Exhibit City News - March/April 2017 by Exhibit City News

NEW! Shop to Showfloor Section: Sharpening Soft Skills in I&D

March/April 2017 • VOL. 23 • ISSUE 2

THE INDUSTRY’S MOST IMPORTANT SHOW? 29th Annual ExhibitorLIVE The Sky’s the Limit at Mandalay Bay

EuroShop: The World’s No. 1 Retail Trade Fair Tradeshow Trends: 2017 and Beyond Magic Sells! Bewitching Tradeshow Crowds

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EXHIBITCITYNEWS.COM

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TABLE OF CONTENTS NEW! Shop to Showfloor Section: Sharpening Soft Skills in I&D

March/April 2017 • VOL. 23 • ISSUE 2

THE INDUSTRY’S MOST IMPORTANT SHOW?

2017 and Beyond

29th Annual ExhibitorLIVE The Sky’s the Limit at Mandalay Bay

Shop to Showfloor Section I&D and Event Labor

EuroShop: The World’s No. 1 Retail Trade Fair

Tradeshow Trends: 2017 and Beyond Magic Sells! Bewitching Tradeshow Crowds

Sharpening Soft Skills in I&D Transforming Crews to Relationshipbased Partners

EXHIBITCITYNEWS.COM

On our cover: 29th Annual ExhibitorLIVE The Sky’s the Limit at Mandalay Bay

Factory in the Forest

Feature Story

ProExhibits Brings Stikwood’s Rustic Booth to Life

EXHIBITORLIVE - Why This Event is So Important!

The Special Event Show

22-32

The Industry’s Point of View

Creativity, Education and Unique Items Entice Producers

Columns

10 Questions

Todd Neely, President/CEO of Xpert Exposition Services

As the Saw Turns That Looks About Right

The World’s No. 1 Retail Trade Fair

A Case for Organic Pop Tarts

EuroShop Evolves into Premiere Event for Designers

The Green Piece

Employment Strategy Corner Now’s the Time to Sell Candidates the Position

International Man Immersing into a Culture: Pathfinders on the Trail

Ask the Expert

Step into Aluvision’s World of Wonder! Their Fifth Return to EuroShop

Kyle Landrum’s Exhibitrac Makes the Lists DM Lists, for the Tradeshow Industry, That is!

Memorable Experiences

Creative Directions – Part One

In this Issue

Magic Sells!

10 The Snapshot 62 AIPC 70 ECN Puzzler 92 Convention Center Spotlight 82 People on the Move 86 People on the Move EXTRA 94 In Memoriam 96 The D.E.A.L. 100 Regional Show Calendar 107 Service Guide 114 Classified Ads

Success through Protecting Your Passion

R. Strong Bewitches Tradeshow Crowds

Expect Your Salesforce to Follow-Up Leads? “FAGETABOUTIT!”

Did You Learn About TS Marketing in College? Awareness Begins with Small Steps

Is Your Co. a Joint Employer? Risks and Tips

6 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

Euroshop photo by Messe Düsseldorf, Constanze Tillmann

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Tradeshow Trends

PUBLISHER’S WORDS

March Madness ... is not just about college basketball

y the time you are reading this March/April print edition, many industry persons, like myself, will be returning from Euroshop in Düsseldorf, Germany and preparing for the Exhibitor Show in Las Vegas. March Madness ... is not just about college basketball ... but a perfect phrase to borrow to describe our industry ... and fittingly so. March is one of the busiest months to stage trade shows and events all over the US. CON Expo in Las Vegas is a global behemoth of the construction industry, held every three years with its mind blowing 2 million+ square feet of exhibit space ... including most of the surrounding parking space ... attracts top exhibit houses and staff from all over the world. CON Expo ties up the Las Vegas Convention Center for a full month ... counting the extremely long move-in and move-out periods for the five-day event. This contrasts with 9-10 days average for most non-machinery US shows. The industry is running full strength in most major tradeshow markets. Just a sampling of trade shows across the nation in March ... the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, AAOS (American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons) in San Diego, Housewares

in Chicago, AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) in Orlando, and the International Vision Expo & Conference in NYC. And then, of course, also in March, as featured in this issue, there’s ExhibitorLIVE (p. 22), also in Las Vegas, and EuroShop in Düsseldorf, Germany (p 58). Lots of business and work for most everyone … it may be close to Independence Day when we next get any down time to speak of! But speaking of ExhibitorLIVE, don’t miss the ECN/Willwork Mega Networking Party: Tuesday, March 14, at Light Nightclub at Mandalay Bay (same place as last few years). Come dance, interact, and make important business introductions (see details on page 34). Among the other articles of note in this issue … 2017 exhibit trends (p. 36) … our continuing Shop to Showfloor section (p. 39) … and the insights of industry professionals Todd Neely of Xpert Exposition Services (p. 54), Exhibitrac’s Kyle Landrum (p. 64) and salesman/magician Robert Strong (p. 72). All that … plus our regular line-up of columnists and departments and more … is here at your fingertips. Welcome, readers. So, until our next edition … I’ll see you, as always, on the showfloor.

PUBLISHER Donald V. Svehla Jr. 702-309-8023 ext.102 DonS@exhibitcitynews.com EDITOR Arthur J. Bloberger 702-309-8023 ext.103 ArthurB@exhibitcitynews.com ART DIRECTOR Thomas Speak Tom@Speak-Design.com COLUMNISTS Calanit Atia Haley Freeman Philip H. Kemper Larry Kulchawik Jim Obermeyer CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jessica Ablamsky Kathy Anaya Arthur Bloberger Jeanne Brei Gwendolyn C.W. Campbell William Daniels Richard Erschik Amber Johnson Larry Kulchawik Lesley Martin Lucille Thaler Jessica Van Wormer Tony Zanoff DIRECTOR OF SALES Kathy Anaya 702-309-8023 ext. 105 KathyA@exhibitcitynews.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Shane Levin 702-309-8023 ext. 1010 ShaneL@exhibitcitynews.com CIRCULATION Samanta Ajune 702-309-8023 ext. 110 SamantaA@exhibitcitynews

Don Svehla | Publisher

CSAL

CONVENTION SERVICES ASSOCIATION

AS VEGAS

8 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

Vol. 23, issue 2, copyright 2017 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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Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Photo courtesy of www.rosemont.com Location: Village of Rosemont in Cook County, Ill. Year Opened: 1975 Exhibition/tradeshow space: 840,000Â square feet Major events held: Regular annual events at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center include the Chicago RV and Boat Show, the International Gem and Jewelry Show, Anime Central, Anime Midwest and Wizard World Chicago. So far, 82 public, private and trade shows have been booked for 2017, including the Heroes & Villains Fan Fest, March 25-26, and the Muscle Car Corvette Nationals, Nov. 17-19. Fun facts: Formerly the Rosemont Convention PLUS! Center, the facility is now named Where to eat, after the late mayor of Rosemont, sleep and play near DES CC Donald E. Stephens, and is now on p. 92 the 11th largest meeting, convention and trade show facility in the country. Parking is accessible via a Skybridge connected parking garage, which can accommodate up to 8,000 vehicles. The facility is located near Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hare International Airport, Allstate Arena, Rosemont Theatre, and Fashion Outlets of Chicago. Send in your show floor and convention center snapshots to newsdesk@exhibitcitynews.com.

ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 11

COLUMN As the Saw Turns

That Looks About Right

e’re going to and no major injuries. They be in the skillfully missed bridges and Hudson.” steered toward operating It was Capt. Chesley boats on the icy water to “Sully” Sullenberger maximize the chance announcing they were of rescue. They going to drop US Airdidn’t have time to ways Flight 1549 into make precise calcuthe Hudson River. It lations. They didn’t is a story most of us By Jim Obermeyer have the benefit of are familiar with. Afguidance systems ter the loss of both engines in and landing procedures. their A320, Capt. Sullenberger Their primary resource was and First Officer Jeff Skiles the view out the window. first intended to return to La Why were Sullenberger Guardia and then decided they and Skiles able to do this? couldn’t make it. Next, they They knew how to fly by were offered Teterboro Airport TLAR – “That Looks About and Sully said, “We can’t do it.” Right.” They were in a Ultimately, they pulled off situation where all the prethe “Miracle on the Hudson” flight planning and in-flight – ditching with no fatalities technical support was of 12 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

absolutely no use. They had to use all of their experience, intuition and ‘guts’ to get to the right outcome. It wasn’t an exact science at that point. It was a ‘that looks about right’ execution. TLAR is a skill every pilot should possess. And I will suggest it is a skill every trade show manager and show floor supervisor should possess as well. For one thing, like the pilots of US Air 1549, sometimes you just won’t have all of the resources you are accustomed to having. Like when you are standing on the show floor less than 24 hours before the show opens and the wind rushing in from the dock door blows over your 16-foot tall, 30-foot long backwall. If you have TLAR skills, you can get by without those resources. You grab the guys on your crew, you reassemble the wall as quickly as you can, you make adjustments and corrections for any scratched graphics, pull in local suppliers to replace anything damaged beyond repair, re-arrange the furniture to hide any visible exhibit damage, clean everything up and step back and say ‘that looks about right’. Sometimes we only have the time or resources for a roughly good job. The reality is the show is still going to open tomorrow morning. Nothing you can do will change that, so stopping now to do all the planning and follow all the proper procedures is not going to help you. Missing the show opening is not an option. Getting the exhibit to look and work as best as possible is the end goal, given the situation.

Please understand, I am not suggesting that a backwall falling over in a convention center is in any way equal to landing a jet on the water and saving hundreds of lives. I am simply pointing out that in all professions, there comes a time when all the policies, procedures and planning will be of no use. At that moment, how you react and respond to the situation says a lot about you. And it says a lot about your ability to save lives, or save the client. Sometimes the need to have everything planned out in detail deters you from taking timely action when you need to. Although detailed planning is a wonderful thing, having additional TLAR skills gives you the confidence to quickly create and execute an alternative plan when needed. In my example here, if the supervisor did not have these skills – the ability to think quickly on his feet and get a solution executed in the compressed timeframe, and make the exhibit look about right, the alternative would be failure on the show floor. Had Sully not had these skills, the outcome could have been much worse. Lacking these skills is like a painter who can only paint by number. They may look like good artists, but without the numbers they are helpless. 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.

COLUMN The Green Piece

A Case For Organic Pop Tarts

kay, let’s be real. All this talk HellaWella.com sheds more light on als and services, it also includes reducing about saving the planet is great, the reasons for increased costs. The use of resources, and recycling or propbut we all have businesses to practice of crop rotation reduces the erly disposing of waste materials. These run, deadlines to meet and bottom lines amount of available land to grow profgreen actions can save money. to protect. Who really has the time and itable crops, leading to smaller yields; TheBalance.com reported that reusmoney to orchestrate a comprehensiveorganic certification requires that ing name badge holders for an event of ly green event? facilities and growing/processing 1,300 people would save about $975 for Let’s examine the cost of methods meet stringent stanthe organizer’s next event. Other simple sustainably grown food. Heldards, which can be expensive; actions like eliminating printed materila-Wella.com reported that on organic farmers sustain higher als and using an event app, or reducing average, organic foods cost belosses because they don’t use travel costs and carbon emissions by tween 20 and 100 percent more pesticides on crops, antibiotics video conferencing a speaker or two, can than their non-organic equivafor livestock or preservatives in generate big cost savings while reducing By Haley Freeman lents. That sounds about right to packaged foods; higher stanyour event’s carbon footprint. me. For instance, I love Pop Tarts, which dards of animal welfare increase cost, Since time is also money, let others retail for around $2.29, but I opt for the for example, organic feed is as much as do some of the green masterminding organic version (sans high fructose corn double the cost of traditional feed. for you. Ask caterers to build menus syrup), which costs from $2.99 to $3.69. The good news is that due to the inaround locally-sourced, in-season That’s a big difference, especially when creasing demand for sustainably grown food items to maximize value. Choose you have a three box per week habit. products, costs are coming down. To offLEED certified venues and/or those When you’re budgeting to feed hundreds set the cost of sustainably grown foods, with strong, in-house sustainability or thousands of people, that cost differmeeting planners can use resources like standards and recycling programs. All ential can seriously limit your options. LocalHarvest or the USDA local food you have to do is show up and plug in. So why does organic food cost more? directory to find sustainable growers and When selecting hotels and vendors, I think it helps to understand that there suppliers nearby. You can save money ask if they have green policies, and are real reasons why we’re paying more by buying directly from the source, and make use of their procedures or their for these products, and that it’s not simsimultaneously decrease your event’s trained personnel. ply because they are trendy. carbon footprint by reducing the distance Finally, make sure attendees know According to the Food and Agriculyour food will travel. about all the green amenities built into ture Organization of the United Nations Okay, that wasn’t so hard. your event. While raising the social con(FAO), certified organic products are So, what are some more ways we can sciousness of your community, you will generally more expensive for a number be green without running out of green? also encourage them to be more mindful of reasons: Remember, acting sustainably means of their individual opportunities to re»» Organic food supply is limited as compared more than choosing eco-friendly materiduce, reuse or recycle during their stay. to demand; »» Production costs for organic foods are typically higher because of greater labour inputs per GREEN QUOTE unit of output and because greater diversity of enterprises means economies of scale cannot “You are made of the same minerals as be achieved; the rocks--the same water as the sea. You »» Post-harvest handling of relatively small quantities of organic foods results in higher grow in the sun. You breathe air cleansed costs because of the mandatory segregation of by trees. When are you going to get the organic and conventional produce, especially message that you’re a part of Nature?” for processing and transportation; »» Marketing and the distribution chain for organic ― Nancy S. Mure, PhD products is relatively inefficient and costs are higher because of relatively small volumes. 14 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

COLUMN Employment Strategy Corner

Mr. Employer – Now’s the Time to Sell Candidates the Position

ho would have about. And, guess what the thought it possianswer is--- you needed to ble? Through a “sell the sizzle even more than terrible recession that saw the steak”. Here are 3 tips to positions scarce across the help you sell your position marketplace-- the job market (and sizzle) to candidates: today, with its ever increasing positions, is fast becom1. Give Them the Buzz ing candidate dominated. Remember the song from Yes, in many phases of busi“Jesus Christ, Superstar.” ness, the candidate is now “What’s the buzz? Tell me “in the driver’s seat”. As an what’s a’happenin’.” That’s employer, it is now our what you have to do. Give job to land that cancandidates the “buzz.” didate, amid strong Focus specifically on competition, and the these two areas: successful outcome often depends on »» Your Company — By Philip H. Kemper Don’t assume that your how well we “sell” the position. candidate has read Have you ever been disyour website thoroughly, or the appointed when your #1 local business news, or is even candidate for an open positapped into the people who tion turned you down? Even would know the exciting things worse, have you ever felt that going on in your company. Tell the turn-down might have them the story yourself. If you been your fault? Maybe you need help from your marketing weren’t enthusiastic enough or PR professionals to put a about your own opportunity. “spin” on it, get it. Have recent Maybe you didn’t paint a clear press releases ready to show and optimistic picture for the candidate, or even a short your candidate to get excited PowerPoint might do the trick. 16 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

Give full weight to the company’s successes and show how you plan on leveraging those successes into the future. »» Your Industry — Whether you’re in a fast growing industry, or an industry that’s reinventing itself, give the larger picture of what’s happening and how your company fits in. If you plan on being an industry leader soon, or are giving the acknowledged industry leader a run for its money, share that information, too. 2. Tell Them How Important the Job Is People always want to know how they fit in. Here’s your opportunity to show the candidate how their new job fits into the future success of the company. Show them where the job fits in the strategy. Show them an organizational chart if you have to. Get them excited about the contribution the job makes to the success of the organization. And finally--show the candidate that this is a career position.

3. Tell Them Your Plans For The Future Here is where you “paint the picture.” Give your candidate a clear and enthusiastic view of where the company is headed. Emphasize very strongly the opportunity that lies ahead for the company. Tell them about the talented senior management team and why they are there. Show them they will be joining an exciting company and a team that has a clear vision of where they are going (something everybody wants!). Make sure you tell them these three important things before you get into the heart of your interview. You’ll have excited candidates (and potential employees) who can share with you how their skills can fit into the picture and get you the results you need! Philip Kemper is Founder/President of KemperAssociates, a 40-year-old Chicago-based national executive search firm. Phil can be contacted online at kemperassociates.org or kemperassoc@hotmail.com.

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COLUMN The International Man

Immersing Into a Culture Pathfinders on the International Trail

hen I set out to write my ence is priceless! Following are but a few book, Trade Shows from One multi-cultural supplier examples that I Country to the Next, I fully have met that have immersed themselves… realized that no one person, or company, Horst Tondasch was the exhibits managwas fully qualified to be the international er for Lufthansa Airlines for 25 years then trade show marketing expert for all coun- moved to Florida to open Coral Enterpristries in the world. I arrived at the conclues. Horst became very valuable to German sion that the true experts for doing trade exhibit companies when coming to the show marketing within a given country/ USA. Horst was very sympathetic for the region were the trade show suppliers German views on trade show organizing. from that given country/region. “After frequent debates on the virtues of As our exhibiting customers elect to material handling, shipping methods, and expand their sales through trade shows labor unions I arrived at the conclusion around the world, our ability to quickly that my clients were better off to cooperate serve as their partner with the required and compromise with the system rather expertise and regional know how will be than finding ways to beat the system. The critical. The first step when exhibiting in system may not be fair, but it is what it is a new world region is to find a partner to until it changes,” says Horst. trust. Know and respect what is different George Kadoke was from Berlin and and you are on your way to achieving opened an exhibit company in Toronto success. The art of engaging in in 1975 with the idea of building discussions with visitors at an bridges between Europe and international show is as critical North America with trade show to success as the exhibit design marketing. George brought the created for the marketplace. European way of thinking about Immersing into the culture is not trade show design to the USA. By Larry Kulchawik something you will do overnight, Using Octanorm as the foundabut basic awareness of differences, and tion, producing his own graphics, using what not to do may be a good start. his own trucks to ship with minimal Some of the best advice I ever received crating and using his own men to install, when preparing to exhibit at an internahe competed using a different playbook. tional show came from people who lived Canada hired him to promote its busiin both the USA and the country in which nesses throughout Europe. George was I was planning to exhibit. I’m not talking an international pioneer in this area! about a two week stay in a trade show Chris Dorn is from Iowa and attended city, but refer to those who immersed Bemidji State with a degree in exhibit dethemselves and lived there for a period sign. He worked as a designer in the USA of time. This kind of move takes guts and then moved to Tokyo and started Idea commitment, but, in the end, their value International. He offers exhibit design to the companies they serve is immense, and planning for companies exhibiting and a partner with this level of experiin Japan and throughout Asia. The art

18 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

of negotiating with an Asian company to win exhibit work is invaluable. Not only speaking the language, but minding your business manners will go a long way in making a positive impression. Chris continues to remain active with EDPA and IFES, sharing his knowledge. Robert Campbell was born in Uruguay, lived in Switzerland, worked for the Uniplan Group in Basel, and served as the first international president for EDPA in 2015. He presently is vice president of the Uniplan Taiwan Group, as well as owner and founder of Campbell Live Communication GmbH in Switzerland. From there, Robert takes care of many US-based clients with projects in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. His multicultural knowledge and experience has been invaluable to any customer managing a multi country-exhibit program. Stephen Benedetti is from Boston and worked for an exhibit supplier in Arizona. He then up and moved to Munich to find a job. Not speaking a word of German at the time, Stephen was hired by Heilmaier to help manage their clients with multi country programs. He learned German quickly and the German way of thinking. After 10 years, Stephen now manages exhibit programs for companies around the world. His sensitivity and flexibility to international differences is a great asset to his team. He’s not a native, but sure thinks like one! There are many others out there with similar multi-cultural backgrounds who now work as trade show marketing experts. Having one on your team can be very valuable. At some point, you just gotta trust a project teammate to guide you along the way when stepping outside your borders.

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COLUMN Ask the Expert

Memorable Experiences Lady Ga Ga owned the stage during half time at the Big Game. The audience felt the energy explode in the stadium

ne person lived it. is not only about the quality Brockett, her lead and preparation; it is about keyboardist played his the experience. It is the feelone-of-a-kind round piano ing you get when you walk with 294 keys. “When in, get seated, served I walked up the stairs each course and take on to that stage it the first bite. Food was surreal,” he told should awaken all Exhibit City News. your senses. We eat “Nothing in the world with our eyes, smell By Calanit Atia can match the high of and our emotions. It that adrenaline rush. After it all ties in together to a good or was over, the five of us in the bad dining experience. band walked across the street Caesars Entertainment to our dressing room and just does an amazing job elevatsat in silence totally awed by ing dining to the next level; the situation. I didn’t want to they are all about the experisee or speak to anyone else for ence. It begins with walking a little while. Only my fellow through the English tunnel bandmates could underto Gordon Ramsay Steak, or stand what it felt like to play a chandelier dropping down your instrument your whole and entertaining the guests life and finally achieve the at Mr. Chow. The eye-catchunthinkable, supporting one ing entrance to Gordon of the greatest performers of Ramsay Steak was inspired our generation in front of over by The Chunnel; the tunnel 100 million people. We were between London and Paris. brothers bonded together in The light fixture of the chana moment in time that will delier is neon and based off last forever. It was beautiful.” of hand movements preparThis amazing musician can ing Beef Wellington. now be booked through www. The smallest touches to the AtoZevents.com. biggest gestures can make a Eating in a restaurant today dining experience memorable.

20 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

At Gordon Ramsay Steak, I enjoyed the most delicious savory drink that came with a sphere ice. The Scotch egg took me to me back to my childhood. That appetizer brought back so many wonderful memories; I had to ask for seconds. The steak was cooked to perfection. I am true Israeli so I like my meat cooked but not charcoal burned on the outside. At the end of the meal, the coffee was served with three different kinds of spoons with liquor in them. What a special way to end a meal! Mr. Chow’s food presentation and taste was definitely 5-Star. Ordering a cocktail off the champagne cart is a wonderful touch. Mr. Chow serves Beijing cuisine dining with European style service. The menu featured Chicken Satay, Green Prawns, handpulled Mr. Chow Noodles and its signature dish, Beijing Duck. The duck was carved at our table and done to perfection. It was moist and full of flavor. Noodles preparation presen-

tation was entertaining. The round room added to the friendly vibe and the service was outstanding. I felt like I had been served by a friend who wanted me to enjoy the experience to the fullest. Patti Shock, a trade show icon, taught me when I took her class at the University of Nevada Las Vegas that people will remember the coffee at the end of the meal and will make judgment over the entire meal. If the coffee is good, they will return. I could not stop raving to people about the coffee experience I had and I know I want to come back. Calanit Atia, Air Force veteran, founder and president of A to Z Events, Las Vegas Premier Destination Management Company, Entertainment Agency, www.AtoZevents.com, an award winning event planner, Las Vegas ambassador, social media maven, columnist, and speaker. She can be contacted at Info@AtoZevents.com, www.twitter.com/CalanitAtia, www. facebook.com/calanit, www.linkedin.com/in/calanit, www.instagram. com/calanitatia.

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Exhibitor LIVE 2017

EXHIBITORLIV Why This Even So Importan

22 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

IVE – ent is ant! THE INDUSTRY’S POINT OF VIEW BY LUCILLE THALER WITH TONY ZANOFF

XHIBITORLIVE – the number one tradeshow for corporate marketing education will hold its 29th annual conference at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas this year on March 12-16. This is a must-go event sure to further one’s engagement in today’s ever-changing, ever-reinvented host of innovations that can improve professionals’ involvement in the tradeshow industry. In the Exhibit Hall at Mandalay Bay Convention Center, there will be comprehensive displays of trade products/services of nearly 300 exhibitors. This creates an atmosphere of partnering the latest products and services with those who will be utilizing them for their own industrial exhibits. For this event, there will also be an overwhelming 169 educational sessions to choose from. Those who set-up the plans, the management, the marketing, and the media areas of tradeshow events will

benefit by attending one of the many EXHIBITORLIVE educational seminars and participating in its noteworthy sessions. Each year, the syllabus reflects the new advances and innovations that have been developed and passed along to the attendees. In that vein, EXHIBITORLIVE is connected to a university accredited professional certification program for becoming a CTSM (Certified Tradeshow Marketer) as an adjunct curriculum course of study with the Northern Illinois University Outreach Program. Currently, there are more than 3,000 candidates enrolled in this outreach program. Many successful alliances have been made at EXHIBITORLIVE shows. In this vein, Exhibit City News talked to some previous attendees who will again be present for this year’s convention to discover the answer to the question, “Why is EXHIBITORLIVE so important to your company?” Continued on p. 24 ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 23

Exhibitor LIVE 2017 Continued from p. 23 Perhaps the best response came from Jay Burkette, vice president of ExpoDisplays. Burkette has been in the exhibit industry since 1984. Prior to this, he was an architectural and structural designer. During his tenure at ExpoDisplays, he served as technical/design manager; national sales manager; director of dealer development; and vice president. He is also a current EDPA board member, past president of EDPA, and a regular speaker on the subject of portable and modular exhibits, hosting a weekly webinar series for the reseller market. According to Burkette, “As an exhibit manufacturer that has been a part of the industry for 47 years now, EXHIBITORLIVE (and Exhibitor, as it was previously known) has been an important part of ExpoDisplays’ overall market and industry approach. This one industry show – a tradeshow focused on those providers of goods and services within the industry, brings together those products under a single roof for the common purpose of presenting themselves (not only to one another but to those non-exhibiting attendees), their products, services, inventions, branding and core competencies to a select group of like companies. Industry professionals seeking supply partners, existing clients/customers and potential new products. 24 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

JAY BURKETTE, vice president of ExpoDisplays

“Add to this unique equation the educational opportunities presented during EXHIBITORLIVE, where those that work within our industry (from the client or supply side) have a platform for higher education and learning, specific to our industry, through the CSTM (the industry’s only university-affiliated certification program), the show and interactions. Educational attendees get not only the benefit of education, but can apply that knowledge as well as seek out capable providers and partners while perusing the EXHIBITORLIVE show floor. This mix of industry buyers and sellers mingling on the show floor and in the aisles truly makes the show unique. “From a company standpoint, ExpoDisplays has been exhibiting in the show for more than 25 years (how many remember the old Bally’s days?). The show has always provided a platform for our company to showcase our products, services, brand awareness and capabilities. Since we move our products

into the marketplace through a reseller/dealer/distributor network model, the show presents an opportunity to meet with those reselling partners, share new products or services, along with spending that all important face-toface quality time with them (after all, this is what we all do in this industry – three dimensional face-to-face marketing). It has also provided a great venue to launch new products, as well as to be recognized by our peers for accomplishments within the industry (through honors awarded like Buyers Choice, New Product Showcase, Portable/Modular awards, etc.). Keeping face-forward is equally important and EXHIBITORLIVE can provide a vibrant platform for this goal. The show has also presented numerous opportunities for staff to speak on subject matters that are industry related, to a listening audience intent on learning more about what is going on within our marketplace and industry. “With the potential new

end-user clients, existing partners whom we are already doing business with and potential new resellers all walking the aisles, it presents a wonderful opportunity for some unique lead capture, as these leads can be varied in nature. End user leads can be channeled into the sales distribution channels, new potential selling partners can be followed through, and the camaraderie with existing selling partners is hard to place a price tag on. The ROI of exhibiting at EXHIBITORLIVE cannot just be measured in terms of hard sales made after the show. That return runs much deeper and includes spending quality time with industry contacts, the media, networking with others, participating and giving back to our industry community. Why else would ExpoDisplays have been participating since 1989,” concluded Burkette. Katie Bottrell, director of marketing for Group Delphi said, “Group Delphi comes back to EXHIBITORLIVE every year because it allows us to celebrate the value of authentic human connection in modern marketing history. “We live for immersive, unforgettable experiences that foster connection between visitor and brand…… With roots in the theater, Group Delphi brings the passion for performance to the show floor, telling our clients’ stories in ways their attendees have never seen. “At EXHIBITORLIVE, we get to apply that same magic to our KATIE BOTTRELL, own story. (It tends director of marketing for Continued on p. 26 Group Delphi

Exhibitor LIVE 2017 Continued from p. 24 to be a pretty good fit.) For the company that puts the ‘show’ in tradeshow, EXHIBITORLIVE is the perfect stage. “Of course, we also love EXHIBITORLIVE for the same reasons non-exhibiting attendees do – we spend time with our industry partners. We check out new tools and technologies. We walk the show floor to see the state of the industry as it unfolds. “We also engage with fresh ideas in the many fascinating speeches and sessions – or deliver one ourselves. EXHIBITORLIVE offers valuable insights that inform our efforts and empower our clients. “In the end, we love EXHIBITORLIVE because it’s

KELSEY MINER, marketing coordinator for Hill and Partners

26 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

the show for people who value the same things we do. A sense of wonder and awe, the joy of learning JOHN something new, MARKS, the thrill of seeof ing something Step1Dezigns unique and inspired. And, of course, there are those moments of genuine, face-toface connection that no APP or website can match. “This is what makes experimental marketing so exciting. It is the epicenter of EXHIBITORLIVE,” added Bottrell. John Marks of Step1Dezigns had this to say: “The EXHIBITORLIVE show’s importance is directed directly to the professionals of the Exhibit and Display industry. Step 1 Dezigns takes this opportunity of the EXHIBITORLIVE show to showcase new LED lighting technology and to demonstrate our knowledge and dedication of supplying high end lighting products to the exhibit and display industry by allowing our customers to see and experience lighting which can be used in their upcoming projects. Our team of knowledgeable experts and designers can assist you with your renderings and make calculated estimates to meet any client’s budget. Ask about our Plug N Play systems and custom made accessories which will make for an easy and cost effective installation. Continued on p. 28

Education LIVE

EXHIBITORLIVE Conference to Feature 169 Educational Sessions for Tradeshow Exhibit and Corporate Event Marketing Professionals Exhibitor Media Group, the leader in tradeshow and corporate event marketing education, will hold its 29th Annual Conference for Tradeshow and Corporate Event Professionals at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, March 12-16, 2017. EXHIBITORLIVE is the most comprehensive educational event for tradeshow and event marketing professionals. The conference is attended by 6,000 exhibit and event managers and marketing and communications experts who are serious about improving their face-to-face marketing performance. “Our attendees include anyone who is responsible for planning, managing or implementing their organization’s tradeshow or event marketing programs,” said John Pavek, chief marketing officer for EXHIBITOR magazine. “The educational program offers 169 basic and advanced sessions,” added Dee Silfies, chief learning strategist for EXHIBITORLIVE. “The entire curriculum is reviewed and updated annually to ensure the content is fresh and relevant, and that the world’s best practices are represented. Our attendees love taking home new ideas and skills they can put to use immediately.” EXHIBITORLIVE offers the industry’s only universityaffiliated professional certification program. CTSM (Certified Tradeshow Marketer) candidates receive extensive training in tradeshow marketing, in conjunction with Northern Illinois University Outreach. More than 3,000 candidates are currently enrolled in the CTSM program.

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Exhibitor LIVE 2017 Continued from p. 26

28 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

our team members as well as our strength to design, build, and execute.” Dave Wallens, president of Brumark, had this to say in response to ECN’s question: “Brumark provides total flooring solutions for exhibits, events, and auto, so, EXHIBITORLIVE gives us a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate our products in action. This industry is about experiences, and our exhibit space gives us the chance to show our flooring solutions in use in a way that samples just can’t. Booth visitors can see, walk on, touch and experience our flooring solutions. And because many of our clients are also exhibitors, the show floor allows us to demonstrate our products in real-time. “We’re launching game-changing flooring technology at EXHIBITORLIVE this year, with new solutions to help exhibitors engage, amaze, and analyze. We have two products in the New Product Showcase, which provides us with great exposure. Visitors to our booth will be able to experience these MICHAEL W. GRIVAS, CEO and owner of MG

products and see the benefits and potential applications first-hand. “We love the networking opportunities, the exchange of ideas and insight, and the chance to experience the latest and greatest in the industry. The industry brings its best to this show, and we are glad to be a part of it. “Last year’s EXHIBITORLIVE was our best ever, and we are looking forward to an even better show this year,” added Wallens. Dee Randall, director of client services at Coastal International had this to say about EXHIBITORLIVE: “Coastal International, has over thirty years in the Exhibit Service Industry. Attending EXHIBITORLIVE affords us with the opportunity to take advantage of the plethora of usable content on a variety of industry relevant subjects and keeps us up-to-date on the latest changes that are occurring within the industry. Face to face networking with our peers and customers provides the perfect learning environment to stay ahead of the curve, in understanding our clients’ needs and the development of better solutions to respond to those needs.” Michael W. Grivas, CEO and owner of MG Designs, had this to add to our interviewee responses: “To me, personally, EXHIBITORLIVE is all about the heart-

DEE RANDALL, director of client services at Coastal International

beat, the pulse and the vibe of what’s new and trending in our industry. This is a show that’s continued to succeed for decades because everyone – organizers, attendees, exhibitors and media alike – are conditioned to expect something phenomenal as soon as they get off the plane. “The excitement of Las Vegas only adds to the experience. But the heartbeat comes from this amazing show itself. “EXHIBITORLIVE is all about growing – personally and professionally. We grow our businesses, our brands, our connections and our expectations. “Our passion is visible at every juncture, especially with the time, talent and technology we craft into creating the ideal visitor experience – whether you are our guest on at a talk track or on the show floor. “Innovation is the name of the game, which generates amazing anticipation at every level. There is always something fresh and new, something that stimulates you to think outside the box, and to believe that something special is always possible. “This is a show about shaking things up and raising the heartbeat of our industry and the people we serve. With that kind of evocative energy, it’s Continued on p. 30

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“As the leader in LED technology, Step 1 Dezigns strives to stay ahead of the curve. We understand the requirements and quick turnaround that is required and with our large inventory and same day ship policy our customers can be assured of meeting their deadlines. “Step 1 DAVE WALLENS, Dezigns has president of been exhibiting Brumark at the Exhibitor show for many years and has built up a reputation with our clients to be a reliable and reputable supplier to the industry. We would like to thank all our clients for their continued support over all the past years. Step 1 Dezigns leads, others follow,“ concludes Marks. Kelsey Miner, marketing coordinator for Hill and Partners, replied, “We love bringing our team from Hill & Partners to EXHIBITORLIVE every year because it gives us the opportunity to market our brand in a truly unique way. Whether we’re showcasing our expert ability to create a branded environment, or allowing our sales team the space to collide with other industry professionals, EXHIBITORLIVE gives us a platform to demonstrate what makes our team amazing. We believe in the importance of fostering relationships, and we love that this event lets us showcase the strengths of

Exhibitor LIVE 2017

no wonder that our audience responds so well.” “MG has been an active part of the EXHIBITORLIVE experience for over two decades. Face-to-face marketing is an exciting business and one which draws an exceptional caliber of professionals. When you are passionate about what you do, your can’t-miss destination has to be EXHIBITORLIVE,” said Grivas. Robert Laarhoven of beMatrix chimed in with this: “EXHIBITORLIVE is the most important event in the tradeshow and event industries. It truly is the homecoming event for exhibit and event professionals. We come together to meet old friends, make new contacts and learn about what is new in our dynamic industry. “For beMatrix it is the opportunity to strengthen existing relationships, forge new ones and to show its customers and prospects what is new. Where else can you meet hundreds of customers and prospects in one place? From a “cost per contact” perspective it is the most costefficient form of marketing beMatrix does. “beMatrix

markets its system, ‘the original frame system with holes,’ to exhibit builders, event companies, large-format graphic printers, audio visual companies and general contractors. Because beMatrix does not market its products to end-users, its market at EXHIBITORLIVE is narrowly defined. With such a heavily attended show this narrow focus allows for very targeted marketing. “Prospective visitors include existing clients and key prospects, who receive pre-show hard mailers and e-mails. These prospective visitors are invited to the exhibit as well as to a pre-show awards breakfast the first morning of the show. The Awards Breakfast celebrates the “Best Of 2016 Designs”, Bemidji State Design Competition Winner as well as Sales Award winners for previous year while the exhibit on the show floor tastefully presents new system developments. “The first quarter timing of the show makes it an ideal time to present the current year’s marketing focus. For beMatrix, 2017 announces the 360 degree concept where beMatrix users can increase the ROI of their

ROBERT LAARHOVEN of beMatrix

30 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

wall frames into floors and ceilings. No other system can make the claim of utilizing existing wall frame inventory to make ceilings and floors. What a unique concept and what a tremendous benefit to customers. “Also, being DONNA SHULTZ, president of Mirror Management shown in this year’s exhibit will be new ant to Mirror Show LED tiles based on beMaManagement and we trix frame sizes allowing for value it as the annual highlight seamless integration of LED of our entire marketing prowalls with beMatrix frames. gram. It’s the perfect opportuIn addition, a new seamnity to meet prospective clients, less hard frame skin will be have lively conversations and unveiled. The LEDskin and start new relationships. Many PANELskin concepts further of our existing clients also enhance the 360 degree conattend, and so it’s an important cept and will be available the time to connect with them and latter half of 2017. strategize for the year ahead. “With over 400 unique “In fact, EXHIBITORLIVE show visits, 2016 was the is the one place where exhibit most successful Exhibitormanagers can evaluate exhibits Live! yet for beMatrix. That that are produced by our desuccess has emboldened the sign agencies for themselves. company to invest additional So, it’s a unique opportunity resources into 2017’s success. to have our work totally reflect A better booth location, larger our own exhibit design philosAwards Breakfast facility and ophy. And for exhibit managaddition of a private suite ers to see firsthand what we should support the pre-show are capable of achieving. marketing initiatives ensuring “Even more important, an even more successful 2017 EXHIBITORLIVE is the ideal event,” said Laarhoven. venue for demonstrating the Finally, Donna Shultz, preslatest thinking in experience ident of Mirror Management, design. After all, tradeshow summed up the feelings of design today is all about creall the interviewees with the ating engaging experiences for following statement: “Having attendees: powerful experia presence at EXHIBITORContinued on p. 32 LIVE is extremely import-

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Continued from p. 28

Exhibitor LIVE 2017 Continued from p. 30

Lucille Thaler and Tony Zanoff are known as “The Valley News Team of Las Vegas.” Thaler, with a background of more than 40 years in the educational field, emphasis in journalism and communications, and Zanoff, with his worldwide experiences in travel and government, are recognized locally, nationally and internationally. They first met on assignment and are now a happily married couple.

DON’T MISS THE EXHIBITOR PARTY! see p. 34 32 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

44 CERTIFIED NEW PRODUCTS TO DEBUT AT EXHIBITOR LIVE New Product Showcase Loaded with New Tech Offerings EXHIBITORLIVE features North America’s largest exhibition of tradeshow and event products and services, including nearly 300 exhibitors in the Exhibit Hall. No less than forty-four certified new products will make their U.S. tradeshow debut at the upcoming EXHIBITORLIVE Conference and Exhibition, including the HoloHost Presenter and HoloHost Interactive units from Exhibitry.com (pictured), which “create life-size ‘video cutouts’ of a presenter who greets customers and tells them about your offerings.” “The Exhibit Hall is where you will find the latest products and resources shaping the future of exhibiting and corporate event programs,” said John Pavek, chief marketing officer for EXHIBITOR magazine. “It’s the fastest, most cost-efficient method of establishing new partnerships. A growing number of attendees have started bringing RFPs when they shop the show floor.” “Discovering what’s new and innovative is the number one reason cited among tradeshow attendees

for deciding to come to a tradeshow and visit an exhibit hall,” says Randy Acker, president and COO of Exhibitor Media Group. “The New Product Showcase allows our attendees to conveniently see what new products and services are debuting in the tradeshow and event world.” All forty-four New Product Showcase qualifiers are eligible for the prestigious Buyers Choice Award, recognizing the top new innovations of the year. An independent panel of tradeshow and corporate event professionals select winners, on-site at EXHIBITORLIVE. Buyers Choice winners will be

announced on March 14. Last year, six products were selected as Buyers Choice Award winners, out of 60 entries. “While this year’s New Product Showcase entries touched on practically every facet of the vast tradeshow industry, there was a significant spike in the number of products that offer virtualand augmented-reality experiences within a booth,” said Brian Dukerschein, managing editor of EXHIBITOR magazine. “It’s clear that these cuttingedge technologies will be playing an increasingly significant role in how companies exhibit and engage with attendees.”

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ences that really begin before the event and resonate long afterward. When we give exhibit managers an experience that we created just for them and it really hits home, it’s easy for them to imagine how we can give their customers a great experience, too. “That’s why EXHIBITORLIVE is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for tradeshow agencies like ourselves. We’re excited and busy preparing for the 2017 show right now. We can’t wait to meet new people, connect with old friends, share a few stories and show prospective clients how we can take their tradeshow program to the next level,” said Shultz. EXHIBITORLIVE, March 12 -16, will certainly be another successful entity in the hallmarked world of conventions. ECN wishes all involved continued success in the ever-changing, ever-reinvented world of exhibitors who help the world reflect and experience the next levels of exhibition greatness.

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Tradeshow Trends: 2017 and Beyond Trade shows are a great marketing tool, enabling you to create a personalized experience for a targeted audience, all within a controlled environment. The days of old where vendors showcased products under a mundane structure with a few lights and a couple of sales executives are long gone. Instead, an original, well-thought out experience, strategically customized for the demographics you’re looking for, is the way to go—and something which specialized companies such as ourselves can deliver.

Virtual Reality—It’s the buzz word of the moment, and shows no signs of slowing. 36 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

But what’s the best way to create the greatest impact, effectively drawing visitors into your space so they can participate, but also educate themselves about you and your product? While the materials, as well as all the bells and whistles that come to mind can help, it all really comes down to the experience—a unique, memorable experience. Or more specifically, a hands-on experience that attendees can take home with them and talk to their friends about. An experience which lends itself to a story, a “You won’t believe what I saw,” kind of story. There are a few trends of late that are integral to creating an experience which drives results and sales. Virtual Reality—It’s the buzz word of the moment, and shows no signs of slowing. Think about it as a method for creating an immersive experience, and consider how you might use Virtual Reality to enable attendees to submerse themselves into an environment you created. Lead them into your product like never before, wow them, as

you educate them. In the coming years, companies will begin to market themselves more and more with this technology; growing libraries of content that can be ever-changing. In short, it’s the “new, cool tech” that can be customized for both the business developer and the attendee.

Get social, get active— Exhibit spaces will intertwine social marketing mobility more and more in the years to come. Interacting with attendees and engaging them to participate via social media, email marketing, touch screens, and customized apps will gain priority. The end result is an increased means

Photos courtesy of Creatacor

BY JESSICA VAN WORMER, SENIOR DESIGNER, CREATACOR

Photos courtesy of Creatacor

Left, Creatacor’s exhibit at 2016 ExhibitorLIVE; above, the same exhibit repurposed by installing portions of it into their main conference room

for generating innovative experiences for your attendees. But social is not the only means to motivate attendees to visit your space. What exactly are we talking about? It could be the creative use of motion-sensored light, for example, which pulses and/or fluctuates to create a sense of movement. Maybe monitors @ExhibitCityNews

with video or gifs playing. Even projection mapping helps “create” a larger space, directing motion to a more specific and customized area— even the ceiling! Recycle and upcycle—Incorporating upcycled materials or recycled paper and wood products is continuing to stay big these days, and again, likely

isn’t going anywhere soon. A popular rise in our respect for the environment means that it will play an increasingly significant part in how we think about our exhibit spaces, how we use our materials and what materials we use. Wood and metal seem to be the go-to combination this year. The beautiful, rich warmth of

reclaimed wood juxtaposed against cool sleek metal will keep this rustic trend strong into 2017. Infuse your exhibit with a mixture of these two materials in your kiosk displays, counters or back walls, and you can’t go wrong. Consider it the new twist on 2016’s “all-natural” trend, which will also keep this ecofriendly movement progressing forward. Smart design—While you’re dreaming up your new designs, be on the lookout for other high-tech, user-friendly materials and techniques, like SEG fabric graphics, which help alleviate shipping costs. Keep an eye out for specialty lighting which helps create ambience, mood and tone, as well as an environment which can turn a major convention hall into something far cozier. Always think about the end-game: getting attendees to stick around, interact and learn. Try to create a place where they will want to stay awhile, by adding modern, comfy seating or plug-ins so they can charge their devices. ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 37

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SHOP TO SHOWFLOOR An In-Depth Look into Today’s World of I&D and Event Labor For 20 years, Pzazz Productions has offered entertainment, decor and event production to the event and exhibit industry across the globe. Pictured here are High Goddess of Garden Elegance Danielle and Garden Goddess Living Table Ashley.

Photo by Philip A. Hoffman

Sharpening Soft Skills in I&D

Factory in the Forest

Transforming Crews to Relationship-based Partners

ProExhibits Brings Stikwood’s Rustic Booth To Life

Pp. 40-42

Pp. 44-47

The Special Event Show

Creative Service, Education and Unique Items Entice Event Producers

10 Questions

Todd Neely, President and CEO of Xpert Exposition Services

Pp. 54-56

Pp. 50-52

DEDICATION: This new section is dedicated to all the exhibit house professionals, as well as all exhibit managers and tradeshow coordinators worldwide. @ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 39

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

40 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

SHARPENING SOFT SKILLS IN I&D Transforming Crews to Relationship-based Partners By Lesley Martin I&D Crews Customer Service – Does it Matter?

More than 12 years ago, Randy Eppard and Jim Wurm traveled the country teaching customer service skills to union crews. Back then, customer service was a foreign concept to the carpenters, teamsters, and electricians. “They thought of themselves as ‘construction guys’ and considered customer service a ‘feely’ word,” said Eppard, who is a 4th generation member of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Today, there’s renewed interest in teaching soft skills to the trades. Wurm is president of Exhibitor Appointed Contractors Association, a group whose mission is to increase the value proposition of exhibitor-appointed-contractors through exemplary customer service. But if these “construction guys” are task oriented, why should they care about customer service? The answer is simple. If exhibitors aren’t happy with their experience at a convention center, they won’t return – which means fewer work hours for the crews. Studies and surveys conducted by convention centers have proven this correlation.

Engaging Crews to Provide Exemplary Customer Service

Improving customer service by I&D crews goes deeper than training the workers on making the customer happy. “The hard skills are required – you can’t come in the door unless you know how to use the tools. But to make the difference, to be the best you can, this is how you have a long-term meaningful relationship with your customers,” said Eppard.

Yet there’s a deep level of employee disengagement in the U.S., regardless of industry. A Gallup poll showed that 70 percent of U.S. employees are “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” at work. According to Ken Viscovich, National Representative of the UBC, this statistic is in line with the tradeshow industry. “When it comes to hiring crews for a tradeshow, there’s a group of crew members that are called upon first. These people work regularly, are skilled, and have a good attitude,” said Viscovich. “However, that core group only represents 30 percent of the workforce. The other 70% don’t have the same motivation or attitude.” How do you engage a group of people? While extrinsic motivations, like pay raises or bonuses, can drive short-term wins, the key to lasting change is through intrinsic motivations, which come from deep within the individual. As part of the union bargaining agreement, the UBC includes yearly training for its signatory contractors and members. According to Eppard, the UBC’s International Executive Director of the Department of Education and Training, “Education provides intrinsic motivation that inspires people to share, nurture, and grow.”

Transformational Leadership

When earning his doctorate in Human Resources and Adult Learning Development from Virginia Tech University, Eppard wrote his dissertation on “transformational leadership.” Based on the research of James MacGregor Burns and Bernard M. Bass, this leadership approach Continued on p. 42 ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 41

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor Continued from p. 41 focuses on nurturing people through example, articulation of a vision, and challenging goals. Unlike the “give and take” of transactional leadership, transformational leadership influences individuals and drives a constructive culture. There are four elements of transformational leadership: Individualized consideration, which is the relationship that leaders have with individuals. The leader acts as a mentor and celebrates the individual’s contribution. Followers are inspired to grow and develop intrinsic motivation for their tasks. This element is also key to retaining employees. According to Eppard, “The number one reason employees leave their job is a bad relationship with their immediate supervisor.” Intellectual stimulation is when the leader challenges assumptions, takes risks, and seeks ideas from followers. “Are you letting them be part of the decision making?” asked Eppard. Transformational leaders encourage creativity in followers and nurture independent thinking. They also see unexpected situations as learning opportunities. “Let’s say a follower makes the wrong decision. How do you help them? Do you reem or threaten them? Or, does it become a learning opportunity? If they learn, then they won’t do it again,” said Eppard. Inspirational motivation is the leader’s

42 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

articulation of a vision that challenges and inspires followers. When a leader is clear about vision and goals, the followers are focused, have meaning for their tasks, and optimism for the future. “Inspirational motivation creates powerful momentum in a workforce – not only to increase productivity, but also to cultivate individuals and grow the people around them.” Idealized influence is how followers view a leader. Also known as charisma, the leader becomes idealized when followers believe that he or she works beyond self-gain. The leader becomes a role model for ethical behavior, instilling pride and gaining respect from followers. “What happens when the leader is not around? Under idealized influence, the worker will continue to work at a higher level. They will emulate what they think the supervisor wants. Then supervisors spend less time putting out fires.”

Put the Training to Use

At its campus in Las Vegas, Eppard’s department trains over 30,000 per year in professional development – the soft skills that take individuals to the next level. “When someone comes to our training facility, they leave here a different person. They have a new understanding and skillset to change their lives. It’s significant and emotional,” said Eppard.

At its core, the trainings affect all individuals, regardless of rank or experience. The word “leadership” may be associated with supervisor; it’s not intended to be positional. Any individual can be a transformational leader. Eppard sees the empowering change firsthand in his trainings. “We teach them to how to develop themselves. They learn that you can’t rely on other people to live life – they learn that you have to do whatever you can. You have to be in the driver’s seat. The trainings give them a chance to feel that.” Industry Transformation from Executional Producer to Strategic Partner Over the last 30 years, the tradeshow industry has undergone a transformation from an executional, production-type industry, to a strategic marketing partner for its clientele. Most prominently, this transformation has been seen by the direct relationship between exhibitors and design houses. Now, the newest piece of the puzzle is the relationship between the exhibitor and the final producers: the I&D crews. By transforming these crews from executional “do-as-I-say” vendors, to relationship-based partners, the industry develops deeper relationships with its customers, and solidifies itself in the marketplace.

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FOUNDATION

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

PROJECT CREDITS Client Team: Stikwood (Jerry & Laura McCall, owners; Amy McVay, Marketing Director, www.stikwood.com) ProExhibits Account team: Berkeley Dowd, Sr. Account Executive; David Liau, Designer; Janice Machado, Account Manager; Exhibit Design & Construction: Tom Foley, VP Operations; Dan Berterretche, Project Manager; Sal Medina, Custom Shop Manager; Noah Ploch-Jones, Shop Lead/ Field Services; Joe Williams, Detailer/Project Manager (www.proexhibits.com) Exhibit Installation & Dismantle: Momentum

FACTORY IN THE FOREST ProExhibits Brings Stikwood’s Rustic Booth To Life By Jeanne Brei

t all began with a vision of a “factory in the forest” and ended with a very successful booth at the 2017 KIBIS (Kitchen and Bath Industry Show) in Orlando in January for Stikwood, an innovative interior design solution company. Founded in 2012 by Jerry and Laura McCall, Stikwood created the world’s first Peel & Stik reclaimed and sustainable wood planking. Their products boast the natural beauty that only time and the forces of nature can provide and so they were looking to build a tradeshow booth that would exemplify their commitment to our natural environment. For its first five years, Stikwood had created its own tradeshow booths but by 2017, they needed to work with a company that could transform their vision into a creative custom exhibit that would attract lots of attention. They had seen pictures of a Rally Health tradeshow booth designed and built by ProExhibits using their reclaimed wood products, so when it came time to find just the right collaborators, they called ProExhibits and were thrilled

to find out that their offices were just “down the street” in northern California. ProExhibits, renowned for exceeding client expectations by integrating design, construction, marketing and management services since 1987, has a long list of satisfied clients who give them rave reviews— including Cisco, Oracle, Kaiser Permanente, IBM, AT&T, Texas Instruments, Monster, SanDisk, Charles Schwab and many, many more. As a matter of fact, they have a nearly perfect (99.7%) customer satisfaction rating for design, production and management services. And you can add Stikwood’s Marketing Director Amy McVay and owners Jerry & Laura McCall to the list of highly satisfied clients. Says McVay, “We didn’t want to let go of the build completely – we assembled the components and shipped them to ProExhibits where they handled the fabrication of the booth. There is this energy that’s put into building a tradeshow booth and we wanted to make sure we still had a part in the build but depended on ProExhibits for their expertise and knowledge in design and Continued on p. 46 ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 45

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor Continued from p. 45 fabrication. It was a great experience working together.” And ProExhibits’ Account Executive Berkeley Dowd says, “This project was special because of the close collaboration with the customer. Virtually every surface of the exhibit used the Stikwood product (peel and stick reclaimed wood strips) to create a rustic barnlike structure with a unique “forest” ceiling. When inside the exhibit, the ceiling looked like a sunny day in a forest. This was essentially a fabric image suspended and back lit over the exhibit. Stikwood’s owner had a vision of a “factory in the forest” and provided the wood to finish the entire structure inside and out and including the flooring. They were very involved in selecting lighting fixtures and approving each design element.

46 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

This was an extremely collaborative project. The client visited our facility and we visited their facility. Drawings and progress photos were shared daily during the construction phase.” Adds ProExhibits Designer David Liau, “Going from the words “factory in the forest” to a detailed design took a few iterations and meeting face to face with the owners of Stikwood--and seeing their own headquarters helped to better understand the authentic style required. Figuring out how to convey an emotional feeling of the forest was one of the challenges. In the end, two tree-like company logos were built and covered with Stikwood’s product in 24 ft. high structures that were attached on two sides of the exhibit. These tree-like logo structures rose above the

exhibit and added to the forest theme. And the suspended ceiling with the backlit forest image further enhanced the environment. The overall result was a rustic and cool theme to stand out among tradtional modern looking exhibits” “Special paint techniques were used to stencil lettering and graphics on the walls that looked like a rustic, weathered exterior. Old fashioned lights were used to further the theme of a workshop/factory in the woods. Inside, workbenches were constructed to look like crates - these fit the theme much better than traditional cabinets,” Liau continues. “We wanted customers to gather around these workbenches to touch and see product samples. In addition, there were large monitors framed with the Stikwood product showing videos about the company story and products.” Real grass and moss was also adorned to parts of the exterior to add to the “green” image of the responsibly sourced and manufactured product. The booth number was painted on the outside to look like an address. Frosted Plexiglas windows added to the rustic feel. Another feature of the design was the ability to remove some wall panels to shrink the exhibit to a 20 x 30 footprint (down from 20 x 40) for reusing the exhibit at other tradeshows with less space. This fit the “reuse” theme of the product. “People at the show stopped and stared at this very unique and beautiful exhibit and it seemed to draw people inside to touch and feel the product.” Says Stikwood’s McVay, “We definitely felt the energy at the

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show.We came to this year’s show with an outstanding booth. You saw people running their hand across it because they could see from yards away how real it was. We also heard that people had to wait until the second or third day to get inside because it was so crowded.” McVay adds, “The overall feel we wanted was to feature “who we are” as manufacturers/makers who happen to make a real innovative wood wall décor product. It’s not often you see the manufacturers who also sell the product. When we first started there wasn’t even a category for authentic, reclaimed wood décor with original patina.” Stikwood looks forward to reusing this beautiful booth – and is grateful that ProExhibits’ design allows them to shrink it to fit tradeshows with less available space. After all, re-use and being green is what they’re all about.

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SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

Arclite, Inc. of Valencia, Calif. is a leader in indoor and outdoor lighting. At The Special Event Show, the exhibit focus was on beautifully lit trees of all sizes.

THE SPECIAL EVENT SHOW Creative Service, Education and Unique Items Entice Event Producers By Gwendolyn C.W. Campbell Photos by Philip Hoffman

50 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

ttending a great trade show is inspiring. The Special Event Trade Show that took place in Long Beach on January 10-12 was a great trade show. The Special Event Show is the largest tradeshow, conference for event professionals. This year, The Special Event Show focused on more than 100 sessions, covering Business and Professional Development, Catering, Design, Event Management, Event Technology, Sales and Marketing, and Weddings.

Each session was designed to speak to beginners, or those who have been in the industry for a while, intermediate, and then advanced. Sessions included “How PR and Branding Can Impact Your Event from Concept to Execution,” “Empty Spaces Make Creative Places,” “Contracts and Negotiations,” and “Hollywood Promo Secrets.” In addition, there were eight showcasing events, including the Opening Night Party, Opening General Session, TSE Connects, The Wedding Continued on p. 52

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SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

Continued from p. 50 Event, The Search Event, The Gala Awards, and The Closing Night Celebration. Trade shows like The Special Event Show allows us to, first, keep up with what is going on in the industry through the education and networking programs; second, to showcase what we can do through Showcasing Events; and third, to be exposed to hundreds of new exhibit ideas while walking an exhibit floor that was like an event Disneyland. But fourth, we get to interact face to face with hundreds of peers and colleagues and exchange ideas. And fifth, for this event, to be within walking distance of the ocean, the beach, the dock, huge private yachts that literally go around the world, cruise ships, hundreds of great restaurants and dance venues, a theater with seats that are recliners and, of course, The Queen Mary. Then there is the aquarium and so much more. We spoke with some of the attendees who were thrilled to be at the event. Many of them gathered at the Gastro Garage booth, where Adam Manacker and his crew prepared a new type of sandwich cooked with a blow torch. He served everyone at the event who wanted to eat. One does not see this type of talent everywhere or generosity often. But we did, on the floor of The Special Event Show. When asking why attendees attend The Special Event Show, many answered that the Special Event Show is 52 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

the “best conference period.” Others said they were “focusing on education” and “found it all in one spot in a three day period.” Still others said they “show up, shop the exhibit floor and find everything they need for their next event,” which in some cases, happened the very next week. On Thursday, the closing day of the event, a major event producer is searching the exhibit floor for items to buy for an event the following Wednesday. He found many. The showfloor offers creative service and items that can’t be found anywhere else. In 2018, The Special Event Show will be in New Orleans, January 30-February 1.

Photo top, Cort is a leading provider of furnishings for the meeting and event industries, whether it is high-end furnishings for executive conferences or comfortable lounge seating for special events; above, Scott Carroll, program director of Take 1 Insurance was front and center at The Special Event 2017. U.S. Risk’s Take 1 Division services the entertainment and event industries. Things do happen.

Creating inviting experiences since mid-century was modern.

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

What motivated you to first leave the hospitality industry, join the tradeshow industry, and then found Xpert Exposition Services? One of my good friends became the Director of Sales for GES Las Vegas. Once I had the tradeshow industry in my blood I just wanted to do more. There is one thing the tradeshow industry is not… and that is BORING. We are fortunate to work with a wide variety of clients throughout the country on an array of shows. (There is a show for everything!) This keeps things fresh and exciting. I think that is the attraction for many of us veterans. It’s never the same day twice in tradeshows. With the consolidation of Expo companies around the country we saw the opportunity to fill a niche in the market that was widely untapped. We recognized that clients were looking for greater flexibility from the GSC side of things, and we knew we could answer that need. Hence the creation of Xpert.

Todd Neely, President and CEO of Xpert Exposition Services 54 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

Founded in 2009, Xpert Exposition Services is still a relatively young company. What were some of the hurdles you faced when you began to open your doors and how did you overcome them? Opening any type of business in 2009 was a hurdle with the economy and the state of the tradeshow industry. Obviously, those two hurdles were difficult to overcome due to the fact that we had no control over either of those areas. We stayed the course and happily the doors are open and business is thriving. The first five years of opening any business is challenging with every aspect of a business. However, I would say it was more difficult to enter the market with this new brand, “Xpert”, than I had thought. We really had to focus on implementing our marketing plan and depended largely on a grass roots marketing effort to gain name recognition and notoriety. Luckily, we Continued on p. 56

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SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

Continued from p. 54 came into the market with strong relationships. What does your business bring to the table that makes it stand out from the rest of the pack? There are several significant areas in which I feel we stand out, but I would have to say that primarily it is Xpert’s size that enables us to truly offer our clients a personalized event experience. We are large enough to handle a majority of shows and events, and can do so throughout the country, but we are not so big that our customers get lost in the overall process. Our Sales Representatives and Account Executives work very closely with each of our client’s and tailor every proposal to their specific needs and requests. We are extremely flexible and can easily adapt to our client’s changing event environments. Secondary to our size would be our staff. This may seem like an area where all companies feel they can compete, however, in our case we truly are a team built of seasoned industry professionals, most of whom have worked for the larger companies only to find themselves coming back to a business that promotes a more personal client-centered experience. We are a tight knit team which becomes extremely evident to our clients. What details make for a great tradeshow and for a great tradeshow exhibit and experience? It is true what they say… “The Devil IS in the details”, especially in tradeshows. For me and our team at Xpert, keeping the attendees engaged and elevating the impact of the messaging of the event is critical to the success of any tradeshow. Through the use of synergistic floor planning, interactive exhibits, dynamic graphics and collaborative attendee programming, one can create an environment which invites and stimulates the face-to-face connections necessary to conduct great 56 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

Mr. Olympia Show Outdoors by Expert Exposition Services

business. Of course, the addition of stimulating audio visual effects and aesthetically creative structures to the show floor can further elevate the event experience. What is your plan for future growth and expansion, as well as into new markets? At this current time we are working in every state in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. We keep growing our corporate markets, custom booth markets and our events market. With more than a quarter century spent in the tradeshow industry, what are the biggest, most impactful changes you have witnessed? Single source revenue streams are a thing of the past. Revenue streams are now spread across multiple product offerings. Certainly a change in the business model, but it does create greater opportunities elsewhere. What is personally your own most memorable industry related story or experience? What happens in tradeshows and events… stays in tradeshows and events!

What is your favorite recent project or projects and why? A primary focus for our company has been the expansion into corporate event production. In collaboration with Elizabeth Ritter, our Director of Corporate Accounts, we are enthusiastically broadening our scope of work by further developing partnerships with third party meeting planners and corporate event divisions. This has been an exciting and natural add for Xpert, as it has allowed us to spotlight our creativity and out of the box approach. What advice and insight do you have for newcomers to the industry? My advice is to fully immerse themselves into the total tradeshow experience. The broader the range of experience the more successful one will be. The tradeshow industry can be exhausting. What do you do for fun, relaxation and recharging? I have three sons, so as you can imagine there is a lot of outdoor activity. I am an avid outdoorsman and really enjoy escaping to the mountains.

HMD.16.019_Anz_9,25x11,152Zoll_pfad_V6_RZ.indd 1

13.12.16 15:15

EUROSHOP

CONCEPTCOMS Celebrates 25th Anniversary at EuroShop March 5-9 2017 marks a special milestone for CONCEPTCOMS, as she celebrates 25 years in business. As part of the celebrations for the Silver Jubilee, CONCEPTCOMS will once again participate in EuroShop, to be held in Dusseldorf from the 5th to 9th in March. CONCEPTCOMS started her business in 1992, as a design agency working on exhibitions, events and interiors in Singapore and into ASIA before transforming into a global project management company, assisting design agencies from all over the world to realize their projects in far flung and uncommon venues. Much of this has to do with the vision of her founding member, Mr. Michael Tay, whose passion for globetrotting and establishing business contacts along the way, has seen CONCEPTCOMS working in at least 50 countries and more than 100 cities around the world, with a network of her own offices and factories in most of Asia, as well as business associates in nearly 100 countries and counting. CONCEPTCOMS is one of the few companies in the world that is able to work on global tenders covering 50 countries or more at one go. Tay himself has to date, travelled close to 100 countries and plans to cover the remaining countries in the UN listing, and all the ‘places’ 58 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

listed in the mosttraveledpeople.com directory. Tay’s vision for the company is an inspiration derived from his travels and is encapsulated in the saying: “If You Want To Go Fast, Go Alone, If You Want To Go Far, Go Together.” This is the character and business ethos of CONCEPTCOMS When you Go with CONCEPTCOMS, you will be able to see and reap the mutual benefits of working together, providing you with the ability to venture further than you or your company have personally been. CONCEPTCOMS, her founder and people, have literally pounded their way to

many uncharted territories, networked and evaluated all partners well before anyone else, ensuring that the same expectations can be met wherever your client goes. If you wish to learn more and want to share your own network with CONCEPTCOMS, please pencil down the dates and make a visit to their booth in Hall 5 Stand Number E23. As always, due to the large numbers of friends and business associates congregating at the booth at most times of the event, we suggest that anyone wishing to have some quality time in the booth to email grace@conceptcoms.com and fix a time and date for a visit.

CONCEPTCOMS, welcomes all visitors and enquiries. As a tribute to friends, business partners and associates from her 25 years in business, she has dedicated her booth design in EuroShop this year to ‘immortalizing’ the industry people that has brought CONCEPTCOMS thus far today; and will continue to go further together. CONCEPTCOMS welcomes you to join them too!

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floor to take it to a higher level. The Step Floor is one of the many innovations that are highlighted. It is easy to install and adjustable in height. The system combines pre-mounted frames with corner and edge modules. The standard grid is 1 by 1 meter but thanks to a supporting surface to either side of the T-shaped Step profile, you only need half of the amount of floor frames that you would suspect.

Slim Light Wall

Step into Aluvision’s World of Wonder! From 5 till 9 March everything in Düsseldorf will revolve around Euroshop, one of the largest professional trade shows in the world for the retail and tradeshow industry. It will attract visitors from over 100 different countries and for the 5th time in a row Aluvision will be exhibiting at this international tradeshow. Their 450 m² large booth space will immerse visitors in a world of wonder and amazement. Aluvision is a global player in the world 60 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

of modular booth building. They offer a wide range of innovative products for modular walls, suspended structures, displays, and numerous furniture and lighting solutions for the trade show and event industry. At the Euroshop booth the visitors will be able to admire and experience the latest trends and developments in a magical atmosphere.

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Another new addition to Aluvision’s product range is the Poly 55 bright, a single-sided LED light wall system of only 2.16” wide. This makes it perfectly compatible with all other existing Aluvision frame systems with a width of 2.16”. Visitors looking for stylish lighting solutions will not be disappointed. The Forester is a 10ft high light pylon and in its standard version it has 6 movable LED spots mounted onto a three-phase rail. Subsequently the height of the spots is adjustable. The Forester is therefore the ideal solution to highlight certain stand features or it could even replace lighting suspended from the truss structure At the booth, you can also discover some new decorative lighting objects that were designed using existing Aluvision profiles Visitors will be able to explore all Aluvision products through live demos and hands-on experiences

Aluvision in 3D

Aluvision has a prominent place in the virtual world. Put on 3D glasses, go on a virtual tour and explore the Aluvision Showrooms in Deinze, Belgium and Duluth, USA. The new Aluvision plug-in for Sketch-up will make designing your next booth as easy as child’s play. A visit to Aluvision’s “World of Wonder” will be a jaw-dropping experience and the whole team is looking forward to meeting everyone in Düsseldorf! Discover the magic of Aluvision in Hall 5, booths A42 and C41, March 5 to 9. www.aluvision.com

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AIPC

New Research Clarifies Opportunities, Misconceptions Amongst Residents BY GEOFF DONAGHY – AIPC PRESIDENT

A recent research project carried out by AIPC has clearly put into focus a number of the key questions around how local residents regard meetings and conventions delegates relative to leisure tourists at a time when many cities are grappling with the impacts of growing numbers of visitors. At the same time, it has created a template for action by identifying misconceptions along with areas of opportunity for centre communications. The work was initially carried out in Barcelona, Amsterdam and Berlin, with Sydney Australia later added to incorporate a sample from a control destination where tourism impacts were not identified as a local issue. In fact, results across all destinations were remarkably similar and both benefits and concerns largely consistent.

Emerging as the key findings were the following;

»» Visitor impacts were not a

particularly big issue amongst the broad cross-section of residents – suggesting that these concerns were in fact limited to a vocal minority and based on individual issues rather than a broad consensus. 62 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

»» However, the benefits associated with meetings and convention delegates were distinctly different, with leisure visitors associated almost entirely with spending-based benefits while those participating in meetings and events being seen to contribute to knowledge, business development, professional practices and other areas of broader community benefit. »» At the same time, convention/ exhibition delegates were significantly less likely to be associated with negative behaviors such as crowding and congestion, theft and vandalism, the environmental burden and disorderly behavior. »» Finally, respondents were twice as likely to believe that new investment to attract more visitors to their destination should be directed toward the meetings and conventions area rather than leisure tourism. But at the same time, there were some major misconceptions that blunted the generally beneficial message these kinds of results suggest. The first was that while respondents felt that centers and the events they host created those broader output benefits, very few were clear as to what exactly these were.

It is clear that there’s a lot of work to be done in delivering information about such events in order to underline just what it is that they leave behind in our communities. The second is even more important: with regard to the economic benefits associated with visitor spending, residents of all the surveyed communities had it completely backwards, believing that leisure visitors had higher levels of spending that delegates when in fact most studies have shown that per diem spending by delegates in most parts of the world where this has been looked at is at least 2-300 percent higher than for other types of visitors. This is a huge lost opportunity in the battle for community attention, and one that could be easily addressed by making sure economic impact information is credible and up to date and then using it more effectively in centre communications. While the results are important to centres, they in fact apply to everyone in the Meetings Industry because they go to the heart of industry image in a time when everyone is competing for attention

...with regard to the economic benefits associated with visitor spending, residents of all the surveyed communities had it completely backwards...” and resources. In a way, they create the basis for a better communications initiative – and a clear picture of what those communications should be saying. Geoff Donaghy is CEO at the International Convention Centre Sydney and Director of Convention Centres AEG Ogden. Donaghy also represents AIPC on peak global body, the Joint Meetings Industry Council. For further information please contact marianne. de.raay@aipc.org or visit www.aipc.org.

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Kyle Landrum’s Exhibitrac Makes the Lists DIRECT MARKETING LISTS, FOR THE TRADESHOW INDUSTRY, THAT IS! BY ARTHUR BLOBERGER

When Kyle Landrum started Exhibitrac in 1996, he was basically working out of his garage in Denver. Now, 20 years later in Las Vegas, he still has some of the very same clients, having helped them and many others grow significantly since. A year earlier, in 1995, he had completed his degree in psychology and gotten married in San Diego. The newlyweds then packed up for the Mile High City, where Landrum grew up, and he took a job working for a company that produced entrepreneur expos. “I was their show manager and I would fly around to different cities and help organize these expos,” he says. “And I just kept hearing from people how much they would like to have leads of exhibitors and so that sort of led to my creation of Exhibitrac.” Landrum started making contacts through the industry, in the beginning just by finding the showguides that were published with lists of exhibitors and compiling information that way. “We’ve got close to 750,000 records now,” he says. But these days, 64 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

his knowledgeable staff does the research. A direct marketing company, Exhibitrac compiles information on companies that exhibit in trade shows and sells lists of those exhibitors - what shows they participated in, what size booths they used, who makes the decisions and so much more, including email addresses, of course. All valuable information. After the first year, it became apparent that the company was going to succeed, so Landrum rented an office in Denver, where he did business for 15 years. But although he and the Mrs. loved Colorado, they decided to move it all to Las Vegas in 2011. “Colorado is a beautiful state – we loved it for a lot of different reasons,” he explains, “but by the end there, we were both really tired of the weather, the snow, and just wanted a change from that. Las Vegas made a lot of sense, obviously, since it’s the trade show capital of the world.” “We’re a little unique in the list industry,” he continues, “because often when you are renting a list, you don’t

actually get to receive the names on the list – you would put together your marketing materials and you’d have an agency that would send your campaign out for you and then report back to you with how many clicks you got, whereas, we’ll actually send you the list. You are renting the list from us - you’re not purchasing it but you have the right to use that list for one year as many times as you like, via email, via direct mail campaign, via telemarketing. We give you lots of ways to reach the prospect.” In the fast-paced, ever-changing tradeshow industry, the lists can become stale after a year, but even so, Exhibitrac seeds its lists with some fake contacts to make sure there’s no abuse. “We find that people are pretty honest, though,” notes Landrum. “We’ve had cases where we’ve had to ask people to stop marketing a list, but those are few and far between.” Still, a constantly updating of records is a daunting task. “We have a staff of people whose only job is basically to keep the information up

to date,” he continues. “We do that through a combination of phone calls and research on the internet. What we do is consider any record that has been verified within the past 12 months as current. So, even though our database is over 700,000 records at any given time, our current files - those who have been verified within the past 12 months - runs between 100,000-150,000 records. We tag those people to know that they should be looked at again and re-verified or if they have recently participated in a show. ”We also have a large list broker that we work with in New York and, once per quarter, we will match our database against Dun & Bradstreet and overlay the information that we have to enhance it with their information. We’ll overlay SIC codes, a business description, the size of company in terms of sales/revenue, number of employees – so we can give our clients a fairly complete picture of what this company is that’s exhibiting, so they’ll know the best way to approach them.” Though Exhibitrac does no marketing itself, it has partnered with a company that can help clients in their email campaigns, very experienced marketers that are good at converting prospects into very hot leads. “We can offer as little or as much assistance as needed,” says Landrum. “We’ve been at this long enough that we have a lot of good advice we can give.”

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TEAM BUILDING

Creative Directions SUCCESS THROUGH PROTECTING YOUR PASSION BY BRIAN BAKER, VICE PRESIDENT, HIGHMARK TECHSYSTEMS

In this three-part series, we will dig into some of the most important things I’ve learned in the last 20+ years about Creative Direction. We will discuss a number of ideas to help your team succeed, and some things to avoid Part One: Keeping the Fire Lit The one thing I’ve learned to be true more than anything else in my career is that the single most important factor 66 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

in the quality (and success) of anyone’s work is passion, but even more so for a designer or creative professional. Whether it has been in my own work, or in the work of others on my team, the best, most creative work always happens when we’re truly invested in what we’re doing; and it’s typically a lot more successful in winning proposals. I’ve always hired people based on this, too. Someone who is on fire with energy

and passion will make a much bigger impact than someone who has loads of talent but lacks connection to what we are doing. If passion can make such a difference in the quality of our work, it also makes a major impact on your company’s success. It would naturally follow then, that we would want to foster and protect that passion as much as possible. While that should be recognized by all business leaders, it is especially true of creative directors. We are the ones in Continued on p. 68

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TEAM BUILDING

Continued from p. 66 the trenches with the creative team and we ultimately understand what other creative people feel and think. Unfortunately, we also tend to be the biggest killers of creativity and passion within our teams. So what encourages passion, and what extinguishes it? There are a lot of factors that inspire passion and creativity. Some people just tend to have more passionate personalities, while others need more external inspiration. Certainly working on something that is personally important to us, like a favorite hobby, activity, cause, or charity, is likely to lead to that personal investment, but it’s not like every project that comes across our desks is going to be something we already care deeply about. Regardless of where our passion comes from, it must be protected and encouraged to thrive. How do we keep that spirit alive on a day-to-day basis? Ownership This is one of the most important factors in personal investment. A creative professional NEEDS to have ownership in what they are working on. It’s too much work to come up with something truly special if it isn’t “yours” in some way. Our ideas and creations are like children to us, and we just tend to care more about our OWN children, than the annoying neighbor’s kids. In order to own a project, they need to be empowered to make decisions and live with them. There’s nothing wrong with challenging those decisions in a positive way, or even disagreeing with them, but more often than not, they need to be the one to make the call on what to do. Which brings us to our next subject. Trust Insecurity will destroy someone’s ability to make decisions or take the risks necessary to create something new or different. If we are going to ask for someone’s best efforts, they need to know we 68 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

trust them and their abilities. They need to know that those efforts aren’t going to be wasted and overruled. It also helps them feel valued and appreciated, which throws more fuel onto their fire. It’s a lot easier to say than to do, and when we start getting push-back by others outside of our team, our instincts (and our own insecurities) will often tempt us to undercut that trust and ownership. Sometimes they will be wrong and everyone else will say they could see it all along, but allowing them to potentially fail over something they believed in is more important than the long-term effects of spoiling their trust. Trust + Ownership = Accountability. One of the benefits of accountability is… Stress Yes. Stress is good. Stress can be a fantastic motivator. But don’t confuse stress with DISTRESS. Distress is bad. Stress drives us to push a little harder. Distress makes us miserable, overwhelmed and unproductive. A complete lack of stress or accountability tends to make us humans much less productive. We become lazy and procrastinate. We become soft and we lose our passion. A little well-placed stress can keep us more engaged and invested. Having some skin in the game is the definition of personal investment. Micromanagement is the cardinal sin and single leading killer of passion. Micromanagement undermines trust, and it strips away empowerment, accountability and personal investment. Even worse, it inevitably switches us into what an old friend and co-worker referred to as “monkey-mode.” We turn off our brains and our hearts and just keep asking, “Like this?” … “Is this what you are thinking?” … We push a few more buttons. “How about this?” It is the fastest way to break a designer’s “give-a-crap.” The other major murderer of passion is burnout. What I just mentioned about stress being good needs to be balanced

A creative professional NEEDS to have ownership in what they are working on. with our common sense and empathy. Every person is different and knowing how far to push the throttle and for how long is extremely important. Race cars like to go fast, but eventually they run out of gas. It’s important to know how to keep your team fueled and not overworked. Sometimes, we may be the one pulling back on the throttle when our teammates are overworking themselves. Balance is important, whether they want it or not. Team projects are truly a double-edged sword. In the right culture and context, they allow your team to feed off one-another’s energy and become something that is greater than the sum of its parts. But they can also make it very hard for anyone to have ownership in what they are doing, and if a team’s chemistry is already stressed, team projects can breed resentment and further dysfunction. The best way I have ever seen team projects work is to keep them extremely short and use them as a tool to offer some quick ideas to the leader of that project. Everyone can jump in for an hour or a day, and then they are back to their own work, while the “owner” of the project can cull through all of the input they got from the team. Every team is different, but understanding these principals can help you keep yours productive, engaged, invested.

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77 71

E E

N V I

58 51

I E

C A B

M A

46 41

O N

F W

30 27

Y 15

H 8

R O

G 26

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E W A

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L U

G W A

E A

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75 69

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36. Precedes OU 39. Nickname for Louise 40. Dimmer switch 42. Combining two or more types of audio/visual support in a presentation 43. Those persons who visit the expo 47. Search Engine Optimization, for short 48. Cool __ a cucumber 49. Not Mac 50. Cooling syst. 52. Liquid lunch? 53. Provided to exhibitors to lock up their materials: Security _____ 55. It can be a rental 56. This and ____ 57. Inquire 60. Short for Less than Truckload 63. Had dinner

65 71

DOWN

1. The «F» in FHC 2. It illuminates translucent material from behind 3. Darn it! 4. Transportation company: ______ Carrier 5. Associated Press, shortened 6. Tellurium symbol 7. Action suffix 8. Charge assessed for handling cargo at a pier 9. About (abbr) 10. Sole provider of services: _______ Contractor 13. Years old 14. Opposite NE 18. Service request prior to installation date: ________ Order 19. Negative reply 20. Wheel on a string, when doubled 23. One can be graphic 24. Northern Territory, for short 27. Baton Rouge state (abbr) 28. Tubing covered with fabric: ____ and Drape 29. Overwhelming feeling of admiration 34. Another service provider: _________ Contractor

70 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

1. The construction of an exhibit 8. Electrical cable with a continuous ground: Three _____ 11. Associate of Arts, shortened 12. We’re ____ for business 13. Certain Wednesday 15. Used to be prefix 16. Short for Certified Trade Show Marketer 17. International term meaning “aisle” 21. Particular lodge 22. Run for awhile, as a show booth 25. Female deer 26. You’re on a ____ now! 28. Recessed utility box: Floor ____ 29. Short for Air Force 30. Symbol for gold 31. Take to the slopes 32. Internal or international, shortened 33. Tubing used to channel electrical wires 35. Small opening 37. Portion of a race 38. Pumps 40. Short for remote control 41. Precedes en 43. Against prefix 44. Zion state (abbr) 45. Therefore 46. Utilize 48. Aluminum symbol 49. Physical education, shortened 50. Beer cousin 51. Involuntary movement, perhaps 54. Individual retained to provide services 58. Appraisal (abbr) 59. Not hers 60. Certain sign 61. Follow closely 62. Not PC

65. Short for establish or estimate 67. Oolong or chamomile 69. Tantalum symbol 70. Particular blocker 71. Stand for displaying objects 73. Head wear 75. He’s a _______ in his industry 77. RN workplace? 78. Township, shortened 80. Post used to support signage or other elevated objects 81. On-site official: Union _______

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SALES & MARKETING

Magic Sells! ROBERT STRONG BEWITCHES TRADESHOW CROWDS BY JESSICA ABLAMSKY

Comedy Magician Robert Strong brews trade show success by blending sleight of hand with carefully crafted sales techniques. An award winning performer—he was voted San Francisco’s best magician three times, took 2nd place at the Las Vegas Comedy Competition and was awarded two Civilian Medallions of Distinction from the U.S. Army—Strong also boasts a client list that includes some of the world’s best known brands: Adobe, Apple, Google, Salesforce and more. While his specialty is corporate shows, he drives success on the trade show floor by creating buzz, captivating crowds and pre-screening leads. “We’ve got him on the hook for our major shows this year,” said Shay Matthews, contract event manager for Lenovo. “He’s definitely our secret sauce.” Each show features a mini theater, with benches that need to be filled. Presentations run about every 45 minutes, so attracting a crowd is vital. “We create buzz on the floor, because it’s standing room only,” Matthews said. “We’re always next to another booth where they say, ‘Turn down the noise.’” Presentations are about Connection, Not Content A native of Frederick, Maryland, Strong 72 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

fell in love with magic while watching a show at the Baltimore Inner Harbor. “I immediately was like, ‘That’s what I want to do,’” he said. His parents supported his newfound passion through weekly trips to the library and monthly trips to the magic shop. Everybody in his family is self-employed, so booking performances was a natural next step. He put his business card on bulletin boards, distributed brochures, and took out an ad in the local newspaper, which ran also ran an article about him. His self-promotion was rewarded quickly as soon he was performing at a lot of children’s parties, plus malls, libraries, and other public venues. “For a long time my mother was my lovely assistant,” Strong said. “I sawed her in half at every show. Then I got my driver’s license and I fired her.” Strong also paid his way through

college performing at shows at comedy clubs, museums, malls and zoos. It was the perfect training ground for trade shows, he said. On the trade show floor, an infinite number of things can go wrong, but after hundreds of hours on stage, Strong can handle anything a crowd throws at him. “You never deny it, ignore it, or pretend it didn’t happen—you say ‘yes’ to it,” he said. “At a trade show, if somebody brings a kid and the kid is crying, you don’t just ignore it. It becomes part of the presentation.” It makes his performances feel fresh, because he is not just reciting a script, he said. People think presentations are about content, but Strong thinks they are wrong. “It’s about making a connection,” he said. “Finding out what the audience’s Continued on p. 74

SALES & MARKETING

Continued from p. 72 needs are and making sure your content answers their needs.” The Magic of Lead Generation After college, Strong performed internationally, then scored a coveted position as a cruise line magician. For three years, he worked for Carnival, Disney, and Norwegian, traveling mostly to Hawaii, the Caribbean, and Alaska. He welcomed vacationers aboard with one or two shows, and was rewarded with good pay and great crowds in beautiful theaters. “The audiences are great,” he said. “They have no cell phones. They have no distractions. They are really there to see the show.” It is a gig most magicians work their entire lives for. His peers were usually in their 50s, 60s and 70s, and he achieved it in his twenties. And that is how got his start in trade shows. Someone approached him about working their booth, and Strong agreed. After a lackluster experience, he had an epiphany. Watching a more experienced trade show magician, he realized his job is to attract the largest possible crowd, offer a dynamic performance and insert messaging at strategic points. It is a formula he still follows. XCell Biosciences, a San Francisco Bay Area biotechnology company, does five or six trade shows every year, said Martin Pieprzyk, the company’s executive vice president of sales and marketing. “Strong literally goes out and he pulls passersby into the booth with a magic trick,” said Pieprzyk, a 20-year trade show veteran. “While he’s doing the trick, he will actually start to incorporate some of our presentation into his performance.” By the end of the first day, Strong was basically offering the XCell sales pitch with the same level of detail as sales staff, Pieprzyk said. Strong also pre-screens leads, which means the leads he generates are of much higher quality. “This is the first time we’ve use a magician and I don’t think I’ll ever do a trade show without one,” Pieprzyk said. “We got three times as many leads as we ever have in the past.” 74 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

10 TRICKS TO MASTER LEAD GENERATION After more than 30 years as an entertainer, Comedy Magician Robert Strong knows how to attract a crowd and drive leads. Here are a few tips from Strong that will help you take your booth to the next level.

»» Choose the right booth staff. Attending a show should be a reward. Instead of taking whoever is available, audition staff.

»» Let booth staff learn from each other. Mix up teams so that the strongest employees are paired with the weakest.

»» Practice makes perfect. Booth staff should practice their elevator pitch with different lengths: 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Interested leads should receive the three minute pitch, and uninterested leads should get the 30 second pitch. »» Approach passersby the right way. Booth staff should never approach people straight on or from behind. The correct approach is at a 45 degree angle, at a speed that matches the target. »» Have a good opening line. To avoid boredom, booth staff should have at least three opening lines. Instead of “Hello,” ask questions, such as: »» “What’s the most interesting thing you’ve seen at the trade show?” This reveals what is on their mind. »» “What’s your job title?” This reveals what their professional interest. »» “What’s the biggest pain point for your industry?” This tells you what problem they need to solve. »» Use examples. Everyone in the booth should be familiar with at least three case studies that emphasize how their business helped another organization succeed. »» Offer multiple introductions. Leads should be introduced to multiple people at the booth. This creates a memorable experience. »» Sell at scale. Each sales person should talk to multiple leads at the same time. »» Have a plan, and follow through. Success at a trade show is about shepherding people through the sales funnel, so they go from passerby to customer. Unfortunately, many companies do not ask, “What is the plan to create a perfect experience to turn a passerby into a customer?” »» If it’s not working, stop doing it. If something is not working, people tend to stick with their original plan. But at a trade show, the mood on the floor can change quickly. If something is not working, have the courage to let it go.

SALES & MARKETING

If You Expect Your Salesforce to Follow-Up on the Leads After Your Tradeshows – “FAGETABOUTIT” BY RICHARD ERSCHIK

Why won’t YOUR salesforce follow-up? Because they can’t… so they won’t…and don’t. And you should not expect them to or blame them for not following up. Whaaaaaat? Oh they might contact the people they know or the company names they recognize. But the other 86% of tradeshow booth visitors today are NEW BUSINESS prospects – Source www.CEIR.org So how do you suppose or propose they contact the 86%? Put yourself it their shoes for just a minute and consider the following Reed Business Information Services statistics as barriers to their lead follow-up success.

»» The cost of a sales call today is $329.00 »» The number of calls to close a sale is 5.2 »» The number of sellers seen by buyers in a week is 1.8

So you’re probably thinking, why don’t they just pick up the phone and call the leads? Again, put yourself in their shoes and consider these statistics regarding phone calls in today’s world of automated answering machines and personal voice mail.

»» It requires 3.4 telephone dialing attempts to reach anyone, for anything. (Want to prove it to yourself; try to call me right now at 630-6426500. You’ll probably get my voice mail and I’ll get yours when I try to call you back.) »» It requires 7.6 telephone dialing attempts to reach and identify a (sales) prospect that has an immediate or near future intention to purchase the product or service they inquired about. 76 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

Based on the above statistics 50 tradeshow leads would require…

»» $16,450.00 in sales call cost »» 256 sales calls »» More than 28 weeks to “get in” to see the prospects. Knowing all of that, now, would YOU go through all that effort to follow-up all the leads? Probably not. THIS is NOT a tradeshow LEAD So now you may be thinking, if they can’t call on them personally, and they can’t (or won’t) call them on the phone, why not fax them?

»» The CanSPAM act prohibits faxing to individuals without prior “written” permission. So fax is out. OK, how about email? Why can’t the salesforce follow-up the leads via email? That question is best answered with a rhetorical question. What did YOU do with YOUR email when you turned on your computer this morning, specifically with those in which you didn’t recognize the subject line information or the sender? If you said, “Delete, delete, delete,” you’re not alone. Because that’s what the recipients of blind email response to tradeshow leads would do, because they wouldn’t recognize the subject line information or the sender. While 86% of them are NEW BUSINESS prospects (remember?)

I hope that by YOU now knowing and considering all of the above, your blame for the salesforce not following up on the tradeshow leads is turning more to empathy. Because it’s no wonder why “Less than 20% of tradeshow leads ever get followed up” and “76% of salespeople view the value of tradeshow leads to be no better than cold calls.” Source – www.CEIR.org So what’s the solution to the serious problem of poor lead follow-up after a tradeshow? Continuing education! The answer to the problem is in continuing YOUR education in the best-practices of tradeshow marketing that includes the lead follow-up solution. Tradeshow Leads To Sales is a company resource for that education in the form of seminars and webinars that tradeshow organizers host for their exhibitors, and individual exhibitors can contact for oneon-one tutoring. If you are like most exhibitors, your leads aren’t being followed up and 80% of your selling opportunities are being missed. It’s up to YOU to solve that problem. Richard Erschik of www.TradeshowLeadsToSales. com 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. Contact him by phone/text at 630-642-6500 or email at rerschik@richarderschik.com .

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ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 77

SALES & MARKETING

Did You Learn About Trade Show Marketing in College? AWARENESS BEGINS WITH SMALL STEPS BY LARRY KULCHAWIK

I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell you how many times I have cited the CLC (Convention Liaison Council) study conducted by Deloitte&Touche in 1995 which calculated the Convention & Meeting industry to be $83 billion in size, ranked #22 in contribution to the GDP in the USA, yet few have gone to school for direct training to work in this industry. Most of us in this business have fumbled into it in one way or another, and grew to like it. We then became experts through on the job training and by trial and error. I suspect the industry total now 78 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

represents over $100 billion in revenue. Today, there are many more training avenues for trade show marketing available than in the past, but the average university marketing department hardly mentions trade show marketing and its place within the overall marketing mix. I am not saying that we need to establish college degrees in trade show marketing, but we can start by reaching out to our alma maters and favorite university business/marketing departments to share our knowledge and grow awareness about the power of trade

show marketing, and its place within the marketing mix. The old rule of thumb was that 5 percent of a companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s revenue should be earmarked for marketing. This total budget then is divided among the different marketing channels to choose from and create a plan to integrate each of the components to work together to reach your goal. No one component is more important than the other, although some will cost much more to do. Using the budget wisely is the key. Continued on p. 80

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Continued from p. 78 In September of this year, I was introduced to the marketing department at NEIU (Northeastern Illinois University) in Chicago. I made a presentation that focused on how trade show marketing fits in the overall marketing mix. In this case, establishing awareness that trade show/ event marketing even existed! The class I presented to was a marketing class that focused on ‘how to write a marketing plan’. The professor then divided the students into small groups and they were asked to come up with a new product or service, and then prepare a marketing plan to bring it to market. The student groups were then required to present their final plans in the form of a trade show to present and sell their ‘companies’ and product/services. The students needed to create graphics for their displays and needed to orally present their plan conclusions. On December 5, the classes presented their findings to a group of local marketing experts who served as judges. Each class group presented their marketing plans and were then judged on the effectiveness of their conclusions. I found this class to be an excellent way to introduce and experience the power of trade show marketing, and how it integrates within each of the other components in the marketing mix. I sure wish that I would have taken a class like this before I started in the business! “The benefits realized from this single class offered our students three experiences to take with them to their working careers after college. One-How to write a Marketing Plan, Two-the components of a marketing mix, Three-working as a team and presenting your ideas face to face in a trade show environment,” says Professor Shabnam Zanjani of NEIU. “Our NEIU student body is one of the most diverse in the USA. The majority of our business and marketing students live, and will continue to work, in the Chicagoland area. Preparing our students to 80 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

Above, NIEU judges and faculty; and below, with the NEIU student body participants.

be of value with business and marketing skills to work at local companies is our goal. With McCormick Place and major corporations in our backyard, we surely want our students to be fully aware of all marketing methods and tactics, including trade show marketing”-says Michael Bedell, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business and Management at NEIU. So, my request to all exhibit industry

experts in the USA who have discovered a passion for the trade show/event industry, and are still having fun, please reach out to your local universities and share your knowledge about trade show marketing with the college Business and Marketing Departments in your area. Trade show marketing awareness begins with small steps to establish its value within the overall marketing mix.

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ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 81

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

People on the Move

imlok Louisiana has added Bill Carney (below right), executive consultant, to its growing team of exhibit and display professionals. With more than 15 years of experience in business-to-business client consultations in oil and energy industries, Carney will focus on helping Nimlok Louisiana clients craft their perfect exhibit solution based on their specific needs, timeline and budget. “Bill brings a wonderful dynamic to the Nimlok Louisiana team,” said Mitchell Myers, general manager of Nimlok Louisiana. “His expertise in the area of business-to-business sales and his overall collaborative approach to creating solutions are valuable assets for our clients and for our team.” Core-apps announced that Wayne Crawford has joined the company as vice president of sales. Crawford is an exposition, sales and event technology professional with more than 30 years’ experience. “I have been about helping customers improve their processes and maximize revenue my entire career,” said Crawford, who has held key management positions at NAB, CES, NXTcomm and expo technology platform a2z, Inc. “I’m thrilled to join the Core-apps team. I believe we have an incredible opportunity to continue to grow our platform and the marketplaces we serve, and I’m excited to lead that effort with the sales and leadership teams.” Stephen Corrick (right) has joined The Comexposium Group in Los Angeles, to become USA Regional CEO. Corrick will lead the Group’s strategy in the region, sourcing new acquisitions in the USA, and pursuing the integration of existing activities across properties including MMS, iMedia

82 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

By Exhibit City News

and ad:tech. He has held leadership positions at UBM, including senior vice president and portfolio director of the Manufacturing Group and vice-president of sales for the Electronics Group. “I’m thrilled to join the Comexposium team during this time of great revitalization across their portfolio—with so much happening the U.S. in particular,” Corrick said. Freeman has announced the hiring of two renowned executives as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to bring world class talent to drive the future of brand experience. Peter McGrath, a longtime successful creative leader at The Walt Disney Company, starts his new role as senior vice president of creative for Freeman’s agency division, FreemanXP, and Haluk Kulin, a global marketing leader at multinational consumer goods company Unilever, joins as senior vice president of strategy and data for FreemanXP. McGrath will oversee the creative department to nurture and maximize creative across the enterprise, while Kulin will be charged with harnessing data to deliver integrated customer solutions that combine data, strategy, research, and creative capabilities. Both men will also hold a position on Freeman’s newly created Design Leadership Council. “Both Peter and Haluk see the tremendous opportunity to join a global enterprise and work with the world’s leading organizations to innovate the brand experience channel,” said Bob Priest-Heck, Freeman’s presi-

dent. “Big thinkers, leaders, and innovators in their own right, Peter and Haluk have come to us from other industries and will continue to amplify the transformation Bruce Mau, our chief design officer, is leading.” Willwork, Inc. Exhibit and Event Services has announced the promotion of Maureen Jardin (left) to national operations assistant. In this new role, Jardin will focus on servicing Willwork’s customers by facilitating the planning process and ensuring that Willwork’s high standards are met each and every time. Jardin has been with Willwork for almost 17 years. From assisting the sales department to assistant Boston city manager and Willwork University instructor, Jardin has been an integral part of the company’s growth and service. The promotion of Ms. Jardin continues Willwork’s ongoing commitment to delivering service excellence to an ever expanding client base. Edlen Electrical Exhibition Services is pleased to announce three promotions in its San Francisco and Anaheim offices. Congratulations to Ning Morita (left) who has recently been promoted to senior event services manager. Ning joined Edlen’s San Francisco team in 2012 after more than 20 years in the trade show and event industry. Ning’s new role will focus on training and mentoring San Francisco’s event team and overseeing the event production process. Ning has worked with the Edlen team on such events as CLEO, National Apartment Association, Workday Rising and OFC and is excited to continue her work in San Francisco. Edlen’s San Francisco team is also pleased to announce Audra Williams’ promotion to office manager. Audra was introduced to the trade show industry 23 years ago and has served as an Continued on p. 84

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Continued from p. 82 event services manager on such events as ASIS, HIMSS, Workday Rising and Super Bowl 50. Her new role will place a large emphasis on supporting the Edlen team and events in the northern California market. Brittany Cordova (right) has been promoted to senior event services manager of Edlen’s Anaheim/Los Angeles office. Brittany is responsible for Edlen’s day to day operations in the southern California market. She started her career as an event manager at the Long Beach Convention Center and since joining Edlen in 2014 has assisted with the production of such events as The Grammy’s, Emmy’s, LA Art Show, ANIME, OFC, Rockwell Automation Fair and IAEE. MG is pleased to announce that Linda Lee has been promoted to senior account manager reporting to Jessie McNeil. Lee has been on the MG team for four years. She started in new business development before moving to a role in account management and managing the day-to-day operations of client programs. Before joining MG, Lee’s expertise included more than 10 years with a marketing agency serving technology companies and several years as a customer product development specialist. Lee is located in MG’s San Francisco office, where she is focused on MG’s Silicon Valley clientele and fast-growing biotech sector companies. MG is also pleased to announce that Erika Michels has joined the new business development team in Las Vegas. Reporting to Jodi Potirala, Director of Client Services, Michels will be focused on MG’s growing West Coast client base. Michels started her trade show career working as a booth ambassador and hostess for shows in Los Angeles. She loved representing companies and their products and it showed. Several companies with large exhibit programs hired Michels to represent their brands as a 84 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

sales representative. She then translated her sales experience into working for trade show producers. The San Diego Convention Center Corporation has hired Mohsen Khaleghi to lead its new business development strategy initiative. Khaleghi joins SDCCC as the senior vice president/ chief business development officer, reporting to President & CEO Clifford “Rip” Rippetoe, CFE. Khaleghi most recently served as a member of the SDCCC Board of Directors and was chair of the Business Development Ad Hoc Committee. Khaleghi brings years of experience in the hospitality industry to his role, with an exceptional record of success in developing new business, phases of operations, sales and marketing, revenue management, sponsorship development and asset management. Momentum Management has announced the hiring of a Boston city manager. Selected for the position is Joe Beltrami (left), who brings many years of experience to the trade show floor. “While working on the trade show floor, I always noticed that Momentum Management was different somehow. Being welcomed into the Momentum team is an honor,” says Beltrami. “Learning the Momentum client centric approach and seeing firsthand how Momentum has made investments behind the scenes to make sure our exhibit house clients’ needs are always met is truly eye opening. I couldn’t be more proud to now call Momentum home.” The Expo Group has added Dan DiPietro to the team as national sales director. DiPietro has a rich industry experience that includes a technology background and strong sales acumen. He has been in the trade

show industry for more than 15 years, starting off as a key contributor with a start-up company in cutting-edge trade show technology where he served as director of major accounts. He became a director of business development for a general contractor before moving to his most recent position handling corporate partnerships for the Navy League. DiPietro will be based in the Washington DC area. Dale Morgan, founder and CEO of ASTOUND Group, is thrilled to announce the addition of John Saltonstall (left), an industry veteran and trusted leader in the exhibits, events and architectural projects space. Saltonstall is appointed ASTOUND’s vice president of special projects and will be based out of the Las Vegas office and production facility. With more than 30 years in the business, Saltonstall is an accomplished executive, having completed more than a thousand projects domestically and globally. “I’m extremely honored and humbled to join the ranks of such a growing powerhouse in the design and fabrication industry,” said Saltonstall. Reed Exhibitions has announced that Kimberly Fox (below) has joined the National Hardware Show team to lead the brand’s buyer programs and extend its strong relationships with hardware and home improvement professionals. Fox comes with more than 20 years’ experience in the tradeshow industry as a well-respected sales leader and innovator. Her background includes 6+ years of matching buyers with sellers in her role as national account manager on Reed’s One2one Summit business. “I’m looking forward to learning as much as possible about the industry, understanding what the future looks like and how NHS can help drive their businesses,” says Fox.

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ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 85

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Edlen Welcomes Jim Ness as Exec. VP

dlen Electrical Exhibition Services, the nation’s leading and largest independent electrical contractor to the convention and trade show industry, is pleased to announce the addition of Jim Ness to the Las Vegas office. Ness has joined Edlen in the role of executive vice president. A University of Michigan graduate and Las Vegas native, he has 35 years of professional experience in the Las Vegas convention services and meetings business. “We are so excited to welcome Jim to Edlen’s team. He has spent his career working in the event industry and giving back to the Las Vegas community. Jim shares Edlen’s business philosophy for providing

great service and his sales and management experience will be a tremendous asset to the continued growth of the company,” says Jim Wetterling, president/CEO. Ness is a second-generation contributor to the convention industry in Las Vegas, following in the footsteps of his father Howard Ness, who pioneered Las Vegas Convention Services, Inc., the original Las Vegas general service contracting company. Jim Ness co-founded Design Expositions, Inc. in 1987 and served as president/CEO for five years, until selling to Freeman. Ness continued his career with Freeman until 2016, most recently as vice president of business development for Freeman Audio Visual.

Ness is an active member of the Las Vegas community, supporting such philanthropies as Opportunity Village, Safe Nest, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and the American Heart Association’s Annual Heart Walk. Jim is a past chairman of the Convention Services Advisory Council, serves on the executive board of directors for the Boy Scouts of America Las Vegas Area Council and is currently serving as president of the advisory board for the Academy of Hospitality and Tourism. He may be reached at 6705 S. Eastern Avenue Las Vegas, NV 89119; phone (702) 385-6911; Fax (702) 385-1810; jness@edlen.com. Edlen is a national company based out of Las Vegas, servicing more than 5,000 events annually, providing exclusive, preferred or recommended services in more than 200 convention facilities nationwide. For more information, please visit www.edlen.com.

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ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 87

LEGAL

Is Your Company a Joint Employer? RISKS AND TIPS BY WILLIAM DANIELS AND MS. YUTING LI

ompanies using temporary workers, leased employees, or subcontracted workers may not consider those individuals to be their own employees. However, the law may disagree and treat the company as a “joint employer” along with the subcontractor or company supplying the temporary workers or leased employees. As a result, joint employers may be 88 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

liable for lawsuits arising from claims related to discrimination, harassment, violation of the National Labor Relations Act, and/or withdrawal liability. The question of whether a company is a joint employer may depend on which of the violations listed above is alleged. As discussed below, different laws may apply different tests to determine a joint employer relationship.

In general, a joint employer relationship will exist: (1) if the secondary employer (i.e., the company leasing employees or subcontracting additional workers) exercises direct or indirect control over significant terms and conditions of employment of the primary entity’s employees; (2) where the secondary employer possesses the unexercised potential to control such terms and conditions of employment; or (3) where “industrial realities” otherwise made the company an essential party to meaningful collective bargaining. A joint employer relationship also can arise from a contractual agreement between the company (as a secondary employer) and the primary employer (e.g., the lease agreement may specify that the company receiving leased employees is a joint employer with the leasing organization). In the trade show industry, it is not uncommon for an exhibitor to lease union employees to set up, tear down, and maintain the exhibitor’s booth on the floor. Who directs and controls the union employee’s work for the duration of a show? What if the same union employees work many booths for different exhibitors? Are all exhibitors who use such union employees joint employers? Not many persons outside the industry understand how a tradeshow operates and it may easily appear to an outsider that a joint employer relationship exists when it does not. The degree to which control over the union employee is exercised by any one exhibitor

could lead to a joint employer relationship. It is very important that the exhibitor limit control over any leased union employees to minimize the possibility of an adverse joint employer finding. The general test described above may be refined or altered by specific laws dealing with discrimination or employee benefits. Below we outline several important laws and how they refine the general test. Under the Fair Labor Standard Act (“FLSA”), the employee’s work hours for joint employers are aggregated and considered as one employment when evaluating the number of weekly work hours, employee’s regular rate of pay, and the amount of overtime. All joint employers are jointly and severally liable for FLSA compliance. The standard for determining the existence of a joint employer is the “economic reality” test to determine the existence of a joint employment. The economic reality test requires a consideration of “whether the employees in question are economically dependent on the putative employer.” The court usually will consider the extent of the employers’ power: (1) to hire and fire the employees; (2) to supervise and control employee work schedules or conditions of employment; (3) to determine the rate and method of payment; and (4) to maintain the employment records. The Department of Labor (“DOL”), the governmental agency assigned to enforce the FLSA, has interpreted Continued on p. 90

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ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 89

LEGAL

Continued from p. 88 current laws to provide that joint employment can be horizontal or vertical. Horizontal joint employment means two employers share an employee’s service or are associated regarding their workers and share common control over them. The analysis focuses the relationship between two employers. The DOL identifies the non-exclusive factors relevant to analyzing potential horizontal joint employment, including whether and to what extent the potential joint employers: (1) are commonly owned or have no overlap in ownership; (2) have overlapping officers, directors, executives, or man-

agers; (3) share control over operations, including hiring, firing, payroll, advertising, and other overhead costs; (4) intermingle their operations; (5) supervise or have supervisory authority over the work of the other’s employees; (6) treat the employees as part of a common labor pool available to both of them; (7) share clients or customers; and (8) are party to any agreements between them. A vertical joint employment exists when an employee of an intermediary employer is economically dependent on the potential joint employer. The analysis focuses on the relationship between the employee

and a potential joint employer. Factors to consider include the degree to which the potential joint employer: (1) directs, controls, or supervises the work performed; (2) controls employment conditions; (3) engages in a permanent, indefinite, or long-term relationship with the employee; (4) uses the employee for repetitive, rote, or unskilled work; (5) uses the employee to perform work that is integral to its business; (6) has the work performed on its premises; and (7) performs administrative functions commonly performed by employer. Under Title VII, there is no clearly defined standard for determining the existence of

a joint employment relationship. Title VII applies two tests to examine whether the companies are joint employers: (1) the common law right of control test; and (2) a “hybrid” test, which is a combination of the common law right of control test and the economic realities test. Under the common law right of control test, entities are considered to be joint employers when they “share or co-determine” the essential terms and conditions of a worker’s employment. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) issued enforcement guidance about joint employment under Title VII. Accord-

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ing to the guidance, the test is whether the company exercises sufficient control over the individual employee. Factors to be considered include: (1) whether the company (as a secondary employer) controls when, where and how the employee performs the job; (2) whether the work requires a high level of skill or expertise; (3) whether the company provides the tools, materials, and equipment; (4) where the work is performed; (5) the length and continuing nature of the relationship between the company and employee; (6) whether the company can assign additional projects to the individual employee; (7) whether the company sets the hours of work and duration of the job; (8) how the employee is paid; (9) whether the employee has any role in hiring and paying assistants; (9) whether the work performed is part of the company’s regular business; (10) whether the employee is engaged in the employee’s own occupation or business; (11) whether the company provides benefits, such as insurance, leave, or workers’ compensation, to the employee; (12) whether the employee is considered an employee of the company for tax purposes; (13) whether the company can discharge the employee; and (14) whether the company and the employee believe that they are creating an employer-employee relationship. The Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) applies an “integrated employer” test for determining whether separate entities may be held liable as @ExhibitCityNews

a single employer. The integrated employer test considers four factors: (1) common management; (2) interrelation between operations; (3) centralized control of labor relations; and (4) common ownership. Keep in mind that the FMLA explicitly states that “joint employment will ordinarily be found to exist when a temporary or leasing agency supplies employees to a second employer.” This is true regardless of whether the labor supplied is union or nonunion, and if union, whether or not the second employer is a signatory to the collective bargaining agreement. Finally, under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), a company that is not a signatory to a collective bargaining agreement under which contributions to a multiemployer plan are required may be a “joint employer” if, under the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”), the company would be bound by the agreement and therefore, be “obligated to contribute” to the plan. A company becomes a “joint employer” for purposes of the NLRA if it exercises such close supervision over day-to-day working conditions of the “employer’s” employees. Thus, for separate entities to be “joint employers”: (1) each company must exert significant control over the same employees; and (2) the evidence must show that the separate entities share or “co-determine those matters governing the essential terms and conditions of employment.” The

joint employer relationship is deemed to arise in situations where the parties contractually agree to be joint employers. The potential consequences of being a joint employer can include: (1) joint liability for unfair labor practice charges; (2) being required to collectively bargain about the putative employees’ employment terms and conditions that entity is found to potentially control; (3) being lawfully picketed by unions; and/or (4) liability associated with withdrawal liability to union benefit plans. Liability and penalties related to these consequences can reach millions of dollars. If your company is in a potential joint employer relationship, the following steps should be taken to minimize potential liability. Firstly, the company should consult with their attorneys to learn the relevant case law in their jurisdiction. Second, the company should consider

the economic realities of their relationship with the leased or subcontracted employees and how much control they must exercise over such employees. Thirdly, the company should conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether such control is absolutely necessary. For example, the company may consider whether the benefits of exercising control over the leased or subcontracted employees outweigh the cost of potential liability as a joint employer. The company also should avoid potential joint liability by: (1) stating in any leasing or subcontracting agreement that they are not an employer or a joint employer of the leased or subcontracted employee; (2) clearly assigning responsibility and liability for compliance with specific laws; and (3) adding indemnification protection provisions in the agreement between the company and the primary employer.

CONCERTS CONVENTIONS DINING ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT SHOPPING SPORTING EVENTS

ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 91

CONVENTION CENTER SPOTLIGHT

EAT Visit the Village at Rosemont. If you’re looking for classic American fare along with top shelf liquors and wines, visit Bogart’s Bar and Grill. They have an extensive list of martinis along with a large assortment of draft beers. For southern barbecue, whiskey and live music for dinner, this is the spot. You’ll find everything from delicious brisket to pork ribs chicken and burgers. But if you’re in a hurry, grab a few tacos from Cilatro’s Taco Grill, where you can dine in or take your food with you.

Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

By Kathy Anaya

hese 840,000 square feet of exhibition space are perfect for a small to mid-size show. With enough space to house from 100 to 3,566 booths, they will configure it any way you like. Hosting several tradeshows and weddings each year, the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center offers a warm and inviting atmosphere for any event. Located in the Village of Rosemont in Cook County, Ill, the facility offers catering that provides service for up to 3,000 people for breakfast and lunch buffets or simple coffee break services. With 92,000 square feet and 50 meeting rooms close to the showfloor, there’s all the space needed to accommodate conferences and meetings. For attendees’ convenience, there is a Skybridge walkway which connects from the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center to nearby hotels and the William Street parking garage. Attendees can find beautiful water foundations throughout the convention center, concierge and coat check areas,

92 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

and are provided with internet access throughout the facility. Rosemont Exposition Services has a professional staff to assist with the floor plans, supplies and detailed exhibitor manuals and provides continuous supervision onsite. Culturally minded? Visit the Rosemont Theatre. Need a workout or to relieve stress? Try the Rosemont Health & Fitness club. Or take in the Donald E. Stephens Hummel Museum, which features the world’s largest public display of M.I. Hummel figurines, many of which Donald E. Stephens donated from his personal collection. There are so many various community events always going on around the convention center, such as Ice Skate in the Park or the Winter Wonderland of Beer, with many more being added throughout the year. There is always something magical going on. Besides so much to do, the Chicago area is a beautiful city to visit, even though it may be cold in the winter. Enjoy your visit!

SLEEP There are so many places to stay surrounding the DES Convention Center, whether you’re looking for something affordable to expensive. The Chicago Marriott Suites O’Hare is the top choice for most at Rosemont, though, and offers guests a complimentary shuttle service and a newly renovated gym. Rooms provide a living area, large desk and mini-refrigerator. But if you’re looking for something a little more affordable, the Best Western has great rooms and is three miles from the convention center, also with a shuttle service.

PLAY Sports fans can catch a baseball or softball game at The Dome at The Ballpark, the new home of the Chicago Bandits professional women’s softball team. A 140,000 sq. ft. facility, it also hosts tournaments, leagues and individual games for youth baseball and softball, as well as adult softball teams. And if you want a good laugh, visit Zanie’s Comedy Club or the Rivers Casino, where gambling and great entertainment is all around.

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ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 93

MEMORIAM

Nomadic Display Legend Remembered BY JOHN DENOBILE

Ken Ranucci, 10/16/1965 – 1/09/2017, Boynton Beach, Fla. It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my dear friend Ken Ranucci. Kenny and I started in 1988 in what would become Nomadic Display Corporation NY/NJ. He excelled in sales of portable displays, becoming the FIRST to sell $1 million in a year. Ken could be seen pushing Red Rolluxe cases around NYC ! (He was very aggressive!) Our Careers always paralleled as we both moved to custom houses in 1993, started families and gained experience. Ken worked for Contempo Design in NY, Exhibitgroup (GES) Chicago and in 2001, finally started his own company, Creative Nightclubs, LLC, in

94 Mar/Apr 2016 Exhibit City News

Florida, specializing in nightclub design, graphics, furniture and décor worldwide. We always kept in touch - whether working together in NY, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Vegas or Florida. Ken and I shared a love of deep sea fishing and we would meet often and take our fathers out for a day of fun, either in NJ or Florida. Ken has been a part of my family for almost 30 years. We were still working together and planning a fishing trip in Florida in just weeks. His heart was often bigger than his head. He didn’t always make the best decisions, but he made so many out of love. RIP Kenny. J“You know, I’m the lucky one to have this wonderful time with my whole family, but especially my dad. I’m living the dream, me and him. Just tells you how much family means. You never know, you could turn around and it might just be gone.” Ken is survived by his daughters, Alena, Cecelia, Kory, his dad Lorenzo, his brother Larry and his sisters Lori & Karen. RIP Kennyo many of them full of love.RR RIP Brother I will miss you forever!

Tradeshow Floral Founder Remembered Walter “Cactus Jack” Clemmons, age 75, died Saturday, January 7, 2017, at Cartersville Medical Center. He was born in Cartersville, Ga., on January 18, 1941, to Walter Glenn Clemmons and Minnie Dangler Clemmons. He is survived by his sister, Lucy Clemmons Cook, and niece, Stacy Henderson, and her husband, Mark Henderson of Ft. Oglethorpe, Ga. He is also survived by a number of cousins. Jack has many long-time friends that will miss him greatly. He was owner and manager of Tradeshow Floral, LLC. His work took him all over the country and because of his travels, he had friends everywhere. He enjoyed the travel and especially enjoyed playing golf with his friends when at home. Service was held on Saturday, January 14, 2017, at Georgia Funeral Care and Cremation Services, 4671 South Main St. Acworth, Ga., with visitation immediately after the service. Said Lori Key: “Always adorning a hat, his jolly laugh and sense of humor was the iconic Jack we all knew. Those of us in the trade show world love him and will miss him terribly. It was always a pleasure being with Cactus Jack. When visiting Las Vegas in the past years, we found time to share laughs and a few beverages. Early in my floral and décor career, Jack introduced me to some of the most amazing people in our industry. I am honored to have known him. Peace be with you, Cactus Jack!” Said Dave Grilli: “Jack began in business selling tropical plants along the roadside. When a passerby from a convention stopped and asked if he could rent a few plants and bring them back, Jack asked, ‘You mean, I can get these plants back after the show?’ His newly-found customer responded, ‘Absolutely.’ And that, my friends, is how Cactus Jack began Trade Show Floral, LLC.”

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DINING

Charlie Palmer’s Aureole at Mandalay Bay Chef Charlie Palmer and Mandalay Bay have reimagined Aureole, a renowned restaurant in Las Vegas that now offers a tasting table experience designed for the way people eat and drink today. Chef Palmer has renewed his commitment to preparing quality, local ingredients in a bold, American style and upholds Aureole’s longstanding position as one of the greatest wine restaurants in the world. The transformed space offers three distinct dining experiences: an intimate bar and lounge area; an approachable main dining room; and the fine dining Fountain Terrace, all highlighted with warm hues and wine-inspired design elements. Aureole has reopened on the casino level where it has stood since 1999. “The new Aureole offers a modern dining experience that stays true to the core elements that have made it a beloved Las Vegas staple,” said Chef Charlie Palmer. “The menu takes a ‘less is more approach’ in which quality ingredients are used in exciting preparation methods that don’t overcomplicate the dish presentation or flavor profile.” The new menu concept focuses around food’s three natural foundations: Surf, Root and Ranch, boasting eight dishes in each category. Selections are organized in ascending order from lighter to robust fare, with a strong emphasis on sharing. The menu was developed in partnership with new Executive Chef Johnny Church and is available throughout the restaurant with a special prix-fixe option available upon request in the Fountain Terrace. Wine is an integral component of Aureole’s legacy as recognized through the restaurant’s 3,000-selection list that’s been lauded with Wine Spectator’s Grand Award every year since 2000. Mandalay Bay Director of Wine Harley Carbery 96 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

oversees the list and consistently updates it to keep selections new and exciting for guests. In addition, he has crafted a rotating, by-the-glass list of 48 wines that features two suggested pairings for each of the 24 dishes on the restaurant’s menu. This unique menu format provides the option to try multiple wines throughout the dinner experience and takes the guesswork out of creating the ideal pairing. A fusion of classic and contemporary design elements adds warmth and approachability to each of the dining experiences within the 9,000-square-foot Aureole. Upholstered wall panels, a wood beam ceiling and soft lighting create an intimate feel within the bar and lounge area, while the main dining room emits a modern ambiance with bold splashes

of purple, orange, and gold, offset by the earthy tones of a live olive tree. The iconic, 10,000-bottle, 50-ft. wine tower remains the focal point of the room and is accentuated by chrome wall sculptures with colorful backlit olive-shaped spheres. Fountain Terrace, Aureole’s more upscale dining room, offers a more subtle color palette accentuated by a gold leaf ceiling and tables dressed in formal white tablecloths. While each dining space has its own distinctive experience, the three rooms blend together seamlessly through Aureole’s new, cohesive design aesthetic. Aureole’s Hours of Operation are as follows: Main Dining Room - Monday-Saturday, 5:30-10:30 p.m.; Lounge Hours - Monday-Saturday, 5-10:30 p.m. For reservations, call (702) 632-7401.

Photo by Denise Ofelia Mangen

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ENTERTAINMENT

The Moth Celebrates its 20th Anniversary New Moth Book “All These Wonders” Winging to Shelves on March 21

one story at a time.” Over 5500 stories will be told from The Moth stages in 2017; show schedule highlights include: 469 StorySLAMs, which will include an Atlanta, Georgia debut in March 42 Mainstages including returns to old haunts such as St. Louis, MO and Portland, OR, as well as premieres in Anchorage, AK; Vancouver, CAN; Elko, NV; Salt Lake City, UT; San Antonio, TX; and Baltimore, MD 16 GrandSLAMs, including inaugural GrandSLAMs in Madison, WI; and Down Under in both Sydney and Melbourne 16 Education StorySLAMs throughout the year, marked by All-City High School shows in the Summer and Fall 8 Community showcases including showcases at NYC’s Lincoln Center coinciding with the UN General Assembly in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Photo by Denise Ofelia Mangen

Beloved storytelling nonprofit The Moth --the force behind the popular Moth Radio Hour, heard on 450 public radio stations nationwide, and the Moth podcast, which is downloaded 44 million times a year-- today announced its extensive lineup its 20th anniversary year. The Moth will present close to 600 shows on stages here in the U.S. and abroad throughout 2017, all featuring true personal stories told live, without notes. “In celebration of our 20th anniversary, we’ve pulled together an ambitious lineup of shows and events for 2017,” says Catherine Burns, artistic director, The Moth. It’s thrilling to do this work, and we’re proud to provide a platform for the personal stories that are shared every year on The Moth’s stages around the world. 2016 was a challenging year for a lot of people, and we believe in the power of stories to help people find common ground with their neighbors. To listen with an open heart and an open mind and try to understand what it’s like to be someone else takes real courage, and sometimes it is easier to try to make sense of the world

1 20th Anniversary Moth Ball -- the annual fundraiser for the nonprofit, slated for June 6th Also slated for 2017: The Moth’s second book, THE MOTH PRESENTS ALL THESE WONDERS: True Stories about Facing the Unknown (Crown Archetype; Hardcover; $25.00), which will be published on March 21. Edited by Catherine Burns and featuring a foreword by Neil Gaiman, ALL THESE WONDERS is a spellbinding celebration of 20 years of Moth storytellers who have stepped up to the microphone and bared their souls to a crowd of strangers. It features 45 stories, told on stages around the world, from voices both familiar and new. Alongside familiar names like Louis C.K., John Turturro, Tig Notaro, and Hasan Minhaj, and authors like Meg Wolitzer (The Interestings), Adam Mansbach (Go the %&# to Sleep), and Jessi Klein (You’ll Grow Out of It), readers will encounter musicians, doctors, pastors, high school students, journalists, NASA scientists, and more. For more information about 20th anniversary celebrations, go to www.themoth.org. Continued on p. 98

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ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 97

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

Continued from p. 97 ATTRACTIONS

San Diego’s Seven Most Stunning Natural Wonders With 70 miles of sparkling coastline and a pleasantly warm climate year-round, San Diego is home to a variety of habitats ranging from intertidal wetlands and chaparral-covered canyons to alpine mountains and pristine desert wilderness. Nestled atop the scenic seaside cliffs of La Jolla, the 1,750-acre Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is one of only two places on earth where nature lovers can find the ancient Torrey Pine (Pinus torreyana), the nation’s rarest pine tree. Visitors can enjoy wind-swept sandstone formations, six hiking trails ranging from easy, family-friendly paths to more advanced trails, and striking sunsets over the Pacific. The reserve offers free guided walks on weekends and holidays at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., departing from the historic lodge-turned-Visitor Center. La Jolla is also home to postcard-perfect La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Underwater Park, the West Coast’s first underwater preserve, spanning 6,000 acres of ocean floor and tidelands. This treasured habitat teems with marine life above and below the surface of the water, including seals, sea lions, bright orange Garibaldi fish (California’s state fish), leopard sharks (especially in late summer), pelicans and more. Sunset Cliffs on Point Loma is home to an enormous hidden sea cave that needs to be seen to be believed. Tucked beneath sandstone bluffs on the southern end of Luscomb’s Point (adjacent to Sunset Cliffs Blvd., just north of Monaco Street), is a curious chasm in the earth surrounded by a chain-link fence. Peer through the fence to view an illuminated boulder-strewn cavern below. Visitors are 98 Mar/Apr 2017 2016 Exhibit City News

advised to enjoy the cave from above and not swim into the cave via the ocean due to dangerous waves and currents. Located in North County, amidst the 970-acre San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve, is the newly restored Annie’s Canyon Trail, a moderate-to-strenuous ¼-mile looping hiking trail that climbs 200 feet to a vista point offering panoramic views of the lagoon and Pacific Ocean. The joy is in the journey as steep switchbacks pass through naturally sculpted sandstone walls and narrow slot corridors that “create a sense of mystery and wonder.” Go on a virtual hike of this wild stretch of scenery here. Located in the backcountry hills of east

San Diego County, a Visitor Use Permit is required to visit the popular Cedar Creek Falls, a spectacular waterfall plunging 80 feet into a large pool of water. The hike to the falls is a challenging six miles roundtrip through beautiful chaparral-covered hills. Bring a minimum of one gallon of water per person to avoid dehydration. The falls’ water levels vary substantially and typically don’t run during the summer. Winter months are ideal with runoff from seasonal rains. Visitors are advised the cliffs surrounding the falls are closed; no climbing, jumping or diving. For more information on San Diego’s offerings, visit the San Diego Tourism Authority’s website at www.sandiego.org.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Millette SanDiego.org

A bucket list of sensational biodiverse sights for visitors of all ages.

LODGING

The Darling Hotel at The Star Sydney The Gold Award Winner at the 2016 NSW Tourism Awards

ness Event Venue category, Jayson Heron, director of sales, indicated The Star Event Centre’s versatility and world-class facilities were the stand out factors that led to the venue’s high commendation. “Thank you to NSW Tourism for recognizing the Event Centre in the highly competitive Business Event Venue category. The Event Centre is an outstanding venue that provides versatile event spaces that are complemented by our worldclass audio visual and food and beverage services”, said Mr. Heron. Melinda Madigan, general manager of Marketing and Entertainment at The Star commented on dedication of the teams at The Darling and the Event Centre who work tirelessly to deliver unrivalled customer experiences. “The Star welcomes over 11 million visitors to the property each year and is an integral part of Sydney’s visitor economy. It is a privilege to be recognized by NSW Tourism for the outstanding efforts of the teams at The Darling and the Event Centre who continually deliver above and beyond to provide exceptional experiences for all guests,” said Ms. Madigan. For more info and reservations, visit www.star.com.au.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Millette SanDiego.org

The Darling, Sydney, Australia’s most luxurious boutique hotel, won the 2016 NSW Tourism Award in the Luxury Accommodation category late last year. The Darling was acknowledged for the superior level of luxury across the hotel’s 171 stylish and spacious rooms, suites and penthouses. With stunning views over Sydney Harbour, the hotel’s deluxe amenities include a state-of-the-art gym, an indulgent 16-room day spa and worldclass cuisine at Chef Chase Kojima’s hatted restaurant, Sokyo. The Star Sydney was recognized twice at the 2016 NSW Tourism Awards with The Star Event Centre to be highly commended for Business Event Venue. The NSW Tourism Awards, hosted by Tourism Industry a division of the NSW Business Chamber, celebrate tourism excellence across the state. The award program encourages creativity and in-

novation in the tourism industry, while benchmarking best practice operations. John Autelitano, General Manager of Hotels at The Star, commented on the significance of The Darling taking home the Luxury Accommodation category. “It was an honor to be shortlisted as a NSW finalist in the Luxury Accommodation category, which includes the highly competitive Sydney hotel market. To take out this category against strong competition truly showcases The Darling Hotel as the most luxurious hotel in NSW. “The Darling is dedicated to delivering an exceptional luxury experience to guests from the moment they make their booking. We are continually reimaging what luxury means to our guests and are proud to set the standard for luxury not only in NSW, but across Australia,” said Mr. Autelitano. The NSW Tourism award comes at the end of a highly successful 12 months for the hotel, shortlisted as a finalist at the Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA) NSW Awards for Sydney Deluxe Hotel of the Year and the Hotel Management Awards for Best Tech Hotel; The Darling Spa won best Health Club and Spa Facilities of the Year at the TAA NSW Awards. Talking of the achievement in the Busi-

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ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 99

Trade Show Calendar CANADA

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

Show Ag Expo Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada - PDAC The Convenience U CARWACS Show London Farm Show Atlantic Farm Mechanization Show Allied Beauty Association - ABA Ottawa Valley Farm Show Association for Asian Studies - AAS Ottawa Gatineau International Auto Show Esthetic and Spa Trade Show Grocery Showcase West Atlantic Building Materials Show - ABSDA The National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show Travel & Vacation Show Allied Beauty Association - ABA Quebec Gift Show Mountain Travel Symposium Canadian Special Events Live - CSE Live Vancouver International Auto Show AAPG - American Association of Petroleum Geologists Annual Conf. & Exhibition The London Poultry Show Canadian Health Food Association - Expo West - CHFA The National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show ISA Calgary - Instrumentation, Systems & Automation

Start 03/01 03/05 03/07 03/08 03/09 03/12 03/14 03/16 03/16 03/19 03/20 03/22 03/25 03/25 03/26 03/26 03/26 03/28 03/28 04/02 04/05 04/06 04/08 04/19

End 03/03 03/08 03/08 03/10 03/11 03/13 03/16 03/19 03/19 03/20 03/21 03/23 03/26 03/26 03/27 03/29 04/01 03/30 04/02 04/05 04/06 04/09 04/09 04/20

Venue Exhibition Park Metro Toronto CC Toronto Congress Centre Agriplex Moncton Coliseum Complex Palais des Congres EY Centre Sheraton Centre Toronto Shaw Centre Vancouver CC Vancouver CC Halifax Exhibition Centre RBC CC Shaw Centre Metro Toronto CC Place Bonaventure Fairmont Banff Springs Metro Toronto CC Vancouver CC George R. Brown CC Metroland Media Agriplex Vancouver CC Vancouver CC Stampede Park

All Information Is Subject to Change*

City Lethbridge Toronto Toronto London Moncton Montreal Ottawa Toronto Ottawa Vancouver Vancouver Halifax Winnipeg Ottawa Toronto Montreal Banff Toronto Vancouver Houston London Vancouver Vancouver Calgary

St AB ON ON ON NB QC ON ON ON BC BC NS MB ON ON QC AB ON BC TX ON BC BC AB

Att 23.3K 30.1K 5500 15K 12K 10K

Exh

Nsf

1K 300 360 170 105

260K 42500

3419

100 11200

4015 2600

352

15K 15K

115 155K 400 130K

1500 85K 8446 5500

100 40000

1500 5800

75 24000 250

100K 130K

217 71180 160

Industry Agriculture & Farming Mining Stores & Store Fittings Agriculture & Farming Agriculture & Farming Beauty & Healthcare Agriculture & Farming Associations Automotive & Trucking Beauty & Healthcare Food & Beverage Building & Construction Business Travel Industry Beauty & Healthcare Gifts Travel Industry Exhibition & Meeting Ind. Automotive & Trucking Petroleum, Oil & Plastics Agriculture & Farming Food & Beverage Business Manufacturing

*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.

Continued on p.98 100 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

Trade Show Calendar US CENTRAL

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

Show Commodity Classic NSC Texas Safety Conference & Expo Heli-Expo U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology Conference & Stage Expo - USITT Triumph of Ag Expo SXSW Trade Show NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Insights Property Restoration Conference & Trade Show ABB Automation & Power World Amusement Expo - AAMA Independent Community Bankers of America - ICBA East Texas Oil & Gas Convention Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition - SSTB DFW Auto Show North American Steel Construction Conference - NASCC Halloween & Attractions Show National School Boards Association - Annual - NSBA Association of Legal Administrators - ALA Space Symposium DUG Permain Basin - Developing Unconventional Gas Cornerstone Credit Union League’s Annual Meeting Border Security Expo - BSE National Catholic Educational Association - NCEA Texas Library Association - TLA Oklahoma City Farm Show Energy Telecommunications & Electrical Assn - ENTELEC Agri-Marketing Conference & Trade Show - NAMA Texas Apartment Association - TAA American Educational Research Association - AERA

Start 03/02 03/05 03/06 03/08 03/08 03/10 03/11 03/12 03/13 03/14 03/15 03/21 03/21 03/22 03/22 03/23 03/25 04/02 04/03 04/03 04/11 04/11 04/18 04/19 04/20 04/25 04/26 04/26 04/27

View Complete Calendar Online

End 03/04 03/07 03/09 03/11 03/09 03/19 03/15 03/15 03/16 03/16 03/19 03/22 03/23 03/26 03/24 03/26 03/27 04/05 04/06 04/05 04/13 04/13 04/20 04/22 04/22 04/27 04/28 04/29 05/01

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Venue Henry B. Gonzalez CC Ft. Worth CC Kay Bailey Hutchison CC America’s Center Conv. Complex CenturyLink Center Henry B. Gonzalez CC Gaylord Texan George R. Brown CC Kay Bailey Hutchison CC Henry B. Gonzalez CC Maude Cobb CC Henry B. Gonzalez CC Kay Bailey Hutchison CC Henry B. Gonzalez CC Americas Center Colorado CC Colorado CC The Broadmoor Ft. Worth CC Omni Ft. Worth Hotel Henry B. Gonzalez CC America’s Center Henry B. Gonzalez CC Bennet Event Center George R. Brown CC Sheraton Dallas Hotel Ft. Worth CC

City San Antonio Ft. Worth Dallas St. Louis Omaha Austin San Antonio Dallas Houston Dallas San Antonio Longview San Antonio Dallas San Antonio St. Louis Denver Denver Colorado Springs Ft. Worth Ft. Worth San Antonio St. Louis San Antonio Oklahoma City Houston Dallas Ft. Worth San Antonio

St TX TX TX MO NE TX TX TX TX TX TX TX TX TX TX MO CO CO CO TX TX TX MO TX OK TX TX TX TX

Att 9770

Exh 301 175 19K 714 5000 280 18.5K 1K 18K 145 8000 150 1000 165 7000 6000 201 3300 220 3500 100 2271 249 400K 90 2700 180 700 7000 325 1000 175 11K 160 2482 191 800 90 1000 100 4965 443 8000 300 2000 175 1200 60 3000 325 14K

Nsf 126K

Industry Financial & Legal Safety 307K Aerospace & Aviation 45000 Electrical & Electronics 201K Agriculture & Farming 20000 Art, Music, Culture 64000 Education Real Estate 120K Electrical & Electronics 48500 Gaming & Entertainment 28600 Banking 35000 Petroleum, Oil & Plastics 58200 Petroleum, Oil & Plastics Automotive & Trucking Metalworking Gaming & Entertainment 55000 Education 30000 Financial & Legal Aerospace & Aviation 24600 Petroleum, Oil & Plastics 13300 Banking 10000 Security 44300 Religious Libraries Agriculture & Farming Electrical & Electronics & Farming 6000CityAgriculture Exhibit News’ best-read section! 70000 Housing Education

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

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ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 101

Trade Show Calendar US MIDWEST

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

Show Pittcon - Conference On Analytical Chemistry & Applied Spectroscopy Midwest Foodservice Expo Midwest Poultry Federation Convention The Work Truck Show - NTEA North American Farm & Power Show International Home + Housewares Show Association for College & University Technology Advancement - ACUTA

Start 03/05 03/13 03/14 03/14 03/16 03/18 03/19

End 03/09 03/15 03/16 03/17 03/18 03/21 03/22

Venue McCormick Place Wisconsin Center St. Paul Rivercenter Indiana CC Four Seasons Complex McCormick Place Chicago Hilton

City Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul Indianapolis Owatonna Chicago Chicago

St IL WI MN IN MN IL IL

Att Exh 15.7K 948 193 3100 190 10.4K 563 32.5K 275 58K 2.1K 500 100

Nsf 195K

America’s Beauty Show National Technology in Mortgage Banking - MBA Ohio Association of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling - PHCC/ACCA Promat - MHIA Automate - Robots. Vision. Motion. Solutions SAE World Congress Forge Fair Midwest Political Science Association - MPSA National Head Start Association - NHSA Annual Conf. & Expo Electric Power Conference + Exhibition American Coatings Show - AC National Business Education Association - NBEA Closets & Home Organization Conference & Expo Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers/Convenience Store Assn M-PACT - Midwest Petroleum and Convenience Trade Show Midwestern Psychological Association Annual Meeting Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo - C2E2 Experimental Biology - EB North American Snow Conference - APWA Talent Management Conference & Expo - SHRM Fire Department Instructors Conference - FDIC Reliable Plant

03/25 03/26 03/29 04/03 04/03 04/04 04/04 04/06 04/06 04/10 04/10 04/11 04/11 04/11 04/18 04/20 04/21 04/22 04/23 04/24 04/24 04/25

03/27 03/29 03/31 04/06 04/06 04/06 04/06 04/09 04/10 04/13 04/12 04/15 04/13 04/12 04/20 04/22 04/23 04/26 04/25 04/26 04/29 04/27

McCormick Place Hyatt Regency Chicago Embassy Suites McCormick Place McCormick Place Cobo Center Cleveland CC Palmer House Hilton Hyatt Regency Chicago McCormick Place Indiana CC Chicago Marriott Downtown Schaumburg Renaissance CC KI CC Indiana CC Palmer House Hilton McCormick Place McCormick Place Iowa Events Center Hyatt Regency Chicago Indiana CC Greater Columbus CC

Chicago Chicago Cleveland Chicago Chicago Detroit Cleveland Chicago Chicago Chicago Indianapolis Chicago Schaumburg Green Bay Indianapolis Chicago Chicago Chicago Des Moines Chicago Indianapolis Columbus

IL IL OH IL IL MI OH IL IL IL IN IL IL WI IN IL IL IL IA IL IN OH

70K

180K 9200 9000 275K

400 40K 18.1K 10.2K 1000 5200 5000 3500 9100 1200 2000 1000 3500 1600 34K 13.7K 1500

Industry Science Food & Beverage 30000 Agriculture & Farming 235K Automotive & Trucking 99000 Agriculture & Farming 760K Housewares 13600 Communications

414 88 90 704

Beauty & Healthcare Banking Building & Construction Manufacturing Manufacturing Automotive & Trucking Metalworking Government Education Energy Manufacturing Education Building & Construction Food & Beverage Stores & Store Fittings Associations Toys and Hobbies Science Government Business Fire & Fire Protection Manufacturing

148 34940 150 33 14000 315 559 60 127 200 361

33000 130K 6000 20000 53000

453 40000

120 85 28K 821 1135 74

Fife

28000 11800 425K 15100

Williston

NEW YORK Bronx Carlin

Trenton Chicago

ILLINOIS

San Francisco

Richmond San Jose

Hobbs

Lake Charles

102 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

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 National Art Education Association - NAEA International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York & PMQâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NY Pizza Show Satellite Northeast Sustainable Energy Assoc. - NESEA BuildingEnergy National Facilities Management and Technology - NMF&T KySTE - Kentucky Society for Technology in Education JA International Jewelry Show Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America - MJSA Tri-State Camp Conference SHAPE America National Conv. & Expo - Society of Health & Physical Educators Metropolitan New York Shoe Market - March New England Made Giftware & Specialty Food Shows Seafood Expo North America & Seafood Processing North America BuildingsNY Association of College & Research Libraries National Conf. - ACRL Imprinted Sportswear Atlantic City - ISS Mid-America Trucking Show - MATS JLC LIVE Residential Construction Show - New England Sea-Air-Space Exposition Central New York Hard Hat Expo Atlantic Builders Conference - ABC Craft Brewers & BrewExpo America New York International Auto Show Pennsylvania Music Educators Association - PMEA Council for Exceptional Children Convention & Expo - CEC Museum Store Association Conference & Expo - MSA International ArtExpo NY Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. - RIMS Design-2-Part Show

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 03/02 03/05 03/06 03/07 03/07 03/08 03/12 03/12 03/13 03/14 03/15 03/18 03/19 03/21 03/22 03/23 03/23 03/24 04/03 04/05 04/05 04/10 04/14 04/19 04/19 04/21 04/21 04/23 04/26

End 03/04 03/07 03/09 03/09 03/09 03/10 03/14 03/14 03/16 03/18 03/16 03/20 03/21 03/22 03/25 03/25 03/25 03/25 04/05 04/06 04/06 04/13 04/23 04/22 04/22 04/24 04/24 04/26 04/27

Venue Hilton New York Javits Center Walter E. Washington CC Seaport World Trade Center Baltimore CC Galt House Hotel Javits Center Javits Center Atlantic City CC Hynes CC Raritan Center Portland Sports Complex Boston CC Javits Center Baltimore CC Atlantic City CC Kentucky Expo Center Rhode Island CC Gaylord National New York State Fairgrounds Atlantic City CC Walter E. Washington CC Javits Center Erie Bayfront CC John B. Hynes CC David L. Lawrence CC Pier 94 Pennsylvania CC Greater Philadelphia Expo Ctr

City New York New York Washington Boston Baltimore Louisville New York New York Atlantic City Boston Edison Portland Boston New York Baltimore Atlantic City Louisville Providence Washington Syracuse Atlantic City Washington New York Erie Boston Pittsburgh New York Philadelphia Oaks

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

Att 4000 16.1K 12.5K 2679 9301 1500 3748 3000 5000 600 2000 20K 7000 3000 6336 70K 7812 8500 6500 6400 1M 3000 5000 550 31K 8814 1400

Exh 115 367 350 110 456 160 243 250 300 300 400 250 1K 300 230 202 1.1K 254 150 150 400 440

Nsf 20400 64545 90000

120 200 250 500 403 150

20000

65250 47650 40000 86300 50000 30000 182K 42000 49450 826K 54000

75000

42500 104K 15000

Industry Education Restaurants & Food Serv. Communications Renewable Energy Building & Construction Education Jewelry Jewelry Sporting Goods & Rec. Sporting Goods & Rec. Apparel Gifts Food & Beverage Building & Construction Education Apparel Automotive & Trucking Building & Construction Aerospace & Aviation Building & Construction Building & Construction Food & Beverage Automotive & Trucking Art, Music, Culture Education Stores & Store Fittings Art, Music, Culture Insurance Manufacturing

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ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 103

Trade Show Calendar US NORTHWEST

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

Show CAMEX - National Association of College Stores SHARE - Technology, Connections, Results National Art Materials Trade Association - NAMTA Northern California Human Resource Assn - HR West SIGCSE - Association for Computing Machinery - ACM Meeting Planners Int’l - MPINCC Annual Conference & Expo North American Handmade Bicycle Show - NAHBS Innovations Conference - League for Innovation in the Community College Int’l Symposium on Quality Electronic Design - isQED Conf. on College Composition & Communication - CCCC Central Valley Facilities Expo American Counseling Association - ACA Conference & Expo Redwood Region Logging Conference California Charter Schools Conference Wildland Urban Interface - New Fire Frontiers - WUI SMX West - Search Marketing Expo TESOL English Language Expo National Association of Educational Procurement - NAEP NASC Sports Event Symposium American Chemical Society Spring - ACS Journalism Education Association - JEA National High School Journalism Conv. Residuals & Biosolids - Water Environment Federation Specialty Coffee Conference & Exhibition Northwest Foodservice Show Business Facilities LiveXchange Percona Live: MySQL Conference & Expo Association of Clinical Research Professionals - ACRP Global Conf. & Exhibition Association of Fundraising Professionals - AFP Western Assoc. of College & University Business Officers - WACUBO Annual Meeting

Start 03/03 03/05 03/05 03/06 03/08 03/09 03/10 03/12 03/13 03/15 03/15 03/16 03/16 03/20 03/21 03/21 03/21 03/26 03/27 04/02 04/06 04/08 04/20 04/23 04/23 04/24 04/28 04/30 04/30

End 03/07 03/10 03/07 03/08 03/11 03/09 03/12 03/15 03/15 03/18 03/16 03/19 03/18 03/23 03/23 03/23 03/24 03/29 03/30 04/06 04/09 04/11 04/23 04/24 04/25 04/27 05/02 05/02 05/03

Venue Salt Palace CC San Jose CC Salt Palace CC Oakland CC

City Salt Lake City San Jose Salt Lake City Oakland Seattle San Francisco Moscone Center Salt Palace CC Salt Lake City San Francisco Marriott Marquis Santa Clara CC Santa Clara Oregon CC Portland Modesto Centre Plaza Modesto San Francisco Moscone Center Redwood Acres Fairgrounds Eureka Sacramento CC Sacramento Peppermill Resort Reno San Jose McEnery CC San Jose Washington State CC Seattle Peppermill Resort Reno Sacramento CC Sacramento San Francisco Washington State CC Seattle Washington State CC Seattle Washington State CC Seattle Oregon CC Portland Hyatt Centric Park City Park City Santa Clara CC Santa Clara Washington State CC Seattle San Francisco Moscone Center Westin Seattle Seattle

All Information Is Subject to Change*

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

Att 6613 1200 1800 600 1300

Exh 728 50 195 25 68

Nsf 150K 10500 41500 2500 6800

7000 220 650 3250 1900 4000

150 100 13 63 225 100

15000 12000

400 2000 6500 500 945 17k 3447 436 8025 5000

55 60 150 150 138 320

6300 23500

5600 30000 17000 22400 50000

425 100K 400

2000 4000

100 250 30000

Industry Stores & Store Fittings Computers & Apps Art, Music, Culture Business Computers & Apps Exhibition & Meeting Ind. Sporting Goods & Rec. Education Electrical & Electronics Education Plant Eng. & Operations Education Agriculture & Farming Education Fire & Fire Protection Computers & Apps Education Education Sporting Goods & Rec. Chemical Education Energy Food & Beverage Food & Beverage Real Estate Computers & Apps Science Financial & Legal Education

PUT YOUR BUSINESS ON THE MAP! Showcase your regional services with a calendar sponsorship. Contact Sales@ExhibitCityNews.com For Rates and Details. (Design Services Available) 104 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

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

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

US SOUTHWEST

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Show International Roofing Expo - IRE - NRCA TOYFEST West - Western Toy & Hobby Representatives Association IFPE - International Fluid Power Exhibition Conexpo/Conagg International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association - IHRSA Natural Products Expo West/SupplyExpo International Limousine & Chauffeur Transportation - LCT EXHIBITORLIVE EDexpo Optical Fiber Communication - OFC/NFOEC ASD Las Vegas Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development - ASCD International Wireless Communications Expo - IWCE International Pizza Expo Nightclub & Bar Show Digital Signage Expo - DSE Global Shop National Science Teachers Association - Annual - NSTA Automotive Oil Change Association - iFlex - International Fast Lube Expo The Car Wash Show Travel Goods Show ISC West SPIE DSS Expo - Defense, Security & Sensing Inside Self Storage Expo - ISS NWFA Annual Wood Flooring Convention & Expo Imaging Technology Education & Exhibition - ITEX National Automatic Merchandising Association - NAMA OneShow International Sign Expo - ISA National Association of Broadcasters - NAB

Start 03/01 03/05 03/07 03/07 03/08 03/09 03/13 03/13 03/15 03/19 03/19 03/25 03/27 03/27 03/27 03/28 03/28 03/30 04/04 04/04 04/05 04/05 04/09 04/10 04/11 04/18 04/19 04/19 04/24

End 03/03 03/07 03/11 03/11 03/11 03/12 03/15 03/15 03/17 03/23 03/22 03/27 03/31 03/30 03/29 03/31 03/30 04/02 04/06 04/06 04/07 04/07 04/13 04/13 04/14 04/20 04/21 04/22 04/27

Venue Mandalay Bay South Point Hotel & Casino Las Vegas CC Las Vegas CC Anaheim CC The Venetian Mandalay Bay The Westgate Los Angeles CC Las Vegas CC Anaheim CC Las Vegas CC Las Vegas CC Las Vegas CC Las Vegas CC Mandalay Bay Los Angeles CC Las Vegas CC Las Vegas CC Las Vegas CC Sands Expo Anaheim CC Paris Las Vegas Phoenix CC Mandalay Bay The Venetian Mandalay Bay Las Vegas CC

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

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

Att 9337 1087

Exh 465 95 446 130K 2.4K 8000 316 61K 2.2K 3800 100 6000 242 1300 187 13K 580 44K 2.8K 12K 400 7387 369 6842 474 37K 662 4082 246 12K 760 14K 500 2300 90 4992 310 4800 200 36.7K 1K 6000 500 4000 300 4000 300 3000 240 4600 250 16.3K 540 89.3K 1.6K

Nsf 118K 33360 161K 2.4M 200K 370K 60000 52260 24200 106K 675K 80000 91700 106K 196K 83290 215K 120K 92000 124K 80000 292K 58031 40000 150K 106K 65000 189K 808K

Industry Building & Construction Toys and Hobbies Energy Building & Construction Sporting Goods & Rec. Food & Beverage Automotive & Trucking Exhibition & Meeting Ind. Education Telecommunications Gifts Education Communications Food & Beverage Gaming & Entertainment Electrical & Electronics Stores & Store Fittings Education Automotive & Trucking Automotive & Trucking Travel Industry Security Military Physical Distribution Building & Construction Computers & Apps Stores & Store Fittings Printing Communications

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Promotional Products • Giveaways • Table Drapes & Signage • Branded Apparel • Gifts & Awards ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 105

Trade Show Calendar US SOUTHEAST

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

Show Air Warfare Symposium & Technology Exposition Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo - HPBA National Conference on Education - AASA RES/CON - Resiliency and Disaster Management Conference Frame Building Expo - NFBA Southern Exposure - Retail & Foodservice Conference & Expo CaterSource & Event Solutions AUSA ILW Global Force Symposium and Exposition - Association of the US Army Cruise Shipping Miami Global Pet Expo - APPMA American Resort Development Association - ARDA Corrosion - NACE Enterprise Connect Water Quality Association - Aquatech - WQA Southeast Design-2-Part Show

Start 03/01 03/01 03/02 03/07 03/08 03/09 03/12 03/13 03/13 03/22 03/26 03/26 03/27 03/28 03/29

End 03/03 03/04 03/04 03/09 03/10 03/11 03/15 03/15 03/16 03/24 03/30 03/30 03/30 03/31 03/30

Venue Rosen Shingle Creek Resort Georgia World Congress Center Morial CC Morial CC Gaylord Opryland Walt Disney World Dolphin Morial CC Von Braun Center Broward County CC Orange County CC Hyatt Regency Morial CC Gaylord Palms Orange County CC Cobb Galleria

City Orlando Atlanta New Orleans New Orleans Nashville Orlando New Orleans Huntsville Ft. Lauderdale Orlando New Orleans New Orleans Orlando Orlando Atlanta

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

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KEEP CALM 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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INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE Where to Find Professional Services, Products and Supplies â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a Companion Directory to our www.exhibitcitynews.com/service-guide

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INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

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INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

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Exhibitrac For over 20 years, Exhibitrac has served the trade show industry by offering comprehensive contact information on corporate exhibitors. By making over 100,000 phone calls each year, and spending thousands of hours combing the web, Exhibitrac researchers identify the contact person at each company who handles the trade shows, along with their job title, phone number, and most importantly: their email address. Emails are tested for deliverability, and all active exhibitors in the database are contacted annually to verify or change information as needed.

Labor & Management

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.

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ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 113

Classifieds

Account Executive, Western Region (Traveling Clients) COMPANY SUMMARY: Totally Mod Event Furnishings is a quickly growing player in the event and trade show industry. We strive every day to live up to our three core principles “Innovate, Partner, Service”. We are an expanding team of passionate individuals that are taking the company to the next level. If you are just looking for a “job”, this is NOT for you.

POSITION SUMMARY: The primary responsibility of the Account Executive, Western Region (AE-WR) is to promote Totally Mod’s product solutions to “Traveling Clients” based west of the Mississippi river. The term “Traveling Clients” includes buyers such as General Contractors, Exhibit Houses, Production Companies, Experiential Marketing Companies, and Incentive Houses. It’s estimated that the AE-WR will spend about 1/3 of his/ her time in the Las Vegas office, 1/3 of his/her time on the road locally developing Las Vegas based clients and the final 1/3 of his/her time visiting out-of-town clients and participating in out-of-town marketing events. The AE-WR reports to the VP of Sales & Marketing.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: New Business Development: generating leads and identifying opportunities with accounts that we are doing little to no business with and turning them into satisfied and engaged clients. Account Maintenance: processing orders, upselling, presenting new products, solving problems, being present for important events, upkeep of receivables Account Expansion: expand reach within a client organization Goal realization: meet or exceed goals set by management in the areas of prospecting, calls, visits, proposals, revenue, profitability, etc. Sales Administration: proposal/contract creation, diagram creation, collecting pertinent information for successful execution of job

Post Your Classified Here! Talent seekers have come to the right source. Place your classified ad with ECN in print and online today! Our six print issues a year complement our 114 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

Internal Communications: submitting job tickets to Manufacturing, proactively providing information to Operations (Warehouse, I&D, Shipping) Reporting/Meeting: Participate in monthly sales team meeting; participate in monthly 1 on 1 meeting with manager; participate in weekly “Ops/Sales Job Turnover” meeting; maintain thorough notes and future tasks in CRM software; keep outstanding jobs up to date in inventory/sales software.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE … …is a self-starter. …is financially motivated. …enjoys taking on new responsibilities and challenges. …embraces a fast paced ever-changing environment. …has a “get it done” attitude.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS: • Clean driving record • Lifestyle that allows for out-of-town travel and networking outside of normal business hours • Fluency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint) • Ability to quickly learn other software programs including Sales/Inventry and CRM software • Strong phone and email communication skills • Strong face to face communication skills • Confident in making group presentations • Proven organizational skills • College degree is preferred, but not required • Trade Show experience is mandatory

WORK SCHEDULE: • Office Hours are 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday • Weekends and evenings as needed for networking and to keep up with work load • This is a salary + commission + bonus position Send resumes to: cesposito@totallymod.com Website: www.totallymod.com

online website, giving your classified ad maximum exposure. Grab the attention of the most sought-after, seasoned event professionals who regularly read ECN. Ask about our Guaranteed Results Program for all your staffing needs.

To place a classified ad, contact Kathy Anaya: Call (702) 309-8023 or Email KathyA@ExhibitCityNews.com

Classifieds

Show Site Supervisor, Sales & Project Management

PROJECT MANAGER: The Project Manager works closely with

RES Exhibit Services LLC is currently seeking smart, sales, design, manufacturing and waredynamic and creative candidates for several openings: SALES MANAGER: Responsible for converting new business maximizing the use of all RES services. Meet/exceed stated annual sales goals and expected to contribute to overall sales initiatives. Primary responsibilities:

SHOW SITE SUPERVISOR:

house departments to meet or exceed the expectations of the client during their event or show within the timeframe and budget parameters. Primary Responsibilities:

Responsible for supervising and ensuring setups and takedowns in the field are executed in a cost effective, efficient manner that meets • Detail Entry and Pre-Show Planning. the requirements of the client. This • Project Planning and Transition of Job. position travels domestically on a • Identify new opportunities and ag• Show Delivery and Post Show Planning. frequent basis and must be able to gressively seeking prospective clients adjust workloads and tasks as rewithin assigned business segment A minimum of 5 years experience quired to support changes with ease and/or regional territory as directed in Project Management within the and confidence. This role involves by the company. construction and exhibit industries both supervision, administrative, and • Provide consultative services to required. Must be available to travel warehousing tasks. Primary responsiprospective clients to identify and regularly for tradeshows for several bilities include: develop market solutions that will days consecutively without issue. meet/exceed prospective client’s • Supervising and ensuring install and stated strategies and goals. dismantles in the field are executed • Coordinate and leverage company in an effective, cost efficient manner COMPANY PROFILE resources effectively throughout the that meets the requirements of the With over 40 years experience prosales process. clients budget. viding exhibit solutions, RES works • Oversee project estimation and • Review set up prints and bill of ladwith clients from around the world to design process to ensure proposed ings prior to the install of the exhibit. design and build exhibits that stop work meets the needs and budgets • Understanding and executing based customers — and potential customfor the prospective client. on the install and dismantle calendar, ers — in their tracks. RES offers an • Conduct presentations for clients showincluding daily milestones. unbeatable mix of experience, talent, casing RES’s capabilities, designs, and • Provide daily report of time, status integrity, quality and value. We are services. Profitably negotiate the final and photo on show site floor for proud to provide the best-in-class agreement. Close the sale. supervisor and other staff and labor exhibit solutions that not only compete • Demonstrate capabilities and efassisting with show set up. but surpass many larger firms. fective knowledge of RES products • Delivering the big picture and and services. overall goal. To review a sample of RES’ eye-catch• Meet/exceed monthly sales forecasts. • Recognizing and understanding ing exhibits, events and permanent • Attend tradeshows to prospect for possible challenges. installations visit us at www.res-exnew business and penetrate existing • Always striving to over achieve the hibits.com and follow us on LinkedIn, relationships. daily tasks. Twitter and Facebook. • Efficiently, and in a cost effective • Recording accurate and organized manner, utilize all internal business information. RES offers a competitive salary and development resources in support of comprehensive benefits package selling initiatives. Requires Exhibit Industry experience including company holidays, Paid Time working for an exhibit house and super- Off, Health Insurance, Vision, Dental, Must have a minimum of 3 years sales vising crews on show site. Must be able 401(k), Life Insurance, Short-Term and experience selling exhibits and exhibit to travel at least 200 days per year. Long-Term Disability and more. services. Must be available to travel regularly for tradeshows for several Apply direct to Sarah Fantauzzi, Vice President Human Resources: sfantauzzi@res-exhibits.com days consecutively without issue.

@ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 115

Classifieds

Seeking a Talented and Enthusiastic Audio Visual Account Executive J&J Exhibitors Service is a full service trade show, exhibit and special events contractor. We are a WBE certified; family owned and operated company with over 90 years of experience in the industry. Our corporate offices and 125,000 square foot warehouse are centrally located at 2338 South Indiana Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. Just steps from McCormick Place, we are located in the heart of Chicago’s event and trade show industry but travel throughout the country exceeding the expectations of our clients. From general sessions that “wow” to break out rooms that run smoothly our audio visual team delivers digital services, audio visual technology and the equipment and team that effectively engage attendees. We are seeking a talented and enthusiastic Audio Visual Account Executive. The Audio Visual Account Executive is responsible for selling J&J Exhibitor Services as the audio visual technology vendor of choice for national Association, Tradeshow and Convention technical programs. The Account Executive will work in conjunction with J&J’s Director of Event Technology and all operations team members to produce flawless events. This position requires highly effective communication and interpersonal skills. The successful candidate needs to possess an excellent understanding of audio and video equipment used within the tradeshow and events industry; have a verifiable record of selling audio visual programs of various size and scope, proven leadership skills and experience in all audio-visual disciplines.

RESPONSIBILITIES: • Define and achieve sales goals; • Develop and implement the complete sales process including, but not limited to, prospecting, lead development, preparation of the proposal and client presentation; 116 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

• Join and attend industry association networking and social events and trade show meetings to promote services; • Visit local convention facilities to gain an understanding of the facility and familiarity with the Account Managers and decision makers; • Make constant and persuasive cold calls to potential clients; • Represent the company on a national and local level including entertaining clients; • Shepherd audio visual proposals from the request for quote through completion; • Work with the J&J team to determine the specific equipment specifications; • Work with J&J’s ownership to manage contractual compliance with host venues/clients/partners; • Manage job costs to ensure the successful on-time and on-budget implementation of each project; • Review invoices versus budgets to determine variances and investigate unexplained variances; • Extensive Travel.

QUALIFICATIONS: • 5+ years of verifiable sales experience in the Convention, Association and Tradeshow Audio Visual Industry; • 5+ years of verifiable field experience in the Convention, Association and Tradeshow Audio Visual Industry; • Strong written and oral communications skills; • Detail oriented. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, including rewarding sales commissions, a 401K plan, a pension and profit sharing plan, employer paid health, dental and life insurance. Please email resume, references and salary history to Colleen Becker at colleen@jjexhibitors.com. All inquiries kept confidential.

3D Graphics Designer As an Experience Designer with IMI Exhibits will include designing graphic and structural elements for tradeshow environments and exhibits. You will generate solutions to the creative challenges that our internal and external customers face in the fastest-paced, highest volume market in the country.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE: • Creative and enthusiastic about design. • Well-versed in exhibit concepts. • Able to articulate design concepts to clients, account executives, design team, and all other relevant branch departments. • Organized and able to manage multiple assignments at once. • A team player ‘ willing to lead or follow as the project demands. • Customer service oriented. • Create 3D designs and exhibits. • Prepare presentation renderings, digital presentations or sample boards. • Meet with and present to clients and account executives. • Develop original concepts from client notes and requirements. • Keep current with design trends and research. • Maintain familiarity with modular systems and custom fabrication techniques.

REQUIREMENTS: • At least four (4) years’ experience in the tradeshow industry, designing exhibits, tradeshow environments, and/ or corporate events. • Possess solid skills in Adobe CS applications, AutoCAD, 3DS MAX.

EDUCATION: • High School Diploma/GED Required. • Bachelor’s Degree in exhibit design, environmental design, set design, or related field preferred. Salary-Depending on experience with benefits. Please send resumes to: hr@imi-usa.com

Classifieds

Seeking an Enthusiastic, Commissioned Account Executive J&J Motor Service is a full-service transportation company offering specialized freight services and time-definite pick-ups and deliveries to the trade show industry. With more than 90 years of industry experience, we are the original trade show carrier. J&J Motor Service has an outstanding reputation and a team that stands above the rest with our professional experience and focus on customer service. Family owned and operated, we offer competitive rates and guarantee our work. Our terminal and 125,000 square foot warehouse are centrally located at 2338 South Indiana Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. Just steps from McCormick Place we are located in the heart of Chicago’s event and trade show industry but travel throughout the country and Canada exceeding the expectations of our clients. We are seeking an enthusiastic, commissioned Account Executive whose overall role it will be to solicit, maintain, grow and manage new accounts. Specific primary responsibilities will be to define and achieve sales goals; develop and implement the complete sales process including, but not limited to, prospecting, lead development, preparation of the proposal. Make constant and persuasive cold calls to potential clients. Secondary responsibilities vary per our needs internally, and the requirements of our customers. This position will require an understanding and familiarity with the transportation of high value freight for trade shows, conventions and special events and various types of freight equipment; An ability to work in a high pressured, fast paced environment; Experience in consultative, high value selling and sales process. Excellent organization, planning and scheduling skills; Excellent communication, interpersonal, customer relations and analytical skills; Excellent customer service skills and effective sales strategies. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, including rewarding sales commissions, a 401K plan, a pension and profit sharing plan, employer paid health, dental and life insurance. Please email resume, references and salary history to Joe Florence at joe.florence@jjmotor.com. All inquiries kept confidential.

@ExhibitCityNews

Seeking a Talented, Enthusiastic Commissioned Sales Person J&J Exhibitors Service is a full service trade show, exhibit and special events contractor. We are a WBE certified; family owned and operated company with over 80 years of experience in the industry. Our corporate offices have been centrally located at 2338 South Indiana Avenue in Chicago, Illinois for over 90 years. Just steps from McCormick Place we are located in the heart of Chicago’s event and trade show industry but travel throughout the country exceeding the expectations of our clients. We are seeking a talented, enthusiastic commissioned sales person to offer full service solutions to show organizers, associations, and corporations.

GENERAL DUTIES: • Solicit, maintain and grow new and existing accounts through cold calls, networking, and referrals • Implement the sales process ‐ prospecting/lead development, proposal process and client presentations • Participate in applicable industry, networking and social events; Define and achieve sales goals • Manage the overall production process.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: • Up to two (2) years of industry related sales experience with proven sales results and success in managing multiple accounts • Understanding and familiarity with trade shows, conventions and special events • Ability to work in a high pressured, fast‐paced environment • Experience in consultative, high value selling and sales processes • Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook • Excellent organization, planning and scheduling skills • Excellent communication, interpersonal, customer relations and analytical skill • Excellent customer service skills. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, including rewarding sales commissions, a 401K plan, a pension and profit sharing plan and employer paid health, dental and life insurance benefits. Please email resume, references and salary history to Colleen Becker at colleen@jjexhibitors.com. All inquiries handled with the strictest of confidence and professionalism. ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 117

Classifieds

Project Manager - Designer - Detailer - Estimator Progressive, rapidly growing, Chicago-based Display and Tradeshow company is expanding our team! We are in search of an experienced, energetic Production Manager.

IF YOU: • Are a team player with strong communication skills • HaveLES-logo_final-MDG-0731 a minimum of155•years experience with/without tagline in the tradeshow industry • Have a minimum of 5 years experience in estimating and CAD or equivalent detailing capabilities • Are experienced with 3D Modeling • Have a desire to be an integral part of a very fast-paced, rapidly growing organization • Looking to be part of a company where you can REALLY make a difference! If you answered YES!, then WE are what YOU are looking for - and YOU are who WE are looking for! Competitive benefit package and 401K. Salary based on experience. Please send your cover letter and resume to: ricko@lakeshoreexhibits.com and larryz@lakeshoreexhibits.com. No phone calls, please.

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 118 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

WANTED: A conscientious sales representative intimately acquainted with experiential marketers, event producers & retail brands, seasoned in the art of bridge-building, and able to take our company deeper into these industries we serve. We are Xylem Design, a Colorado-based custom manufacturer of specialty displays and exhibit components. Designing and building for 30 years, everything we do is firmly based on our guiding values: Continuous Improvement, Respect, and Mind-Blowing Service. Our commitment to serving our customers with these values has set us apart in the industry and fuels our growth. To learn a little more about us, watch this brief albeit under-produced video I recently made. http://tiny.cc/xkgtey We know we’re looking for a unicorn (an available, well-connected sales rep with a soul?!) and if that’s you, give me a call today at 970690-2833! Greg Glebe, Founder & CEO

or works at shows in major convention cities such as Las Vegas, Chicago, Boston, Orlando, etc. Please contact us for details: klandrum@exhibitrac.com or call 702-824-9651 ext. 700

3D Exhibit Designer

Acer Exhibits & Events, LLC, located north of Baltimore, Maryland, close to Delaware, South East Pennsylvania and South Jersey, is currently seeking an Exhibit Designer to join our talented team of individuals who design and fabricate exhibits for a very diverse client base.

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS SHOULD POSSESS THE FOLLOWING: • Minimum of three years exhibit design experience with an exhibit house • Excellent communication skills, able to present creative concepts • Ability to work under pressure • Knowledge of 3D modeling and rendering software, Form Z and Adobe Creative Suite • Knowledge of current design trends • Creativity * Inspiration * Motivation * Enthusiasm * Dedication We provide a competitive salary plus bonus, a full benefit package including medical, dental, disability and 401k plan. If you are excited and inspired by design challenges, ideas, and solutions and want to work in a creative environment with others who share your enthusiasm, please forward your resume and portfolio via PDF or Word format with expected salary range to LLegarda@acerexhibits.com

Classifieds

Seeking a Talented Project Manager J&J Exhibitors Service is a full service trade show, exhibit and special events contractor. We are a WBE certified; family owned and operated company with over 80 years of experience in the industry. Our corporate offices have been centrally located at 2338 South Indiana Avenue in Chicago, Illinois for over 90 years. Just steps from McCormick Place we are located in the heart of Chicago’s event and trade show industry but travel throughout the country exceeding the expectations of our clients. We are seeking a talented Project Manager to add to our Exhibitor Sales team whose role is to help our sales team solicit maintain and grow new and existing accounts and to help our operations team coordinate and execute final production. You will be responsible for:

PRE SALES PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: • Prospect with internal sales team to develop business leads. • Research and gather all pertinent information including past history, exhibitor lists, exhibitor kits, etc. and other related information in order to prepare winning proposals.

• Prepare comprehensive proposals, including pricing and credit terms in compliance with J&J Exhibitors Service policies and procedures. • Prepare presentation collateral materials and make stand‐up presentations where appropriate, along with necessary follow up activities to complete sale. • Uncover new sales opportunities within existing accounts, cross‐sell services and make a constant effort to generate new business.

REQUIRED:

• Strong customer service and the desire to meet customer needs POST SALES PRIMARY • Understanding and familiarity with trade RESPONSIBILITIES: shows, conventions and special events • Client liaison responsible for setting • Ability to work in a high pressured, and managing client needs and fast‐paced environment expectations. • Excellent organization, planning and • Drive communications to all team scheduling skills members involved ensuring events • Excellent communication, interpersonal, come in on‐time and on‐budget. customer relations and analytical skills • Build relationships with both internal team members and external partners BENEFITS: and clients. • Competitive salary. Negotiable, based • Identify all resources needed and upon experience work with key internal team members • 100% Employer paid health and dental and external partners. for employee • Provide clear direction, information • 100% Employer paid life insurance and expectation to team members for employee and vendors, etc. to hit deliverables • Generous pension and profit sharing plan • Order all ancillary services including • Employee 401K plan available floral, electrical, etc. and any other • Paid vacation services noted in the contract. • Handle all communications, both interPlease email resume, references and nal and external, including agendas and salary history to Colleen Becker at scheduling meetings (regularly schedcolleen@jjexhibitors.com. All inquiries uled conference calls, site visits, etc). handled with the strictest of confi• Review exhibitor orders, generate dence and professionalism.

Graphic Production Manager Acer Exhibits & Events, a successful exhibit design and fabrication company located in the greater Baltimore area, is currently seeking an experienced Graphic Production Manager to oversee a very fast paced graphics production department. The ideal candidate will develop and maintain the graphic production schedule, oversee all department administration and make sure timelines are met. Applicant must possess excellent manage@ExhibitCityNews

transactions for billing and delivery, and prepare system reports. • Lead and manage onsite Service Desk team. • Follow‐up and resolve exhibitor customer complaints and collections when necessary. • Prepare final client billing and produce post event recap.

rial, leadership and communication skills. Ideal candidate will have five years of experience and a positive team attitude is a must. Graphic design experience is a plus. Only qualified candidates will be considered. Please submit resume with salary requirements in Word or PDF format to llegarda@acerexhibits.com ExhibitCityNews.com Mar/Apr 2017 119

Classifieds

Outside Sales Representative – Exhibit & Tradeshow

Located between Washington and Baltimore on the I95 corridor, AGAM is a world leader in the design & manufacturing of environmentally friendly, hightech aluminum modular display systems used in tradeshow and conventions. We are looking for an Outside Sales Representative – technically capable, self-motivated, and intimately acquainted with the exhibit and tradeshow industry to generate new business to help fuel our growth!

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: • Identify new opportunities and aggressively seeking prospective clients and converting existing contacts. • Responsible for creating new business and following up with leads. • Provide consultation services to prospective clients to identify and develop market solutions that will meet and

exceed client goals. • Coordinate and leverage company resources effectively throughout the sales process. • Outside Sales Representative is supported by a large team of knowledgeable inside sales individuals and talented industrial designers. • Demonstrate capabilities and effective knowledge of AGAM’s products and services. • Conduct presentations for clients that showcase AGAM’s vast services, fabrications capabilities, and design-engineering support. Qualified individual must have a proven track record of sales expertise within the Exhibit & Tradeshow Industry. Extensive travel required. If you are self-driven and passionate, joining our growing company is right for you! AGAM offers exceptional benefits: paid vacation, medical, dental, life insurance, & 401K retirement plan. Send your resume to jobs@agam.com

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FOR ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES: Contact sales at 702-309-8023 ext. 105 sales@exhibitcitynews.com 120 Mar/Apr 2017 Exhibit City News

Prism Tradeshow Lighting

REDUCE YOUR LABOR EXPENSES EXPAND YOUR NATIONAL REACH From City to City, Employco has you covered. Whether you set up one booth or an entire show, anywhere in the country, we can reduce your labor expenses.

SAVE TIME, SAVE MONEY Payroll and Tax Management Union Fringe Calculations Access to Union Agreements Discounted Workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Comp Rates Human Resource Outsourcing Employee Benefits for Non Union Employees

We help manage your administrative functions so you can focus on expanding your reach. Contact Rob Wilson, President 630.286.7345 robwilson@employco.com www.employco.com

Employco USA is the official payroll service provider of the E2MA EACA

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CUSTOM LED

BACKLIT PANELS Create eye-catching ceiling and wall 速 displays with LuxArt Printed LED 速 Panels. Using Even-Glow technology, these ultra-thin LED light boxes deliver smooth illumination for retail signage, company logos, advertisements, artwork, 速速 and more!

HANDMADE

WOOD FRAMES Accentuate your custom LED panel with a handmade wood frame. Constructed of beautifully shaped poplar, our wood frames are available in a walnut stain or matte black paint. Unfinished frames are also available and can be painted or stained to match any decor.

LED

TRADE SHOW LIGHTING Order online at superbrightleds.com COMMERCIAL ACCOUNT BENEFITS Offering dedicated account managers for project consultation, standing commercial discounts and more.

IN-STOCK & READY TO SHIP

FOR COMMERCIAL PRICING

All orders are shipped same day if placed by 3PM CST.

commercial-sales@superbrightleds.com

CALL

866-590-3533

USE CODE SBLEC01 FOR 10% OFF* *Limited time offer. Discount is not applicable to previously placed orders.