the June 2008 Issue in PDF Format - Trade Show Executive

Trade Show Executive’s
2008
INNOVATION
AWARDS
2008 Innovations Help Make Trade Show
Operations Leaner and Greener
By Darlene Gudea, VP/publisher & editor and Hil Anderson, senior editor
Innovating is not for the faint of heart
because it involves a high element
of risk. Change is expensive and
disruptive to the status quo. In today’s
economy, managers often pay a steep
price for missing the mark. But inaction
and failure to respond to shifts in the
market are bigger risks and have longterm
consequences.
To develop an environment conducive
to innovation, organizations must
eliminate the corporate roadblocks that
bring new ideas to a screeching halt.
They must create a culture of rewarding
those who take initiative and calculated
risks. Since the best ideas tend to come
from those closest to the customer,
involve them early in the innovation cycle.
And remember, an important ingredient
of innovation is simplicity.
The entries submitted for Trade Show
Executive’s Sixth Annual Innovation Awards
took on a green tone this year. One-third
of the entries and more than half of the
winners were innovations that addressed
environmental concerns. Others offered
efficiency in registration, ordering services
and lead follow-up.
The judging panel, made up of
members of Trade Show Executive’s Editorial
Advisory Board and staff, did not always
see eye-to-eye. But whether the winner’s
ideas are criticized or commended in
the final analysis, fresh new ideas are
always inspirational. Trade Show Executive
commends these seven innovators for
defying tradition and creating new value
for exhibitors, attendees and the exposition
industry as a whole.
2008 Winners of
Trade Show Executive’s
Innovation Awards
SMART-reg International, Inc..............p.33
Freeman....................................................p.34
GES Exposition Services......................p.35
Austin Convention Center.....................p.36
ListeNation..............................................p.37
Registration Control Systems (RCS)....p.38
Kleertech..................................................p.39
32 June 2008 Trade Show Executive www.TradeShowExecutive.com