the May 2008 Issue in PDF Format - Trade Show Executive

Trade Show Executive® 

News, Views and Tools for Trade Show and Event Executives May 2008 

John 

Mooney 

New Horizons 

TRENDING 

& SPENDING 

Trade Shows Still Bucking 

Economic Trends – So Far 

Legal Alert 

Watch Out for New Twists 

in Contract Clauses 

SPECIAL REPORT 

How the ROI Tool Kit 

Can Help Exhibitors 

John Mooney 

www.TradeShowExecutive.com

Your job can be a challenge. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors 

Authority helps tradeshow producers and show managers look like 

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2 May 2008 Trade Show Executive www.TradeShowExecutive.com

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TM 

May 2008 

VOLUME 9 NUMBER 5 

Cover Story 

38 

Feature 

20 New Twists on Old 

Legal Issues 

Attrition. Cancellation. Force 

majeure. Been there, done that? 

Think again. Just when you think 

you’ve fine-tuned these contract 

clauses, nuanced changes 

appear like a boomerang to take 

negotiators back to the table. 

32 

John Mooney Talks 

About New Horizons 

John Mooney, partner in 3 Deep 

Media LLC and former partner of 

M/C Communications, was the 

first recipient of the first Robert 

L. Krakoff Leadership Award 

at the Society of Independent 

Show Organizer’s (SISO) CEO 

Summit in St. Petersburg, FL 

a few weeks ago. This Boston 

native was honored for his vision, 

leadership and ethical standards, 

as well as his part in developing 

exposition industry standards. 

Tools of the Trade 

The ROI Tool Kit, a venture of 

IAEE, CEIR, PCMA and Exhibit 

Surveys, gives exhibitors an 

effective and easy-to-use 

tool to quantify trade show 

results and justify future show 

participation. The benefits to 

organizers stretch far beyond a 

higher exhibitor retention rate. 

2005 

20 

Trade Show Executive, The Gold Standard 

Winner of: 

• GRAND AWARD, Best 

Design & Illustration 

• Best Column 

• Best Feature Series Writing 

• Best How-To Writing 

• Best News Writing 

• Best Feature Writing 


• Best Redesign 

• Most Improved Magazine 

• Best Cover 

© 2008 Trade Show Executive, Inc. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval 

system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher. 

38 

32 

• GRAND AWARD, Best Writing 

• Best Overall Issue 


• Best Design 

• Best Cover 


I CHALLENGE YOU 

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Governor Deval Patrick 

Massachusetts 

2007 

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BOSTON. MAKING CONVENTION HISTORY. 

The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority owns and operates the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and the Hynes Convention Center. 

www.TradeShowExecutive.com Trade Show Executive May 2008 5

Contents 

TM 

May 2008 

Member of: 

8 News 

• CEIR Index: Trade Shows 

Post Respectable Growth of 

3.2% in 2007 

• Latest Research on Scientific 

Events Reveals 99% of 

Delegates Visit Exhibits 

• Trade Show Executive to 

Launch Award Gala & Summit 

to Honor the Top Trade 

Shows in the U.S. 

14 Trending & Spending 



26 Incubator 

Dinner with Strangers 

Insert (between p.30 to 31) 

Who’s Who among 

General & Specialty 

Service Contractors 

42 ZOOM – TSE’s 

Trade Show Locator 

54 Industry Events 

56 People 

58 Index to Advertisers 

42 

EDITORIAL & PUBLISHING HEADQUARTERS: 

Trade Show Executive magazine, 2121 Palomar Airport Rd., 

Suite 220, Carlsbad, CA 92011. 

Tel.: (760) 929-9666. Fax: (877) 483-8912. 

EDITORIAL & RESEARCH 

Vice president/Publisher & Editor: 

Darlene Gudea (760) 929-9666 

darlenegudea@tradeshowexecutive.com 

Editor-at-large: 

Carol Andrews (562) 505-7903 

carolandrews@tradeshowexecutive.com 

Senior Editor: 

Hil Anderson (760) 929-9615 

handerson@tradeshowexecutive.com 

Senior Editor, News & Directories: 

Renee Di Iulio (310) 939-0197 

reneediiulio@tradeshowexecutive.com 

News Editor: 

Sandi Cain (949) 497-2680 

sandicain@tradeshowexecutive.com 

senior Economist: 

Frank Chow (760) 929-9666 

frankchow@tradeshowexecutive.com 

Assistant Editor: 

Nicole Burnes (760) 929-9604 

nburnes@tradeshowexecutive.com 

Managing Editor, ZOOM, The Trade Show Locator: 

Vince Battaglia(702) 839-8181 

vince@thetradeshowcalendar.com 

Columnists: 

Bob Dallmeyer (323) 934-8300 

bdallmeyer@tradeshowexecutive.com 

Raúl de la Cerda, Editor in Chief, 

másexpos magazine, editorial@nuestromundogm.com 

TSE’s 2008 EDITORIAL advisory board 

• Jack Chalden, Principal, BD Metrics 

• Cris Levy, Managing Partner, 

Encore Media Partners 

• Sam Lippman, Producer, ECEF 

and Large Show Roundtable 

• Lori Marker, Director of Meeting 

Management, National Athletic 

Trainers’ Association 

• Phil McKay, President and CEO, 

PPM Media 

• Colette O’Donnell, Group Controller, 

Advanstar, Inc. 

• Henry M. Schaffer, Esq., Jenner & Block 

• Frank Stasiowski, President, 

PSMJ Resources, Inc. and Metalcon 

International 

• Luther Villagomez, General Manager, 

George R. Brown Convention Center 

• Mark Zimmerman, General Manager, 

Georgia World Congress Center 

Change of Address and New Subscriptions: 

Richard Magaña, Circulation Manager, Trade Show Executive magazine, 

P.O. Box 16435, North Hollywood, CA 91615. • Phone: (818) 286-3152 • Toll-Free Fax: (877) 483-8912. 

E-mail: subscribe@tradeshowexecutive.com. 

Subscriptions are free to qualified show management executives who fit the criteria and sign a qualification 

card annually. All others may purchase an annual subscription for $99. ($129 in Canada and Mexico; $149 

overseas.) Single copies: $14.95 per issue; World’s Top Convention Centers Directory is $99.00 

SALES & MARKETING 

Vice President/associate Publisher: 

Irene Sperling (818) 990-1080 

irenesperling@tradeshowexecutive.com 

Advertising manager: 

Linda Braue (310) 792-6081 

lindabraue@tradeshowexecutive.com 

Director of events: 

Diane Bjorklund (630) 312-8915 

dbjorklund@tradeshowexecutive.com 

Art Director & Production Manager: 

Tony MacAllister (760) 929-9564 

tmacallister@tradeshowexecutive.com 

technology & design manager: 

Ricky Bello (312) 617-8675 

rbello@tradeshowexecutive.com 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: 

Rick Simon, Chairman of the Board 

Mark Feldman, President 

Joan Feldman, Vice President 

Darlene Gudea, Vice President 


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News 

CEIR Index: Trade Shows Post Respectable Growth of 3.2% in 2007 

By Hil Anderson, senior editor 

St. Petersburg, FL – The average trade 

show grew 3.2% in 2007, according to the 

CEIR Index, released on April 7 by the 

Center for Exhibition Industry Research 

at the Society of Independent Show Organizers 

(SISO) CEO Summit. Growth statistics 

were off from a high of 5.8% in 2005 but 

up significantly from 2002 when trade 

shows contracted 2.9%. 

It was the Fourth Quarter that 

brought the numbers down a bit. The 

exhibition industry struggled in the last 

three months of 2007, with overall growth 

down 1.9% from Q4 2006, trimming what 

could have been an even better year for 

the exposition industry. But trade show 

growth outperformed the economy, which 

grew only 2.2% during the same period, 

as measured by GDP (Gross Domestic 

Product). And 2007 marked the fifth 

consecutive year of industry expansion, 

underscoring the health and vitality of the 

trade show industry. 

Doug Ducate, CEIR president 

and CEO, noted that the Building and 

Construction industry tends to hold its 

trade shows during the winter months. 

Since construction is a sector that is hit 

early and hard when the U.S. economy 

falters, it comes as no surprise that the 

Fourth Quarter of 2007 and first half of 

2008 would be softer for exhibitions in 

that sector. 

Stronger Economic Growth Expected in 

Q3 and Q4 of 2008 

The fifth annual edition of the 

authoritative survey on the state of the trade 

show industry concluded that the developing 

economic slowdown in the U.S. would likely 

continue to soften the industry for at least 

the first half of 2008. “Most forecasters 

predict that the second half of 2008 will 

show marked economic improvement and 

growth,” the report predicted. 

The status of the U.S. economy in 

2008 and whether or not it had entered 

a recession continued to be unclear as 

the SISO conference got under way. 

However, Ducate noted that the industry 

had already downshifted in 2007. “After 

three quarters of strong growth, the 

metrics for the exhibition industry 

softened in the Fourth Quarter of 2007 

and for the first time in several years 

underperformed the same quarter of the 

previous year.” 

The news for trade show organizers 

was by and large positive. The growth rate 

slowed but remained positive in terms 

of revenues, attendance and net square 

footage. All industry sectors reported 

increases in overall exhibition growth 

Looking Up. The trend lines for the trade show industry flattened a bit but still pointed in the right direction 

at the end of 2007, according to the latest CEIR Index. 

130 

120 

110 

100 

90 

80 

Total 

NSF 

Exhibitors 

Attendees 

Revenue 

Exhibitions 

Overall 

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 

By Trade Show Executive magazine, Carlsbad, CA 

in 2007, except for the Building and 

Construction sector. Other highlights: 

• Full year 2007: Overall industry 

growth was up 3.2% over 2006. Net 

square footage grew 0.3%; exhibitors 

were up 0.9%; attendees grew 4.9%; 

and revenues climbed 6.8%. 

• Fourth Quarter 2007: Overall industry 

growth was down 1.9% from Q4 2006. 

Net square footage fell 3%; exhibitors 

fell 3.6%; and revenue fell 1.6%. 

However, attendance grew 1%. 

• 2000 to 2007 CAGR (Compound 

Annual Growth Rate): Overall 

industry growth for the period was 

2.5%. Net square footage was up 3.1%; 

exhibitors increased 1.5%; attendance 

grew 2%; and revenue climbed 3.1%. 

How the CEIR Index Was Compiled 

Veris Consulting, a leading 

independent research firm, collected data 

from 300 events and created the index. 

Statistics were aggregated into the total but 

individual results will remain confidential. 

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Travel & 

Tourism Industry Center at the University 

of South Carolina provided economic 

analysis for the index. The Jordan, 

Edmiston Group, Inc. (JEGI), the leading 

investment banking firm for the media and 

information industries, provided year-overyear 

analysis of exhibition performance 

for the 11 industry sectors. Trade Show 

Executive provided design elements for the 

final report. Other contributors to the 

CEIR Index included: American Business 

Media (ABM); the Exhibition Industry 

Foundation (EIF); the International 

Association of Exhibitions and Events 

(IAEE); the Professional Convention 

Management Association (PCMA); and the 

Society of Independent Show Organizers 

(SISO). 

The is available for $125 for 

members of CEIR and IAEE; $225 for 

nonmembers. 

Reach Doug Ducate, president and 

CEO of CEIR, at (972) 687-9242 or 

dducate@ceir.org 


News 

Latest Research on Scientific Events Reveals 

99% of Delegates Visit Exhibits 


Arlington, VA – Scientists prefer 

conferences which are compact and 

packed with educational material more 

than they like exhibits, although that has 

not kept them off the show floor. A 

survey of 1,000 scientists from a range 

of disciplines conducted by market 

research firm BioInformatics, LLC found 

that only 1% claim that they do not visit 

exhibit halls at scientific conferences. 

Additionally, 76% of the scientists 

reported that visits to exhibit halls have 

influenced their purchase decisions in the 

past 12 months. 

“The primary draw for scientists to 

attend conferences is the list of speakers 

and presenters,” said Tamara Zemlo, 

Ph.D, director of syndicated research 

and analysis for BioInformatics, LLC, an 

Arlington, VA market research firm which 

released the study in late March. “Only 

6% are ‘most interested’ in the vendors 

who are exhibiting as opposed to 70% 

who are focused on the speakers.” 

The BioInformatics report, Conference 

& Exhibit Strategies in the Life Sciences: 

What’s Working Now, presented trends 

over a five-year period. The company 

sounded out the scientific community to 

discover their idea of a perfect scientific 

conference. The results provide guidance 

for show organizers involved in the 

thriving sector based on what attendees 

are looking for when they go on the road. 

Scientists appear to have a high degree 

of savvy when it comes to the conference 

circuit. BioInformatics reported that the 

average scientist attends 3.7 events per 

year as opposed to other industries where 

a company might dispatch a delegation 

to a single trade show every year or two. 

The report noted that the mean number 

of conferences attended was 54% higher 

than it was when the last survey was 

conducted in 2002. 

But at the same time, to the dismay 

of exhibitors, these prolific attendees 

participate mainly for the networking 

opportunities and presentations of the latest 

research, not necessarily to see the exhibits. 

Dr. Zemlo said the sentiments were 

also reflected in comments submitted 

by exhibitors. “It sounds like companies 

exhibit because they have to,” she told 

Trade Show Executive. “They admit it is 

increasingly difficult to justify the value of 

exhibiting in these conferences due to the 

expense and the high level of staff and 

resource involvement.” 

At the same time, the researchers 

who attend the conferences may be tops 

in their academic fields, but they are not 

purchasing agents who can place an order 

with an exhibitor. This fact has not been 

lost on the vendors who have a keen eye 

on their ROI. “They expressed concern 

about the quality of the attendees and the 

decreased number of leads they get,” Dr. 

Zemlo said. “There was also the increase 

in the number of small conferences that 

do not have opportunities to exhibit.” 

Smaller Events Popular 

BioInformatics found that the average 

scientist will attend a major “mega show” 

once a year; however the other 2.7 events 

tend to be much smaller. These events 

are often held at hotels or some other 

venue that has limited exhibit space and 

can attract only a few 

hundred attendees. 

“Despite their 

concerns, most vendors 

do exhibit because they 

say competitors and 

customers notice it if 

they were not there,” 

Dr. Zemlo said. 

The Message to 

Organizers 

Other key findings : 

• 49% of the attendees 

explore the entire 

exhibit area; 

• 15% of the 

attendees identify vendors they want to 

visit in advance; 

• 61% said they were “very interested” 

in attending a product demonstration; 

• Although niche conferences gained 

in popularity, 42% believe megaconferences 

still play a role in scientific 

education. 

• Direct mail is getting eclipsed by digital 

marketing in event promotion. The 

survey found that 35% learned about 

conferences by direct mail in 2007 

compared to 60% in 2002. 

• The report specifies how new media 

– podcasts, webinars, interactive 

television, etc. may impact vendor’s 

participation in scientific conferences. 

“Vendors providing the right kind 

of information that scientists need, 

who allow them to physically examine 

products, and who answer their questions 

in an unhurried manner will be better 

able to positively influence the products 

and instruments they buy for their labs,” 

noted Dr. Zemlo. 

The print version of the 135-page 

report is available for $4,400. An 

electronic and print version is available 

for $6,600. Reach Tamara Zemlo at 

(703) 778-3080, ext. 25, or t.zemlo@ 

scienceboard.net 

Exhibits Matter. A survey by BioInformatics, LLC found that scientist 

attend conferences primarily for the educational component, but only 1% 

claim they skip the exhibits. 

Continued on page 10 


News 

Continued from page 9 

Trade Show Executive to Launch Award Gala 

to Honor the Nation’s Top Trade Shows 

Carlsbad, CA - A unique event debuting 

this Fall will salute the leading trade 

shows in the U.S. and offer the media a 

rare opportunity to learn more about our 

$85 billion industry. 

Trade Show Executive’s Gold 100 Award 

Gala & Summit will honor the producers 

of the 100 largest trade shows in the 

nation as ranked by net square feet 

of exhibit space. Ten organizers will 

also receive Grand Awards in categories 

ranging from “The Show with the 

Highest Economic Impact” to “The 

Top Brand.” 

The Gold 100 ceremony and summit 

will be held Sept. 17-19 at the seaside 

Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Laguna Niguel, 

CA, consistently rated as one of the 

top hotels in the world. The event is 

expected to draw 200 leading trade 

show executives and more than 30 

journalists to the by-invitation-only 

gala and summit, as well as 350 to the 

opening night reception. The award 

ceremony will be broadcast live on Trade 

Show Executive’s web site, by TSE’s sister 

company, PrivilegedAccess.tv. 

Television personality Bill Kurtis 

will be the master of ceremonies for the 

event. Kurtis, a former correspondent and 

anchorman for the CBS Morning News, has 

been called the “Walter Cronkite of our 

generation.” Kurtis has become a fixture 

on cable television as the host of the longrunning 

true-crime series American Justice 

on A&E, and producer of Cold Case Files 

and Investigative Reports. 

In addition to the awards banquet, 

the event will feature a summit featuring 

TSE’s Exposition Forecasting Board; a 

Darlene Gudea 

Diane Bjorklund 

panel of Chief 

Marketing 

Officers from 

the Fortune 

500; a panel 

on a timely 

“hot topic;” 

a celebrity 

speaker; a 

complimentary 

golf, spa 

and yachting 

Bill Kurtis 

excursion; and 

goody bags 

sponsored by some of the nation’s 

leading luxury retailers. 

The Gold Standards 

“The top 100 trade shows have a 

massive impact not only on the host 

city but also in setting standards for the 

exposition industry as a whole,” said 

Darlene Gudea, vice president/publisher 

& editor of Trade Show Executive. “The 

Gold Gala will identify and honor the ‘gold 

standard’ events – those at the forefront 

of innovation, leadership, growth and 

technology. Their strategies will stimulate 

further growth in the exposition industry.” 

Diane Bjorklund, TSE’s director 

of events, noted that TSE is extending 

invitations to the business media 

nationwide. “The Gold 100 Gala & Summit 

will provide journalists with a unique 

opportunity to learn more about our 

dynamic industry. They will also have the 

opportunity to meet many of the leaders 

of an industry that continues to thrive 

despite current economic challenges.” 

For further information, contact 

Darlene Gudea, vp/publisher & 

editor at (760) 929-9666 or dgudea@ 

tradeshowexecutive.com or Diane 

Bjorklund, director of events, at 

(630) 312-8915 or dbjorklund@ 

tradeshowexecutive.com 

How the Winners Will be Determined 

Trade Show Executive is accepting entries 

for the Gold 100 Awards from organizers 

of B-to-B expositions held in the U.S. in 

2007. The 100 largest shows will be ranked 

by net square feet of exhibit space. The 

show manager must certify the net square 

footage, number of exhibiting companies and 

attendance. 

Ten of the top 100 shows will be further 

honored with the TSE Grand Award, in the 

following categories: 

n The Largest Show managed by an 

Association or Society 

n The Largest Show managed by an 

Independent Show Organizer 

n The Top Show Organizer among the Gold 

100 (i.e. the association or independent 

organizer with the largest number of Gold 

100 shows). 

n The Top Brand (the parent show must 

be U.S. based and among the Gold 100; 

other shows under the brand name can 

be held in any other city in the U.S. or 

overseas) 

n The Show with the Most Dramatic Growth 

n The Show with the Highest Economic 

Impact on the Local Economy 

n The Show with the Most Innovative 

Practices 

n The Show with the Highest Global 

Participation 

n The Show at the Forefront of Technology 

n The Greenest Show 

There is a maximum of two awards per show. 

Trade Show Executive’s 

And the Winner Is... 

The top 100 shows will be 

announced on June 16 in 


Eclips Breaking News 

and on our web site. 

Registration for the Gold 

Gala and Summit will 

then officially open. However, the ranking 

of each show and the winners of the ten 

Grand Awards will be kept confidential until 

9:00 p.m. on September 18 at a Black-Tie 

ceremony at the Ritz Carlton. At that time, 

various industry leaders including a surprise 

guest, industry association executives, key 

sponsors and TSE editors will “open the 

envelope” and announce the winners, similar 

to the Academy Awards and Grammy 

Awards. 


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Title Sponsor 

Gold Sponsors 


TM 


Gold 100 Gala & Summit 

Honoring the 100 Shows That Are the Gold Standard 

in the Trade Show Industry 

From September 17-19, 2008, Trade 

Show Executive will honor the nation’s 

leading trade shows at a site that reflects 

the very essence of the Gold 100 Award 

– the five star Ritz-Carlton Hotel in 

Laguna Niguel, CA. 

Set atop a bluff with breathtaking 

views of the Pacific Ocean, the newlyremodeled 

five-star Ritz Carlton Hotel 

is one of the world’s leading hotels – 

having reached the summit in luxury and 

service. 

The 100 trade shows that will be 

honored have also reached the summit. 

Each one is the gold standard in the 

market it serves and in its host city 

because of its massive economic impact 

on the local community. 

Along with the formal banquet, the event 

will feature a Gold Summit where the 

leading executives will gather to network, 

debate issues and share insights to steer 

their organizations to new levels of 

success. 

The honorees will be announced in June. 

For more details, go to: 

www.TradeShowExecutive.com 

Silver Sponsors 

Bronze Sponsors 


T r e n d i n g & S p e n d i n g 



Darlene Gudea, 

VP/publisher & editor 


Trending & Spending Forecast 

Fig. I: TSE Forecast of 

Net Square Feet of Exhibit Space 

3.0% 

3rd Quarter 

Fig. II: TSE Forecast of Number 

of Exhibiting Organizations 

3.0% 

3rd Quarter 

Fig. IlI: TSE Forecast of 

Professional Attendance 

1.5% 

3rd Quarter 

4.0% June 

3.6% June 

1.3% June 

3.1% 

2008 

3.2% 


1.6% 


Fig. lV: TSE Annual Forecast 

of Revenue 

4.1% 

Frank Chow, 

senior economist 

Year Ending December 2008 

By Darlene Gudea, 

VP/publisher & editor 

Carlsbad, CA - “When the Federal Reserve 

negotiates an unprecedented bailout to 

save a multi-billion dollar investment 

bank, it is a sure indication that the 

economy is in deep trouble,” said Frank 

Chow, senior economist for Trade Show 

Executive magazine. That’s what happened 

when the Fed brokered a deal for J.P 

Morgan to buy Bear Stearns for two 

dollars a share, he said. Just a little over 

one year ago, Bear Stearns was trading 

for about $170 a share. Chow noted that 

the Fed developed some other innovative 

measures to pump more liquidity into 

the financial markets. These actions and 

others by the Fed, the Administration 

and Congress come from a belief that 

without such intervention, a huge bank 

failure would cause a cascading panic and 

possibly usher in a severe recession. 

More Bad News on the Economic Front 

While the stock market is welcoming 

the interventions, Chow said, more bad 

banking news continues to trickle out. 

The latest is that Wachovia, the fifthlargest 

U.S. bank by market cap, is seeking 

$6 to $7 billion in emergency capital. 

Citigroup and Merrill have released 

another $15 billion in sub-prime writedowns. 

Washington Mutual lost $1.14 

billion in the First Quarter and had to set 

aside another $3.51 billion in mortgage 

losses. The International Monetary Fund 

(IMF) thinks the full cost of the credit 

crunch could be $945 billion, just under 

a trillion bucks. With $232 billion written 

off by Wall Street so far, that would mean 

about $700 billion more to go! 

Most analysts believe the Fed actions 

and the tax rebate may be enough to 

forestall a recession or at least keep it 

mild, Chow said. However, the latest 

data shows the economy is still trending 

downward: 

• The March payroll report recorded 

a loss of 80,000 jobs, the largest 

decline since 2003. Also, the 63,000 

drop in February was revised to 

75,000. The national unemployment 

rate was up to 5.1% from 4.8% 

in February. Almost 3 million 

Americans are now unemployed. 

Gains in the government, mining and 

food-service sectors were more than 

offset by losses in manufacturing, 

construction and services. 

• Bankruptcies in U.S. jumped 30% in 

March, with the sharpest rise in the 

bubble states of California, Nevada 

and Florida. Bankruptcy filings for 

2007 soared 38% as reported by the 

Administrative Office of the U.S. 

Courts. 

• Housing starts in the U.S. plunged 

11.9% to a seasonally adjusted annual 

rate of 947,000 in March, according 

to the U.S. Commerce Department. 

Housing starts were down 36.5% 

compared with a year ago. March’s 

activity was the lowest for housing 

starts since March 1991. 

• Building permits dropped 5.8% to 

927,000 in March, 40.9% below the 

same month a year ago. 

• Thomson Financial projects First 

Quarter earnings for S&P 500 firms 

will fall 12% from a year ago with 

financial institutions, homebuilders, 

and automakers reporting the bulk of 

the losses. Thomson sees profits for 

the financial sector falling 60% from 

a year ago. However, Thompson 

believes the energy sector will show a 

28% profit gain. 

On the plus side, retail sales and 

industrial production increased. In 



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visit www.SeviervilleCVB.com or www.SeviervilleEventsCenter.com 




Trending & Spending Forecast 

Fig. V: Sector Performance 

Best Performing Sectors 

• Automotive • Manufacturing 

• Business Services • Medical 

• Entertainment • Hospitality 

• Government • Transportation 

Mixed Performance 

• Apparel 

• Sporting 

• Construction 

Goods & 

• Food 

Recreation 

• Gifts 

Improving Sectors 

• Retailing 

• Technology 

Fig. VI: 10 Economic Indicators 

Consumer Confidence: The Consumer Confidence Index, 

which fell 12 points in February, dropped to 64.5 in March to a 

five-year low and suggests further weakening is on the horizon. 

Housing Starts: Housing starts were down 36.5% compared to 

a year ago and have plummeted to March 1991 levels. 

Industrial Production: Industrial production rose 0.3% in 

March after dropping 0.7% in February. 

Inflation: Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and 

energy costs, reached 2.4% in March. It has been at or near the 

upper end of the Fed’s comfort zone for several months. 

Interest Rate: In March, the Fed cut its Federal Funds rate 

by a dramatic three-quarter percentage point to 2.25%, and is 

expected to announce another one-quarter percentage point cut 

on April 23 to prop up the wobbly economy. It could be the last 

interest rate drop for awhile as the Fed now shifts it focus on 

heading off inflation. 

Job Growth: Bleak news: payrolls dropped in March by 

80,000 jobs, the biggest decline since March 2003. 

Leading Indicators: The Leading Index increased slightly in 

March, after five straight months of decline. Money supply and 

interest rates positively impacted the index. 

Manufacturing: The ISM Manufacturing Index edged up 0.3 

percentage points to 48.6 but remained below the expansion/ 

contraction line in March for the third straight month. 

Retail Sales: Retail sales for March increased 0.2% from the previous 

month and 2.0% above March 2007, according to the Commerce 

Department, reversing a drop of 0.6% in February. 

Unemployment Rate: After improving slightly in February, 

the national unemployment rate climbed to 5.1%, with almost 3 

million Americans unemployed. The unemployment rate is based 

on the percentage of employable people actively seeking work. 

An unemployment rate of about 4% to 6% is considered healthy. 

Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; The 

Conference Board; The Institute for Supply Management (ISM); U.S. 

Commerce Department 


addition, The Conference Board’s Index 

of Leading Indicators rose slightly by 

0.1% to 102 in March, which keeps 

it in positive territory. Five of the ten 

indicators that make up the leading index 

increased, including real money supply, 

interest rate spread and manufacturers’ 

new orders for consumer goods and 

materials. 

B-to-B Media is Retrenching 

In news a little closer to home, 

B-to-B media companies are responding 

to the flagging economy by retrenching. 

Major publishers are cutting jobs or 

selling. Nielsen plans to eliminate 

4,000 employees - about 10% of its 

workforce - to address the company’s 

$8.25 billion debt. Ziff Davis Enterprise 

is going through a major restructuring 

and chopping 36 positions, according 

to minOnline. Penton Media has frozen 

salaries and hiring to reduce costs. These 

actions should not come as a surprise 

since advertising revenue has been 

declining for the past year and the start of 

2008 has been dismal. 

Trade Shows Holding Up 

Trade shows have fared much better, 

and so far, are bucking economic trends. 

Three examples: 

• The Society of the Plastics Industry, 

which produces the triennial NPE 

International Plastics Exposition, is on 

track to stage a record-breaking show 

in 2009. In a space draw last month, 

exhibitors contracted over 81% of 

the space used at the 2006 event, 

which spanned over 942,000 net 

square feet at Chicago’s McCormick 

Place. 

• Nielsen’s 2008 International Bicycle 

Expo is on track to meet or exceed 

last year’s record-breaking 313,000 

net square feet of exhibit space after 

over 500 exhibitors confirmed exhibit 

space and sponsorship packages 

during the last two weeks. 

• The George R. Brown Convention 

Center in Houston hosted an 

estimated 137,782 attendees at 

30 conventions and corporate 

events from January to mid-March, 

and another 95,247 visitors at 41 

consumer shows. “The attendance 

statistics are about 25% higher than 

in the same period in years past,” said 

Luther Villagomez, general manager. 

A Softening in Attendance 

However, attendance growth will 

continue to come under pressure. The 

high cost of transportation and housing 

continues to raise concerns. The 

hassle factor of traveling was recently 

aggravated by Southwest Airlines 

grounding 38 jets in March and American 

Airlines canceling more than 2,500 flights 

in April. In both cases, the aging fleet 

of planes was to blame. At Southwest, 

cracks in the fuselage of many planes 

were discovered. At American, the FAA 

discovered wiring issues in almost half 

of American’s domestic fleet. Compared 

to the rest of the world, especially the 

developing countries, U.S. planes are just 

old, said Chow. “This may evolve into 

a major debacle in the next few years as 

airlines facing spiraling fuel costs and a 

weak American economy cannot afford to 

purchase many new planes,” he said. 

With that in mind, Trade Show Executive 

is launching an eight-part series that will 

spotlight the shows that bucked the trend 

and achieved dramatic attendance growth. 

Beginning with “NAMM Show Grows by 

Tweaks and Bounds” in the June issue, 

TSE News Editor Sandi Cain takes a look 

at how the International Music Products 

Association increased attendance by 

turning people down. 

How Trade Show Executive Magazine’s 

Trending & Spending Was Compiled 

Trade Show Executive Magazine’s 

Trending & Spending Forecast aggregates 

information from numerous sources: 

government and business reports; 

interviews with industry experts and 

economists; and the TSE monthly poll 

of its 20-member Economic Forecasting 

Board. Unbiased, reliable data—whether 

positive or negative—is the foundation of 

solid business planning. TSE 


Integrated Software for 

Exhibition Management 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

25,000 Users Worldwide 



Trade Show Executive’s Exposition Forecasting Board 

Darlene Gudea, 

Publisher & Editor, 

Trade Show Executive 

Frank Chow, 

Senior Economist, 


Tom Caridi, 

CFO, Questex Media Group 

Nancy Walsh, 

Executive Vice President, 

Reed Exhibitions 

“Nothing in the bigger economic picture has 

dissuaded me that the prospects for stagflation are 

real and will be felt in our key show measurements 

soon. The only question I have is, ‘How long will 

it last?’ Anybody with a crystal ball is capable of 

making a forecast. 

“There are no short-term remedies in my 

estimation. Every show manager should be 

implementing whatever strategic and tactical 

adjustments can be made to prepare for softening 

performance in the next 12 to 18 months – and 

hopefully, not much longer.“ 

Brian Tully 

Brian Tully, 

Senior Vice President, 

Food Marketing Institute 

Margaret 

Pederson, 

IAEE Chairman-Elect 

Doug Ducate, 

President & CEO, 

Center for Exhibition 

Industry Research (CEIR) 

Tom Mobley 

Senior Vice President, 

Convention Centers, 

Global Spectrum 

James Rooney, 

Executive Director, 

Massachusetts Convention 

Center Authority 

Steven Hacker, 


International Association of 

Exhibitions & Events (IAEE) 

“Evidence is growing that economic 

circumstances are benefiting many well-managed 

exhibitions and events. Corporations are responding 

to the efficiencies that exhibitions offer as a single 

platform to meet with customers and prospects. 

This is a particularly good time for show organizers 

to reach out to their exhibitors and visitors to offer 

solutions. I have spoken with many organizers who 

are doing this and who are enjoying record-setting 

attendance and exhibit space sales. Even events that 

operate in particularly hard-hit industries have been 

able to keep their audience as the result of out-reach. 

My conclusion is that opportunities have never been 

better if show management is aggressive in reaching 

out to key exhibitors and buyers.” 

Steven Hacker 



Trade Show Executive’s Exposition Forecasting Board 

Tim McGill, 

CEO, Hargrove Inc. 

“Most shows in the First Quarter seemed to average 

a slight increase in attendance from the previous year, 

roughly 3% to 4%, depending on the industry sector. Net 

square footage has been up. This is due mainly to two 

factors: (1) Previous exhibitors contracting more space, 

and (2) The increase in the exhibitor base seems to be 

exceeding the attrition from non-returning exhibitors. 

“Our custom exhibit-building division has a strong 

and solid pipeline for the balance of the year. While that 

division is considered a lagging indicator, we expected to 

see a softening in the pipeline but that has not occurred. 

Our events division is continuing to see increased 

business. That segment is typically the first to contract 

but that has not occurred either. We remain confident in 

our expectations for trade shows, however, the industry 

sectors served will influence the strength of each show. 

But even some of our financial shows have seen and are 

predicting continued growth this year. 

“While it appears that there is a consensus that the 

U.S. economy is obviously headed toward or already in a 

recession, our numbers and forecasts are contrary.” 

Tim McGill 

Skip Cox, 


Exhibit Surveys 

Carrie Freeman 

Parsons 

Vice Chairman & 

Chief Marketing Officer, 

Freeman 

Chris Meyer, 

Vice President, Convention Sales, 

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors 

Authority 

Terence Donnelly, 

VP, Trade Show 

Markets, Experient 

“The trade show industry remains healthy in this 

challenging economy. While individual events are 

experiencing a broad range of registration trending, 

registration for U.S. trade shows in the aggregate has 

remained stable from 2007 to 2008.” 

Clark Williams 

Clark Williams, 

President, 

CompuSystems 

Gregg Caren, 

Senior Vice President 

of Strategic Business 

Development, SMG 

Steve Moore, 


Greater Phoenix Convention 

& Visitors Bureau 

Harris Schanhaut, 

Former Events Marketing 

Manager, American Express 

Global Corporate Services 

Robert Canton, 

Director, Convention & 

Tourism Service, 

PricewaterhouseCoopers 


New Twists 

on Old 

Legal Issues 

How to Tip the Scales 

in Your Favor 

By Sandi Cain, news editor 

Attrition. Cancellation. Force majeure. 

Been there, done that? Think again. Just 

when you think you’ve fine-tuned these 

contract clauses, nuanced changes appear 

like a boomerang to take negotiators 

back to the table. Due to longer booking 

windows, trade show organizers may be 

more susceptible than other conference 

organizers to the challenges that arise 

from these issues. Some of these 

trends are addressed in this article, with 

suggestions on how to handle them. 


Subtle but Risky Attrition Clauses 

Generally, the economy has a direct 

impact on the severity of attrition clauses. 

In slower times, hotels might be happy 

to fill rooms and be more forgiving of 

some attrition. For now, demand remains 

high but there are indications that could 

change this year. “In a seller’s market, 

hotels can demand a tougher attrition 

clause,” said Henry Schaffer, an attorney 

with Jenner & Block LLP in Chicago, 

and legal counsel for SISO, the Society 

of Independent Show Organizers, and a 

member of Trade Show Executive’s Editorial 

Advisory Board. 

Schaffer cautioned that new language 

is cropping into contracts which you 

should first discuss with your legal 

counsel and then decide what further 

negotiations are in order. Here are some 

things to watch out for: 

• Financial responsibility for unused 

rooms on a per-night basis rather 

than a cumulative basis. Avoid 

paying for unused rooms on a pernight 

basis rather than a cumulative 

basis. For instance, if you negotiate 

a guarantee of 3,000 room nights, 

make sure the hotel doesn’t word 

the attrition provision as a guarantee 

for 1,000 rooms each night instead 

of 3,000 rooms total. If you are 

charged attrition per night, and the 

first night you draw 800, the second 

night 1,700 and the third night 700, 

you may be charged for the shortfall 

of 200 on the first night and 300 on 

the third night, even though you have 

exceeded your 3,000 room block by 

200 rooms. At a national average 

room rate of about $190 [in the top 

25 markets], the difference can be a 

significant chunk of change. 

Schaffer said organizers of large events 

should attempt to negotiate an attrition 

clause that requires them to pay attrition 

only if the room utilization falls below 

a stated percentage – e.g., 80% – of the 

room block. Thus, in the case of a 3,000 

room night block, no attrition would 

be due if the group used 2,400 or more 

room nights. 

• Paying for revenue-based attrition, 

instead of attrition based on 

number of room nights used 

versus number of room nights 

in the block. Some hotels are 

attempting to require attrition clauses 

based on “lost revenue,” calculated 

by multiplying the number of 

rooms for which attrition is to be 

charged by the group’s negotiated 

rate, deducting that from the “total 

value” of the room block, defined 

as the number of room nights in the 

block multiplied by the negotiated 

rate, and demanding the difference 

as attrition owed. That could be 

particularly onerous for show 

organizers who negotiate hotel rates 

a few years out. Take for example, 

a group with a guaranteed rate of 

$150 per night. Let’s assume that the 

hotel’s publicly available rate during 

the event is $99 per night. Group 

attendees might well “book outside 

the block,” saving $51 per night by 

doing so. The hotel might credit 

rooms used by block attendees at $99 

per night, but since attrition is based 

on revenue generated by the room, 

the hotel would claim a right to $51 

for each room booked at $99. It’s 

far better, Schaffer said, to negotiate 

for group rates equal to the best 

public rate available at the time of the 

show or require that the hotel credit 

rooms used against the total number 

promised, regardless of price, and 

calculate any attrition based on the 

number of rooms used by block 

attendees. “Revenue-based attrition 

pricing is dangerous for long-term 

bookings when prices go down later,” 

Schaffer said. 

Indemnification, Cancellation and Force 

Majeure Clauses in Convention Center 

Contracts 

Convention center contracts can be 

tricky when it comes to indemnification 

provisions, Schaffer said. A typical 

indemnification provision prepared 

by the hotel is completely one-sided, 

requiring that the group indemnifies the 

center for losses caused by anything that 

happens – unless what happens is due to 

the sole negligence of the facility, while 

the facility rarely if ever provides any 

indemnification for the group. Aside 

from being completely one-sided, the 

additional catch, Schaffer said, is that 

“nothing is ever the consequence of sole 

negligence.” He said that including the 

phrase ‘sole negligence’ will always lead 

to the facility saying someone else shares 

the fault, and therefore, the group must 

indemnify the facility. Therefore, it is 

important to negotiate the word “sole” 

out of the contract, he said. 

Cancellation clauses and force 

majeure clauses are often closely linked, 

with negotiations centered on defining 

what constitutes a 

”force majeure event,” 

permitting cancellation 

of the contract 

without liability of 

either party to the 

other. That makes it 

particularly important Henry Schaffer 

to be specific about 

conditions included in force majeure 

clauses. 

Other Contract Concerns 

Other recent issues that require astute 

negotiation include hotel surcharges such 

as resort fees, early departure fees and 

minimum levels for food and beverage 

services. Schaffer suggested some ways to 

address those issues: 

• Try to negotiate a provision that says 

group members will pay surcharge 

fees for newspapers, fitness clubs and 

other amenities only if they request 

those amenities at check-in. 

• Have the contract provide that early 

departure fee revenue be credited 

against any room attrition. 

• Have the contract provide that any 

food and beverage revenue above 

the contracted minimum be credited 

to any room attrition the group may 

owe. 

“Some hotel chains are adding a facility 

service fee to their contracts. The hotel 

will add a hotel function space fee if the 

minimum room pickup and guaranteed 

dollar amount for food and beverage is 

not met,” said Diane Bjorklund, director 

of events for Trade Show Executive. “This 

is double dipping on your room and food 

and beverage attrition. Event managers 

should be sure this is deleted all together,” 

she said. 




M&A Issues 

Merger and acquisition activity has 

directly affected trade show organizers 

and publications. In the First Quarter of 

2008 alone, there were 202 transactions 

announced totaling $13.4 billion in value, 

across the 11 media and information 

sectors tracked by The Jordan, Edmiston 

Group, Inc. (JEGI). How those 

companies integrate their trade show 

businesses into smooth-running engines 

can impact future shows. 

Most organizations have non-compete 

clauses in their venue contracts to prevent 

competitive shows in close proximity or 

timing. But these clauses could be at risk 

if a merger creates a conflict after the 

contract is signed. Trade show companies 

involved in such transactions should 

review existing contracts to head off 

potential problems. 

Trade show organizers also need to 

pay attention to M&A activity among hotel 

companies. A robust hotel market has 

resulted in numerous sales and acquisitions. 

The net result is that more hotels are 

owned by private equity groups with little 

experience in the hospitality field. As a 

result, acquisitions might affect contracts 

signed by show organizers years before the 

merger. That’s one reason why changes of 

ownership and/or management should be 

addressed in the original contract, Schaffer 

said. For instance: 

• If a Marriott Hotel converts to a 

Renaissance Hotel — also a Marriott 

business brand — there may be no 

significant impact for your group. 

But if the conversion also brings 

extensive renovations during your 

event, it might be reasonable to ask 

to relocate to another hotel owned or 

managed by the same parent company 

in markets where that’s possible, 

Schaffer said. Thus, this contingency 

should be addressed in the hotel 

contract, requiring the hotel to inform 

the group of extensive construction 

or renovation, and the group must be 

able to cancel or transfer if this activity 

could jeopardize a successful event. 

• If a hotel converts from a well-known 

upscale brand to one of lower quality, 

organizers may have reason to question 

whether service levels will be adequate, 

Schaffer said. By including minimum 

service levels in the contract, an 

inability to meet those requirements 

might be enough to cancel the contract, 

if this option is included in the 

contract. 

The caveat, Schaffer said, is that there 

are no hard and fast rules governing 

events resulting from M&A activity. “It’s 

a challenge to anticipate and deal with 

industry changes,” he said. 

Reach Henry Schaffer at (312) 

840-7673 or hschaffer@jenner.com 

Can Attendees Be Held Liable for Organizer’s Unpaid Balance? 

A Look at What Happened at the Westin Casuarina Hotel in Las Vegas 

By Sandi Cain, News Editor 

Attendees of a small dental 

conference in Las Vegas last fall got 

a post-conference surprise: a bill for 

their ‘share’ of the organizer’s unpaid 

balance of $57,000 owed to the Westin 

Casuarina Las Vegas Hotel, Casino & Spa. 

The hotel billed attendee’s credit cards 

for approximately $665 each after the 

organizer failed to pay the bill for food 

and beverage and other services related 

to the conference. The event, Dental Boot 

Kamp, was organized by The Coaching 

Center of Austin, TX and held October 

5-6. The organizer said in news reports 

that she was working on a payment plan. 

Henry Schaffer, an attorney who 

specializes in the meeting and trade show 

industry, expressed surprise at the hotel’s 

action. “Contracts generally hold the event 

organizer responsible,” Schaffer said. 

However, the 815-room Westin 

Casuarina hotel said its registration folio 

has a clause that reads: “I agree that my 

bill liability for this bill is not waived and 

agree to be held personally liable in the 

event that the indicated person, company, 

or third party fails to pay for any part or 

all of these charges.” 

A hotel guest might presume that 

clause refers to charges related to a given 

guest room. In this case, the hotel was 

using it as the basis to recoup other 

charges as well. 

IAEE President Steven Hacker called 

the action a total aberration. “Unless 

there is a contractual relationship between 

the attendees and the organizer, the 

failure of an organization to meet its 

financial obligations does not give the 

hotel the right to bill those obligations to 

attendees,” he said. 

Westin Later Rescinds Action 

On April 10, the Westin reversed its 

decision and said it would refund any 

charges made to the attendees’ credit 

cards to recoup the unpaid bills. In a 

letter to attendees, Amy Ashton Shaw, 

assistant corporate general counsel for 

Columbia-Sussex, owner of the Westin 

Causarina and 67 other U.S. hotels, said 

the decision to refund the charges is 

an “effort to show our good faith” but 

recognizes that the organizer “is truly at 

fault for the expenses incurred by all the 

parties.” Columbia Sussex spokesman 

Hud Englehart said, “We’ve decided as 

a matter of customer relations to issue 

the refunds while continuing to pursue 

payment from The Coaching Center.” 

“I think it will be interesting to hear 

other hotels’ perceptions about this 

business decision made by the Westin 

Casuarina,” she said Tyra Hilliard, an 

Arlington, VA-based consultant on legal 

and risk management issues for the 

meetings industry. “Their attitudes will 

probably be the most significant indicator 

of whether this will be an ongoing 

contract issue.” 

Schaffer said the moral to the story is 

that people should read what they sign — 

even at hotel check-in. 

Reach Henry Schaffer at (312) 

840-7673 or hschaffer@jenner.com; 

Steven Hacker at (972) 458-8002 or 

shacker@iaee.com; Tyra Hilliard at 

(202)640-1843 or tyra.hilliard@gmail.com; 

Amy Ashton Shaw and Hud Englehart at 

(859) 578-1100. 


From Nuisance to Necessity 

Protecting the 

Intellectual Property Rights 

of Exhibitors 

By Sandi Cain, news editor 

As we move into a more digital and global 

marketplace, protecting Intellectual Property 

Rights (IPR) at trade shows is a hot issue that 

has gained momentum. While IPR issues 

have been at the forefront in a number of 

industries in the U.S. and Europe for more 

than a decade, that’s not the case in other parts 

of the world. 

Therein lies the rub. Emerging economies 

may not yet place the same value on IPR as do 

more established countries. Yet no one wants 

to see a knock-off of their product on the 

show floor. 

But when police in Hannover raided 

the CeBIT trade and technology fair earlier 

this year as part of an investigation into 

suspected patent violations, it brought the 

issue to a head and set tongues wagging 

across the globe. The police in Hannover 

said the investigations stemmed from a rising 

number of criminal complaints about patent 

infringement surrounding CeBIT. Police 

filled dozens of boxes with various electronic 

devices, documents and advertising materials. 

A total of 51 exhibitors were affected – 24 

from mainland China, 3 from Hong Kong 

and 12 from Taiwan. The rest were from 

Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and Korea, 

clearly illustrating that the 

problem exists worldwide. 

Cliff Wallace, president 

of UFI, The Global 

Association of the 

Exhibition Industry and 

managing director of the 

Hong Kong Convention & 

Cliff Wallace 

Exhibition Center, wrote 

in an April article for UFI that IPR violators 

should have expected the raids because 

organizers in Germany inform exhibitors in 

advance about IPR protection. 

Taking the Bull by its Horns 

The move to stop IPR violators extends 

beyond Germany. The trade show industry 

is taking the bull by the horns, setting forth 

some of its own guidelines. In 2006, UFI 

signed a joint Intellectual Property Rights 

agreement with the China Council for the 

Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). 

The same year, officials with the International 


(IAEE) reached an agreement with China that 

recognized the importance of IPR and the 

need to protect those rights. 

“At UFI, our position is that violations 

simply have to stop,” Wallace said. 

“Enforcement is growing and will continue to 

grow as people take legal means to enforce the 

rules and prevent the damages that can result 

from IP violations,” he said. 

UFI also developed a brochure with 

recommendations for IP protection and 

rights at trade shows. It is available as a free 

download on its website www.ufi.org (see 

sidebar, page 24 for an excerpt from this 

document). 

Organizers are Not Judges 

Such moves are a 

good first step, but more 

is needed, said Jochen 

Witt, CEO of JWC 

Consultancy and executive 

vice president of UFI. The 

Jochen Witt 




recommendations are more like a letter of 

intent that acknowledge IPR but are not 

actionable, he said. 

Both Wallace and Witt acknowledge 

that trade show organizers can go 

only so far in their own efforts because 

they aren’t qualified to enforce the laws 

themselves. “Organizers are not judges,” 

Witt said. “They must rely on a court 

judgment, then take action,” he 

said. 

What Show Managers Can Do 

Wallace and Witt hope that UFI 

members can lead the way by: (1) 

Notifying exhibitors about the risk of 

penalties for violations, and (2) Sharing 

information with exhibitors about what 

they can do to protect themselves. “These 

kinds of action safeguard quality, which is 

what makes a trade show successful,” Witt 

said. Quality is diluted by IPR violations 

at trade shows, and that in turn may drive 

reputable exhibitors away, he said. 

Despite a common perception, 

violations aren’t primarily centered 

in China and they aren’t necessarily 

focused on technology trade shows. 

Both the Society of the Plastics Industry 

Inc. and the National Association 

of Manufacturers said they’ve seen 

violations. Wallace said there have been 

cases of exhibitors removing questionable 

products in Hong Kong, but he had never 

seen a mass raid such as the one at CeBIT. 

“It still could occur, as enforcement 

improves,” he said. 

In the U.S., IAEE has an IPR 

Resource Center that includes a tool kit, 

model policy statement, suggested text 

for show manuals, a dispute form and 

a form for legal counsel to use to keep 

track of alleged violations. It also includes 

the Chinese regulations that took effect 

in 2006. Some U.S. trade shows — The 

SEMA Show and the Winter NAMM Show 

among them — have their own policies in 

place. 

IPR a Top Priority at SEMA Show 

SEMA –The Specialty Equipment 

Market Association launched its efforts 

in 2004, saying IPR was among its “top 

priority issues.” The organization took 

steps to better inform companies about 

UFI, The Global Association of the 

Exhibition Industry, recommends 

show organizers to take the following 

steps to inform, protect and assist their 

exhibitors in acting against brand and 

product piracy: 

1. Before the event, organizers 

should create a specific document 

for exhibitors that contains detailed 

information about IPR protection 

policies. It should be sent out with 

the registration/participation forms, 

posted on the organizer’s website, 

included in the exhibitors’ manual, and 

outlined in the trade show’s General 

Terms and Conditions. It should: 

• Advise exhibitors to protect 

and register trademarks, patents 

or designs before the trade show 

starts and use all forms of legal 

protection during the event. They 

should consult with a specialized 

patent and trademark attorney 

regarding registration alternatives, 

requirements, procedures and 

maintenance. 

• Provide contact information for 

the person responsible for IPR issues 

within the organizing company, as 

Steps that Show Managers Can Take to Insure 

a Fair Business Environment at Trade Shows 

well as the contact details of local/ 

national IPR organizations, customs 

authorities and patent and trademark 

attorneys. 

• Encourage exhibitors to 

inform customs authorities before 

the exhibition if they suspect that 

another exhibitor will infringe their 

rights. The customs officials can 

then stop suspicious consignments, 

investigate them, take samples and 

destroy copies. 

• Inform exhibitors to bring 

original documents or certified 

copies of their patent or trademark 

rights to the show, so that a possible 

infringement may be established 

during the event. Any verdict already 

obtained against an exhibiting pirate 

should also be included. 

2. During the show, organizers should 

provide a list of local IPR attorneys 

for exhibitors that want to pursue legal 

action against an alleged infringer. 

3. Organizers should have on-site or 

on-call experts (IPR attorneys, customs 

authorities, etc.) during the event who 

can offer legal advice to those affected 

by IPR infringement counterfeit 

products. 

4. Organizers should be able to 

provide a neutral arbitrator or judge to 

help determine if there is a violation 

or to resolve IPR disputes during the 

show. 

5. Interpreters should be available to 

facilitate communication if disputes 

with foreign exhibitors arise. 

6. When appropriate, organizers 

should provide an on-site office, a 

special stand or a point of contact 

to deal with any IPR requests or 

complaints for the entire duration of 

the show. 

7. In order to protect exhibitors from 

counterfeiting or IPR infringement 

practices during trade shows, 

exhibitors should be encouraged to 

indicate that their products or services 

are protected by IPR rights, where 

applicable. 

Published with permission from UFI, The 

Global Association of the Exhibition 

Industry. The full document may be found 

at www.ufi.org/media/thetradefairsector/ 

ipr_recommendations.pdf 


trademarks, patents and what can be done 

to protect them. It also delivers special 

bulletins to exhibitors that explain the 

rules and regulations covering IPR. The 

bulletins clearly outline the consequences 

for those who violate another’s rights. In 

addition, SEMA stepped up enforcement 

of show rules that prohibit the display of 

products, packaging or trademarks that 

infringe on the IPR of others. SEMA also 

conducts online webinars on the topic to 

help members understand how to protect 

their own intellectual property. 

NAMM Show Will Impose Restrictions on 

Violators 

NAMM, the International Music 

Products Association, has a two-page 

IPR policy on its website that informs 

companies that both membership 

and exhibitor applications contain 

legally binding language concerning 

IPR. It also specifies that it will not 

take sides in disputes, but is willing to 

impose restrictions on members and/or 

exhibitors during a NAMM show if the 

organization is reasonably certain that 

an intended use would violate another’s 

rights. NAMM also outlines its own IPR 

relative to its shows and outlines what 

members may and may not use. 

Stopping Violators in 

Their Tracks 

Wallace said the best thing trade show 

organizers might do once they know an 

exhibitor has violated IPR regulations is 

to prevent the violator from returning to 

the show. “The more often that happens, 

the more careful people will have to be,” 

he said. 

But even as enforcement improves, 

Witt said communication is just as 

important. “The more we talk about it 

and communicate, the better it is for the 

community of those who respect IPR,” 

he said. 

Reach Jochen Witt at 

011-49-221-278-8888 or jwitt@ 

jwc.eu.com; Cliff Wallace at 

011-852-2-582-7800 or cliffwallace@ 

hkcec.com; the SEMA Show at www. 

semashow.com; the NAMM Show at 

www.thenammshow.com 

ECEF Presents Hot Topic Next Month: 

How German Trade Shows Aim to Enforce Intellectual Property Rights 


Washington, DC – The hot-button issue 

of protecting exhibitors from the 

increased number of fake, copied and 

unlicensed products being displayed 

at trade shows is a headline topic at 

the June 19 Exhibition & Convention 

Executives Forum (ECEF). 

Joachim Schafer, managing 

director/executive vice president, 

Messe Dusseldorf GmbH, will give a 

presentation on how German show 

managers are taking steps to prevent a 

repeat of the high-profile police raids 

on more than 50 booths at this Spring’s 

CeBIT show in Hannover. 

Patent protection has always 

been a concern for U.S. organizers. 

Photography is often restricted in the 

exhibit hall to prevent piracy of the 

latest designs. At the same time, the 

stakes for U.S. organizers don’t include 

the prospect of uniformed police 

entering the show floor, closing down 

booths and seizing the products 

of exhibitors suspected of 

patent infringement, as is the 

case under German law. 

Schafer’s presentation, 

“Cops and Robbers: How 

German Trade Show 

Organizers Are Dealing with IPR and 

Copyright Issues,” will look at the 

steps German organizers have taken to 

prevent a repeat of the CeBIT drama 

while at the same time remaining 

strictly neutral in their treatment of 

their exhibitors. 

Schafer is one of several high-level 

speakers who will address the ECEF 

audience. Other speakers include: 

• Greg Reid, chief marketing 

officer of YRC Worldwide, who 

is the keynote speaker. He will 

discuss the value of stand-alone 

corporate events and how “deviant 

leadership” principles can help 

exhibition producers keep their shows 

competitive with corporate events. 

• Glenn Hansen, president of BPA 

Worldwide, who will moderate a 

session on the effectiveness of 

marketing media. Speakers include 

Gordon Hughes, president of 

American Business Media (ABM); 

Joachim Schafer Glenn Hansen Galen Poss 

Bob Liodice, president of the 

Association of National Advertisers 

(ANA); and Dr. Raymond Pettit, 

senior research consultant at the 

Advertising Research Foundation 

(ARF). 

• Galen Poss, president, Hanley-Wood 

Exhibitions, who will explain how he 

strengthened The Surfaces Show after 

eight of his ten largest exhibitors 

pulled out of the show within a tenday 

period. 

The invitation-only forum at the 

Walter E. Washington Convention 

Center in Washington, DC is aimed 

at senior executives from show 

organizing companies or associations 

that produce one or more conventions 

or exhibitions annually. Sam Lippman, 

president and founder of Integrated 

Show Management & Marketing (ISM), 

the organizers of the conference, said 

146 executives had pre-registered as 

of mid-April. Registration information 

is available at www.eceforum. 

com. 

Reach Sam Lippman at (703) 

979-4904 or slippman@ 

comcast.net; Joachim Schafer 

at +49 (0) 2114 56001 or 

schaferj@messe-dusseldorf.de 


Incubator 

‘Dinner with Strangers’ − Gets Attendees Away 

From Maddening Crowd 


Las Vegas, NV – The popular “Dinner 

with Strangers” networking event at 

the annual Exhibitor Show in Las Vegas 

guarantees that for at least one night, 

attendees won’t feel like they are alone in 

a crowd. The concept can be replicated at 

any event, giving newcomers, introverts 

or those who prefer smaller group 

discussions a haven for networking so 

that they don’t get lost in the shuffle of 

the show. 

Augmenting Receptions 

Receptions may be “can’t miss” 

events, but they also can be simply too 

large and noisy – not to mention lacking 

in places to sit down – to produce 

much in the way of solid networking 

among industry colleagues. “Dinner with 

Strangers” is a means of augmenting 

the receptions. It gives attendees an 

opportunity to get together with a handful 

of people for a civilized meal and a more 

in-depth conversation. 

A Whirlwind of Activity 

At 76,000 net square feet, and with 

an overall crowd of about 6,000 in 

attendance, the 2008 Exhibitor Show in 

February was a whirlwind of activity. 

Moreover, it was in the midst of the even 

larger human hurricane at the Mandalay 

Bay Resort & Casino and the Las Vegas 

Your Table is Waiting. One of the many 

restaurants on the Mandalay Bay property where 

“Dinner with Strangers” is held. 

Strip. It would be 

easy for newcomers 

to feel a bit 

overwhelmed or at 

least have difficulty 

getting to know 

anyone beyond 

the handshake 

and the standard 

abbreviated 

reception 

pleasantries. 

“We wanted 

to make sure that 

we had a way for 

people to meet 

each other outside 

the receptions,” said Elly Reister, CMO 

of Exhibitor Magazine Group and the 

organizer of the popular dinners. “Unless 

someone is fairly aggressive about going 

out and meeting new people, receptions 

can turn into clusters of people who work 

together or already know each other.” 

Easy to Organize 

The show organizer makes the 

restaurant reservations and can coordinate 

delegate participation online or in a 

low-tech manner via a sign-up sheet in 

the registration area. Interested attendees 

choose the restaurant that sounds the best 

to them, sign up and then meet the rest 

of the group at an appointed time and 

place. “Each group meets in a different 

restaurant but all of them are inside the 

Mandalay Bay facility so that nobody 

has to travel,” Reister told Trade Show 

Executive. 

The plan for the evening is up to the 

participants. “Dinner with Strangers” is 

not designed for sales pitches or order 

writing, but rather a more low-key level 

of personal networking. “We wouldn’t 

prohibit anybody from talking shop 

in order to find out what they have 

in common, but it is intended to be 

Looking for Clues. A pair of attendees ponder which group to join for “Dinner 

with Strangers” at the 2008 Exhibitor Show in Las Vegas. 

completely social,” said Reister. 

About 250 people signed up for 

“Dinner with Strangers” this year, 

including attendees, exhibitors, suppliers 

and even some of the conference 

speakers. The program will likely be 

expanded even further next year to 

accommodate 300. Reister said that would 

require finding more restaurants rather 

than increasing the size of each party. 

“We’re going to increase the number of 

groups next year to try to keep it to a 

cozier group,” she said. “Once you get to 

10 or 12 people in a group, it is harder to 

meet everyone at the table.” 

Reister said she would look to keep 

the event at restaurants that are relatively 

modestly priced – less than $50 for a 

meal. “We don’t want to strain anyone’s 

per diem,” she said. 

“Dinner with Strangers” is also 

not subject to any pressures to make it 

anything other than a social event. No 

one from show management rides herd 

on the group and there are no surveys 

or feedback forms to fill out. It is purely 

an opportunity for colleagues to make 

connections that will last a few hours or a 

lifetime. 

Reach Elly Reister at (507) 424-4891 

or ereister@exhibitormagazine.com 


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Using Bartizan’s Dynamic Filtering technology, 

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May 2008 27

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Tools of 

the Trade 

The ROI Tool Kit, a venture of IAEE, CEIR, PCMA and Exhibit 

Surveys, gives exhibitors an effective and easy-to-use 

tool to quantify trade show results and justify future show 

participation. The benefits to organizers stretch far beyond 

a higher exhibitor retention rate. 

By Renee Di Iulio, senior editor, news & directories 

Inquiries 

Sales 

Media Coverage 

Reach Efficiency 

Leads 


The number one concern of exhibiting companies today 

is the lack of ROI [return on investment] metrics, according to 

the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR). In today’s 

world, where justification is increasingly required for every 

dollar spent, the dearth of data has the potential to impact an 

exhibitor’s decision to participate in a show – and not in a good 

way. 

So the International Association of Exhibitions & Events 

(IAEE) created an ROI Task Force to address this problem. 

Working with CEIR, Exhibit Surveys, Inc. and the Professional 

Convention Management Association (PCMA), the committee 

created an ROI Tool Kit designed to help exhibitors determine 

ROI and, as a result, to also help show 

organizers better market and sell their shows. 

“From the organizer’s perspective, it 

gives them a chance to raise the level of 

professionalism of the sale, making it less of 

an art and more of a science. And the same is 

true on the exhibiting side, where exhibitors 

finally have an independent third-party tool 

that enables them to take a scientific approach 

to evaluating the shows they should be at and 

their level of exposure,” says Glenn Hansen, president and CEO 

of BPA Worldwide. 

Elusive ROI 

“The term ROI itself is somewhat elusive because people 

have different criteria for measuring returns,” says Skip Cox, 

president and CEO of Exhibit Surveys, Inc. Small companies 

tend to focus on leads while many larger companies incorporate 

additional criteria related to branding, messages, awareness, 

relationship building and/or acceleration of the sales process. 

“Their definition of ROI is much broader and not the true sense 

of ROI — i.e. where you invest one dollar and get back 10 in 

return,” says Cox. 

But companies can no longer take ROI on faith, even when 

the criteria are intangible. Beck Wentz, director of customer 

events for AmerisourceBergen Corp., believes there is a sea of 

change where it is no longer enough to be at a show because 

the competition is there. He offers as evidence the standingroom-only 

seminars at Exhibitor Show that addressed topics of 

measurement, event justification and ROI. “Exhibitors have 

to respond to their management’s growing pressure to prove 

value,” says Wentz. 

Beck Wentz 

Glenn Hansen 

Tool for the Masses 

The question now is: How can 

exhibitors get the data to respond intelligently 

to management? The idea of an ROI Tool 

Kit was born within IAEE’s ROI Task Force, 

which decided to build a tool for the masses 

– the 80% to 90% of exhibitors focused on leads, rather than 

the smaller percentage of larger exhibitors concerned with more 

individual marcom objectives. 

Exhibit Surveys, a member of the task force, was able to 

draw on formulas the company has been using for years when 

it set out to develop the ROI calculations used in the tool kit. 

Input was gathered from all segments of the industry. PCMA 

joined the efforts later, contributing funding and marketing 

efforts. The tool kit was formally introduced at the PCMA 

Annual Meeting held earlier this year. 

Free for the Asking 

The new ROI Tool Kit is available free online at 

www.roitoolkit.exhibitsurveys.net and accounts can be created 

by the exhibitor or show organizer. If the exhibitor visits the 

site on their own, their information remains confidential; if they 

go through the show organizer and complete the data together, 

the information is shared. Exhibit Surveys hopes to eventually 

be able to create normative information by industry using the 

anonymous data. 

Getting Started with the ROI Tool Kit: Pre-Event Planning 

The tool kit organizes information into two sections: 

pre-event planning and post-event measurement. The preevent 

section requires show data, such as net attendance, the 

percentage of attendees that fit the exhibitor’s target audience, 

the percentage interested in the exhibitor’s product or service, 

total show duration, the number of visitors each staff member 

can handle hourly and the amount of exhibit space required 

for exhibitor items, such as counters, pedestals and storage. 

With this information, the system automatically calculates the 

potential audience, the number of exhibit staff needed and the 

open and total exhibit space required. 

Garbage In, Garbage Out 

Accurate data is essential. Ideally, the data input on the show 

has been audited. “If an organizer or exhibitor plugs in bad data, 

they will get misleading results. Garbage in, garbage out,” says 

Gia Carunchio, senior director of global exhibitions for SEMI, 

organizer of SEMICON and other related events. 

Audited data helps to assure that exhibitors are focusing 

on the right approach. “Exhibitors are trying to hold down 

costs by not oversizing their booths, but they also don’t want to 

miss opportunities by undersizing their booths,” says Cox. He 

offers the example of a show with 10,000 

attendees of which 1,000 fit the exhibitor’s 

target audience. “That could be enough to 

justify participation, but the approach needs 

to be targeted and selective, which drives the 

show strategy,” says Cox, citing pre-show 

promotion and exhibit graphics as areas that 

can be adjusted to hit the right nerve. 

Skip Cox 




Show Organizers Reap the Benefits Too 

Show organizers 

can therefore benefit 

by using the tool 

as a sales resource. 

“Organizers can go 

to the ROI Tool Kit 

with the exhibitor and 

walk them through Gia Carunchio 

the calculations 

to help them set a 

well-rounded marketing plan for their 

show,” says Carunchio, who believes that 

even audited data alone can be used as a 

consulting tool. 

“The audited data can help the 

organizer to identify missed opportunities 

for the exhibitor,” says Carunchio. Sales 

teams can point the exhibitor toward 

effective promotions, which can open 

revenue streams for the organizer. For 

instance, upon learning more about the 

attendee demographics for one show that 

AmerisourceBergen had participated in 

as a traditional exhibitor, the company 

decided to invest in the exhibitor theater 

to better deliver its message to the 

audience. “Rather than hauling out the 

buffet of programs and equipment, 

it made more sense to target a higher 

level of dialog with the audience that 

we discovered was actually there,” says 

Wentz. 

Reducing Exhibitor Attrition 

These conversations can also be had 

after the show, particularly if an exhibitor 

has not seen the expected results. One 

of the biggest issues faced by organizers 

is exhibitor attrition. “If you can reduce 

attrition rates by 10% to 15%, you 

Misconceptions about Audits 

Audits are a key building block for the ROI Tool Kit, yet there are still 

woefully few shows engaging in independent third-party audits. Exhibitors, 

however, are beginning to become more vocal about their desire for audited 

data, and as demand increases, how will show organizers respond? 

In many instances, an audit is an excellent marketing tool. “The audited 

data alone can be used as a consulting tool and can help the organizer identify 

missed opportunities for the exhibitor. The data can also be used to help the 

organizer identify growth segments in their show as well as identify buying 

trends and interest in new products,” says Gia Carunchio, senior director of 

global exhibitions for SEMI. 

SEMICON West conducted its first audit in 2007, posting the results 

on its website and mailing them to all past and prospective exhibitors. The 

main objective was to validate the accuracy of the show’s existing visitor 

data collection and verification process. “We have a handful of very engaged 

exhibitors who had been skeptical of the accuracy of our visitor data and 

were unconvinced that trade show industry-accepted forms of validation — 

such as through badge holder pick-up stations — were valid themselves. Our 

hope was that the audit process would acquit and uphold our methodology, or 

barring that, identify areas for continuous improvement,” says Carunchio. 

Many expect exhibitor demand for accuracy and validation to drive the 

adoption of audits. At roughly $5,200 per audit, the cost is not prohibitive, 

but some show organizers have been unwilling to make 

the investment, said Joseph Zuccerella, manager of 

events marketing for BPA Worldwide. 

Yet, an audit can show the strength of an event and 

help exhibitors to justify participation, both in terms of 

comparing shows and determining ROI. Exhibitors who 

want an audit and don’t get it begin to wonder if the 

organizer has something to hide. In many instances, this 

is not the case. According to Glenn Hansen, president 

and CEO of BPA Worldwide, most organizers are not 

Joseph Zuccerella 

misrepresenting numbers. “Most organizers are telling us the days of wild 

exaggerations are over,” says Hansen. 

Steven Hacker, CAE, president of the International Association of 

Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), concurs. “Today, it would be virtually 

impossible to run the numbers without getting caught. CVB and hotel room 

blocks are easy to decipher, and it’s much more transparent than it was 20 

years ago,” says Hacker. 

Show organizers worried about the numbers can run an audit the first 

year and keep the results internal, using them to determine if there are 

discrepancies and why. Small differences can be attributed to the accuracy 

an audit brings; those greater than 35% might be more difficult to explain. 

But Hansen suggests even this large a difference is not always due to 

misrepresentation. “The organizer could have had a bad show or might not 

have marketed effectively. An audit can identify faults in the system,” says 

Hansen. 

Carunchio concurs, saying, “Audits are not out to expose anyone. Audits 

are out there to help organizers and exhibitors get the most out of their 

shows.” 



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THE 



are reducing sales costs and probably 

increasing the growth rate because a lot 

of new sales are going toward growth 

rather than replacement,” says Cox. 

Post-Event Measurement 

Being able to show ROI can also 

help to prove value and keep exhibitors 

returning. The post-event segment of the 

ROI Tool Kit focuses on this aspect. Data 

required here includes show information 

as well as exhibitor-generated numbers, 

such as inquiries and leads obtained, 

expenses and conversion to sales. The 

results analyze reach efficiency, staff 

performance and potential ROI for 

qualified leads. 

Having this information can help 

exhibitors compare shows more fairly. 

The program provides a template for 

exhibitors to use across many shows 

with different audiences, which has been 

elusive for many until now for a variety of 

reasons. 

“The lack of ROI metrics has been an 

issue for SEMICON West. The exhibitors 

have a long sales cycle – a few years – so 

it makes it difficult to track leads from a 

show. Exhibitors also have a hard time 

tying their leads from their lead retrieval 

units back to their customer database in 

the office,” says Carunchio. 

The Show Manager as a Partner, not a 

Salesperson 

The ROI Tool Kit can not only 

complete the calculations but also 

help exhibitors to organize 

their data. Organizers who 

assist this process, i.e. 

providing audited 

data and 

directing 

exhibitors to the tool kit, become true 

partners. “If there is no assistance 

from the show manager in that game, 

ultimately the purse strings will tighten,” 

says Wentz. On the 

other hand, if ROI 

can be proven by 

any metric, even 

reach efficiency, 

then justification is 

provided. 

Steven Hacker 

Teaching the 

Teachers 

“The calculation of ROI is not easy, 

and so we have some challenges to 

surmount before it becomes commonly 

accepted as a tool,” says Steven Hacker, 

CAE, president of IAEE. One of those 

challenges is getting the word out about 

the tool and teaching exhibitors and 

organizers to use it. 

“People can take the time to work 

themselves through it and there are plenty 

of descriptions to use it, but it’s probably 

better to be taught how to use it through 

a demo of some sort,” says Cox. 

IAEE has a link to the tool kit on its 

home page and has organized webinars 

to teach exhibitors and organizers about 

its use. The organization will also offer a 

“train-the-trainer” session in conjunction 

with CEIR on June 23 in Schaumburg, 

IL. BPA will also offer a user webinar 

this Summer, which will be added to the 

company’s archive of web events on its 

web site. In addition, the company will 

include the tool kit in presentations to 

exhibitors. 

Show organizers are also being asked 

to participate in the awareness campaign. 

Carunchio notes that SEMI will highlight 

the ROI Tool Kit in its monthly exhibitor 

updates as well as within its exhibitor 

university program. 

“Hopefully, there will come a day 

when exhibitors researching a show will 

go to either the EEIAC [Exhibition and 

Event Industry Audit Commission], BPA 

Worldwide, or Exhibit Surveys websites 

and pull down a show audit report and 

then go to the ROI Tool Kit website 

and plug in the data. This would help 

the exhibitors to be more self- sufficient 

and informed on what shows are best 

for them,” says Carunchio. But, she adds, 

it also helps the show organizer to be a 

better consultant and reinforce credibility 

and promises – a big return for a free 

investment. 

Reach Gia Carunchio, senior 

director, global exhibitions, SEMI, at 

(408) 943-7936 or gcarunchio@semi. 

org; Skip Cox, president and CEO, 

Exhibit Surveys, Inc., at (732) 741-3170 

or skip@exhibitsurveys.com; Steven 

Hacker, CAE, president, International 


(IAEE), at (972) 687-9204 or shacker@ 

iaee.com; Glenn Hansen, president 

and CEO, BPA Worldwide, at (203) 

447-2800 or ghansen@bpaww.com; 

Beck Wentz, director, customer events, 

AmerisourceBergen Corp., at (610) 

727-7015 or bwentz@amerisourcebergen. 

com; and Joseph W. Zuccerella, manager, 

events marketing, BPA Worldwide, at 

(203) 447 2819 or JZuccerella@bpaww. 

com 


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Power Lunch 

John Mooney 

New Horizons 

John Mooney, partner in 3 Deep Media LLC 

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was the first recipient of the first Robert L. 

Krakoff Leadership Award at the Society of 

Independent Show Organizer’s (SISO) CEO 

Summit in St. Petersburg, FL a few weeks 

ago. This Boston native was honored for 

his vision, leadership and ethical standards, 

as well as his part in developing exposition 

industry standards. John considers Bob 

one of his mentors, making this accolade 

even more meaningful. 

I spoke with him shortly 

after he was presented 

with the award. 

By Bob Dallmeyer, 

TSE columnist 


Power Lunch 

Bob: You’re a successful entrepreneur, 

yet you started in the research side of 

our business. How did you make that 

transition? 

John: As an English major graduate of 

Boston College, I quickly learned that 

there weren’t any jobs for people who 

could quote Shakespeare. During my 

student days, I worked for my father, 

who was a college professor of research 

methods and statistics. This gave 

me a practical background in market 

research, and one of my first jobs was 

with Cahners Publishing Company as 

research assistant to Ira Siegel. He was 

another mentor, and I soon relocated to 

New York when Cahners began buying 

magazines there. 

Bob: Describe your experiences with 

Cahners Publishing? 

John: It really sharpened my research 

skills. I must have worked for 17 different 

industries in the Cahners portfolio: 

interior design, library, book publishing 

and medical publications among them. I 

knew just enough about each of these to 

get through a ten-minute cocktail party 

conversation before people found me out. 

Bob: When did you first meet Bob 

Krakoff? 

John: I met him while I was working for 

R. R. Bowker which had been acquired 

by Cahners. Bob and Ira subsequently 

felt that I should bring my marketing 

expertise to Cahners Exposition Group in 

Stamford, CT. So I packed my research 

bag and moved there. 

Bob: Was this about the time when 

CEG was acquired by Reed Elsevier and 

became Reed Exhibitions? 

John: Yes, soon after I relocated. I 

spent five years with Reed and loved 

every minute of my association with 

the company. I had a great boss, Neil 

Perlman, whom I knew from the 

publishing side. His roots were with 

Publishers Weekly, and he was promoted 

to head up the exhibition division. He 

pushed me into marketing, direct mail, 

etc. Jim Alic succeeded him and gave 

me my first line management experience 

with the packaging and pharmaceutical 

manufacturing shows. It was a blast. 

Bob: Why did you leave? 

John: I’d relocated five times in ten years 

and decided to shop my resume with 

the intent of settling back in Boston. I 

met a fellow Boston College alumnus, 

Jack Connors, who owned a successful 

advertising agency. He gave me the 

opportunity to start my own trade show 

business, with the proviso that I develop 

a concept and invest my ‘sweat equity.’ He 

would provide the capital. 

Bob: Sounds like a win-win opportunity. 

John: Yes, but I was reluctant. He 

challenged me to take the chance and 

reminded me that if we failed, I’d be 

in my mid-thirties and still marketable 

to other employers. I was scared, but I 

did it – and M/C Communications was 

launched. 

Bob: What was your initial strategy? 

John: We had two parallel tracks: one 

was to get management contracts for 

existing events and the other was to 

launch our own events. As luck would 

have it, Terry McDermott, who was 

president of Cahners Publishing USA, 

had left to become chief executive of 

the American Institute of Architects. 

He asked me to manage his AIA trade 

show and conference. This gave us our 

start and Terry continues as a friend and 

mentor. 

Bob: How did you start your medical 

conferences? 

John: Soon after the AIA contract, we 

came up with the Pri-Med concept, which 

is shorthand for Primary Medicine Today. It 

is a conference and exhibition for doctors 

and clinicians in their local area that puts 

together multiple primary care disciplines 

and delivers world-class education. The 

first event was in Boston with Harvard 

Medical School as our partner. We had 

an exhibitor/sponsor advisory committee 

composed of all the major pharmaceutical 

companies, who paid for the opportunity 

to access doctors away from their hectic 

workplaces. 

Bob: Was the event successful? 

John: Since doctors constantly need 

continuing education credits, our first 

conference drew a respectable 3,600 

attendees, with 120 exhibiting companies. 

We didn’t make money, but Harvard 

loved it, our exhibitors loved it, and most 

importantly, the doctors loved it. The 

next year, 5,000 doctors attended Pri-Med 

in Long Beach, CA. Currently, there are 

seven large Pri-Med conferences annually, 

with Harvard Medical School as partner. 

We also developed Pri-Med Update Meetings 

for the secondary and tertiary markets, 

responding again to the increased need 

for continuing education for doctors. 

Pri-Med is now held in nine countries and 

comprises over 200 medical conferences 

each year. 

Bob: What about competition from the 



Power Lunch 


Doctors in the House. Physicians jam a typical Pri-Med conference, which were launched by John Mooney and his team at M/C Communications to provide 

continuing education credits for doctors in their local areas. 

medical associations? 

John: We never impacted an existing 

association event. We just supplemented 

their activities by fulfilling doctor’s 

educational needs on a regional basis. 

Bob: Why did you sell the company? 

John: We started with a ‘ten year plan’ in 

1994 and sold it in 2004. By then, Pri-Med 

events were running in the U.S., Mexico, 

Spain and the U.K. We held an auction 

and Bain Capital purchased the company. 

It’s headquartered in Boston and I’m still 

chairman of the board. 

Bob: Tell me about your newest venture: 

3 Deep Media. 

John: 3 Deep Media was just launched 

a few weeks ago. My partners are 

Dix Wheelock [former executive vice 

president of M|C Communications] and 

Christine O’Connell [former managing 

director of business development for 

M|C Communications]. Our focus is 

twofold: (1) To buy existing conferences 

and exhibitions and grow them with the 

intent to eventually sell them, and (2) To 

launch new events. Sound familiar? 

Bob: Yes, it does. 

John: We’re currently evaluating a few 

acquisitions and some 

partnerships with 

conference producers 

who don’t have trade 

shows. It’s too early 

to talk about specifics, 

but we are excited to be 

back in the trade show 

business. 

Bob: What about 

launching in the current 

economy? 

John: I feel that in 

tough economic times, 

as long as your event 

maintains or grows 

market share, you will 

be much stronger at the end of the 

downturn. 

Bob: I sense that you really like this 

business. 

John: There’s nothing that equals 

On to the Exhibits! Crowds of doctors peruse the booths at the Pri-Med 

conference. Exhibit areas are kept small, but the audience quality is high. 


three-dimensional marketing – creating 

marketplaces that come to life. For me, 

there’s a thrill on the opening day of a 

new show and watching the buyers and 

sellers together on the show floor. You 

also know right away if you’re successful 

or not. 

Bob: Finally, how and when did you get 

involved with SISO? 

John: When SISO was formed, my boss 

was Neil Perlman, one of the ‘twelve 

apostles’ who founded the organization. 

He volunteered my market research 

services to prove the value of trade 

shows. I was the initial architect of 

the “Power of Trade Shows.” When I 

started my own company, SISO members 

gave me great advice and I naturally 

became active in the group. I have 

been chairman, a board member and 

worked on committees as an enthusiastic 

supporter. 

Bob: Your thoughts on winning the 

Robert L. Krakoff Leadership Award? 

John: It was a complete surprise – and a 

huge honor – as I feel Bob had much to 

do with building the trade show industry, 

not just in North America, but worldwide. 

Reach John Mooney at (617)803-7065 or 

jmooney@3deepmediallc.com 

Trade Show Executive’s Columnist 

Bob Dallmeyer is 

Past Chairman of 

both the International 

Association of 

Exhibitions and 

Events (IAEE) and 

Bob Dallmeyer 

the Trade Show 

Exhibitors Association 

(TSEA), as well as 

a former Director of the Center for 

Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR). 

In 2006, he was inducted into the 

Convention Industry Council’s Hall of 

Leaders. Reach Bob at (323) 934-8300 or 

bdallmeyer@tradeshowexecutive.com 

Proud Winner. John Mooney shows off his Robert L. Krakoff SISO Leadership Award with 

members of the Awards Committee. Pictured L to R: Cherif Moujabber, Creative Expos & 

Conferences; Bob MacGregor, Diversified Business Communications; John Mooney; Kerry 

Gumas, Questex Media Group; and Tony Calanca, Advanstar Communications. 

John Mooney Earns Distinction as First Recipient 

of the Robert L. Krakoff SISO Leadership Award 

St. Petersburg, FL – John 

Mooney’s creativity and willingness 

to buck “conventional wisdom” in 

building up the medical conference 

business of M|C Communications 

earned him the honor of receiving 

the first annual Robert L. Krakoff 

SISO Leadership Award. 

Mooney was nominated for his 

foresight in identifying a need within 

the medical community and then 

building a portfolio of events based 

on a business model that differed 

widely from the model used for 

most other medical conferences. 

Mooney took the 

unprecedented step of “leaving 

money on the table” by dropping 

registration fees for qualified 

physicians and limiting exhibits to 

tabletops. But with a streamlined 

sponsorship package, M|C 

Communications was able to 

focus on maintaining a strong 

sponsorship base that allowed its 

portfolio to flourish. 

The story was an example 

of leadership that reflected the 

legacy that the late Robert Krakoff 

built over his long career in the 

exhibition industry. A legendary 

publishing and exhibition maven, 

Krakoff became a role model who 

guided the careers of many of 

the industry’s current leaders and 

helped shape the industry into what 

it is today. 

Krakoff died suddenly last year 

just prior to the SISO Executive 

Conference. His family said they 

agreed with the Awards Committee 

that Mooney was a perfect choice 

for the inaugural award. 

Reach John Mooney 

at (617) 803-7065 or 

jmooney@3deepmediallc.com 


TSE’s Trade Show Locator 

Zoom In, Zoom Out 

Trade Show Executive’s ZOOM Trade Show Locator 

Gives You Key Data on the Most Important Shows 

Carlsbad, CA and Chicago, IL - On April 1, 

Trade Show Executive’s ZOOM Trade Show 

Locator went live at 

www.tradeshowexecutive.com, providing 

both a wide angle and closeup view of 

2,300 of North America’s leading trade 

shows. Starting with this issue of Trade 

Show Executive magazine, ZOOM provides 

you a print version, featuring a subset 

of the entire database, specifically, the 

140 major North American trade shows 

scheduled in July. The shows are arranged 

by industry sector to make your search 

easier. Each listing includes the name 

of the show, show management, web 

address, show manager, phone number, 

email address, venue and projected size. 

“Acquisitions, strategic partnerships 

and co-locations are rapidly changing 

the face of the exposition industry,” said 

Darlene Gudea, VP/publisher & editor 

of Trade Show Executive. “ZOOM will 

enable senior executives to tap into the 

latest information on the most important 

shows in North America. Whether you 

want a quick reminder of shows on the 

horizon or are seeking to narrow your 

search for potential partnerships, ZOOM 

will provide rich data online in real time, 

as well as in print each month.” 

The database is a strategic partnership 

between Trade Show Executive magazine 

and B2B Communications. The online 

version of ZOOM is updated hourly and 

searchable by numerous fields, giving 

show organizers the most accurate tool 

that exists in the trade show industry. 

Each succeeding issue of TSE will 

list the shows coming up two months 

hence. The shows will be grouped by 

industry sector in the print edition. 

The online version provides the full 

database of 2,300 shows with more 

listing information, and is searchable by 

numerous fields. 

Vince Battaglia, B2B Communications 

president, said, “The partnership between 

TSE and B2B enables both organizations 

to combine resources to provide the 

most accurate and up-to-date database 

on expositions.” At the present time, the 

focus is on building a quality database 

with a select number of shows which will 

enable TSE and B2B to branch out into 

research projects as well. “The ZOOM 

database has been under development for 

four years and presently includes 2,300 

shows. We expect to reach 3,000 by year 

end,” said Battaglia. 

Reach Darlene Gudea at (760) 

929-9666 or dgudea@tradeshowexecutive. 

com or Vince Battaglia at (702) 839-8181 

or vince@thetradeshowcalendar.com 

Step Right Up. The WSA Show is one of the largest shows coming up in July. For details, go to p. 44. 


TM 


Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, CA 

September 17-19 



Show Name/Management/Web Address Show Manager Dates Venue/City/State Projected Size 

Advertising & Marketing 

The ASI Show! 

ASI 

www.asishow.com 

Mary Upton 

VP Trade Show Operations 

800-546-3300 

07/22/2008 


McCormick Place 

Chicago, IL 

117,000 nsf 

825 Exhibitors 

5,000 Attendees 

Aerospace & Aviation 

Joint Propulsion Conference 

American Institute of Aeronautics & 

Astronautics 

www.aiaa.org 

Dennis Sharland 

Exhibit Operations 

Manager 

703-264-7500 



Connecticut Convention 

Center 

Hartford, CT 

14,500 nsf 

60 Exhibitors 


Airventure EAA Fly-In 

Experimental Aircraft Association 

www.airventure.org 

Rebecca Blake 

Show Manager 

920-426-4800 



EAA Aviation Center 

Oshkosh, WI 

1,000,000 nsf 



Airborne Law Enforcement 

Association Annual Conf. 

Airborne Law Enforcement Association 

www.alea.org 

Nicole Gentile 

Operations Manager 

301-631-2406 



George R. Brown CC 

Houston, TX 



Agriculture & Farming 

Ag Expo at Michigan State 

University 

Ag Expo 

www.agexpo.msu.edu 

Kirk Heinze 

517-432-8655 



Michigan State University 

Lansing, MI 

Projections 

Not 

Supplied 

American Agricultural Economics 

Association 

American Agricultural Economics 

Association 

www.aaea.org/2008am/ 

Ande Rowe 

Meetings Manager 

414-918-3190 



Caribe Royale 

Orlando, FL 

2,000 nsf 

20 Exhibitors 


American Society of Agricultural & 

Biological Engineers 

American Society of Agricultural & 

Biological Engineers 

www.asabe.org 

Michael Chesser 

Director of Meetings & 

Conferences 

269-429-0300 x327 



Rhode Island Convention 

Center 

Providence, RI 

13,300 nsf 

30 Exhibitors 


International Society of 

Arboriculture 

International Society of Arboriculture 

www.isa-arbor.com 

Nancy Johnson 

Mrg of Tradeshows 

217-531-2868 



America’s Center 

St. Louis, MO 

34,000 nsf 



Amusement, Entertainment, Gaming 

International Association of 

JoAnn Ramsey 

Assembly Managers 

Exhibits Manager 

International Association of Assembly 972-906-7441 

Managers 

www.iaam.org 



Anaheim CC 

Anaheim, CA 

221,000 nsf 



Apparel & Beauty 

Texworld USA - Summer 

Messe Frankfurt, Inc. 

www.TexworldUSA.com 

Stephanie Everett 


770-984-8016 



Javits Center 

New York, NY 

25,000 nsf 



Cosmoprof North America 

Professional Beauty Association 

www.cosmoprofnorthamerica.com 

Eric Horn 

Sr. Director of Events 

480-281-0424 



Mandalay Bay CC 

Las Vegas, NV 

161,000 nsf 



Project New York Summer 

Project Global Trade Shows 

www.projectshow.com 

Sharifa Cudjoe 

212-951-6787 



Javits Center 

New York, NY 

Projections 

Not 

Supplied 

© 2008, Trade Show Executive magazine, Carlsbad, CA (760) 929-9604. 




Order your copy of the 

5th Annual 

CEIR Exhibition INDEX 

www.ceir.org 

TITLE SPONSOR PUBLISHING SPONSOR 

INDEX 


The Center for Exhibition Research (CEIR) has released the 5th Edition of its groundbreaking industry t ol – the 


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your show compares t others, what are the top-performing industries and which sectors are in transition. 



Apparel & Beauty (continued) 

WSA Show Fall 

WSA Global Holdings 

www.wsashow.com 

Diane Stone 

COO 

818-379-9400 



Las Vegas Convention Center 

Las Vegas, NV 

1,100,000 nsf 

1,600 Exhibitors 


Art, Music & Culture 

Mobile Beat Chicagoland 

Mobile Beat 

www.mobilebeat.com 

Mike Buonaccorso 


515-986-3300 



Holiday Inn North Shore 

Chicago, IL 

3,600 nsf 

36 Exhibitors 

700 Attendees 

Automotive, Trucking & Transportation 

PAACE Automechanika Mexico Kristen Wooburn 

Messe Frankfurt, Inc. 


www.usa.messefrankfurt.com 

770-984-8016 



Centro Banamex 

Mexico City, 

93,000 nsf 



School Bus Expo 

School Transportation News 

www.schoolbusconference.com 

Branden Smeltzer 

General Manager 

310-792-2226 



Grand Sierra Resort 

Reno, NV 

85,479 nsf 



Building & Construction 

Association for the Advancement 

of Cost Engineering 

Association for the Advancement of 

Cost Engineering Int’l 

www.aacei.org 

Teri Jefferson 

Meetings Coordinator 

304-296-8444 



Sheraton Centre Toronto 

Hotel 

Toronto, ON 

6,000 nsf 

50 Exhibitors 

700 Attendees 

Unfinished Furniture Association 

Trade Show 

Association Headquarters, Inc. 

www.unfinishedfurniture.org 

Jennifer Bair 

Trade Show Manager 

800-487-8321 



Rio Hotel 

Las Vegas, NV 

10,000 nsf 


600 Attendees 

Southeast Building Conference 

Florida Home Builders Association 

www.sebcshow.com 

Stacy Welch 

SEBC Exhibits Coordinator 

800-261-9447 



Orange County CC 

Orlando, FL 

103,600 nsf 



Concreto Latin America 

Hanley Wood 

www.wocmexico.com 

Tom Cindric 

Director of World of 

Concrete 

972-536-6370 

Communications & Broadcasting 

Association for Communication Amy Burton 

Tech. Professionals 

Manager of Membership 

ACUTA 

Mktg & Corp. Relations 

www.acuta.org 

859-278-3338 x240 





Centro Banamex 

Mexico City, 

Caesars Palace 

Las Vegas, NV 

45,000 nsf 



13,600 nsf 


500 Attendees 

UNITY - Journalists of Color 

UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. 

www.2008unity.org 

Onica Makwakwa 

Executive Director 

703-854-3585 




Chicago, IL 

40,000 nsf 



Wireless & Mobile Expo 

WowGao Inc. 

http://wirelessandmobile.wowgao.com 

Greg Angelos 

Director of Events 

416-292-0038 



Metro Toronto Convention 

Center 

Toronto, ON 

21,000 nsf 

60 Exhibitors 


Computers & Software Applications 

IT Roadmap: Atlanta 

Debra Becker 

Network World, Inc. 

Director of Event Marketing 

www.networkworld.com 

800-643-4668 



Cobb Galleria 

Atlanta, GA 

7,000 nsf 

70 Exhibitors 

500 Attendees 

OSCON Open Source Convention 

O’Reilly Media, Inc. 

http://en.oreilly.com 

Matthew Johnson 

Marketing Manager 

707-827-7000 



Oregon Convention Center 

Portland, OR 

Projections 

Not Supplied 




The Premier Event for 

Top Executives 

www.eceforum.com 



Computers & Software Applications (continued) 

Siemens User Conference 

summit.info.sea@siemens. 

Siemens Energy and Automation, Inc. com 

http://www2.sea.siemens.com 



Chicago, IL 

Projections Not Supplied 

30 Exhibitors 


Dental 

Academy of General Dentistry 

Annual Meeting 

Academy of General Dentistry 

www.agd.org 

Marge Palonis 

Exhibits Coordinator 

312-440-4358 



Walt Disney World Dolphin 

Hotel 

Orlando, FL 

30,000 nsf 



National Dental Association 

National Dental Association 

www.ndaonline.org 

LaVette Henderson 

Manager of Meetings & Conf. 

202-588-1697 



Detroit Marriott Hotel 

Detroit, MI 

25,000 nsf 



RDH Under One Roof 

PennWell 

http://uor08.events.pennnet.com 

Emily Gotwals 


918-832-9305 



Chicago Hilton 

Chicago, IL 

11,000 nsf 



Pacific Northwest Dental 

Conference 

Washington State Dental Association 

www.wsda.org 

Janet Christopher 

Assistant Exec. Director of 

Convention Services 

206-448-1914 



Washington State CC 

Seattle, WA 

80,000 nsf 



Education, Training, Science & Research 

DevCon Filemaker 

Alyssa Thomson 

Advisor Media, Inc. 

858-278-5600 

www.FileMaker.AdvisorEvents.com 



JW Marriott Desert Ridge 

Phoenix, AZ 

Projections 

Not 

Supplied 

American Federation of Teachers 

American Federation of Teachers, 

AFL-CIO 

www.aft.org 

Cheryl Haydel 

Deputy Director of 

Meetings & Conv. 

202-879-4400 



Navy Pier 

Chicago, IL 

7,000 nsf 

70 Exhibitors 


American Phytopathological 

Society Annual 

American Phytopathological Society 

http://meeting.apsnet.org 

Betty Ford 


651-454-7250 



Minneapolis CC 

Minneapolis, MN 

60,000 nsf 

50 Exhibitors 


Association for the Advancement 

of Artificial Intelligence 

Association for the Advancement of 

Artificial Intelligence 

www.aaai.org 

Keri Harvey 

Sr. Conference Manager 

650-328-3123 



Hyatt Regency McCormick 

Place 

Chicago, IL 




Association of Higher Education 

Facilities Officers 

Association of Higher Education 

Facilities Officers 

www.appa.org 

Suzanne Healy 

Dir. of Meetings & Conv. 

703-684-1446 



Henry B. Gonzales CC 

San Antonio, TX 

Projections 

Not 

Supplied 

Biotechnology Vendor Showcase 

Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. 

www.biotech-calendar.com 

Yolanda Lerner 

CEO 

530-272-6675 



University of Pennsylvania 

Philadelphia, PA 

4,200 nsf 

45 Exhibitors 

600 Attendees 





CEO 

530-272-6675 



University of Michigan 

Ann Arbor, MI 

3,000 nsf 

40 Exhibitors 

475 Attendees 





CEO 

530-272-6675 



Mayo Clinic 

Rochester, MN 

4,000 nsf 

30 Exhibitors 

300 Attendees 





A ccess 

More 

make plans now to profit from 

the ETE experience 

www.ete-am.com 

914.421.3213 


Education, Training, Science & Research (continued) 

Biotechnology Vendor Showcase Yolanda Lerner 


CEO 


530-272-6675 



University of Minnesota 

Minneapolis, MN 

4,700 nsf 

40 Exhibitors 

650 Attendees 

Conference for the Advancement of 

Math Teaching 

Conference for the Advancement of 

Mathematics Teaching 

www.utdanacenter.org 

Anita Hopkins 


512-335-2268 



Sheraton Dallas 

Dallas, TX 

22,500 nsf 



National Education Association 

Convention & Exhibit Promotion 

www.neaexpo.com 

Larry Hugues 

President 

727-530-0405 



Washington Convention Center 

Washington, DC 




Federally Employed Women 

Corcoran Expositions, Inc. 

www.fewntp.org 

George Sharko 

Exhibition Manager 

312-541-0567 



Anaheim CC 

Anaheim, CA 

20,000 nsf 



Summit for Advancement Leaders 

Council for Advancement & Support of 

Education 

www.case.org 

Mary-Kathleen 

Todd 

202-328-5900 



New York Marriott Marquis 

New York, NY 

7,300 nsf 

70 Exhibitors 


National Educational Computing 

Conference 

International Society of Technology in 

Education 

http://center.uoregon.edu 

Donella Ingham 

Dir. of Conf. Services 

541-434-9590 





132,000 nsf 



National Association of College/ 

Univ. Business Officers 

MRA Services 

www.nacuboannualmeeting.org 

Molli Moss 

Exhibition Program 

Manager 

425-636-1640 



Hilton Chicago 

Chicago, IL 

30,000 nsf 



National Association of Scientific 

Materials Managers 

National Association of Scientific 

Materials Managers 

www.naosmm.org 

Amy Aldridge 

aldridge.naosmm@gmail. 

com 



Crowne Plaza 


Projections 

Not 

Supplied 

National Urban League Annual 

Conference 

National Urban League 

www.nul.org 

Tamiko Smith 

Conference Coordinator 

212-558-5381 



Orlando World Center Marriott 

Resort & Convention Center 

Orlando, FL 




Workforce Innovations 

Network Publications, Inc. 

www.workforceinnovations.org 

Sheri Fuller 

Exhibit Sales 

410-584-1989 



New Orleans Moriel CC 

New Orleans, LA 

20,000 nsf 



Controlled Release Society 

Scientific Societies 

www.controlledreleasesociety. 

Ronda Thompson 

651-454-7250 



Hilton New York 

New York, NY 




Texas High School Coaches 

Association 

Texas High School Coaches Association 

http://coach.thsca.com 

Joe Martin 

Assistant Exec. VP 

512-392-3741 








National Electronics Service Dealers 

Association 

The National Electronics Service Dealers 

www.nesda.com 

Mack Blakely 

NESDA Membership/Trade 


817-921-9061 



Hyatt Regency Buffalo 

Buffalo, NY 

5,500 nsf 

55 Exhibitors 




Keep the Trade Show Going 

www.icongo.com 

(888) 944-2664 



Exhibition & Meeting Industry 

TS2 

Kellie Shevlin 

National Trade Productions 

Sales & Industry Relations Mgr. 

www.tsea.org 

703-683-8500 



Pennsylvania CC 


43,000 nsf 



American Association for Justice 

American Association for Justice 

www.atla.org 

Annie Seale 

Director of Conventions 

800-424-2725 



Philadelphia Marriott 


12,000 nsf 



Financial, Insurance & Legal Services 

America’s Credit Union Conference Todd Spisinski 

& Expo 

VP of Center for Professional 

Credit Union National Associates 

Development 

www.training.cuna.org 

800-356-9655 x5700 



Hilton New York 

New York, NY 




American Association of Law 

Libraries 

Hall-Erickson 

www.aallnet.org 

Paul Graller 

VP, Show Director 

630-434-7779 



Oregon Convention Center 

Portland, OR 

20,000 nsf 



National Association of Federal 

Credit Unions 

National Association of Federal Credit 

Unions 

http://s23.a2zinc.net 

Jerome Bruce 

Exhibits & Advertising 

Manager 

703-522-4770 x208 



San Diego CC 

San Diego, CA 

18,000 nsf 



National Association of Health 

Underwriters 

National Association of Health 

Underwriters 

www.nahu.org 

Kathleen Cochran 

VP of Meetings 

703-276-0220 



Sheraton San Diego Hotel & 

Marina 

San Diego, CA 

9,000 nsf 

85 Exhibitors 

700 Attendees 

National Association of Student 

Financial Aid Admin. 

National Association of Student Financial 

Aid Administrators 

www.nasfaa.org 

Jennifer Jackson 


202-785-0453 



Walt Disney World Dolphin 

Resort 

Orlando, FL 

47,000 nsf 

80 Exhibitors 


National Court Reporters 

Association Annual Convention 

National Court Reporters Association 

http://ncraonline.org 

Marilyn Dent 


703-556-6272 



Anaheim Marriott 

Anaheim, CA 

5,000 nsf 

60 Exhibitors 


American Association of Meat 

Processors Exposition 

American Association of Meat 

Processors 

www.aamp.com 

Jodi Bartlett 

Convention Manager 

717-367-1168 



Duke Energy Center 

Cincinnati, OH 

15,000 nsf 



Food & Beverage 

American Culinary Federation 

National Convention 

American Culinary Federation 

www.acfchefs.org 

Debra Bulak 

Convention Director 

904-824-4468 



MGM Grand 

Las Vegas, NV 

80,000 nsf 



Dietary Managers Association 


Dietary Managers Association 

www.dmaonline.org 

Marla Isaacs 

VP of Professional Programs 

800-323-1908 



Sheraton Philadelphia City 

Center 


25,000 nsf 


825 Attendees 

Institute of Food Technologists 

Institute of Food Technologists 

www.am-fe.ift.org 


Susan Andronowitz 

Director of Exhibits 

312-782-8424 



New Orleans Morial CC 


200,000 nsf 






A unified voice for service contractors and 

their partners in the exhibition industry. 

469.574.0698 • www.esca.org 


Food & Beverage (continued) 

Missouri Grocers Association 

Annual Convention 

Missouri Grocers Association 

www.missourigrocers.com 

Janell Todd 


417-831-6667 



Lodge of Four Seasons 

Lake Ozark, MO 

6,000 nsf 

60 Exhibitors 

600 Attendees 

Summer Fancy Food Show 

National Association for the Specialty 

Food Trade 

www.fancyfoodshows.com 

Chris Nemchek 

VP, Membership & Exhibition 

Management 

212-482-6440 



Javits Center 

New York, NY 

337,000 nsf 



Natural MarketPlace 

Natural Products Association 

www.naturalproductsassoc.org 

Anne McConahey 

Dir. of Trade Shows & Events 

800-966-6632 



Sands Expo 

Las Vegas, NV 

60,000 nsf 



Produce Marketing Association 

Foodservice Conf. 

Produce Marketing Association 

www.pma.com 

Jamie Hillegas 


302-738-7100 



Monterey Conference Center 

Monterey, FL 

14,900 nsf 



School Nutrition Association 

School Nutrition Association 

http://docs.schoolnutrition.org 

Cheryl Thompson 

Director of Meetings 

703-739-3900 



Pennsylvania CC 


80,000 nsf 



Latin American Food & Beverage Expo 

SMC Events 

www.smc-events.com 

Quincy Barnes 

President 

210-832-8444 



Gaylord Texan Resort 

Dallas, TX 

4,000 nsf 

35 Exhibitors 


Society for Nutrition Education 

Annual Conference 

Society for Nutrition Education 

www.sne.org 

Jeffrey Beachum 


317-328-4627 



Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel 

Atlanta, GA 

1,920 nsf 

24 Exhibitors 

500 Attendees 

Texas Food and Fuel Expo 

Texas Petroleum Marketers & 

Convenience Store Assn. 

www.txfoodandfuelexpo.com 

Annette Hicks 

Dir. Of Meetings & Expo 

512-476-9547 



Gaylord Texan Resort 

Dallas, TX 

33,300 nsf 



Government & Military 

National Association of Counties 

Corcoran Expositions Inc. 

www.naco.org 

Barry Sacks 


312-541-0567 



Kansas City Convention Center 

Kansas City, MO 

30,000 nsf 



International Municipal Signal 

Association 

International Municipal Signal 

Association 

www.imsasafety.org/ 

Marilyn Lawrence 


315-331-2182 



Sheraton Wild Horse Pass 

Resort 

Phoenix, AZ 

17,376 nsf 

80 Exhibitors 


National Conference of State 

Legislatures 

National Conference of State 

Legislatures 

www.ncsl.org 

Gene Rose 

Director of Communications 

303-364-7700 





84,000 nsf 



National Institute of Governmental 

Purchasing 

National Institute of Governmental 

Purchasing 

www.nigp.org 

Carrie Rawn 

Meetings & Conferences 

Director 

703-736-8900 



Charlotte Convention Center 

Charlotte, NC 

60,000 nsf 





TM 


Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, CA 

September 17-19 




Home Furnishings, Interior Design & Landscaping 

Penn Atlantic Nursery Trade Show Sally O’Shea 

Comprehensive Show Management Show Manager 

www.plna.com 

610-544-5775 



Atlantic City Convention 

Center 

Atlantic City, NJ 

100,000 nsf 



World Market (Furniture) 

World Market Center Las Vegas 

www.lasvegasmarket.com 

Gerald Sawyer 

Chief Operating Officer 

702-599-3030 



World Market Center 

Las Vegas, NV 

Projections 

Not 

Supplied 

Jewelry 

JA International Jewelry Show 

Nielsen Film Group 

www.ja-newyork.com 

Drew Lawsky 

Group Show Director 

646-654-4983 



Javits Center 

New York, NY 

195,000 nsf 



Management, Human Resources, Networking 

eWomen Network International Annelise Blackall 

eWomenNetwork.com 

Conference Director 

www.ewomennetwork.com 

972-620-9995 



Hyatt Regency Dallas 

Dallas, TX 




Manufacturing & Packaging 

Semicon West 

Semiconductor Equipment & Materials 

International 

http://wps2a.semi.org 

Gia Carunchio 

Sr. Dir of Global Expositions 

408-943-6900 



Moscone Center 

San Francisco, CA 

300,000 nsf 



Medical & Health Care Products 

International Conference on 

Niles Frantz 

Alzheimer’s Disease 

Sr. Associate Director, 

Alzheimer’s Association 

Public Relations 

www.alz.org 

312-335-4078 




Chicago, IL 

12,000 nsf 

75 Exhibitors 


American Academy of Dermatology - 

Summer Meeting 

American Academy of Dermatology 

www.aad.org 

Tim Moses 

Director of Mtgs & 

Conventions 

847-330-0230 



Hyatt Regency Chicago 

Chicago, IL 

20,000 nsf 



Family Medicine Residents & 

Students National Conf. 

American Academy of Family Physicians 

www.aafp.org 

Kristy Wilson 

Exhibit Services Specialist 

800-274-2237 x5303 



Kansas City Convention 

Center 

Kansas City, MO 

45,600 nsf 



American Association of Physicists in 

Medicine Annual 

American Association of Physicists in 

Medicine 

www.aapm.org 

Karen MacFarland 


301-209-3350 



George R. Brown CC 

Houston, TX 

47,600 nsf 



American Podiatric Medical 

Association 

American Podiatric Medical Association 

http://apma.org 

Anne Martinez 

Mtg. Admin. 

301-571-9200 



Hawaii Convention Center 

Honolulu, HI 




Autism Society of America National 

Conf. & Expo 

Autism Society of America 

www.autism-society.org 

Meg Ellacott 

Exhibit Sales Director 

301-657-0881 



Gaylord Palms 

Orlando, FL 

15,700 nsf 



American Radiation Safety 

Conference & Expo 

Burk & Associates 

http://hps.org/meetings/meeting14.html 

Sue Burk 


703-790-1745 x15 



David L. Lawrence CC 

Pittsburgh, PA 

11,300 nsf 



Colorado Vision Summit 

Colorado Optometric Association 

www.visioncare.org 


Barbara Zablotny 

Assoc. Exec Director 

303-863-9778 



Sheraton Steamboat Resort 

Seamboat Springs, CO 

4,800 nsf 

55 Exhibitors 

500 Attendees 




The Premier Event for 

Top Executives 



Medical & Health Care Products (continued) 

Canadian Association of 

Krista Doyle 

Pathologists Annual Conf. 

Project Coordinator 

Events & Management Plus Inc. 

613-531-9210 

www.pathologyconference.com/ 



Fairmont Chateau Laurier 

Ottawa, ON 

960 nsf 

15 Exhibitors 

300 Attendees 

Florida Association of Homes for the 

Aging 

Florida Association of Homes & Services 

for the Aging 

www.faha.org 

Julie Copeland 

Exhibit Coordinator 

850-671-3700 



Boca Raton Resort 

Boca Raton, FL 

9,000 nsf 


400 Attendees 

Florida Dietetic Association Annual 

Symposium 

Florida Dietetic Association 

www.eatrightflorida.org 

Christine Stapell 

Exec. Director 

850-386-8850 



Boca Raton Resort 

Boca Raton, FL 

8,240 nsf 


600 Attendees 

American Healthcare Radiology 

Administrators 

Hachero-Hill 

www.ahraonline.org 

Arina Kravets 

Conference Coordinator 

703-964-1240 x16 



Colorado CC 

Denver, CO 

37,000 nsf 



Health Forum Leadership Summit 

Health Forum 

www.healthforum.com 

Connie Lang 

Meeting Planner 

201-238-2546 



Manchester Grand Hyatt 

San Diego, CA 

10,000 nsf 

90 Exhibitors 


Health Management Expo 

Institute for International Research 

www.iirusa.com 

Michelle Bussani 

Program Director 

800-345-8016 



Disney Contemporary Resort 

Orlando, FL 


40 Exhibitors 

250 Attendees 

World Congress on Heart Disease 

International Academy of Cardiology 

www.cardiologyonline.com 

Asher Kimchi, MD 

Chairman 

310-657-8777 



The Fairmont Royal York 

Toronto, ON 

Projections 

Not 

Supplied 

National Medical Association 

J. Spargo & Associates, Inc. 

http://nmanet.org 

Kelly Popp 


703-631-6200 



Georgia World 

Congress Center 

Atlanta, GA 

37,600 nsf 



Louisiana Academy of Family 

Physicians Annual Convention 

Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians 

www.lafp.org 

Ragan Canella 

Conference Director 

225-923-3313 



Sandestin Resort 

Destin, FL 

6,000 nsf 

75 Exhibitors 

110 Attendees 

National Primary Care Nurse 

Practitioner Symposium 

Milestone Presentations 

www.milestoneshows.com 

Mark Stone 


303-690-3233 



Keystone Conference Center 

Keystone, CO 

15,000 nsf 



Science Innovation Synergy 

SIS 

www.sis.org/conference.php 

Laurie Turay 

SIS Program Manager 

206-386-2185 



Seattle, WA 


25 Exhibitors 

325 Attendees 

American Society for Healthcare 

Engineering 

SmithBucklin 

www.ashe.org 

Benjamin Rabe, CEM 


312-644-6610 



Gaylord National Resort 


34,000 nsf 



Association for Healthcare 

Resources & Management 

SmithBucklin 

www.ahrmm.org 

Mary Murrill 

Sr. Mgr 

312-644-6610 





36,000 nsf 



Texas Academy of Family Physicians 

Texas Academy of Family Physicians 

www.tafp.org 


Anna Jenkins 

Director of Education 

512-329-8666 



Westin Galleria Houston 

Houston, TX 

24,000 nsf 


450 Attendees 


Order your copy of the 

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Medical & Health Care Products (continued) 

Healthcare Unbound Conference & Satish Kavirajan 

Exhibition 

Managing Director 

The Center for Business Innovation 310-265-2570 

www.tcbi.org 



Marriott San Francisco 


4,000 nsf 

25 Exhibitors 

450 Attendees 

Virginia Academy of Family 

Physicians Annual 

Virginia Academy of Family Physicians 

www.vafp.org 

Terry Schulte 


804-968-5200 



Tha Cavalier Hotel 

Virginia Beach, VA 

4,200 nsf 

87 Exhibitors 

300 Attendees 

World Congress & Exposition on 

Disabilities 

WCD Expo, Inc. 

www.wcdexpo.com/2008/penn/ 

Bill Schwaninger 

President 

201-226-1446 



Greater Reading Expo Center 

Reading, PA 

15,000 nsf 



Pharmaceuticals 

Florida Pharmacy Association 

Florida Pharmacy Association 

www.pharmview.com 

Michael Jackson 

Exec. VP/CEO 

850-222-2400 



Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress 

Orlando, FL 

5,600 nsf 

70 Exhibitors 

700 Attendees 

Texas Pharmacy Association 

Horizon Meetings & Events 

www.rxpert.org 

Tanya Garde 

Assistant Director of Meetings 

512-336-9029 



Galveston Island Convention 

Center 

Galveston, TX 

38,000 nsf 



McKesson Pharmacy Strategies 

Conference 

McKesson Corporation 

www.mckessontradeshow.com 

Cynthia Murray 

415-983-8778 



Venetian Resort 

Las Vegas, NV 




Clinical Lab Expo 

Scherago International, Inc. 

www.aacc.org 

Tony Maiorino 

Expo Director 

201-653-4777 



Washington Convention Center 


188,500 nsf 



Police, Fire, Security & Emergency Services 

Firehouse Expo 

Robert Brice 

Cygnus Expositions 

Group Show Director 

www.firehouseexpo.com 

800-827-8009 



Baltimore CC 

Baltimore, MD 

120,000 nsf 



National Sheriffs’ Association 

Annual Conference 

National Sheriffs Association 

www.sheriffs.org 

Ross Mirmelstein 

Director, Meeetings 

703-836-7827 



Indiana CC 

Indianapolis, IN 

150,000 nsf 



Americas’ Fire and Security Expo 

ROC Exhibitions 

www.americasfireandsecurity.com/ 

Bernice Alcantar 

Project Coordinator 

630-271-8210 



Miami Beach CC 

Miami, FL 

35,000 nsf 



Printing, Graphics, Photography, Publishing 

International Christian Retail Show Scott Graham 

Christian Booksellers Association 

Dir. of Meetings & Expos 

www.christianretailshow.com 

719-265-9895 x1345 



Orange County CC 

Orlando, FL 

120,000 nsf 



Comic Con 

Comic-Con International 

www.comic-con.org/cci/ 

David Glanzer 

Director of Marketing & PR 

619-414-1020 



San Diego CC 

San Diego, CA 




American Library Association 

Hall-Erickson 

www.ala.org 

Paul Graller 

VP, Show Director 

630-434-7779 



Anaheim CC 

Anaheim, CA 

150,000 nsf 



Sign Business & Digital Graphics 

Show - Long Beach 

NBM Shows 

www.nbmshows.com 


Cindi Erker 

Show Sales Manager 

303-469-0424 



Long Beach CC 

Long Beach, CA 

65,000 nsf 






A unified voice for service contractors and 

their partners in the exhibition industry. 

469.574.0698 • www.esca.org 


Retail Distribution 

National Association of Chain Drug 

Stores Marketplace 

National Association Of Chain Drug Stores 

http://meetings.nacds.org 

Roy McGrath 

Manager, Conference & 

Exhibitions 

703-549-3001 



San Diego CC 

San Diego, CA 

125,000 nsf 



Retail Tobacco Dealers of America 

Retail Tobacco Dealers of America 

www.rtda.org 

Joe Rowe 


706-494-1143 



Sands Expo 

Las Vegas, NV 

150,000 nsf 



Sporting Goods & Recreation 

ICAST 

Maria Del Valle 

American Sportfishing Association 

Show Director 

www.asafishing.org 

703-519-9691 x240 



Las Vegas CC 

Las Vegas, NV 

140,000 nsf 



IDEA World Fitness Convention 

IDEA Health & Fitness Association 

http://w2.ideafit.com 

Dawn Norman 


800-999-4332 



Las Vegas CC 

Las Vegas, NV 




Marine Aftermarket Accessories 

Tradeshow 

National Marine Manufacturers Association 

www.nmma.org/maats/ 

Kathleen Clickett 

Project Manager 

312-946-6200 



Las Vegas CC 

Las Vegas, NV 

45,000 nsf 



Health & Fitness Business Expo & 

Conference 

Nielsen Business Media 

www.healthandfitnessbiz.com 

Cindy Sample 

Sr. Show Manager 

949-226-5722 



Colorado CC 

Denver, CO 

56,800 nsf 



Toys, Hobbies, Gifts 

Western New York Gift Show - Summer 

Coral Productions 

www.westernnewyorkgiftshow.com 

Patty Cartwright 


585-254-2580 



Dome Center/Minett Hall 

Henrietta, NY 

20,000 nsf 



Craft & Hobby Association Summer 

Show 

Craft & Hobby Association 

www.chashow.org/ 

Tony Lee 

VP of Meetings & Expos 

201-794-1133 



Donald E. Stephens CC 

Chicago, IL 

140,000 nsf 



California Gift Show 

George Little Management, LLC 

www.californiagiftshow.com 

Angelia Singleton 


213-430-2356 



Los Angeles CC 

Los Angeles, CA 

185,000 nsf 



San Francisco International Gift Fair - 

Summer 

George Little Management, LLC 

www.sfigf.com/ 

Aubin Wilson 


213-430-2310 



Moscone Center 


160,000 nsf 



National Model Railroad Association 

National Model Railroad Associaton, Inc. 

www.nationaltrainshow.org/ 

Tom Draper 

Chairman & GM 

602-569-9072 



Anaheim CC 

Anaheim, CA 

20,000 nsf 



Oasis Gift Show 

Organization of Associated Salespeople in 

the Southwest 

www.oasis.org/ 

Marya Hanna 

602-952-2050 



University of Phoenix 

Phoenix, AZ 




Travel, Hotels & Restaurants 

Destination Marketing Association Paul Griffin 

International 

Director of Meetings & Events 

Destination Marketing Association 

202-296-7888 

International 

www.destinationmarketing.org 



Caesars Palace 

Las Vegas, NV 

Projections 

Not 

Supplied 



Keep the Trade Show Going 

www.icongo.com 

(888) 944-2664 



Travel, Hotels & Restaurants (continued) 

Hawaii Lodging, Hospitality & 

Kenneth Kanter 

Foodservice Expo 

Exposition Director 

Douglas Trade Shows 

808-261-3400 

www.douglastradeshows.com 



Neil S. Blaisdell Center 

Honolulu, HI 




Council on Hotel, Restaurant & 

Institutional Education 

International Council on Hotel, Restaurant & 

Institutional Education 

www.chrie.org 

Robert Hamersly 

Conference Manager 

804-346-4800 



Renaissance Waverly Hotel 

Atlanta, GA 

19,600 nsf 

50 Exhibitors 

800 Attendees 

National Business Travel Association 

National Business Travel Association 

http://nbtaconvention.org 

Collette Skeen 

Sr. Manager of Exhibits 

703-684-0836 



Los Angeles CC 

Los Angeles, CA 

118,500 nsf 



Veterinary 

American Veterinary Medical 

Association 

American Veterinary Medical Association 

www.avmaconvention.org 

David Little 

Dir of Meetings & Conv. 

Planning 

847-925-8070 





80,000 nsf 



Water, Energy & Power 

American Membrane Technology 

Association Annual 

American Membrane Technology 

Association 

www.amtaorg.com 

Janet Jaworski 

Administrative Director 

772-463-0820 



Naples Grande Resort 

Naples, FL 

10,000 nsf 

80 Exhibitors 

750 Attendees 

Rocky Mountain Natural Gas Strategy 

Conference 

Colorado Oil & Gas Association 

www.coga.org 

Jill McClure 

Vice President 

303-861-0362 



Colorado CC 

Denver, CO 

32,000 nsf 



Faster Freight Cleaner Air East Coast 

Gladstein, Neandross & Associates 

www.ffcaeastcoast.com/ 

Anne Hellwig 

VP of Events 

800-993-0302 



Javits Center 

New York, NY 

70,000 nsf 

80 Exhibitors 

500 Attendees 

Oil Sands & Heavy Oil Technologies 

Conf. & Expo 

PennWell 

www.oshot08.events.pennnet.com 

Carol Lyn Stevinson 


918-831-9523 



Calgary TELUS Convention 

Centre 

Calgary, AB 

10,000 nsf 



Florida Petroleum 

Marketers&Convenience Store Assn 

Florida Petroleum Marketers and 

Convenience Store Association 

www.fpma.org 

Linda Thomas 


800-523-9166 



Rosen Shingle Creek 

Orlando, FL 

31,200 nsf 



Office Expo 

International Association of Administrative 

Professionals 

www.iaap-hq.org 

Inge Hafkemeyer 

Conv. Manager 

816-891-6600 



New Orleans Hilton Riverside 


4,000 nsf 

40 Exhibitors 


National Association of Church 

Business Administration 

National Association of Church Business 

Administration 

www.nacba.net 

Tammy Mirau 

Trade Show Director 

972-699-7555 



Gaylord Opryland 

Nashville, TN 

27,300 nsf 





Industry Events 

By Nicole Burnes, assistant editor 

June 2008 

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday friday saturday 

1 2 

3 

4 5 6 

7 

8 10 11 12 13 14 

American Business Media’s 

(ABM) Events Summit 

June 10, 2008 

Radisson Martinique Hotel, 

New York, NY 

Hospitality Sales and Marketing 

Association International 

(HSMAI) Affordable Meetings 

West 

June 11-12, 2008 

Long Beach Convention Center, 

Long Beach, CA 

Business Marketing Association 

(BMA) 2008 Annual 

Conference 


Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort, 

Lake Las Vegas, NV 

9 

New York, NY Long Beach, CA Lake las Vegas, NV 

UFI, The Global Association 

of the Exhibition Industry, UFI 

Open Seminar in Europe 


Thessaloniki International Fair, 

Thessaloniki, Greece 

16 17 18 

19 

20 21 

Exhibition & Convention 

Executives Forum 2008 (ECEF) 


Walter E. Washington Convention 

Center, Washington, DC 

Healthcare Convention & 

Exhibitors Association (HCEA) 



Salt Palace Convention Center, 

Salt Lake City, UT 

Canadian Association of 

Exposition Management 

(CAEM) Annual Conference 


Delta Brunswick, Saint John, 

New Brunswick 

Exhibition Services and 

Contractors Association 

(ESCA) 19th Annual Summer 

Educational Conference 


Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa, 

Monterey, CA 

Rosemont, IL 

Thessaloniki, Greece 

Destination Marketing 

Association International’s 

(DMAI) Destinations 

Showcase Conference and 

Expo: Chicago 

Donald E. Stephens 


Convention Center, 

Rosemont, IL 

2008 National Association 

of Consumer Shows (NACS) 



San Diego Convention Center, 

San Diego, CA 


22 23 24 

25 26 

27 28 

Association for Convention 

Operations Management 

(ACOM) Summer Education 

Conference 


The Palmer House Hilton, 

Chicago, IL 

Salt Lake City, UT 

31 

New Brunswick Monterey, CA San Diego, CA Chicago, IL 

More Details 

American Business Media’s (ABM) Events Summit 

June 10, 2008, Radisson Martinique Hotel, New York, NY 

www.americanbusinessmedia.com 

Event management: ABM, (212) 661-6360 

Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association 

International (HSMAI) Affordable Meetings West 

June 11-12, 2008, Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA 

www.affordablemeetings.com 

Event Management: HSMAI, (914) 421-3206 

Business Marketing Association (BMA) Conference 

June 11-13, 2008, Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort, Lake Las Vegas, NV 

www.marketing.org 

Event management: BMA, (800) 664-4BMA 

UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, 

UFI Open Seminar in Europe 

June 16-18, 2008, Thessaloniki International Fair, Thessaloniki, Greece 

www.ufi.org 

Event management: UFI, (33) 1-42-67-99-12 

Exhibition & Convention Executives Forum 2008 (ECEF) 

June 19, 2008, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC 


Event management: ECEF, (703) 979-4904 

Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association (HCEA) 


June 21-24, 2008, Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT 

www.hcea.org 

Event management: HCEA, (404) 252-3663 

Canadian Association of Exposition Management 

(CAEM) Annual Conference 

June 22-24, 2008, Delta Brunswick, Saint John, New Brunswick 

www.caem.ca 

Event management: CAEM, (866) 441-9377 

Exhibition Services and Contractors Association (ESCA) 

19th Annual Summer Educational Conference 

June 22-25, 2008, Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa, Monterey, California 

www.esca.org 

Event management: ESCA, (469) 574-0698 

Destination Marketing Association International’s 

(DMAI) Destinations Showcase Conference and Expo: 

Chicago 

June 25, 2008, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL 

www.destinationsshowcase.com 

Event management: DMAI, (202) 296-7888 

2008 National Association of Consumer Shows (NACS) 


June 25-27, 2008, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA 

www.publicshows.com 

Event management: NACS, (503) 253-0832 

Association for Convention Operations Management 

(ACOM) Summer Education Conference 

June 26-28, 2008, The Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL 

www.acomonline.org 

Event management: ACOM, (609) 799-3712 


FREE ADMISSION* 

www.destinationsshowcase.com 


Donald E. Stephens Convention Center 

Rosemont, Ill. 

Feb. 26, 2009 

Walter E. Washington Convention Center 

Washington, D.C. 

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PRIORITY CODE DS926A 

Major Sponsors 


People 

Raul Dykstra 

Paul Dykstra was 

named chairman of 

the board of Viad 

Corp, replacing 

Robert Bohanan 

who retired effective 

March 31.after 10 

years in that role. 

Dykstra now holds the 

titles of president, 

CEO and chairman 

of Viad, the parent 

company of GES 

Exposition Services 

and Exhibitgroup/ 

Giltspur..Dykstra was 

president and CEO of Robert Bohanan 

GES from 2000 until 

2006 when he was appointed COO of 

Viad and then later promoted to president 

and CEO. Reach Paul at (602) 207-4000 

or pdykstra@viad.com 

David Korse stepped 

down April 4 as vice 

president of Nielsen 

Business Media’s 

Merchandise Group 

after 16 months on 

the job. He plans to do 

independent consulting 

David Korse work while exploring 

future opportunities 

in the trade show sector. Korse will not 

be replaced but his duties will be handled 

by Chris McCabe, group sales director, 

and by David Loechner, senior vice 

president of Nielsen’s Retail Group. 

Korse came to Nielsen after a long career 

with Reed Exhibitions; served as CEO 

of Imark Communications for seven 

years; and headed up IDG World Expo 

Corp. from 2003 until 2006. He is a past 

chairman of the Center for Exhibition 

Industry Research (CEIR) and served on 

the board of the Society of Independent 

Show Organizers (SISO) and the 

International Association of Exhibitions 

& Events (IAEE). Reach David Korse at 

(310) 405-1317 or davidkorse@msn.com; 

Chris McCabe at (310) 481-7300 or chris. 

mccabe@nielsen.com 

Kevin Neary was named executive 

vice president and CFO of Ziff 

Davis Enterprise, announced Steve 

Weitzner, chairman and CEO. Kevin 

was previously senior vice president and 

CFO at Primedia and held a number 

of finance positions during his 16 years 

there. He replaced Eric Berk who left 

the company. Reorganization in the top 

ranks moved Kirk Laughlin into the 

newly created position of vice president, 

managing director of live events. Laughlin 

had been editorial director of Ziff Davis 

Enterprise Events. His role will be the 

further development of the company’s 

custom and branded events. Mike 

Azzara joined Ziff Davis Enterprise 

as senior vice president, product 

management and will be responsible for 

print brands and online network products. 

Azzara had been at CMP where he was 

credited with revitalizing the TechWeb 

Network. Reach Kevin at (212) 503-3500 

or kevin.neary@ziffdavisenterprise. 

com; Kirk at (212) 503-3500 or kirk. 

laughlin@ziffdavisenterprise.com; Mike 

at (212) 503-3500 or mike.azzara@ 

ziffdavisenterprise.com 

Paul Ashley will 

retire this Summer 

after eight years as 

president of Smart 

City Networks but will 

remain on the board 

of directors. He joined 

the company in 2000 

Paul Ashley from AT&T Cable 

Services in Illinois. 

During that time, Smart City has grown 

from a small company of fewer than 100 

employees to become the leading provider 

of telecommunications services to the 

convention and trade show industry. The 

company now provides services to about 

5,500 events annually at 62 convention 

facilities. The McLoughlin Company has 

been retained to conduct a nationwide 

search for a new president. Reach Paul at 

(702) 943-6000 or pashley@smartcity.com 

The Professional Convention 

Management Association (PCMA) 

recognized three individuals for their 

impact on the meetings industry at its 

annual Education Foundation Dinner in 

Washington, DC on April 15. Charles 

Ahlers, president of the Anaheim/ 

Orange County Visitor & Convention 

Bureau, was honored as a supplier 

partner. Debra Rosencrance, 

vice president, meetings and exhibits 

for the American Academy of 

Ophthalmology, was 

meeting professional 

honoree, and Joan 

Eisenstodt, chief 

strategist at Eisenstodt 

Associates, was 

educator honoree. 

Charles Ahlers 

Reach Charles at (714) 

765-8840 or cahlers@ 

anaheimoc.org; Debra 

at (415) 447-0346 or drosencrance@ 

aao.org; Joan at (202) 543-7971 or 

eisenstodt@aol.com 

Los Angeles art expert Daniel Hug was 

named director of Art Cologne effective 

May 1. He has been a curator, gallery 

owner and organizer of international 

art fairs. He is the grandson of the 

famous Hungarian constructivist and 

Bauhaus artist László Moholy-Nagy. Hug 

replaces Gerard Goodrow. Hug will 

be primarily responsible for the strategic 

and artistic aspects of the German art fair 

while consultants Meyer Voggenreiter 

and Kathrin Luz will handle planning 

and marketing aspects. Reach Daniel 

at +49 (0) 221/ 821-3091 or d.hug@ 

koelnmesse.de 

Tracy Nocks joined HMP 

Communications as meeting planner, 

meetings and trade shows. Nocks 

had been meeting planner for Naha 

Marketing, Inc. HMP Communications 

publishes medical journals and organizes 

events for healthcare professionals, 

including the Annual Symposium on 

Advanced Wound Care. Reach Tracy 

at (610) 560-0500 or tnocks@ 

hmpcommunications.com 

Emily Rafferty, president of the 



In the 1940’s 

Brede made Army 

tents for America. 

Today we make Tradeshow Managers look good nationwide. 

We’re celebrating 110 years for a very good reason! 

Since 1898 

 

 

BOSTON DENVER MINNEAPOLIS ORLANDO PHOENIX WASHINGTON D.C. 

781-741-5900 303-399-8600 612-331-4540 407-851-0261 602-275-5900 301-937-8600 

©Brede 2008

People 


Metropolitan Museum of Art, was 

appointed chairwoman of the board of 

directors of NYC & Company. Rafferty 

replaces Jonathan Tisch, who stepped 

down in February. The 81-member board 

oversees the agency that serves as the 

official tourism marketing agency for New 

York City. Reach Emily at (212)535-7710 

or emily_rafferty@metmuseum.org 

The Qatar National Convention Centre 

Index to Advertisers 

The C.W. Allen Group, LLC 

www.cwallengroup.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p.35 

Bartizan Connects 

www.bartizan.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.27 

Boston Convention Marketing Center 

www.AdvantageBOSTON.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p.5 

Brede Exposition Services 

www.brede.com.................................p.57 

John Buttine Inc. 

www.buttine.com .................................p.3 

Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) 

www.ceir.org ............................p.37, 44 & 51 

CompuSystems, Inc. 

www.compusystems.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p.30 

named Cathy Hemsworth as its 

director of sales. Hemsworth most 

recently held the same position at 

Christchurch Convention Centre in New 

Zealand. The Qatar National Convention 

Centre opens for business in Doha in 

2010. Reach Cathy at +97 4454 6001 or 

chemsworth@qatarconvention.com 

Shepard Exposition Services named Joe 

Flinn general manager of its Baltimore, 

MD office and Kerwin Johnson sales 

Destinations Showcase Conference & Expos 

www.destinationsshowcase.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p.54 

ESCA 

www.esca.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.48 & 52 

Event Technology Expo @ HSMAI’s Affordable 

Meetings 

www.affordablemeetings.com/ete ....................p.46 

Exhibition & Convention Executives Forum 

www.eceforum.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.45 & 50 

Freeman 

www.freemanco.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p.11 

iCongo 

www.iCongo.com ......................p.28, 29, 47 & 53 

Indiana Convention Center & RCA Dome 

www.iccrd.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p.7 

manager of its office in Anaheim, CA. 

Flinn joined Shepard from Champion 

Nationwide Contractor’s Baltimore/ 

Washington, DC regional office and 

had previous experience with GES in 

Washington, DC. Johnson was most 

recently an account manager in Southern 

California for Freeman. Reach Joe at 

(443) 709-0502, x 103 

jflinn@shepardes.com; Kerwin at (562) 

921-7200 or kjohnson@shepardes.com 

Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority 

www.lasvegas24hours.com ......................Cover 2 

Sevierville Events Center (TN) 

www.seviervilleeventscenter.com .............. Insert & p.15 

SMART-reg International, Inc. 

www.SMART-reg.com..........................Cover 3 

Donald E. Stephens Convention Center 

www.rosemont.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 4 


www.tradeshowexecutive.com.............p.12, 13, 43 & 49 

Ungerboeck Systems International, Inc. 

www.ungerboeck.com ............................p.17 

United Service Companies 

www.unitedhq.com...............................p.31 

Who’s Who Insert, Index to Advertisers 

a2z, Inc. 

www.a2zinc.net ................................D-13 

The C.W. Allen Group, LLC 

www.cwallengroup.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-13 

Bartizan Connects 

www.bartizan.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-16 

BPA Worldwide 

www.bpaww.com. ..............................D-11 

Brede Exposition Services 

www.brede.com.................................D-8 

John Buttine Inc. 

www.buttine.com ...............................D-15 

Center for Exhibition Industry Research 

www.ceir.org ..................................D-19 

Champion Exposition Services 

www.championexpo.com.......................Cover 4 & D-8 

CompuSystems 

www.compusystems.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D-17 

Convention Data Services 

www.ConventionDataServices.com. ..................D-18 

Creative Expos and Conferences 

www.creative-expos.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-16 

Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA) 

www.esca.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 2 

The Expo Group 

www.theexpogroup.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-8 

Freeman 

www.freemanco.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-8 

GES Exposition Services 

www.ges.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-8 

Global Event Strategies 

www.event-strategy.com..........................D-16 

Hargrove, Inc. 

www.hargroveinc.com.............................D-8 

iCongo 

www.icongo.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-6 & D-21 

Kuehne + Nagel, Inc. 

www.kuehne-nagel.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-20 

R.D. International 

www.bobdallmeyer.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-16 

Regency Exposition Services 

www.regencyexpo.com............................D-9 

Rosemont Exposition Services 

www.resexpo.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-9 

Smart City 

www.smartcity.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-19 

SMART-reg International, Inc. 

www.SMART-reg.com.......................D-5 & D-17 

J. Spargo & Associates 

www.jspargo.com.........................D-15 & D-18 


www.tradeshowexecutive.com....................D-13 & D-14 

Travel Technology Group 

www.traveltechnologygroup.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-15 

TWI Group Inc. 

www.twiglobal.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-20 

Ungerboeck Systems International, Inc. 

www.ungerboeck.com ...........................D-13 

United Service Companies 

www.unitedhq.com........................Cover 3, D-12 & D-18 

Judy Venn & Associates, Inc. 

www.JudyVenn.com .............................D-12 

Wyndham Jade 

www.wyndhamjade.com ..........................D-15 


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