The Official Bulletin - Quarter 2, 2019

Customer Engagement
Adds to Growth in the
Tradeshow Industry
T
he Tradeshow is a traditional marketing strategy used by
companies to showcase their latest products and network
with other companies, clients, and potential partners in the
industry. The objective is to increase/create brand awareness, enhance
product knowledge, create customer involvement and launch
new products to drive sales and profitability for their brand.
GE Booth at a
healthcare conference.
Tradeshows in the U.S. generated
more than $15 billion in revenue in
2018. While Nevada remains at the
top of the list of states with the largest
amount of exhibition space at over
six and a half million square feet (as
of June 2017) the rest of the top five
may surprise you. Texas, (5.2 m sq ft)
California, (4.9 m sq ft), Florida (4.7 m
sq ft) and Illinois at over four million
square feet.
The Tradeshow industry is in a
constant forward march of high-tech
growth. Exhibitors want interaction
between trade show exhibitors and
attendees. One of the biggest gamechangers
for exhibitors is the growth of
interactivity at shows. Attendees want
an experience, not just a video playing
on a loop at a booth.
Modern-day tradeshow Interactivity
is more than just engaging people face
to face. It’s game-play, multisensory and
virtual reality experiences. Exhibitors
using interactivity in their booths are
more likely to draw and keep a crowd
with these techniques and attendees are
inclined to remember these exhibitors
more than any of the others on the
show floor.
As tradeshows continue to evolve,
we as Union technicians need to be
the leaders in servicing the growth
and changes in the industry. The IA is
unique when it comes to representation
of workers on the tradeshow floor in
many cases we do it all from booth
builds and carpet to audio/video
production and installation. The
bottom line is each of these jobs take a
skill that is critical to the presentation
of the show and safety for its attendees.
We are all ambassadors of your city
and the IA; our ability to provide safe,
trained technicians with good customer
service skills is one of the determining
factors in whether a client will return
to your city or not.
With the exceptions of Chicago, Las
Vegas and Orlando much of this work
is being done by freelancers, non-union
venders and other trades. The need for
the IATSE to organize, recruit and train
the men and women in the Tradeshow
industry has never been greater. Whether
your Local has fifty members or a thousand,
the Tradeshow Department can help with
your Local’s individual needs. Some of
the services we provide in the Tradeshow
Department are customer service training,
assistance with the IATSE Training Trust
Fund AV Essentials course, assistance with
manufacturer training, assistance with
establishing local union training programs,
COMET and Steward training, organizing
and contract negotiations.
The IATSE Tradeshow Department
is committed to organizing and
training for the future of our industry.
Please take the time to reach out to us
with any questions. We are here for you.
“Growth Equals Strength”.
SECOND QUARTER 2019 35