Exhibit City News - May/June 2017

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR Section: Exhibiting With Our Northern Neighbors

May/June 2017 • VOL. 23 • ISSUE 3

AI Services That Can Boost Your Trade Show ROI

MAN ON A MISSION RICHARD ERSCHIK TEACHES SHORTCUTS TO TRADE SHOW SUCCESS

US $6 CAN $8

EXHIBITORLIVE Ends on High Note

Latin America: the New Frontier for Trade Show Managers

10 Questions with Kevin Dana of CORT Events

EXHIBITCITYNEWS.COM

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An example of one core value we practice strategically would be our go-to market strategy, where we sell to exhibit houses only with no direct approach. This requires discipline and integrity, and has helped us over the years to maintain strong relationships. (Isaiah 26:3)

A Place To Trust It has been said that trust is earned. Truth is, that is a pretty good quote. A foundation principle of Momentum Management is to build trust both internally and, of course, externally with our customers. Building blocks to building trust are doing what you said you would do... not over-committing, never under-delivering, and always being available. (Psalm 37:3) Once trust is earned, it requires professional and personal discipline. Momentum has worked very hard to establish that trust throughout the industry. Sometimes, it requires us doing the hard thing, rather than taking the shortcut. Momentum is always making every effort to have integrity in all we do.

One of my favorite sayings is, “Trust comes on foot but leaves on horseback.� We understand that building trust takes time, but can be gone in a minute if violated. We value and respect the trust that our clients and also our employees have bestowed upon us. We don’t take this responsibility for granted. We will continue to strive to build trust in our relationships externally and internally.

Blessings, Randy Bott Jeremiah 17:7-8

As we continue to celebrate our 25th anniversary this year, I invite you to contact me directly to share any notes, memories, comments, feedback or questions to 25years@momentummgt.com. We are excited to grow alongside you in the future.

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@ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com JULY 2015 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS SHOP to SHOWFLOOR Section: Exhibiting With Our Northern Neighbors

May/June 2017 • VOL. 23 • ISSUE 3

26

50

Artificial Intelligence Boost Your Trade Show ROI

AI Services That Can Boost Your Trade Show ROI

30

EXHIBITORLIVE Ends on High Note

MAN ON A MISSION

EXHIBITORLIVE Ends on High Note

Latin America: the New Frontier for Trade Show Managers

RICHARD ERSCHIK TEACHES SHORTCUTS TO TRADE SHOW SUCCESS

10 Questions with Kevin Dana of CORT Events

US $6 CAN $8

48 New Exhibitors in Attendance

34

EXHIBITCITYNEWS.COM

Paving the Way for Exhibit Designers

On our cover: Richard Erschik – Trade Show Industry Sales Educator

Designer Training, not Serendipity

Feature Story

36

22-25

Aluvision at EXHIBITORLIVE 2017

The Dean of Exhibitor Education

Wins People’s Choice and Best Fabric Exhibit

How to Turn “Tradeshow Leads to Sales”

Columns

37

Shop to Showfloor Section

12

I&D and Event Labor

As the Saw Turns Leaving Your Legacy

38

14

Exhibiting With Our Northern Neighbors

Mindfulness – Just Woo-Woo or Good Meeting Ju-Ju?

Canada: an Attractive Alternative

The Green Piece

16

Employment Strategy Corner What You Need To Consider Before Hiring a Summer Intern

18

The International Man Connecting a Small World with New Trade Routes

20

Ask the Expert

68

40

Hamilton Exhibits Helps ALOFT AeroArchitects Soar at NBAA Show

44

Service Contractors Keeping Time with Changes to the Industry

48

beMatrix Partner Training

Make a Presence by Exhibiting in YOUR Industry’s Trade Shows

Some Work and Some Play

In this Issue

Make Last Minute Your First Choice

8 Publisher’s Words 10 The Snapshot 64 International Focus 66 AIPC 68 Convention Center Spotlight 70 People on the Move 74 The D.E.A.L. 78 Regional Show Calendar 85 Service Guide 92 Classified Ads 97 Advertiser Index

6 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

50

A Most Amazing Event Experience

54

10 Questions Kevin Dana of CORT Events

58

The New Frontier for Many TS Managers Latin American Organizers’ Confidence Booms

exhibit & event services

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PUBLISHER’S WORDS

Greetings to readers everywhere!

W

elcome to our May/ June print edition…we have the usual informative, timely content to keep you in the know… and give you an edge over those not in the know!

Tradeshow Lead Management: Pp. 22-25 Pictured on our cover, Richard Erschik – The Dean of Exhibitor Education talks about his life calling as the erudite educator teaches the industry how to turn “Tradeshow Leads to Sales.”

From coast to coast and beyond, in-person and online, part teacher and part guru, the affable Richard Erschik truly has but one mission: to teach hungry exhibit managers his proven shortcuts to tradeshow exhibiting success.

EXHIBITORLIVE Ends on High Note - 48 New Exhibitors Attend the Tradeshow for Tradeshows: Pp. 30-32 Last March 13-15, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, about 5,000 registered attendees traipsed around the 60,000 sq. ft. exhibit hall, while staff from 250 exhibits hawked their organization’s products,

PUBLISHER Donald V. Svehla Jr. 702-309-8023 ext.102 DonS@exhibitcitynews.com EDITOR Arthur J. Bloberger 702-309-8023 ext.103 ArthurB@exhibitcitynews.com

services and talents. The conference portion of the event, March 12-16, offered more than 165 educational sessions for trade show and corporate event professionals, including new classes highlighting social media and new technologies.

Ten Questions: Kevin Dana, CORT Events Executive Director of Marketing and Product Development: Pp. 54-56 Functionality? Organic and earthy environments? What kind of eclectic modern designs are popular now and why? Kevin answers these and other probing questions while describing what it takes to be in his position!

Hamilton Exhibits Helps ALOFT Aeroarchitects to Soar at NBAA Show: Pp. 41-42 Service Contractors Keeping Time with Changes to the Exhibition Industry: Pp. 44-46

Don Svehla | Publisher

ART DIRECTOR Thomas Speak Tom@Speak-Design.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kaitlin Baker COLUMNISTS Calanit Atia Haley Freeman Philip H. Kemper Larry Kulchawik Jim Obermeyer CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jessica Ablamsky Kathy Anaya Melanie Bash Arthur Bloberger Jeanne Brei Geoff Donaghy Amber Johnson Larry Kulchawik Robert Laarhoven Lesley Martin Cynthya Porter DIRECTOR OF SALES Kathy Anaya 702-309-8023 ext. 105 KathyA@exhibitcitynews.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Shane Levin 702-309-8023 ext. 1010 ShaneL@exhibitcitynews.com CIRCULATION Samanta Arjune 702-309-8023 ext. 110 SamantaA@exhibitcitynews

CSAL

CONVENTION SERVICES ASSOCIATION

AS VEGAS

8 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

Vol. 23, issue 3, copyright 2017 by EXHIBIT CITY NEWS, published six times a year by Mr. Tradeshow Communications, LLC, 1675 E. Desert Inn Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89169. Editorial views presented within this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher and no liability is inherent. To subscribe, go to ExhibitCityNews.com or call (702)309-8023.

Reproduction/reuse of this material may only be permitted with expressed permission of Exhibit City News. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to location listed above.

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ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 9

THE SNAPSHOT

The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

Photo courtesy of www.mccno.com Location: New Orleans, LA Year Opened: 1984 Exhibition/tradeshow space: 2,090,880 square feet

»» Prior to its opening in 1985, the Convention Center served as the site of the 1984 World’s Fair.

»» The Convention Center is named in honor

of Mayor Ernest N. Morial, the first AfricanMayor of New Orleans, who championed the Center’s construction. »» The Convention Center sits on a site of nearly 48 acres. The front of the building is approximately 5/8 of a mile, or 1 kilometer long. »» The gross square footage of the entire building is more than 3 million square feet or about 53 football fields (with end zones). There is enough space to accommodate the fields and courts for all of the games in the NFL and NBA to PLUS! be held simultaneously.

Where to eat, »» There are two kitchens with a sleep and play near NOENMCC total area of 18.032 square feet. on p. 68 Approximately 140,000 meals were served in one week for a single convention. »» There are almost 43,000 tons of structural steel in the building. This is twice that of the Superdome and slightly less than the gross weight of the Titanic. »» Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have all visited the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Send in your show floor and convention center snapshots to newsdesk@exhibitcitynews.com.

ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 11

COLUMN As the Saw Turns

Leaving Your Legacy

I

t is interesting to me how our chosen careers build upon themselves; how each experience adds to the wisdom base, which then allows you to be able to succeed at the next level. I could not do the job I am currently doing as well as I do if I had not had the experience in my previous position.

I could not have done that job nearly as well as I did had I not had the experience in the position previous to that. And so on backwards to my very first professional experience.

And actually – even before that – to my college experience. Each work experience added to the knowledge base and allowed me to succeed at the next opportunity.

So here is my question: As I approach the end of my career, what do I do with all of this knowledge, wisdom and experience gained over years of working? It seems like such a waste to just do an all stop and retire one day and walk away from it all. No, I’m not retiring any time soon, but I am definitely closer to that end than the other end.

Personally, I still love what I do. I still get a lot of energy from working with clients and my sales team, being on the show floor, seeing everything come together and watching results happen. To me this is an exciting industry; never a

12 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

dull moment. I have given very we intentionally do in formal little thought to ‘retirement’; in training - but also by how we whatever form that takes treat them, how we hanin this day and age. dle ourselves in situaBut we all must tions, how we interact address this at some with others on our point. It does not teams. We share with matter what your our industry by being chosen path has

By Jim Obermeyer involved and connectbeen, if you’ve done ed, and being a part of it for this long you carry with associations like EDPA. And you tremendous knowledge we pass it on to our world by gained through the experienc- volunteering in our communies of your life. ties and our churches.

So how do you leave a We also help build that leglegacy? How do you pass it on acy by who we hire and how to the next generation? How we build our work teams. do you add it to the greater One of the things that knowledge of an industry, a always has helped me when society, a culture rather than interviewing candidates for sejust walking away and taking nior-level positions is meeting it all with you? I’ll have to them for lunch or dinner, with admit, I’ve spent more time their spouse. I get to see how thinking about this in the last they interact with people close couple years than ever before. to them, how they treat the I do think some of it is servers and those not ‘importpassed on and shared with ant’ to them. It’s a great way to people I have worked with – help understand the person. employees, co-workers, indusIn today’s HR, rules-driven try friends. We train employculture, there are so many quesees and coworkers – by what tions you cannot ask – some

of the questions that lead to a better understanding of who the person is and how they might fit your company’s culture and be open to learning more. The questions I really want answers to. Skill is only one part of the equation; personality and cultural fit are equally – if not more – important.

My daughter is just starting her career – taking her first ‘real’ job out of college. She is at the beginning of a long and wonderful journey, a journey that will take her on a roller-coaster ride through life, a journey that will make her wiser and give her the opportunity to learn so much, and contribute hugely to her chosen field.

My hope is that she is open to learning from those around her, that she can – better than I did – realize that there is much knowledge and experience around her that can make her a better professional, and a better person. She has a lot of talent and creativity; now she just needs to be open to adding to that by observing and learning from what happens around her.

And those of us at the other end of the spectrum need to be ready and willing to share the knowledge and wisdom we’ve gained with those that will be carrying the torch onward from here. Leaving it all with them sounds a lot better to me than hauling it all around on a golf cart from this day forward.

See you on the show floor.

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

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COLUMN The Green Piece

Mindfulness – Just Woo-Woo or Good Meeting Ju-Ju?

I

What does mindfulness have Mindful listening to do with meeting planning?

In his book “Wherever You Go, There We can begin by examining the purYou Are,” Jon Kabat-Zinn says mindfulpose of bringing people together in the ness means “paying attention in a parfirst place. Host companies and organiticular way, on purpose, in the present First, what is mindfulness? zations generally have goals about how moment, and nonjudgmentally.” Mindful Mindfulness is defined by Psycholattendees will learn and collaborate. listening is the act of shutting out interogy Today as “a state of active, Meetings are a space where people nal and external distractions and listenopen attention on the present. share best practices, test new the- ing “on purpose.”

When you’re mindful, you obories, find fresh perspectives and serve your thoughts and feelings exchange original ideas.

Author Charlie Scott suggests three from a distance, without judgResearch reveals that we strategies for mindful listening: ing them good or bad. Instead only retain between 25 and 50 1. Be present by focusing on the person you are

By Haley Freeman of letting your life pass you by, percent of what we hear. It is listening to. mindfulness means living in the modiscouraging to think that after all the 2. Cultivate empathy by seeking to understand the ment and awakening to experience.” time and money spent on a meeting, other person’s point of view. participants will take away such a small 3. Listen to your own cues, or internal thoughts, Where did the idea of percentage of the experience. Here is a feelings or physical reactions that may prejudice mindfulness originate? place where the practice of mindfulness listening and prevent you from really hearing the In the East, mindfulness is a central can make a difference. speaker’s message. practice of Hinduism and Buddhism, both of which honor the concept of dharMindful Speaking Mindfulness trainer Lee Papa also ma, a belief that embraces a way of life Recent research about mindfulness suggests creating a meditation room that is in harmony with the natural order from the Cranfield Centre for Business at your event (something she can help of the universe. Mindfulness meditation Performance at the University of Cranfield with), a place where participants can is a practice recognized in both religious demonstrates that when meeting chairs or get away from the frenzied show envitraditions, and by their close cousin, presenters lead with mindfulness, they can ronment to refresh, reconnect yoga. Hinduism is the oldest extant relihelp their audience take their time explorand refocus. gion in the world, going back more than ing new ideas while preventing them from Planning and attending meetings 4,000 years, so the idea of mindfulness is reacting too quickly to new information. A with mindfulness adds value for everyan ancient and enduring one. few suggestions for leaders include encour- one. Mindfulness creates a space where aging openness; making sure everyone is people are positively and deliberately How did mindfulness physically comfortable; allowing particiengaged with one another. They will make its way West? pants to express their emotions; respecting leave more likely to remember and Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, is an interthe fact that people have a limited attenshare what they’ve learned, making nationally known scientist, writer and tion span; and allowing new ideas and them the change agents inside their meditation teacher who received his priorities to be discussed in the moment. organizations.

PhD from MIT in 1971. He founded the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and is GREEN QUOTE the father of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and its offshoot, “ Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy ” (MBCT). These integrations of mindful― Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk ness and science helped to popularize mindfulness in the West. s all the recent discussion about mindfulness legit, or just the next wave of pop psychology? And what, if anything, does it have to do with meeting planning?

Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.

14 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

COLUMN Employment Strategy Corner

What You Need To Consider Before Hiring a Summer Intern

By Philip H. Kemper

O

nce again, school’s soon out for the summer nearly everywhere---and millions of college students are flocking to a variety of businesses, large and small, for those coveted summer internships. In times gone by, those internships were considered to be cheap or free temporary labor, designed simply to substitute the traditional workforce with low and non-paid workers.

Training and career benefits for the individual were often considered incidental by management. Over time, all this has changed---first in large corporations, and then gradually into smaller businesses. Now, all interns are under government scrutiny, no matter where employed, or when---since interns are now employed all year round--- everywhere.

And now. interns themselves have entered the legal arena. Recently there have been several high-profile cases where individuals, classified as interns, have brought claims alleging that they were improperly paid and the U.S. Department of Labor and plaintiff attorneys have been aggressively pursuing cases where employees are improperly treated as exempt interns.

In one important ruling, Fox Searchlight Pictures v. Glatt, the Southern District of New York ruled that unpaid interns working on the production

16 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

of the movie, Black Swan, were in fact employees, and should have received at least the minimum wage for their work. Other high-profile cases brought by, or on behalf of interns, involve such entities as: Conde Nast Publications, Sirius XM Radio, Viacom, and Warner Music Group.

If you are considering hiring unpaid interns and want to avoid lawsuits, managers and human resources executives should make sure of the following: 1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training, which would be given in an educational environment.

2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern.

3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff.

4. The employer who provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded.

5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship.

6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.

The Department of Labor has issued an opinion to the effect that if not all of the above mentioned six criteria are met, then the intern must be paid at least the minimum wage, and for any overtime work. While the agency’s

opinion is not itself law, it is recommend that employers carefully consider whether they meet the criteria before classifying individuals as unpaid interns.

If you plan on employing paid interns, work carefully with your management team to ensure that the interns are being paid consistent with wage and hour laws--- this includes interns who receive alternative compensation such as stipends, housing allotments, etc.

Do your “homework” on the subject of summer interns--you will not regret it.

Philip Kemper is Founder/President of KemperAssociates, a 40-year-old Chicago-based national executive search firm. Phil can be contacted online at kemperassociates.org or kemperassoc@hotmail.com.

COLUMN The International Man

Connecting a Small World with New Trade Routes

I

MOSCOW RUSSIA

VENICE ITALY

ISTANBUL TURKEY

recently attended a seminar at the NAISHI Hong Kong Trade Development KENYA Council here in Chicago. The seminar reviewed the huge investment that China is making on the One Belt - One Road concept that will shift the balance of trade once completed. China is willing to invest billions to enhance trade. success. High risk means high returns, In just 30 years, China has developed if you can manage the risks. The initiafrom a poor inward-looking agricultural tive has its challenges; cooperation and country to a global manufacturing power- coordination with partner countries over house. Its model of investing and produc- the long term are paramount for it to be ing at home and exporting to developed a lasting legacy. markets has elevated it to the We all know the tales of Marworld’s second-largest economy co Polo, a Venetian navigator after the USA. and trader who traveled across Now faced with a slowing oceans and desert terrain to diseconomy at home, China’s cover another world, a world as leadership is looking for new big and as powerful as any place

By Larry Kulchawik channels to sustain its appetite in Europe, a new partner for for growth at a time when developing trade. His travels encouraged others to neighbors are experiencing rapidly also discover new trade routes and trade rising demand. partners to exchange goods to grow richThe heart of the One Belt - One Road er and more powerful back in Europe. concept is the creation of an economic Kinda like trade show marketing, but no land belt that includes countries on the camels across the desert to get there. original Silk Road through Central Asia, As China’s silk was a major trade West Asia, the Middle East and Europe, product, the route to travel there was as well as a maritime road that links Chicoined the Silk Road. It was not just one na’s port facilities with the African coast, road but rather a series of major trade pushing up through the Suez Canal into routes that helped to build trade and the Mediterranean (see graphic above). cultural ties between China, India, PerThe One Belt- One Road concept sia, Arabia, Greece, Rome, and the Medaims to redirect the country’s domestic iterranean countries. There was no USA overcapacity (such as steel, cement, aluat that time, so much can be learned as minum), and capital for regional infrahistory repeats itself. structure development, to improve trade China is growing faster than the USA, and relations with Asian, Central Asian, but the US dollar is still the strongest European countries, and the world at currency with the China Yuan Reminlarge. This is an aggressive concept and bi not far behind. As history continues infrastructure issues are critical to its to unfold, how will the US position its

18 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

XI’AN CHINA ÜRÜMQI CHINA

HUZHOU CHINA

KUALA LUMPUR MALAYSIA

resources to stay on top? How, or will we, cooperate to support this initiative?

Nicholas Kwan, director of Research for Hong Kong Trade Development Council did a great job to support the concept and concluded to say- ”The idea of one belt and one road is based mainly on the economy, but it has political and strategic implications. We at HKTDC work hard to provide our business associates with open and honest market intelligence from our global business network.”

Now what does all this have to do with trade show marketing? Today, the routes to trade are the convention centers around the world. Trade shows are a powerful tool to create new trade opportunities, but delivering the goods on time at a competitive price will still be a concern.

Improving infrastructure issues around the world will go a long way to connect our common interests. Providing a quality product, at a fair price, and delivered on time is the goal, provided that we do not harm the environment, exploit precious resources, or a labor force to do so.

It’s a small world after all!

Every good idea has its challenges, but doing nothing produces nothing. “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood … Make big plans, aim high in hope and work.” –Daniel Burnham (Chicago’s planning Architect)

Map graphic by Kaitlin Baker

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COLUMN Ask the Expert

Make a Presence by Exhibiting in YOUR Industry’s Trade Shows

L

ast March, thousands of Erickson was credited as being trade show and corpoa founder of the Trade Show rate event marketers Bureau (now CEIR) and was converged on Las Vegas elected president of the for EXHIBITORLIVE National Association 2017— four days of of Exposition Managpower-packed educaers (now IAEE). His tion. The “trade show son and our current for trade shows” draws President, Peter ErickBy Calanit Atia professional marketers son, now operate the from a wide array of induscompany. We are proud to tries. If you do not exhibit manage EXHIBITOR magin your own industry’s trade azine’s EXHIBITORLIVE as show events, here are some the educational event for trade reasons to consider it. show and corporate event marJeff Naccarato of Hall-Erketers. We have also enjoyed ickson, Inc., the managing long relationships with many directors of EXHIBITORLIVE, other industry-leading organirecently spoke with Exhibit zations like the American LiCity News. Jeff is a trade show brary Association, the National industry veteran with a 22Association of Realtors and the year history of working hands- National Mining Association, on with trade show exhibiamong others. We currently tors, including many who have manage over 20 trade events, made the leap as trade show most of which feature exhibit exhibitors for the first time. hall components and extensive Exhibit City News: industry education.

What is the history of HallECN: What do companies Erickson, Inc? considering participating in Jeff Naccarato: Hall-Ertheir first show as exhibitors ickson Inc. was formed in need to know?

1952; Hubbard Erickson Jr. JN: Participating in a trade co-founded Hall-Erickson, show as an exhibitor for the Inc. with Ruth Hall. They built first time offers a live marketHall-Erickson into one of the ing opportunity to an exhibitmost respected independent ing company beyond what they exhibition management comhave ever experienced before. panies in the United States, They will be under the same providing a range of manageroof as thousands of industry ment and marketing services to buyers, direct competitors and our clients, which include many potential partners. It is a reltrade associations and other atively short period of time— industry thought-leaders. Mr. usually three days—that has 20 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

the power to change destinies.

ECN: What mistakes do you see first time exhibitors make?

JN: One of the biggest mistakes new exhibiting companies make is taking the “if I show up, they will come” approach to exhibiting. While showing up is an important first step, the most successful trade show exhibitors take ownership in their exhibiting experience and an active role in their own success. They take an integrated approach to marketing and partake in pre-show marketing opportunities like e-mail marketing, advertising, press releases, sponsorships and pre-show mailers. They take advantage of marketing tools made available by the show organizer who has a vested interest in their success. Many of these programs are free. For EXHIBITORLIVE, exhibitors are able to make use of VIP passes, which allow them to invite prospects, customers or distributors to attend the exhibit hall as their complimentary guests. Research indicates trade show attendees are doing more pre-show planning of how they will budget their time on a trade show floor today. It is important to be in their plans before the show.

ECN: What other recommendations do you have for new exhibiting companies?

JN: First, don’t go at it alone.

Take advantage of the education offered by EXHIBITOR. You will gain invaluable insight from seasoned presenters and by networking with others who have been there. I recommend also that first-timers give themselves time to breath by planning early. Reserving space late is another common

mistake first-timers make. Take advantage of early discounted services rates and the ability to select space earlier and to be included in show publications like conference brochures and official show directories. It is not uncommon for significant numbers of the exhibitors of any show to miss being included in something as simple as the official show directory.

ECN: Is it all about space location?

JN: Of course, every exhibiting company wants what they see as the best space placement, but sometimes it’s not at all about hall location. The Best of Show Award at EXHIBITORLIVE is a highly-coveted industry award. This year’s winner in the small booth category (under 400 sq. ft.) was awarded to a first-time exhibitor who made all the right moves. Their engaging exhibit design was a head-turner and the talk of the show. Their location: a space along the very back perimeter of the show.

Just a few years ago the Best of Show Award winner in the large exhibit category was similarly located in the very back corner of show. Exhibitors who take a pro-active, integrated approach will find success in any location.

Calanit Atia, Air Force veteran, founder and president of A to Z Events, Las Vegas Premier Destination Management Company, Entertainment Agency, www.AtoZevents.com, an award winning event planner, Las Vegas ambassador, social media maven, columnist, and speaker. She can be contacted at Info@AtoZevents.com, www.twitter. com/CalanitAtia, www.facebook.com/ calanit, www.linkedin.com/in/calanit, www.instagram.com/calanitatia.

• • •

• •

COVER STORY

Richard Erschik – The Dean of Exhibitor Education ERUDITE EDUCATOR TEACHES TRADESHOW INDUSTRY HOW TO TURN “TRADESHOW LEADS TO SALES”

BY ARTHUR BLOBERGER

22 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

From coast to coast and beyond, in-person and on-line, part teacher and part guru, the affable Richard Erschik truly has but one mission: to teach hungry exhibit managers his proven shortcuts to tradeshow exhibiting success.

“I hate to see them going through everything I went through simply because no one is teaching them,” says Erschik. “My objective is to prove that tradeshows don’t just cost … they pay! I can statistically prove that tradeshows are the most cost effective form of marketing communications today, bar none. Unfortunately, they are also the most expensive and in the cross hairs of exhibiting company management looking

to cut the budget. Everybody is looking for Return On Investment from tradeshow exhibiting and my contention is that ROI is in the leads that are ultimately being ignored by the sales force after the show. So if I can help get the leads followed-up, then everybody wins—and that’s exactly what I do.”

IT STARTED IN CHI-TOWN

Born on Chicago’s North Side, Erschik went to Lane Technical High School in the early ’60s. A tough school in which to even gain admission, he studied initially in the area of architectural drawing and design, then ultimately taking interest in mechanical drawing, design and engineering. Eventually, he became a machine designer in the metal working industry.

Things looked good for the young Erschik, but life throws us curves. Alas, he lost a parent early and soon thereafter found himself drafted into the Army, where it was off to the war in Vietnam.

There, he saw combat as a platoon leader after which he served as a senior assembly specialist for an air defense Honest John rocket artillery unit with top-secret clearance for nuclear weapons! After two tough years, he was honorably discharged as a non-commissioned officer, sergeant E5. (Thank you for your service, Richard.)

Out of the military, he returned wideeyed and got a job in the Western Suburbs of Chicago designing machinery for the foundry industry. It was there that someone told him that he belonged in sales because of his ability to make people comfortable and get them talking.

Taking that advice, he ventured into the marketing communications world for a noted grinding wheel manufacturer. He didn’t know it then, but his career path of helping others succeed had begun to take a swerve of super-heroic proportion.

TO THE SALESMOBILE!

“In 1978, I got what I would call my very first sales and marketing job in the trophy and awards industry,” recalls Erschik. “I was made General Manager of a company that supplied trophy @ExhibitCityNews

components and engraving equipment to the awards industry. That’s when I was really first introduced to tradeshows and face-to-face marketing. I wasn’t taught tradeshows by any means. I tripped and fell into them, stumbling head first and backwards. From that job, I went on to an upper level sales and marketing management job in the machine tool industry, and that’s what really catapulted me into the tradeshow world.”

Even without a cape and mask, Erschik quickly became their executive manager of sales and marketing. And under that powerful umbrella was a considerable tradeshow budget and exhibit management P&L, specifically in the second largest tradeshow in the country the International Machine Tool Show, best known as IMTS. He had big custom booths, lots of operating equipment on display, lengthy and expensive I&D, lots of special services - drainage, water, air, electricity, scrap removal, etc. Exhibit builders and suppliers loved his budget.

It was during that time that he was introduced to the pervasive problem of poor lead follow-up after all of the tradeshow expense, the issue that, unbeknownst to him, would become his professional passion. “When I realized the problem,” notes Erschik, “I thought at the time that it was only in my company.”

Coincidentally, he was also then serving as the chairperson of the Marketing Communications Committee for the entire National Machine Tool Builders Association. So he called a meeting of his peers and committee members to Washington DC where he introduced them to the new process of sales lead response and management he had been developing. “During that meeting,” he explains, “lo and behold, I discovered that they too had the same poor lead follow-up problem – it wasn’t just me.

The very day that I realized it, I was bound and determined to start a service company that would process sales leads for companies. At that meeting, four of the people at the table told me they would give me their account if I started

a sales lead response and management service business.”

SO HE DID.

And the rest eventually became tradeshow exhibitor education history. That was in 1986. His service company was profitable from day one, and he never looked back. Erschik turned the lead response process that he developed into a national service organization that American Airlines named ‘One of the Most Innovative Companies in the Country and a Best Practice in Tradeshow Marketing.’

His company ultimately generated more than $10 million dollars in sales as he provided his exclusive service to select companies including 3M, HP, IBM, GM, Whirlpool and Westinghouse, to name a few. A great success story, his company actually processed more than 1.5 million sales leads in 22 years, a lengthy period after which he decided to sell the still-burgeoning company – to one of its customers.

But he wasn’t done. Out of the ‘service’ business, he transformed his quest to a more instructive endeavor. And today, he teaches exhibitors all of the secrets behind the exclusive techniques he developed by means of his “Tradeshow Leads To Sales” educational and training seminars and webinars.

SECRETS? WHAT SECRETS?

“Well,” reveals Erschik, “the first thought people have about following-up sales leads is that a salesperson should pick up the telephone and try to call the person. But it’s impossible to do that today considering the barriers to completing telephone calls like automated switchboards and voicemail. It’s impossible for salespeople to follow-up on sales leads today. It’s just literally impossible. They all know it, and they are forced to lie about what they’re really doing with the leads, which is usually nothing, because they can’t make the initial contact to follow-up.” So there’s one cat that’s been let out of the bag.

“Lead follow-up after a tradeshow Continued on p. 24 ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 23

COVER STORY

shouldn’t be a lone requirement of the sales force,” Erschik continues. “Lead qualification should be done initially by the marketing department. There’s a big difference here. Everybody thinks that you just put the leads into a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software or a contact management program and send them to the sales force and they’re supposed to follow-up on all of the leads. Software doesn’t follow-up on leads. People do. All software does is get all the leads to the sales force faster, so they can do nothing with the good ones sooner. The marketing department should be doing something with the leads initially to eliminate the non-prospects, so the sales force ends up with only the prospects. That way, the exhibit manager can control the entire tradeshow process.” That’s another cat out of the bag, followed by yet another. “Companies should never use e-mail to initially respond to leads for reasons I teach them,” Richard went on to say.

“Turns out immediate sales prospects only represent about 6-11 percent of the overall number of leads generated at a tradeshow anyway. Most of the others are near future and future prospects to contact later. The objective is to get the best leads to the salesforce first. So that frees up about 90 percent of the sales force’s time for other things like existing customer contact.” says Erschik, “Statistically today, less than 20 percent of leads generated at a tradeshow ever get followed-up and 76 percent of sales people view the value of a tradeshow lead as no better than a cold call. Those staggering statistics are hurting everyone.”

THUS THE BURNOUT FACTOR

“Sales people can’t reach anybody and the burn out factor is the reason why they develop a negative perception as to the value of the leads before they do anything with them.” That’s the serious problem to which Richard’s seminars and webinars teach the solution.

24 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

“Inside of an exhibiting company,” he continues, “the marketing department is generally responsible for tradeshow activity and the sales department is responsible for the results. That’s how it’s always been, and no one is teaching them anything different. And when marketing relinquishes control of the results to the sales force, measurement opportunity falls through the cracks. The marketing/exhibit manager should never relinquish control of the leads to the sales force until they know which ones are the good ones. And I teach them how to find the good ones.”

Erschik’s popular exhibitor education and training presentation is all-inclusive and entitled ‘Get the MOST from PRE--DURING--POST tradeshow exhibiting.’ “Most exhibitors expect the tradeshow organizer to do all of the attendance promotion and fill the aisles with interested prospects and that, too, is an impossibility,” he states.

“Exhibitors have better names and better prospects than the tradeshow organizer could ever muster up. So, in the PRE show segment of my webinar I teach them how to use the names they already have to get more visitors to their booth and consequently more leads and more overall attendees in the show.” Everyone wins!

“Your webinar was a game changer for our company,” said Betty Chen, a recent webinar attendee and sales manager of Waterson. “Thank you for the pre-show promotion and lead response templates. I’m even more excited now to exhibit.”

The DURING show segment of Richard’s webinar goes on to teach exhibitors a) The Do’s and Don’ts of effective booth-staffing. b) How to engage visitors in conversation and separate real sales prospects from tire-kickers. c) Research based visitor complaints, so exhibitors don’t repeat their cause.

The POST show segment of the webinar is where the real magic happens.

Because since less than 20% of sales leads generated at tradeshows ever get

followed-up, this is where exhibitors are shown how to implement Richard’s proven lead response and management process that assures 100 percent lead follow-up and how to prove a positive ROI from exhibiting.

Tradeshow organizers sponsor and host the webinar for their exhibitors and get two webinars for the price of one to accommodate their exhibitors’ time availability. “You are very easy to work with. I love how you did your research and branded your webinar for our show” said Julie Walter, Exhibits Director, DHI. Tradeshow suppliers invite Richard to speak at the sales meetings to learn his statistics and lead management methodology. “We highly recommend your presentation to other tradeshow suppliers that are looking for an introduction to the ‘real-world’ of the tradeshow manager and exhibiting,” said Chuck Michel, VP Tradeshow Services, EliteXpo. And many individual exhibit managers consider Richard their personal tutor.”I feel empowered with what I learn from you” Says Paul Golevicz, Product Manager, Kobelco.

THE 2 MILLION MILE MAN

Besides the on-line webinars he conducts from his home office, most recently for the exhibitors of tradeshow organizers and Associations like DHI, CEDIA, the Northwest Food Processors Association, the Texas Library Association, the American Water Works Association and Pittcon, to name a few, Erschik regularly travels the globe delivering his seminars in-person. Along the way, he has flown more than 2 million miles teaching exhibitors and coaching booth-staff sales teams in locales as far away as South Africa, Belgium, Mexico and Canada.

In one such domestic trip, he came to the Las Vegas offices of the renowned Exhibit City News to lay his wisdom at the feet of the publication’s eager sales staff.

Testified Kathy Anaya, ECN’s director of sales, “We had Richard in our office

to do his seminar for our sales team.

We found it extremely informative. His unpresented statistics are surprising and eye opening! As a result, we are now looking to restructure some processes within the company to help with better lead processing for our sales department. We would certainly recommend Richard to any show organizer, supplier, or individual exhibiting company that wants to better themselves in the tradeshow arena.”

According to Erschik, “There is a lot of engagement by my seminar and webinar attendees. I ask them a series of questions and get them interactive.

I give them active-learning templates and 30-days of FREE telephone support after the webinar in case they need additional help. I’ve been evaluated as ‘the best exhibitor educator on the planet.’ I even have one guy – and I quote this all over – who said he

‘learned more from me in an hour than he did in four years of college and 12 years on the job!’

“This is how I differentiate myself,” he describes. “Every other exhibitor educator and trainer teaches exhibitors what they should do to be effective at a tradeshow and why. I show them how and that’s my differentiator. I do it with more than 3-decades of experience and actually having been a successful exhibitor. I do it with the experience of having walked in their shoes and felt their pain. I know their problems because I had them as an exhibit manager. And I teach them industry proven solutions they can implement themselves (DIY.)

MAN ON A MISSION

As to how much longer he’ll be sharing his singular experience and knowledge, Erschik

MEET IN A PLACE WHERE YOU MATTER. COBO CENTER | CENTERED AROUND YOU Welcome to a place where you can be part of something. Where a city and center are humming with energy. A place where you can actually feel good about a meeting. Where people go out of their way for you because that’s what we do. Because here, you matter.

What matters to you? Value? Service? Sustainability? A positive voice guiding you, every step of the way? We get it. We have reinvented this city and center for you.

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@ExhibitCityNews

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relays this with a laugh: “Until I fall out of my chair. Really, I had the opportunity to walk away from all of this, but it’s kind of in my blood. I just understand it so well, I’m so close to it, I’m so knowledgeable about the problem to which I personally created the solution that works, I just want to tell the tradeshow world about it. I have the industry-proven path to positive tradeshow ROI and I enjoy giving back. Progressive exhibit managers want to learn. And I want to teach. What’s better than that?”

Richard Erschik of www.TradeshowLeadsToSales. com is among the highest rated exhibitor educators and trainers in the country. He has been a Roundtable moderator, FastTrak instructor, and featured speaker and presenter at the EXHIBITOR Show in Las Vegas for 18-years. Contact him by phone/text at 630-642-6500 or email him at richard@tradeshowleadstosales.com. Like him on Facebook TradeshowLeadsToSales.com. Follow him on Twitter @TradeshowTutor.

CEDRIC TURNBORE COBO CENTER DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

I have known Cedric for years and he is one of the best people I know! Aways friendly, flexible and professional – and willing to do what it takes every time.

MOLLY BRIGGS PRODUCER GEORGE P JOHNSON

ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 25

TECHNOLOGY

A1 AIs! ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SERVICES THAT CAN BOOST YOUR TRADE SHOW ROI

BY JESSICA ABLAMSKY

Investors are betting big on artificial intelligence, which is set to change the way we live, work, and communicate. AI is one of the top two sectors by capital raised, according to market researcher Quid.

Innovative AI technologies will enable people to use their time more efficiently by taking over repetitive tasks that normally require humans, and offering employees some tools that can enhance decision making, according to a recent report by Accenture, a professional services company that works with more than 70 percent of the Fortune 500.

Accenture predicts that AI will boost productivity and double annual economic growth rates in some developed countries by 2035. The U.S. could see the biggest economic benefit thanks to its advanced infrastructure and strong entrepreneurial climate, increasing annual growth from 2.6 percent to 4.6 percent.

Businesses that rely on trade shows to market their services do not have to wait for the technology of tomorrow. Here are three AI-powered services that can boost your conversion rate:

CONVERSICA

What: AI-powered sales assistant Cost: Plans start at $2,999 per month Wish you could hire more sales assistants without the high cost? Conversica offers an AI-powered sales assistant that functions like a human sales assistant. It reaches out to every lead via email and engages them in natural, back and forth conversation.

Approximately 35 percent of leads reply to the sales assistant, which gauges the level of interest and responds accordingly. When leads are ready to engage in 26 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

the sales process, the assistant alerts the sales team and finds the best number and time for a phone call.

When Zend Technologies wanted to test Conversica’s technology, the company assigned their new sales assistant its dead

leads, said Gary Gerber, Senior Director, Head of product Marketing at Conversica.

The results were an impressive 19 percent engagement rate and a $500,000 lead.

Automated technology has distinct Continued on p. 28

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TECHNOLOGY Continued from p. 26 advantages for companies that collect hundreds or thousands of leads at trade shows, Gerber said. Instead of assigning more leads than a sales team can handle, the sales assistant can make contact in minutes—freeing up sales reps to focus on promising leads.

Conversica’s customers place a lot of trust in their automated sales assistant, Gerber said.

“Ninety-five percent of the messages that the AI assistant sends go out without any human intervention,” he said.

CRYSTAL

What: Personality detection technology that helps users improve communication.

Cost: Free for basic personality profiles Crystal analyzes publicly available data to create a personality profile that predicts behavior, motivation, and communication style. Over 75 percent of the Fortune 500 has used Crystal, which can help sales reps tailor communication to the personality of leads they do now know very well, and build relationships based insight into the lead’s personality.

That insight helps users craft messages that resonate with their prospects, said Luke Thomas, Head of Growth at Crystal.

“Crystal is ideally suited for improving post-conference communication,” he said.

“I’ve attended numerous trade shows and when the event is over, the wave of email follow-ups begins. As a vendor, it’s important to cut through this noise. Imagine if you had a coach guiding you to write 28 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

an email follow-up based on the recipient’s personality?”

SPIRO

What: AI-powered CRM, with a built-in personal sales assistant Cost: Plans range from $18$66 per user, per month Spiro uses artificial intelligence to automatically create, update, and manage a sales pipeline, and offers proactive recommendations about which prospect to contact next, and the best time to call.

The personal assistant also uses humor to encourage sales reps to engage with the app and make the calls necessary to close deals.

“We get sales people in front of more people, so they can close more deals,” said Adam Honig, CEO of Spiro. “That’s why we have the humor in the app. The sales people love it.”

The app includes seven different personas that range from boring to Jewish mother and R-rated, the most popular personality. Instead of saying, “Call this person,” the Jewish mother would say, “Don’t call Dave. See if I care,” while the R-rated persona might say, “Hey, &*@#$, call Dave.”

Trade show leads are more likely to close when they are followed up within 24 hours, Honig said. Sales reps can rely on Spiro’s AI to prioritize leads, and the sales assistant to remind them to follow up.

Or, sales reps can set their own priorities manually.

“The more you work with Spiro, the more you educate it about who you’re dealing with and how you work,” he said.

“Spiro is going to see what kind of deals you’re closing and prioritize those.”

What is Artificial Intelligence?

BY JESSICA ABLAMSKY

It’s not quite The Jetsons. The iconic cartoon featuring a witty robotic maid prepared generations of children for robot assistants that help humans with a variety of mundane and complex tasks. But not all artificial intelligence is robotic— and not all robots are intelligent.

AI is a set of technologies that enable computer programs to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as decision-making, speech recognition, and visual perception, according to a recent report by Accenture, a professional services company that works with more than 70 percent of the Fortune 500. AI allows computers to:

»» Sense. Audio processing and computer vision can perceive the world around it, such as facial recognition software.

»» Comprehend. Language processing and inference engines, which deduce knowledge by applying logical rules to stored facts, allow AI to understand and analyze information. This technology can be used for language translation. »» Act. AI systems can mimic the decision-making capabilities of a human and take action. Examples include automated features that allow cars to slow down or brake without human intervention.

In the future, AI will be embedded in all business applications, said Adam Honig, CEO of Spiro, which created an AI-powered CRM. “Maybe there’s a way to make it sound more dramatic, but I think it’s going to be like cloud technology,” he said. “It’s new and exciting today, but soon it’s just going to be a given for any new software product.”

TRADESHOW FOLLOW-UP

EXHIBITORLIVE Ends on High Note 48 NEW EXHIBITORS ATTEND THE TRADESHOW FOR TRADESHOWS

BY ALETA WALTHER

EXHIBITORLIVE 2017 lost about 20 previous exhibitors to EuroShop, but made up the difference with 48 new exhibitors attending March 13-15 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. About 5,000 registered attendees traipsed around the 60,000 sq. ft. exhibit hall while staff from 250 exhibits hawked their organization’s products, services and talents. The conference portion of the event, March 12-16, offered more than 165 educational sessions for trade show and corporate event professionals, including new classes highlighting social media and new technologies.

Randy Acker, president and COO of Exhibitor Media Group, said EuroShop took place about a month before EXHIBITORLIVE, therefore, he anticipated a drop in exhibitor attendance for the 29th edition of EXHIBITOR magazine’s flagship event. Held every three years in Düsseldorf, Germany, and billed as the “largest retail trade fair in the world,” EuroShop 2017 attracted 113,000 attendees and 2,368 exhibitors from around the globe.

Despite losing exhibitors to Euroshop, Acker said he was pleased with the overall success of EXHIBITORLIVE 2017. “We continue to see a diverse mix of corporate marketers attending EXHIBITORLIVE, from all 30 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

industry sectors and company sizes, reinforcing corporations’ continuing interest in improving their trade show and event marketing engagement,” he said. “Our exhibitors tell us that many attendees came with firm budgets and intent to purchase additional products and services for their 2017 programs.”

Vin Saia, executive vice president of corporate accounts for GES agreed with Acker, saying his team experienced more traffic in their booth the first day than all three days last year.

“Traffic has remained steady and the conversations substantive,” said Saia. “Attendees are coming to us with needs and agreeing to follow-up meetings, whereas in the past, many conversations were superficial.”

Michael Grivas, CEO of mg (formerly MG Design), a Wisconsin-based face-to-face marketing firm, agreed with Acker as well. “People visiting our booth are very motivated to do better, to achieve more results and willing to get deep into a conversation on how we can assist them. In years past, we heard a lot of ‘how do I slash my budget.’ This year, they came with buying agendas.”

“This show has been a real eye-opener for us,” said David Pearlman, key account manager for Positive Promotions,

a Hauppauge, N.Y., promotional products and custom apparel supplier. “The highlight for me was how many genuine individuals we met.

We are sure we will do well from our leads and look forward to attending next year.”

Eric Hamlin, vice president of sales for Kotis Design, another swag supplier and first time exhibitor, came to EXHIBITORLIVE with no expectations, but left happy with the leads his team collected. “I’ll be honest, we don’t actually know much about the tradeshow industry, so we came to learn,” said Hamlin. “But I am pleased because my staff said the folks they talked to were definitely qualified buyers, the conversations very specific. The attendees know how to benefit from our (promotional) products, to incorporate them into their tradeshow and marketing programs.”

Anita Mitzel, president of GraphiColor Exhibits, Livonia, Mich., did not exhibit at EXHIBITORLIVE, but attended to see what was new in the industry.

“There are some new products I am really excited about sharing with my clients,” she said. “One in particular is a self-contained “quiet room,” which allows us to help create, within a booth, a quiet space for our exhibiting clients to have meetings - right in the

middle of a noisy tradeshow.

It was also great to see what our AV partners are doing to create virtually seamless LED walls with outstanding quality. And, it appears that the quality of fabric printing continues to improve. I was amazed by the quality and color saturation of the fabric

New Graduates Honored at CTSM 25th Anniversary Celebration The Certified Trade Show Marketer program celebrated its 25th anniversary by honoring 39 new graduates during the CTSM’s annual celebration dinner at EXHIBITORLIVE last March at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Spa in Las Vegas. Since the program’s inception in 1992, more than 500 individuals have earned the CTSM designation awarded by EXHIBITOR magazine in affiliation with Northern Illinois University.

More than 40 other CTSMs upgraded their certification to a bronze, silver or gold status, said Jan Nelson, the CTSM program’s executive director. CTSM Kathleen Meadowlark of the Rogers Group, Clair, Mich., received her diamond certification, the highest achievement of the CTSM program, boosting the number of diamond honorees to 13. CTSM Academic Advisor Joe Reese was also recognized for his 23 years of service to the program.

“This year we had the largest group of graduates,” said Nelson. “What was special about this year’s CTSM graduate dinner was that we celebrated the program’s 25th anniversary at the same time.”

Nelson added that there are currently 3,700 active students in the CTSM program, with at least 40 expected to sit for the comprehensive exam this year. In closing Nelson said the CTSM classes were well attended this year with many new classes highlighting technology and social media.

graphics installed in the lightboxes at this show.”

Award-Winning Exhibits and Products Forty-four new products debuted at EXHIBITORLIVE, all of which were eligible for the show’s Buyers Choice Award that recognizes @ExhibitCityNews

the top new products of the year. Buyers Choice Award winners were:

»» Kaon Interactive for Kaon AR »» Exhibitry for VR Vue »» Zuant for iPhone 2.0 App »» Haverford Systems for 3D LED »» 4 Productions for two products – LED Tile and Multi Touch Table

“Leading companies choose EXHIBITORLIVE to launch their brand new products and services to the marketplace,” said John Pavek, chief marketing officer, Exhibitor Media Group. “Every year thousands of trade show and event professionals come to the exhibit hall to see, and learn about, an outstanding array of fresh solutions. Our panel of attendee judges faced a tough challenge and did an admirable job selecting this year’s winners.”

Best of Show: Large Booth – Skyline Exhibits Skyline Exhibit’s theme was “Experience Trade Show Zen” and featured textures and elements commonly found in Japanese Zen gardens. The

20’ tall structure featured rice paper textures, bamboo wood slats, backlit Zen garden graphics, grass-like flooring, stepping-stones and a very realistic digital koi pond.

Guests were served a variety of teas and Japanese treats while learning about Skyline Exhibits through an interactive touch screen.

“We wanted to relax the stresses that come with the industry and create a stressfree environment,” said Brent Rierson, exhibit designer for Skyline Exhibits. “We also wanted to highlight more of our higher-end custom capabilities; lots of custom woodworking, custom faux stone … bamboo features and digital content that are blended into Continued on p. 32 ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 31

TRADESHOW FOLLOW-UP Continued from p. 31

Best of Show: Small Booth (200 square feet and under): Axiom Custom Products Axiom Custom Products’ exhibit did not have a theme this writer could determine. The exhibit, however, was innovative at highlighting the company’s custom products and services, including art direction and design, sculpting, robotic milling, molding and 3D scanning, modeling and printing. Axiom was a first-time exhibitor from Portland, Ore. “When a great team comes together to achieve an honor amongst so many capable people and companies, it is an indicator that we are doing

something right,” said Axiom Founder Woody Stratton. “I am very proud of this acknowledgement of our efforts.”

Best New Exhibitor: Highway 85 Creative Despite being a last minute entry to EXHIBITORLIVE, Highway 85 Creative stood out with its retro feel and skateboard give-away. The company creates trade show strategies and displays as well as designing retail and office environments.

“We decided to attend EXHIBITORLIVE a month before the show,” said Guy Zwick, owner and chief creative officer for the Glendale, Ariz., exhibit house. “We were actually looking to advertise, but said ‘let’s go to the show instead,’ so we sat down at a coffee shop and sketched out our booth. We built the exhibit in two weeks.”

Best Booth Staff: mg Single Source Simplicity was the theme of the exhibit and mg’s new tagline and brand, which the company debuted at EXHIBITORLIVE.

MG Design Changes Name After more the 50 years of success incorporating marketing strategy into exhibit design, MG Design has rebranded itself as simply “mg.” The company’s new brand debuted at EXHIBITORLIVE last month at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Its new tag line is “Single Source Simplicity”.

“We decided it was time for a refresh of our brand ... to rebuild our external brand voice as well as our internal voice, how we work with our teams,” said Michael Grivas, CEO of mg. “As the company has grown, we have added so many additional services to become a turnkey marketing agency. We wanted to ensure our brand reflected this, besides, out

32 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

Among mg’s staff were “booth ambassadors,” mg clients that were articulating “their side of the story,” what they have experienced working with mg.

“Winning the best booth staff award is an affirmation of how our staff is engaged with our new brand,” said Michael Grivas, CEO of mg. “They are unified behind the brand and have a sense of purpose and energy. The team is fired up; I can see it by how engaged they are with prospects.

mg’s home office is in Pleasant Prairie, Wisc., with offices in Las Vegas, San Francisco and Orlando.

EXHIBITORLIVE will return to Mandalay Bay on Feb. 26-28, 2018, with the conference sessions taking place Feb. 25 - March 1.

Aleta Walther is a marketing communications professional and freelance writer with several years’ experience as a corporate exhibit manager. Contact Aleta at aleta@prwriterpro.com.

of convenience, people would say ‘mg’ anyway.

The rebranding, Grivas said, was a result of concerns that MG Design was seen as a design house, not an all-encompassing firm offering an array of marketing and exhibits .

“We are proud of our history, proud of our legacy as MG Design … but it really did not allow us to express all the services we offer,” he explained. “Today, many of our clients are short staffed, under budgeted and they really need someone to take their project or program from A to Z. We do that, everything from strategy, marketing, development, to execution and building exhibits using our own labor force.”

Mg’s corporate office is located in Pleasant Prairie, Wisc.

According to its website, mg has satellite offices in Las Vegas, Orlando and San Francisco.

Photo by

the environment.”

Sofia Troutman, manager of customer engagement for Skyline, added that the exhibit mirrors what Skyline does for its clients. “Trade shows can be stressful and, with our experience and the full range of trade show and event services we offer our clients, Skyline can handle all the details and ease the burden,” she said.

to all our sponsors, attendees and everyone else who helped make the party a success.

Hosted by:

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

EDUCATION

Exhibit design student group from Bemidji State and FIT/NYC

Paving the Way for Exhibit Designers PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE WITH DESIGNER TRAINING, NOT SERENDIPITY

34 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

al and error. I suspect the US meeting and convention industry to now totals over $100 billion in revenue. No small potatoes! Granted, this total includes many segments of the revenue generated in the industry in North America, from exposition centers, show organizers, show contractors, exhibit builders, exhibit materials, and exhibit services. For this article, we focus only on the segments serving-exhibit design, production, and show services for trade shows.

For the past 12 years, EDPA

has dedicated much time and energy to support exhibit design training at the college level. Two universities in particular offer an undergraduate degree in exhibit design (through Bemidji State University), and a master’s degree in exhibit design (through FIT/NYC). EDPA created the EDPA University Affiliation Program, sponsored by EDPA member companies. Member companies conduct classroom sessions, donate money and materials, and create award contests, all to support exhibit

design education and the benefits of trade show marketing for the exhibitors who use them.

Each year, Exhibitor magazine organizes America’s leading trade show for people who do trade shows, called EXHIBITORLIVE. It attracts more than 6000 attendees and is held each year at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. This year it was held March 13-16. The event offers over 180 educational seminars as well as top shelf exhibits with all major suppliers represented.

Photo courtesy of FIT Graduate Exhibiton Design

I continue to cite the CLC (Convention Liaison Council) study, conducted

by Deloitte&Touche in 1995, which calculated the size of the Convention & Meeting industry to be $83 billion, ranked #22 in contribution to the GDP in the USA, yet few have gone to school for direct training to work in this industry! Most of us in the trade show business have fumbled into it in one way or another, and grew to really like it. We then became experts through on the job training and by tri-

Photo courtesy of EXHIBITOR Media Group

BY LARRY KULCHAWIK

Photo courtesy of FIT Graduate Exhibiton Design

Photo courtesy of EXHIBITOR Media Group

Most of us in the trade show business have fumbled into it in one way or another, and grew to really like it.”

EXHIBITORLIVE also offers an educational program called CTSM (Certified Trade Show Marketer), for exhibit manager and exhibit suppliers. It is the only university affiliated certification training program for the expo industry. Also represented at this show were two US universities who offer a degree in exhibit design - Bemidji State and FIT,NY. The design students are given a pavilion exhibit to share their portfolios and attract internship opportunities. The exhibit is donated by and sponsored by EDPA companies and supported by Exhibitor magazine.

EXHIBITORLIVE focuses on the needs and interests of exhibit managers, but certainly appeals to exhibit designers and suppliers looking to promote their products, services, and skills as well as to learn what’s new in the market. Although the EXHIBITORLIVE is smaller than EuroShop (held the week before in Dusseldorf), its attendees come from around the globe representing 39 countries. Coming to Americas number one trade show city, Las Vegas, is an experience all and in itself.

On Sunday, the day before @ExhibitCityNews

EXHIBITORLIVE officially opened, I (Larry Kulchawik) represented EDPA to conduct a pre-show tour of the show floor. Students from both Bemidji and FIT first gather in the show organizers office and are briefed on how a trade show comes together. “We begin planning for this show years in advance, securing the space, marketing the train-

ing sessions, and the exhibit spaces on the show floor. It is a difficult task, but quite rewarding when the ribbon for entry is cut on Monday morning to open the show to many smiling faces,” says Randy Acker, president and CEO, Exhibitor Media Group.

The purpose of this Sunday tour, before the show opens, is to allow student designers to see the chaos and anxiety of the exhibitors in the eleventh hour of their set up. Fork lifts, electric cords, and empty boxes scatter the floor. Be careful what you design, someone has to build it!

Twelve stops are made to visit EDPA exhibit suppliers representing different segments of the industry- floor-

ing, lighting, AV, general contractor, exhibit systems, portables, and full service exhibit design firms. The presidents and owners of each exhibitor stop personally take the time to greet the students and are asked three questions … Who is your company? Who is your target audience? Why did you select this particular exhibit design? After a two hour tour, hopefully the students each received designer tools to place in their tool box. The last stop on the tour was the EDPA pavilion where the students will go to work as exhibitors for the next three days to present their portfolios and attract opportunities for internship, and possibly employment.

As stated earlier, we all have been fortunate to have fumbled into a wonderful business that we have discovered and grown to love. I am now happy to say that the industry is sharing knowledge and preparing for the future with designer training, and not discovering the industry through serendipity.

ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 35

EXHIBITORLIVE

Aluvision wins People’s Choice and Best Fabric Exhibit Award at ExhibitorLive 2017 Aluvision, developer and supplier of the renowned modular exhibit frame system, was honored with two awards during the last ExhibitorLive trade show at the Mandalay Bay Convention Centre in Las Vegas. The internationally acclaimed company won both the “People’s Choice Award” and the award for “Best Fabric Exhibit”.

Aluvision’s newest campaign, World of Wonder, was launched in the US at ExhibitorLive, the annual professional development conference for trade show and corporate event marketers. The new inspiring and ‘dreamy’ campaign intrigued visitors and attracted them onto the booth to discover the latest trends in the exhibition industry and Aluvision’s new and innovative products. “Both prizes are a great recognition for the innovative approach of 36 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

our company”, said Stephan De Mulder, Senior Account Director at Aluvision Inc. One of Aluvision’s new products is the Poly-55 bright, a single-sided light box frame that is only 55mm (2.17”) deep and therefore perfectly compatible with the well-known Aluvision wall frames ‘with holes’. The Poly-55 bright is a backlit light box, with the LED lights mounted to the back panel. The specially developed lights result in an amazingly uniform spread of light without hotspots or shadows.

Another new Aluvision product is the Forester: a 10ft high light post with 6 powerful LED lights and a base, offering a great solution for general booth lighting and eliminating the need for expensive, overhead lighting.

Aluvision has always been setting itself apart from other systems by providing highly finished, light weight and tool free solutions for the trade show exhibit and event industry. Euroshop, the world’s largest retail and exhibition trade fair that took place in Germany last February, was also a great opportunity for Aluvision to display its leadership in this domain.

The 45’x100’ Aluvision booth was filled with powerful visuals and playful details such as oversized playing cards, a giant chair on a chessboard and white bunnies popping up throughout the booth, all coming together in the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ inspired theme. Aluvision clearly impressed the many visitors as well as the show jury, since Aluvision won the “Best of Show-Large Stand” award. Once again a great recognition coming from industry professionals that underline Aluvision’s innovative and quality-driven strategy.

AluvisionLive Training Days Want to discover the magic of the Aluvision system and know more about its wide range of products and capabilities?

Registration for the AluvisionLive Training Days on June 7th and 8th is now open.

This training event is taking place at Aluvision’s production facility in Atlanta, GA and it is a mix of workshops, design cases and product presentations. All of this in a very amicable and casual atmosphere!

Register now for the AluvisionLive Training Days by sending an e-mail to info@aluvision.com or call (470)-252-3500. For more info please visit www.aluvision.com.

Photo by Philip A. Hoffman

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

Participants in beMatrix’ latest partner training learn to “socket” to the showfloor (See Pp. 48-49)

Exhibiting With Our Northern Neighbors

Canada: an Attractive Alternative

Pp. 38-39

Hamilton Exhibits Helps ALOFT

Service Contractors

AeroArchitects Soar at NBAA Show

Keeping Time with Changes to the Industry

Pp. 40-42

Pp. 44-46

beMatrix Partner Training

Some Work and Some Play

Pp. 48-49

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

For advertising information and rates, please call Kathy Anaya at 702-309-8023, ext. 105. @ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 37

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

Crossing-over into other disciplines makes work interesting for Canadian labor crews

By Lesley Martin

38 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

O

their foreign-born talent.

For trade shows, friendly and unassuming Canada is an attractive host. Not only are the cities diverse and welcoming to international visitors, but Canadians also speak English, the global language of business.

Bordering on the U.S., Canada is easily accessible for Americans. The smaller footprints of its convention centers are more

Photos courtesy of Brian Kearns

EXHIBITING WITH OUR NORTHERN NEIGHBORS

vershadowed by the economic climate of the U.S., Canada is often relegated to the background. Yet with recent changes and uncertainties in the U.S. political landscape, especially surrounding immigration, Canada is increasingly becoming the alternative location for conducting business. Tech companies like Microsoft and Amazon, which currently have offices in Seattle, are considering opening locations in Vancouver, British Columbia to accommodate

dependent contractor services to U.S. and overseas exhibitors.

Kearns gave us the ins-and-outs of exhibiting in Canada.

Photos courtesy of Brian Kearns

Two National Unions

manageable, especially for large trade shows sizing down.

In 2017, Canada will host U.S. and international trade shows like the Global Petroleum Show and the North American Food Innovation Exhibition.

To help us compare the huge and complex U.S. trade show industry to Canada’s, we caught up with Brian Kearns, whose company Laborinc.ca offers in-

In the US., trade show unions evolved from those of carpenters, builders, window display decorators, sign-painters, and other trades. Without a single point of origin, US unions lack a centralized governing body. Labor rates, skills, and processes vary from city to city. Workers are immobilized. A worker who pays dues to his local union in San Francisco cannot work for the union in Chicago.

Although Canada is the largest country in landmass, its population is only 35 million.

(That’s only 10% of a population of 318 million in the US.) Canada simply does not have the population to support disjointed unions. Thus, Canada only has two national unions for trade show installers: The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, which has locations across Canada and the U.S.; and The Labourers’ Union Local 506, which includes laborers from other industries, like hospitality. With only two national unions, the Canadian workforce is free to work across the country. Workers travel to job sites across the country to meet workflow demands.

Crews That Can Do It All

During on-site installation, the frustrating bottleneck of waiting for another union crew is eliminated. Rather than losing hours waiting for electricians to plug-in the monitors, or the rigger to assemble the sign, the single hired crew does it all. Exhibitors are often

surprised at the crew’s speed to execute, and they enjoy the cost and time savings.

During the off-season, crews work on a spectrum of environmental projects, such as permanent installations, retail environments, museums, and millwork. Crossing-over into other disciplines makes work interesting for the workers.

Exhibit installers enjoy working with heavy tools like saws, while traditional carpenters describe configuring the modular trade show exhibits like “an adult Lego set.”

Design/Build Houses Handle Installation, Too

For a US trade show, most exhibitors hire the local crews who know the convention center and belong to the region’s union. However, it’s common for Canadian design/build houses to send their carpenters to install exhibits on-site at the trade shows. (This is common across Europe as well.)

As design / build houses supply their own labor, the I&D supplier segment is significantly smaller than in the US. International exhibitors who hire the general contractor are often surprised when they are required to supply their own tool kits. Independent contractors, however, usually supply their own tools.

Shipping-to and Packing-up

Convention centers in the U.S. are designed for large trade shows and may have 100 docks for receiving shipments.

Some Canadian convention centers, however, have just two. That’s why Kearns always recommends hiring the show’s

contracting freight company.

You’re more likely to get your properties to your exhibit space in time. Otherwise, you run the risk of your hired crew waiting for your freight. When crews stand around, the unnecessary hours and dollars add-up, and the exhibitor becomes anxious.

In the US, access points are limited by the size of the show, so the empty crates are not available until the next morning. Properties are left on the show floor overnight, which can raise concerns for theft and damage. Upon show close in Canada, the “empties” are delivered to the exhibit space quickly, and most exhibitors are packed-up and out within a few hours.

“In the times in which we were not booked to commence dismantling until the morning after the show closing, leaving the exhibit properties out overnight, our crews have arrived in the morning to find our clients’ exhibit is one of the only exhibits left in the hall,” said Kearns.

At show closing time, Kearns recommends that exhibitors have an I&D crew member assist by reviewing shipping details, packing-up collateral materials, securing the exhibit, and taking down lights and shelving. About an hour after the close, the “empties” should arrive and the rest of the crew can start packing-up the properties.

Simplified Exhibiting

While the trade show indus­ try is not as large as in the US, Canada offers a simpler, smaller, and more manageable to exhibit. Work with your independent contractor to source labor.

ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 39

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

HAMILTON EXHIBITS HELPS ALOFT AEROARCHITECTS TO SOAR AT NBAA SHOW

By Jeanne Brei

T

he National Business Aviation Association show, last November in Orlando, Fla., represented the debut of theALOFT AeroArchitects transformation. Formerly known as PATS Aircraft Systems, the 40-yearold company with a heritage of highly innovative products and services, embarked on a complete re-naming and re-branding effort in 2016.

Hamilton Exhibits’ design for the 20’ x 30’ custom exhibit played off the new branding efforts with complimentary textures and surfaces, reflecting the work the company does in outfitting very highend private aircraft interiors.

This was one of the first allnew projects for the Chicago office of Hamilton Exhibits.

Officially launched in September 2015, Hamilton Exhibits–Chicago was created as a sales and design studio for the Indianapolis-based exhibit design and production company. “Our research showed us that it made a lot of sense to establish a presence in this market,” says Dan Cantor, CEO of Hamilton Exhibits.

“With a 200,000 squarefoot production, support and warehousing facility just a few

hours south of Chicago, we felt we could bring a new approach to doing business here.” One of the industries the Chicago team has focused on is business aviation, as there are a number of people in the office with years of experience in that industry.

The team was able to work with three new clients at NBAA 2016 beginning with ALOFT AeroArchitects.

From the outset, the opportunity with ALOFT AeroArchitects was built on face-to- face communication and relationship building. Hamilton Exhibits’ relationship with ALOFT began with an introductory visit with the client at the 2015 NBAA show, and was followed by an in-person meeting at ExhibitorLIVE 2016.

From there, the Hamilton team traveled to ALOFT’s headquarters in Delaware and met with their marketing and sales team, and spent time with their CEO to learn more about their company and their marketing objectives. Jim Obermeyer, VP Hamilton Chicago explains,“Designs were presented in person. And the ALOFT team came to our production facility to view their finished exhibit in our gallery. Contrary to what is more common today–email

RFPs, electronic responses, and procurement-based decisions–this one was built from ground up on face-to-face, person-to-person relationships with the key marketing and sales decision-makers. The way it should be done!”

ALOFT’s requirements for the exhibit space included a private meeting space, a semi-private gathering space and space to include a set of aircraft seating from Italian luxury interior supplier IACOBUCCI. All while remaining comfortable, approachable and not over-crowded. Adding a second story created enough space for all requirements, and added the touch of exclusivity for the private conference space. The 20’ x 30’ space was defined by large SEG graphics on two sides and lightweight louvers set up high on the other two sides. In the upstairs conference space, the louvers provided privacy for their meetings, yet still allowed for ventilation and visibility out. Rather than a forklift and riggers, much of the work was done with scaffolding – including hanging the large SEG graphics, the louvers and the ALOFT backlit logos.

And John Eichten, Sr. VP Continued on p. 42 ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 41

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor Continued from p. 41 Sales & Marketing at ALOFT, says his company was very pleased with the results. ““The Hamilton team won the ALOFT RFP process with a design that met all of our criteria and represented our brand well in the market,” says Eichten. “With our new ALOFT AeroArchitects name we needed to make a solid presence at the NBAA, our biggest and largest attended trade show in our space. The booth was everything we needed and the Hamilton design team brought their “A” game and gave us a design that represented our new brand extremely well. We look forward to many years of good use from this well designed and built booth.”

PROJECT CREDITS Client Team: Max Maxwell, Client Team Director, Jill O’Boyle, Senior Project Manager, Hamilton Exhibits Production Design & Execution: Brady Collier, Production Manager, Hamilton Exhibits Exhibit Design & Construction: Ken McGinnis, Design Director, Hamilton Exhibits Exhibit Installation & Dismantle: Jim Welch, ID Supervisor, Hamilton Exhibits, Labor crew by Momentum Management.

Photography: Jamie Padgett, Padgett & Company Client Contacts: John Eichten, Sr. VP Sales & Marketing; Matt Hill, VP Business Development; Tiffany Coffelt, Marketing Administrator 42 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

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SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

SERVICE CONTRACTORS KEEPING TIME WITH CHANGES TO THE EXHIBITION INDUSTRY

By Cynthya Porter

F

rom the start of the Great Recession to now, the exhibition industry has taken a wild ride, only recently emerging from a veritable free fall that plunged countless businesses into the Recession abyss. Some were never to be heard from again, while others managed to right themselves and hang on long enough to let the worst pass. Research suggests the storm clouds are clearing, but the landscape left behind in the trade show and event marketplace has been permanently altered, and a great many within it have had to adapt to a new environment in order to survive.

For no assemblage is that truer than general service contractors (GSCs), a group that collectively saw its operating revenue as much as halved during the worst years even as providers assumed new responsibilities in order to compete for business. Mergers and acquisitions caused the overall number of players on the field to shrink, but competition between those that remain is more robust than ever, industry officials say. “First, we’ve definitely seen the indus-

44 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

try consolidate as GSCs look to acquire new clients. That, of course, is the major drive of the acquisitions that shrank the GSC universe,” said Dan Cole, executive vice president of trade show and exhibit sales at Hargrove Inc. “But competition remains fiercer than ever, as does the quest for optimal margins and revenue contribution.”

The degree to which a company was impacted during Recession years seemed to depend on its size, said Aaron Bludworth, president and CEO of Fern Exposition and Event Services. “The largest and smallest contractors were probably hit the hardest, the largest due to a decrease in exhibitor participation on the largest shows and the smallest due to lack of diversity,” he said. According to Bludworth, the diversity of Fern’s portfolio insulated the company some, but not all were so lucky. “Not many contractors closed, but some endured significant amounts of pain,” he said.

Jim Gardner, an account executive at Great Lakes Events, believes many smallto medium-sized GSCs found themselves working in a much

wider area to sustain themselves during tough times. And a lot of companies had to make internal adjustments that allowed them to weather the lean years, said Evan Garvey, executive vice president at AGS Expo Services. “We didn’t let anyone go, but everyone took a haircut,” he said. “We needed to do more with less, and we emerged as a much leaner, more efficient industry.”

Some changes spurred by the industry’s economic troubles are here to stay, particularly the shift from solid exhibit construction to lightweight fabric, said Garvey. “The profile of shows changed significantly as people went from heavy, complex displays to lighter displays with printed fabric graphics,” he said. “That seriously reduced the weight on the show floor, which caused budget cuts and impacted how decisions were being made.”

The other new frontier for post-Recession contractors is the increasing need for them to supply a range of services that were never in their domain before. At Global Experience Specialists (GES), said chief sales officer Jeff Quade,

the company has added audiovisual, event accommodations, event strategy, registration, visitor engagement and data to its arsenal of offerings.

Garvey said AGS now works more with drone footage, graphics printing, and surveying. Others speak of similar additions to their wheelhouses, but the main theme among them all is an effort to innovate in order to drive new revenue and be more competitive. “While creativity and innovation have always been a hallmark of our ability to thrive in the marketplace, there’s definitely a healthy pressure to not stand still in the pursuit of these objectives,” said Hargrove’s Cole. “New offerings in terms of technology, marketing services, and data analytics are among

the ways that many GSCs are getting creative in terms of new revenue streams. The secret lies in delivering meaningful results for clients rather than just window dressing.”

Aside from raising revenue, offering more multifaceted services may keep independent general service contractors relevant in an environment where venues and show organizers both might be tempted to offer GSC services themselves in order to keep more revenue closer to home. Cole believes that would be penny-wise but pound-foolish for them, as the duties fall well outside their core capabilities. But he also believes that show organizers increasingly want contractors that are able to help them build their success, not just lay out

the show floor and order pipe and drape. “We’ve found our clients urging us to challenge them, to question their strategies and their tactics, and not to be shy in doing so,” Cole said.

As such, areas such as devising sponsorships or assessing return on investment may have been outside of scope in the past, he said, but not anymore.

Bludworth agrees. “Contractors are expected to be solution providers today instead of stuff providers,” he said.

Essentially, Quade suggests, to compete for the business, contractors need to make themselves indispensable to their clients. “They must provide flawless execution by offering a wide array of services to the exhibitor while simultaneously assisting the organiz-

er with ways to enhance and provide a ‘wow’ experience to the attendee,” he said.

Looking forward, various GSC leaders see an assortment of different things on the horizon, but the thing that none of them see is virtual events. “On show floors, we can still see the real benefit of face-to-face interaction,” said Gardner. “As the economy gets stronger, I feel that the concept of virtual tradeshows will become less attractive.”

Cole expressed the same in even stronger terms. “Personally, over and through the 25 years of my work in the industry, I never had a tremendous amount of confidence in virtual events,” he said. “My boss and mentor at the Consumer Electronic Show puts it best when he says that there is not, nor will there ever be, anything like the five-senses experience of a trade show.”

Individual shows may continue to seek efficiencies by co-locating, GSCs agreed, though Garvey notes that it might be just as likely for one show to consume another with a similar vertical rather than partner with it. Better efficiencies for some can be found in regionalizing instead, he said, which entails offering smaller shows multiple times a year in different geographic regions.

For attendees, he said, such shows can be more convenient, and his clients have found their metrics are on the rise even after breaking a large show into small regional affairs.

Garvey also believes the exhibition industry is pivoting towards an era when more companies will be offering their own large-scale event

rather than participating in industry trade shows. Doing so allows companies to offer a unique experience for attendees that is more brand-heavy and very narrowly focused, he said, which company officials may see as a better way to achieve ROI. Companies may even invite certain partners to exhibit or otherwise participate in those highly branded events, turning them into organizers of sorts themselves.

The difference might be negligible for general service contractors, as the events may still need the broad range of event management services they provide. But the pressure is on small and midsized GSCs to be able to offer enough of those services to compete with the big players on the field for the business.

There are hundreds of general service contractors, or, as some prefer to refer to themselves, official service contractors. But most fall into the realm of small to midsized providers who can find it difficult to compete with the giants in the industry because they cannot offer the same steep discounts or vast bundles of services, or perhaps because the size of a show is at the outer limits of their capabilities. But the landscape is far more competitive for exhibitors and organizers when there are more contractors in it, so some on the smaller side of the playing field advocate more intentional partnerships to help more GSCs vie for business.

There are situations in which a small or mid-sized contractor has been awarded a contract based on the condition Continued on p. 46 ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 45

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

Continued from p. 45 that it partner with another GSC, Gardner said. This has stemmed from a fear that a small company might not have the finances or personnel to produce a large event alone, Gardner explained. Currently, because it is so difficult to compete with industry giants, many smaller GSCs don’t even try for larger, more lucrative events. But it doesn’t have to be that way, he believes. “Small to mid-sized GSCs should form alliances which will allow us to be competitive on larger-scale events,” he said. “We already subcontract to each other as necessary for components such as personnel or equipment. We could take this one step further and write proposals based on temporary partnerships. Such an alliance would create many competitive opportunities.”

Garvey thinks the area where small and mid-size contractors can set themselves apart from larger companies is in an abundance of communication that gets to the heart of what a client needs for their program.

“We have to be better at relationship management,” he said.

“Clients aren’t just a number to us, they are people, and we spend a lot of time sitting down with them to understand their goals. You have to ask yourself how can you help them to do what they do better?”

While size may matter to some degree, what all GSCs really need to be focused on in the future is substance, Bludworth believes. “If technology innovation, marketing support, sponsorship tools, and data analysis isn’t part of your offering, you are heading in the wrong direction, he said. “Fern 46 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

and the other top three contractors are aggressively innovating in these areas, each on our own path and the products and services being delivered are very good for the industry.”

Cole agrees. “In terms of changes to the nature of the work of GSCs and exhibitors, and I should add show management, I think you’ll see the need and even the expectation that GSCs have a firm, sincere grasp of innovation,” he said, “but also the ability to serve as experts in helping show management in communicating the what, why, and how when it comes to changing perceptions and assuaging fears of the positive ramifications of

which we’ve dealt with in the past. All of us - all solution providers - must recognize this fact and leave ‘old-school’ tactics behind.” Among the newschool tactics Cole believes will be at the forefront will be grasping and implementing all manner of innovation and technology without allowing it to replace meaningful communication with clients.

Garvey also believes the exhibition industry will welcome many inexperienced professionals in the future, and that the responsibility is on GSCs to educate them and make the experience less intimidating.

“It can be very overwhelming,” he said, “and while we’re

actually think that the industry is, for the first time in 20 years, evolving in some very complex ways,” he said.

Bludworth doesn’t believe that the industry at its core changed too dramatically during the recession, but he says the contractors and other participants who are now thriving are those who used the time to innovate rather than dwell. “Though already a very efficient company, at Fern we refined our processes, adopted new technologies, made acquisitions, and made creative offers to show organizers whose shows had been significantly impacted,” he said.

“While their former provider

Contractors are expected to be solution providers today instead of stuff providers,” new technologies.”

Cole fears that the industry as a whole is poised to lose its footing if it does not understand, embrace, and employ more people with the millennial mindset. “I’m convinced that there is a danger of falling asleep at the wheel regarding perhaps the biggest development of all in this industry,” he said. “Never before have we seen such a dramatic transformation in the nature and demographics of influencers and final decision makers who hold the key to which contractors will serve them. Millennials see our industry through drastically different prisms.

Their expectations are often vastly different from anything

used to doing things on the fly, we have to want them to be successful too.”

It is just one aspect of servicing clients better that Garvey believes will be instrumental for GSCs that hope to remain viable in a marketplace that has experienced a fairly tumultuous recent past.

Things like the changing roles of GSCs, the questions raised over the role of union labor, the introduction of tech-savvy millennials to the exhibition world, and the unbridled consumption of smaller industry service providers by the largest GSCs have left many wading in uncertain waters, and those intending to stay need to be on top of their game. “I

was reeling (and complaining) about the negative impact, we were providing solutions in the form of different approaches, pricing, products, etc.”

That proactive approach kept the company and others like it ahead of the curve, but no one is ready to speculate whether there is an end to the curve in sight. Without a map to follow, the mode of operation for many is to just keep steering, avoiding anything that looks like an obvious hazard and guessing what might be looming ahead.

Everyone agrees that the industry is entering a new era, but it seems that this, at least for the time being, is what the new frontier of the exhibition world looks like.

FOUNDING GRANTOR

FOUNDATION

SHOP to SHOWFLOOR I&D and Event Labor

48 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

BEMATRIX PARTNER TRAINING Some Work and Some Play Leads to Successful Learning

By Robert Laarhoven, partner/VP of sales, beMatrix

T

wice a year, in June and November beMatrix Partners are invited to US headquarters, based in Norcross, Georgia for two days of product training.

The two day session is geared towards operations staff from beMatrix users and include: designers, detailers, project managers, account managers and exhibit production and installation staff.Over the course of two days, attendees take part in classroom sessions, a plant tour and handson with the beMatrix product itself.

Guests make their own arrangements to travel to Norcross and beMatrix takes care of the rest. When guests arrive they are treated to a welcome reception and meet the beMatrix staff in a relaxed setting. The next morning, guests are shuttled to the Norcross facility where actual training takes place. After a warm welcome and opening remarks, guests are treated to a tour of the 40,000 square foot facility which includes a dynamic 3,000 square foot showroom, as well as spacious production and warehouse facilities that store over $2 million dollars of frames and hardware. Guests are impressed with the efficiency of the production staff which translates into unmatched quick delivery of their orders.

After lunch, and a classroom session devoted to parts and technical information, guests are treated to the highlight of the event - hands on training. Guests are split into small groups and rotate to stations where they set-up and dismantle walls, floors, ceiling, lightboxes and various ac-

cessories. Hands-on with the actual frames confirms that beMatrix truly is a 360 degree solution, not just walls, but the same frames can be used as floors and ceilings as well.

After freshening up at the hotel guests are treated to a dining experience filled with competitive games reinforcing what they have learned that day. In fact, during the course of the training there is a constant focus on reinforcement of what was learned. Each time a guest answers questions correctly about the features and benefits of beMatrix they are awarded tickets to win prizes at the finish of the training.

The highlight of the next day is a discussion of new product development initiatives within beMatrix. During this session guests learn not only about the latest developments but also the long term vision of product development at beMatrix.

Depending on the exact make-up of the training participants, break-out sessions may be offered for designers, engineers or upper management. These sessions are always highly rated on post event questionnaires.

Upon completion of training prizes are awarded and each participant is presented a certificate of completion certifying them as true beManiacs. Post event questionnaires are given out that enable the beMatrix team to make necessary adjustments to bring more value to future Partner Trainings.

2017’s Partner Training will take place June 22, 23 and November 9,10. Please contact Emma Christen at e.christen@bematrix.us for additional information.

ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 49

VENUE SELECTION

“The Industrial Event Space,� one of the amazing new venues Last Minute Venues represents, a few minutes from The Strip in Las Vegas.

Make Last Minute Your First Choice options based on what they are seeking.

that, we have former celebrity mansions, industrial space, out of the box meeting space, event spaces, and reception spaces.

There are so many hidden gems in Las Vegas and we are here to show all the great spaces. A lot of spaces are not advertised, but they do rent out for private parties. When a venue such as a restaurant closes in a hotel, many will still book the space for private events.

What type of venues do you represent?

We represent several restaurant and nightclubs, but beyond

What are some things people need to know before they start looking for a venue?

Continued on p. 52

A ONE-STOP SHOP THAT CAN CREATE A MOST AMAZING EVENT EXPERIENCE, START TO FINISH What is Last Minute Venue?

Last Minute Venues is a venue selection company owned by Melanie Bash and Molly Hoisington. We partner with hundreds of spaces in Las Vegas to bring our clients 50 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

events that fit every budget, request, and space. Our clients are busy enough trying to put together their marketing material, building their booth, and setting up meetings. We send them several

VENUE SELECTION Continued from p. 50 The most important place to start is budget. Set the range of what you want to spend per person or overall.

Las Vegas has venues that can range from $50-250 a person. When a client sends a request without a range of budget, it just wastes their valuable time if we send options out of range. After setting a budget, it is important to know the goal of your event. Do you want a high energy party, a WOW factor, a view of The Strip or an elegant event? After we get the first two ideas, we can send several options with pricing.

What about when a client wants to just rent a hospitality suite and bring their own food?

We get this question from a lot of clients. Renting a hospitality suite can seem like the greatest way to save if you have fewer than 50 guests. However, most hotels are very strict about only using their food and beverages. It is not worth having your networking event or reception get shut down right in the middle. There are some great spaces that are out of the box and are cost effective. Last Minute Venues has venues that rent parts of their semi-private space for very low minimums. You can enjoy a great event and also have access to the rest of their venue if guests want to stay longer.

After the client finds a location, what do you feel is the next best step?

There are several things that need to happen next, in no par52 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

ticular order: selection of the food and beverages; or deciding if you want reception-style with passed appetizers or stations for guests to help themselves.

Think about what type of event you want and really imagine everyone at the event and what would be best. For example, if the guests are coming from the tradeshow floor after a long day, the last thing they might want is to chase a tray around or wait on the server to come back with a tiny bite of shrimp.

Once you have decided on the food and bar flow, it is important to go over a few things with the venue. Always ask about signage. Do they provide any for free, what are the requirements to place signs, and do they have digital screens? Is there any place else you might be able to brand that is free or do they charge? After branding and signage has been decided, move onto linens and décor.

Start with what they offer free, but ask about everything - linen, centerpieces, DJ, lighting, and audio-visual. If you still have budget, bring in entertainment, more décor, cigar-rollers or something fun to really make it a night to talk about.

How does Last Minute Venues create an everlasting experience for parties on a tight budget?

We have been fortunate enough to have thrown several hundred events in the past 15 years. Because of this we have a database and knowledge of venues that will work with a client’s budget.

We can offer food stations at a lower cost and find unique venues that create a memorable event. We partner with each client to find out their

»» Art displays can be used to create

Renting a hospitality suite can seem like the greatest way to save if you have fewer than 50 guests. “ specific goals and expectations for their event so we may send them some great options within their price range. Each of our venues has something wonderful to offer that will create an event that guests will talk about for weeks to come.

How can you use easy decor to make your event design have a wow factor in the party venue? »» Creating a unique lay out can grab guests’ attention the moment they enter. Having the buffet in the middle of the room shaped as an X and up-lit with gobo lights really pops; this will set your event apart from the rest. »» Use color to tie in items in the event - linens, plates, chairs, skirting etc. Contrasting colors make rooms stand out; you can use standard black linens from the hotel and bring in bright yellow flowers or lighted branches for an inexpensive look. »» Food display can be done in creative ways and add an exciting element to your event. Edible items can be used as cool centerpieces on buffet stations and tables.

a classy and elegant look for your event. Many local artists would love to have a showcasing opportunity at no additional cost to your budget. »» Utilize natural elements in your event design to keep costs down such as branches, or wildflowers.

These elements are lower in cost than traditional floral arrangements. »» Discount fabrics can add color and unique ambiance to your event. Draping can add so much to the space and can also create an intimate atmosphere in a large space. »» Lighting - with all the new lighting options, you can create a dramatic room for a lower price than taking a theme and using standard décor. »» If in a venue, see if they will offer any specialty linens or upgraded linens at no charge. »» Ask hotel or venue to add centerpieces at no cost. »» Pipe and Drape a room and use up-lighting. »» Use no cost social media; create hash tags and encourage guests. »» These ideas can give you some great ways to create a beautiful event that is affordable and unique.

How is Last Minute Venues connected to other party vendors in servicing the clients’ needs?

Last Minute Venues has partnerships with event party vendors who are able to give our clients VIP special pricing to meet all needs. From caterers, to decor, to staging, lighting, DJ’s, entertainers and all other services, please visit lastminutevenueslv.com. To book any of our unique venues please contact Melanie@lastminutevenueslv.com, Molly@ lastminutevenueslv.com or call 702-497-9169.

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TEN QUESTIONS

Kevin Dana, CORT Events Exec. Dir. of Marketing and Product Dev. How did you enter the whole meetings furnishings industry?

I started in the industry with CORT in 2011. The events and meeting industry was young and there weren’t that many furniture rental providers at that time.

CORT’s trade show and events department grew out of our office rental division.

As trade shows and events grew, furnishings became integral to helping support a client’s overall brand and messaging. In the mid 2000’s the market really changed and CORT changed along with it. We started developing unique, proprietary, high-end lounge furnishings to meet client demand for upscale and modern rental products. In the last five years, we’ve been focused on creating exposition and meeting environments that are engaging, inspirational and comfortable.

What are the duties and responsibilities of a director of marketing and product development?

I have a dual role that allows me to travel to furniture markets in the U.S. and Europe and determine trends in the furniture industry such as style, color, materials, etc.

I also attend dozens of trade show and event industry shows a year to assess how overall furniture trends can be applied to the meeting, events, and exposition mar54 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

textured fabrics and natural materials bring warmth to otherwise sterile spaces.

Using faux greenery, such as boxwood hedges, trees and other natural looking elements helps achieve this look and feel.

kets. I conceptualize CORT’s collections based on this and then develop products that mirror overall trends and address the specific needs of our industry. On the marketing side, I have responsibility for driving brand and marketing strategy across all channels – print, digital, website, social, and experiential for both the exposition and event sides of the business.

Why are organic and earthy environments increasingly

important in today’s event design trends?

The world is so chaotic and fast paced, and technology is ever changing. Natural environments inspired by organic and earth-centric elements help people relax and provide a sense of calm in this hectic world. Additionally, millennials want to go to an event where they’re comfortable.

When they’re surrounded by a familiar environment, they’re more open to be engaged and ready to learn. Rich

What kind of eclectic modern designs are popular now and why?

Danish modern and mid-century inspired furnishings are trending right now. Rich textured fabrics in earth tones and all shades of gray help provide a clean soft palette to layer colorful accents such as pillows, rugs, décor and lamps that customize designs for a specific brand or theme. I’m a big fan of eclecticism in design.

Combining faux fur, velvets, and materials like wood, metal and marble create a fresh, individualized event space.

Attendees appreciate these designs that are iconic, feel familiar and hearken back to the mid-20th century.

Functionality is so important to the millennial generation.

How do your designs satisfy their needs?

Millennials continue to blur the lines of work and leisure.

Technology is everywhere.

Event attendees are always connected to their mobile devices. Similar to how someone might work in a coffee shop, Continued on p. 56

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TEN QUESTIONS

Continued from p. 54 event attendees like to work in a communal environment when they’re not in meetings.

Planners need to think about how they’re going to accommodate that technology and our designs can help.

Incorporating charging capabilities into tables and soft seating is a great way to accommodate the devices that everyone is using during an event. Nearly every conference, meeting or event must have a charging lounge that seamlessly blends this functionality into the furniture.

It’s a great way to maintain the look and feel of design while meeting practical needs.

Planners are looking to create comfortable spaces at conferences with charging capabilities to help their attendees stay connected during the meeting. This summer, CORT is releasing a stylish on-trend gray meeting chair with a smaller profile. The Tech Tablet Chair has charging outlets built into the design and can be easily daisy chained together with power. It also helps keep aisles clear with a storage area underneath for personal belongings.

How has technology made your industry easier, including solving problems, and is there anything new on the horizon?

One of the biggest ways technology has changed our industry is the evolution in diagramming and space planning software. What used to require in-depth software knowledge can now be done with user-friendly tools in minutes. CORT is the first rental company in the indus56 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

try to offer 3D space planning technology free of charge to its clients with its integration of the Social Tables space planner on CORT’s website, cortevents.com. Clients can design their event in 2D, view, collaborate and share in 3D, then automatically request quotes for CORT products based on their design – all at no extra charge.

What does CORT Trade Show & Furnishings bring to the table that makes it stand out from competitors?

CORT has nearly 20 years of trade show and event furniture rental experience and a national footprint that is unmatched in our industry.

We lead in product innovation and have the most comprehensive collection of rental furniture, lighting and décor in the U.S., and we stock large quantities of our inventory.

We pioneered the exposition and event furniture rental concept and continue to seek ways to bring exciting new products to market.

Besides tradeshows and conferences, what other kinds of special events do you specialize in?

In addition to tradeshows and conferences, the CORT Events division specializes in large traveling road shows that require large quantities in multiple markets and we can furnish special events both small and large, from weddings to sporting events. We recently furnished the Waste Management Phoenix Open, partnering with Pro Em Party & Events.

It’s the largest single special event in the country and we brought in more than 12 trailers of furniture (over 9,000 pieces) with 36 CORT team members on site to create multiple loung-

es on the course, in tents and in large temporary structures.

Already the industry leader, what’s next on the horizon for CORT Trade Show & Furnishings?

We’ll continue to invest in innovation and technology to make it easier for our customers to do business with CORT – wherever they are – and look for more cutting edge products that serve the evolving needs of today’s event customers.

When not up to your ears in tradeshow furniture issues, what do you do for fun and relaxation?

I’m an avid oenophile and spend most weekends relaxing at our ranch in West Sonoma County, California, gardening, tending to our chickens and of course drinking lots of great Russian River pinot noir!

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ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 57

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS EXTRA

Latin America Becomes the New Frontier for Many Trade Show Managers CONFIDENCE AMONG LATIN AMERICAN EVENT ORGANIZERS IS BOOMING AS REVENUE FIGURES OUTPACE MUCH OF THE WORLD AND MORE EXHIBIT MANAGERS THAN EVER ARE EYEING ITS GROWING SHOW SELECTION.

BY AMBER JOHNSON

According to the most recent research of UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, optimism is flying high in the trade show world, and nowhere is that optimism more buoyant than Latin America. Nations from Mexico to Argentina are emerging as important destinations for global exhibitions, and many trade show managers in the United States are for the first time contemplating heading south to take part.

Consider this: There are more than 6,600 Latin American trade fairs registered on nTradeshows.com – a compendium of global trade shows – and while many are small consumer shows, a significant number are on par with large international events that Europe used to corner the market on a decade ago. With major metropolitan areas such as those found in Mexico City and Sao Paolo, Mexico and Brazil are the most established Latin American countries in the exhibition industry. But now smaller neighbors such as Columbia, Chile, Uruguay, and Panama are coming into their own with organizers and venues competing for larger and larger slices of the trade show pie.

So sturdy is the industry in Brazil that 90 percent of organizers surveyed by UFI 58 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

said they expect their profits to increase during the coming year. In Mexico, 86 percent of organizers said they expect increased profits by year’s end. Views were more conservative in the remainder of Central and South America, with just 43 percent overall saying they believe increased revenue is on the horizon. Even so, 60 percent reported increases in their operating profits in 2016 and another 30 percent said their profits held steady with the year before – a success rate that outpaced Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the Middle East, China, and the United States.

The burgeoning success of Latin American trade show markets is not without its threats, however. In Mexico particularly, 60 percent of organizers surveyed say they expect some negative impact to come from the current political landscape. With the relationship of Mexico and the United States hanging in the balance of President Donald Trump’s promised border wall, another 20 percent say they just don’t know what will happen.

Thirteen percent say they anticipate a significant positive impact to come from changing world politics, though researchers note that the question was framed not only around the U.S. presidential election

but also the United Kingdom’s “Brexit” vote and a failed coup attempt in Turkey.

Though farther removed from any direct political conflict with the United States, 45 percent of Brazilian organizers said they expect some limited negative impacts due to recent political developments, and 18 percent said they are not sure what will happen. Uncertainty in the remainder of Central and South America was far greater, with just 8 percent saying they expected some negative impact and 58 percent saying they were not sure what was to come.

If the relationship between the United States and Mexico sours, the impact could be that Mexico reacts by limiting U.S. access to its trade shows, some in the industry speculate, or by tightening its borders to the point that bringing in exhibition materials to participate in events becomes inordinately difficult.

At present, Mexico is widely considered the easiest place to exhibit when compared to other Latin American countries, primarily because the government has a well-established exhibition industry with import rules in place to facilitate access to the country by visiting exhibitors. And because that access plays a large part in a nation’s success attracting international clientele, many in the industry are keeping a watchful eye on U.S./Mexico political developments as they evolve over the coming weeks and months.

As anyone who has tried to ship goods to Brazil for a trade show will attest, tightened restrictions bring some significant headaches to international exhibiting. Tales of shipments sitting in customs at a Brazil port well past the date of an exhibition are common because the documentation requirements are extreme and the smallest error can grind the process to a halt. Sometimes a shipment gets delayed in customs even when paperwork is completed meticulously, and for that reason, many trade show experts in Latin America advise international clients to obtain everything possible in the country.

Besides, said Adriana Macedo, director at the Sao Paolo-based exhibit house Continued on p. 60

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ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 59

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS EXTRA

Continued from p. 58 Upwards Stands, shipments to Brazil plus the customs process take an inordinate amount of time and are extremely expensive, making a build-and-burn or rental exhibit more cost effective and less trouble in the long run.

At a minimum, Macedo said, exhibitors must use the services of experts to navigate clearing customs for any shipped items. In fact, local experts are likely the key to success for all aspects of exhibiting, she said. “It is better to have a local stand builder who takes care of 100 percent of the local services,” Macedo said, “because U.S. exhibitors who are not familiar with local prices will almost certainly pay too much for them when negotiating on their own.”

While it is universally agreed that Brazil is the most difficult country to clear customs in and Mexico is the easiest, it bears mentioning that among the 20 countries and six dependent territories that make up Latin America, the rules that affect exhibitors are not the same in any two places. “Prepare to deal Bernardo with different customs Szulanski process in different countries throughout Latin America,” said Bernardo Szulanski, president of QUIKEN - an Argentinian exhibit house - and author of Generando Negocios (Generating Business), a book that focuses on how to participate productively in Latin American exhibitions. Brazil is the most challenging country to exhibit in, Szulanski said, followed by Argentina, particularly because the country has an ever-changing set of import rules. Mexico, Uruguay and Chile are among the easiest. “As a rule of thumb,” he said, “the higher a country’s import duty rates are, the more difficult it will be clear customs. Conversely, the lower a country’s duty rates, the less difficult the customs process is.”

Complicating the logistics of getting materials to a show is the fact that, in many cases, exhibitors need multiple modes of transportation including ships, planes, 60 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

QUIKEN of Argentina helped Ecotermo, a Central American manufacturer of hot water heaters, to transition its exhibition program into this modular display that can go from 3x3 feet to 10x30 feet to adjust to the company’s needs at a variety of exhibitions and road shows.

trains, trucks, or all of the above, said Szulanski. That is particularly true in larger or long countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, and Chile.

Exhibitors are not likely to be charged drayage anywhere in Latin America, but they are also likely to never see their shipment again if they send their goods to the venue, said Anne Madrid, the international director at Mexico City-based Gpo DISplay. “Never send anything directly to the show floor because there is nobody there to receive anything,” she explained.

Madrid and Szulanski both agree with Macedo that local partners are key to a positive exhibiting experience throughout Latin America. The materials, work practices, customs, and business expectations are different, and understanding the nuances of those differences from one country to the next will be difficult for someone from outside of the region.

For example, in interpersonal dealings,

introductions are more formal in Chile, Ecuador, and Columbia than in other Latin American countries, Madrid said, while having a beautiful girl serving as a hostess in the exhibit is more highly regarded in Venezuela. Macedo believes it is easier to find a large number of qualified contractors in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile than it is in other countries. Spanish is the predominate language in most of Latin America, but in Brazil, Szulanski said, the prevalent language is Portuguese.

But there are other things that are universally true throughout Latin America.

One commonality is that this culture as a whole requires less personal space than what is common in the United States. But while colleagues hug, kiss on the cheek, casually touch one another during a conversation, and are generally more emotionally expressive, it would be wrong to mistake that behavior as casual. Formality and decorum are extremely important in Latin American society, Madrid explained, and visitors are advised to study proper Continued on p. 62

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ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 61

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS EXTRA

Continued from p. 60 etiquette if they plan to interact with Latinos. Macedo agrees. “To use your hands to eat is considered highly disgusting in Brazil,” she said, “even for sandwiches and pizza.” Likewise, burping is out, but alcohol, even at lunch, is usually in. “No matter the income level,” Madrid said, “a person is expected to know how to eat properly and carry himself in a way that shows class. In business, this becomes even more important since a lot of the interactions are around a dining table.”

The reason meals are intertwined so heavily in business is two-fold. Practically speaking, most venues don’t have spaces for hospitality suites away from the show floor, so entertaining must be done in a restaurant setting. But also, breaking bread together is considered one of the integral components of building the relationship needed to do business. Those meals can go on for hours, though this setting can also be where deals are closed if an exhibitor handles the relationship correctly.

Because a prerequisite for business is a personal relationship, Szulanski explained, things like sharing meals, drinks, or small talk about topics such as a person’s family or hobbies are crucial. “People in Latin America are more emotionally involved with clients than in the U.S.” he said. “They express more emotions through their body language and involve their family in social events with their clients. It is a mistake to try to talk about business too soon.”

“Latin Americans do business with people; Americans do business with companies,” Madrid said. “If you want to do business, you need to devote time to knowing the person you are dealing with on a more personal level. They need to know and trust their business counterparts. If there is no connection or affinity, the deal may be off.”

But even when getting chummy with potential clients, know your station, experts advise, and dress the part. “In Latin America,” said Madrid, “you can tell if a person is at a managerial level by how they dress. The higher the job title, the 62 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

more dressed up the person will be. For men this means wearing a suit with a vest if at an executive level. A lower level executive may wear a suit, and a manager will wear a shirt and tie. Non-managers will adopt the business-casual look.” Women have more latitude in their manner of dress, Madrid said, but they will often wear tailored suits and dresses. In areas where it is exceptionally hot, executives will sometimes go without ties, but no one ever dresses casually enough to wear jeans in a trade show environment.

In Mexico, 86 percent of organizers said they expect increased profits by year’s end.”

Executives should be addressed formally, and they should receive a nicer gift than the subordinates who visit an exhibit with them. And they will most likely have lower level people with them, Madrid said, because decision making nearly always involves a group process.

When it comes to preparing to exhibit and working at a show, there are a few other universal similarities among Latin American countries that are significantly different than operating procedures in the United States.

Show floors are not well secured, Szulanski said, particularly during setup and tear down, and things can easily walk away from a display in the bedlam of install or dismantle. For that reason, he advises an exhibitor have someone whose job specifically is to oversee those processes. Also, he said, hiring security to watch over valuable items in a display is always a good idea.

Materials requested by an exhibitor for

an exhibit may not be available or may come at an exorbitant cost, Macedo said.

In addition, quality standards for workmanship or finishes may be different than what an exhibitor is expecting. As such, exhibitors should be prepared to consider substitutions, have product samples sent to them, and communicate heavily about design specifications in order to ensure they will be happy with the final product.

In-booth hospitality is an elaborate affair, typically featuring alcohol, canapes, sandwiches, and even hot meals.

Graphics will need to be translated into Spanish or, in Brazil, Portuguese, but this translation should be done by a native speaker of the local language who can spot misuses of words or offensive language, as there are variations throughout the region.

It is a haggling society, and vendors will likely expect you to ask for deals when arranging for your show needs. By the same token, potential clients who are Latino will not be shy about asking for a deal when they are contemplating business with you.

And, finally, time is relative in Latin America, more of a ballpark than anything. That may result in meetings starting an ending late, meals lasting much longer than ordinary in the United States, or show floor hours that vary slightly.

“The ‘time is money’ concept does not apply in Latin America,” said Madrid.

“They are very laid back when it comes to time. It’s not a disrespect towards other people, it’s simply how people are. Latin Americans do not share the same sense of urgency as their U.S. counterparts.

Your sales staff will have to slow down.”

While slowing down may help the sales funnel along, it also might cultivate some Latin American expertise on your team, and if UFI’s research is correct, you’re going to need it. New exhibition venues are springing across Latin America up in places like Panama City, Panama, and San Jose, Costa Rica, and nearly 100 percent of survey respondents say they are working on new activities for the trade show and event industry. Considering that, it would seem Latin America has good reason for its boundless optimism.

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ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 63

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

Free Trade Talks Cause Unrest in Exhibition Industry

BY CYNTHYA PORTER

When the North American Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada was enacted in 1994, it created the largest free trade area in the world, linking what officials estimate to be some 444 million people producing $17 trillion in goods and services. Though politicians have differing opinions regarding the overall benefit of the agreement for the United States, few will dispute that NAFTA eliminated borders and streamlined trade between countries in a way that many companies reaped profits from.

At its core, NAFTA is about importing and exporting goods without tariffs between the three member countries of North America. But it is intrinsically tied to the exhibition industry because those traded goods are virtually all marketed to a NAFTA audience via a trade show marketplace. As such, myriad exhibitions catering to industries participating in the cross-border trade have flourished, and exhibitors at those shows have become accustomed to finding a receptive audience for their products regardless of where the show was taking place thanks to the absence of additional taxes.

However, President Donald Trump positioned NAFTA among his campaign promises as something he would repeal, and even the suggestion that it will be rolled back in the future is causing upheaval in some trade show market64 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

places. Already, U.S. exhibitors are reporting that sales are down at shows catering to Canadian buyers as currency value has fluctuated since last fall’s election. But others, particularly those in the automotive industry with production in Mexico, say that while nothing has adversely affected them yet, they are wary of changes to the agreement that could ultimately render their products more expensive in the marketplace and, as such, less competitive.

Detractors of NAFTA are quick to point out that the agreement appears to have had an imbalanced impact between Mexico, Canada, and the United States. But the imbalance can’t be measured exactly across country lines, or even industry lines, as there are winners and losers in the trade game in a variety of unexpected places. In agriculture, for example, U.S. tomato growers have long lamented the negative impact imported produce from Mexico has had on their livelihood. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that tomato production in Florida - where production is highest in the country - has dropped by 41 percent since NAFTA’s inception. Cotton growers, however, have benefitted from NAFTA, as it gives their cotton preference for Mexican-made textiles. If Mexican garments were to incorporate fibers from non-NAFTA nations, then they would not enjoy the same free trade perks in North America, meaning

the addition of tariff’s totaling anywhere from 17 to 32 percent.

Likewise, while some states and industries as a whole are trading at a deficit with Mexico or Canada, others operate on the positive side of the arrangement, leaving a mixed bag of results when various groups are surveyed on their NAFTA position.

Mexican officials said they are open to modernizing the agreement, but they have promised retaliation against border taxes for Mexican goods. Canadian officials have indicated a similar willingness to make adjustments to the agreement, but some say perhaps a better approach for Canada is to make specific trade agreements with individual states where it shares a great deal of commerce.

And Trump’s transition team has issued recent statements suggesting that his promise to repeal the legislation may be replaced by a more measured approach that promotes tweaks in certain areas rather than tearing up the agreement. For the exhibition industry, the debate creates considerable uncertainty, as with no real idea yet what may transpire, no one is quite sure at this point who might be affected or to what degree.

For all, it will be a waiting game through upcoming political machinations to see what repercussions for the exhibition industry will hang in the balance of any future changes to trade.

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AIPC

Government Support Must Be Earned

BY GEOFF DONAGHY – AIPC PRESIDENT

Whether or not we like it, or even think much about it, most of us in the Meetings Industry are heavily dependent on government support.

Government investments fund the development of major facilities in most parts of the world. Government policies determine to a large extent attendance and participation at many events. And government immigration, trade and access decisions heavily influence the conditions that either facilitate or obstruct the global exchanges we represent.

So it’s important that governments – and the communities they represent – see the value in what we do. And that value must be in terms that matter to them, not just us, if we are to

enjoy ongoing support.

That’s why it’s become increasingly important to ensure our industry is seen not just as a source of visitor revenues but a major contributor to key areas like global economic, academic and professional development that contribute in a direct and significant way to a wide range of government policy objectives. The challenge to governments – who remain the major investor in this area due to their typical role as owner / operators of the major convention facilities that make this all possible - is how to measure the return on their investment in as realistic a way as possible.

This is not as easy as it sounds – because the kind of narrow value definition ap-

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66 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

plied for so many years doesn’t even begin to capture the real range of benefits we deliver.

It’s time for a more realistic approach because investment decisions need to be made on the basis of measures that address the full spectrum of benefits rather than simply those related to visitor spending.

So what do we say to governments about our role and value? The starting point is a realization that the myriad of organizations and associations that count meetings, conventions and exhibitions amongst their key organizational responsibilities do so because of what they achieve in terms of business, professional and organizational advancement – and this is where the greatest benefits lie for governments and communities as well.

This means that beyond the “tourism effect” - and the associated incremental jobs and derived tax revenues it generates for governments – there is what might best be called event outputs – those business, professional and academic advancements that result from meetings and events and include not only such economic rewards as inward investment, talent attraction, knowledge transfer and innovation / creation that directly support economic policies but also impact many other areas of government policy and responsibility

The broader values we deliver are never going to be easy to measure with precision …” like health care, education and employment readiness.

Once governments realize the breadth of these impacts on their own policy priorities they start to understand why this is an industry in which they need to support and invest. The broader values we deliver are never going to be easy to measure with precision - but they still need to be taken into account in order to support good investment decisions, particularly with public money. This is our job – and our responsibility - as an industry and it’s long overdue.

Geoff Donaghy is CEO at the International Convention Centre Sydney and Director of Convention Centres AEG Ogden. Donaghy also represents AIPC on peak global body, the Joint Meetings Industry Council. For further information please contact marianne. de.raay@aipc.org or visit www.aipc.org.

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CONVENTION CENTER SPOTLIGHT

EAT Huey’s 24/7 Diner is named for Louisiana legend Huey Long. Huey’s offers 24-hour breakfast service, a wicked good lunch and free Wi-Fi, all a short walk from the Morial Convention Center.

Try the grounds of The Old Coffee Pot. Don’t let the PR departments at the bigger, fancier, pricier tourist-trap restaurants fool you. The Old Coffee Pot, in the French Quarter, serves top-notch Creole delicacies. Tucked away on Peter Street, the restaurant is frequented mainly by locals and by traveling connoisseurs who have done their research.

SLEEP

New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

By Kathy Anaya

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his newly renovated 1.1 million sq. ft. convention center offers contiguous exhibit space for all exhibitors, making it the 6th largest convention facility in the world, ranked in the top 10 facilities to hold the most convention and tradeshows each year.

After the exhibit halls close, convention-goers can enjoy renowned restaurants and fine music to relax and visit some of the world’s most famous attractions in the French Quarter and the Garden District. New Orleans attracts millions of visitors a year and the city is in a state of ongoing celebration year round.

The Morial center offers food and beverage services with a wide range of culinary options to satisfy even the most discerning customers. You can also continue taking care of business at the Business Center, where they

68 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

provide supplies, shipping, copying, faxing and everything right down to badge chains.

For first-time exhibitors or mainstays, the staff offers impeccable personalized service. From determining internet, electrical or plumbing to telecommunications, they will eliminate the guesswork when planning exhibits and insure exhibitors a great experience at their shows.

The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center offers free enrollment in their One2One program, which will keep you abreast of advance deadline discounts to help save money and have a presence on show site during events to help with anything else that might arise.

For attendees, the center offers parking for those with disabilities and scooters to get around the show. Plus, service animals are welcomed inside.

The Le Pavilion Hotel is a charming reminder of the “grand hotel” tradition - chock full of crystal chandeliers, marble, sculpture, art and antiques. Also known as “The Belle of New Orleans,” the hotel boasts the largest gas lantern in the U.S., a suite containing Napoleon’s bathtub, and a storied portrait of a French lady that hangs on the wall of the hotel’s Crystal Room. On the National Register of Historic Places, Le Pavilion is just minutes from the Morial Center, in the heart of Downtown NOLA.

PLAY The National D-Day Museum opened in 2000, an island of sobriety in the middle of a city known for its lack thereof. Exhibits cover far more than the Normandy invasion; the museum serves as the country’s general World War II museum. It is surprisingly engaging, moving and ultimately uplifting. For museum hours or additional info, visit www.ddaymuseum.org.

The Rebirth Brass Band is playing somewhere tonight. Just check the local newspaper. Concert-goers are guaranteed a good time every time the band steps onto the stage, playing its hip-hop and rocktinged nouveau Second Line music. Going to a Rebirth show is the best possible lastnight-in-NOLA activity. It will lift your spirits all the way home and hold you over until the next time you come back.

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or email KathyA@ExhibitCityNews.com ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 69

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

People on the Move

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vents DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, has hired Emily Thornell as the new director of corporate partnerships. Ms. Thornell joins Events DC after serving as the senior marketing manager at Fannie Mae. With more than 20 years of experience in business development, Thornell will lead the cultivation of strategic relationships with local, regional and national companies and brands in support of Events DC’s mission and corporate objectives.

Focusing on maximizing relationships with current and prospective sponsors, Thornell also seeks to identify synergies across all Events DC partnerships.

TradeTec Skyline, a full-service B2B exhibit house specializing in trade show displays and services, events, and corporate environments is pleased to announce the promotion of Abby Georgacopoulos to director of marketing. Georgacopoulos joined TradeTec as marketing manager in August 2015.

She draws on her extensive experience in marketing, communications, digital media, and project management to develop and execute concrete strategies and processes for the company. In just a year with TradeTec, Georgacopoulos spearheaded the launch of a new website and a successful social media strategy, and has partnered with client marketing teams to plan and execute data-driven trade show campaigns.

On Location, a nationwide provider of labor and management services for exhibits, events and environments, is pleased to announce the promotion of Daniel Houston (right) to account executive. Houston has been with On Location since February 2015,

70 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

By Exhibit City News

working as an account manager to support client relationships and acting as a primary liaison between sales and field operations.

His role will shift to one of new business development and customer acquisition.

He will also remain a key resource for those clients he has supported to date with the company. Before joining On Location, Houston worked for Formatech Exhibits as an account executive.

In response to consecutive years of major growth and expanding capabilities, Zenith Lighting, Inc. has named long time team member Adam Vidaurri (left) as chief operating officer of the nearly 30-year-old event and stage lighting company.

Vidaurri joined Zenith Lighting in 2010 and quickly moved into a sales manager role and then more recently into the role of general manager for the company’s South Florida location. During his time with Zenith, Vidaurri has helped grow the company from a focus almost strictly on stage lighting rentals into a broader range of offerings including attraction and venue lighting installations, special event lighting, and trade show/ convention rentals.

The Inside Track is proud to announce that Monty Daniel has been promoted to vice president of sales and business development.

“There’s no better feeling than receiving emails and phone calls from our clients telling us how much smoother their show or event ran using our products, as well as how much money they saved,” says Daniel, “and we receive those great comments on a weekly basis.”

Don Herr also recently accepted the position of general manager of The Inside Track’s Atlanta Distribution Center, where he also serves as director of design.

Herr is no stranger to the company, as he built The Inside Track’s website 14 years ago and has maintained it ever since, so he has always had a deep knowledge of The Inside Track’s products and services. “Don’s management skills and problem solving abilities have allowed us to seamlessly handle our growing volume of flooring and furniture business.” stated Monty Daniel.

Sho-Link Chicago is proud to announce its new Assistant City Manager, Stephan Mahoney (above left). He started in the industry in October of 2005 in Las Vegas as a timekeeper for a larger general contracting company. He then began an apprenticeship as a Teamster and quickly became a Journeyman Teamster. During his time in Vegas, Mahoney moved up to a lead and working foreman for several different departments. “Working in one of the busiest cities in the world for tradeshows was by far the best place to learn” says Mahoney. “The overall quantity of issues that we faced and solved offered a vast amount of knowledge for this business.”

Hill & Partners, a full-service provider for Branded Environments, announces the promotion of Amy Connery to director of culture and talent. As part of Hill & Partners’ initiative of collaboration and expansion, Connery’s primary responsibilities are fostering cultural growth and development with the internal team, setting the organization up for success. Connery began her career more than 8 years ago at Hill & Partners.

Hill & Partners also announces the promotion of Joe Brosnan (above left) to director of accounts.

In this new role, Brosnan directs and Continued on p. 72

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Continued from p. 70 oversees all client service activity, bringing his acute focus on relationship management to the forefront of the organization. Brosnan started out as an account manager, spearheading such accounts as Samsonite and Stanley Tools.

Prior, he spent fifteen years working in tradeshow and event management.

Hill & Partners also announces the promotion of Whitney Crowley to event project manager. She will also be taking on the title of billing manager. In her new roles, Crowley will coordinate event-specific projects and provide financial assistance and make sure everything between both departments runs smoothly. Crowley has more than fifteen years of experience in the trade show and events industry.

Hill & Partners has also recently welcomed two new members to their account management and marketing teams. Brittani Hunter joined Hill & Partners as a project manager. Hunter comes from a background in trade show experience, including director of sales and special event management roles. Hill & Partners also brought on Kelsey Miner as their new marketing coordinator. With a degree in Strategic Communications from Elon University, Miner’s experience in marketing varies across several industries, and she previously worked as a regional sales manager in the appliance industry.

Coastal International Inc., national provider of exhibit services, announces the promotion of Shelley Cowperwait (above right) to Las Vegas regional manager. She will have the primary responsibility of operations for all of Las Vegas and surrounding communities.

“Shelley has proven herself, a key part of our success over the past six years with her administrative and project manage72 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

ment, support of our Las Vegas operations. We are excited to promote her to this vital role, in leading one of our largest operational locations,“ said Dee Randall, director at Coastal International.

Sho-Link welcomes William “Bill” Force (left), who has accepted the position of Las Vegas show floor foreman, joining the team with 35 years management experience. Originally from Nashville, he got started in the business in 1993, moving to Las Vegas in 2000 and serving as assistant city manager to one of the larger I&D houses.

Force figured out after not working for a few months that it was not time for his retirement after all.

Sho-Link is also proud to announce that Leandra Spontak (right) has accepted the position of new Southern California city manager. She has been in the Sho-Link family for 11 years, working as a lead, a floor manager, traveling supervisor, and assistant city manager. “I am excited to accept the new role. I will continue with pre-show planning with our members and clients. My goals are to exceed clients’ expectations and elevate their tradeshow experiences,” says Spontak.

Edlen Electrical Exhibition Services is pleased to announce promotions in its Las Vegas and Southern California offices. Congratulations to Jennifer Maloney, who has recently been promoted to general manager. Maloney joined Edlen in 2008 and is responsible for the day to day operations in Edlen’s Las Vegas office.

Edlen’s Southern California team is also pleased to announce Amber Fleming’s (right) promotion to di-

rector of event services. Fleming joined Edlen in 2011 and is responsible for the day to day operations in Edlen’s Pasadena office. Prior to her time at Edlen, she managed events for the University of Redlands and served as a publicist for music artists and music award shows.

Peter Jordan, an experienced trade show exhibit craftsman with a background in architectural design and planning, has joined Exhibit Systems as a designer on its creative team. Jordan designs exhibits that draw visitors and stimulate interaction, the bases of effective trade show marketing. His processes incorporate drawings, creating custom components, and fashioning layouts that stand out from the crowd. He comes to Exhibit Systems from Triad Creative Group, where he worked five years as a designer on trade show, marketing and museum projects.

After earning a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2007, he honed his skills at two Milwaukee-area architectural firms.

GES is pleased to announce the addition of Heather Rosenow as vice president, client relations. Rosenow brings more than 20 years of industry experience in program strategy, tradeshow marketing and client service. Prior to joining GES, Rosenow served as vice president of sales and marketing at ImpactXM and previously worked at face-to-face marketing agency Derse, where she served various executive roles, including vice president of client strategic services, vice president of marketing and vice president of sales.

Rosenow has led strategy, marketing and account teams and helped them provide engaging and innovative creative solutions to their clients’ exhibition marketing challenges.

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

pork, sweet-spicy glaze, frisée salad, apples, radish and lemon vinaigrette.

S’mores French Toast (pictured) at Breakfast Republic in North Park With an all-breakfast menu, Breakfast Republic is where locals go for the day’s most important. The highlight of their menu is the s’mores French toast, which features a decadent graham-cracker crust and thick-sliced brioche bread topped with toasted marshmallows and chocolate sauce.

Señor Croque -at The Crack Shack in Little Italy The Crack Shack offers relaxed al fresco dining with a full bar, bocce ball and a giant chicken statue that actually crows.

The señor croque is a hearty, messy chicken sandwich made with crispy free-range chicken, bacon, fried egg, cheddar cheese and miso-maple butter on a brioche bun.

From Meaty to Meatless and Spicy to Sweet New food trends, accessibility of fresh ingredients, a tight collaboration between local and celebrity chefs alike and a strong influence from the Mexican border have all made San Diego a playground for food lovers. The following are eight of the hottest dishes for visitors to discover the true flavor of San Diego.

Shrimp and Bone Marrow Sopes at Bracero Cocina de Raiz in Little Italy Bracero Concina de Raiz exemplifies San Diego’s signature Cali-Baja cuisine and diners have been packing the place since 74 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

it opened in 2015. Its popular shrimp and bone marrow sopes features fresh shrimp, bone marrow, fried parsley and chile de arbol served on a thick tortilla of fried masa.

Seared Cauliflower Steak at Kindred in South Park One of San Diego’s quirkiest restaurants, The all-vegan Kindred offers creative cocktails and a dinner menu of snacks, salads, main dishes and sweets. A favorite is the seared cauliflower steak: grilled cauliflower topped with orange squash purée, tahini beets, puff pastry and steak sauce.

Pork Belly App at Carnita’s Snack Shack in North Park While San Diego is vegan-friendly, Carnitas Snack Shack is where “vegans go bad,” although it does offer vegetarian options.

Home to all things pork related, it’s actually a no-bun dish prepared with braised duroc

Devil’s Dozen “Benny” at Firehouse at Pacific Beach Is it a doughnut? Eggs benedict? It’s actually both, a vanilla-bean glazed doughnut from Devil’s Dozen local doughnut shop, topped with maple-peppercorn bacon, poached eggs, lemon hollandaise and side of potatoes. Snooze on the beach after or hit the waves to burn off the calories.

Raindrop Cake at VaniTea Café in Chula Vista A Japanese translucent cake served with brown sugar, soybean flour and usually decorated with a flower, the chilled dessert isn’t really a cake at all, since its main ingredients are agar, a vegan gelatin, and mineral water. Nonetheless, this unique dessert is trending.

Photo illustartion by Kaitlin Baker; photos courtesy of MGM Resorts

Eight of San Diego’s Hottest Dishes and Drinks

Photo courtesy of Breakfast Republic

DINING

Maple Bacon Doughnuts at Great Maple in Hillcrest For breakfast or brunch, the maple bacon doughnuts from Great Maple are served warm on a wooden board and covered with a signature maple bacon glaze, bacon and powdered sugar. Reservations are recommended as the retro-modern eatery tends to be packed on weekends.

ENTERTAINMENT

‘Aces of Comedy’ at the Mirage in Las Vegas The Deck is Stacked with Five of the World’s Funniest Aces

Photo illustartion by Kaitlin Baker; photos courtesy of MGM Resorts

Photo courtesy of Breakfast Republic

The 2017 ‘Aces of Comedy’ Series continues to deliver some of the biggest names in comedy, including Jay Leno, George Lopez, Gabriel Iglesias, Kathleen Madigan, Jim Jefferies and the Emmy Award-winning Wayne Brady, among others, to the Terry Fator Theatre stage at Las Vegas’ Mirage Hotel & Casino. All performances are scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Television Hall of Fame inductee Jay Leno is best known for being the longtime host of NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He displays a comedic

style and generous personality that has earned him millions of fans worldwide, on Saturday, May 13 and Friday, August 25.

Known as the “fluffy” comic in a Hawaiian shirt, Gabriel Iglesias has been described as unbelievably funny and Continued on p. 76

EXPIRES 06/30/2017 ECN

@ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 75

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

76 May/June 2017 2016 Exhibit City News

Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Celebrating 50 Years While Looking Back at the Music of 2016 One of the most visited museums in the United States, with an unduplicated collection of more than 2.5 million artifacts, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2017.

On May 26, the museum will open a special exhibit examining the life and career of ACM Entertainer of the Year Jason Aldean. With hard-rock swagger and hip-hop rhythms, Aldean’s music celebrates life in the South and has had significant impact on country music. The exhibit will describe the early encouragement he received from both parents, his move to Nashville, his struggle to get his music heard and his groundbreaking success with an independent record company. The Aldean exhibit will close in November 2017.

“I am extremely honored to be invited to have an exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum,” said Aldean.

“That building is filled with the artists who helped create and shape country music, so to be a part of that legacy is something I am very proud of.”

June 26 brings an exhibit devoted to International superstar Shania Twain, who ushered in a new era of empowerment for women in country music. . With more than 90 million albums sold worldwide and U.S. sales topping 35 million, Shania remains the top-selling female country artist of all time. The Twain exhibit will include outfits she wore in those clips and in concert. Personal memorabilia, photos, awards and stage props will help tell the story of Twain’s remarkable life in music.

The exhibit will run until June 2018.

“It’s an honor to be a part of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibitions for 2017,” said Twain. “Being able to re-visit favorite costumes, photographs and memories from my career has been

Thomas Hart Benton’s Sources of Country Music

a special feeling, especially as this year will see a new stage for me with a brand new album! I’m very excited to have these important creative moments on display.”

Country Music Hall of Famer and 2017 Grammy nominee for Best Country Album (Full Circle), Loretta Lynn will be the subject of a major exhibition opening August 25 and running through June 2018. By telling her own truths and by writing about her experiences with a perspective and voice unlike any other Southern storyteller, Lynn has become an American hero and a country music standard-bearer. Her oneof-a-kind tale has also been told in a feature film, two autobiographies, and a public television American Masters documentary.

“I am so happy the Country Music Hall of Fame has asked me to be one of their main exhibits in 2017...gonna show off my 50 some odd years in country music,” exclaimed Lynn on hearing news of the exhibition. “They best have a big space...I have a lot of stuff! I’m so proud to share my life, and music with the Hall of Fame.

Y’all come see us!”

Finally, on Nov. 17, a new exhibit will explore the intertwined careers of Grammy-winning superstars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. Incorporating a wide array of personal and professional memorabilia representing milestones and significant moments, the exhibit will explore elements of their separate paths to success as solo artists and their dynamic combination as a couple with their record-breaking Soul2Soul Tours and duet performances. The exhibit will run until May 2018.

Photo courtesy of Globe Newswire

electrifying with a mixture of storytelling, parodies, characters and sound effects that bring his personal experiences to life. He performs on Sat./Sun., May 2728 and Fri./Sat., Sept. 15-16.

Wayne Brady, best known for hosting the CBS daytime classic Let’s Make A Deal and ABC’s The Wayne Brady Show, performs his hilarious stand-up comedy on Friday, May 12, Saturday, July 8 and Friday, Oct. 6. Brady’s career took off in 1998 with Whose Line Is It Anyway?, for which he won a 2003 Emmy Award.

George Lopez’ career encompasses television, film, stand-up comedy, and late-night television. For two seasons, Lopez hosted Lopez Tonight, a late-night talk show on TBS. His groundbreaking hit sitcom George Lopez, which aired for six seasons on ABC. Lopez performs on August 11 – 12.

Kathleen Madigan has performed on nearly every stand-up television show ever produced: Leno, Letterman, Conan, and Ferguson. Her third hour-long special, Madigan Again, was named one of the Best Comedy Albums of 2013 by iTunes. She’s released five CDs, three DVDs, starred in a Netflix special, among many other great accomplishments, and performs Friday, June 23.

A comedian known for his controversial and belief-changing stand-up style, Jim Jefferies has established himself as one of the most popular and respected comedians of his generation, one of the best-selling touring comics, and also has found critical success in his acting endeavors. His shows are on Friday, June 30, Saturday, July 1, and Fri./Sat., November 24 – 25.

Tickets for all shows can be purchased online at mirage.com, or by calling (800) 963-9634. For exclusive ticket prices and discounts for select Aces of Comedy comedians, sign up for M life Rewards – MGM Resorts International’s loyalty program. For more information, visit mlife.com.

ATTRACTIONS

Photo courtesy of CMHoF&M

Continued from p. 75

LODGING

Louisiana L’Auberges Awarded AAA Four Diamond Rating Also makes U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hotels of 2017

from the lush flora that punctuates the scenic Baton Rouge countryside, and are furnished with the finest appointments including oversized tubs, spa showers and full wet bars. The hotel offers up breathtaking views of the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge’s only rooftop pool, featuring private cabanas available for reservation, attentive poolside service and a full service bar. The property opened in 2012.

L’Auberge Lake Charles is located on 242 acres of land two hours from the Houston metropolitan area. This premier facility includes a 26-story hotel complex with 1,000 spacious rooms and suites; an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Tom Fazio; 26,000 gross square feet of meeting space, including a landscaped terrace space plus outdoor poolside lawn; two resort swimming pools, lazy river and private cabana courtyard; full-service barber shop, salon, spa and cardio fitness center; retail stores; seven innovative dining outlets; beachside bar, grill and marina; and top-name entertainment. The property opened in 2005 and has since undergone both expansion and renovation of hotel rooms.

Photo courtesy of Globe Newswire

Photo courtesy of CMHoF&M

L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles and L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge have earned the prestigious AAA Four Diamond rating, ranking them among the nation’s elite hotels with the highest standards of service and world class amenities. Just 5.9 percent of the nearly 28,000 hotels approved by AAA make the Four Diamond list.

“We’ve built high quality hotels with environments that are elegant yet warm and inviting, focused on extraordinary service and personalized amenities to make our guests feel welcome,” said Mickey J. Parenton, senior vice president of operations for Pinnacle Entertainment and L’Auberge Baton Rouge general manager. “We’re proud to welcome visitors from all over the country to our Louisiana properties and are honored to receive this award from AAA for the 4th year in a row in Baton Rouge and the 2nd consecutive year in Lake Charles.”

“It’s a testament to our talented and dedicated team that we have again been honored with this prestigious award,” said L’Auberge Lake Charles Vice President and General Manager Michael K. Pendergast. “We strive to provide the ultimate in southern hospitality and receiving this honor acknowledges our team members’ commitment to delivering impeccable service and legendary experiences.”

Additionally, U.S. News & World Report released its Best Hotels of 2017 recently and both L’Auberge properties were nationally ranked and listed among the top five percent of Louisiana hotels. The seventh annual Best Hotels rankings evaluate more than 3,000 luxury properties across the United States as determined by reputation among professional travel experts, guest reviews and hotel class rankings.

L’Auberge Baton Rouge features 205 luxurious hotel rooms, including 30 expansive suites. All standard rooms feature LED televisions, iPod docking stations, robes, slippers and stunning artwork and prints by Louisiana’s best artists combined with the very best in southern hospitality.

Spacious upscale suites draw inspiration

@ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 77

Trade Show Calendar CANADA

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

Show Canadian Association of Pathologists - CAP-ACP Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering - AACE Western Canadian Pet Industry Trade Show - PIJAC Canadian Society for Medical Lab Science - LABCON - CSLMS Blue Line Trade Show Canadian Gaming Summit Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police - OACP Pri-Med Canada Canadian Produce Marketing Association - CPMA Grand Rendez-vous Sante et securite du travail - Occupational Health & Safety Ontario Dental Association - Annual Spring Meeting Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals - HITEC CANSEC SIAL Montreal - SET Canada Global Petroleum Show Western Canada Farm Progress Show - WCFPS Security Canada West - CANASA Administrative Professionals Conference - APC Canadian Pharmacists Association Annual - CPhA Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society - CAS Canadian Chemistry Conference & Exhibition - CSC

Start 06/10 06/11 06/04 05/26 05/02 06/19 06/11 05/10 05/09 05/03 05/04 06/26 05/31 05/02 06/13 06/21 06/21 05/28 06/02 06/23 05/28

End 06/13 06/14 06/05 05/28 05/02 06/21 06/14 05/13 05/11 05/03 05/06 06/29 06/01 05/04 06/15 06/23 06/21 05/31 06/05 06/26 06/01

Venue PEI CC Hyatt Regency The Grey Eagle Resort & Casino Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity The International Centre

City Charlottetown Orlando Calgary Banff Mississauga Vancouver Waterloo International Centre Toronto Metro Toronto CC Toronto Quebec CC Quebec City Metro Toronto CC Toronto Metro Toronto Congress Centre Toronto EY Centre Ottawa Enercare Centre Toronto Stampede Park Calgary Evraz Place Regina River Rock Casino Resort Richmond Westin Harbour Castle Toronto Quebec City CC Quebec City Scotiabank CC Niagra Falls Metro Toronto Congress Centre Toronto

All Information Is Subject to Change*

St PEI FL AB AB ON BC ON ON ON QC ON ON ON ON AB SK BC ON QC ON ON

Att 300 700 350 700 2000 2250 1800 3933 6200 10K 4500 11K 14K 63K 45K 500 500 650 1500 1800

Exh 15 50 70 63 66 130 100 170 277 200 300 300 331 831 2K 715 70 80 75

Nsf 960 6000 11000 13289 14800 18000 20000 22000 26000 35600 58000 65000 70000 239K 568K 1.8M

Industry Medical & Healthcare Building & Construction Medical & Healthcare Police Gaming & Entertainment Police Medical & Healthcare Advertising & Marketing Safety Medical & Healthcare Hotels & Resorts Military Food & Beverage Petroleum, Oil & Plastics Agriculture & Farming Security Business Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Chemical

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

78 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

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

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

US CENTRAL Show Card Forum and Expo Arthroscopy Association of North America - AANA American Geriatrics Society - AGS American Society for Engineering Education - ASEE American College of Sports Medicine - ACSM Association of Progressive Rental Organizations - APRO American College Health Association - ACHA Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation - AAMI Southwest Fuel & Convenience Expo Independent Liquid Terminals Association - ILTA International New Age Trade Show - West - INATS Pri-Med Southwest Annual Conference International Christian Retail Show - CBA Texas Dental Association - The Texas Meeting Oncology Nursing Society - ONS Annual Congress HydroVision International - Clean Energy National Athletic Trainers Association - NATA MuseumExpo - AAM American Society of Safety Engineers - ASSE Design Automation Conference - DAC American Association of Critical Care Nurses - NTI Ohio Health Care Association Annual Conv. & Expo - OHA ISTE - International Society for Technology in Education - NECC Offshore Technology Conference - OTC American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists - AACE Geoint Symposium Society of Nuclear Medicine - SNM North American Christian Convention - NACC EXPONENTIAL - Unmanned Systems North America - AUVSI

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 05/08 05/18 05/18 06/25 05/30 05/09 05/30 06/09 05/16 06/12 06/09 06/07 06/27 05/04 05/04 06/27 06/26 05/07 06/19 06/18 05/22 05/01 06/25 05/01 05/03 06/04 06/10 06/27 05/08

View Complete Calendar Online

End 05/10 05/20 05/20 06/28 06/03 05/11 06/03 06/12 05/18 06/14 06/11 06/09 06/30 05/06 05/07 06/30 06/29 05/10 06/22 06/22 05/25 05/04 06/28 05/04 05/07 06/07 06/14 06/29 05/11

Venue Hilton Austin Colorado CC Henry B. Gonzalez CC Hyatt Regency Galveston Island CC JW Marriott JW Marriott Ft. Worth CC Crowne Plaza Hotel George R. Brown CC Duke Energy CC Henry B. Gonzalez CC Colorado CC Colorado CC America’s Center Conv. Complex Colorado CC Austin CC George R. Brown CC Columbus CC NRG Park Austin CC Henry B. Gonzalez CC Colorado CC Kay Bailey Hutchison CC

City Austin Denver San Antonio Columbus Denver Galveston Austin Austin Ft. Worth Houston Denver Houston Cincinnati San Antonio Denver Denver Houston St. Louis Denver Austin Houston Columbus San Antonio Houston Austin San Antonio Denver Kansas City Dallas

St TX CO TX OH CO TX TX TX TX TX CO TX OH TX CO CO TX MO CO TX TX OH TX TX TX TX CO MO TX

Att 600 1000 2700 3600 5600 650 2000 2592 2000 1500 2600 1132 12K 3139 2639 9929 5000 8545 6519 8213 3200 16K 119K 2700 3000 3900 8000 8000

Exh 75 60 83 130 135 79 100 200 263 223 250 165 231 370 206 358 350 300 472 193 419 300 485 2.5K 75 264 180 250 600

Nsf 12.5K 13K 18K 19K 24.8K 25K 25K 25.1K 30K 30K 35K 38.9K 43.7K 50K 51.3K 52.4K 53K 70K 75.6K 85.3K 105K 118K 132K 641K

Industry Banking Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Education Medical & Healthcare Building & Construction Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Food & Beverage Petroleum, Oil & Plastics Gifts Medical & Healthcare Religious Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Renewable Energy Sporting Goods & Rec. Government Engineering Electrical & Electronics Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Education Energy Medical & Healthcare Science & Healthcare Exhibit CityMedical News’ best-read section!

Religious Aerospace & Aviation

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

ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 79

Trade Show Calendar US MIDWEST

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

Show International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators - IACLEA Design-2-Part Show Infusion Nurses Society Annual Meeting & Exhibition - INS Design-2-Part Show - Schaumburg, IL Food Safety Summit and Expo Electrical Manufacturing & Coil Winding Expo - EMCW National Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo

Start 06/23 06/07 05/06 05/10 05/08 05/10 05/10

End 06/26 06/08 05/09 05/11 05/11 05/11 05/11

Venue Wisconsin Center Minneapolis CC Minneapolis CC Schaumburg CC Donald E. Stephans CC Wisconsin Center Wisconsin Center

City Milwaukee Minneapolis Minneapolis Schaumburg Rosemont Milwaukee Milwaukee

St WI MN MN IL IL WI WI

Att 300 1200 1000 2000 1400 2800 2900

Exh 104 120 100 200 152 140 118

Nsf 10400 13000 20000 20000 21000 24500 24800

Industry Police Manufacturing Medical & Healthcare Manufacturing Food & Beverage Wire Electrical & Electronics

National Lawn & Garden Show Abilities Expo - Chicago THE NBM B.I.G. SHOW International Floricluture Expo Drug Information Association Annual Meeting - DIA Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition - IRCE American Library Association Annual Conference - ALA Islamic Society of North America - ISNA Neocon & Buildex Chicago Sweets & Snacks Expo American Society of Clinical Oncology - ASCO World Pork Expo National Restaurant Association - NRA Show American College of Nurse-Midwives - ACNM Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo - FEW American Society of Health-System Pharmacists - ASHP The Makeup Show Chicago Techtextil North America International Telecoms Week - ITW Heart Rhythm The Energy Fair Anime Central

06/13 06/23 06/01 06/13 06/18 06/06 06/22 06/30 06/12 05/23 06/02 06/07 05/20 05/21 06/19 06/03 06/18 06/20 05/14 05/10 06/16 05/19

06/14 06/25 06/03 06/15 06/22 06/09 06/27 07/03 06/14 05/25 06/06 06/09 05/23 05/25 06/21 06/07 06/19 06/22 05/17 05/13 06/18 05/21

Chicago Schaumburg Indianapolis Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Rosemont Chicago Chicago Chicago Des Moines Chicago Chicago Minneapolis Minneapolis CC Minneapolis Chicago McCormick Place Chicago Hyatt Regency Chicago McCormick Place Chicago Custer Donald E. Stephans CC Rosemont

IL IL IN IL IL IL IL IL IL IL IL IA IL IL MN MN IL IL IL IL WI IL

180 5000 6700 1752 4325 6958 15.8K 20K 41K 16K 31.2K 20K 61.5K 2000 2000 3000 4000 5000 5371 12.1K 15K 31.1K

65 100 175 192 443 598 697 350 700 750 500 390 2K 100 300 150 60 350 93 130 200

25000 25000 39000 60250 78900 98400 124K 150K 152K 165K 217K 310K 543K

Landscape & Garden Medical & Healthcare Printing Landscape & Garden Medical & Healthcare Computers & Apps Libraries Religious Home Furn. & Int. Design Food & Beverage Medical & Healthcare Agriculture & Farming Food & Beverage Medical & Healthcare Renewable Energy Medical & Healthcare Beauty & Healthcare Textiles Telecommunications Medical & Healthcare Renewable Energy Art, Music, Culture

80 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

Renaissance Schaumburg Indiana CC McCormick Place McCormick Place McCormick Place McCormick Place Donald E. Stephans CC The Mart McCormick Place McCormick Place Iowa State Fairgrounds McCormick Place Hilton Chicago

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

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

US NORTHEAST Show ASTRA Marketplace & Academy Surtex - Selling & Licencing Original Art & Design American Physical Therapy Association - APTA NEXT Conference & Exhibition Abilities Expo - New York Metro Optometry’s Meeting - AOA BIOMED Device NRF PROTECT - National Retail Federation - NRF Loss Prevention Conference DUG East - Developing Unconventional Gas American Association of Nurse Practitioners - AANP American Thoracic Society - ATS National Postal Forum - NPF NFPA - National Fire Protection Association Conference & Expo INFORMEX HBA Global Expo - Health & Beauty National Stationary Show & The Supply Side American Water Works Association - ACE - AWWA EASTEC - Society of Manufacturing Engineers American Urological Association - AUA Expo East Trade Show International Contemporary Furniture Fair - ICFF BookExpo America - BEA IPW - U.S. Travel Association Medical Design & Manufacturing - MD&M East Lightfair International - LFI Northeastern Forest Products Equipment Exposition Summer Fancy Food Show - NASFT Eastern Energy Expo & Atlantic Region Energy Expo - AREE Associated Professional Sleep Societies - APSS The Makeup Show NYC

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 06/25 05/21 06/21 05/05 06/21 05/03 06/26 06/20 06/20 05/19 05/21 06/04 05/16 06/13 05/21 06/11 05/16 05/12 06/12 05/21 05/31 06/03 06/13 05/09 05/19 06/25 05/21 06/03 05/07

End 06/28 05/23 06/24 05/07 06/25 05/04 06/28 06/22 06/25 05/24 05/24 06/07 05/18 06/15 05/24 06/14 05/18 05/16 06/14 05/24 06/02 06/07 06/15 05/11 05/20 06/27 05/25 06/07 05/08

Venue Pennsylvania CC Javits Center Boston Conv. & Expo Center New Jersey CC Walter E. Washington CC Boston Conv. & Expo Center Gaylord National David L. Lawrence CC Pennsylvania CC Walter E. Washington CC Baltimore CC Boston Conv. & Expo Center Pennsylvania CC Javits Center Javits Center Pennsylvania CC Eastern States Expo Boston Conv. & Expo Center Atlantic City CC Javits Center Javits Center Walter E. Washington CC Javits Center Pennsylvania CC Cross Insurance Center Javits Center Hershey Lodge & CC Hynes CC Metropolitan Pavilion

City Philadelphia New York Boston Edison Washington Boston Washington Pittsburgh Philadelphia Washington Baltimore Boston Philadelphia New York New York Philadelphia Springfield Boston Atlantic City New York New York Washington New York Philadelphia Bangor New York Hershey Boston New York

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

Att 1315 7150 2376 6500 3965 4462 1240 2800 3000 14.6K 6500 7531 3675 16.4K 6987 6654 11K 11.3K 5000 15.6K 9846 6423 33K 24.1K 7159 25.8K 4000 5000 7000

Exh 246 274 221 159 208 337 228 315 200 175 150 293 489 600 623 541 499 286 900 465 525 881 1.1K 550 172 2.3K 250 110 80

Nsf 27000 28016 31200 35000 37832 38880 39300 45800 50000 52000 55000 64200 69450 75000 91173 113K 114K 120K 122K 123K 129K 145K 201K 207K 271K 307K

Industry Education Art, Music, Culture Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Stores & Store Fittings Petroleum, Oil & Plastics Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Government Fire & Fire Protection Chemical Beauty & Healthcare Paper Water Manufacturing Medical & Healthcare Advertising & Marketing Home Furn. & Int. Design Publishing Travel Industry Medical & Healthcare Lighting Agriculture & Farming Food & Beverage Energy Medical & Healthcare Beauty & Healthcare

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

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

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ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 81

Trade Show Calendar US NORTHWEST

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

Show Connections: The Digital Living Conference & Showcase eMetrics Market Optimization Summit SAMPE Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition Northwest Wall & Ceiling Bureau - NWCB Aging Services of California Association of California Water Agencies Design-2-Part Show - Santa Clara, CA Sensors Expo American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons - ASCRS CLEO: Expo - Laser Science to Photonic Applications American Industrial Hygiene Association - AIHce Pacific Northwest Dental Conference - WSDA National Sheriffs’ Association Annual Conference - NSA Wound Ostomy & Continence Nurses Society - WOCN Association for Professionals in Infection Control - APIC Pediatric Academic Societies - PAS Pulp and Paper Industry Conference - PPIC California Applicants’ Attorneys Association - CAAA Summer Convention Medical Library Association - MLA California Health Information Association - CHIA sUAB Expo - The Silicon Valley Drone Show American Nuclear Society Annual Meeting Advanced Automotive Battery Conference - AABC Big Data Healthcare Analytics Forum Women in Technology International - WITI Internet of Things World Northwest Fire & Rescue Expo Hearing Loss Association of America - HLAA Wyoming Dental Association

Start 05/23 05/15 05/22 05/04 05/01 05/09 05/24 06/27 06/10 05/16 06/04 06/15 06/23 05/19 06/14 05/06 06/18 06/22 05/26 06/10 05/04 06/11 06/19 05/15 06/11 05/16 05/04 06/22 06/22

End 05/25 05/18 05/25 05/06 05/03 05/12 05/25 06/29 06/14 05/18 06/07 06/17 06/28 05/23 06/16 05/09 06/23 06/25 05/31 06/14 05/05 06/15 06/22 05/16 06/13 05/18 05/05 06/25 06/25

Venue Hyatt Regency Airport Marriott Marquis Washington State CC The Coeur d’Alene Resort Portola Hotel and Spa Monterey Marriott Santa Clara CC San Jose CC Washington State CC San Jose CC Washington Hilton The Meydenbauer Center

City San Francisco San Francisco Seattle Coeur d’Alene Monterey Monterey Santa Clara San Jose Seattle San Jose Seattle Bellevue Reno Salt Palace CC Salt Lake City Oregon CC Portland San Francisco Moscone Center Tacoma San Francisco Hyatt San Francisco Washington State CC Seattle Sacramento CC Sacramento Golden Gate Club at the Presidio San Francisco San Francisco Hyatt Regency San Francisco Grand Hyatt Union Square San Francisco DoubleTree by Hilton San Jose Santa Clara CC Santa Clara Portland Metropolitan Expo Portland Salt Palace CC Salt Lake City Little America Hotel Cheyenne

All Information Is Subject to Change*

St CA CA WA ID CA CA CA CA WA CA WA WA NV UT OR CA WA CA WA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA OR UT WY

Att 850

Exh 60

1000

90 57 100

600 2000 4459 2563 6000 5000 9000 4000 1300 2600 6500

200 185 95 300 300 150 347

Nsf 1100 3800 4000 5700 8000 8500 20000 21640 25000 59500 77500 80000 155K

200 19 69 130

Industry Electrical & Electronics Computers & Apps Manufacturing Building & Construction Medical & Healthcare Water Manufacturing Manufacturing Medical & Healthcare Electrical & Electronics Manufacturing Medical & Healthcare Police Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Paper Financial & Legal Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Aerospace & Aviation Science Automotive & Trucking Medical & Healthcare Computers & Apps Computers & Apps Fire & Fire Protection Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare

PUT YOUR BUSINESS ON THE MAP! Showcase your regional services with a calendar sponsorship.

Contact Sales@ExhibitCityNews.com For Rates and Details. (Design Services Available) 82 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

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

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

US SOUTHEAST Show Million Dollar Round Table Annual Meeting - MDRT North Carolina Funeral Directors Association - NCFDA American Dental Hygienists’ Association - ADHA North Carolina Dental Society - NCDS Sur/Fin - NASF Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association - TGCSA Battcon International Stationary Battery Conference Turbo Expo - ASME League of Southeastern Credit Unions LSCU Annual Convention Electronic Security Expo - ESX - NBFAA World Conference on Quality and Improvement - ASQ Fiber to the Home Conference - FTTH Florida Roofing, Sheet Metal & Air Cond. Contractors - FRSA Insurance Accounting & Systems Association - IASA Electrical Apparatus Service Association - EASA Building Owners & Managers Association - BOMA American Payroll Association Florida National Dental Convention - FNDC American Society for Microbiology - ASM Microbe International Jewelry Fair/General Merchandise Show Association for Iron & Steel Technology - AISTech American for Talent Development - ATD National Apartment Association - NAA Education Conference Sapphire & ASUG Annual Conference - SAP Interwire - IFE United States Bowling Congress - USBC & BowlExpo WasteExpo Premiere Orlando - Beauty Show InfoComm

All Information Is Subject to Change*

Start 06/04 05/22 06/14 05/18 06/19 06/08 05/07 06/26 06/14 06/13 05/01 06/12 06/22 06/04 06/25 06/24 05/16 06/22 06/01 05/19 05/08 05/21 06/21 05/16 05/08 06/18 05/09 06/03 06/14

End 06/07 05/23 06/19 05/21 06/21 06/09 05/10 06/30 06/16 06/16 05/03 06/14 06/24 06/07 06/27 06/27 05/20 06/24 06/05 05/22 05/11 05/24 06/24 05/18 05/11 06/22 05/11 06/05 06/16

Venue Orange County CC Raleigh CC Hyatt Jacksonville Kingston Plantation Georgia World Congress Center Knoxville CC Renaissannce Orlando Charlotte CC JW Marriott Music City Center Charlotte CC Gaylord Palms Orange County CC World Center Marriott Tampa CC Music City Center World Center Marriott Gaylord Palms Morial CC Morial CC Music City Center Georgia World Congress Center Georgia World Congress Center Orange County CC Georgia World Congress Center Gaylord Opryland Morial CC Orange County CC

City Orlando Raleigh Jacksonville Myrtle Beach Atlanta Knoxville Orlando Charlotte Orlando Nashville Charlotte Orlando Orlando Orlando Tampa Nashville Orlando Orlando New Orleans New Orleans Nashville Atlanta Atlanta Orlando Atlanta Nashville New Orleans Orlando Orlando

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

Att 6000 352 1800 2300 1200 1500 550 4000 1100 2206 2500 2500 2500 2600 2000 2300 2500 5967 10K 5280 8000 10.5K 5500 12K 5000 5000 12.1K 66K 34K

Exh Nsf 100 12500 13200 130 15000 88 15000 158 17000 180 18000 72 20000 125 20000 130 28000 169 28830 100 30000 102 31000 209 31200 194 34000 203 35000 300 47500 150 50000 300 50000 275 50000 272 59480 413 63200 375 65000 350 70000 220 70000 550 125K 300 150K 556 237K 785 289K 911 487K

Industry Financial & Legal Funeral Industry Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Building & Construction Food & Beverage Energy Energy Banking Security Education Communications Building & Construction Accounting Electrical & Electronics Real Estate Business Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Jewelry Metalworking Associations Housing Computers & Apps Wire Sporting Goods & Rec. Waste Management Beauty & Healthcare Audio Visual

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ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 83

Trade Show Calendar US SOUTHWEST

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

Show Society for Vascular Surgery - SVS Vascular Annual Meeting Technology Services World - TSW National Congress for Manufactured & Modular Housing TRANSACT - Electronic Transactions Association - ETA PowderMet - MPIF National Association of Student Financial Aid Admin - NASFAA World Tea Expo & Healthy Beverage Expo American Academy of Physician Assistants - AAPA Vegas Cosmetic Surgery Interop ITX Meeting Professionals International - MPI - WEC American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions - ADA IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium - IMS WINDPOWER Door & Hardware Institute - DHI CoNEXTions

Start 05/31 05/01 05/02 05/10 06/13 06/26 06/12 05/15 06/07 05/15 06/19 06/09 06/04 05/22 05/10

End 06/03 05/03 05/04 05/12 06/16 06/29 06/15 05/19 06/11 05/19 06/22 06/13 06/09 05/25 05/12

Venue San Diego CC Hilton San Diego Bayfront Caesars Palace Mandalay Bay Bellagio Hotel San Diego CC Las Vegas CC Mandalay Bay Bellagio MGM Resort MGM Grand San Diego CC Hawai’i CC Anaheim CC Phoenix CC

City San Diego San Diego Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas San Diego Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas San Diego Honolulu Anaheim Phoenix

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

Att 2705 1000 800 4000 1000 2500 5838 8500 1287 7408 4000 17.8K 4633 7200

California Dental Association - Spring - CDA Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar & Expo - IDDBA Electronic Distribution Show - EDS Bio International Convention The Clean Show Pacific Coast Builders Conference - PCBC American College of OB & GYN Annual Meeting - ACOG Licensing International Expo IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo - Institute of Food Technologists Hospitality Design - HD JCK Las Vegas National Hardware Show RECon - ICSC Leasing Mall & Trade Expo American Psychiatric Association - APA

05/04 06/04 05/16 06/19 06/05 06/28 05/06 05/23 06/25 05/03 06/05 05/09 05/21 05/20

05/06 06/06 05/19 06/22 06/08 06/29 05/09 05/25 06/28 05/05 06/08 05/11 05/24 05/24

Anaheim CC

Anaheim Anaheim Las Vegas San Diego Las Vegas San Diego San Diego Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas San Diego

CA CA NV CA NV CA CA NV NV NV NV NV NV CA

21K 7000 2700 16.5K 11.2K 20K 13K 19K 23K 13K 37K 19K 33.5K 11K

The Mirage Las Vegas CC San Diego CC San Diego CC Mandalay Bay Sands Expo Mandalay Bay Mandalay Bay Las Vegas CC Las Vegas CC San Diego CC

Exh 144 42 120 200 100 80 275 250 158 252 171 604 425 107 590 600 255 2K 430 690 325 420 1K 765 2.5K 2.7K 1.1K 250

Nsf 25500 28000 40000 40000 45000 47000 48000 50000 52000 64890 77300 87400 94000 110K 110K

Industry Medical & Healthcare Business Building & Construction Business Manufacturing Financial & Legal Food & Beverage Medical & Healthcare Medical & Healthcare Computers & Apps Exhibition & Meeting Ind. Medical & Healthcare Science Renewable Energy Building & Construction

130K 150K 180K 180K 184K 195K 200K 205K 222K 272K 498K 559K 900K

Medical & Healthcare Food & Beverage Electrical & Electronics Science Laundry & Dry Cleaning Building & Construction Medical & Healthcare Business Food Proc. & Distribution Home Furn. & Int. Design Jewelry Building & Construction Real Estate Medical & Healthcare

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

Color Printing • Rack cards • Brochures • Booklets • Everything else 84 May/June 2017 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 www.ExhibitCityNews.com/Service-Guide

Advantage Displays and Graphics A Harmony Nail Spa Break All Productions BWC Visual Technology CEP Exhibits Champion Logistics Group Classified Ads Collazo’s Expo Services, Inc. CorpEvents Corporate Communications, Inc. Corporate Display Specialties CoStar Events

89 90 89 91 87 90 92 89 87 86 91 88

Equip, Inc. Exhibitrac Expoquarzo FWR Rental Haus Gaochuang Exhibition Horizon Print Solutions JasperWorks Exhibit Services King Size LED Displays Larry Kulchawik Consulting Laner Munchin Law Offices Nevada Hospice Care On Location

87 91 88 89 88 91 87 90 86 86 88 89

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For Service Guide information and rates, call Kathy Anaya at 702-309-8023, ext. 105. Inclusive categories are available for all your company advertising needs. @ExhibitCityNews

ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 85

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86 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

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INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

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

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88 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE

Fresh Wata Rental Haus Fresh Wata Rental Haus has a smart and savvy collection of pieces that can turn a room into a truly visionary space. Our inventory has been carefully and thoughtfully constructed, either custom-manufactured or custom selected. In its entirety, you will find the latest trends in design, colors and patterns. We offer rare collections that transform plain spaces into fabulous places for your event. Try us on for a size.

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ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 89

INDUSTRY SERVICE GUIDE LED Displays

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

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

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Classifieds

Outside Sales Representative – Exhibit & Tradeshow Located between Washington and Baltimore on the I95 corridor, AGAM is a world leader in the design & manufacturing of environmentally friendly, high- tech aluminum modular display systems used in tradeshow and conventions.

We are looking for an Outside Sales Representative – technically capable, self-motivated, and intimately acquainted with the exhibit and tradeshow industry to generate new business to help fuel our growth!

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: • Identify new opportunities and aggressively seeking prospective clients and converting existing contacts.

• Responsible for creating new business and following up with leads.

• Provide consultation services to prospective clients to

identify and develop market solutions that will meet and exceed client goals.

• Coordinate and leverage company resources effectively throughout the sales process.

• Outside Sales Representative is supported by a large team of knowledgeable inside sales individuals and talented industrial designers.

• Demonstrate capabilities and effective knowledge of AGAM’s products and services.

• Conduct presentations for clients that showcase AGAM’s vast services, fabrications capabilities, and design-engineering support.

Qualified individual must have a proven track record of sales expertise within the Exhibit & Tradeshow Industry. Extensive travel required.

If you are self-driven and passionate, joining our growing company is right for you! AGAM offers exceptional benefits: paid vacation, medical, dental, life insurance, & 401K retirement plan.

Send your resume to jobs@agam.com

Exhibit / Audio Visual Sales Account Manager

National Trade Show & Event Labor provider seeking Dallas, TX Manager

We are looking for a motivated Sales Account Manager in the Exhibit or Audio Visual industry based out of the Las Vegas market.

Working in convention centers, hotel ballrooms, meeting venues and corporate locations across North America since 1995, CCR Solutions is at the forefront of providing the latest technology to our customers wherever they may hold events. CCR is all about teamwork both internally and externally with a family culture filled with experienced people who enjoy what they do.

National I&D labor provider is seeking a talented and experienced professional for the position of city manager for the Dallas, TX area. Candidates should be motivated self-starters and possess good communication skills in dealing with exhibitors, clients, crew members, general contractors, and show management. Responsibilities include but are not limited to labor calls, pre-show planning, on site show management, hands on abilities.

Office duties involve receiving orders, payroll, invoicing and submitting post show reports. Knowledge of Microsoft Office and smart phone usage (i.e. sending pictures via text, email) is required.

THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES MUST HAVE: • Minimum 2 years’ experience in the Las Vegas live event industry.

• Established sales relationships and opportunities.

• Ability to contribute within a positive environment.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Ability to work flex-time and irregular hours.

• Can travel across North America or wherever your events take you.

• This position pays a salary + commission, benefits and 401K. Please send your resume via email to Jobs@ccrsolutions.com and we thank all applicants for their interest in joining the CCR team; however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

92 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

If you are interested in joining this leading organization and possess the desire to succeed, please forward your resume to Blindbox1235@exhibitcitynews.com.

Classifieds

Seeking an Enthusiastic, Commissioned Account Executive J&J Motor Service is a full-service transportation company offering specialized freight services and time-definite pick-ups and deliveries to the trade show industry. With more than 90 years of industry experience, we are the original trade show carrier.

J&J Motor Service has an outstanding reputation and a team that stands above the rest with our professional experience and focus on customer service.

Family owned and operated, we offer competitive rates and guarantee our work. Our terminal and 125,000 square foot warehouse are centrally located at 2338 South Indiana Avenue in Chicago, Illinois.

Just steps from McCormick Place we are located in the heart of Chicago’s event and trade show industry but travel throughout the country and Canada exceeding the expectations of our clients.

We are seeking an enthusiastic, commissioned Account Executive whose overall role it will be to solicit, maintain, grow and manage new accounts. Specific primary responsibilities will be to define and achieve sales goals; develop and implement the complete sales process including, but not limited to, prospecting, lead development, preparation of the proposal. Make constant and persuasive cold calls to potential clients.

Secondary responsibilities vary per our needs internally, and the requirements of our customers.

This position will require an understanding and familiarity with the transportation of high value freight for trade shows, conventions and special events and various types of freight equipment; An ability to work in a high pressured, fast paced environment; Experience in consultative, high value selling and sales process. Excellent organization, planning and scheduling skills; Excellent communication, interpersonal, customer relations and analytical skills; Excellent customer service skills and effective sales strategies.

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, including rewarding sales commissions, a 401K plan, a pension and profit sharing plan, employer paid health, dental and life insurance.

Please email resume, references and salary history to Joe Florence at joe.florence@jjmotor.com. All inquiries kept confidential.

@ExhibitCityNews

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

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

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: • Up to two (2) years of industry related sales experience with proven sales results and success in managing multiple accounts • Understanding and familiarity with trade shows, conventions and special events • Ability to work in a high pressured, fast‐paced environment • Experience in consultative, high value selling and sales processes • Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook • Excellent organization, planning and scheduling skills • Excellent communication, interpersonal, customer relations and analytical skill • Excellent customer service skills.

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, including rewarding sales commissions, a 401K plan, a pension and profit sharing plan and employer paid health, dental and life insurance benefits.

Please email resume, references and salary history to Colleen Becker at colleen@jjexhibitors.com. All inquiries handled with the strictest of confidence and professionalism.

ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 93

Classifieds

Seeking a Talented and Enthusiastic Audio Visual Account Executive J&J Exhibitors Service is a full service trade show, exhibit and special events contractor. We are a WBE certified; family owned and operated company with over 90 years of experience in the industry. Our corporate offices and 125,000 square foot warehouse are centrally located at 2338 South Indiana Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. Just steps from McCormick Place, we are located in the heart of Chicago’s event and trade show industry but travel throughout the country exceeding the expectations of our clients. From general sessions that “wow” to break out rooms that run smoothly our audio visual team delivers digital services, audio visual technology and the equipment and team that effectively engage attendees.

We are seeking a talented and enthusiastic Audio Visual Account Executive.

The Audio Visual Account Executive is responsible for selling J&J Exhibitor Services as the audio visual technology vendor of choice for national Association, Tradeshow and Convention technical programs. The Account Executive will work in conjunction with J&J’s Director of Event Technology and all operations team members to produce flawless events. This position requires highly effective communication and interpersonal skills. The successful candidate needs to possess an excellent understanding of audio and video equipment used within the tradeshow and events industry; have a verifiable record of selling audio visual programs of various size and scope, proven leadership skills and experience in all audio-visual disciplines.

RESPONSIBILITIES: • Define and achieve sales goals; • Develop and implement the complete sales process including, but not limited to, prospecting, lead development, preparation of the proposal and client presentation; 94 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

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

QUALIFICATIONS: • 5+ years of verifiable sales experience in the Convention, Association and Tradeshow Audio Visual Industry; • 5+ years of verifiable field experience in the Convention, Association and Tradeshow Audio Visual Industry; • Strong written and oral communications skills; • Detail oriented.

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, including rewarding sales commissions, a 401K plan, a pension and profit sharing plan, employer paid health, dental and life insurance.

Please email resume, references and salary history to Colleen Becker at colleen@jjexhibitors.com. All inquiries kept confidential.

Equity Partner Wanted Well established exhibit builder, centrally located, with a CNC based shop and a large storage warehouse, is looking for an equity partner to grow into full ownership. Company has steady clientele, no debt and quality employees. Email blindbox1234@exhibitcitynews.com

Post Your Classified Here!

Talent seekers have come to the right source. Place your classified ad with ECN in print and online today!

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

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

FGI has clients interested in buying tradeshow companies in all specialties, sizes and geographic locations.

Additionally, we offer a free assessment of your tradeshow company with no obligation. Find out what your company is worth.

Carol Fountain, President, 216-952-0745, cfountain@fountaingroupintl.com

Classifieds

Seeking a Talented Project Manager J&J Exhibitors Service is a full service trade show, exhibit and special events contractor.

We are a WBE certified; family owned and operated company with over 80 years of experience in the industry. Our corporate offices have been centrally located at 2338 South Indiana Avenue in Chicago, Illinois for over 90 years.

Just steps from McCormick Place we are located in the heart of Chicago’s event and trade show industry but travel throughout the country exceeding the expectations of our clients. We are seeking a talented Project Manager to add to our Exhibitor Sales team whose role is to help our sales team solicit maintain and grow new and existing accounts and to help our operations team coordinate and execute final production. You will be responsible for:

PRE SALES PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: • Prospect with internal sales team to develop business leads.

• Research and gather all pertinent information including past history, exhibitor lists, exhibitor kits, etc. and other related information in order to prepare winning proposals.

• Prepare comprehensive proposals, including pricing and credit terms in compliance with J&J Exhibitors Service policies and procedures.

• Prepare presentation collateral materials and make stand‐up presentations where appropriate, along with necessary follow up activities to complete sale.

• Uncover new sales opportunities within existing accounts, cross‐sell services and make a constant effort to generate new business.

REQUIRED:

• Strong customer service and the desire to meet customer needs POST SALES PRIMARY • Understanding and familiarity with trade RESPONSIBILITIES: shows, conventions and special events • Client liaison responsible for setting • Ability to work in a high pressured, and managing client needs and fast‐paced environment expectations.

• Excellent organization, planning and • Drive communications to all team scheduling skills members involved ensuring events • Excellent communication, interpersonal, come in on‐time and on‐budget. customer relations and analytical skills • Build relationships with both internal team members and external partners BENEFITS: and clients.

• Competitive salary. Negotiable, based • Identify all resources needed and upon experience work with key internal team members • 100% Employer paid health and dental and external partners. for employee • Provide clear direction, information • 100% Employer paid life insurance and expectation to team members for employee and vendors, etc. to hit deliverables • Generous pension and profit sharing plan • Order all ancillary services including • Employee 401K plan available floral, electrical, etc. and any other • Paivd vacation services noted in the contract.

• Handle all communications, both interPlease email resume, references and nal and external, including agendas and salary history to Colleen Becker at scheduling meetings (regularly schedcolleen@jjexhibitors.com. All inquiries uled conference calls, site visits, etc). handled with the strictest of confi• Review exhibitor orders, generate dence and professionalism.

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

transactions for billing and delivery, and prepare system reports.

• Lead and manage onsite Service Desk team.

• Follow‐up and resolve exhibitor customer complaints and collections when necessary.

• Prepare final client billing and produce post event recap.

rial, leadership and communication skills. Ideal candidate will have five years of experience and a positive team attitude is a must. Graphic design experience is a plus. Only qualified candidates will be considered.

Please submit resume with salary requirements in Word or PDF format to llegarda@acerexhibits.com ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 95

Classifieds

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

IF YOU: • Are a team player with strong communication skills • HaveLES-logo_final-MDG-0731 a minimum of155•years experience with/without tagline in the tradeshow industry • Have a minimum of 5 years experience in estimating and CAD or equivalent detailing capabilities • Are experienced with 3D Modeling • Have a desire to be an integral part of a very fast-paced, rapidly growing organization • Looking to be part of a company where you can REALLY make a difference!

If you answered YES!, then WE are what YOU are looking for - and YOU are who WE are looking for!

Senior Account Executive Highway 85 Creative is looking for a senior account executive to join our creative team! We are located in Glendale, Arizona (Phoenix area).

3-5 years experience in the industry is preferred or 5-7 years as a sales executive. Highway 85 Creative has grown immensely since the doors opened in 2005 and we continue to exceed expectations. We are looking for a self-motivated, passionate individual who is ready to grow with our company.

If interested, please send your resume to gzwick@ highway85creative.com

Competitive benefit package and 401K. Salary based on experience.

Please send your cover letter and resume to: ricko@lakeshoreexhibits.com and larryz@lakeshoreexhibits.com.

No phone calls, please.

Exhibitrac is Hiring Exhibitrac needs new show guides for its database, and will pay $10 - $20 per accepted guide. If you are an industry supplier, exhibitor, union or other employee who regularly attends 96 May/June 2017 Exhibit City News

To place a classified ad, contact Kathy Anaya:

Call (702) 309-8023 or Email: KathyA@ExhibitCityNews.com

or works at shows in major convention cities such as Las Vegas, Chicago, Boston, Orlando, etc.

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

3D Exhibit Designer Acer Exhibits & Events, LLC, located north of Baltimore, Maryland, close to Delaware, South East Pennsylvania and South Jersey, is currently seeking an Exhibit Designer to join our talented team of individuals who design and fabricate exhibits for a very diverse client base.

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS SHOULD POSSESS THE FOLLOWING: • Minimum of three years exhibit design experience with an exhibit house • Excellent communication skills, able to present creative concepts • Ability to work under pressure • Knowledge of 3D modeling and rendering software, Form Z and Adobe Creative Suite • Knowledge of current design trends • Creativity * Inspiration * Motivation * Enthusiasm * Dedication We provide a competitive salary plus bonus, a full benefit package including medical, dental, disability and 401k plan.

If you are excited and inspired by design challenges, ideas, and solutions and want to work in a creative environment with others who share your enthusiasm, please forward your resume and portfolio via PDF or Word format with expected salary range to LLegarda@acerexhibits.com

ADVERTISERS

Advertiser Index 4 Productions Aluvision Angles on Design

EDPA Foundation

67

Octanorm, USA, Inc.

69

67/100

Eggworks

75

Onsite Services

61

65

Employco

98

Orbus

19

17

beMatrix

2

Brumark

55

Exposystems

9

Patriot Exhibits

4

FWR

15

Prism Tradeshow Lighting

29

Highmark

55

Rosemont – RES

66

Camden Tradeshow

9

Champion Logistics

63

Hill & Partners

69

Sho-Link

71

Charlie Palmer

73

Horizon Print Solution

84

showNets, LLC

27

Cobo Center

25

Joe’s New York Pizza

77

Step 1 Dezigns

59

Color Reflections

13

Labor Inc.

78

Stevens E3

43

Corporate Communications 59

Main Place Lighting

57

Storage West

65

Corporate Events

63

Momentum Management

Sunset Transportation

21

Correct Mechanical

51

NewGen Business Solutions 61

Super Bright LED

99

Nolan Advisory

57

Tradetec

71

NuVista

47

Willwork

7

Cort D.E. McNabb

5 53

3

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

ExhibitCityNews.com May/June 2017 97

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