Exhibit City News - January/February 2021

Building Your Virtual Team & Hybrid/Virtual Case Studies

January/February 2021 • VOL. 27 • ISSUE 1

AMERICA STARTS WITH TRADESHOWS RALLIES ACROSS U.S.

EDPA ACCESS 2020 RECAP 2020: YEAR IN REVIEW FOCUS ON SAVANNAH, GA DAILY UPDATES AT EXHIBITCITYNEWS.COM

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

16

Building Your Virtual Team & Hybrid/Virtual Case Studies

January/February 2021 • VOL. 27 • ISSUE 1

AMERICA STARTS WITH TRADESHOWS RALLIES ACROSS U.S.

24

2020: Year in Review Columnist Andy Taylor takes a humorous jab at a year that decimated the event industry

26

Building Your Virtual Team

EDPA ACCESS 2020 RECAP 2020: YEAR IN REVIEW

“Booth Mom” Candy Adams shares three questions to ask when creating an RFP for your virtual event tech

FOCUS ON SAVANNAH, GA DAILY UPDATES AT EXHIBITCITYNEWS.COM

On our cover: Rallies were held across America Dec. 15 to bring attention to the industry.

Our cover shot is from the rally at the George Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

29

“Then, Why Exhibit at All?”

Feature Story

TSEMA Founder Richard Erschik on why it’s so important to learn virtual exhibiting tactics and strategy

America Starts with Tradeshows

Shop to Showfloor Section

22

31

Rallies Across the U.S.!

I&D and Event Labor

Columns

32-35

The Tradeshow Times Tradeshows Today: Virtual & Hybrid Events

10

Convention Center Snapshot Savannah Convention Center

12

As the Saws Turn When Things Get Tough

14

The International Man Face Time v. Live Time

16

Ask an Expert

Circa Las Vegas Grand Opening

18

International Focus: AIPC Here’s to a New & Bright Future

19

The Don & Mike Show

Moving Forward to an Uncertain, Yet Hopeful 2021…

36

The Rigging World

Rigging International Group’s Andrew Fulton continues his educational saga on eyebolts, part two ...

38

Convention Center Spotlight Savannah Convention Center

40

Association News: EDPA

EDPA ACCESS 2020 Recap & Chapter News From Around the U.S.

43

20

People on the Move

Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport

In Memoriam

Airport Snapshot

Departments 8 38 46 51 53 61

22

Introducing Willwork’s Bob McGlincy’s new weekly online column on Tuesdays. This column is about today’s tradeshows, with case studies of tradeshows going virtual and hybrid

Publisher’s Notes Eat, Sleep & Play The D.E.A.L. Regional Show Calendar Industry Service Guide Advertiser Index

6 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

44

Dave Mata, national operations manager, GES Chicago & “Walt” Barker, Jr., Teamsters foreman, Washington, D.C. & Teamsters Local 631, Las Vegas “Fallen Floor Family”

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EDITOR'S CORNER

Greetings to our readers!

CSAL

CONVENTION SERVICES ASSOCIATION

AS VEGAS

8 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

Everyone's favorite "Booth Mom," Candy Adams, shares what to look for in building your virtual team and TSEMA.org founder Richard Erschik discusses the training needed to help exhibitors maximize their ROI virtually. Our newest online columnist, Willwork Global Event Services' Bob McGlincy, examines three case studios of tradeshows that went virtual or hybrid and how successful they were.

Due to financial constraints, Don went to EDPA ACCESS without me but fortunately, the sessions were taped for later online viewing. The nearly 100 EDPA members who attended spoke of how important it was to gather together and to share ideas on how to not just survive, but thrive in the coming year.

Finally, there's our focus city this issue, Savannah, Georgia, a city that's dripping in Spanish moss, beauty, charm and elegance. And their convention center is currently underway with expansion plans that will double its space and move it up to a whole new tier in attracting shows.

Our In Memoriam section this issue (pages 44-45) includes a tribute to Teamsters Local 631 "Fallen Floor Family," GES Chicago's David Mata, Washington D.C. Teamster foreman Walt Barker and we invite others to email us when a member of our tradeshow/convention/events family passes away. Exhibit City News is committed to honoring those who have passed and will begin posting memorial stories on our website every week. In the meantime, stay healthy and may 2021 be the year we all go back to work! Keep on jazzin'!

Editor-in-chief

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jeanne Brei (702) 309-8023 ext. 103 JeanneB@exhibitcitynews.com MANAGING EDITOR/GAL FRIDAY Lisa Abrams (702) 309-8023 LisaA@exhibitcitynews.com ART DIRECTOR Thomas Speak Tom@Speak-Design.com FEATURES WRITER/EDITOR F. Andrew Taylor (702) 309-8023 FAndrewT@exhibitcitynews.com COLUMNISTS / WRITERS Calanit Atia Andrew Fulton Larry Kulchawik Bob McGlincy Jim Obermeyer CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Candy Adams, the "Booth Mom" Vince Battaglia Sven Bossu Richard Erschik Jennifer Hernandez Mike Morrison Kelly Swords H.K. Wilson PROOFREADER Celestia Ward NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Christy DiGiambattista (702) 309-8023 ext. 111 ChristyD@exhibitcitynews.com CIRCULATION Manny Chico Mike Morrison Vol. 27, issue 1, copyright 2021 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.

Photo by Allison Earnest

H

appy New Year! May the world start turning again soon in 2021!

In the meantime, we want to send a big thank you to all those who have tirelessly worked on the industry's behalf in Washington, D.C.—GoLive Together, LiveForLife, and so many more.

We hope you'll enjoy this issue—the unsung heroes of our tradeshow workforce started with a Facebook group and have organized into a group that held its first rallies across the U.S. on December 15. America Starts with Tradeshows was kicked off with a bang in Houston, Texas (see page 22) with speakers including the Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner; Michael Heckman, acting president and CEO of Houston First Corporation; Linda Morales, organizing coordinator, Texas Gulf Coast Area; Labor Federation, AFL-CIO; Jennifer Hernandez, dir. of communications for International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 88; Kelly Swords, co-chair of Houston America Starts with Tradeshows rally and many more impacted business owners and workers.

One of our favorite columnists, Andy Taylor, took a humorous jab at the year that never was in 2020, Year in Review (page 24). He's still holding onto his "lucky" mask no matter what the future brings.

And then we take a look at pivoting to virtual—or, more likely—hybrid shows in 2021. There will always be people who will want to be face to face but now that everyone has learned how to "create a TV studio in their pantry," (according to Andy), shows in 2021 will most likely be offering both options—virtual and in-person.

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

Meet the Staff

Publisher

Editor-in-Chief

DonS@ExhibitCityNews.com

JeanneB@ExhibitCityNews.com

Don Svehla

Jeanne Brei

Don Svehla has been in the tradeshow industry his entire life, beginning as the son of a tradeshow trucker. He began by working at Giltspur, and coming from the show floors of Chicago, he realized the need for an industry news source back in 1993. With the support of industry friends, he began putting his 20-plus years of tradeshow experience down on paper. The result was the first Exhibit City News, which launched in June 1994 and was a small eight-page newsletter for Chicago’s tradeshow workers and community. By 1996, the newspaper had grown into a 32-page national newspaper bearing the tagline “Uniting the Nation’s Tradeshow Community.” Over the past 24 years, ECN has evolved into an indispensable resource for industry news and information–both online and in glossy magazine print.

Jeanne is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and has worked and written for Photo District News, The Independent, The Sunday and others. She is also a singer, tap dancer, entertainer and producer with a 7-piece swing band, The Speakeasy Swingers, and a monthly show, The Swanky Supper Club Soiree, now in its eighth year. She’s spent many years working in the tradeshow industry, writing proposals and producing events and entertainment for PGI/Safaris DMCs, doing transportation for PTI, and as a tradeshow rep who would build a 10x10 booth, work the booth and tear it down for several VNU magazines. She’s a published author on Amazon and has written/narrated and co-produced five TV documentaries that have aired on PBS Las Vegas as well as hosting/producing one season of The Vintage Vegas Variety Show which aired on VegasTV in 2012.

Business Development/Sales

Staff Writer

Art Director

ChristyD@ExhibitCityNews.com

FAndrewT@exhibitcitynews.com

Tom@speak-design.com

Christy DiGiambattista Christy brings more than 15 years of experience in tradeshows and events, from creating events to sales and staffing. She began her career in Atlantic City creating unique artisan wine and fine dining events hosted by celebrity chefs and The Food Network. In 2008 she worked with the Philadelphia Eagles to create a wine labeled “Happy Tails” to benefit the ASPCA. She’s also a youth group counselor at her church and works closely with organizations that help homeless teens in Las Vegas.

F. Andrew Taylor Andy is an award-winning journalist, artist, photographer, cartoonist and illustrator.

He also works in film production, does local historical research and has been an amateur stunt driver and rodeo participant.

Thomas Speak Tom is a UNLV graduate, has worked at FREEMAN Las Vegas as an exhibit designer, and later at Vegas Seven magazine. He now heads Speak Design, an award-winning print and web design studio in downtown Las Vegas.

Have news or story ideas for ECN? Email newsdesk@ExhibitCityNews.com!

Meet_The_Staff_FP_092018.indd 1

8/22/18 8:34 AM

CONVENTION CENTER SNAPSHOT

Savannah Convention Center Location: One International Drive, Hutchinson Island, Savannah, GA Year built: Opened in 2000 Size: The SCC is 330,000 sq.ft. and contains 103,000 sq.ft. of exhibit space, a 42,000-sq.ft. ballroom and 23,000 sq.ft. of meeting space in 13 rooms, a 367-seat auditorium and four boardrooms Parking: 1,200 onsite parking spaces, usually $5/day for cars. Several nearby parking garages and lots.

Wi-Fi: Internet and telecommunication services are provided by the venue’s partner CCLD Networks for a fee.

Hotels: There are more than 200 hotels in the city, many with river views Airport Info: The SCC is 18 miles from the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, about a 20-minute drive.

Fun Fact #1: The SCC is on sevenmile-long Hutchinson Island, PLUS! across the Savannah River from Where to eat, downtown. The island is about a sleep and play mile wide at its widest point. near SCC on p. 38 Fun Fact #2: A free three minute ferry ride takes visitors to and from The Savannah Belles Ferry landing and Savannah’s famed River Street/Historic District, departing every 20-30 minutes.

Fun Fact #3: The SCC offers visitors a taste of Savannah culture with unique artwork from more than 40 local artists throughout the facility. Nearly every piece is for sale. The work is changed out twice a year and the public is invited to the opening, Arts Across the River.

Website: savconventioncenter.com.

ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 11

COLUMN As the Saws Turn

When Things Get Tough

I

recently returned from the EDPA ACCESS Conference, held in San Antonio, Texas. Down from a typical attendance of near 300, this year’s event drew 90 people for three days in person, with additional registrations for the virtual component. By the end of the first day’s sessions—presentations on the state of our industry and the outlook for recovery—there was a definite sense of defeat in the audience. News we all probably knew but hearing it all at once was a bit of a blow.

While the next two days had more of a positive note, the reality is we are all struggling to keep our businesses and livelihoods alive and kicking.

As I tend to do in these situations, I started looking for the silver lining. For me, failure is not an option. Something good must come out of this. As I am writing this the week before the Christmas holiday, I was reminded of an incident that had a big impact on me during the Great Recession more than ten years ago.

For several years at my company, we had hosted a holiday party, usually renting rooms at local restaurants and paying for the meal and drinks for our 25 employees and their spouses. And we usually had some sort of “white elephant” gift exchange as part of it.

When the recession hit us hard, as with many companies,

12 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

we went through some tough just the dollar amount they times. Our staff was a bit had contributed. On anothsmaller, and those that er piece, I asked them were there had been to write the name of through layoffs and the organization that furloughs and short received the donawork weeks. But we tion. My objective made it through the was to come up with

By Jim Obermeyer toughest season and a total dollar amount were seeing signs of life for the donated by employees of the next year. A company hosted company, and a list of charChristmas party, however, ities that received the funds, was not going to be financially without knowing how much possible that year. each individual donated. I One of my salespeople sugknew that there were several gested an old-fashioned potin this group that were barely luck dinner, held at the comfeeding their own families. pany facility. It sounded like From my perspective, I a great idea to me—a chance imagined a total donation for all of us to be together and somewhere in the $200not cost the company a lot of $300 dollar range. When money. When I announced the tally was complete, I was the party at a company meetblown away by the number: ing, I also asked that instead $1,315 donated to 16 chariof spending $10-$20 each ties, an average of just over on some goofy gift, that each $82 per employee! family select their favorite To say that I was humbled charity and donate the money by their generosity is an unon behalf of their family. derstatement. This group had On the night we had the shown incredible kindness. party, it was amazing to see For me it was living proof that these people and their spousin the toughest of times, posies come in with the food they tive things will happen. had prepared especially to We continued that tradition share with this group. You for years thereafter, but it was could tell that favorite recipes that first night, in the depths were pulled out and prepared of the recession, that remains with great care for this meal. a key memory for me. While And it was a feast fit for a this pandemic may be more king—better than anything we devastating and widespread had been served at any of the than the recession was for our restaurants we had been to in industry, I have no doubt that the past. we will see positives emerge When the meal was over, I from this. There is always stood to make a presentation reason for hope. and talk about how much I See you on the show floor. appreciated everyone’s hard work and passion throughout Jim Obermeyer has been in the exhibits a very tough year. And then I and events industry 39 years, both as passed around a fishbowl and a corporate tradeshow manager and asked each of our employees exhibit house owner. He can be reached to write on a piece of paper at jobermeyer903@gmail.com

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ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 13

COLUMN The International Man

Face Value: Live vs. Digital Marketing

S

ince F2F marketing in stronger than the other? Simall forms has been put ply: live events create emotion on hold, virtual alterwhere virtual events fall short. natives have been given Live encounters enable more attention. Many relationships to be of these virtual solucreated that influence tions are pretty darn a buyer’s decision to creative. So while buy. Few virtual stratmost all live events egies can create an

By Larry Kulchawik have been halted we emotional connection must now begin to prepare as strong as a F2F experience. for the return of live events Now, not all buying decisions with different requirements. need F2F, but when buying a As exhibit suppliers, our big ticket item you really want clients have grown to embrace the personal reassurance that some virtual methods used as you made the right decision. temporary alternatives.

So why are tradeshows and Many of my peers express events so powerful? Because their desire to get back to dothe sell/buy environment suping what we have done as soon ports F2F where emotion plays as possible. But we will not be a strong role. doing what we have done the Note that the power of emosame any longer. The rules of tion changes colors as we cross the game have changed. borders. Emotional conduct in » Digital methods will be added to Europe and Asia are different traditional F2F methods. than in the U.S. In western » Infection safety issues (masks, (individualist) cultures highspacing, disinfectants) will be arousal emotions are valued required at all venues. and promoted more than the » Tradeshow/event attendees will low-arousal emotions promotdecrease, and the size of the ed in Asia. When exhibiting exhibits will get smaller. abroad this concept needs to » Achieving more with less will be be fully understood. the challenge for companies to When attendees choose increase sales while maneuvering to attend an event there are through the new rules for F2F. many levels of emotion that influence their decision to do When the green light returns so—an exciting city, a great for attendees to feel safe again restaurant, educational semabout flights, hotels, restauinars, peer engagements and rants and CC facilities, and experiencing a eureka moment once again experience the true on the exhibit floor. Each of value of F2F meetings, we these deliver stimuli that are should all be prepared to roll not experienced virtually. out the red carpet to successUnlike a virtual experience, a fully service our client needs tradeshow environment does for the new world of live marnot allow you to multitask keting. So what was the magic while engaging with another that made one media strategy human, eyeball to eyeball.

14 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

As tradeshows move forward post-COVID, measuring a return on a marketing investment will still be required for exhibit managers. Methods to measure ROI (Return on Investment) or ROO (Return on Objective) must now include ROE (Return on Emotion). How effective are we at generating emotional feedback within the tradeshow environments we create? We will now face new challenges regarding the power of emotion within the exhibit/event environment. Prearranged appointments will be more common, so a safe meeting space will be more necessary. Additionally, three things will change in the design approach for exhibitor/ attendee engagement. » With everyone wearing a mask, we might not be able to see a person’s smile, smirk or frown. Facial signals that traditionally identified emotional feedback will add a layer of difficulty when attempting to form a relationship of trust. » Reluctantance to shake hands or standing at a six-foot distance means new greeting/engagement methods must be created. » The traditional exhibit bar area (especially in Europe) will make food/drink hospitality more challenging. This area has always served to be the most effective place to let down your guard to begin a discussion.

Beyond tradeshows, social scientists are gaining a greater understanding of how humans use their entire bodies to process and display emotions.

“There has been much more progress in the study of face perceptions than with body

language,” says Alexander Todorov, author of Face Value: The Irresistible Influence of First Impressions.

“Because our attention is focused on the face, we underweigh the importance of body gestures,” says Todorov. “Body language is important because it provides context for interpreting the meaning of facial expressions.” With facial expressions hidden, this creates a greater challenge for exhibitors to read emotional signals.

There is so much more to be learned here regarding our awareness and effectiveness for F2F marketing. As an industry, exhibit designers must include emotional intelligence concepts to help our clients within the booth environment. The physical exhibit is only a prop to support the actors (exhibitors), who then effectively communicate on the stage (exhibit) to deliver a positive experience for their visitors. The human touch remains a key component for sales success.

Over the years exhibit suppliers have added new skills and services that include catering, lead mgmt., booth attractions, and ROO/ROI measurement services. We now enter a new world of tradeshow/event marketing where new design and measurement approaches will unfold. Sharing ever-changing global knowledge will add rocket fuel to innovation and create the new normal in exhibit design. Embrace the new journey!

Larry Kulchawik is the head of Larry Kulchwawik Consulting & author of Trade Shows from One Country to the Next. For more info, visit www.larrykulchawik.com

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ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 15

COLUMN Ask an Expert Stadium Swim

Fremont Street Entrance

Vegas Vickie

Sportsbook

Circa Las Vegas Opening Night

I

t was truly an exciting East from Chef Dan Coughlin, night—the grand opening classic delicatessen cuisine at of Circa Las Vegas on Oct. Saginaw’s Delicatessen from 28—as the first ground-up restaurateur Paul Saginaw, casino resort development authentic Carolina barbein downtown Las Vegas cue at Project BBQ, since 1980 opened. and Victory Burger & Derek Stevens, the Wings Co. from the majority owner of founding family of both the Golden Gate American Coney Isand The D Las Vegas, land. The Mega Bar on

By Calanit Atia demolished an entire the casino main floor is block of the Fremont Street Nevada’s longest bar (spanExperience from the Las ning 165 feet) with 120 beer Vegas Club to Mermaids and taps. Open 24/7, it features 53 Topless Girls of Glitter Gulch seats for bar-top gaming and to build Circa as Las Vegas’ 46 double-stacked TVs. first adults-only casino resort.

The resort also showcases Circa is the ultimate “man a year-round pool amphicave experience” with the theater, Stadium Swim, that “world’s largest sportsbook” boasts a 143-foot diagonal, and Stadium Swin—a stun14-million-megapixel LED ning visual. screen as the backdrop. With The 1.25-million-sq.ft. six pools, two spas and 15,000 resort was built on the old square feet of wet space, Las Vegas Club location at Stadium Swim’s capacity is 8 Fremont St., across from 4,000. It has two swim-up the Plaza and Golden Gate. bars on the lower level and Circa Las Vegas restaurants accommodations include 30 include premium steaks and cabanas and super cabanas seafood at Barry’s Downtown that can host up to 25 guests Prime from Chef Barry S. with 337 chaise lounges, 38 Dakake, Pan-Asian fare at 8 daybeds and eight poolside

16 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

boxes. Guests at Stevens’ other two properties can access the Circa pools for free and an hour earlier than the public.

Stadium Swim is open 8 a.m.11 p.m., 365 days a year.

The hotel tower (with 777 rooms) and the rooftop lounge, the Legacy Club, opened two months later on Dec. 28. The Legacy Club spans two stories and offers panoramic views from the 35th floor of the casino but its show-stopping attraction is a ten-foot display of 1,000 ounces in gold. It also features metal busts of iconic Vegas names—Sam Boyd, Steve Wynn, Bob Stupak, Benny Binion, Kirk Kerkorian, Jackie Gaughan, William Bennett, Frank Fertitta, Barron Hilton and Howard Hughes. With five fire pits outside, you can “build your own” old-fashioned, shareable drinks.

And Vegas Vickie has moved indoors. Originally debuting in 1980 with Bob Stupak’s Glitter Gulch casino, the kicking neon cowgirl is an iconic symbol of Las Vegas, 25 feet tall and 20

feet wide. She was a landmark on the Fremont Street Experience, and was taken down during demolition of the block, cleaned up and restored to her new home at Circa as a must-see art installation in Circa’s hotel lobby bar.

Operated by Circa Sports, Circa’s three-story, stadium-style sportsbook is the “World’s Largest Sportsbook” according to Stevens. With a viewing capacity of 1,000 guests, its high-def screens have 78 million pixels and take ten people to operate. The 28-seat Dugout offers VIP single-seat cushioned chairs directly in front of the screen; the Legends Club features 18 plush recliners just behind The Dugout; the Champions Club section has long, boothstyle seating—two long banquette-style booths with four tables on each side, totaling eight tables. The Circa Club Upper and Circa Club Lower sections consist of 14 booths (six upper/eight lower); and North and South Stands feature luxury stadium-style seating, offering tiered viewing for optimal vantage points—164 stadium-style seats). The food and beverage service is from Victory Burger & Wings Co. All seats are equipped with power outlets and major sports betting stories are embedded on the tabletops.

Calanit Atia is the founder and president of A to Z Events, Las Vegas DMC for 20 years. She is an Air Force veteran, award-winning event planner, member of the 2020 MPI Women’s Advisory Board, columnist and speaker. Contact her at info@ CalanitAtia.com or call (702) 2122500 or visit AtoZevents.com.

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

@ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 17

COLUMN International Focus: AIPC Sven Bossu

AIPC: Here’s to a New & Bright Future

by Sven Bossu, CEO AIPC

O

n Nov. 30, a Flemish news anchor—Martine Tanghe—retired after presenting the seven o’clock news for 42 years on the public television. She has covered everything from royal weddings to natural disasters and every American president since Jimmy Carter. And her last words to her audience were: “Stay safe, take care–everything will be fine.”

Like anyone in the event industry, she most probably had different expectations with regards to 2020. And then she adapted to a new reality and provided us with daily COVID-19 updates for nine months. Similarly, event venues had to quickly adapt—first by becoming health and safety facilities and then by re-inventing themselves, both on a tactical and strategic level.

This transition is still ongoing and requires many difficult decisions, not in the

least when it comes to staff.

And unfortunately, these hard times will continue for the next months. But the pandemic has made something very clear: the importance of face-to-face meetings cannot be overestimated. When attending the annual conference of several associations in the last months–including AIPC’s—the message from the speakers was very clear: without face-to-face meetings, we lose the ability to truly innovate, collaborate and create welfare. Whether it concerned finance, cancer treatment or technology, each time the same need for bringing communities together surfaced.

And this will of course happen. China is already back in business, so is Dubai, and Singapore recently held its first major international event this year in a safe and secure way.

In Europe, event organizers are firming up their plans to have meetings in the second

18 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

half of 2021, boosted by the news of the roll-out of vaccines as from the start of next year and similar news is heard on the other continents.

So, back to normal? Yes, but to the next normal. While we all want face-to-face meetings to happen, we also need to recognize the power of digital.

A lot has been learned over the last year when it comes to organizing virtual events and some of the outcomes—especially in terms of reach—are truly impressive. As a result, in this next normal, event organizers will look—even more so—at the different purposes and dimensions of their events and select the appropriate platform accordingly.

This will be a challenge.

Models, technologies, expectations … everything is still in full motion. As a result, event organizers will be looking for trusted partners to help them deliver the best experience, via the most appropriate channel, to the right audiences.

Event venues, more than ever, are best placed to be that trusted partner. Over the last nine months, they have accelerated investments and put in place solutions which were

planned to be in production only in a couple of years.

The learning curve has also been steep and has provided the venues with the insights and knowledge needed to offer tailor-made packages to organizers, consisting of both physical and digital components.

The key success factor however has not changed at all: a thorough and joint understanding of the goals and objectives that an event needs to achieve and an agreement on the use of all the assets available in the local event ecosystem (not limited to the venue!) to reach those targets.

And these assets now include digital, which opens many new exciting avenues to explore.

Facing its worst crisis ever, the event industry has demonstrated in 2020 its resilience, its creativity and its ability to think fast and move even faster. It has been a tough year, and challenges remain, but I do join my beloved news anchor in stating that everything will be fine—in a different way. So here’s to a new and bright future.

Sven Bossu was named as AIPC’s first CEO last May. Prior, he was the managing director for innovation at ESTRO, the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology and eight years at SWIFT/SIBOS conference.

Contact him at sven.bossu@aipc.org.

AIPC represents a global network of 190+ leading centers in 64 countries with the active involvement of 1,000+ management-level professionals worldwide. It is committed to encouraging excellence in CC management, and maintains a variety of educational, research, networking and standards programs to achieve this.

For more info, visit aipc.org.

INDUSTRY PODCAST

Moving Forward to an Uncertain, Yet Hopeful 2021…

by Mike Morrison

A

s I write this for 2021’s Exhibit City News, I have the sense that being able to pen this is more or less an article of accomplishment. When we all screamed “Happy New Year” for 2020 a year ago, we never realized that in most cases, we would see a year with everything BUT happy. No need to rehash the disappointments for the year 2020—we all remember them all too well. One of the positives (one of only a few, I must emphasize) was the record number of listens The

Don and Mike Show podcast received in 2020. From the time we started in mid-2017 until the present, our show listens have seen a 10 to one increase for all episodes. The content for 2020, though dismal subjects at times, proved to be worthy of the listens and the feedback we have received from the shows.

As we move forward into an uncertain, yet hopeful 2021—the emotions still sit in a category of uncertainty.

Will the industry come back?

Will shows be reopened?

Will travel bans be lifted or

relaxed? Will civil unrest and election uncertainties bring to a halt any positives obtained and recover what the industries within live events need to see in 2021? A lot of questions here and more that will need to be answered and I envision our industry charging forward, yet cautiously, to avoid taking three steps forward and 1,000 backwards!

The Don and Mike Show plans to keep the interviews coming, staying on top of the industry’s developments and it is with a strong sense of

hope that we will see an amazing rebound in 2021!

Happy New Year for 2021— hopefully this time it really will occur!

The Don & Mike Show can be heard on Fridays at TheDonAndMikeShow. net; ExhibitCityNews.com; Facebook (www.facebook.com/DandMshow); LinkedIn (www.linkedin. com/groups/12096643/); Twitter (twitter.com/DonAndMikeShow1) and most all podcast platforms including iTunes, Google, Spotify and many others.

Mike Morrison is the national sales director for WS Displays as well as co-hosting and producing “The Don & Mike Show” podcast, now closing in on 200,000 listens. Contact him at thedonandmikeshow@gmail.com or mike@wsdisplay.com.

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info@smtexpo.com ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 19

AIRPORT SNAPSHOT

Savannah/ Hilton Head International Airport IATA airport code: SAV Location: 400 Airways Ave., Savannah Year Opened: 1942. City of Savannah obtained the land in 1940 but the Army Corp of Engineers took over construction and it served as a military base until 1948 when it was given to the National Guard and operated as Travis Field. In 1950 the Savannah airport relocated its operations to Travis Field. A six-gate terminal built in 1960 was replaced in 1994 by the current facility. It was renamed Savannah International Airport in 1983, then Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in 2003.

Size: Covers 3,650 acres with two runways, 15 gates and one terminal.

Transportation: The Chatham Area Transit (CAT) buses, taxis, rideshares and limousine services are available.

Fun Facts: The area’s first airport, Savannah Municipal Airport, opened in September, 1929, In 1932, it was named Hunter Field. A trolley car was used as the first terminal.

The current airport was built on one of the highest points in the area, Cherokee Hill. The airport is 50 ft. above sea level.

Renamed Savannah International Airport in 1983, although at the time it had no international flights. From 199293, Key Airlines operated service to the Caribbean and Mexico, but it didn’t have any other international flights until 2017, when Air Canada began seasonal service to Toronto.

Website: savannahairport.com ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 21

INDUSTRY NEWS

America Starts with Tradeshows Rallies Across the U.S.

BY KELLY SWORDS & JENNIFER HERNANDEZ, CO-CHAIRS OF HOUSTON AMERICA STARTS WITH TRADESHOWS RALLY

At noon on Dec. 15, a gathering of Houston’s tradeshow ecosystem came together at the George R. Brown Convention Center in addition to simultaneous rallies going on in several other cities around the nation, to communicate with government leaders on the industry’s state and the unique challenges to ensure its future. Speakers included:

» Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner » Michael Heckman, acting president and CEO of Houston First Corporation » Linda Morales, organizing coordinator, Texas Gulf Coast Area

Labor Federation, AFL-CIO

» Jennifer Hernandez, dir. of

communications for Int’l. Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 88 » Kelly Swords, co-chair of Houston America Starts with Tradeshows rally, Excalibur Exhibits » Impacted local business owners While tradeshows face similar challenges to other live events such as theater, live music, sporting events and also restaurants, hotels and airlines—tradeshows cannot be lumped into the same recovery plan or timeline. This indus-

22 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

try needs a unique solution to address not only its unique challenges but also the unique benefits that it brings to both local economies and the nation’s GDP which far outnumber anything brought by other live events on both a local and national level.

Yet so far this industry has not been seen, heard or had its specific needs addressed. An entire $1.1 trillion industry that generates $130 billion in taxes has been wiped out overnight.

It was one of the first industries to be shut down in March and unfortunately it appears it will be one of the last to recover as

6.6 million people continue to struggle to find meaningful work. Their voices have gone unheard while exhibit houses, union workers, florists, forklift drivers, truck drivers, carpet layers, print houses, food trucks and hundreds of other small business and independent contractors that support this $1.1 trillion industry are without income. They are facing an end to unemployment benefits, have lost their healthcare and are struggling just to pay their bills and feed their families.

And still there is no clear path on how to survive the

long-term consequences of these lockdowns and their effect on face-to-face gatherings. Businesses that have been joyfully built over many years are bankrupt or are moving in that direction quickly. For example, the U.S. airline capacity declined by about 70 percent as of April, but many more companies in this industry have declined to zero percent. Imagine, if in the span of one week, every single project you were working on was canceled and there would be no other meaningful jobs coming in until possibly Q2 ‘21 at the earliest—more than a year after the last big tradeshow was held.

You can toss out another PPP program or more EIDL loans—but for this industry, a PPP program is just shifting the burden of being the unemployment office to the business owners. Unfortunately this does little to help many of the contract workers who are so vital to the industry. For many there are no paychecks left to protect—they’ve been out of work for 10 months or so already and face at the very least another four to six months of little activity. There is no work to be done. There are no jobs to be saved. There is no industry. And whatever comes in the future, the industry we’ve known is forever changed.

Conferences and tradeshows take lead-time—sometimes years. The planning and preparation involved in creating these events takes a long, long time. None of this can begin until planners have an indication that corporations will participate. We already know @ExhibitCityNews

how to be safe—tradeshows and conferences in Europe and Asia have been going on safely for months now. But when that “open for business” day comes, the local bar will be open, but a tradeshow will still be months away. And even then, since most tradeshows are not open to the public and are B2B events, until corporations allow domestic and international travel by employees, large scale meetings and tradeshows (like World Petroleum Congress that should have been occurring this very month here in Houston but has been postponed an entire year) will continue to cease to exist.

The very thing that decimated this particular industry is the same thing that makes it valuable—bringing people and ideas together from all parts of the world. The informal transfer of knowledge and wisdom.

The friendships, the insights, the newness all around. As more time goes by, entrepreneurs walk away from their dream, heartbroken by the

outcome and the added pain of seeing their own family and their employees without work, income, healthcare, food and self-esteem. Their plans for the future include no plans.

Many are at an age where being hired by a company is not likely. What money they had saved is used to live on, which offers nothing to rebuild with and the city and the nation lose the diversity that small, minority-owned businesses offer—which is one of Houston’s best qualities and sets them far apart from any other city in the world.

“We do believe live conferences and tradeshows will re-emerge. We also know this industry will lag far behind every other industry. During that time, who knows what will happen to all the people.

We know for sure that there will be very few companies, if any, who can pick up where they left off. It will be like creating a new industry with few leaders, few experts and very few people willing to risk it

all again,” says Kelly Swords, co-chair of Houston America Starts with Tradeshows rally, Excalibur Exhibits.

She continues, “That means cities like Houston will continue to face budget shortfalls like the $55 million dollars lost from the 27 conventions cancelled this year. And the nation will continue to miss out on the $1.1 trillion of business that results from tradeshows. And 6.6 million Americans continue to be unemployed. America starts with Tradeshows—conventions are essential to our economic recovery as a whole. Please help our industry survive today so that we will still be here to help the nation thrive tomorrow. Further rounds of PPP and EIDL loans are not the answer. We need specific targeted government assistance to help us to not only survive and recover, but to help the nation thrive for the future.”

America Starts with Tradeshows began through a Facebook group called “Standby for our Future.”

ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 23

YEAR IN REVIEW

2020: Year in Review

BY F. ANDREW TAYLOR

It seemed like it was going to be such a good year.

Plans were made for a full and exciting schedule of conventions and tradeshows, chances for companies to show off their new projects, products and promotions. Somewhere around the end of February, things started getting a little weird. Within a month the world was trying to figure out how to operate traditionally in-person businesses from Zoom while people salvaged scraps of booths.

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Obviously a lot of it was, but paraphrasing Neitzche, (or was it Conan the Barbarian?), “Whatever doesn’t kill us, really bums us out, but eventually makes us stronger.” Those that survived the Darwinian Hunger Games learned to operate leaner, tighter and faster… as well as remotely.

As bad as the situation was, it would have been much worse in an earlier age. Clearly everyone in the tradeshow and convention business would prefer to be traveling, meeting old and new clients in person and showing off their cool booths in a tactile environment, but at least with high speed internet, affordable video recording and editing options, there were options. If this was 30 years ago, all we could have done is

gone into massive production of hazmat suits with huge shoulders and faux rolled up sleeves.

Remember thinking it was a little weird that a lot of Japanese tourists wore face masks? Now we all have a favorite mask. Some of us have a few dozen. Some of us even have a lucky mask.

Which brings up another weird positive piece of pandemic fallout; a lot of us learned, or re-learned skills this year, including sewing, cooking, woodworking, gardening and creating and operating a TV studio in the pantry. Imagine a situation when this mess is over where those skills come into play.

Picture a scenario where an unfortunate hoverboard accident rips a hole in a stretched fabric booth. While Cindy quickly orders a replacement, Harry uploads a hilarious Tik-Tok video of the incident directing people to the booth, while Carlos whips out his handy dandy sewing kit and expertly patches the booth with backstitching he learned during lockdown. In the past you would have had to rely on duct tape, two-day shipping and a casually draped jacket to hide the mess.

There’s no denying this has been a terrible year for

24 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

business in general, and the tradeshow and convention industry, in specific, was decimated. Virtually every convention was cancelled or postponed, with the exception of those that were virtually held. At some point we’ll add up all the losses, but the numbers will be too great for the average person to comprehend it. Many people can’t comprehend the difference between a billion and a trillion easily.

Some businesses will never reopen. Some conventions will never be held again, but by and large, we have to have faith that we as a people and us an industry are strong enough to come back out of it. The world is slowly, but surely, getting ready to start up again, but this time will do it with our new skills, our new technical knowhow and flexibility. We’ll know which meetings have to be face to face, which ones should be online and which ones should not even be bothered with.

This year, some facilities

have managed to use the downtime to improve their physical plant. Some companies have had the time to reorganize and reprioritize. Some individuals have reassessed their own lives, both professional and personal, and made changes that will lead to real improvement… even if that means major change.

Again, no one is denying this has been a rusty razorblade of a year. We’re all hurting, we’re all anxious, we’re all ready for it to be over, but it will be over. We’ll all come back, better, stronger and ready to make it all work.

For some of us, that will mean hanging on to our lucky mask, even if we’re just keeping it in our pocket—and that’s okay.

We’re all in this together, so, as another wise man (not Neitzche), once said, and reminded us this year, “Be excellent to one another.”

You’d better not mess with us 2021, we’re all a lot tougher now.

“2020”

“Would Not Recommend!”

#VEGASSTRONGER

Have your reviews of 2020 been?

Missing our TradeShow Brothers and Sisters Hope we can all be together soon. Until then, know we’ll be here for you when you return.

888.674.4033 • 702.534.6995

@ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 25

VIRTUAL TRADESHOW STRATEGIES

Building Your Virtual Event Team THREE QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN CREATING AN RFP FOR YOUR VIRTUAL EVENT TECH

BY CANDY ADAMS, “THE BOOTH MOM®”, DES | VEMM | CTSM | CME | CEM | CMP | CMM

26 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

Just as goal setting is your first step when building a new exhibit or planning any event, writing your virtual event technology platform RFP needs to be thought through with three strategic one-word questions: “Why?”, “Who?” and “How?” Starting with this high-level planning will determine the purpose for holding this event, who you want to attend and how to implement a strategic plan for achieving your goals.

Let’s consider how these three questions can impact your event’s end results. Then we can get down to the nuts and bolts of the most critical

company meeting? A tradeshow or expo? Streamed social media content? A concert or performance?

Success Measurement: What outcome(s) are you expecting from the event?

What content, solutions or message(s) do you want your virtual attendees to take away? What actions do you want attendees to take after attending your virtual event?

How, exactly, will you measure the success of the event?

And how will the data gathered help you improve your future events?

questions to ask potential technology partners.

The Most Important Question is “Why Hold the Event?”

Event Goals, Objectives: What’s the purpose of your virtual event? Is it to create awareness of your company or products? Generate qualified sales leads? Promote social interactions? Educate your staff?

Event Type: What type of event will best meet your goals and objectives? An educational event? A networking gathering? An industry get-together? A quarterly @ExhibitCityNews

Do you know “Who”?

The next question has two parts: 1) Who has a stake in your event’s success, and 2) Who is your target audience?

Stakeholder Teams: Don’t plan your virtual event in a vacuum! Pulling together your stakeholder taskforce is critical. Soliciting their input early in the planning process is key to creating your event’s framework, which, in turn will determine what event elements are “must-haves” vs. “wouldn’t-it-be-nice.”

Your internal planning team can include anyone— from your CEO/CMO/CFO, board of directors, and marketing and sales team members to whomever is financially responsible for the event. Externally, in addition to your technology partner/ suppliers and their staffs, you may have sponsors or exhibitors, speakers or panelists and moderators or hosts.

Depending on the size and expertise of your internal planning team, you may need to contract additional staff for

roles in pre-event planning, procurement, content, social media and speaker management, plus those with day-ofevent responsibilities.

Attendee Types: What does your target audience look like? By researching attendees’ personal characteristics and building personas, you can hone your engagement strategies to resonate with them. These personas may include attributes like their job title and responsibilities, geographic location, age, gender, personality type, background, goals, motivations, frustrations, buying influence and level of technological savvy.

“How” to Pull together the Pieces The “how” of a virtual event encompasses implementing your event’s strategy, including: Timeline: How long until you plan to hold your virtual event? What’s your anticipated timeline to work with all your stakeholders to build your event framework, create a plan of action, identify and contract with a technology provider, build your internal team, determine content and providers, contract with your speakers, implement your plan and market your program?

Event Schedule: With the influx of virtual events after COVID-19 shut down live events, there has been a boom in both existing and new technology platform companies that support virtual events.

But considering the number of live events continuing to pivot to virtual and the most popular days/times that virtual events are offered in various

time zones, you may need to be flexible when selecting your preferred event date(s).

Maximum Number of Users/Sessions: Technology platforms may have limits on the number of users and sessions. Having an estimate of how many attendees you anticipate attending the various types of sessions planned (i.e., keynotes, individual speakers, panels, breakouts and networking) can be critical in determining if your event’s size is compatible with specific platforms.

Budget and Monetization: Monetization of a virtual event can come in more forms than just hard dollars.

What internal funds have been allocated —or reallocated from live events—for your virtual event? Will you charge attendees registration fees?

What sponsorship dollars do you anticipate? How much revenue will you receive from virtual exhibitors and brand partners? Is there financial value in packaging the event data you’ve gathered on your attendees? Does your technology platform help to track these revenue streams?

Now’s your opportunity to determine what your virtual event could look like if there were no restrictions or limitations as you start with a clean virtual slate!

What features do you want—and need—from your technology partner?

The primary goal of your technology platform (today’s version of a live-event venue) is to create a seamless, unified experience for your virtual event attendees that exceeds

ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 27

VIRTUAL TRADESHOW STRATEGIES

both their needs and your objectives. Providing this service takes more than just technological expertise. Too many people confuse a technology platform with a full-service event production company who will work before, during and after your event, employing the most appropriate technology to provide full-service professional support. The production of virtual events is often compared to that of being a TV show producer/ director, marrying interesting content with quality production, rather than being like the duties of a live event manager.

After doing research to determine technology providers whose platforms offer the basic services you need, your next step is to provide an RFP that’s a high-level overview of your planned virtual event.

Don’t miss the opportunity to solicit their advice on how to best reach your goals.

Common features to consider when composing a virtual event technology platform’s RFP can include: Event Management: Can the technology platform manage all segments of the virtual event—attendees, speakers, content, schedules and budgets—in real time?

Dedicated Staffing: Who will your primary contact be and what will their role be for the duration of planning your virtual event? Who is on your production team’s core staff, and who will manage your event during rehearsals and the day of the event to guarantee glitchfree results? Can your platform provide additional staff to fill gaps in your internal staffing?

User Experience: Is

the platform interface user-friendly so that all virtual event participants and staff can easily access information to facilitate signup, content, marketing promotion and technical support?

Registration: How will registration, ticketing, confirmation and day-of-event access be handled for your attendees and speakers? Will your virtual attendees be able to register, select sessions for their personal agenda, complete interest surveys and pay for their registration seamlessly without being confused by multiple logins on different platforms? How will data be shared with exhibitors and sponsors after attendees engage with them?

Analytics Reporting: What data—both attendee and financial—will be captured pre-, during and post-event?

In what format will you receive data and when will it be available? What information will be available in real-time during your event?

Marketing Promotion: How does the technology platform integrate with your other marketing software for sending invitations, social media and email campaigns, posting ancillary content and sending reminders? Can the platform be customized with design elements that brand your event? Does the platform’s integrated registration module integrate with your company’s CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system for transfer of data?

Sponsorship Opportunities: What visibility will you be able to provide to your sponsors throughout your

28 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

Too many people confuse a technology platform with a fullservice event production company... event? How will your attendees engage with them—i.e., short videos between sessions, in break-out sessions or in a virtual exhibit hall? What valuable data can be captured to share with your sponsors and exhibitors?

Recording and Archiving: How much of your content will be pre-recorded for playback the day of the virtual event? Will you be recording and archiving the live sessions for editing to be offered on-demand in the future? How much are additional editing and storage costs?

Technology Compatibility: Is the platform’s technology and equipment compatible with that of both your team and your audience (especially if you’ll be dealing with international attendees)?

Data Security and Compliance: If you are currently using a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, how will your registration system of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) integrate with information captured during the event (i.e., sessions attended, responses to in-session polls, compiling of

chat responses, etc.)? Is your technology provider compliant with both international (i.e., the General Data Privacy Regulations, a.k.a. GDPR in Europe, and in China who has major technology limitations) and with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)? If you’re in the medical community, your platform may also need to adhere to HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliance regulations.

Don’t skip the reference check! You’ll also want to ask those companies who make your RFP short list what similar events they have managed or are currently working on, what roles they played in the virtual event management and request references of those virtual event managers. Ask to review archived or attend current virtual events they’re managing to see how smoothly they ran.

Candy Adams, known throughout the exhibit industry as “The Booth Mom®”, is a hands-on exhibit project manager who’s just earned her seventh industry certification, and, as of CES 2021, hit a milestone of 500 shows under her belt.

As an accomplished veteran exhibit marketing consultant and exhibit staff “boothmanship” and exhibit management trainer, she specializes in sharing her knowledge and expertise to guide exhibitors through both the live and virtual tradeshow mazes, assuring they maximize their return on investment while cutting exhibiting costs. A prolific award-winning writer and trainer on exhibiting best practices, she’s published more than 400 articles and blogs and trained tens of thousands of exhibit managers on all aspects of tradeshow exhibit management in her 29-year career. For more info, visit http://www.BoothMom.com

VIRTUAL TRADESHOW STRATEGIES

“Then Why Are We Even Exhibiting?”

V

irtual tradeshow organizers and association conference managers need to listen to what exhibitors are saying about their exhibiting experience in virtual tradeshows.

» 1. “They don’t work.” » 2. “No one visits my booth.” » 3. “It was a waste of time/money.”

Exhibitors are saying that because no one is teaching them how to exhibit virtually, which requires a completely different strategy and tactics than exhibiting in face-toface events.

» No one is showing them how to use the names they already have to invite participation in the show and drive booth visits. » No one is showing them how to engage booth visitors to qualify their interest, application, and worthiness of lead conversion and/or post-show follow-up. » No one is showing them how to structure a virtual sales office for lead follow-up after the show, to continue the conversation they had with booth visitors during the show.

While experience is the best teacher, traditional exhibitors haven’t had enough time to learn the how-to’s of virtual tradeshow exhibiting. Therefore, the bad experiences they are having reflect negatively on the organizer’s NPS* (Net Promoter Score) and exhibitors’ overall virtual tradeshow exhibiting experience.

Exhibitors have better names for virtual tradeshow booth invitations, and over@ExhibitCityNews

all show attendance, than any organizer could ever muster. Teaching them how to use their names for their own virtual tradeshow booth promotion also increases the overall numbers of attendees that visit the show.

That’s a valuable lesson to teach exhibitors and a positive result for show organizers.

As an example, if 100 exhibitors invite 100 of their customers and prospects to the show, and only 10 percent show up, that’s 1,000 more visitors to the show. Even better, the measurable booth activity from your exhibitors’ customers and prospects will reflect positively on their individual booth activity and overall evaluation of the show.

During a traditional faceto-face tradeshow, exhibitors typically waited for visitors to “wander into” their booth and then they reacted. In the virtual world, visitors are less likely to wander in. They need to be driven or invited in. That’s why pre-show promotion by exhibitors is more important than ever in the virtual world.

Once visitors come into a virtual tradeshow booth, they need more interaction with exhibitors than a video they can watch, a bunch of reading they have to do, or a link they can click to get more information.

They need immediate attention, just like in face-to-face events.

Having an open Zoom Room during exhibiting hours, for immediate attention and engagement is a great way to initiate an exhibitor’s memorable and positive expe-

rience. Furthermore, teaching exhibitors how to effectively use Zoom to manage and qualify visitors should be an overall part of the “Exhibitor Kit” that organizers give to their exhibitors.

As with face-to-face exhibiting, post-show lead follow-up after a virtual event is where the rubber meets the road.

And it’s in this area where teaching your exhibitor’s how to extend their tradeshow experience pays off the most.

Zoom is by far the most widely used video conferencing platform available today.

Especially the FREE version.

However, most people don’t know any more about using Zoom than having clicked on a link someone sent them for an online meeting.

The “polling” features of Zoom can be used for lead qualification. The “breakout rooms” can be used for specific information presentation. And the “recording feature” can be used for validation and reference.

These are but a few of many features and benefits that virtu-

by Richard Erschik al tradeshow organizers and association conference managers need to teach their exhibitors.

Because expecting exhibitors to find out, on their own, is having the aforementioned negative effects on the overall virtual tradeshow exhibiting experience for most exhibitors. *NPS (Net Promoter Score) measures customer experience and predicts business growth. This proven metric transformed the business world and now provides the core measurement for customer experience management programs globally.

Richard Erschik was a successful tradeshow exhibitor himself for almost two decades. He has delivered more than 350 seminars, webinars, workshops, and Zoominars, to more than 50,000 tradeshow exhibitors.

He has been a featured speaker, presenter, and roundtable moderator at the EXHIBITOR show in Las Vegas for 18 years. He is among Trade Show Executive magazine’s Who’s Who in the area of exhibitor education and training. For more info, visit www.

ExhibitorTrainingWebinar.com

ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 29

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SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

The Tradeshow Times

Exhibit City News welcomes a new weekly online column, The Tradeshow Times by Willwork’s Bob McGlincy, who promises to alternate between tradeshows today, tomorrow and yesterday. He began his series with a tradeshow from yesteryear—the first modern tradeshow which opened in London in 1851 (visit our website and use the search magnifying glass to search by Bob’s name or column name to read it). Below is an excerpt of his column about tradeshows today, with case studies of tradeshows going virtual and hybrid.

Tradeshows Today: Virtual & Hybrid Events

by Bob McGlincy, director, business management at Willwork Global Event Services

S

ince the start of the pandemic, a record number of 2020 tradeshows postponed or cancelled their events. Some pivoted to a virtual platform.

While more common than ever before, virtual and digital shows are not a new phenomenon in the convention industry. In the mid-1990s, some medical shows were broadcasting live operations to meeting rooms in the convention center, and in some cases, broadcasting to hospitals and other venues elsewhere in the country. COMDEX held virtual shows for three years, starting in 2010—the same year Willwork produced its first virtual event.

Virtual shows are not new; however, the number of shows going virtual is new.

Below are case studies of three shows that went virtual in the summer of 2020, each with differing results.

Case Study: InfoComm is “the largest professional audiovisual tradeshow in

North America.” In 2019, it was the 28th largest tradeshow in the U.S., with 534,339 net sq.ft. of exhibit space; the show attracted 927 exhibitors and 43,230 attendees. The 2020 show was scheduled for June 1319 in Las Vegas. By March 1, the show was “poised for a successful event,” according to Rochelle Richardson, senior vice president, exposition & event services, AVIXA Infocomm. At that time, the exhibit floor was 94 percent sold (and this was with an expanded floor plan); attendee pre-registration already exceeded 44,000; and sponsorship sales were at 115 percent of the previous year. By March 30, the show was officially canceled (not postponed) and notices were posted online.

On April 13, InfoComm 2020 Connected was announced, and the show pivoted quickly to a virtual event.

In mid-June, there were 23,408 people registered; 41 percent were international (al-

32 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

most 1,100 more international registrants than in the previous tear); the event had more than 70 sessions, and showed a 38 percent net revenue, after expenses. While there were fewer attendees overall, InfoComm kept the brand alive, increased the number of international attendees and made a profit.

Case Study: Comic-Con was founded in 1970. In 2013, Forbes wrote, the show is “the largest of its kind in the world,” and Publisher’s Weekly declared the San Diego Comic-Con to be “the largest show in North America.” While paid attendance numbers are not published, the crowd was estimated to be more than 130,000 in 2010, and approximately 167,000 in 2015. The 2019 show had 739 exhibitors, with crowds said to be similar to previous years. The 2020 show was scheduled for the end of July in San Diego, but due to the coronavirus, it was switched to a virtual event, called Comic-Con at Home.

How did this event fare?

Not very well, according to an article in Variety on July 27, 2020, written by Adam Vary. The title, “Why Comic-Con at Home Was a Bust,” sounds fairly damning. The opening line, “Does a con-

vention make any noise if no one is there to talk about it?” reflects the author’s reasoning. The article went on to add that tweets were down 95 percent from the live show in 2019: “93,682 tweets over the five-day event, against 1,719,000 tweets in 2019.” Vary concluded his article with these words, “But if Comic-Con@Home achieved anything, it was revealing the abiding truth that there is no substitute for the live experience.”

Comic-Con International is scheduled to return to the San Diego Convention Center as a live event, July 22-25, 2021.

Case Study: AACS CEA VIRTUAL EVENT, July 11-13, 2020

THE CHALLENGE

Because of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the American Association of Cosmetology was forced to cancel two live events: their @ExhibitCityNews

annual convention, and their Career Educators Alliance conference. The events are attended by members looking to gain continuing education credits, to view the show floor, to learn about new products and techniques and, of course, to network with fellow AACS members. With more than 50 exhibiting and sponsor companies, the exhibit hall showcases the best of what the partners have to offer. These events generate income necessary to support

the organization throughout the year. With the live events canceled, AACS needed to find an alternative way to hold these meetings.

THE SOLUTION

AACS selected Willwork’s proprietary digital event platform in order to continue to host these two annual events in 2020. The virtual event made it possible to serve the needs of its members, (including the exhibiting and sponsor partners), while at the

same time providing a way to generate income to support the overall organization.

THE RESULT

The three-day event was very successful. More than 40 sessions were live-streamed to attendees who earned CEU credits for participating. In the exhibit hall, 30+ exhibitors showcased their product and services with videos and collateral and connected with attendees via live chat and pre-scheduled video meetings

ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 33

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

all right from their booth.

Attendees could also connect with one another by chatting in the Networking Lounge.

Virtual versus Live: There are benefits to virtual shows: they are easy for the end user and there can be a significant cost savings.

Virtual shows can be great for training sessions, but fall short when it comes to networking, personal interaction and product comparison, unless customized solutions are utilized.

Virtual or digital components can enhance a live event and reach an expanded audience.

Live events keep people stimulated and engaged. There is no question that many future shows can benefit from including virtual components and becoming a hybrid event. But like any type of event, some

virtual shows will work better than others; and some will be more profitable than others.

The same goes for live events.

Hybrid Events: Hybrid events are nothing new.

We have been experiencing them for decades, although not so much in the convention community. Any major sporting event is a hybrid event, combining both live and remote audiences.

The Masters is reputed to be the toughest ticket to acquire in all of sports. Masters Week brings about 250,000 people to Augusta every year, with about 40,000 on the course on the final day; and on that final day, almost 11 million comfortably watch this event remotely. This year was different, of course. There were no spectators on the golf course

34 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

in 2020, and the television audience was only 5.59 million— the lowest number since 1957.

Perhaps the best example of a hybrid event is the Super Bowl. It certainly has the largest audiences. Last year the TV viewership was just under 100 million, with a live audience of 62,417. Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014 had an attendance of 82,529, and according to Nielsen, had an average live viewership of 111.5 million people (with a total of 167 million viewers). The 2011 Super Bowl had the largest live audience of 103,219, and an average of 111 million TV viewers.

In some ways, the goals for conventions and sports are similar: engage an audience, improve brand awareness and make money. The goals for virtual, live and hybrid events

should be the same.

In 2021, there will be more virtual events, and an even greater number of hybrid events, as many live events will include additional digital components. Many show managers have limited experience in creating virtual events, and will need an expert familiar with the technology, as well as the knowledge and ability to engage the audience.

As the industry changes, the choice for a knowledgeable and experienced service partner will become even more critical.

Bob McGlincy is director, business management at Willwork Global Event Services. He can be contacted at Bob.McGlincy@willwork.com Willwork creates engaging, energized, and exceptional event experiences.

WE STAND READY

www.SHO-LINK.com

A nation-wide high quality I&D supplier

847-735-0640

Museums / Retail Environments / Private Events / Corporate Installations / Tradeshows @ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 35

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

THE RIGGING WORLD

Eyebolts: The Saga Continues…

L

as Vegas Convention Center, the morning of December 22, 2019.

My crew was ready to start rigging the 100-foot-long, 15,000-pound LED wall, but we were looking at something that was “textbook wrong.”

As mentioned in part one of this educational saga last issue, the half-inch Chicago eyebolts intended as the rigging points on the LED wall bumper had been welded to the top of its five 20-foot pieces of 4x6-inch HSS tube steel.

The shop had drilled half-inch diameter holes on the topside of the tube (where the eyebolts needed to go), dropped the eyebolts’ threaded shanks into the holes, and welded the bases of the eyebolts to the top of the tube. To add insult to injury, the bolts lacked wash-

the 15K LED wall! We had a serious problem on our hands.

Part of the problem was not receiving the structural design drawings from the engineer first. I seriously doubted that the structural engineer designated the eyebolts to be welded to the bumper. My bet was that he intended them to pass through the top and bottom of the HSS 4x6-inch tube steel, and would be finished off with a washer and nut on the underside of the tube. I figured the shop opted to use hardware they had available, deciding to go with two-inch eyebolts and weld them into place rather than purchasing eight-inchers (that would have worked perfectly).

Engineers always prefer a rated hardware connection to a welded connection (something I’ve learned from working with structural engineers, as well as being part owner of a company that provides welding services). Structural welding requires written procedures that must be followed

By Andrew Fulton

ers and nuts because the shop fabricators couldn’t reach deep enough into the tube to install finishing hardware to the bottoms of each eyebolt.

But, even if there had been washers and nuts affixed to the eyebolts, they would still have been structurally unusable due to the welding they’d gone through. The high quality of Chicago Hardware’s products is the reason you turn to them in the first place.

Chicago Hardware has stringent quality control processes that ensure their dropforged eyebolts meet and exceed the ASME B30.26 requirements.

With the integrity of the eyebolts being compromised, we simply could not attach the necessary 1-ton electric chain hoists to them. No way would they be able to lift and support

36 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

“to the T.” It’s stringent: first, the welder performing the work must possess current qualifications to do the specific type of welding procedures as dictated by the engineer. Then there is a rigorous inspection process using NDT (non-destructive testing) methods, that precedes the welding.

And this process is repeated throughout the project as per the engineer. Finally, it’s important to understand that the true integrity of a weld is not known until it goes through a specific NDT inspection process, such as magnetic particle testing. In other words, altering any component of a job through welding is never a “go-to” fix or something we’re cavalier about.

My hope with this second part of our story is that you have a better understanding of why engineers adamantly prefer connectable rated hardware versus hardware that has to be welded. Stick with rated hardware and you’ll always be “textbook right!”

In the next issue, the last installment will conclude this eyebolt saga (how the heck does this LED wall bumper get hung?) Until next time, then, please remember: when you rig safe, you rig right, you rig for success!

Andrew Fulton is dir. of rigging/part owner of Rigging International Group, a Las Vegas-based rope access company that provides rope access training, rigging, welding, NDT inspection and highly-skilled technicians who specialize in challenging work at height projects for various industries.

Currently, he is the lead production rigger at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center and manages projects for the Las Vegas PRG office. He is available for consultation and training and can be reached at andrew@rigintlgrp.com.

CONVENTION CENTER SPOTLIGHT

EAT

Savannah Convention Center

By F. Andrew Taylor

S

avannah, the oldest city in Georgia, boasts one of the youngest convention centers in the country. The 330,000-sq.ft. SCC opened as the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center in 2000 on the 2,000- acre Hutchinson Island. It is a state-owned building built by Chatham County, and operated under the auspices of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, which also manages Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center and Centennial Olympic Park.

It was designed by Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates of Atlanta and Hansen Architects of Savannah.

The same team is currently involved in a $275 million expansion that is slated to break ground soon and scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2023.

The SCC offers one of the loveliest entrances to any convention center via one of the free Belles Ferries that take the three-minute journey across the Savannah River from 7 a.m to midnight seven days a week. .

Hutchinson Island was primarily used for industrial purposes, supporting the cities shipping industry and more, but in recent years a number of public/private projects have sprouted up on the seven-mile-long island including several hotels and the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa,

38 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

which is adjacent to the SCC. The facility has been struggling with growing pains for a few years, but due to its relationship with its parent organization, the Georgia World Congress Center, it punches above its weight.

Officials note that the facilities systems, WiFi, IT security and the bandwidth are much larger than most convention centers of its size.

The expansion will double the current 100,000-sq.ft. exhibit hall space. It will also add a 60-ft.-wide hangar door, a new entrance, outdoor space and a second ballroom. At 40,000 sq.ft., the new ballroom will be nearly as large as the facility’s current 42,000 sq.ft. ballroom.

The expansion is set to add 15 meeting rooms and 900 parking spaces. A hotel, set to be constructed with private funds, is being planned just west of the center.

The expansion will bump the SCC up from the 155th largest to the 70th largest, which will put the facility into a new tier as far as the size and type of conventions and tradeshows it can attract. The management expects to bring in larger and more diverse conventions as the city has been experiencing a bit of a boom in the hotel industry. By the time the expansion is complete, they expect to have an additional 2,500 high-end hotel rooms in close proximity to the building.

Chain restaurants abound, but when in the most historic city in Georgia, you should go to Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room, a former boarding house at 107 W. Jones St., where guests sit at communal tables of 10 with friends and strangers enjoying traditional Southern cooking or The Olde Pink House, originally a Georgian mansion built in 1771. Now one of the finest establishments in town on historic Reynolds Square, it serves shrimp & grits to filet mignon. Many establishments have spectacular views of the river, including Churchill’s, 13 W. Bay St., with three floors topped with a rooftop open-air terrace. The pub offers British dishes and food with a southern spin, such as Low Country Oysters Rockefeller topped with collard greens.

SLEEP The River Street Inn, 124 E. Bay St., is right across the river from the SCC. Built to store and grade cotton in 1817, its conversion to a hotel kept much of the old charm and hardwood floors while adding modern amenities. For those who want a more corporate hotel experience while still in the historic district, The Hyatt Regency, (2 W. Bay St.) offers modern construction, including 30 suites. For visitors who seek a taste of the supernatural, there is Marshall House, 123 E. Broughton St. The fomrer Civil War hospital has been named one of the South’s Most Haunted Hotels.

PLAY Savannah is known as one of the country’s great walking cities, but the Hop-On Hop-Off Trolley Tour or the Land & Sea Combo: City Sightseeing Trolley Tour with Riverboat Cruise are recommended. There are many museums, including the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, the Owens Thomas House & Slave Quarters and the American Prohibition Museum.

The latter includes a secret speakeasy.

Nearby, the Alley Cat Lounge, a nearly hidden basement bar, serves more than 100 craft cocktails. For film buffs, there are tours based on Forrest Gump and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

A new story is being written about Detroit and the meeting industry we all care deeply about. As we dedicate ourselves to the new realities of meetings, our customers’ safety has become The Center of it All. Now, we look to what is important beyond our 723,000 square feet of exhibit space and being the 17th largest convention center in the country. The new story being written is one about the character of our community and the places we gather.

We look forward to meeting again.

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ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 39

ASSOCIATION NEWS

EDPA ACCESS & Chapter News Roundup

By H. K. Wilson

T

he pandemic may have slowed business in 2020, but it certainly has not quashed the momentum of EDPA and its members. Approximately 90 people, primarily from the C-suite, attended EDPA ACCESS 2020 at the La Cantera Resort San Antonio Texas, Dec. 1-2. The content was at once enlightening and sobering, as data showed the devastation to the live events industry caused by COVID-19.

According to Dasher Lowe, EDPA executive director, the meeting followed strict safety measures, but there was an intimacy that fostered great conversations about the state of the industry—and about the new rules of engagement.

Derse Chairman Bill Haney described the meeting as “the most valuable EDPA conference that I have attended as it pertains to my business and related decision making… picking up valuable content during trying times made it

a great ROI. This info could only have been maximized thru a face-to-face setting.”

Reflecting on the meeting, EDPA President Amy Sondrup said, “I’m honored to continue to serve as EDPA president in 2021. Our annual meeting last week undoubtedly showcased that live events can safely happen in our current environment. Perhaps more importantly, it highlighted that there are no true replacements for face-to-face conversations. The conference offered a unique opportunity for leaders in tradeshow marketing to discuss their business challenges, the state of the industry marketplace and strategies for business recovery as well as the return of live events. The conversations that happen at EDPA don’t happen anywhere else, and ACCESS 2020 was no exception.”

EDPA Looks to 2021 The State of the Association Address was unusual

40 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

in that it described EDPA’s activities throughout the year in service of the plight of live events—and the people who make them happen—to government and the rest of the world. The chapters’ work in keeping the conversations going was critical, and the association is instituting new measures to help members pay their dues for 2021.

Socially distanced, both the annual Gala and the Chapter Challenge allowed attendees to celebrate the end of a daunting year. At the Gala, Lowe handed awards to the winners in several categories: EDPA AWARDS PRESENTED AT ACCESS 2020 » Future Leaders: » Matthew R. Beck, creative director, Exhibitus ​ » Luke Brown​, managing director, Bray Leino Events » Ashley Campbell​, director of sales​, Apple Rock NY/NJ​ » Sarah Mainhart​, strategic account manager​, CORT Events

» Katie McTammany, creative director​, MSM Inc.​

» Kyle Miguel​, senior project manager, Hamilton Exhibits​

» Katina Rigall Zipay​, creative

director, Classic Exhibits​ » Sarah Simon​, executive producer​, Live Marketing​ » Michael Vallone​, asst. creative dir.​ /senior exhibit designer​, Hill & Partners​ » Noelle Webster, account manager​, Willwork, Inc.​ » Small Chapter of the Year: EDPA Northeast » Large Chapter of the Year: EDPA Midwest » Eddie Award, Best Multimedia Campaign: Deckel & Moneypenny » Eddie Award, Best Pivot: beMatrix » International Collaboration Award: Idea International and Group Delphi: 15 years of Medtronic » Designer of the Year: Katina Rigall Zipay​, creative director, Classic Exhibits » Ambassador of the Year: Chris Griffin, Crew XP » Hazel Hays Award: Dan Cantor, CEO/owner, Hamilton Exhibits

At a most extraordinary meeting in a most extraordinary year, EDPA members left San Antonio committed to industry advocacy and a belief in the future of live events.

EDPA Great Lakes EDPA members in the Great Lakes region continue to band together, providing support to one another as the pandemic’s impact spans the new year.

The chapter is hosting a threepart Zoom series on three Tuesdays in January/February featuring the theme: Personal Survival During Pandemic.

» Session 1, January 12 at 3 p.m.: Financial Strategies

» Session 2, January 26 at 3 p.m.: Job Transition Resources

» Session 3, February 9 at 3 p.m.: Mental Wellness & Health Support Contact Chapter President Kevin Sacharski for more information at: kevin@vizcommedia.com.

EDPA California Digital & Live Show Production was the theme of EDPA California’s December Zoom educational event on December 17. Steff Jones from Production Zync presented examples of work his company has produced in the digital online space and demonstrated how his company approaches the conversion of live shows to digital. He included examples of Production Zync’s

CONCERTS CONVENTIONS DINING ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT SHOPPING SPORTING EVENTS

digital and live shows along with some cutting-edge technologies he has seen recently in the marketplace, demonstrating how conventional production utilization and strategies are being used heading into 2021.

EDPA Midwest The big news in the Midwest is receiving the honor of this year’s “Chapter of the Year” award at ACCESS, yet again. “When we sat down to discuss what we had done in 2020, we were pleasantly surprised at all we had accomplished in such a devastating year,” says Chapter President Jackie Hake. “Our board, sponsors and members are passionate

...the most valuable EDPA conference that I have attended as it pertains to my business and related decision making,”—Bill Haney, Derse

Our Industry May Be Battered, But Our Foundation Is Strong.

Thanks to the stewardship and hard work of our 51 Founding Grantors and Grantor companies, individuals, and charitable events the EDPA Foundation Endowment is solid, well managed, and our policy that 95% of money raised goes to recipients and causes allows us to continue to: Support two college design programs to help nurture talent for the future.

Continue to fund our industry scholarship program, needed now more than ever.

Make a generous donation to the Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic to allow them to continue their good works.

When the storm passes, and things improve for our industry, we will have a strong foundation to rebuild on.

ROSEMONT’S IMPACT FIELD

Together, We Are Making a Difference.

Be Part of the Story. Visit www.edpa.com/edpafoundation to see how.

@ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 41

ASSOCIATION NEWS and hardworking, and that really came through in our review of the past year. 2020 was a very reactionary year for us and, as we head into 2021, we feel more prepared to face and overcome the challenges ahead. We plan to offer both virtual and live events when possible in order to engage as many members as we can.”

EDPA Midwest enjoyed a festive holiday season with its charity drive, Exhibit 4 Smiles. This year, the chapter shipped gifts directly to the doors of needy children. On December 10, the chapter shared some holiday cheer with its “Tis the Season for Sippin’ Zoom Holiday Social.” Stephen Bossu from Chicago’s Hopewell Brewing Co. talked about crafting unique flavors and the overall brewing process. Members were encouraged to visit a local store ahead of time and pick up some brews to enjoy during the event.

The Midwest chapter is hosting a Tiki-themed virtual party on January 14 at 4 p.m. CST. In February, the chapter is making plans to bring back David Causton, general manager of McCormick Place, and in March, it will sponsor its annual Design Challenge featuring students from the University of Illinois.

EDPA Texas EDPA Texas made a great showing at ACCESS 2020 in San Antonio. “With this being regional for most of us, we were able to take advantage of the location and participate in the conversations about our industry,” says Texas

Pictured L-R: EDPA Texas Chapter members Jeannine Swan, Noelle Webster, Matthew Little and Derek Argo

Chapter President Matthew Little. “My takeway from the event was that even though we have much to overcome in the near future, there are a lot of companies who are fighting the good fight to get us back in the game. Even if attendance was down with many people not able to travel, getting to spend time with our peers was good for my soul. It was so good to get to hang out and have conversations with people who are all in the same struggle that we all are.”

In 2021, the Texas chapter will continue to stay connected through its weekly Wednesday Happy Hour

42 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

and, in January, the chapter will host another conversation about mental health.

Little invites everyone to participate. “We are going to make this a series of events to provide resources to the industry who may be struggling with their mental health through the pandemic. We would like everyone to know they are all welcome to Zoom with us weekly, even if they belong to another chapter. Also, if they live in a state where there is no chapter, we will welcome them to ours, and they can participate through Zoom.”

For event info, visit: www.

TexasEDPA.com/events.

EDPA Northeast This holiday season, EDPA Northeast sponsored Project New Hope, an initiative that helps Northeast veterans and their families. To donate, visit EDPANortheast.com/blog/ ProjectNewHope2020 for the donate button.

EDPA Las Vegas This year, the Las Vegas chapter continued its tradition of supporting the children at Whitney Elementary school by dropping off much-needed clothing donations at the school.

The clothing was donated by various industry companies and individuals at the chapter’s annual Tim Provo Blood Drive.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

People on the Move

E

merald Holding, Inc., named Hervé Sedky (pictured right) CEO/ President as of Jan. 5. Brian Field, Emerald’s interim president/CEO, will continue to serve as the company’s COO. Reed Exhibitions Global CEO Hugh Jones promoted Fernando Fischer to president, Reed Exhibitions Americas, succeeding Sedky. Reed Travel Exhibitions announced that Shane Hannam is stepping down as portfolio director of IBTM Events after almost three years; the IBTM Events portfolio will now be managed by Claude Blanc.

Informa Markets is bringing together its N. America-headquartered brands, which include Natural Products Expo, World of Concrete, Supplyside West and MAGIC, under a single leadership team, led by Nancy Walsh (pictured right), who has been promoted to president of the expanded North America portfolio. Walsh previously was SVP Brand Experience for Freeman, and spent 32 years at Reed Exhibitions where she worked her way up to president, N. America.

Informa Markets Fashion also promoted Kelly Helfman, Jason Peskin and Jordan Rudow.

Helfman will take on an expanded role as commercial president for Informa Markets Fashion; Peskin was promoted to VP, events & corporate development, to oversee the commercial side of the men’s portfolio of brands, and Rudow was promoted to VP of events.

COTERIE, Informa Markets Fashion’s womenswear trade event, appointed Courtney Bradarich, née Bonnell, as VP of Events.

GES Events named Jennifer Beindorf as VP of North American New Business Development and Global Strategy where she will be leading the sales and strategy team. @ExhibitCityNews

by Exhibit City News

Freeman, one of the world’s leading live event and integrated brand experience company, appointed Sally Lu as managing director, Freeman China.

Lu will report to Debbie Evans, managing director, Asia Pacific, overseeing ops in Freeman’s three China offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.

Philadelphia, Pa.-based Sparks has promoted Kristy Elisano (pictured right), to chief marketing officer from senior VP of marketing and business development. Hamilton Exhibits welcomes Erin Micozzi as an engagement producer. Global event and experiential marketing agency Impact XM welcomes STAK Design principals Stan Zalenski (principal) and Holly Zalenski (VP, sales) to its team.

Bray Leino Events is expanding their company’s presence in North America and industry veteran Jim Obermeyer will be the new regional VP for the N. American market, joining Jamie Zavoral-Brown and Tom Carey.

Account Executive Neil Cole has joined VectorFive after 20 years as a senior account executive/sales manager at Downing Displays in Easton, Mass.

Omar Jimenez, who was a finalist in ECN‘s “40 Under 40” last year, left Steelhead Productions after four-and-ahalf years and is now marketing manager for D’Andrea Visual Communications.

International Data Group has named Nicole Peck its VP of marketing, IDG Events.

Peck has 24+ years of experience including four years as executive VP for BizBash. She’s a founding member/ team leader of the Exhibition Think Tank Club and the founder of the NP Collective.

IMA Schelling Group, a provider of sales and after-sales support for the

woodworking, metalworking and plastics industries, has promoted Florian Kleinschmidt to project and product manager for their U.S. office.

In association news, Freeman VP Ian Sequeira, who has been a part of the CEIR Foundation Research Council for decades, is stepping down as chair and ACT/EXPOCAD CEO Rich Stone will be stepping up to the position of chair.

The ESCA Board of Directors welcomes Randy Pekowski, president/COO of The Expo Group, as he replaces Mitch Isaacs, former VP marketing at Las Vegas Expo.

PRINTING United Alliance and The Academy of Screen and Digital Printing Technologies inducted Marshall Atkinson, Atkinson Consulting; Roberto Gonzalez Ojeda, Invoacrom Screenprinting and Ultrasol Ink Company; and Ray Weiss, PRINTING United Alliance, to the prestigious group. And Michael Makin, who was serving as EVP since the merger of the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association and Printing Industries of America, departed on Jan. 1 after a successful transition. Also, Schaumburg, Ill.-based Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute announced the election of three new members to its Board of Directors: Bill Couturier, Barton Malow Company; Dean Peery, Gerdau; and Adam Simmet, Simcote, Inc. In CVB news, Claude Molinari (pictured left), GM of TCF Center, was named president/CEO of the Detroit Metro CVB, effective Jan. 1. He will succeed Larry Alexander, who is retiring after 22 years at the helm. Seattle RTA CEO Katherine Kertzman and Visit Phoenix CEO Steve Moore are also both retiring. The Greater Miami CVB COO Rolando Aedo has joined the Board of Trustees of the Destinations International Foundation.

And Geri Broussard Baloney and Ralph Mahana were appointed to the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority.

ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 43

IN MEMORIAM

David Mata with son David

David G. Mata Aug. 28, 1959 – Dec. 15, 2020

D

ave Mata—better known as “Mata”—was the national operations manager at Global Experience Specialists, based in La Grange, Ill. He had been with GES Chicago for more than 20 years, starting in September 1999.

His daughter, Rebecca Huerta-Mata, wrote, “Our dad had a tough exterior, but underneath it all, he was the goofiest man you would ever meet. You wouldn’t see our dad without a stogie in one hand and a frosty (beer) in the other. Our dad was not the best with words or saying beautiful sentiments, but he sure did let you know with his actions. If he invited you to a White Sox game, that meant he enjoyed your company. If he gave you a nickname, that was an indication of his affection for you. We will miss his crazy spontaneous dance moves, funny one-liners, and paparazzi-like tendencies of capturing every moment, whether they were big or small. At the time, we didn’t fully understand why he took so many pictures, but we are grateful for every moment he captured. Our dad lives on 44 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

David Mata

through the photos he took and the memories we all share with him. Being able to keep those memories and have pieces of him in the photos is something we will cherish forever."

Rob Bussey from BWS Logistics wrote, “I got a call from Tony Madrigal, my boss from my GES days. It was a hard call for Tony to make since he has known Dave for 35 plus years… I just want to send out my sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Dave Mata. Dave had a long career at UPS and then a second, long career at GES where he worked in operations and then logistics…Dave was a hustler, a mover and a shaker, a Sox fan and a sharp dresser and anyone who knew him knew he was a true character. Dave knew how to get things done in an operational setting.

Dave could also always make you laugh.

I will miss this guy and I know that many others will as well. Until we meet again buddy, rest in peace.”

More than 100 co-workers and friends wrote on Facebook regarding Dave’s passing. As Las Vegas GES’ Donna Haydocy Pena wrote, “Who will give us nicknames now? I will miss my Chicago counterpart. And a great person to have ‘frosties’ with.” Dan Heintz seconded that, saying, “Great guy—going to miss

talking to him and going to the ballpark for a ‘frosty’ with him.”

Paula Lee Rodriguez wrote, “He was a great co-worker and always made people around him laugh with his witty comments. He had a nickname for every one of us at the department. He will be deeply missed.”

His son, David, wrote, “I had the opportunity to work with some of the amazing people at GES. Getting called Little Dave by your friends and coworkers is something I cherished and I’m so, so proud of you, Dad. Thank you for the memories and opportunities you gave me…I’m a grump like my father and I’m him in every way and I’m proud of it. Thank you to everyone at GES, we love you.”

He is survived by four children Rebecca (27), David (25), Jaclyn (20) and Edward (17) whom he shared with Lisa Considine, four grandchildren, brothers Mario and Paul, sister Yolanda and his devoted fianceé Lisa Jett.

His Mass and burial were held Dec. 21 in Mt. Carmel, Ill. His family welcomes donations at www.gofundme. com/f/david-g-mata-funeral-and-medical-expenses.. To share a memory to condolences in his online guestbook, visit legacy.suntimes.com.

Adrian Regalado

Don Annable

Troy Pagliocca

Walter “Walt” Edwin Barker, Jr.

Brothers Walt Barker and Yong Turner

September 20, 1965 - December 19, 2020

W

Debra D'Anna

Michael Leveston

Marcus Koch

Ron Dye

Terry Schumach

Willette Hill

Teamsters Local 631 “Fallen Floor Family” DON ANNABLE MARVIN BAWDEN CHARLES BLACKSHER DEBRA D’ANNA RON DYE FRANC GIESCE WILLETTE HILL MARCUS KOCH MICHAEL LEVESTON TOM MERRELL TROY PAGLIOCCA ADRIAN REGALADO TERRY SCHUMACH Exhibit City News sends our condolences for all who passed in 2020. Please send an email to newsdesk@exhibitcitynews. com if a dear co-worker has passed so that we may honor them.

Sending condolences to the families of Tom Brubaker, Bruce Fisher (Momentum Mgmt.), Frank Jezierski (38 years with Fern), Jason Kaspian, Steve Kelly and so many more. @ExhibitCityNews

alt Barker was a Teamster foreman in the Washington, D.C., area for 37 years who worked all over the country.

Rick Chmielewski, an instructor at United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, wrote, “Walt traveled around a lot. Yes, he was a foreman who called D.C. his home, but he was a great foreman across the country, not just in DC. There wasn't a city I've traveled to that someone didn't speak good words about him.”

The tributes to him on Facebook and at his online guest book number in the hundreds—here, are just a few: Hank Hewett wrote, “He was the nicest person in the tradeshow business. Walt would go out of his way to help everyone.

If there was a tradeshow Hall of Fame Walt would be in it. He is the G.O.A.T of tradeshows. It was an honor to know him.”

Jimmy Valle wrote, "Walt was a great friend and person. It was a great pleasure knowing him. He was always there if you needed him. Walt was an affable man with a great sense of humor. A fellow Teamster Brother who was genuine. You will be missed brother!!”

Jamie Gunn wrote, "Walt was a great man! This is sad news to everyone that knew Walt and how big of heart he had. I will say he taught me so much working in events, and I will always miss his laugh and those looks he would give you as he sped by you on his buggy. He was a true mentor and friend. This is so saddening and my heart goes out to the entire family. Rest easy Walt! We definitely lost you way too soon, but you will always be in our memories.

Every city I visit now, that we worked together in, will always bring one of the many funny stories back to my head and put a smile on my face. From Philly to Columbus, from D.C. to Vegas. I will always remember you man! You will forever be missed!”

Maryland-based Phillip Sparks wrote, “Best freight foreman anywhere in this country. Gone WAY too soon.” And Heritage Tradeshow Services’ Kevin Flotho wrote, “One of the best men I have ever known and worked with.” Dave Bjork added, “This is so sad. Walt was the man. He would bend over backwards to help anyone on the show floor.”

Baltimore-based David A. Tarleton wrote “Show floor, Teamsters, Carpenters and a whole lot of friends and coworkers will surely miss him.”

Tony Hester wrote, “If you would have told me that in March it would be the last time I would see some of my best friends I would have laughed but instead today I'm crying for the loss of a good friend and a great person.”

He is survived by his wife of more than 20 years, four daughters and seven grandchildren. His funeral was held Jan. 4 in Alexandria, Va. To share a memory or leave condolences, visit everloved.com/life-of/walter-barker-jr/memories/ ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 45

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

Dining, Entertainment, Attractions & Lodging

Treylor Park

DINING

Savannah’s Southern Hospitality is Infused in its Food As the oldest city in Georgia, the genteel Savannah is dripping with Spanish moss, Southern charm, gorgeous historical architecture and amazing cuisine. Savor Savannah says there are five foods you must try while in Savannah: fried green tomatoes, shrimp & grits, pralines, peaches and Savannah’s signature Chatham Artillery Punch. This potent drink, first made in 1859 for the Georgia artillery unit it’s named after, is made with cognac, bourbon, rum, lemon juice, sugar and champagne, and is a sure-fire hit.

Savannah tradeshow veteran Elise Silver Simons says, “Treylor Park and The Grey are great spots for dinner. Zunzi’s is an amazing sandwich spot for a grab and go. The rooftop bar at the

Bohemian is a great spot for a drink. You can take a water taxi across the river from the convention center.”

One recent diner seconded Simons recommendation, writing, “If you’re looking for a place locals eat and don’t want a kitschy southern restaurant” dine at Treylor Park and their outdoor beer garden in the alley behind Bay St. They have a fun and casual vibe, and unique menu options—including PB&J wings (a Thai-style peanut sauce on a wing with jam to dip it in), banana pepper rings, crab cake sliders, chicken and pancake tacos, fried avocado, grilled apple pie sandwich and for dessert a bacon brownie.

South African-inspired Zunzi has won “Best of” accolades from Buzzfeed, The Travel Channel, Country Living magazine and others—People magazine chose their Conquistador made with baked chicken, their signature Sh*t Yeah Sauce and Zunzi’s dressing, as the best sandwich in the state. The restaurant recently tweeted “Zunzi’s will have a new home

at 236 Drayton Street. After 15 years of making our guests say SHIT YEAH! on York Street, our landlord [said] ‘Zunzi’s is too busy for the space and a burden on the building.’ It’s going to be bittersweet moving from our little hole in the wall, but as they say, ‘Everything happens for a reason!’ One of those being our collaboration with treylorparkrestaurants on our sister bar concept, @zunzibarofficial!”

The Grey, a former Greyhound bus station, is one of the best-known restaurants in Savannah. The highly-acclaimed restaurant offers up elegant fare as well as a more casual experience at The Diner Bar at The Grey.

Chef Mashama Bailey serves up dishes like turnip bisque, collards and quail.

One block from the Savannah River, The Pirates’ House is the oldest restaurant in Savannah, built as a brick gardener’s house soon after James Oglethorpe and colonists arrived in 1733. The railway car in the middle of the Victo-

46 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

Capos

rian District is the downtown location of Sandfly BBQ for some Memphis-style BBQ with a Southern twist. And there’s always a line at Leopold’s Ice Cream, known for its tutti-frutti flavor and being the “fifthbest ice cream in the world.”

Seafood lovers should head to Pearl’s Saltwater Grille, Vic’s On the River, Sorry Charlie’s, Garibaldi Café and the Olde Pink House.

The iconic Olde Pink House, with its large columns and pink hues, it’s an Instagram selfie must. Inside, individual rooms serve Lowcountry cuisine by candlelight.

Downstairs is Planters Tavern with a live pianist and more candlelight ambience.

Another iconic Savannah experience is Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room—a first-come, first-served Southern comfort-food institution. Housed in a boarding house, it opens only for lunch (11a-2p) and guests are seated family-style at long tables filled with fried chicken, beef stew, meatloaf, cheese potatoes, collard greens, blackeyed peas, mac ‘n’ cheese, rutabaga, candied yams, squash casserole, creamed corn, biscuits and sweet tea (no alcohol). All that for $25 cash (or Venmo). Unfortunately, Mrs. Wilkes passed away in July of 2020 after 59 years of serving up great food and hospitality; her granddaughter is continuing the tradition.

Other must-dos include the elegant Vic’s on the River with live piano playing nightly and traditional Southern food like fried green tomatoes and crispy flounder and, if you like fine dining in a haunted house, head to Husk Savannah for locally sourced ingredients in creative Southern classics.

ENTERTAINMENT

“America’s Most Haunted City” is Always Ready to Party Savannah is known as a party town—possibly because you don’t have to finish your drink at the bar. Savannah’s ordinance allows you to take a to-go cup with you within the confines of the historic district boundaries (West Boundary Street to East Broad Street and to Jones Street). Take your libation in a to-go cup and head to City Market, a four-block hub in downtown between Ellis and Franklin Squares, with casual and upscale restaurants, cafes, art galleries, specialty shops and boutiques, and a lively nightlife scene. There’s lots of live music indoors and out, some by local street musicians and some by renowned concert bands.

Be sure to check out Jazz’d Tapas Bar on the fringe of Ellis Square, A unique sultry underground hot spot that’s

@ExhibitCityNews

City Market

been described as swank, sexy and sophisticated, this industrial chic below-street-level gathering place features live entertainment six nights a week—including blues, swing, jazz, classic rock, pop, Americana or standards in the style of Sinatra or Savannah’s own native son, composer/lyricist Johnny Mercer.

Just south of the Historic District lies the quirky Starland District which is home to the Water Witch Tiki Bar. Decked in palm fronds and bamboo, they serve up topical drinks complete with paper umbrellas.

Next up is Ghost Coast Distillery, Savannah’s first distillery since Prohibition, and just down the street from the new Plant Riverside District. There are free tours of the distillery fa-

cility, a cocktail room bar and a retail shop. And this pioneer in Savannah’s craft cocktail scene is still in the to-go cup zone.

Savannah is also known as “America’s most haunted city,” and Moon River Brewing Company is considered by many to be Savannah’s most haunted site. The brewery is housed in what was originally the City Hotel, which was built on Bay Street in 1821.

In 2014, Moon River was named the #1 Top Haunted Spot in Savannah by the Examiner. Ghost tour guides and Moon River’s staff and guests have been reporting apparition appearances for years. Liquid courage comes in handy!

Savannah’s stunning skyline can be viewed at several roof-

top bars. At Top Deck you can watch cargo ships navigate the Savannah River or try a botanically-inspired cocktail at the charming Myrtle & Rose Rooftop Garden at the new Plant Riverside District.

The top floor of the Bohemian Hotel is where you’ll find Rocks on the Roof.

Rounding out more of Savannah’s top nightlife attractions include The Pirates’ House, Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos Saloon, Kevin Barry’s Pub, Congress Street Social Club, World of Beer, Jen’s & Friends, The Tree House, Wet Willies, Good Times Jazz Bar and Restaurant, Saddle Bags Savannah (complete with mechanical bull), Molly MacPherson’s Scottish Pub & Grill and many more!

ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 47

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

Dining, Entertainment, Attractions & Lodging

River Street, Savannah

ATTRACTIONS

Savannah is Steeped in History & Filled with Insta-Worthy Moments If ever there was a city calling out to be photographed, Savannah’s beauty and iconic backgrounds beckon. Even Civil War Gen. Sherman found it too beautiful to burn down.

With historic architecture, fountains, monuments and book and movie settings, you’ll fill up your social media pages quickly. There’s even a Savannah Doors Pinterest board.

Gen. James Oglethorpe founded Savannah in 1733 and designed the city as a series of neighborhoods centered around 24 squares all shaded by huge oak trees. The resulting street-grid system has been recognized as a National Historic Landmark, as most of the 22 remaining public squares have monuments to the city’s past—among them (Native American) Tomochichi’s Monument in Wright Square and the (Revolutionary War hero) Nathanael Green Monument in Johnson Square.

Click! The park bench scenes from 1994’s award-winning

Forest Gump make Chippewa Square one of the most famous squares in the city. The movie prop bench that Tom Hanks sat on is now in the Savannah History Museum, but the bench’s location is still a popular selfie spot along with the statue of Gen. Oglethorpe erected in 1910, the First Baptist Church, the Independent Presbyterian Church and the Philbrick-Eastman House, all designed and built in the 1800s.

Click! The Mercer House, the setting for the murder in 1997’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, is at Monterey Square where a towering monument pays homage to Revolutionary War hero General Casimir Pulaski.

Click! The Ole Pink House restaurant with its large columns and pink hues, is a musthave selfie and is amongst Leopold’s Ice Cream, the Lucas Theater and the Trustees Theatre at Reynolds Square.

Click! Selfie time at one of Savannah’s most recognizable (and most photographed) landmarks—the fountain in Forsyth Park. Spanning more than 30 acres in the Historic Landmark District, Forsyth Park is Savannah’s largest and oldest public park. Known for its Spanish moss-draped oak trees, jogger-friendly sidewalks

48 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

and the iconic fountain, there’s also a cafe, visitor info center, two memorials, a Fragrant Garden for the Blind, two playgrounds and a Farmer's Market on Saturdays.

Click! The Wormsloe Plantation/Historic Site, is one of the only actual local plantations you are able to visit. The 882acre property features a majestic, mile-long live oak avenue with gate, the oldest ruins in town of a home from 1745, the restored superintendent’s cottage built in 1917, a museum, an observation deck overlooking the marshes, a colonial life area and living history camps, walking trails and more. Visitors can interact with reenactors in period dress exhibiting the tools and skills of colonial Georgia during special events.

The General’s Daughter, a 1999 American mystery thriller film starring John Travolta was shot at Wormsloe Plantation and 2010’s tearjerker The Last Song, starring Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, was filmed primarily on Tybee Island and at the Oak Drive at Wormsloe.

Click! Bonaventure Cemetery, at 160 acres, has several well-known memorials—including a bench commemorating Johnny Mercer, the co-founder of Capitol Records and the founding president of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The bench features a sketch of a Mercer self-portrait and titles of some of his more famous songs (including That Old Black Magic, Laura, Moon River and more).

Click! Since 1955, the Historic Savannah Foundation has saved more than 400 historic homes, antebellum mansions and buildings in Savannah.

Take a selfie at the childhood

home of American novelist Flannery O’Connor or explore the restored home of the founder of the Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low. Her home, an architectural treasure, is now a museum and learning place for Girl Scouts.

Click! Factors Walk has brick alleys, cobblestone passageways, iron bridges, steep stairs and alcoves that are great for exploring. Factor’s Walk originally served as the place cotton shipments were bought and sold by cotton brokers, or factors, whose offices in the warehouses' upper floors.

Now, fans of the creepy and bizarre will appreciate the Graveface Museum which has a large true-crime exhibit, classic horror film memorabilia and a retro pinball arcade.

There’s so much more to see, including the 50-acre Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens, the First African Baptist Church (built in 1777), Webb Military Museum, Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, River Street, Rainbow Row, Sorrel Weed House, Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, The King-Tisdell Cottage, Beach Institute African-American Cultural Center, The Weeping Time Historical Marker), American Prohibition Museum, Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum and—click!

Don’t forget your selfie on the closest beach—Tybee Island (18 miles from downtown).

There are lots of ways to get around Savannah–with tours for nearly everything.

One ghost tour takes you in a hearse and others provide costumed tour guides. There are carriage rides, pedicabs, Segways, electric bikes, water taxis, the free Savannah Belles ferry and more!

LODGING

Step Back in Time at the “Dowager Empress of the South” DeSoto or the Haunted Marshall House or …

With a city filled with more than 400 historical buildings, you can be sure that there are several beautiful historic hotels for those who like traveling back in time.

If you’re interested in U.S. history and staying in a B&B, the Presidents’ Quarters Inn on Oglethorpe Square is the place for you. Originally built in 1855, the twin Federal-style mansion, was extensively renovated in 2007 to include decorative fireplaces and private balconies in certain rooms. The Inn’s elegant rooms are named after U.S. Presidents who have visited Savannah, and all 16 rooms have antique decor, a private bathroom, tall windows and natural light. Many of the rooms overlook the B&B’s courtyard garden, which has a beautiful gazebo. Guests are treated to a gourmet Southern-inspired breakfast that includes freshly baked muffins, breakfast breads, homemade quiche and traditional eggs benedict.

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Marshall House

River Street Inn is a top three-star historic hotel that has three restaurants and is a member of Historic Hotels of America. Built in 1817, atop the bluff overlooking popular River Street, it was adjacent to the Cotton Exchange and was originally used for storing, grading and exporting cotton. The first two floors were built of ballastones, and in 1853 the final three floors were added as office space.

Factor’s Walk, an intricate series of alleys, walks and bridges adds to its charm.

The beautifully restored and renovated building opened as an inn in 1986.

Another member of Historic Hotels of America, The DeSoto

by Sotherly is also located in the heart of Savannah’s Historic Garden District and is one of Savannah’s most historic destination, dating back to 1834 when it was built on the site of Oglethorpe’s Barracks.

In 1879, the Savannah Hotel Corp., acquired the site and

redeveloped it into a new, stunning hotel which opened on New Year’s Day in 1890 and quickly became known as the “Dowager Empress of the South.” As the center of all social life in Savannah, The DeSoto opened with 300 beautiful guestrooms, swimming pool, solarium, barber, a lighted miniature golf course and a soda shop. Architect William G. Preston oversaw its design, which featured a blend of Richardson Romanesque and Queen Anne-style architecture. The hotel’s current structure, completed in 1968 (and renovated in 1965, 2004 and 2017), stands as one of the Historic District’s leading full-service hotels. Terra cotta artwork and wrought iron details can be found throughout the hotel–originating from the first hotel–harkening guests to the 19th century. The original 1890 crystal chandeliers still shine brilliantly in the hotel’s lobby. The DeSoto has gone through several renovations

since then as it has changed hands from the Hilton to the Sotherly Hotels. Determined to relaunch as Savannah’s top luxurious boutique hotel, the Sotherly Hotels spent more than $20 million in renovations and re-opened in 2017 to great acclaim.

The Historic Inns of Savannah Collection include the Marshall House, the Olde Harbour Inn, East Bay Inn, Eliza Thompson House, The Gastonian and The Kehoe House. Their website, www.

HistoricInnsOfSavannah.com, helps guests choose which one has the amenities, location and ambience that they’re seeking.

If the ambience you’re seeking involves ghosts, a stay at The Marshall House is recommended. Built in 1851, The Marshall House is in the very center of the Historic District on Broughton Street and is surrounded by antebellum architecture.

The Marshall House’s haunted reputation includes being featured several times on the Travel Channel’s haunted hotel programs and specials and being named the #5 “Best Haunted Hotel in the World” in USA Today and being featured on The Today Show, FoxNews, 11 Alive, the Huffington Post, Yahoo and in Southern Living magazine as one of the most haunted places in the South.

ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 49

Visit Our Website DAILY UPDATES COVID-19, Tradeshow Calendar, People on the Move, News, International News, Features From the Print Magazine & Historical Features too!

Check ExhibitCityNews.com for the latest, breaking news in the industry!

50 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

*Disclaimer: All shows are subject to cancellation, check the official event website on the ECN Tradeshow Calendar for the latest information.

Tradeshow Calendar

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

U.S. CENTRAL Show Dallas Total Home & Gift Market Dallas Apparel & Accessories Market - January South Dakota Pork Congress Western & English Sales Market - WESA

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 01/06 01/12 01/13 01/14

End 01/12 01/15 01/14 01/17

Venue Dallas Market Center Dallas Market Center

City Dallas Dallas Ramkota Exhibit Hall Sioux Falls Dallas Market Center Dallas

St Att TX TX SD TX 4462

Exh

Start 01/30 02/10 02/12 02/13

End 02/01 02/11 02/13 02/14

Venue Embassy Suites

City Livonia Lombard Embassy Suites by Hilton Donald E. Stephens CC Rosemont Donald E. Stephens CC Rosemont

St Att MI IL IL IL 13K

Exh

Start 01/05 03/07 03/07 03/10

End 01/07 03/09 03/09 03/12

Venue York Fairgrounds Jacob K. Javits CC

St Att PA NY DC 1500 NY 1234

Exh

Nsf

130 750 109K

Industry Gifts Apparel Agriculture/Farming Apparel

U.S. MIDWEST Show Michigan Shoe Market Chicago Shoe Market CannaCon Chicago Travel & Adventure Show

Nsf

Industry Apparel Apparel All Information Is Subject to Change* Agriculture & Farming 20000 Travel Industry

U.S. NORTHEAST Show Keystone Farm Show Coffee Fest New York Federation of American Hospitals - FAH World Floral Expo

Washington Hilton Jacob K. Javits CC

City York New York Washington New York

You Built It!

Industry Agriculture & Farming Food & Beverage 70000 Healthcare Agriculture & Farming 101 All Information Is Subject to Change*

CANADA Show Buildex, Construct & Design Northwest Ottawa Gatineau International Auto Show The National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show Travel & Vacation Show

Nsf

Start 02/10 03/18 03/20 03/27

End 02/11 03/21 03/21 03/28

Venue Vancouver CC West Shaw Centre Edmonton CC Shaw Centre

City Vancouver Ottawa Edmonton Ottawa

St Att Exh Nsf BC 13.5K 600 57500 ON AB 1600 50 20000 ON

Industry Building & Construction Automotive & Trucking Business Travel Industry

Now Flaunt It! SHOW OFF YOUR GREATEST EXHIBITS WITH THE GREATEST PHOTOGRAPHY!

@ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 51

*Disclaimer: All shows are subject to cancellation, check the official event website on the ECN Tradeshow Calendar for the latest information.

Tradeshow Calendar U.S. NORTHWEST Show Portland International Auto Show North Coast Wine Industry Expo (WINexpo) Washington Assoc. of Wine Grape Growers - WINEVIT Convention & Trade Show Tacoma Home + Garden Show Redwood Region Logging Conference Bay Area Travel & Adventure Show Conference on College Composition & Communication - CCCC

Start 02/25 03/04 03/15 03/18 03/18 03/27 04/07

End 02/28 03/04 03/18 03/21 03/20 03/28 04/10

Start 01/06 01/10 01/10 01/13 01/13 01/14 01/19

End 01/08 01/12 01/14 01/17 01/17 01/17 01/21

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

Venue Oregon Convention Center Sonoma County Fairgrounds

Three Rivers CC Greater Tacoma CC Ukiah Fairgrounds Santa Clara CC

TBD by Jan. 31

City Portland Santa Rosa Kennewick Tacoma Ukiah Santa Clara Spokane

St OR CA WA WA CA CA WA

Att

Exh

3300 2500 200 61.5K 300

3250 63

U.S. SOUTHEAST Show Surf Expo American Football Coaches Association - AFCA National Association of Catastrophe Adjusters - NACA Annual Convention Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market Florida RV SuperShow Florida Podiatric Medical Association - FPMA Science & Management Symposium Florida Pest and Lawn Care Expo

6300

Industry Automotive & Trucking Wine Agriculture & Farming Building & Construction Agriculture & Farming Travel Industry Education

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Venue Orange County CC

City Orlando Gaylord Opryland Resort Nashville Orlando Hilton Resort AmericasMart Atlanta Atlanta Fla. State Fairgrounds Tampa Disney’s Coronado Springs Orlando Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando

St FL TN FL GA FL FL FL

Att Exh Nsf Industry 27K 1K 250K Sporting Goods & Rec. 6658 183 45000 Sporting Goods & Rec. Disasters 95K 2.5K 1.2M Gifts 63K 355 785K Rec. Vehicles 1200 200 18200 Healthcare 600 77 7700 Agriculture & Farming

U.S. SOUTHWEST Show IPSA - Independent Professional Seedsmen Association Annual Hunter and Outfitter Convention - GSCO Western Petroleum Marketers Association - WPMA Visual Studio Live! - VS Live CASH - California’s Coalition for Adequate School Housing B2B Marketing Expo Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show

Nsf

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 01/18 01/20 02/16 02/28 03/01 03/03 03/06

End 01/21 01/23 02/18 03/05 03/03 03/04 03/07

Venue City JW Marriott Tucson StarrPass Tucson Westgate Resort & Casino Las Vegas Las Vegas The Mirage Hotel Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Palm Springs CC Palm Springs Los Angeles CC Los Angeles Los Angeles CC - Hall AB Los Angeles

St AZ NV NV NV CA CA CA

Att

Exh

Nsf

Industry Agriculture & Farming 5000 200 20000 Sporting Goods & Rec. 3500 267 44000 Energy 1200 24 2400 Computers & Apps 2000 200 Housing Advertising & Marketing 26K 550 60000 Travel Industry

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Color Printing • Rack cards • Brochures • Booklets • Everything else 52 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

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

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

INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE Where to Find Professional Services, Products and Supplies—a Companion Directory to Our Online Guide: www.ExhibitCityNews.com/Service-Guide

Aadvantaged Displays SmartSource A Harmony Nail Spa AllSpace Group BWC Visual Technologies CDS (Corporate Display Specialties) CEP (Chicago Exhibit Productions, Inc.) Champion Logistics Clementine Creative Services Condit

57 54 57 55 54 58 56 58 54 56

Corporate Communications CorpEvents Equip, Inc. Exhibitrac Direct Marketing Horizon Print Solutions Jami as Marilyn Monroe Tribute Artist LaborSource Las Vegas Power Professionals Lip Smacking Foodie Tours OnPoint Presenters

55 55 59 59 58 55 58 56 57 59

Prism Lighting Quality EFX Massage Roman Transportation & Logistics SISTEXPO (in Mexico) The End Result TWI Group Virtual Trade Show Exhibitor Training YOR Design YOR Swag Your Event Audio

57 55 59 56 57 58 56 54 59 54

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

ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 53

INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

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INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

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ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 55

INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

Condit Exhibits Every project that comes through our doors is unique and requires custom, collaborative attention. What Condit will provide for you and your brand is a tailored, comprehensive menu of services to get your job done thoroughly, seamlessly, and sustainably from start to finish. With in-house teams dedicated to design, fabrication, shipping, installation/dismantle, storage, and repair/ maintenance, Condit is the single source for your exhibit solution.

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INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

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INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

Horizon Print Solutions Horizon Print Solutions brings decades of experience in all types of printed products with forms, tags, labels, promotional products and corporate attire. They work together with extraordinary manufacturing and decorating partners, mostly from the wholesale only marketplace, to bring the very best solutions to clients—every project and every transaction! For more info, visit https://printefficiency.com

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Labor

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We Can Provide You A Local Presence 58 January/February 2021 Exhibit City News

INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

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ExhibitCityNews.com January/February 2021 59

2021 EDITORIAL CALENDAR* *Content is subject to change

JANUARY-FEBRUARY

MARCH-APRIL

January (print & digital)

March (print & digital):

February (digital only)

April (digital only):

• Feature: America Starts with Tradeshows • Going Virtual & Hybrid/Virtual Case Studies • Year in Review International Focus: Germany

• Feature: Labor/Unions • Associations • Road to Recovery: Pivoting to Survive International Focus: Mexico

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

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

MAY-JUNE

JULY-AUGUST

May (print & digital):

July (print & digital):

• Feature: Women in the Industry • Feature: Booth Staff/Talent/Brand Ambassadors • Industry Salespeople International Focus: U.K.

• Feature: Museums/Exhibits • Warehousing/Material Handling • Healthcare International Focus: Hong Kong

June (digital only):

August (digital only):

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

• Mobile Exhibits • Warehousing/Material Handling • Extrusions Regional Focus: Central U.S.

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER

September (print & digital):

November (print & digital):

October (digital only):

December (digital only):

• Feature: EXHIBITORLive Preview • New Product Showcase • ECN’s 2020 I&D Ace Award Winners International Focus: China

• Feature: Giveaways/Incentives • General Contractors • Furnishings International Focus: Canada

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

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

• Special/Corporate Events • Secuity / Safety • Corporate Social Sustainability Regional Focus: Southeast U.S.

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

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

Advertiser Index 4 Productions

63

4Productions.com

2

beMatrix.us

Hill & Partners

17

ChampLog.com

Horizon Print Solution

25

49

ClementineCS.com

Labor Inc.

52

13

Corpcom-Events.com

Las Vegas Mannequins

37

39

Corp-eventsid.com

Momentum Management

39

Total Show Technology (TST)

5

Tradeshow Job Board

50

TradeshowJobBoard.com

25

LVMannequins.com & LVStoreSupply.com

Corporate Events

TCF Center (formerly Cobo)

TotalShowTech.com

LaborInc.ca

Corporate Communications

13

TCFCenterDetroit.com

PrintEfficiency.com

Clementine Creative Services

Superior Logistics ShipSuperior.com

HillPartners.com

ChampionLogistics

Willwork

30

Willwork.com

3

MomentumMgt.com

CORT Events

7

CortEvents.com & Cort.com

Nolan Advisory Services (NAS)

15

NolanAdvisory.com

Crown & Anchor Pub

47

CrownAndAnchorLV.com

BackCover

CTA.tech & CES.tech

OA Visuals (Oscar & Associates) Octanorm OctanormNA.com

DesignToPrint.com & Pillows4Show.com

OnSite Exhibitor Service

EDPA Foundation

41

OnSiteExhibitorService.com

EDPAFoundation, EDPA.com & RSMGC.org

Rosemont – RES

Employco USA

Rosemont.com

4

Employco.com

Sho-Link Inc.

Exposures Ltd. Photography

Sho-link.com

51

17

OscarAndAssociates.com; HelloOA.com & OAVisuals.media

25

Design to Print

ExposuresLtd.com

35

HighmarkTech.com

beMatrix

CTA - CES Thank You

Highmark Tech

SMT Expo

7 15 41 35 19

SmtExpo.com

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

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Secure Your Placement In These Future Editions

PM

Road to Recovery: Pivoting to Survive / Associations

(March / April)

Museums/Exhibits / Healthcare

(May / June)

Women in the Industry / Industry Salespeople

(July / August)

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

For decades, the extraordinary city of Las Vegas has made room for CES, opening its doors and hearts to tirelessly support the inspiring innovations and hopeful entrepreneurs convening at CES. From a distance this year, Las Vegas has continued to be a monumental asset to the CES team — showcasing the distinct qualities of a true partner and championing CES’s signature spirit of innovation. In person or through a screen, CES continues to be a global stage for the future of technology.

Thank you, Las Vegas, we can’t wait to return home to the city next year for CES 2022.

SAVE THE DATE CES 2022 | Jan 5-8 | Las Vegas, NV

We are proud to support the Las Vegas community through Three Square, Southern Nevada’s food bank and hunger relief organization. We encourage you to join us by making a donation atwww.threesquare.org/cta.