that his best and biggest memories are the ones that are coming up ahead.

In a similar vein, Nichols has played harmonica for 10 years with the classic rock band, Hoopla, and his favorite memory is when “We played this gig at Park West [a historic 1920s theatre that has become a premier concert

location in Chicago] when the Los Lonely Boys had to cancel,” says Nichols. “The green room was all stocked; there were two sound guys, one on stage and one in the room; they were even stage towels!

We felt like rock stars for a day! When we went through the tunnel we wrote our names below Bruce Springsteen’s name.”

Nichols grew up in Wisconsin working at his family’s car dealership until he headed to Vanderbilt for college. “I took up guitar and harmonica in college in Nashville, learning folk music, especially Bob Dylan and bluegrass.” His first guitar

teacher in Nashville, Norman Blake, had played on Bob Dylan’s album, The Nashville Skyline, and Nichols played upright bass with a bluegrass band, The Back Porch Convention, and three other blues and rock bands at the same time he was studying biomedical and chemical engineering.

He worked as a researcher for Procter and Gamble and sold pollution control to generating plants for six years before he decided it wasn’t the right business for him.

Says Nichols, “I decided to try exhibit sales for one year after seeing how successfully my girlfriend’s brother was as an exhibit salesman. I enjoyed the next 13 years at Downing Displays as a salesman and finally VP of sales.”

In 1996, he and his wife started the Nichols Display Group, Inc. in their basement.

His most memorable industry experience involved moving out of that basement--actually every move--and he’s had five locations in 21 years (not counting the basement). “We just moved into a sublet space that triples our space from 23,000 to 72,000 sq.ft.,” says Nichols, “but it all started with moving from the basement to 1,600 sq.ft. It was a big, scary move because it meant we had overhead.”

His advice to newcomers to both industries is to “enjoy the ride.” He enjoys boating to relax and says, “I play with six great guys and I couldn’t imagine having better band mates!” and as for his company, he says, “I love the young and old energy that we have in our company and the cool, new builds that we are doing.”

Life is good, business is good and the music is great.

I’m pushing towards the days when I can play music full-time when I retire.”

-Ben Reyes He admits that the craziest tradeshow that he’s worked was last year when they built eight booths for the Cannabis Cup, including one for High Times magazine. “All the smoke detectors had to be turned off at the Merchandise Mart,” he says, laughing.

Based in Las Vegas, classic rock band Burn Unit boasts Nuvista City Manager Roger Stevenson on bass and GES General Foreman Kelly Clove on drums. They’ve played the House of Blues (opening for tribute bands LedZep Again and Don’t Stop Believing), Club Fortune, Vamp’d, and coming up, The Eastside Cannery (March 9), and the annual Laughlin River Run (April).

In 2016, they played in the LVCC’s Silver Lot for the Live Design International (LDI) show. Says Stevenson, “Corey at Vamp’d knows we’re in the Continued on p. 38 ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 37

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EXHIBITORLIVE PREVIEW Continued from p. 37 exhibit business and will bring in a teamster crowd, the exhibit crowd and attendees, so she works with us and books us for a Wednesday gig during SEMA or CES--as soon as the install is complete. We’ll pass out flyers on the show floor while we’re setting up.”

Stevenson, who grew up in Detroit in the late Sixties, started on drums at 15 but a friend’s band needed a bass player so he borrowed his mom’s credit card, went to Sears, bought a bass and taught himself how to play. He remembers seeing Bob Seeger, Ted Nugent, and Alice Cooper when they were all starting out, playing places and opening for them and then “two years later they were shooting stars.” He played in lots of bands in Detroit from 16 to 30 and then took a “20-25 year break for work and having kids. Six years ago or so, I got together with the Burn Unit guys because Kelly had booked a gig at Vamp’d and I volunteered to sit in until they found someone--I’m still here playing. It’s fun,” says Stevenson, “and it keeps me out of trouble.”

He ended up in the tradeshow business when, “In 1987, I went to visit a friend in California who needed help.

The American Heart Medical show was going to Anaheim and he was short on labor,” says Stevenson. The industry has taken him from California to New Orleans to Las Vegas working for I&D Group, Nth Degree and now, as the only salaried employee of Nuvista in Las Vegas. One memory that sticks out was when “my manager, Bob Michael, asked

Ben Reyes

Ben Reyes

Bud Nichols

Roger Stevenson

Ben Reyes with Imua Live

Bud Nichols

me to put a crate in the van and take it to the beach [in California] and set it up. It was supposed to be an easy job. But it turned out to be an all day long, big event for abused children. The crate was a giant mug that became a giant root beer float with real ice cream from Knudson Dairy and real root beer from Hires. I ended up on the news and with a sunburn because I hadn’t taken sunblock.” He enjoys building a big booth at the Business Aircraft show for Embraer Air because they do a booth at the Henderson airport and the LVCC that’s a huge setup with lots of carpentry work and says, “I like the challenge of making it happen and making everybody happy. It’s a challenge that’s fun.”

Stevenson met his wife in 1989 and she bought him a guitar and an amp because she liked all the pictures of him in bands. They have three kids; two boys and a girl. He is a Harley enthusiast who says, “I don’t drink or smoke—music is what I do. Whenever I feel I need to recharge my batteries, I get on my Harley and go to Yosemite or Redwoods.” He adds, “The reason I’m in this band—I don’t do it for the money. It keeps it fun just doing it once or twice a month. As for my job—I work for Amanda who lives in Dallas, she’s my boss and my friend. Amanda is the type of person that you don’t want to let down—you want to do a good job for her.”

Burn Unit drummer Clove also plays guitar and bass in a tribute band called U2LV with his 28-year-old (youngest) son

38 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

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on drums. A Las Vegas valley native, he says he knew at a young age that music was his passion but adds that “I’ve been in the trade show industry most of my life and I still enjoy it. It never gets boring. There’s always new challenges that come up one way or another. I am a teamster and I work for GES and have exclusively for 20 years as a seniority employ-

ee but my first show for GES was Comdex in 1985. Although I’m involved in all departments now, my background is primarily in freight.” He adds, “Roger and I worked for rival companies and for years we weren’t friendly but now we’ve become good friends—music makes everything better. He was with Nth Degree for a long time and I’ve been with GES for most of

my career. Burn Unit started in 2009 and Roger’s been with us for six or seven years—the current lineup (pictured left) has been together for three years.”

His most memorable moments in the industry usually relate to world events: “I was working at Caesars Palace doing a Car Wash show when the space shuttle Challenger exploded. I was working the Bakers Show at the LVCC when we were attacked on 9/11. And my youngest daughter was born on tear out night of CES in 1996.”

Of course, musically, “performing at the House of Blues—I’ve seen multiple concerts there over the years and it was a really cool experience to find myself on that stage performing. We have actually performed there

four times this past year as well and I’ve performed there twice with U2LV as well.”

Clove says that besides music he and his wife love spending time with their grandkids, riding motorcycles and ATVs, movies, concerts, sports and relaxing at home. His advice: “Stay true to your passion. I’ve always had a love for music.

I’m playing and performing more than ever and having a great time!”

Jeanne Brei is ECN editor by day and singer/bandleader of a seven-piece swing band, The Speakeasy Swingers, by night. Come hear them March 1 at the Italian American Club, 2333 E. Sahara, 7-9 p.m. For more info, www.TheSpeakeasySwingers.com.

We are celebrating years!

25

Congratulations to Our Members, and Thank You for helping us achieve this milestone.

Thank You to Our Valued Employees, for providing outstanding I&D experiences for our clients.

To learn more about the Sho-Link team and members visit www.sho-link.com ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 39

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HISTORICAL PROFILE

Fred Kitzing: The “Father of Trade Show Marketing�

1983 EDPA HAZEL HAYS AWARD, 1992 IEA DISTINGUISHED LEADER AWARD & MORE

BY DOUG STEVENSON

For more than five decades, Fred Kitzing was a seminal thought leader in the exhibition industry. KITZING, Inc. (a.k.a., The Trade Show Marketing Agency) was one of the most innovative exhibit design and building firms in Chicago and its owner/founder was a rogue, entrepreneur, fine artist, philosopher, designer, marketing thinker, salesman, innovator and rule-breaker.

From 1950-1993, KITZING Inc., was among the companies that defined an industry.

Kitzing, along with other Chicago industry pioneers including Michael Grivas, Robert Firks, Leo McDonald, and Otto Stegemann, built the foundation of the industry instrumental in establishing the EDPA in 1952 and the Trade Show Bureau (now CEIR).

Kitzing was a unique character. Always properly buttoned-up and dapper and always busting his buttons to try something new. He 40 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

designed all of the furniture, including the clocks for which he had a passion, in his office and home. He wore custom-tailored three piece suits with a glided pocket watch, chain and fob. Round, rimless spectacles adorned his often pursed brow as he ruminated on yet another client strategy. In his proper, traditional dress, he always looked freshly returned from lunch with Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. But the truth is, he often ate at his desk, eating straight from a can of tuna, in spartan fashion. He worked six days a week. It was his way, because his work was also his passion.

Among his few indulgences was his passion for horses, which he once stabled out in Oak Brook at his home next door to Michael Butler of polo, Butler National Golf Course, and Hair fame. Despite his conservative appearance, Kitzing had disarming flair and humor; but he could also be impatient and exacting.

He marched to the beat of his own drummer. In between one of his several marriages, Kitzing took up residence in the KITZING office building.

Early-arriving shop personnel reported sightings of Kitzing working out punching a speed-bag or running the stairs in his birthday suit — as one did in a bygone era.

Kitzing was a fine arts graduate at the Art Institute of Chicago. Upon graduation, he took a job as an elevator operator at Chicago’s old Lutheran (General) Hospital that he was delighted to boast was “his favorite job of all time.”

While there, he received a call from the American Meat Board to paint some signs for an upcoming trade show.

Kitzing took the assignment, the Meat Board became his first and forever client, and his trade show career was born. In the early days, his partner was Tak Matsui. They built exhibits in a small studio and painted them in the alley behind the building. The year was 1938.

It was a bootstrapping industry and for many years KITZING’s neighborhood was transitory, so Kitzing would keep a gun in his desk to ward off unwanted visitors to his front door.

A turning point came for Kitzing at a trade show at which he saw a juxtaposition of exhibits that sparked an “aha moment.” As he was gazing upon a substantial, elegantly embellished exhibit, that gaze was arrested by what he saw across the aisle in a small 10 x10 exhibit. A solitary guy there was drawing a huge, frenzied crowd, which

Sidebar:

Among KITZING’s most notable clients: Anheuser-Busch, Miller, General Electric, Molex, Magnetrol, Johnson Controls, Schwinn, Kraft, Pizza Hut, Motorola, Discover Card, MASCO, McDonnell Douglas/Unigraphics, Nortel, Mitsubishi, Spalding ...

Peak revenue between $8.5-$10 million.

Alumni (list not comprehensive, chronological or complete) Doug Stevenson: Exhibitgroup/Giltspur, MC2, Group Delphi James Hanlon: Exhibitgroup/Giltspur/GES Jane Ryan/Tabisz: Exhibitgroup/Giltspur/GES Maria Pinto: Exhibitgroup/Giltspur, JP Johnson, MATREX Mike Altobelli: CEP Mike Pieredelucca: ADEX Chris Kappes: Exhibitgroup, JP Johnson, Contempo, 1220, Sparks, MATREX, RES Jon Flodstrom: Exhibitgroup/Giltspur, Sho-Link Llona Kitzing: Exhibitgroup/Giltspur, Design Agency, Live!

Marketing Melinda Stewart: OnSite Exhibitor Service Keith Salerno: Giltspur, Exhibitgroup/Giltspur Kate Miller: Heritage, Freeman Ruth Eckert: Giltspur, MC2, Heritage, SourceOne Pete Petros: CEP Vince Graal: Exhibitgroup/Giltspur, Exhibit Source, MC2, Fabric Images John Frank: EDE, Exhibit Source, GES Linda Kay Quigley: Exhibitgroup/Giltspur, MG

dwarfed that of his behemoth neighbor. The fella in the tiny exhibit was demonstrating a slice-it-dice-it-gizmo that was mesmerizing the crowd. And, he was writing orders as fast as his busy hands would allow.

That’s when Kitzing had the epiphany that a trade show exhibit was (his words) “a machine for selling in.” From that day forward, he defined the key trade show challenge— to attract attention and close customers. From this, his turnkey system of trade show selling evolved: pre-show and at-show promotion to attract the target audience; the

proper training of show staff around objectives—methods— and strategy; approaching and engaging the customer; qualifying through pocket lead cards; processing; delivering the message/selling and closing. The pre-show training and systematic collecting and processing of leads to close was what got it done.

Developing dramatic attractions (inspired by the gizmo guy) became a KITZING hallmark. Kitzing started with magicians—among them the fabled Marshall Brodien of “TV Magic Cards” fame.

Continued on p. 42

ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 41

HISTORICAL PROFILE Continued from p. 41 The magicians dazzled as they integrated product messaging into their memorable magic tricks. Ever improving upon that model, Kitzing began to design attractions to dramatize key product features. His first was for Acme Steel in the early 1950s. Two of the most memorable were an ice skater who skated on a client’s new frictionless plastic to demonstrate this benefit, and the trampoline artist who did flips

Kitzing believed that selling was his primary mission. He was a natural salesman and enjoyed selling and training others to sell.

He delighted in both. And would laugh as he regaled those he mentored with classic selling stories.

to dramatize the special hold-inplace property of a client’s new spring-loaded safety glasses, guaranteed not to slip at any angle.

Out of this ground-breaking work, Kitzing mentored and developed later known industry experts including sales trainer Allen Konopacki, and Elaine Cohen of Live! Marketing. To make his clients successful, Kitzing gave much of this programming away to create the value-added and the “KITZING difference.”

The philosophy—sales create happy customers and happy customers stick around.

KITZING was known for forward thinking, client service, and most important to its owner, selling. Like his counterpart in advertising, David Ogilvy, Kitzing believed that selling was his primary mission. He was a natural salesman and enjoyed selling and training others to sell. He delighted in both. And would laugh as he regaled those he mentored with classic selling stories.

KITZING closed its doors in April of 1993. But before that, Kitzing had been honored with the EDPA Hazel Hays Award in 1983, an International Exhibitor’s Association’s (IEA) Distinguished Leader Award winner in 1992, and was a

Above, In 1992, Kitzing receiving TSEA’s Distinguished Service Award at TS² from John Jack. Left, Kitzing with wife, Llona, who continued his mission for ten years after his death. She coined the term “integrated tradeshow marketing” and led with her own flair, influenced by Fred’s philosophy.

recipient of much industry recognition, including that for his authorship of many key seminal industry think pieces. Over his robust career Kitzing truly earned the title “The Father of Trade Show Marketing.”

In his time, he was the trade show industry’s version of Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson all in one. He fought his entire career to make trade shows a legitimate part of the marketing mix—one which deserved much more careful attention and investment.

Fred Kitzing left an indelible mark on the industry. He was one of a kind.

42 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

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2/12/18 9:05 PM

Since 1980, Champion Logistics Group has specialized in providing value-added transportation and warehousing services to the exhibit, live-events, and production industries.

Please visit us at ExhibitorLive in booth #1115.

800.323.5401

sales@champlog.com www.champlog.com

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2/12/18 9:26 PM

SHOW FLOOR TECH

Wading into the Trade Show Technology Waters CRM, APPS, RFID, NFC, VIRTUAL REALITY, AUGMENTED REALITY & MORE…

BY AMBER JOHNSON

It wasn’t that long ago when the newest rage in technology for the tradeshow floor was the invention of lead collection systems that didn’t include a stack of paper and a fishbowl. But new technology can be onerous and expensive, and even as waves of rented badge scanners and newfangled customer relationship management (CRM) apps swept through show halls in the early days, there were as many eager adopters as there were opponents who said things were fine without adding that technology to their booth, thank you very much.

Fast forward just a handful of years and badge scanning equipment is hardly a thing anymore, long since replaced

by CRM apps loaded onto cell phones and iPads that can read QR codes and bar codes to collect attendee data. And now even those are becoming passé at some technology-forward shows where badges are outfitted with technologies that silently broadcast attendee data from feet away.

When asked by Skyline Exhibits as part of a 2016 technology research project, about half of the exhibitors surveyed said they have feelings that are either mixed or downright 44 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

negative towards the influx of technology into the trade show space. They said it is unnecessary, costly, bulky, unreliable, confusing, and more likely to interfere with a faceto-face connection rather than help it. Twenty-five percent said they didn’t use any technology at all in their display during the previous year, and only 35 percent of those said they would think about adding some in the future.

But the next generation’s workforce increasingly expects to interact digitally, whether it is with a show app or game or for collateral, and they like to

have experiences that they can share on social media, says tech expert Michelle Bruno in an industry outlook article for SmartSource Rentals. Even show organizers are having to retrofit their marketing plans to reach potential attendees via Facebook and Instagram rather than with the traditional mailer alone, she said.

Michael Plata, director of marketing at Absolute Exhibits Inc. agrees. “The modern trade show attendee needs, and almost has an expectation, to be engaged, whether that’s by interactive kiosks, live entertainment, or visually

stunning presentations on video walls or touchscreens,” Plata said. “Attendees want experiences and companies want to be memorable – engagement is the key to making these two things happen.”

Exhibitors without any sort of digital presence, then, may find it increasingly difficult to be noticed, particularly with the speed at which flashy new technologies are being developed. Now with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) and beacon technology and even robotics showing up at trade shows everywhere, naysayers and reluctant adopters who have eschewed tech until now may be compelled to rethink their abstention.

However, not unlike jumping into the Running of the Bulls mid-course, those new to tech are liable to be overwhelmed by the what, how, and why when it comes to putting technology into the mix.

There is a baffling array of

options with varying degrees of apparent usefulness, and it would be easy for an exhibitor to blow an entire year’s budget on one bad decision. Industry experts say there are a number of modest but smart ways to wade into the tech waters, though, without feeling the need to have a robot serving martinis in your next display.

In the economy range of technology, something as simple as providing a charging lounge can be a gesture of hospitality and an invitation to linger, says Plata. “Let’s face it–tradeshows are exhausting,” he said. “People get tired, thirsty, and hungry on the exhibit floor. Digital lounges combine the age-old appeal of hospitality with the mobile, always-plugged-in world today.”

Even for exhibitors not active on social media, Plata suggests asking visitors as they lounge to tag the booth in their social media feeds. Simple beverages and snacks are good ice breakers too, he adds, and can generate the kind of goodwill that makes an attendee receptive to your message.

Another low-cost method and still popular way for engaging show goers digitally is to create any kind of backdrop or set of props and invite attendees to photograph themselves with it and hashtag the booth number and company name for the chance to win a prize. It costs almost nothing and it gets an exhibitor into the digital realm with almost no effort. The next step up from that would be to include a monitor in the booth that is displaying mentions of the company that were made

62 percent of exhibitors surveyed spent less than $1,000 creating digital content for a show.

on social media. Also worth noting is that a study done by Yahoo found that 63 percent of millennials were more likely to digitally “check in” with a business on social media if there was an incentive of some kind involved, such as a discount or a freebie.

Elaborate audiovisual setups might be out of reach for a lot of exhibitors, but even a touch-screen display is a good place to start, Plata said. “Advances in audio visual technology are actually driving the cost down and allowing smaller companies to leverage more technology within the booth,” he said. “While a 20-foot-long video wall might still not be in the budget, exhibitors can find a number of cost-effective alternatives such as smaller,

multi-touch screens that can display a company’s existing content or social media displays to encourage real-time conversations about the brand or event.” And creating the content for that digital display doesn’t have to break the bank, either. According to the Skyline study, 62 percent of exhibitors surveyed spent less than $1,000 creating digital content for a show, and 75 percent said they set up the technology themselves.

But not all low-cost technology will provide the return on investment that exhibitors are looking for. For example, the advent of apps several years ago spurred something of an app-craze among exhibitors for a time, especially as the price for developing one came

down to a broadly affordable level. Companies flooded the marketplace with apps that served little purpose or had any unique value proposition, Plata said. “Many companies fell into the idea of ‘we need to build an app because everyone else has one,’” he said. “In some cases, companies would simply recreate their website in an app form without offering any additional functionality, features, or incentives to use the app.”

Apps are even more affordable today but are not necessarily a good investment for individual exhibitors unless it contains something people can’t live without, says Jay Tokosch, CEO of Core-Apps.

The reason, he said, is because many show organizers have seriously stepped up their app game and are offering such comprehensive show apps that money would be far better spent taking advantage of opportunities there.

Core-Apps was among the first in the mobile app Continued on p. 46 ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 45

SHOW FLOOR TECH Continued from p. 45 marketplace in 2009, and its first product was simply a program guide put into an app that people could download. Today, show apps are highly sophisticated tools for measuring engagement, traffic patterns, dwell time, and content interest. They can allow exhibitors to connect with attendees and vice versa, as well as provide a platform where attendees can connect with each other. Depending on the technology used, an app can even build a profile for each attendee so exhibitors can identify in advance who they would like to target with messages that can be sent within the app. A good app can concretely help an exhibitor measure the return on their investment for a show as well as allow them access to all the information they could want about their potential customer base. “You have concrete return on investment information and the ability to track what a person is doing and their interest level to help you market in the future,” said Tokosch, “and you just can’t get that through any traditional means.”

For exhibitors looking to make a small but impactful investment in some sort of digital presence, Tokosch advises exploring the sponsorship packages available within the official show app, particularly any partnerships that allow an exhibitor to upload a video. “One of the biggest things we see is if an exhibitor puts video into the app – anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes – it gets a five times higher response than something posted by an exhibitor 46 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

that contains material to be read,” Tokosch said. “For the 10-by-10 guy, he should be spending his money on that every single time.”

Another partnership with show organizers that can be successful is to work with any programs they are running with attendees on the show floor that include near-field communication (NFC), radio frequency identification (RFID), or beacon technology.

In short, RFID technology relies on chips typically placed inside attendee badges by the show organizer and antennae spread around the facility to track attendee data when they are in the vicinity. Exhibitors can capitalize on RFID tags by placing their own tracking

equipment within an exhibit to measure interest in various displays, and by using an RFID reader to collect information digitally from the attendee’s badge.

For shows in which the organizers have placed NFC technology in badges, exhibitors can install relatively inexpensive NFC tags in their display that, when tapped with a name badge, will immediately send promotional material to the attendee, enter them in drawings, or share their contact information.

And beacon technology both sends and receives information but it requires beacon receivers to be placed throughout a show hall and for Bluetooth to be turned on in an attendee’s

phone. Exhibitors can add low-cost beacon transmitters to their display that, when activated by beacon signals coming from an attendee’s nametag, will send information to certain attendees based on a predefined list of criteria. It can also collect contact information and track movements through a display.

The two emerging technology trends on everyone’s lips are virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), and though they are still in the realm of the expensive technologies, they might also be able to save an exhibitor a substantial amount of money if employed well, Tokosch said.

Virtual reality – which requires the user to wear goggles

- tends to be the more gimmicky technology of the two, often used to lure attendees into a display to play games or go on virtual adventures. But some exhibitors could take advantage of VR to show attendees large pieces of equipment that are inordinately expensive to transport to a trade show, saving thousands in the process. The barriers for exhibitors right now, Tokosch said, are newness and cost. “Virtual reality right now today is a wild card,” he said. “It depends what the adoption ends up being. It’s kind of expensive to build content, but it could wipe out some of the huge costs for bringing in equipment and allow some exhibitors to buy much smaller booths.”

Of course, the downside to that, Tokosh said, is that losing large exhibitors could send some organizers into a tailspin, requiring them to makeup the revenue somewhere else in the equation. But it’s too soon to tell, he said, because right now it is still a relative novelty with a long path to go on before it upsets the trade show apple cart.

Augmented reality, on the other hand, is widely expected to become a staple on the show floor over time because of the multitude of uses exhibitors are finding for it. Unlike VR, AR only requires an attendee to use an app on a cell phone to see the effect. Using digital technology to create interactive scenes that overlay what is seen through the phone, AR can do everything from showing the inner workings of a piece of machinery to showing how to assemble or use an item the phone camera is directed towards. The tech-

nology earned wild popularity during the Pokemon Go craze that sent people searching for digital creatures all over the world. But it is still a relatively expensive technology that large exhibitors are just beginning to adopt, and it may remain relegated primarily to Pokemon Go for the shortterm future.

Tokosch believes the trade show industry is at an interesting precipice where veteran exhibitors may be reluctant to market to attendees in new ways because it’s not how they would want to be marketed to and it’s not what worked in the past. “I feel like this industry is so entrenched in old-school ways,” he said, “and some in it are reluctant to try anything different.” The trouble with that old thinking is that there is a bona fide generational chasm between attendees of 25 years ago and attendees today, and a refusal to adopt technology will

eventually be a losing proposition for companies that will increasingly be viewed as out of touch, Tokosch believes.

“For success, you have to want to break free from the traditional ways of doing trade shows,” he said. “Today you have to embrace technology to be successful.”

There are other technologies on the horizon that could have a dramatic effect on trade shows over time, things like artificial intelligence (think of Amazon’s Alexa), robotics (a robot stripper was unveiled at CES this year), and 8K television screens, which almost no one even produces high enough content to display on yet. But still, in time, the changes will inevitably reach exhibit halls, except for perhaps the robotic stripper, and exhibitors need to be prepared to discern and embrace the advancements that will move them forward on the trade show floor.

ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 47

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

Photo courtesy of Loki Box Design

Loki Box Design took booth building off-roading with BRP--kicking off the tour at the Sand Sports Super Show in Costa Mesa, Calif.

The Wow! Booth Goes Off-Roading

MC2’s Annual Design Huddle

Q & A with Camden Tradeshow Furniture

Loki Box Design Goes On Tour with BRP

Team Building Designer Style

Everything is Cleaned Before It’s Racked

Pp. 52-54

Pp. 56-57

Pp. 58-59

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

ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 51

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

by Eymie Labbe

52 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

Photos courtesy of Loki Box Design

With Loki Box Design and Bombardier Recreational Products Can-Am

L

Photo courtesy of Loki Box Design

A MAJOR EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING TOUR IN THE DESERT

ast fall, Loki Box Design wrapped up a major tour of the southwestern U.S. with Bombardier Recreational products (BRP) and its Can-Am Maverick UTV. Loki’s relationship with BRP started out with a modest display unit and, after establishing a track record of success during the past tour, grew into bigger and more impressive mobile architecture.

Today the UTV manufacturer travels with a deluxe, fully developed and customized to the brand, Loki Split 40 model. BRP’s Split 40 model consists of a repurposed 40-foot container with a unique diagonal hinge that opens up to an imposing 16-foot height. Alongside this main unit are double-stacked 20-foot containers painted in dramatic black as well as tents that create an environment entirely per-

The Tour

Loki worked with Warnert Promotions Group for UTV to create experiences for BRP that went way beyond showroom quality, showcasing the Maverick UTV line on the very terrain it was born to rule and deeply connecting with the sport’s true fans.

Stop 1: Sand Sports Super Show, Costa Mesa, Calif.

Photos courtesy of Loki Box Design

Photo courtesy of Loki Box Design

sonalized for the brand. The environment, which is modular, makes the BRP CanAm array the hottest, most jaw-dropping display on the tour, stop after stop.

BRP kicked off its U.S. tour on September 15 at the Sand Sports Super Show in Costa Mesa, an off-road enthusiasts paradise where up to 200,000 motor heads gather for three days of sun, sand and the sweet smell of exhaust. The biggest product demo weekend in the off-roading segment, the Super Show is the place for riders to test ride the major manufacturers’ 2018 models, check out all the custom suppliers and generally have a great time riding the trails.

Normally the bugs get worked out on the first stop of a major tour, but things could not have gone more smoothly in Costa Mesa. Can-Am’s booth became an instant hit drawing huge traffic and creating a great sense of excitement for the Can-Am brand and for its co-exhibitors, Monster Energy Drink, BAJA lighting and Rugged Radio.

Stop 2: Can-Am Club gathering, Dallas, Texas

For the second stop of its 2017 tour, Loki completely re-skinned BRP’s module replacing the generic Can-Am Maverick

branding for the worldwide launch of its new Can-Am Maverick Trail model. A major product launch is always a big deal.

Pulling out all the stops, BRP created a custom-built dirt track on site where invited industry guests could test ride the Maverick Trail. Day one of the events was exclusively for VIPs, mostly dealers and distributors invited from all over the world, while day two was scheduled as the media event.

Stop 3: Ultra4 Nitto National Championship, Reno, Nevada

Despite serious winds that toppled tents and raised clouds of dust, 3,000 hardy race fans came out to see the Nitto Tire Unlimited four-wheel drive racing championship held near Reno on the weekend of October 19. BRP’s hard-core off-roading fans were treated to two days of competitive speed trials, long jumps and some serious rock crawling, the perfect backdrop to showcase the company’s Maverick sideby-side UTV following a productive day of dealer training. Fortunately for BRP, Loki’s near-bulletproof displays made from reconditioned shipping containers were quite at home in the face of any sandstorm.

(Some tent exhibitors, unfortunately, were actually unable to set up…ouch.) With a bit of quick thinking and the help of a forklift and the Loki Split 40’s hydraulic leveling system, the set up crew was able to handle a pretty ornery desert landscape and get the display area race ready.

Stop 4: Glamis Halloween, Glamis, Calif.

The endless, towering sand dunes of Glamis are the perfect moonscape for

off-roading fun and every year close to 100,000 UTV-hauling participants and spectators converge on the small town of Glamis, for some sand blasting action.

From October 27-29, in addition to a special course for sport UTVs like the Can-Am Maverick, fans got to compete in a customization competition, showing off their radical mods and wicked paint jobs.

This is a huge event, with participants coming from all over the southwest to ride a special Can-Am trail laid out for them in the wild, untouched dessert (if they choose to follow it, it’s an open course!). No gas stations or convenience stores, just miles of open sand! Lucky for them, there are free repairs available all event long.

What makes the event so special is that it’s open to amateur enthusiasts, so you don’t have to be a pro-rider or qualify in any way. Participants have the chance to ride with one of the Can-Am sponsored pros like Dustin Jones to learn the tricks of the trade in a real dune environment.

Jones also put on quite a demonstration of his skills aboard his customized CanAm Maverick Turbo.

Stop 5: SXS Adventure Rally, Utah

The SXS Utah Adventure rally is a rock festival… but not the music kind! With guided and unguided trail rides available Continued on p. 54 ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 53

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor Continued from p. 53 for all levels of rider on a varied trail network, it really is a great place for off-road fans to do some hands-on demo riding of the latest products in the industry, including the Can-Am Maverick. With all the biggest brands exhibiting and competing head-to-head on the demo circuit, BRP had to look amazing back at rally central.

The Loki Split 40 and its double stack 20foot outriders performed superbly, clearly creating a focal point for the entire threeday gathering where people could chill, discuss the Maverick technology and relax in preparation for the next day’s thrills.

An Inspiring Collaboration for BRP and Loki

The recent BRP Southwestern U.S. tour was a great example of what is possible and how close working relationships end up creating exceptional accomplishment.

“It was a pleasure for Loki Box Design to have developed, with BRP, the Split

40, a world-first in refurbished shipping container design of its type,” says Pierre-Mathieu Roy, CEO/president of Loki Box Design, adding, “Mobile satellite showrooms that create buzz around engines is the way to be proactive. It’s adding mobility to a gradually-changing sector.”

With all the logistics humming along nicely and a great looking, hard-working display at each stop with Loki’s strong expertise, BRP could really focus on helping off-road fans get to know and appreciate the strengths of its Can-Am Maverick line of UTVs. Eymie Labbe is the chief marketing & communications officer for Loki. Loki’s

DNA is modular design with style giving people the power to create groundbreaking architectural experiences. They use recycled shipping containers and eco-friendly building materials to overcome the limits of traditional design by creating unique architectural elements that will make you the center of attention and a source of inspiration. Loki is more than just a business, it’s a lifestyle--it’s architecture that adapts to our ever-evolving reality. For more info, visit www.lokiboxdesign.com.

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54 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

Photo courtesy of Loki Box Design

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SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

MC2’S DESIGN HUDDLE Designers Huddle Annually To Discuss Their Superpowers

By F. Andrew Taylor

A

t a secret enclave in New York, a group of heroes gathered to build their team, discuss their superpowers and build portraits of each other out of food.

“We come together for a Huddle every few years,” says Chris Virtuoso, national design director for MC2, a U.S.-based leader in the exhibit and event marketing

industry and member of MCH Group, a global live marketing company. “We have offices all around the country and as new people come into the company, we find that it’s good to get everyone together every once in a while, to touch base and really learn about our team members.”

Actually, the 2017 MC2 Design Huddle wasn’t that

secret. It took place in a hotel not far from the company’s corporate offices in Chestnut Ridge, N.Y. Members of MC2’s design and marketing departments met for an offsite huddle led by Virtuoso, and Russell Reich, chief strategy officer, who helped their creative team understand their own “super powers” and other talents to use them more effectively.

“I was finally able to put names to faces,” says graphic designer Roxy Cervantes. “It was great to have all the designers together in one room, spend time with them and get to know them.”

Each time MC2 comes together for a Huddle, they choose a different theme and the superhero theme allowed them to learn about their strengths and

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weaknesses and how to coordinate members, so their talents complement each other.

“Each of us embodies a superhero, if you will,” says Virtuoso. “Obviously, we’re all good at what we do, but every one of us have slightly different talents. We wanted to emphasis that it’s okay to be good at one thing and maybe not as good at another thing.”

The team members got to reflect on their own abilities by drawing a self-portrait that showed what their strengths were. The portraits were hung on the wall without explanation and the other team members left positive notes next to them, explaining how they felt about the drawing and the person it represented.

“It was heartwarming and

gratifying to hear such positive feedback from coworkers, clients and vendors,” says graphic design manager Diane Fee. “It was also awesome to have the feeling of us all being in this big boat together reinforced. Everyone grab an oar and let’s get it done together!”

Virtuoso added that the organizers of the Huddle wanted to talk about specific points and discuss what they bring to the table as designers.

“Some of it was just nuts and bolts type things, like estimating hours and designing a budget,” says Virtuoso. “These are major things we’re asked to do every day, but we never talk about how to get these things done and how to get better at it. You can figure out how to run a computer pro-

SMOTY Honorees

gram online, but this bigger picture stuff is a little trickier.”

At one point in the event, trays of vegetables and other food were brought out, which led some of the attendees to believe that lunch was going to be mostly raw veggies.

Instead, they were asked to build peer profiles in the form of food sculptures.

“The 2017 Design Huddle

was very engaging,” says designer Vince Addison.

“I was most intrigued by inspiring us to connect with our inner selves and identify the strongest of our “super” qualities. That, in turn, inspires confidence which perpetuates the drive to excel and enhances our efforts to satisfy the needs and demands of our clients.”

ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 57

CORPORATE Q&A

Q & A with Kevin Camden EVERYTHING IS CLEANED & REPAIRED BEFORE IT GOES BACK ON THE SHELF

BY JEANNE BREI & ARTHUR BLOBERGER

Arthur Bloberger’s last day of work (September 8) was spent interviewing Kevin Camden, owner of Camden Tradeshow Furniture. We enjoyed getting to know Kevin and seeing his beautiful warehouse with clean, ready-forrental inventory (it was all so organized!) We thank him for his patience; transcribing the tape took quite a while.

AB: Let’s start with your background and how you got involved in the tradeshow industry.

Kevin: Well, I started in the furniture industry in Las Vegas selling used furniture at a clearance center here for Globe Furniture. Back in the late ‘90s, Globe was purchased by Cort Furniture so I went into the commercial side of sales with Cort Furniture.

Did that for a couple of years, then had an opportunity to get into the convention/tradeshow business with Brooke Furniture–so I was there for a couple of years with Brooke Furniture–got to meet a lot of interesting people, a lot of general contractors. Brooke ended up closing their tradeshow division after three years and I landed with a local competitor here and was general manager there for several years before venturing out on

my own and opening my own shop here.

AB: What made you decide to venture out on your own?

Kevin: Well, I love the tradeshow business–I love the fast pace. It’s like no other. I saw the different opportunities to help exhibitors from a local standpoint of providing the needs that they had coming in from out of state.

It’s something different every show, every day. That was definitely attractive to me–the flexibility. You work a lot of hours but I like the flexibility.

AB: Did you come right into this facility or were you somewhere else first?

Kevin: Oh, no, we started out in a 400-square-foot garage–like a storage shed/ unit. Had multiple of those and ended up moving into the foreign trade zone--taking some space over there--just raw warehouse space, no office. Worked out of there for a year or so, building up inventory. At that point, we moved into our own warehouse on Arville and worked there for six years and just outgrew it.

It seems like you can never have enough space. You keep racking up things on the shelves and before you know it, you need more space. We ended up making a move over

to this location about a year and a half ago, and I hope this is our last move.

AB: Doesn’t sound like it.

Kevin: It’s a major undertaking taking all the furniture, racking and trying to time it in between a busy schedule--all the shows coming in and out.

AB: Right. The logistics of it must be terrible – how big a crew do you have? Staff? Part timers? Full timers?

Kevin: We have three full time guys who are with us all the time and we have parttime guys–we could have anywhere from six to 14 part time guys depending on what the show is and what time of the year it is and stuff like that.

But the larger the show, the more spread out or the more condensed the shows are, the more part time and freelance people we bring in to help us out.

AB: I assume large or small doesn’t matter to you. Any size you’ll do, right?

Kevin: Yeah, we have certain shows we only have one or two booths on. There’s other shows that we’ll have 30 or 40 booths on with five or six trailers of furniture. We don’t discriminate at all against the

size of the show or where it is.

Small opportunities do turn into big ones. We’ve seen it.

AB: What’s some big shows right now that you’re working on?

Kevin: Right now, we’re going to hit that busy time for the fall–it’ll be G2E coming up, and we’ve got ICSE (International Council of Shopping Centers), the Los Angeles Deal Making will come up the end of this month (September) and it goes right into NBAA (the Aviation Show) and then IMEX is coming in—I think it moved here about four or five years ago from Chicago. It’s been a great show for us. Towards the end of the year, you’ve got the SEMA/AAPEX and before you know, people are already starting to call for CES. We’re already starting to deal with CES stuff for January 2018.

AB: What percentage of your business is exhibitors?

Kevin: I’d say about 65-70 percent is exhibit house business and about 30-35 percent is direct, end user exhibitor coming direct to us for show furniture and requirements that they have.

AB: Who would you rather deal with?

58 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

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Kevin: Oh, I like dealing with both of them. I definitely like having a balance between both of them. The exhibit houses are more long-term relationships–they’re people that you have in your life off the show floor as well, you’re friends with them, you keep in contact with them, you see them on Facebook, you see them at different things. Those relationships are nice but it’s also nice to have a mixture of some direct exhibitors who come back to repeat year after year–those people move in their marketing jobs and it seems like they have an opportunity to come back to us from a different location or different place they’re working at it, so it’s nice to see that happen as well.

JB: How long have your three full-timers been with you?

Kevin: One guy has been with me since I started in 2007–Bernardo Aguilar-Amador, my main warehouse manager/lead guy, he’s my right hand man. Luis Garcia has been with me for about five years and we had worked together in the past before that and Francisco Navarro has been with us for about four years.

JB: And you had worked with them before?

Kevin: Yes, they had worked for me at a different company in the past. We’re small but you become very close. I’ve known Bernado since he was about 14-15 years old and now he’s about 28-29, married with two kids. You watch them grow from not even having a driver’s license to having his own house and family. That’s one of the rewarding parts of ownership in a small busi@ExhibitCityNews

058_CorporateProfile_0318.indd 2

ness, you get to see someone like that grow.

AB: Right, you’re not so far removed …

Kevin: Exactly. You see them day-to-day--you go through a lot of challenges with them too. Their personal struggles are your personal struggles too.

AB: Let’s get to some of the challenges, but you were talking about him and his family. Are you married with children?

Kevin: Nope, not married, no children but I do have a longterm girlfriend and it seems to work like that so there’s no reason to make a change.

She’s a manager of a financial institution here in town, she’s weekend support and knows when we’re busy and going to have long hours and she’ll bring dinner over. She’ll come over and hang out with us.

AB: And hailing from-where were you born?

Kevin: I’m originally from a little town called Mexico, Missouri. We’re about 20 miles off of 70 between St. Louis and Columbia–on the way to the Lakes of the Ozarks. I moved out here in 1984 when I was 10 years old when we moved out West. My father was a director for the gas company, so we moved to Phoenix, Apple Valley/High Desert in California, been here the longest–we’ve been here since 1994, so this is home now.

AB: What did your mom do?

Kevin: My mom was a histologist at St. Rose/Sunrise Hospital and she just retired last month. In July, they moved down to the Villages in Florida, right outside of Orlando.

AB: So, let’s do challenges– what are some of the biggest challenges you face in day-today operations?

Kevin: Well, the logistics of inbound and outbound are some of the more challenging aspects of tradeshows. It takes time to get things in and out and oftentimes exhibitors don’t understand that. They show up and expect things to be ready to roll and don’t have a full grasp of the process of what you go through after you order something--going through the marshalling process, getting the paperwork done, going through dispatch, getting in line and waiting for a forklift operator… Dealing with people who don’t know exactly how the tradeshow industry works and having to slow down and take the time to educate them is probably one of the challenges that we deal with on a regular basis.

JB: What sets you apart from other furniture rental companies?

Kevin: We prep our product after it comes back in from use, this way if it’s been at a show in rental, when it comes back in, we have a download area that we put the furniture in and the guys will go through and prep each individual piece and take the time to repair it, to touch it up and clean it, before we bag it and put it back on the shelves. Once it’s bagged and put back on the shelves we know that it’s in rentable condition and can be used again. That’s how we’re able to keep control of our inventory and know immediately how much product we have and how much is available when we’re allocating pieces for multiple shows that are

going on simultaneously.

We had worked other places where the furniture would come back in and they’d just push it back on the shelves and as you’re counting inventory–and you have an exact number of chairs you need and there’s an exact number on the shelves--but you didn’t know if they were in rentable condition. Here, we pride ourselves on having everything in like new condition–if something’s not in good enough condition that I would use it, then we don’t send it out to an exhibitor. That’s one thing, knock on wood, we’ve never had issues with. We’ve never had clients call and say that our furniture is beat up or tore up. We bag things on the front end, because a lot of what we have is white and white gets dirty so easy, so we coach exhibitors to keep the furniture wrapped in plastic as close to show opening as they can to minimize I&D personnel from using it as a lunch table and getting it dirty before the show opens.

Camden Tradeshow & Event Furnishings is a provider of rental furniture for the tradeshow and event industry, with their corporate office based in Las Vegas, NV. It is our mission to provide a variety of exceptional furniture rental solutions for your next convention, tradeshow, meeting or special event. Our inventory of seating, tables, lounge settings and lighting includes the newest trends in the industry. They are located at 716 Indian Garden St, Las Vegas, NV 89138.

Phone: (702) 474-4877 For more info, visit www.camdentradeshow.com

ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 59

2/13/18 10:13 AM

ALUVISION

LED tile 55 P2

Aluvision booth at EXHIBITORLIVE

Blending in to Stand Out During last month’s EXHIBITORLIVE show in Las Vegas, Aluvision demonstrated the countless benefits and possibilities of their new ‘LED tile 55 P2’. The combination of the original Aluvision Omni-55 frames with this next generation LED tile offers the

best of both worlds: a brilliant visual experience and a quick, tool-free installation.

At only 2.17”, the ‘LED tile 55 P2’ is the thinnest LED tile of its kind. It was developed to sit perfectly flush in Aluvision’s wall frame system.

With its dimensions of 19.53”

LED tile 55 P2 combined with Omni-55 frame

60 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

x 19.53”, the LED tile follows the modularity of the Aluvision frames. The pixel pitch of 2.8mm and the premium flatness level guarantee razor-sharp images that will bring that WOW factor to any tradeshow booth, event or other experiential environment.

The above features and the tool-free connection of the tiles to the wall frames make it a true Aluvision product: high-quality and straight-forward in use.

“Our innovative products are a response to how the market evolves. The ‘LED tile 55 P2’ is a perfect example of this”, says Dirk Deleu, President of Aluvision. “Our LED tile answers the demand for high-end, integrated, experiential video solutions while

remaining user-friendly, lightweight and modular.”

About Aluvision Aluvision is a leading developer, producer and supplier of modular aluminum solutions for the tradeshow, exhibit, event and AV industries. The tool-free aspect of the renowned “frame system with holes” makes it the quickest and most user-friendly exhibit system on the market. Aluvision’s new product developments function as an indicator for emerging trends in the industries it serves. Aluvision has a warehousing and production facility as well as an inspiring showroom near Atlanta, GA. For more information, visit www.aluvision.com.

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

Belgium Does Diamonds CARAT+ IS THE WORLD’S PREMIER DIAMOND EVENT

BY AMBER JOHNSON

Viewed by many as a signal that the luxury trade show marketplace is rebounding nicely, Carat+ is scheduled to return to Antwerp, Belgium, in May of 2018. The show, which is aimed at the jewelry market and specifically the diamond trade, held its inaugural event in 2017 amid much fanfare for its promise to bring glamor back to the industry.

Organizer Easyfairs SA/NV has billed the trade fair as The World’s Premier Diamond Event, saying its emphasis on the niche of diamonds fills a gap in the world’s current list of jewelry trade shows and capitalizes on Antwerp’s designation as the diamond capital of the world.

The port city in northwest Belgium backs up that designation by having some 1,500 diamond firms headquartered there, an exponentially higher concentration than anywhere else in the world. In addition, the city boasts 380 workshops that offer cutting and polishing services, and an estimated 85 percent of the world’s rough diamonds pass through it on their way to consumers.

It only made sense then, said event founder and director Filip Van Laere, that Antwerp should host a show specifically designed to serve the trade, and by 2017, the 62 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

time for that show had arrived. “The diamond business has been through a lot of challenges and changes over the past 15 years,” said Van Laere, “and it is my belief that the sector needs an innovative, exciting and attractive focal point to express itself with confidence and pride. After all, diamonds are still the most glamorous luxury item in the world.”

In a marketplace that had been a veritable roller coaster for many years as world economies undulated, some called the show brave and said they’d had their doubts before the 2017 event opened its doors. “It’s nothing short of heroic,” says exhibitor David Pienica, a director at M&D Pienica, an Antwerp-based diamond manufacturer. “It’s very gutsy for the Belgian organizers to do such a show in times like these.”

But according to all accounts, it was a move that paid off. The 2017 edition of Carat+ attracted 3,000 attendees and 130 exhibitors– among them the Who’s Who of the world’s elite diamond firms. Exhibitors came from 13 countries and attendees came representing 33 world markets, figures that officials hailed as overwhelmingly successful for an inaugural event.

Aside from its narrow focus

on the diamond trade, organizers believe the event’s tightly curated exhibitor roster contributed to its success, as did its unconventional approach to an exhibition.

Organizers infused the show with glamor, from the red-carpet appearance of a Bond girl to evening hours on the show floor with house music and cocktails. The night event attracted more than 1,800 people including exhibitors and attendees, and it branded the event as something different in the eyes of participants. “There was an amazingly good mood at the show,” says Bobak Nasrollahi, CEO of Italy-based diamond supplier Amin Luxury. “Doing business at night with the music and the great atmosphere was really a good idea.”

For its 2018 return, Carat+ has broadened its focus to include a Colored Gemstone Sector, something organizers say they added at the request of attendees. “Feedback from visitors in 2017 revealed that a selection of leading colored gemstone specialists would support buyers and retailers looking to fulfill specific customer requests, bespoke designs or new collection requirements,” Van Laere said.

Leading companies in the colored gemstone marketplace who have signed on for the

event echoed that sentiment, saying there is a close synergy between high-quality colored stones and diamonds when it comes to jewelry making.

But, concerned with keeping the event focused on the upper echelon of the diamond industry, officials say they are taking proactively cautious measures in allowing something aside from diamonds into the show. “This carefully curated new show feature will host world-renowned exhibitors, offering a vast array of loose colored gemstones, gemstone sets, fantasy cuts, carvings and show-stopping stones for astute buyers, retailers and designer jewelers,” says Van Laere. “With exhibitor numbers tightly controlled to ensure impeccable quality, the Colored Gemstones Sector will add an extra dimension to CARAT+ while maintaining its reputation as the only specialist diamond event in the iconic city of Antwerp.”

They have also added a China “Guest Land” that incorporates Chinese manufacturers and professionals from the Shanghai Diamond Exchange into the show floor, and that they will again feature a celebrity appearance at the evening function.

This year’s event is slated for May 6-8 at Antwerp Expo Belgium.

30 YEARS EXPERIENCE ENDORSE US Omega Group consists of 4 companies that offer a wide variety of services for exhibitions from furiture rental to custom projects design. In Omega Group we have national and international recognition and more than 30 years of experiences in the exhibition industry.

Association members of:

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INTERNATIONAL FOCUS endless possibilities of digital solutions offered, it may be a challenge to successfully identify the solutions that offer added value. It is important to remember that the best form of engagement should not be a source of distraction but one that considers the user’s experience and enable engagement.

The Age of Digitalization THE MICE INDUSTRY FEELS THE IMPACT

BY SARAH CHEW

The Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions (MICE) industry is no stranger to being on the receiving end of the impact of digitization. However, it is essential to note that the industry is as much social as it is digital. The key is to demonstrate how the integration of both is essential to ensure the industry’s longterm viability. There is no prediction to how the MICE landscape will transform in the next ten years, but there is no doubt that it has to capitalize on the opportunities available and seek to create experiences that will reach out to the right audience effectively.

64 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

Investing in Data In a data-driven marketing environment, industries are transforming vast amount of information into meaningful insights to drive business strategy. While the industry has digitized itself to stay relevant, many still do not leverage on the power of data to make informed decisions and improve operational efficiency. Perhaps exhibitors and organizers can start their analytic efforts by utilizing it for attendee marketing and generating exhibitor sales. Online platforms such as social media are vital tools in capturing data and collecting instant feedback, but the real value lies in harvesting the data and using it to drive businesses.

Technology-Driven Experiences Moving beyond the preoccupation with event technology, the key is to create relevant content by connecting with attendees using the right narrative. Establishing a meaningful connection may be achieved through the use of experience zones or interactive activities.

Application of new technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, automation and artificial intelligence has played a crucial role in this change, allowing for a more personalized experience.

However, the use of digital technology requires thorough planning in order to focus on the right digital engagement for the target audience. With

Sustainable Events There is a growing demand for sustainable events and the industry is pressured to take action to address these concerns. The transition to smart digital solutions can guide venues, organizers and exhibitors to leave minimal carbon footprint and save resources. Projection mapping is a versatile tool that uses energy-efficient technology to dynamically transform the space. The technology enables the light-up and projection of different visuals, creating a dynamic and interactive experience for the attendees. More common uses of technology include virtual assistants and mobile apps to automate guest registration and provide event information, substantially reducing production waste.

After all, digitization is not solely a matter of technology.

The key is how the industry responds to it and reimagines the experience that is being delivered at events and on the tradeshow floor. Technology is just a tool and cutting out the noise to get the right message delivered is what is most important.

Sarah Chew is the sales and marketing director of Kingsmen Exhibits Pte. Ltd., a leading communication design and production group in Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

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AIPC

Interview with Aloysius Arlando, AIPC President WAS 2017 A GOOD YEAR FOR THE 186 AIPC MEMBERS? In most performance terms, 2017 was, in fact, a very good year as a continuation of a growth pattern since the GFC in 2008 at a rate that has even exceeded growth in global GDP. However, it was also a time of many challenges as members worked hard to address to constantly changing organizer and delegate expectations and the very nature of events goes through a fundamental evolution that demands constant innovation and adaptation.

What are the biggest future challenges for the convention centers?

The need to generate increasing levels of flexibility in all areas–from spaces and technologies to services and event management–will continue to dominate our environment, as will the need to further enhance and diversify revenues to satisfy owner expectations and support needed new investment in our facilities. We also face new challenges in responding to the increasing importance of digitalization in the global economy in order to be seen as relevant to marketers and organizers who have many other options to choose from as to how they engage with their members and customers.

At the same time, we are also increasingly challenged to compete with other sectors for the human resources we need to deliver service excellence--a challenge that needs to be met with increased training and retention measures as well as an effort to position ours as a desirable career path relative to others competing for the same talent.

Above all, we need to further drive the proposition that convention centers are broadly impactful economic engines whose real function is to support overall economic and community development 66 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

agendas in their respective cites and countries, as it is only with this kind of recognition that we will get the kind of support we need to prevail in an increasingly intense marketplace. This latter requirement will be demanding for many; however, it is a far more realistic picture of our true role and we need to be more active in promoting it.

AIPC will be 60 years in 2018. How does the organization stay relevant for the centers and what actions will it pursue for the future?

AIPC is constantly researching industry needs and conditions and creating corresponding programming in response, as this is the only way for an organization to remain relevant in a fast-changing environment. However, our greatest strength– one that has shown its value over our entire history–is the knowledge, insights and experience of our members, so efficient vehicles for facilitating information exchange and collective problem-solving is also a big factor. One of AIPC’s greatest

strengths has always been its exclusive devotion to the issues and opportunities associated with international convention centers, and we will maintain this focus going forward to ensure clarity of purpose.

We also believe that the industry in the future will require an even greater level of partnership between centers and their clients that we have seen previously in order to optimize the delegate experience.

This means we need to know in more detail our clients’ needs and opportunities and have the ability to actively and creatively support them in addressing these.

That, in turn, requires a greater investment in joint activities and programming with the broader meetings and events community, so we will be moving forward on this on behalf of our members.

In addition to his role as AIPC president, Aloysius 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.

AIPC represents a global network of over 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 int’l. 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, contact marianne.de.raay@aipc.org or visit www.aipc.org.

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& ENJOY A WARM GOOEY FRESH GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH ON DAY 1 & EVERY DAY AFTER FOR MORE DELICIOUS TREATS! We seek innovative solutions to achieve our clients' needs and goals using evidence-based design principles. We believe exceptional design creates functional, high-performance, stimulating exhibits that benefit you and your goals. We are focused on your success through the entire process - from sketch all the way through logistics. We are on your side of the table. So join us at the table for a snack.

@ExhibitCityNews

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ExhibitCityNews.com JULY 2015 2

CONVENTION CENTER SPOTLIGHT

EAT Feel the “Rat Pack” presence and hear the fabulous Sonny Charles (from the Checkmates) sing with Pia Zadora at Piero’s Italian Cuisine, 355 Convention Center Dr, or time-travel back to vintage Vegas at the Italian American Club, 2333 E. Sahara. Jazzin’ Jeanne Brei & the Speakeasy Swingers (yes, yours truly) have the longest running show there (eight years) with the “Swanky Supper Club Soiree” on the first Thursday of each month: free dance lesson at 6:15, band plays 7-9, Vegas showgirls floor show at 8 p.m. It’s Dixieland music on March 1, come and l’aissez les bon temps roulez!

Las Vegas Convention Center

T

he Las Vegas Convention Center has been the number one trade show destination in North America for 23 consecutive years based upon the Trade Show News Network annual ranking of the top 250 trade shows in the industry.

Also known as the World Trade Center Las Vegas, a designation in partnership with the Consumer Electronics Association and through a license with the World Trade Center Association, it is a 3.2 million square foot facility located within a short distance of nearly 150,000 guest rooms and is one of the busiest facilities in the world. In addition to approximately two million square feet of exhibit space, 145 meeting rooms (more than 241,000 square feet) handle seating capacities ranging from 20 to 2,500.

Of TSNN’s top 250 trade shows, 54 are in Las Vegas. In 2016, Las Vegas hosted nearly 22,000 meetings, conventions and trade shows, which directly supported an estimated 54,800 jobs paying $2.3 billion in wages and salaries. Including indirect and induced impacts, the LVCC’s attendees generated $2.7 billion in economic impact throughout the local economy.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the governing body of the LVCC, has determined it is critical that the convention center be expanded and renovated to continue to lead the industry, to meet the current needs of its tradeshow customers and to attract new shows in the future.

In 2015, during Phase One of the LVCC District Project, $182.5 million was spent to buy the Rivieria Hotel and Casino (which was imploded in 2016). Construction of the 1.4 millionsquare-foot expansion in Phase Two will add 600,000 square feet of new exhibit space and the accompanying meeting space and service facilities and is projected to be complete by the end of 2020 at an anticipated project budget of $860 million. The last phase consists of the complete renovation of the existing convention center facility, including the addition of new meeting space to appropriately serve the current exhibit space footprint with a projected completion date of 2023 and an anticipated budget of $540 million.

The phased approach will ensure that no business will be displaced during the construction and renovation. For more info, visit www.lvcva.com.

SLEEP With more than 150,000 hotel rooms to choose from in Vegas, I love the themed hotels (like the Luxor, the NY-NY, the Venetian, the Bellagio, Caesars and Paris).

But people don’t come to Vegas to sleep, so it’s the gondola rides, painted ceilings and St. Mark’s Square replica complete with Renaissance-themed entertainers that makes the Venetian a must-stop.

The Bellagio Conservatory and fountain shows are not to be missed, the halfscale Eiffel Tower at Paris, oh, there’s SO many not-to-be-missed resorts--after all, we have14 of world’s 25 largest hotels!

PLAY Apres gambling, the choices are endless– things you can’t do back home include: drive a bulldozer at Dig This; test out a Lamborghini on the LV Motor Speedway; zipline above the Fremont Street Experience; visit the Neon Boneyard, Mob Museum, Springs Preserves, the Lion Habitat Ranch, Gold & Silver Pawn Shop; tour Wayne Newton’s Casa de Shenandoah; dog-fight at Sky Combat Ace, take a circus trapeze class at Trapeze LV; throw an axe at Axe Monkey; take a jeep or Hummer tour of Red Rocks, play at the Pinball Hall of Fame, check out the Cactus Garden at Ethel M’s Chocolate Factory, destroy a room at the new Wreck Room, etc., etc.

70 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

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Jennifer was an absolute treat to work with. I realize that she had a lot of other events going on during the same time as our event, however she still was able to make me feel like mine was most important.

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ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 71

TRADESHOW STRATEGIES

How To Get The Most Out of Data At Your Trade Show ADVICE FROM THREE EXHIBITORLIVE PRESENTERS

BY SCOTT MCKINNEY

If you’re spending thousands of marketing dollars at trade shows, but not taking full advantage of the data at your fingertips, you’re missing a huge opportunity for maximizing trade show ROI. Three trade show marketing experts and EXHIBITORLIVE 2018 presenters share their best tips for getting the most out of data at your trade show.

Be Clear About Your Ideal Prospect Instead of scanning away, consider your ideal prospect.

“Targets could be based on industry, job titles, company size, or product interest,” says Joe Federbush, president of

Evolio Marketing. “The more selective you are in who you’re attracting to your booth, the more potential success you’ll have in the outcomes of those visits.” Once you’re clear about the type of customers and prospects you want to attract, you can prepare a strategy for your on-floor exhibit and beyond.

Enlist The Show Producer Contact the show organizer--they will have some form of information about the attendees. Partner with them, and utilize their data. “The more the exhibitor knows the percentage of the audience

CONCERTS CONVENTIONS DINING ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT SHOPPING SPORTING EVENTS

72 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

that represents their target, the better they’ll be able to budget, send the right kind and number of staff, and set realistic expectations of their results,” says Federbush.

“It’s not about every attendee at the show, it’s about the percentage of attendees that represent the target.” You can also use pre-show data to send offers to attract attendees to your exhibit.

Consider Your Lead Capture Device Also, consider your lead acquisition device or application--does the trade show organizer supply one? If so, does their device allow you to ask customized qualifying questions? If it doesn’t, go to an outside vendor that allows you to ask qualifying questions and connects responses to a follow-up system, advises James Obermayer, founder of the Sales Lead Management Association.

“Trade show leads close much faster than any other kind of lead--they enter that booth for a reason,” says Obermayer. “Yet the show management lead acquisition device is often inferior.

They have little space for notes, they don’t ask specific questions pertaining to

the person’s need,” he adds.

“Generally 10-20 percent of leads are hot, so if salespeople get 10 leads, they need to know which two leads are hot and which are going to buy in the future.”

A suitable lead capture device or application won’t

Categorize attendees into hot, cold, or free ice cream leads... and enter the free ice cream leads into a long-term, content-based marketing channel. empty your piggy bank. “As a rule, only 3-5 percent of your budget needs to go towards lead qualification,” says Obermayer.

Do you have a formal lead ranking process?

Strategically Organize Your Booth When planning your booth layout, consider how you will collect data from visitors. “If your booth is large and you’ve only got one spot where somebody can scan their badge, there will be data loss,” says Obermayer. “The company will get one quarter to one half the number of inquiries they should be getting out of that trade show.”

How many lead acquisition devices (or apps) should you have on hand? Obermayer recommends one for each ‘demonstration island’ or salesperson covering that area.

Qualify Visitors To Your Exhibit 66 percent of trade show managers don’t have a formal lead ranking process at trade shows, according to a recent survey from the CEIR group.

“You’d be amazed at how much money companies waste in getting salespeople to call bad leads,” says Victor Kippes, CEO of event marketing

tech firm Validar Inc. “Sales representatives want to know where they fall in the buying cycle. If they are a buyer, what product are they interested in and why?”

What kind of lead qualifying questions can you ask? “First, ask the attendee how they prefer you to follow up, then

categorize them into ‘hot lead,’ ‘cold lead,’ or ‘free ice cream lead,’ ” says Kippes. Even the “free ice cream leads” can be valuable--the cost-per-lead can be very competitive if significant numbers are drawn in.

Other questions you can ask, according to Kippes: Are they a decision maker? Are they genuinely interested?

How much do they need or want your offering? Do they see value in what you have to offer? What application do they have in mind for it?

Measure Giveaways Using A Brand Recognition Survey If you sponsor a show or give away freebies, measure the impact of your messages. “Ask attendees, did your experience or interaction with that brand enhance that brand’s perception? Did it get a message through?” says Federbush. Also, consider the goal

How many touches should a non-responsive lead receive before it is discarded?

of your branding: what do you want your brand to stand for? Then, ask respondents a scaled question that measures how much they agree with a corresponding statement about your brand.

After The Show, Follow Up Using Your Data According to CEIR, most companies make only one to three follow-ups. This means they are losing sales to competitors that utilize a thorough follow-up strategy.

How best to follow up? Kippes advises to send only the “hot leads” to sales staff--the latest sales automation tools will do this automatically.

Second, direct the “cold leads” to a follow-up marketing system. Third, enter the “free ice cream leads” into a long-term, content-based marketing channel. Offer useful information and be smart about your strategy. “If you start categorizing leads in this manner, it will be worth its weight in gold,” says Kippes.

ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 73

TRADESHOW STRATEGIES

Everyone is Communicating Today But Few Are Connecting SALES BLAMES MARKETING FOR POOR QUALITY LEADS AND MARKETING BLAMES SALES FOR POOR FOLLOW-UP

BY RICHARD ERSCHIK

When making a telephone call today, think about what happens. Technology barriers aside, for now, recipients of your call have two choices. Answer it. Or don‘t, and let it go to the black hole of “voicemail.”

Now, considering today’s technology and hardware, recipients of calls can actually see who is calling, before they make the choice to answer or not. If, by the unlikely chance they answer your call on your first attempt, they either knew it was you calling, or, you have interrupted whatever they were doing when they took your call. And if they answered, they now have to shift all of their attention from what they were doing, to whatever you say in the first few words. Then they have to make the conscious decision to give your call their undivided attention, or just hang-up.

Now, think for a minute about what happened when you made your last cold call by phone. When you don’t know the person you are call74 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

ing, and they don’t know you, you probably get their voicemail. Right? And if you left a message on their voicemail, it probably went something like this? “Hello, Mr./Mrs. Smith, this is Mr./Mrs. Jones.

I’m with so and so company.

My number is 000-000-000.

Please return my call.”

Now let’s take technology and hardware barriers to making telephone calls today into full account and consider that “The technology that’s in place today to help us make calls, actually makes it harder for us to connect with who we are calling.” By that I mean smart phones, cell phones, voice dialing, predictive dialers, robo calls, one touch speed dialing, all make it easy to communicate.

But the dreaded automated switchboards in companies, personal voicemail, and caller ID make it difficult, if not impossible, to connect with whom we are calling.

What’s the point in all this you may be asking? If you have a sales title, and the next per-

son you actually talk to on the telephone represents the “new” business you want, to generate the sales commissions you need, to sustain or improve your livelihood, you understand what I’m getting at.

Now let me take you into the world of trade shows today--into a world where statistics about the above abound with real-world barriers to success, along with opportunities to change, both of which are subject to positive and negative statistics.

One such statistic of opportunity that lies in all of this is that 81 percent of visitors that stop into trade show booths today have “buying power” according to CIER.org. Another CEIR statistic of opportunity states that 86 percent of visitors to trade show booths are “new sales prospects.” That means they are not in your databases from having been contacted by you before.

Considering that the number one reason why exhibitors invest and exhibit in trade shows today, is to generate

sales leads from booth visitors, a negative statistic identifies that less than 20 percent of those leads are ever followed up. Let me emphasize the word “ever” in the last sentence.

At this point, you might ask, “How can that be?”

Companies exhibit in trade shows with the number one objective of generating sales leads from new business prospects, 20 percent of which are ever followed-up?

Maybe, just maybe, the beginning of this story has a lot to do with the ending, because maybe your sales people are the ones tasked to do the lead follow-up after the trade show, and they attempt to do it by telephone. If they do, consider the following statistic as the basis for the reason for their poor follow-up.

Based on having made more than 1, 600,000 outbound telephone calls, to telephone qualify more than 1,000,000 sales leads, for more than 140 companies, statistically it required 3.4 telephone dialing attempts to reach anyone.

In addition, it required 7.6 telephone dialing attempts to reach, and identify a prospect, that had an immediate or near future intention to purchase the product or service they inquired about, according to LTS Inc. So expecting your sales force to simply take all the leads you send them after your show, and “dial for dollars” is simply an unrealistic expectation today. So why do you continue to do it and eventually participate in the inevitable blame game about trade show justification

and ROI. You know the game.

It’s where marketing blames sales for not following up the leads. And sales blames marketing for poor quality leads.

No one really wins that blame game other than perhaps the CFO, who is suggesting trade show budget cuts and even department downsizing in some companies.

If at this point, you are basking in the unfounded comfort of having the latest and greatest software solution in place to circumvent all of what I have stated so far; stop for a minute and consider that software doesn’t follow-up the leads. People do. Or they should. But they don’t (20 percent) and can’t. And that

perhaps all the software is doing is getting your leads to your sales force faster, so nothing can be done with them sooner.

The November 2017 issue of Meetings & Conventions magazine contains a very interesting article titled “Marketing Rules.” The subtitle of that article is, “Why CMOs have taken the leading role in (trade show) events” and the very reason behind this writer’s contention that the marketing department should take on the complete responsibility of trade show lead generation AND follow-up, if the quest for the illusive holy grail of ROI is the ultimate objective of trade show exhibiting.

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If your next question is, “How do I do that?” Just ask me, that’s what I teach in my Master Class. In the meantime, consider changing the message you leave on answering machines and voicemail today to be that of your elevator speech.

Richard Erschik nurtures a passion to teach trade show exhibitors short cuts he learned the hard way as an exhibitor in a major U.S. industry. He is among the highest rated exhibitor educators, and trainers in the country. He has been a Roundtable moderator, FastTrak instructor, and featured speaker and presenter at the EXHIBITOR Show in Las Vegas for 18 years. Telephone/

Software doesn’t followup the leads.

People do. Or they should.

But they don’t (20 percent) and can’t.

Text: (630) 642-6500. For more info, visit www.ExhibitorTrainingWebinar.com or email Richard@ExhibitorTrainingWebinar.com.

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TRADESHOW STRATEGIES

Leads Are Not Enough: IF YOU DON’T COLLECT AND APPEND MEANINGFUL DATA TO THE CUSTOMER PROFILE, YOU JEOPARDIZE YOUR TRADESHOW

BY PAT FRIEDLANDER

Corporate exhibitors inevitably face the “What’s the ROI?” question. The process of determining the ROI from trade shows has been very vague, but at this point in the evolution of face-toface marketing, vague doesn’t cut it. In a still-siloed world of disconnected marketing channels--trade shows being one of several--attribution is a crucial factor in funding various initiatives. Everything from email marketing to web banners thrives on easily demonstrable metrics.

However, in trade shows, determining success is much less sophisticated.

Exhibitors Need More Than Leads The holy grail of ROI has, until this point in time, been leads. “How many leads did we get?” “Did we get more than last year?” Back when paper leads were a thing, the dominant meme was opening a crated exhibit and finding the paper leads from the previous show packed in the exhibit properties. Within the unfortunately typical company, many departments don’t view trade show participation as a strategic initiative and are satisfied by numbers of leads. That fact alone can prompt exhibit managers to direct staff to scan everyone who enters the exhibit, whether or not he/she is a viable target.

As paper leads disappeared, disparate vendors sold their services to show management for lead capture. The fact that 76 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

these lead systems did not “talk” to one another became increasingly problematic. And while this situation has been a proposed advocacy topic for decades, nothing appreciable has happened. The old badge on the lanyard approach hardly speaks “trade show intelligence.” In fact, many, if not most, associations are struggling as they look for ways to compete with the digital universe. Until associations mandate uniformity for data input from their contracted suppliers, the problem remains. Larger exhibitors or exhibitors with aggressive show schedules can justify the cost benefit of a proprietary lead system, one that either bypasses the show-supplied mechanism or works with the show supplier to format the data.

Standardizing data would appear to be a ridiculously small concession to exhibitors/customers.

Plumbing the Data-Based Depths A very smart man, Michael Kelly of Kthree Partners, asks this question: “How about measuring ROI for tradeshows by the data-based depth of identifiable engagement, intelligence gained and shared across the organization, and the depth with which convention assist in building business?”

This would necessitate an omnichannel approach to marketing and the sharing of intelligence across the enterprise. If your company has a well-maintained CRM system, you already have a good start. As Kelly says, “Other channels collect large amounts of data—why not as much in the event space?” What he refers to as the “event conundrum” is rationalizing overall event spend with data-driven approach vs. balking on a data-driven approach because the spend is too high— which will only lead to increased negative scrutiny of the value of trade shows.

Kelly tells us that it’s time to integrate event intelligence with other data in the CRM system, and what he recommends is quite simple: Take the data with you, append the event data, then put it back. Most CRM systems allow this type of overlay.

The internal investigation is worth the time because it protects the trade show budget

and the viability of face-to-face marketing.

The Nuts And Bolts of Data Integration—We’re Not There Yet According to the recently released survey, “The Power of Live Event Data” from Cvent and Event Marketer, 81 percent of event professionals say integrating data from attendees’ digital and physical footprints is very important– but only 20 percent feel their organizations are very effective at data integration. The interest is high, but the execution is not. Event professionals need the right data platform and education on how to do this.

Kelly asks, “What if exhibitors brought select CRM data with them to events?” and he answers his own questions: »» Conversations on the show floor would be more contextual and optimized. »» Event floor interactions would be a continuation of conversations with exhibitors, not a cold start. »» “Take the profile,” he recommends, “then put the profile back.”

The fact that a real live person has an encounter with a prospect or customer almost certainly influences preference.

But who would know about this interaction if the information is not in the CRM system? Trade shows can connect and deliver incomparable value via data to other channels. Eventually, this data lands in the hands of the salespeople.

“The Power of Live Event Data” indicates that 67 percent of event professionals say they currently or would expect to find value integrating attendee data with their CRM systems while 66 percent say they see value integrating data with social media. A top goal, and challenge, for event professionals is integrating various platforms to provide a full picture of their events and attendees in one platform.

We’re at a point where the technology exists to collect compelling data from shows. If show management doesn’t work with exhibitors to enable that data capture because of outdated vendor relationships, we all suffer. After all, exhibitors aren’t buying space on the floor; they are buying access to the market—and these days, access to the market involves access to data, not just lead collection.

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EXHIBIT DESIGN MENTORSHIP “We tell the students, ‘You are entering a partnership and it will be as amazing, or not, as you make it. You’ve been given a gift. Take advantage of it.’”

Mentoring Recharges Pros “SENDING THE ELEVATOR BACK DOWN”

BY LESLEY MARTIN

A decade ago, Dana Esposito met Professor Bonnie Higgins at EXHIBITORLIVE. Higgins, who teaches at Bemidji State University, quickly gathered that Esposito is a friendly and active professional in the industry. She invited Esposito to become a mentor through the University Affiliations Committee with the Experiential Design Professionals Association (EDPA).

Esposito would be paired with a student enrolled in the exhibit design programs at BSU or the Fashion Institute of Technology. Esposito, who is a creative director at Elevation Exhibits in Shrewsbury, Mass., would guide the student with her designs and introduce her to the world of exhibitions.

Opportunity to nurture fledging designers When Esposito learned of the program, she knew that she had to become the mentor she wished she had as a student. “When I got my start, the industry was not a warm and fuzzy place,” said Esposito, who entered the industry when the economy was down and the competition fierce. Wherever she worked, she encountered an us-versus-them culture.

In her heart, Esposito sees colleagues, other professionals and companies as pieces to the puzzle of the exhibitions industry. Through the mentorship program, Esposito’s passion for growing others shines. She is now co-chair of the committee with Justin Dworak of Star Exhibits.

“These students are given access to a person who they wouldn’t be able to reach otherwise,” says Esposito, who received the program organizer role from Joel Katzowitz of Czarnowski. “We tell the students, ‘You have access to a massive amount of experience at your fingertips. These professional designers are volunteering to help you, and you can ask them anything.”

Through phone and email, the students (located in Minnesota and New York) share their designs with working professional designers. They can ask questions and gather feedback on their designs, and are also encouraged to learn beyond the assignment, such as how to receive feedback, handle salespeople, and manage anxiety.

Taking a young designer to the roots Stephen Ross remembered a time when he was reviewing his student’s designs online.

She was feeling stuck creatively, so Ross encouraged her to freehand her work.

However, she felt like she had to work within the design program to accomplish the task. “I explained that she could go outside the boundaries of her technology and actually print something out, draw on it, and understand where she can make the tweaks,” says Ross, who is vice president and executive creative director of Access TCA in Whitinsville, Mass.

After coaxing her to give it a try, Ross persuaded her to “take a leap of faith” to concept her work freehand, then digitize it in the program. “It was very liberating for her,” says Ross.

Professional development of industry pros While the mentorship experience is intended to help the students, the mentors gain as well. They become re-energized by the excitement, gain confidence by sharing knowledge, and get in touch with the latest trends.

For the seasoned creative professional, working with an enthusiastic young designer “reminds them how cool it is what we do and re-energizes them,” said Esposito. Ross echoed Esposito and said, “I love being able to talk design with young designers. It’s inspiring to hear their enthusiasm for it.”

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down the career path and often land a job upon college. “Once in a while, scoop them up and offer them a position. That’s rewarding,” says Ross.

Other mentors gain confidence by sharing their knowledge. There were no college courses offered in exhibit design when the mentors were in school 20 years ago. “Like most designers of my generation, there was no specific Exhibition Design curriculum.

We are interior, industrial, and/or graphic designers who stumbled into the field and most times, never left!” says Cipolla, a design director, who has designed for more than 17 years at Czarnowski. “I surprise myself when I confidently impart knowledge or advice. It’s very empowering,” When working with the student, the mentors get a chance to entertain new ways of thinking. “Mentoring reminds me to think abstractly, to be curious and to network and/or collaborate more than I might with a busy schedule,” said Cipolla.

Additionally, the mentors get in touch with the latest trends and technology. Students entering the industry use the newest software and are eager to work.

“Mentoring the students reminds me to hone my skills and stay in the game,” says Cipolla, “because there are very hungry and talented designers right on my heels!”

Industry reins in talent The mentors are enthusi@ExhibitCityNews

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astic to mentor the students.

Esposito tells students to take full advantage of their mentors. “We tell the students to use your mentor as much as possible–email them, call them, connect with them on LinkedIn,” says Esposito.

Amongst the designers who meet the students and other industry professionals, the future of the industry is closely knit. “We get to meet the cream of the crop in the industry and follow them along their [career] path,” says Ross, who meets students at EXHIBITORLIVE. Businesses that are always ready to hire top talent will get to know new names. And even if the’re not ready to hire a designer, they will make connections just by participating.

Nourishing creativity Sometimes designers aren’t given the opportunity to attend a tradeshow. But people who work in creative roles are expected to stay up with the latest trends and technology. Esposito, who has been a designer for Elevation for seven years, says, “Designers are like dry sponges if you hold them too close.” Esposito has been able to travel and says, “I feel more loyal to my company because of it.”

Through their new networks, young designers are propelled

Matchmaking mentees to mentors Every year, Esposito averages between 24-30 pairings (and the number of students is trending up). Ross, who is mentoring his fifth student, says, “Dana has a really good sense of what her industry friends are like. She knows how they like to explain things and teach. She has done a great job matchiwng me with students that need the qualifications that I can bring to the relationship.”

Knowing the personalities of the mentees is a little trickier. Esposito likes to meet the students face-to-face. She might meet them at an event, whether on campus or in a convention center. Last year, Esposito asked the professors from each university to write cheat sheets about the students. “I was able to see beyond the resume with lovely descriptions of these people. I could see a glimpse into who they are as a person.”

Mentors become emotionally invested If Cipolla’s student is from FIT, she will attend the Capstone Thesis Review at FIT in New York. It’s been a year’s journey for the student and Cipola, and now the student must present the work. “I always feel anxious the night before for the students. You could call it sympathy pains!” says Cipola.

The morning of, the student will practice the presentation with Cipolla. She guides them

and builds their confidence.

“With every student, I really try to give them some positive feedback early in their presentation. I want to build their confidence and create a receptive space for them. And while I will occasionally challenge, I’ll never trip them up.”

After years of working on pitches, Capstone is the one day that Cipolla jokes that this is the day she gets to receive rather than give a pitch.

Mentoring one other In the last three years, Esposito and a handful of colleagues revived the Northeast EDPA Chapter. With the chapter’s mission speaking to maintaining a sustainable industry, she believes that collaboration and education protects the industry’s future.

“We make a living by producing experiential marketing,” says Kevin Fett, president and CEO of Ion Exhibits and EDPA Midwest chapter president. “However, we all agree we’re here to ‘send the elevator back down.’” Appreciative members of the industry want to “give more than to receive,” and the chapter offers opportunities for networking, education, and charitable works.

In addition to BSU and FIT, the Illinois Institute of Art connects students with the tradeshow industry. Last year, 27 students paired with a designer and joined the Midwest chapter’s Presenter’s Challenge – its most attended event that included 85 executives last year.

With the success of IIA, Fett looks to expand the college-level connections to include project management and sales students.

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IN MEMORIAM Remembrances from Matt’s industry family: “The TradeTec family is grieving of the loss of our dear friend, Matt Campbell. Moreover the industry has lost a real client advocate and champion. Matt’s belief in the customer service during installation and dismantle was second to none.

We will miss his legendary smile and huge laugh, our thoughts are with his family, colleagues and friends.”

- Troy Trice, President, TradeTec Skyline

Matthew Campbell, 1964-2018

M

atthew Campbell, president of Tradewinds Exhibit Management in Orlando, passed away peacefully in Las Vegas, on January 25, at the age of 54. He died the way he lived: working on a tradeshow.

A long-time exhibition and trade show fixture, in 1991 Campbell founded Tradeshow Technical Support Inc. Campbell’s TTSI specialized in clients with a need for a dedicated traveling trade show exhibit installation and dismantle contractor. TTSI traveled throughout the U.S. and abroad with their clients’ exhibits to handle their onsite trade show needs.

After building a strong rapport with his traveling clients Campbell and TTSI decided to take the same high standards offered to its dedicated traveling clients and bring them to the Florida market where he opened a local office in 2008.

The company was re-dubbed Tradewinds Exhibit Management. Though the office was located near one of the busiest trade show venues in the country, the Orange County Convention Center, Tradewinds Exhibit Management continued to maintain its traveling service options. The company will continue without him, but his family, friends and staff feel the loss.

“Matthew was one of the greats in our industry and he will be missed by many,” says Taryn Buelteman, vice president of Tradewinds Exhibit Management.

“The knowledge over the years I learned from Matt is something I will never forget, I am thankful for the opportunity to call Matt a friend and colleague. Our industry’s loss of “The STASH” (Matt) will be something forever imprinted on us, he was an easygoing guy who liked to have fun, and his presence was always a good time. To say his time was too soon is an understatement, He will be missed by many who have learned from him and enjoyed his laughter. We express our deep condolences to everyone affected by this industry’s wide loss.”

-Steve Sanchez, President, Patriot Exhibit Services “So much I could say. Just one of the classic great old souls of our industry. Matt was a great source of support in my career. There are people in this industry that just get it. Matt was one of those.”

- Jeff Blaisdell “When speaking about a “traveling I&D” guy, for those of us who know what that entails, you would assume it to be the less glamorous option of our industry. Not for Matt. He had a celebrity quality about him. Many knew him quite well... He took great pride in servicing his clients, bouncing around all year and made sure to make time to see his friends and colleagues on every trip. I discovered a lot of this country as a traveling I&D guy and Matt was usually on site in every city I set my feet in.

At one point I could have swore he was a triplet. We had great times on and off the show floor in those years past. Outback Steak House was the meal of choice EVERY NIGHT in my travels with him and when you walked into any of them throughout the country they always knew his name. Many even had his name on a boomerang tacked to the ceiling.

Matt was above and beyond the rest of the pack. I could mention countless shortcuts he taught me to save a client time and money on a job. He was a perfectionist. No details were overlooked and he made the job look too easy. My heart goes out to his family and friends. He will be dearly missed!

- John Boyko, President, Structure Exhibits The “ULTIMATE TRADESHOW PROFESSIONAL“ and one hell of a nice guy!!!’

- Ray Glomski, Patriot Exhibit Services

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Lawrence “Larry” Ciccotti

L

awrence “Larry” Ciccotti, a veteran of 30 years in the trade show industry passed away on Jan. 1 2018. Ciccotti was the principal of Sho-Link at the time of his death. The Las Vegas-based national I&D supplier boasts of having competent and experienced labor providing consistent service and know-how.

Ciccotti was said to have brought together some of the industry’s hardest-working and most dedicated crews. He was a long-time teamster and proud of the relationships and groundup learning he developed with that organization, which helped him excel in managing Las Vegas’ biggest shows.

He was born in Chicago on Oct. 16, 1950 and moved to Nevada as a young man in 1968. He cherished the mountains and valleys of southern Nevada, and enjoyed exploring nature with his wife Susan and their many dogs. He was also an excellent cook with a deep love for food and his family and friends who say they will dearly miss his delectable cooking.

Ciccotti lived in Pahrump, a quiet community about an hour from Las Vegas and passed away surrounded by his loved ones.

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

David Woods Celebrates 40 Years in the Exhibit Industry David Woods, business development director at Laborinc.ca, is celebrating 40 years in the exhibit industry and Brian Kearns, the president of Laborinc.ca, is proud of Woods’ long career and his association with Laborinc.ca.

Woods first collaboration with Kearns was during the ‘90s at a company now known as TAG. Together they executed numerous projects on a global platform with one of the most challenging and rewarding being complete design, build and delivery of 400 exhibits for Canadian companies exhibiting in Mexico City for the launching of the NAFTA agreement partnership.

Having worked with some of the most prestigious exhibit houses in Canada, Woods was excited to reconnect with Kearns and join the team at Laborinc.ca. Says Laborinc. ca President Kearns, “It’s wonderful to work with David again and have his experience on board helping us build an exemplary company providing top tier I&D services to all our clients across Canada.”

Woods arrived in Canada in 1977 from the U.K. with a

background in estimating and was classified as an architectural technologist by the local immigration office. It wasn’t long before he was hired by Disney Display out of Toronto with their other offices in Germany, Singapore and London.

Woods soon mastered the Telex machine and was quoting on international projects around the globe. His position soon evolved into a site supervisor, project manager and assistant general manager.

Says Woods, “I have worked for a number of exhibit companies since 1977 but it was my first employer (Disney Display) and mentor Mr. Joe Batty who showed me integrity and honesty, and as I worked with them for ten years, I witnessed firsthand all the wonderful attributes of a family run business,” adding, “There were too many great times to mention, brilliant working colleagues and fantastic international clients.

We built many museums and interpretive centers and three pavilions at Expo ‘86, traveled to supervise projects, throughout Europe, Asia, South America and the USA. The ten years

at Disney was the foundation for my career in the exhibition industry.”

For many years Woods worked overseas in China, Europe and South America and became quite a master of international pavilions, working with numerous export-minded governments including Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Australia, to name just a few.

Many of these pavilions were constructed without aluminum extrusions.

In the mid-1980s and ‘90s Woods was the project manager on many museums and interpretive center projects such as, Fort McMurray Oil Sands, the Kananaskis Interpretive Centre, the Banff Cave & Basin Hot Springs and the Canadian and British pavilions at Expo Vancouver.

Woods’ relates that “in the afternoon of August 16, 1977, while I was working in the mu-

sic building at the CNE, installing the new Q107 radio booth, I noticed a very odd event; the RCA booth was being covered with black drape material and soon after we learned Elvis had died… it was a very sad day,” remembers Woods.

Another memorable experience was in July of 1995.

Woods relates, “I was building the Canadian pavilion at the Fancy Food Show at the Javits for the Canadian government and we had about 70 exhibitors in our pavilion–we had three tractor trailers. But nobody could get in because all the labor was cancelled due to a corruption scandal. So, the 12 guys we ordered to work for us had to go register with the military (who had become the show contractors). Everyone was being identified and checked out to see if they were mobsters. Many of the contractors and politicians ended up in jailed due to the graft

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David W of ta th

and corruption. The amount of military presence there was incredible – the crazy thing is, even the drayage went through the military.”

He remembers another time when he had a freight container offshore in Caracas and there was a strike at the dock.

Says Woods, “We had the British Pavilion for the Caracas Oil Show and there was a strike at the dock and the ship couldn’t dock. Building a large pavilion for the British government, our president at the time, Joe Batty, owner of DISNEY Display, was in Australia. We notified him once we knew we couldn’t get the freight out. He basically pressed the proverbial panic button and instructed us to send men to David Woods’ “compendium of tales” span 40 years in the tradeshow industry

Caracas with the construction plans and money to buy the materials there and build the pavilion from scratch. The men flew down and built it from scratch–they had to change some of the colors–but it got built and it opened on time.

Our president flew from Australia to Caracas for the opening day and opened the British Pavilion at the Caracas Oil Show with the Duke of Kent.

He did so many pavilions for the British government all over the world that he got honored with an OBE. We ended up being the vendor of choice for many years – especially since we didn’t charge the government for flying the men in and building it from scratch. It was just another challenge.”

Woods adds, “Mr. Batty is still living and we talk two to three times a year–he’s in his mid-80s now. When he started the company in 1953, there were only two to three display companies in North America.

Mr.

Batty’s first name is Joseph and he was a carpenter who started his company in a stable—which he used to love to tell people. I started with Disney in January of 1977–that was my university–we called it the University of Disney. We used to travel and do pavilions all over the world–Beijing, Lima (Peru), Santiago (Chile), nearly every city in Germany (our factory was in Dusseldorf), I worked in Munich, Paris, Amsterdam but the center of the universe when it comes to exhibits is Germany – and it almost always has been.

I learned a lot in Germany; I learned how to manage–scheduling manpower, trucking, electricians, carpenters–similar to the States but on a bigger scale.

That was a learning curve where I learned what not to do. I have lots of good memories from doing the larger pavilions. I’ve learned a lot in America too— from the hard-fast union sense, I’ve learned to appreciate the unions and work with them.”

Woods enjoyed the traveling aspect of his career and says, “Beijing was a great experience for me–I visited the Great Wall and I went left--everyone always asks if you went left or right at the Great Wall--and it was a fantastic experience. I showed about

20 Chinese labor people how to put Octanorm together and the next day it went missing--I think they went and built houses with it. I had to go get security to finish the pavilion.”

Other memories include tractor trailers jack-knifing; a knife fight in Lima, Peru; taking 13 trailers to OTC Houston; working at the New York Coliseum; the Acapulco Mining Show, with its earthquake and flooded exposition center; building exhibits on site; and working with graphics, silk screening, PET’s Photo Emulsion Transfer and Cut & Spray Graphics.

When asked what he had learned over the years, Woods replied, “With the pressures of designing, building and the logistics of corporate exhibits I learned from my mentor in my early years to also “smell the roses” when you are in a new city away from home. Smelling the roses may be a cruise around the canals in Chicago, a museum visit or simply taking a tourist type of bus tour to learn more about the city.

Those memories last forever and along the way you end up with a compendium of tales!”

Kearns speaks for all of us when he says, “Congrats, David and keep those stories coming!”

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Pat Dwyer Reflects on a Life in the Industry and Her Next Phase in Life

BY F. ANDREW TAYLOR

Patricia Dwyer was recently presented with The Outstanding Achievement in Industry Leadership Award by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events.

Not bad for someone who had retired six months earlier.

Retired is a bit of an overstatement. She left her position as a senior manager at SmithBucklin in March 2017, but she still maintains her contacts in the industry and is available for consulting work. After 45 years in the industry, she was ready for a change. “I had been with the company for 21 years,” Dwyer says. “Nothing new or dramatic happened, I just felt it was time to start the next phase of my life.”

Dwyer, Pat to her friends, started in the business in 1972, working for her father’s company, Martin C. Dwyer, Inc. in Chicago. “I had been going to college for political science, but times were changing in Washington,” she says. “So, I went to work with my father part-time and

ended up working there until he sold the company in the mid-80s. I don’t know that we actually we had titles back then. I guess you could say I was assistant to the president, but everybody sort of took care of everything.”

When the company was sold, she moved to New York City to work for the company that purchased it, but found NYC wasn’t really her style.

She moved back to Chicago but soon moved away when she was offered a position in Alexandria, Va. She returned to Chicago again after seven years and took a position with the Chicago Convention Bureau and left when she was offered a job as a supervisor at SmithBucklin in 1996.

“I’ve seen tremendous changes in the industry over the years,” Dwyer says. It’s not just the technology of it, but the whole way we interact with the exhibitors. We didn’t have emails or FedEx or anything like that when I started.”

She believes that this led

to a more personal relationship with the customers and that led to her having many long-time friends in the industry. “You had to talk to your customers directly to help them with their issues instead of firing off an email and directing them to your website,” Dwyer says. “For the most part, the changes have been for the better. I don’t think the technology is a detriment, it’s quite the opposite, in fact. It was just a different way back then, but I loved growing up with the industry and getting to know people.”

She notes that despite the huge size of the industry, at heart it’s like a small family where you know people not just as business associates, but as friends. “Some industry people have become life-long friends,” Dwyer says.

“It’s a very personal industry.

I still keep up with my friends in the industry. I would never let that go.”

It was with this in mind that she attended the awards

luncheon in late November at 2017’s Expo! Expo!, IAEE’s annual meeting and exhibition in San Antonio this year. Dwyer’s award annually recognizes an IAEE member who has made an extraordinary personal or professional commitment that materially contributes to the advancement of the exhibitions and events industry.

“Someone in the industry nominated me for it,” Dwyer says. “I was very honored and humbled to receive it from my peers.”

Dwyer hasn’t made any set decisions about her next move, but she’s pondering relocating to Florida, away from Chicago’s brisk winters and where many of her friends and industry contacts have gone to. Among the thing she hopes to do is to get involved in charity work. “That’s a life-long passion that I’ve had, but I wasn’t able to do it while I was working, especially with all of the travel, late nights and everything else,” Dwyer says.

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

People on the Move

R

ES Exhibit Services is pleased to announce the promotion of Sarah Fantauzzi (right) to executive VP. She joined RES in 2012 as the VP of human resources leading the organization with a personal dedication to maximizing organizational efficiency and empowering others to succeed.

According to RES Executive VP Don Johnson, “She leads with conviction, and applies a broad-view approach to business matters as a “big picture” thinker, while always having the foresight to see the long-term implications of effective business planning and strategy.” She brings to the table a diverse background in manufacturing, software and insurance; all of which she calls upon in her current role. Within her first year, she was connecting people with their careers, connecting RES with industry affiliations and re-instating the Northeast EDPA chapter leading it to national recognition. Fantauzzi’s involvement has been recognized both nationally and locally and last year she was nominated for an Executive of the Year award and in 2016 she was the recipient of the Innovative Solutions award for business.

Nth Degree, a leading full-service global event marketing and labor management company, have appointed John Newcomb (far right) as vice president, event architecture and client development. Based out of Nth Degree’s Southern California office, Newcomb is responsible for the growth and development of the company’s events business as well as working with current accounts in support of their face-to-face marketing goals. “John’s background in various sales-focused leadership roles and his experience with integrated marketing

By Exhibit City News

programs and tactics will help Nth Degree continue on its path of growth and development,” says Robert Lowe, president/events. “His ability to flow from marketing strategy to concept and production will also provide our customers with comprehensive expertise to help them reach and exceed their marketing goals.” Most recently, Newcomb served as managing director of The XD Agency, formerly Go! Experience Design, in Long Beach, Calif.

Throughout his career, he has served leading global brands such as Cisco, Nintendo, Visa, Coca-Cola, AT&T, as well as Kia, Porsche, Nissan and others in the experiential automotive space.

Greg Matthews (left) has accepted the position of Orlando city manager with Sho-Link.

Matthews started working part-time with Sho-Link in 2002, becoming full-time in 2010. In the industry since 1986, Matthews is a skilled carpenter, supervisor, and manager. Some of his key traveling supervisor accounts include Beckman Coulter, Ortiz, Benelli, FIS and Outdoor Tech. Matthews has worked in more than 30 major trade show cities in the U.S., and Canada as well. “Matthews has been a valuable part of the Sho-Link team for many years now,” says Rob West, senior director of field operations. “When he worked for me in Orlando, I knew I could trust and feel confident with his decision making. Having him as our Orlando city manager now provides Greg with the opportunity to continue his growth within Sho-Link, and I look forward to working with him for years to come.”

John Patten has rejoined mg as president and COO. Patten is working closely alongside mg CEO Mike Grivas to manage mg’s growing team. “I missed the energy, excitement and creativity of this industry,” says Patton. “After spending three years back in Indianapolis helping to grow a firm in an entirely different industry, I jumped at the opportunity to return to mg. The mg team is full of talented people for whom I have always had the highest admiration. The culture and values of mg are simply stellar.

I am delighted to be back as part of this team.”

Joe O’Reilly (left), director of field operations, was named the 2017 Sho-Link Employee of the Year.

O’Reilly has been an active and involved employee with Sho-Link since 1995. In mid-1996 he was promoted to the Atlanta assistant city manager and a traveling supervisor. Several promotions followed in succession, leading to his current role as director of field operations. O’Reilly’s oversight includes the Sho-Link affiliate network, the supervision of several directly managed cities, estimating, traveling supervisor program, and museum projects. “Joe is a relentless individual who consistently works to find methods of organization and improvement,” says Sho-Link President Scott Rudel. A Georgia Institute of Technology graduate, O’Reilly has worked in cities across the nation during his trade show career doing conventions, special events and permanent installations.

He has assisted in developing numerous company handbooks, programs and projects.

“As a respected leader within Sho-Link, Joe sets an example of diligence and adaptability,” says Colleen Johnson, Sho-Link’s corporate Continued on p. 92

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Continued from p. 90 vice president. “Our entire organization benefits from his input.”

Momentum Management, a nationwide industry leader for labor services, has opened a new base city in Denver, Colo. Mike Kuhnlein (right) joins Momentum Management after managing the city of Denver for Zenith LaborNet over the last eight years. “Momentum Management is very excited about servicing this strategic city and adding Denver to our portfolio of base cities across the United States,” says General Manager Rick Bellerjeau. Kuhnlein says, “I’ve come to know and respect Momentum over the years. Watching them grow and expand has been really exciting to watch. Their drive for excellence and drive to win is very exciting. Momentum’s commitment to the exhibit house and to customers in general matches my understanding on what this industry is all about” and adds, “The fact that Momentum has a 25 year history in the industry and a willingness to do whatever it takes to support their customers makes this is a perfect fit for me.”

MC2, a driving force in the exhibit and event marketing industry, has hired new account executives, Mary Gabriel and Pam Dancu (below right), who will be working primarily out of its Detroit office.

In her new role as an MC2 account executive, she will lead in the development and execution of experiential strategies and integrated marketing programs.

Dancu is an exhibit, event and museum industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience, largely with OEM vehicle manufacturers, Tier One suppliers, and OEM boat manufacturers.

As an account executive with MC2, Dancu will work with OEMs and automotive suppliers, leading the strategy and direction of advanced technology displays, technology review programs, international marketing, innovation galleries, permanent installations, trade shows and events.

Employco USA, Inc. is pleased to announce the promotion of three of its staff members in January. Michael E. Dougala has been with the company for 17 years, most recently as controller, and was promoted to chief financial officer. Lauren Baldwin has been with the company for more than 11 years, and went from payroll technician to payroll supervisor.

Brittany Wilkey is coming up on her second year with the company and is moving from HR coordinator to HR generalist.

Employco also welcomed a new member to the team. Chrissie O’Connell was hired as a payroll technician, responsible for processing payroll for Employco client accounts.

Mirror Show Management has hired five new employees. Nate Thompson (right), Brad Carroll and Gavin Spuck have joined the company as warehouse coordinators; Ryan Fetzner and Erica Mimken (below right) have joined as graphic designers. Thompson was with Roberts Wesleyan College overseeing site management in Chili, N.Y. Carroll was with Home Depot as department supervisor in Rochester and holds a B.A in political science from University of Rochester. Spuck was a general manager at a Sonic Drive-In in Rochester, and holds an M.B.A with a finance concentration from Southern New Hampshire University. Fetzner was with Grid Marketing as a senior graphic designer in Rochester and holds a B.F.A in graphic design from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Mimken was with Manning & Napier Advisors as a graphic designer in Fairport, N.Y. and holds a B.F.A in graphic design from SUNY New Paltz.

AGAM, designers and manufacturers of the AGAM Modular Display System,

a line of pre-engineered extrusions and components interlocking together, have named Adam Beckett as CEO. Beckett assumed day-to-day leadership of the company and plans to spearhead strategies designed to grow the business and strengthen customer relationships. Exhibition industry veteran Beckett spent 20 years at Derse, a full service face-to-face marketing agency, where he held senior leadership roles including president and CEO. In addition, Beckett served six years on the board of directors of the EDPA. He earned his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University.

Kelly Voss has been appointed as senior account executive at AGAM. Voss is a business development professional with 25 years of sales management experience. Voss is well respected in the exhibit, events and retail industries where she has built strong working relationships and will be serving the Midwest region. David Brown has been appointed as vice president of finance. Brown is a CPA with 20 years of fiscal and operations management experience in manufacturing and distribution.

DB Schenker USA is proud to announce that Michael Stromeyer will join the Schenker USA team in the role of director, fairs and exhibitions, USA. Stromeyer will be relocating from Frankfurt, Germany where–as branch manager Mannheim/Frankfurt--he managed the fairs and exhibitions businesses in both of those locations. Stromeyer will be based in the Chicago branch, and will report to CEO Robert Walpole.

The Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority has named Michael J. Sawaya as president and general manager of the ENM Convention Center and executive VP of the Authority.

He succeeds Robert “Bob” Johnson, who retired last September 25 after ten years of service.

92 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

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2/13/18 10:17 AM

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DINING

The Lip Smacking Foodie Tour For Those Craving the Ultimate VIP Experience and Celebrity Chef’s Dishes

BY JEANNE BREI

Their mission is to introduce you to the best signature dishes, unique preparations and exciting tastes in Las Vegas. Open less than three years, they’ve been honored as “Best Tour,” “Best Fine Dining,” and “Best Brunch” by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, awarded “Best Food/Beverage Tour Operations (Land)”

by The World Food Travel Association, awarded “Best Tour” by InVegas magazine, and named “Best New Tour” by Thrillist. And speaking from experience, they’re well-deserved awards!

At each restaurant, you’re a VIP, whisked past lines to the best table to enjoy three to four of the most buzzedabout signature dishes on the menu.

There’s more than 330 restaurants on the Strip and their guided tours lead you to the best Vegas has to offer. They believe that half the fun lies in the anticipation and the surprise, so they don’t divulge destinations in advance—but there’s no

scrimping! My Savors of the Strip tour visited the Aria, Cosmopolitan and the Crystals with dessert from Wolfgang Puck’s Cucina, appetizers from Michael Mina’s Bardot Brasserie (French) and stops at Estiatorio Milos’ for fabulous Greek/seafood and chef Shawn McClain’s swanky Sage specialties. They rotate among 40 top restaurants depending on the size of the group and will create private and custom tours for team building events, birthday/bachelorette parties or requests for all-vegan, all-dessert, allsteak tours, etc.

In just three hours, I sampled delicious duck wings a l’orange, delectable escargots in puff pastry shells, a lovely Greek salad, and tasty foie gras brulee, tiramisu, cremoso and a yummy Zeppole (fried Italian doughnut with chocolate sauce) among several other dishes. Each dining establishment would elegantly serve three or four dishes, usually family style for the table and our knowledgeable culinary guide, Ray, would describe our dishes and serve each of us. He would also talk about the casino and its artwork

as we walked to our next restaurant.

It’s Las Vegas’ premier walking tour company exclusively geared toward those craving the ultimate taste of Las Vegas.

They have several types of tours, daytime or evening adventures at up to five top restaurants, on the Strip or downtown—including the elegant Savors of the Strip, the Downtown Lip Smacking Tour, the Lip Smacking Boozy Brunch, Vegas Sights & Worldly Bites (at the Venetian/ Palazzo) and Savory Bites Neon Lights. Tours can include a drink package, a helicopter tour or a Pink Jeeps renowned “Bright Lights City Tour.”

Founded by restaurant industry professional Donald Contursi with years of experience working in top-rated restaurants, doing tireless research, combing through menus, blogs, editorials, and respected dining reviews, he’s uncovered the little-known gems and hideaways that truly make Vegas one of the most eclectic dining scenes around. Bon appétit!

The Lip Smacking Vegas Foodie Tour is located at www.vegasfoodietour.com.

Telephone: (877) 548-6071.

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Photo by Killer Imaging

THE D.E.A.L. Dining, Entertainment, Attractions & Lodging

ENTERTAINMENT

“The Cocktail Cabaret” is Vintage Vegas at Its Best Powerhouse Vocalists Kick Off the Cocktail Hour

The Cocktail Cabaret tickets are on sale ($55 pp plus tax and fees) and can be purchased at www.CocktailCabaret.com (online booking special is 50 percent off with promo code CKWINTER), in-person at Caesars box office, or call the box office at (702) 777-2782.

Performances are held Wednesday through Saturday at 5 p.m., dark Sunday through Tuesday. For more info, visit www.CocktailCabaret.com.

Photo by Killer Imaging

“The Cocktail Cabaret,” an upbeat, stylish, intimate musical cabaret-style revue, reminiscent of vintage Vegas, is designed to enhance the cocktail hour experience as a prelude to dinner, the theatre, special event or fun night on the town. With seating for 140 in Cleopatra’s Barge, this 70-minute show features a combination of original music and well-known stylized and re-imagined modern standards.

Four of the best powerhouse singers in Las Vegas, many with numerous Broadway credits and growing local, national and international fan bases, perform a variety of songs including such hits as “Diamonds Are Forever,” “That’s Life,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” “Viva Las Vegas,” a cocktail medley (including “Scotch and Soda”), a tribute to the blues and many more.

The stellar singers performing in “The Cocktail Cabaret” include Broadway vet-

erans Niki Scalera (“Hairspray,” “Tarzan,” “Footloose”) and Eric Jordan Young (“Rock of Ages,” “Vegas! The Show,” “Ragtime,” “CHICAGO,” “Seussical the Musical,” “Look of Love,” “Dreamgirls”), Maren Wade (“America’s Got Talent,” “Confessions of a Showgirl,” “Pin Up,” “50 Shades! The Parody”), along with rising multilingual classical/pop cross-over vocalist Daniel Emmet who has commanded stages from The Staples Center in Los Angeles to the Palais Todesco in Vienna.

The singers are joined on stage by a fourpiece band led by renowned pianist Philip Fortenberry, a critically acclaimed pianist with multiple Broadway credits whose career has taken him to concert stages from Lincoln Center to Carnegie Hall, from The Kennedy Center to The White House, and around the U.S. performing his own solo concerts, “The Man At The Piano” and “The Hands of Liberace,” to rave reviews (he was the Liberace hand/body double in HBO’s biopic, “Behind the Candelabra.”) The

awesome band with Fortenberry includes drummer Don Meoli (“Jersey Boys”), bassist Josh Jones (“Million Dollar Quartet”) and saxophonist Eric Tewalt (Celine Dion, “Jersey Boys”).

“The Cocktail Cabaret” is the first show on the Las Vegas Strip created and produced by PK Entertainment, a Las Vegas-based entertainment company founded by the gifted musical team Keith Thompson (“Jersey Boys,” “Idaho! The Comedy-Musical” and “The Composers Showcase” at The Smith Center) and Fortenberry.

Truly a piece of Caesars Palace’s storied history, Cleopatra’s Barge offers a classic Vegas lounge and bar experience. With its intimate size and red and gold décor, the luxurious floating barge is an ornate replica of the graceful craft that transported the royalty of Egypt on the Nile River in the time of Julius Caesar.

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THE D.E.A.L. Dining, Entertainment, Attractions & Lodging

ATTRACTION

Las Vegas Mob Tour, Haunted Vegas Ghost Hunt or Vegas Rat Pack Tour Vegas Specialty Tours Provide an Only-in-Vegas Experience Renowned ghost hunter and mob historian, the late Robert George Allen’s motto was to “create adventure” and that’s exactly what he did when he created both the “Haunted Vegas Tour and Ghost Hunt” and the “Vegas Mob Tour.” Countless hours of research through books, documentaries and news clips were spent to bring these tours into reality.

Allen interviewed many people including former FBI special agent Dennis Arnoldy, ex-mobster Frank Cullotta and paranormal investigator and author Janice Oberding, to bring even more authenticity and accuracy to these tours.

Due to the tours’ popularity, Allen and partner Adam Flowers, expanded the company by adding the “Good Springs Ghost Hunt” which has been featured on the Travel Channel’s hit show Ghost Adventures and “Frank Cullotta’s Casino Tour,” Vegas’ most exclusive private tour hosted

personally by ex-mobster Frank Cullotta.

The two-and-a-halfhour tours start at the beautiful Tuscany Hotel and Casino at 4 p.m. for the Rat Pack Tour (which includes both the Mob Tour and The Rat Pack is Back show at the Tuscany), 7 p.m. for the Mob Tour, and 9 p.m. for the Haunted Vegas Ghost Hunt Tour.

In the Vegas Ghost Hunt Tour, you’ll hear real accounts of local paranormal activity while visiting locations of known ghost sightings and haunts. Your guide will supply you with ghost hunting equipment including EMF meters, temperature guns, and dowsing rods. This tour is not a theatrical show, you’ll hear true accounts of both hauntings and Las Vegas’ supernatural history.

Upon boarding the shuttle, your ghostly adventure begins with a brief video about paranormal activities. Then you will be transported to a mysterious part of a famous casino where a celebrity apparition is known to roam. The tour visits many legendary locations including the haunting grounds of Bugsy Siegel, Liberace, Redd Foxx, and two infamous parks known for their ghostly sightings to conduct EVP sessions. Hear stories about Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, who

allegedly appear regularly and learn who haunts “The Motel of Death.”

On the Vegas Mob Tour, you’ll visit sites where mob murders, burglaries, a car bombing, and underworld activities occurred. Learn about the ruthless mob enforcers and hear how they operated in the shadows while dodging law enforcement officials. Your evening begins with a mini-documentary about the Mafia’s influence on Vegas. Highlights of the tour include a house used as a filming location for the classic film Casino, an infamous mob hangout where you will enjoy complimentary pizza, video clips, FBI surveillance photos, and more stories from your guide. Their current special includes a complimentary ticket ($23.95 value) to the downtown Mob Museum (an extraordinary museum with interactive exhibits in a restored 1933 former courthouse and post office)–rated in the top 20 museums in the nation by Trip Advisor for the last two years.

Vegas Specialty Tours begin at the Tuscany Suites and Casino, 255 E Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89169. Telephone: (866) 218-4935. For more info, visit www.vegasspecialtytours.com. The Mob Museum is located at 300 Stewart Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89101. Telephone: (702) 229.2734. For more info, visit www.themobmuseum.org.

96 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

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LODGING

Going Rustic at Mt. Charleston Only 30 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, but a world away in atmosphere, the Resort on Mt. Charleston, the Mt. Charleston Lodge and the Mt. Charleston Cabins are rustic and relaxing retreats from the Las Vegas hustle, bustle and heat. At 7,717 feet elevation, nestled in the majestic mountain surroundings of the Humboldt Toiyabe National Forest’s Kyle Canyon, the air is crisp, the average temperature is 20 degrees cooler than Las Vegas year round, and you’re surrounded by juniper, mountain mahogany, aspen, and ponderosa pine trees, along with breathtaking views--perfect for hiking and skiing Las Vegas.

Directly across the street from the cabins is the Cathedral Rock Picnic area with

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BBQs, fire pits & hiking trails. The cabins come in four sizes, sleeping up to six, and feature a sitting area, gas fireplace, dining set with six chairs, mini fridge, microwave, coffee maker, jetted tub, TV with DVD player and private balconies for enjoying the spectacular views of Mt. Charleston. Some larger cabins come with a kitchenette.

The pet friendly lodge at the Resort on Mt. Charleston boasts that their rooms “ain’t no cabins” and come with comfortable pillow top mattresses, flat screen TVs, and IPod docking stations and private balconies.

And with the only dining establishment at the top of Kyle Canyon, the Mt. Charleston Lodge is a favorite destination and features a large open fireplace surrounded by with windows on three

sides of the room with the bar along one wall. The A-frame building features a 20foot loft ceiling and equally high window opposite the lounge.

The Resort on Mt. Charleston is located at 2275 Kyle Canyon Rd., Mt Charleston, NV 89124. Phone: (888) 559-1888, www.mtcharlestonresort.com.

Mt. Charleston Cabins are located at 5355 Kyle Canyon Rd. Las Vegas, NV 89124. Phone: (702) 8725408, www.mountcharlestoncabins.com.

The Mt. Charleston Lodge is located at 5375 Kyle Canyon Road Las Vegas, NV 89124. Phone: (702) 872-5408, www.mtcharlestonlodge.com.

ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 97

2/12/18 4:03 PM

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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 CENTRAL Show CAMEX - National Association of College Stores National Intramural Recreational Sports Association - NIRSA National Art Materials Trade Association - NAMTA NSSGA AGG1 Aggregates Academy & Expo National Utility Contractors Association - NUCA World of Asphalt SXSW Trade Show Society of Toxicology - ToxExpo - SOT Midwest Poultry Federation Convention Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition - SSTB Design-2-Part Show North American Farm & Power Show International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration - IIAR Insights Property Restoration Conference & Trade Show Grain Elevator and Processing Society - GEAPS DSCOOP - Digital Solutions Cooperative Water Quality Association - Aquatech - WQA AFS Metalcasting Congress National School Boards Association - Annual - NSBA Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. - RIMS Space Symposium IEEE/PES Transmission & Distribution Conference Upper Midwest Electrical EXPO - NCEL Oklahoma Dental Association Texas Apartment Association - TAA Minnesota Dental Association - MDA Star of the North Meeting American College of OB & GYN Annual Meeting - ACOG American Association of Community Colleges - AACC EXPONENTIAL - Unmanned Systems North America - AUVSI

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 03/02 03/04 03/04 03/06 03/06 03/06 03/09 03/11 03/13 03/13 03/14 03/15 03/18 03/19 03/24 03/25 03/26 04/03 04/07 04/15 04/16 04/16 04/18 04/19 04/25 04/26 04/27 04/28 04/30

View Complete Calendar Online

End 03/06 03/07 03/06 03/08 03/09 03/08 03/18 03/15 03/15 03/15 03/15 03/17 03/21 03/21 03/27 03/28 03/29 04/05 04/09 04/18 04/19 04/19 04/19 04/21 04/27 04/28 04/30 05/01 05/03

Venue Kay Bailey Hutchison CC Colorado CC Kay Bailey Hutchison CC George R. Brown CC Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk George R. Brown CC

City Dallas Denver Dallas Houston San Antonio Houston Austin Henry B. Gonzalez CC San Antonio Minneapolis CC Minneapolis Moody Gardens Hotel & CC Galveston Gaylord Texan Dallas Four Seasons Complex Owatonna Colorado Springs The Broadmoor Gaylord Texan Dallas Colorado CC Denver Gaylord Texan Dallas Colorado CC Denver Ft. Worth CC Ft. Worth Henry B. Gonzalez CC San Antonio San Antonio Colorado Springs The Broadmoor Colorado CC Denver Minneapolis CC Minneapolis Oklahoma City The Sheraton Hotel Henry B. Gonzalez CC San Antonio St. Paul RiverCentre St. Paul Austin Hilton Anatole Dallas Colorado CC Denver

St TX CO TX TX TX TX TX TX MN TX TX MN CO TX CO TX CO TX TX TX CO CO MN OK TX MN TX TX CO

Att 6613 2000 1800 5249 1000 7623 18K 6829 3200 2271 1700 32.5K 1600 1000 3589 2000 5000

Exh 728 150 195 182 200 295 145 330 190 249 200 275 140 165 438 100 345 400 7000 325 8814 403 11K 160 12.3K 772 10K 1500 115 3000 325 8756 250 13K 325 2000 200 8000 600

Nsf 150K 50000 41500 42795

Industry Stores & Store Fittings Sporting Goods & Rec. Art, Music & Culture Building & Construction Building & Construction 92665 Building & Construction 20000 Art, Music & Culture Medical & Healthcare 30000 Agriculture & Farming 58200 Petroleum, Oil & Plastics 20000 Manufacturing 99000 Agriculture & Farming Food & Beverage Real Estate Agriculture & Farming 32450 Printing Water Metalworking 55000 Education 104K Insurance Aerospace & Aviation 225K Electrical & Electronics 36300 Electrical & Electronics Medical & Healthcare 70000 Housing 35000 Medical & Healthcare & Healthcare 200K CityMedical Exhibit News’ best-read section!

24000 Education Aerospace & Aviation

SEE YOUR AD HERE! Sponsor your region in the Trade Show Calendar.

ExhibitCityNews.com/Tradeshow-Calendar Exhibit City News’ best-read section! @ExhibitCityNews

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Trade Show Calendar US MIDWEST

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

Show The Work Truck Show - NTEA Ohio Safety Congress & Expo International Home + Housewares Show Powder Coating Show Midwest Foodservice Expo M-PACT - Midwest Petroleum and Convenience Trade Show Ohio Beef Expo Endocrine Society Meeting - ENDO National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners - NAPNAP World Floral Expo TESOL English Language Expo Global Shop National Catholic Educational Association - NCEA Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo - C2E2 Life Insurance Conference SAE World Congress American Coatings Show - AC American Organization of Nurse Executives - AONE American Association for Cancer Research - AACR Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers/Convenience Store Assn International Cheese Technology Exposition - ICTE LeadingAge Illinois Midwest Podiatry Conference Fire Department Instructors Conference - FDIC International Powder Bulk Solids Michigan Dental Association America’s Beauty Show National Private Truck Council Annual Mgmt Conference - NPTC American Telemedicine Association - ATA

Start 03/06 03/07 03/10 03/12 03/12 03/13 03/16 03/17 03/19 03/20 03/27 03/27 04/03 04/06 04/09 04/10 04/10 04/12 04/14 04/17 04/17 04/17 04/19 04/23 04/24 04/25 04/28 04/29 04/29

End 03/09 03/09 03/13 03/15 03/14 03/15 03/18 03/20 03/22 03/22 03/30 03/29 04/05 04/08 04/11 04/12 04/12 04/15 04/18 04/18 04/19 04/19 04/22 04/28 04/26 04/28 04/30 05/01 05/01

Venue Indiana CC Greater Columbus CC McCormick Place JW Marriott Wisconsin Center Indiana CC Ohio Expo Center McCormick Place Hyatt Regency Chicago Donald E. Stephens CC McCormick Place McCormick Place Duke Energy CC McCormick Place Chicago Marriott Downtown Cobo Center Indiana CC Indiana CC McCormick Place Marriott Madison West Wisconsin Center Schaumburg CC

City Indianapolis Columbus Chicago Indianapolis Milwaukee Indianapolis Columbus Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Cincinnati Chicago Chicago Detroit Indianapolis Indianapolis Chicago Madison Milwaukee Schaumburg Chicago Indiana CC Indianapolis Donald E. Stephens CC Rosemont Lansing Center Lansing McCormick Place Chicago Duke Energy CC Cincinnati Chicago

All Information Is Subject to Change*

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

Att 10.4K 6000 58K 1500

Exh 480 216 2.1K 100 193 3500 361 125 10K 129 1730 115 1234 101 6500 150 12K 760 4965 443 34K 453 54 10.2K 148 9100 559 3400 200 16.7K 456 1000 200 2350 223 3000 250 2200 275 28K 821 6771 387 5000 150 70K 414 1200 185 6000 188

Nsf 235K 25000 760K

53000

16800 30000 215K 44300 40000 34940 130K 79600

25000 425K 98440 18000 180K 56700

Industry Automotive & Trucking Medical & Healthcare Housewares Manufacturing Food & Beverage Stores & Store Fittings Agriculture & Farming Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Agriculture & Farming Education Stores & Store Fittings Religious Toys and Hobbies Insurance Automotive & Trucking Manufacturing Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Food & Beverage Food & Beverage Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Fire & Fire Protection Manufacturing Medical & Healthcare Beauty & Healthcare Automotive & Trucking Medical & Healthcare

100 March/April 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 NORTHEAST Show NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association - HMRA International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York & PMQ’s NY Pizza Show International Beauty Show - IBS New York Federation of American Hospitals - FAH Metropolitan New York Shoe Market - March JA International Jewelry Show Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America - MJSA Satellite Imprinted Sportswear Atlantic City - ISS International Vision Expo - East Tri-State Camp Conference Public Library Association National Conference - PLA National Facilities Management and Technology - NMF&T JLC LIVE Residential Construction Show - New England Mid-America Trucking Show - MATS Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development - ASCD New York International Auto Show Ingredient Marketplace - SupplySide Atlantic Builders Conference - ABC IMATS - International Make-up Artists Trade Show American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery - ASCRS American Educational Research Association - AERA Interphex & Biotechnica America International ArtExpo NY INFORMEX National Council of Teachers of Mathematics - NCTM Museum Store Association Conference & Expo - MSA Forward The New Jersey Cooperator’s Condo, HOA, Co-op & Apt. Expo

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 03/03 03/04 03/04 03/04 03/04 03/07 03/11 03/11 03/12 03/15 03/15 03/20 03/20 03/20 03/22 03/22 03/24 03/30 04/10 04/11 04/13 04/13 04/13 04/17 04/19 04/24 04/25 04/27 05/02

End 03/07 03/05 03/06 03/06 03/06 03/08 03/13 03/13 03/15 03/17 03/18 03/22 03/24 03/22 03/24 03/24 03/26 04/08 04/11 04/12 04/15 04/17 04/17 04/19 04/22 04/26 04/28 04/30 05/02

Venue Pennsylvania CC Ocean City CC Javits Center Javits Center Marriott Wardman Park Hotel Meadowlands Expo Center Javits Center Javits Center Walter E. Washington CC Atlantic City CC Javits Center Atlantic City CC Pennsylvania CC Baltimore CC Rhode Island CC Kentucky Expo Center Boston CC Javits Center Meadowlands Expo Center Atlantic City CC Pier 94 Walter E. Washington CC

City Philadelphia Ocean City New York New York Washington Secaucus New York New York Washington Atlantic City New York Atlantic City Philadelphia Baltimore Providence Louisville Boston New York Secaucus Atlantic City New York Washington New York Javits Center New York Pier 94 New York Pennsylvania CC Philadelphia Walter E. Washington CC Washington Renaissance Washington DC Washington Meadowlands Expo Center Secaucus

St PA MD NY NY DC NJ NY NY DC NJ NY NJ PA MD RI KY MA NY NJ NJ NY DC NY NY NY PA DC DC NJ

Att 7000 4000 16K 1500 600 3748

Exh 150 300 367 500

400 243 250 12.5K 350 6336 202 23K 714 3000 300 8700 400 9301 456 7812 254 70K 1.1K 12K 400 1M 3500 250 6500 400 10K 13K 14K 10.4K 617 31K 500 3675 489 15K 300 550 250 300

Nsf 64000 40000 64545 70000 47650 40000 90000 49450 270K 86300 65250 54000 826K 80000

75000

159K 69450 42500

Industry Education Hotels & Resorts Restaurants & Food Serv.

Beauty & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Apparel Jewelry Jewelry Communications Apparel Medical & Healthcare Sporting Goods & Rec. Libraries Building & Construction Building & Construction Automotive & Trucking Education Automotive & Trucking Food & Beverage Building & Construction Beauty & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Education Medical & Healthcare Art, Music & Culture Chemical Education Stores & Store Fittings Real Estate

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

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!

GO TO EXHIBITCITYNEWS.COM/SUBSCRIBE OR CALL 702.309.8023

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Trade Show Calendar US NORTHWEST

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

Show OptoWest Northern California Human Resource Assn - HR West SHARE - Technology, Connections, Results Game Manufacturers Association - GAMA International Symposium on Quality Electronic Design - isQED SMX West - Search Marketing Expo SAHM - Society for Adolescent Health & Medicine Central Valley Facilities Expo National Art Education Association - NAEA Aging in America Conference - ASA Aerospace Defence & Supplier Summit International Studies Association - ISA Oregon Dental Conference Society of American Gastrointestinal & Endoscopic Surgeons - SAGES Organization of American Historians - OAH Association of Directory Publishers Annual Convention - ADP American Association of Occupational Health Nurses - AAOHN RSA Conference California Water Environment Association - CWEA Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America - SHEA National Chimney Sweep Guild - NCSG American Occupational Therapy Association - AOTA Specialty Coffee Conference & Exhibition American Jail Association Annual Conf. & Jail Expo - AJA Northwest Foodservice Show Percona Live: MySQL Conference & Expo sUAB Expo - The Silicon Valley Drone Show Utah Dental Association World Conference on Quality and Improvement - ASQ

Start 03/04 03/05 03/11 03/12 03/13 03/13 03/14 03/14 03/22 03/26 03/26 04/04 04/05 04/11 04/12 04/16 04/16 04/16 04/17 04/18 04/18 04/19 04/19 04/21 04/22 04/23 04/25 04/26 04/30

End 03/04 03/07 03/16 03/16 03/14 03/15 03/17 03/15 03/24 03/29 03/28 04/07 04/07 04/14 04/14 04/18 04/18 04/20 04/20 04/20 04/21 04/22 04/22 04/25 04/23 04/25 04/26 04/27 05/02

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Venue Santa Clara Marriott Oakland CC Sacramento CC Peppermill Reno Santa Clara CC Westin Seattle Modesto Centre Plaza Washington State CC Hilton SF Union Square Washington State CC Hilton SF Union Square Oregon CC Washington State CC Sacramento CC Marriott SLC Univ. Park Peppermill Resort Moscone Center Sacramento CC Hilton Portland Downtown Portland DoubleTree Hotel Salt Palace CC Washington State CC Sacramento CC Portland Expo Center Santa Clara CC The Marine Club Salt Palace CC Washington State CC

City Santa Clara Oakland Sacramento Reno Santa Clara San Jose Seattle Modesto Seattle San Francisco Seattle Salt Lake City Portland Seattle Sacramento Salt Lake City Reno San Francisco Sacramento Portland Portland Salt Lake City Seattle Sacramento Portland Santa Clara San Francisco Salt Lake City Seattle

St CA CA CA NV CA CA WA CA WA CA WA CA OR WA CA UT NV CA CA OR OR UT WA CA OR CA CA UT WA

Att 1500 600 1200 1684 650 2000 1900 4000 3000 5900 5586 2400 1900 500 1600 40K 1500 1300 7640 8025 2200 5000 2000 6576 2500

Exh 88 25 50 13 60 16 225 115 170 600

Nsf 7000 2500 10500

1600 23500 20400 14500

264 30000

36 3600 118 386 98000 59 64 384 43980 425 100K 275 30000 400

170 50000 100 30000

Industry Medical & Healthcare Business Computers & Apps Gaming & Entertainment Electrical & Electronics Computers & Apps Medical & Healthcare Plant Eng. & Operations Education Medical & Healthcare Aerospace & Aviation Education Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Associations Publishing Medical & Healthcare Computers & Apps Water Medical & Healthcare Building & Construction Medical & Healthcare Food & Beverage Government Food & Beverage Computers & Apps Aerospace & Aviation Medical & Healthcare Education

Fall in love with our interactive 3D cartoon characters who work tirelessly to bring you qualified leads and unforgettable experiences in trade show booths and at corporate events

See our video at www.chops.com 102 March/April 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 International Wireless Communications Expo - IWCE Cruise Shipping Miami American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons - AAOS Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo - HPBA American College of Cardiology - ACC MiaGreen - Miami Green Expo & Conference U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology Conference & Stage Expo - USITT National Science Teachers Association - Annual - NSTA American Pharmacists Association - APhA Duty Free Show of the Americas - IAADFS American Chemical Society Spring - ACS SHAPE America National Conv. & Expo - Society of Health & Physical Educators International Sign Expo - ISA Global Pet Expo - APPMA Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting Vacuum Dealers Trade Association - VDTA Association of periOperative Registered Nurses - AORN AUSA ILW Global Force Symposium and Exposition - Association of the US Army International Window Coverings Expo - VISION International Propane Expo & Southeastern Convention - NPGA MODEX - Material Handling & Logistics Solutions Aviation Week MRO Americas NWFA Annual Wood Flooring Convention & Expo Highpoint Market Spring SPIE DSS Expo - Defense, Security & Sensing American Academy of Audiology - AAA Army Aviation Association of America - AAAA The National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show American Association of Neurological Surgeons - AANS

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 03/05 03/05 03/06 03/08 03/10 03/14 03/14 03/15 03/16 03/18 03/18 03/20 03/21 03/21 03/22 03/24 03/24 03/26 03/27 04/06 04/09 04/10 04/11 04/14 04/15 04/18 04/25 04/28 04/28

End 03/09 03/08 03/10 03/10 03/12 03/15 03/17 03/18 03/19 03/21 03/22 03/24 03/24 03/23 03/24 03/26 03/28 03/28 03/28 04/08 04/12 04/12 04/14 04/18 04/19 04/21 04/27 04/29 05/02

Venue Orange County CC Broward County CC Morial CC Music City Center Orange County CC MACC CC Broward County CC Georgia World Congress Ctr Music City Center Marriott World Center Morial CC Music City Center Orange County CC Orange County CC Georgia World Congress Ctr Charlotte CC Morial CC Von Braun Center Tampa CC Georgia World Congress Ctr Georgia World Congress Ctr Orange County CC Tampa CC

City Orlando Ft. Lauderdale New Orleans Nashville Orlando Miami Ft. Lauderdale Atlanta Nashville Orlando New Orleans Nashville Orlando Orlando Atlanta Charlotte New Orleans Huntsville Tampa Atlanta Atlanta Orlando Tampa High Point Gaylord Palms Orlando Music City Center Nashville Gaylord Opryland Nashville Prime F. Osborn III CC Jacksonville Morial CC New Orleans

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

Att 7387 10K 32K 4833 13.8K 4000 5000 14K 7000 4600 16.8K 5000 16.3K 4910 21K 3500 10.2K 5400 3000 4100 21K 10K 4000 85K 6000 3730 6000 1600 3300

Exh 369 983 517 375 279 200 280 500 200 169 320 300 540 896 400 200 500 200 107 240 589 800 300 2K 500 178 285 90 221

Nsf 91700 152K 221K 128K 124K 44800 45000 120K 45000 74194 50000 50000 189K 249K 85000 53000 143K 99064 60000 54000 178K 96200 150K 583K 58031 63100 240K 45000 80000

Industry Communications Travel Industry Medical & Healthcare Building & Construction Medical & Healthcare Building & Construction Electrical & Electronics Education Medical & Healthcare Stores & Store Fittings Chemical Sporting Goods & Rec. Printing Medical & Healthcare Housewares Medical & Healthcare Military Home Furn. & Int. Design Energy Mat. Handl., Pkg & Logistics

Aerospace & Aviation Building & Construction Home Furn. & Int. Design Military Medical & Healthcare Aerospace & Aviation Business Medical & Healthcare

From a 20-ft. 3D LED Video Wall*, live in real time, or any other type of video display you want to use. Imagine your own custom characters on holographic projections, massive video walls or intimate flat screens. * When viewed on Haverford’s 3D LED Video Wall with movie theater 3D Glasses

For more information, contact CHOPS Live Animation’s Gary Jesch at www.chops.com or 775-831-7451 @ExhibitCityNews

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Trade Show Calendar US SOUTHWEST

Att = Attendance | CC=Convention Center | Exh = Exhibitors | Nsf = Net Square Feet All Information Is Subject to Change*

Show Healthcare Information & Management Systems - HIMSS Natural Products Expo West/SupplyExpo TOYFEST West - Western Toy & Hobby Representatives Association Optical Fiber Communication - OFC/NFOEC ASD Las Vegas Mobile Beat Las Vegas - MBLV International Limousine & Chauffeur Transportation - LCT California Park & Recreation Conference - CPRS American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry - AAGP International Pizza Expo National Automatic Merchandising Association - NAMA OneShow International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association - IHRSA National Automobile Dealers Association - NADA Nightclub & Bar Show Digital Signage Expo - DSE

Start 03/05 03/07 03/11 03/11 03/11 03/12 03/12 03/13 03/15 03/19 03/21 03/21 03/22 03/26 03/27

End 03/09 03/11 03/13 03/15 03/14 03/15 03/14 03/16 03/18 03/22 03/23 03/24 03/25 03/28 03/30

Venue Sands Expo Anaheim CC South Point Hotel San Diego CC Las Vegas CC Tropicana Las Vegas Mandalay Bay Long Beach CC Hilton Hawaiian Village Las Vegas CC Las Vegas CC San Diego CC Las Vegas CC Las Vegas CC Las Vegas CC

City Las Vegas Anaheim Las Vegas San Diego Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas Long Beach Honolulu Las Vegas Las Vegas San Diego Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas

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

Att 36.5K 60.5K 1087 13K 43.7K 1200 3800 2000 1200 6842 4600 8000 22K 37K 4082

Exh 1.1K 2.2K 95 580 2.7K 65 100 250 40 474 250 316 504 662 246

Nsf 524K 369K 33360 106K 675K 30000 60000 40000 30000 107K 65000 200K 259K 196K 83.2K

Industry Medical & Healthcare Food & Beverage Toys and Hobbies Telecommunications Gifts Art, Music & Culture Automotive & Trucking Sporting Goods & Rec. Medical & Healthcare Food & Beverage Stores & Store Fittings Sporting Goods & Rec. Automotive & Trucking Gaming & Entertainment Electrical & Electronics

Medtrade Spring Inside Self Storage Expo - ISS National Association of Broadcasters - NAB ISC West - Security Solutions Western Regional Dental Convention - ADA Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries - ISRI TRANSACT - Electronic Transactions Association - ETA International Cemetary, Cremation & Funeral Assn. - ICCFA American Academy of Neurology - AAN WasteExpo National Congress for Manufactured & Modular Housing National Association of Fleet Administrators - NAFA Automotive Oil Change Association - iFlex - International Fast Lube Expo The Car Wash Show

03/27 04/03 04/07 04/11 04/12 04/14 04/17 04/18 04/21 04/23 04/24 04/24 04/26 04/26

03/29 04/06 04/12 04/13 04/14 04/19 04/19 04/21 04/27 04/26 04/26 04/27 04/28 04/28

Mandalay Bay Paris Hotel & Casino Las Vegas CC Sands Expo Renaissance Glendale Mandalay Bay Mandalay Bay Mandalay Bay Los Angeles CC Las Vegas CC Paris Hotel & Casino Anaheim CC Las Vegas CC Las Vegas CC

Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas Phoenix Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas Los Angeles Las Vegas Las Vegas Anaheim Las Vegas Las Vegas

NV NV NV NV AZ NV NV NV CA NV NV CA NV NV

4630 4000 89.3K 37K 6724 4830 4000 1000 10K 12K 800 935 2300 4992

314 300 1.6K 1K 365 300 200

56.8K 40K 808K 292K 41K 91K 40K 45K 45.6K 237K 40000 60635 92000 124K

Medical & Healthcare Physical Distribution Communications Security Medical & Healthcare Manufacturing Business Funeral Industry Medical & Healthcare Waste Management Building & Construction Automotive & Trucking Automotive & Trucking Automotive & Trucking

150 556 120 271 90 310

• 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

104 March/April 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

CANADA Show The Profile Show Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada - PDAC The Convenience U CARWACS Show London Farm Show Pacific Dental Conference Ottawa Valley Farm Show Globe Allied Beauty Association - ABA Canadian Special Events Live - CSE Live CMPX - Canadian Mechanical & Plumbing Exhibition Atlantic Building Materials Show - ABSDA Ottawa Gatineau International Auto Show The National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show Allied Beauty Association - ABA Vancouver International Auto Show The National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show Canadian Independent Telecommunications Association - CITA Showcase Together We Care - OLTCA & ORCA Annual Convention & Trade Show The National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show Truck World Esthetic and Spa Trade Show

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 03/04 03/04 03/06 03/07 03/08 03/13 03/14 03/18 03/19 03/21 03/21 03/22 03/24 03/25 03/28 04/07 04/08 04/09 04/14 04/19 04/22

End 03/07 03/07 03/07 03/09 03/10 03/15 03/16 03/19 03/21 03/23 03/22 03/25 03/25 03/26 04/01 04/08 04/10 04/11 04/15 04/21 04/23

Venue Toronto Congress Ctr Metro Toronto CC The Toronto Congress Ctr Agriplex Vancouver CC EY Centre Vancouver CC Palais des Congres Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel Metro Toronto Congress Centre Halifax CC Shaw Centre RBC CC Metro Toronto Congress Centre Vancouver CC Vancouver CC The Fallsview Casino & Resort Toronto Congress Ctr Palais des Congres International Centre Metro Toronto Congress Centre

City Toronto Toronto Toronto London Vancouver Ottawa Vancouver Montreal Toronto Toronto Halifax Ottawa Winnipeg Toronto Vancouver Vancouver Niagra Falls Toronto Montreal Mississauga Toronto

St ON ON ON ON BC ON BC QC ON ON NS ON MB ON BC BC ON ON QC ON ON

Att 2969 30K 5500 15K 12K 11.4K 11.2K 10K 1500 15K

Exh 198 1K 300 360 300 350 250 105 100 500

15K 85K 1500

115 155K

1200 5000 20K 7227

300 95 25000 350 550

75

Nsf 69700 260K 42500 62500

130K 40000 100K

24000

Industry Apparel Mining Stores & Store Fittings Agriculture & Farming Medical & Healthcare Agriculture & Farming Pollution Control Beauty & Healthcare Exhibition & Meeting Ind. Building & Construction Building & Construction Automotive & Trucking Business Beauty & Healthcare Automotive & Trucking Business Communications Medical & Healthcare Business Automotive & Trucking Beauty & Healthcare

*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

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higher education

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INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE Where to Find Professional Services, Products and Supplies – a Companion Directory to our www.ExhibitCityNews.com/Service-Guide

A Harmony Nails Aadvantaged Displays BWC Visual Technologies CEP Champion Logistics Changzhou Gaochuang Products Chickpeas Mediterranean Café Collazo Expo Services Corey Johnson Photography Corporate Communications Corporate Events

113 111 108 109 112 113 114 109 113 108 109

CoStar Exhibits Equip, Inc. Exhibitrac Direct Marketing Expoquarzo Exhibitions FWR Horizon Print Solutions JasperWorks Exhibits KB Lines King Size LED Displays KKOM Larry Kulchwik Consulting

110 114 114 110 111 113 109 112 111 110 108

Last Minute Venues 114 MasterClass Exhibitor Training 109 Nevada Hospice Care 112 Ommy Expositions 110 Plastic Man, Inc. 108 Tradeshow Leads to Sales 114 Tradeshow Transportation Specialists 112 TWI Group 112 Vegas Foodie Tours 111 William Daniels 108 YOR Design 110

For Service Guide information and rates, call sales at (702) 309-8023. Inclusive categories are available for all your company advertising needs.

ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 107

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INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

Plastic Man Inc. Since 1985 Plastic Man Inc. has been in Las Vegas area providing the ultimate in Custom Acrylic/Wood Fabrication. From designs, fabrication, graphics to final installation our extensive experience gives high quality service. Our Custom Fabrication has been servicing Las Vegas Casinos, commercial, industrial and retail which truly makes us an industry leader.

Attorney at Law

Audio Visual Technology

Consulting

Event Management

Exhibit / Trade Show Displays | Event Planning | Sporting Event DĂŠcor

108 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

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INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

JasperWorks Exhibits Services JasperWorks Exhibits Services is a Salt Lake City based I&D company specializing in partnering specifically with national I&D companies to service their clientele, projects and events in Utah and the surrounding regions including Idaho and Wyoming.

Established in 1996 by founder, Tory Clayton, JasperWorks has cultivated a reputation of reliability and integrity along with being regarded as a company that offers a knowledgeable, skillful and professional influence on the show floor. So if you don’t have an office in Salt Lake City, give us a call. We’ll put the pieces together for you!

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Montpelier, VT

Concord, NH

Boston, MA Worcester, MA Springfield, MA

Hartford, CT

(508) 366-8594 info@corp-eventsne.com

Providence, RI

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@ExhibitCityNews

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INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

CoStar Exhibits “CoStar Events Services opens the door to the highest level in event production for corporations, trade shows and coordinates all aspects of your gala, award dinner, or anything you can imagine. We handle all aspects of planning and production with unmatched service, creativity, and commitment to excellence. We take your vision and turn it into a reality with hands-on personal attention to every detail.”

Exhibits

Exhibits

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BOOTH DESIGN & RENTALS PORTABLE SIGNAGE & HARDWARE BRANDED PREMIUMS VIDEOS & PRESENTIONS SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTIONS PRINT & DESIGN SERVICES 262-250-2060 EXT 232 | RKOHL@KKOMINC.COM

Exhibits

Exhibits

110 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

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INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

Freshwata Freshwata together offers you a brilliant team of passionate, wildly creative individuals who invest time strategizing, branding and designing so your company’s vision comes through loud and clear. Events=Design+Exhibits+Tech=Freshwata.

The core of our service encompasses planning along with building and developing style for exhibits, corporate and social events, meetings, environments, exhibits and productions. Our innovative team will streamline your event and maximize (results) while minimizing (stress) from concept to fruition.

Food Tours

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941-758-8444 866-239-8056

Visit us online for more of our products & services

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@ExhibitCityNews

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INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

Nevada Hospice Care Nevada Hospice Care provides an individualized program of physical, emotional, spiritual, and compassionate care for people in the last phases of a life-limiting illness, with an emphasis on control of pain and other symptoms. Our interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers, hospice aides, volunteers, chaplains, bereavement counselors develop a unique plan of care to support you and your caregiver. At Nevada Hospice Care Our Care is as Unique as your DNA.

Logistics

Logistics

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.

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

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

Logistics

Logistics

112 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

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INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

• 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!

Horizon Print Solutions Horizon Print Solutions is a proven long term supplier to the Convention Services, Meeting Planning, Hospitality & Gaming industries for 25 years. Based in Las Vegas NV, Horizon’s vast Product Offering & Exceptional Attention to Detail has set them apart from their competition. Consider Horizon as your preferred source for Print & Collateral, for you and your client’s needs, you’ll be glad you did!

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

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

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

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

Answer: Exhibit City News, of course!

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107_ServiceGuide_0318.indd 7

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:

EXHIBITCITYNEWS.COM/SUBSCRIBE OR CALL:

702.309.8023 ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 113

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INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

FIXTURE & DISPLAY COVERS TRADE SHOW DISPLAY COVERS COMMERCIAL FURNITURE

Equip Inc. Let Equip Inc. be your one-stop resource for your next exhibit! We have the best selection and pricing for custom security covers and commercial grade furniture, fixtures & equipment. Our goal is to build a relationship with you as we see business engagements as a partnership – not just a transaction.

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114 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

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2018 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: Argentina

• Feature: Exhibitor Live Preview • Furnishings • Event Organizers International Focus: Belgium

• Technology Show/Products • AV/Lighting/Graphics/Photography • Corporate Social Responsibility Regional Focus: Southwest US

• Exhibit Building & Design • Show Management/Kits • Extrusions Regional Focus: Northeast US

MAY-JUNE

JULY-AUGUST

May (print & digital):

July (print & digital):

June (digital only):

August (digital only):

• Feature: Museums/Exhibits • Exhibit Design • Exhibitor Live Post International Focus: Brazil

• Feature: Women in the Industry • Show Security/Safety • Show Services International Focus: Singapore

• Mobile Exhibits • Warehousing/Material Handling • Corporate Social Responsibility Regional Focus: Central US

• Insurance/Legal/Contracts • Industry Salespeople • Tension Fabric Regional Focus: Midwest US

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER

September (print & digital):

November (print & digital):

October (digital only):

December (digital only):

• Feature: Giveaways/Incentives • General Contractors • Flooring International Focus: Costa Rica/Panama

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

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

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 US

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

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Classifieds

Equity Partner Wanted

Sr. Account Manager Derse, a face-to-face experiential marketing company that specializes in the design, fabrication, and program management for trade shows, business environments and events is seeking an experienced Sr. Account Manager for its Dallas, TX location.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES: • Is fully responsible for managing one account with regular yearly sales of $1,000,000 or greater • In concert with the assigned Account Executive, provide necessary sales support for assigned clients while maintaining good client relations with all contacts • Provide day-to-day support to Account Executive in developing new business within current client programs • Initiate / prepare job order documents and associated correspondence for all assigned accounts • Monitor production process to ensure that all project objectives are accomplished and are on time • Responsible for reviewing all change order items to ensure all costs are accounted for and that they fall within the given project time constraints and project budget, including applying any service agreements that are in place • Assist in preparation of proposals from cost estimates for construction

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

projects or services requested • Research & gather appropriate information as it relates to delinquent account issues • Attend production meetings between sales staff & shop supervision • Maintain an accurate and accountable job file on all project activities as well as write the weekly sales highlights • Travel to assigned client shows / events as needed / directed • Represent the company and its products and services professionally in a manner consistent with current marketing direction

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree and / or 7-10 years of strong account management experience required • Highly organized, flexible and ability to work necessary hours in a fastpaced, deadline driven environment • Strong customer service & conflict resolution skills combined with an ability to multi-task is necessary • Tradeshow / Event industry experience preferred • Ability to travel as needed • Advanced in Microsoft Office Visit us at www.derse.com for more information. EOE - M/F/V/D

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

FGI has clients interested in buying tradeshow companies in all specialties, sizes and geographic locations.

Additionally, we offer a free assessment of your tradeshow company with no obligation. Find out what your company is worth.

Carol Fountain, President, 216-952-0745, cfountain@fountaingroupintl.com

To place a classified ad:

Call (702) 309-8023 or e-mail to: Sales@ExhibitCityNews.com

cities such as Las Vegas, Chicago, Boston, Orlando, etc.

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

116 March/April 2018 Exhibit City News

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LOOKING TO MAKE A CHANGE? FIND OUT WHY WE’RE DIFFERENT.

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WWW.STRUCTUREEXHIBITS.COM/CAREERS 2/12/18 10:37 PM

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ExhibitCityNews.com JULY 2015 2

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ADVERTISERS

Advertiser Index 4 Productions

29

EliteXPO

49

Octanorm, USA, Inc.

55

Abex

89

Employco

27

Onsite Services

71

Aluvision

54/124

Angles on Design

83

Exhibitus

119

Orbus

4

Experience Transport Agency 91

Patriot Exhibits

FWR

21

Prism Tradeshow Lighting

50

Rosemont – RES

72

RSMGC (Randy Smith Golf)

86

SG Productions

97 39

35 118

beMatrix

2

Brumark

25

Highmark

Camden Tradeshow

91

Hill & Partners

CB Displays

87

Horizon Print Solution

Champion Logistics

43

IFES Global Village

61

Sho-Link

Charlie Palmer

93

Imperial Security

19

showNets, LLC

122

Inside Track

81

Step 1 Dezigns

68

Chops Animation

102/103

7 104

Cobo Center

71

Joe’s New York Pizza

95

Stevens E3

Color Reflections

15

Kingsmen Creatives Ltd.

67

Storage West

77

Corporate Communications

83

Labor Inc.

105

Structure

117

Corporate Events Correct Mechanical Cort CTA (CES Thank You)

106

120

Lago

63

Sunset Transportation

34

14

Modus

23

Superior Logistics

82

TTL, Inc.

75

9 123

Momentum Management

3

NewGen Business Solutions

77

Willwork

Nolan Advisory

57

Win Win Video

96

Zig Zibit

69

D.E. McNabb

5

Edlen Electric

50

Oasis Medical Cannabis

87

EDPA Foundation

13

Oasis Pyramid

98

48/65

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

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ExhibitCityNews.com March/April 2018 121

2/14/18 8:21 AM

Let

showNets your next event

With fast, secure and reliable internet solutions showNets designs, deploys and supports custom Internet solutions for events and venues across the world. Cisco-certified professionals manage your network requirements every step of the way. showNets engineers the fastest, most secure, and most reliable networks and backs them up with responsive, professional, and client based services.

The showNets stress free conference and trade show internet solution includes: Redundant, fault-tolerant designs High-density, reliable wireless service Network Operations Center monitor 24/7/365 Dedicated teams of certified professionals • Flexible service offering includes: • Web casting • Automated access portal • Secure VPN • RFID

• • • •

showNets is the premier provider of high-density wireless and Internet. Our technical experts design and implement a state of the art network for your trade show. Let us show you why clients trust us with their Internet needs.

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Call today 1-800-310-4454 or check us out online www.shownets.net

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2/12/18 4:28 PM

Thank You Las Vegas

for helping CES Whoa the tech world.

With the help and support of the extraordinary city of Las Vegas, our vendors and dedicated venues, CES 2018 once again was the epicenter of innovation and inspiration for the consumer technology industry worldwide. Thank you for your continuing partnership to make CES a great success.

Agility Fairs & Events ARIA Centerplate Century Trade Show Services Communication Accessing Network CompuSystems COP Security COX Business DTA Security Services Encore Productions FedEx Office Freeman Freeman Audio Visual Solutions Full Circle Events Guardian Elite Medical Services IATSE, Local 720 IBEW, Local 357 JVA Inc. Las Vegas Convention and World Trade Center Las Vegas Metro Police Las Vegas Monorail

Mandalay Bay Convention Center Oscar & Associates Park Theater at Monte Carlo Pavilion Event Services ProShow Pro-Tect Security Renaissance Las Vegas Rhode Planning & Management Solutions Sands Expo SOA Security SES Productions Spring Valley Floral Teamsters, Local 631 The Venetian/The Palazzo Vdara Westgate Las Vegas Wynn/Encore Las Vegas And all participating CES hotels

SAVE THE DATE CESÂŽ Jan. 8-11, 2019

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2/12/18 4:31 PM

LED tile 55 P2

LED tile 55 P2 19.53”x19.53”x2.17”

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2/12/18 3:35 PM