the November 2009 Issue in PDF Format - Trade Show Executive

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of 9/11 that devastated the World Trade
Center in New York also destroyed the
WTCA’s headquarters offices on the 77th
floor of One World Trade Center, the first
tower to be hit. While everyone on our
staff was able to escape the tower before
it fell, several staff members were severely
injured physically and emotionally. It was
an extremely traumatic event for all of
us at headquarters and throughout the
WTCA membership.
Fortunately, we were able to
establish new offices in another
building in New York within a few
weeks. And our members responded
to the tragedy with an outpouring of
support for the WTCA’s mission. We
all felt then and still feel today that the
best reaction for us is to redouble our
efforts, through World Trade Centers, to
bring people around the world together
for constructive communications,
understanding and trade.
>>Bob: You communicate well with
people of many cultures, races and
religions. How many languages do
you speak? And what is the key
to developing such a high level of
respect and rapport?
Guy: I speak a little French. In
communicating with people of different
cultures, races and religions, I simply
try to understand and respect their
traditions, backgrounds and aspirations.
This approach has been institutionalized
within the WTCA, where every member
– large region or small, developed
or undeveloped, wealthy or povertystricken
– has an equal place at our
table. I think it has played an important
part in our success.
>>Bob: Who were your mentors?
Guy: Early in my career, I benefited
greatly from having several great
mentors, especially Austin Tobin, the
powerful executive director of the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey.
And during that same period, I worked
closely with the legendary Robert Moses
in his capacity as chairman of the 1964-
65 New York World’s Fair.
Trade and World Peace. Tozzoli greets Adrian Severin discuss the 1st South Eastern European
(SEE) Trade Exhibition & Conference. Severin is president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe.
>>Bob: What advice would you give
a middle manager in the exposition
industry who wants to rise to the top?
Guy: As with any other profession,
he or she should strive to understand and
experience every aspect of the exposition
industry, be alert to opportunities to
make improvements in the field and
strive to build a track record of success
with each assignment he or she is given.
>>Bob: Do you have any funny or
amusing experiences to relate?
Guy: Once in the early days
of my work with the WTCA, I
was welcoming a French-speaking
audience, and out of respect for
their culture, I decided to speak in
French. At one point in my speech,
the audience erupted in laughter,
much to my surprise. I found out later
Columnist Bob Dallmeyer, CEM, has been chairman of both the
International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and 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” and received IAEE’s Pinnacle Award in 2008. Contact
Bob at (323) 934-8300 or bdallmeyer@tradeshowexecutive.com
that in attempting to address them as
“citoyens” (citizens), I accidentally
called them “champignons”
(mushrooms)!
>>Bob: What else is on your agenda
to accomplish as you scale back your
schedule?
Guy: I would like to see the WTCA
do more to extend the World Trade
Center concept to the less-developed
areas of the world. We should increase
our efforts to focus on the special needs
of these areas and provide the unique
training and other assistance necessary
to help them build their economies and
network more effectively with other
World Trade Centers around the globe.
Contact Guy Tozzoli at (212) 432-2640 or
gtozzoli@wtca.org
Bob Dallmeyer
www.TradeShowExecutive.com Trade Show Executive November 2009 27