the November 2009 Issue in PDF Format - Trade Show Executive

news
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show experience the dairy industry
depends on.”
The IDFA set an initial goal of selling
50,000 nsf for the Dallas show, about half
of the space dedicated to dairy booths
at Worldwide Food Expo. Early demand,
however, was high enough that the sites
were reset to 100,000 nsf. “The feedback
has been overwhelmingly positive,” Tipton
said. “We have already received contracts
for 64,000 square feet of booth space for
the 2010 show in Dallas and we are sure
that momentum will continue.”
The AMI show also produced
solid numbers, with more than 20,000
registered attendees from more than 100
nations. “In one of the more difficult
economic times, increasing the number
of packer processor buyers attending the
show is a very positive development,”
said AMI President J. Patrick Boyle.
Reach Connie Tipton at (202) 737-4332
or ctipton@idfa.org; Anne Halal, AMI vice
president, convention & member services, at
(202) 587-4230 or ahalal@meatami.com
By Hil Anderson, senior editor
Alexandria, VA – The Convention Industry
Council (CIC) and a team of industry
associations is readying an advertising
campaign that will tout the value of
the personal relationships built through
business meetings.
The campaign, to be launched this Fall,
goes beyond the message of meetings as
a revenue and jobs producer for the cities
that host them. The thrust will be the
payoff that companies receive from their
investment in sending employees to a trade
show or other face-to-face event.
“This will compliment the U.S. Travel
Association’s (USTA) message, which was
the economic impact of meetings,” said
Karen Kotowski, chief operating officer
of the CIC. “Our campaign will talk about
the value and human connection; the things
that happen when we get together, such as
relationship building and a generation of
new ideas and business solutions.”
Penton is Latest Firm
Seeking Debt Restructuring
By Hil Anderson, senior editor
New York, NY – Penton Media is the
latest B-to-B media company to turn to
a restructuring of its debt as a means of
weathering the current economic storm.
Penton CEO Sharon Rowlands told
employees in an internal memo that the
investment bank Rothschild Inc. had been
retained to assist Penton in developing
a plan to reduce its serviceable debt and
continue to “fully implement our strategies.”
“This announcement will potentially
result in the company substantially
reducing the debt it has to service, which
will allow us to better manage today and
secure our future,” the memo said.
Rowlands told Trade Show Executive that
Penton did not expect the restructuring to
force any reductions or divestments in the
company’s portfolio of live events.
Penton’s roster of trade shows includes
Follow-up to Obama
Response
The USTA launched its
“Meetings Mean Business”
campaign in the depths of
the recession as a response to
criticism of corporate travel
that erupted after media
reports of executives from Kotowski
troubled companies jetting
off to upscale resorts for
meetings of dubious value. The flap reached
its height when President Obama publicly
said companies receiving Federal financial
assistance should forget about traveling to Las
Vegas and other destinations.
The uproar has since died down,
but trade show organizers and the entire
business travel industry continue grappling
with lower attendance. “While the negative
comments from members of Congress and
the administration have stopped as a result
of the USTA’s efforts, there is still some
the Natural Products Expos West and East,
which are produced by the New Hope
Natural Media division. The 2008 shows
placed 65th and 99th in Trade Show Executive’s
Gold 100 rankings and received the 2008
Gold Grand Award for “The Leader in
Green Initiatives” at this year’s Trade Show
Executive Gold 100 Awards & Summit.
Penton’s hiring of Rothschild came
on the heels of restructuring plans
announced in recent months by Questex
Media, Cygnus Business Media and
Advanstar Communications. Questex
sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
as part of its restructuring strategy.
Penton is co-owned by MidOcean
Partners and Wasserstein & Co.
Reach Sharon Rowlands at (212) 204-4200
or sharon.rowlands@penton.com
CIC Ad Campaign Stresses Relationship Building through Meetings
hesitancy on the part of businesses
to fully embrace meetings and
events for economic and other
reasons,” said Kotowski.
The Orlando advertising and
public relations firm Y Partnership,
Inc. was selected to develop the
campaign on behalf of a CIC task
force that includes the International
Association of Exhibitions and
Events (IAEE); the Center for
Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR); the
American Society of Association Executives
(ASAE); Meeting Professionals International
(MPI); the International Special Events
Society (ISES); the Professional Convention
Management Association (PCMA);
and Destination Marketing Association
International (DMAI).
Reach Karen Kotowski at (571) 527-3116 or
kkotowski@conventionindustry.org
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8 November 2009 Trade Show Executive www.TradeShowExecutive.com