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Review All Articles > October 18th 2007 - Vol 10, Issue 40

EACA Showfloor Buzz

Vol. 10, Issue 40, October 17, 2007

EACA NEWS

RSMGC Correction    In last week’s issue of the Showfloor Buzz, we listed the Corporate Sponsors for the 2007 RSMGC.
 
Unfortunately we failed to include Nth Degree as a 2007 RSMGC Corporate Sponsor.

We apologize for the oversight.

Chicago Launches “The Chicago Commitment”    In an effort to place a greater emphasis on providing greater customer service on the show floor, Chicago’s McCormick Place has recently announced a new program that outlines 6 key services that tradesmen will strive to deliver to exhibitors during their work day.   The “Chicago Commitment” was developed through the efforts of the Labor Management Council representing the major stakeholders involved in Chicago’s trade show industry.    
 
Details of “The Chicago Commitment” were made available in a cover letter to all Chicagoland service providers in September.     The campaign will continue during the months ahead to posting signage during check-in to serve as reminders of the program.  In addition, a subcommittee of the Labor Management Council will be developing other communication tools to further support and reinforce the overall message.  
 
The EACA encourages all EACA Chicagoland members to make use of the Chicago Commitment Poster and to make it available in your offices so that all your employees are familiar with the Chicago Customer Service commitment.

NBTA forecasts business travel increases in 2008    <Expo Web News> Published airfares will increase by 6-10 percent from 2007 to 2008, reports the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) in its preliminary 2008 U.S. Business Travel Overview & Cost Forecast.  The report aims to help the association's members, corporate travel buyers, with their planning and budgeting for the next year and is based on a survey of 215 NBTA member travel buyers.
 
Chicago Customer Service Training.   The Chicago Chapter of the EACA, in conjunction with the MPEA and EACA National will be sponsoring its 2nd Customer Service Training Program for showfloor workers in Chicago on November 26 thru November 28.
 
The second installment of the EACA Customer Service Training Program will be developed and delivered by Randy Eppard, Phd in Human Development.   Eppard is an associate professor for University of Maryland University College,   Prior to his professorship, Eppard worked for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters as Director of Training Curriculum.    Randy developed th customer service program under the direction and guidance of Chicago Chapter EACA President Joe Mondelli.
 
To get more information on times and locations for the November training see the attached Training Overview.    To sign up your people for the November training use the attached Sponsor/Registration Form, and the attached Participants List Form.
 
 
Mark Your Calendars for the EACA Winter Meeting    The EACA will be holding its Winter Meeting in conjunction with EDPA again this year – so please be sure to mark your calendars.
 
The meeting will take place on Marco Island, FL from November 28-30, 2007.    To register for the conference go the EDPA web site at www.edpa.com.   Be sure to include your status as an EACA member, so we get credit from EDPA for your participation.

Also please note that the EDPA has reserved a block of rooms at the Hotel, at a special group rate, over the Conference dates.  EACA members are encouraged to make their reservations as soon as possible.   Rooms within the block are limited, and are available on a first-come/first-served basis.     Room rate is $179, single or double, plus tax (approx 10%).
 
Please contact the hotel for information on suites.    You can make your reservations by calling toll-free, (800) 438-4373, or by calling the hotel directly at (239) 394-2511.  
 
When making your hotel reservation, identify yourself as part of the Exhibit Designers & Producers Association group.  A credit card is required to reserve your reservation; card will not be charged until arrival at the hotel.
 
As for travel plans, you will need to fly into Ft. Meyers, FL (45 minute drive to Marco), or to Miami International (2 ½ hour drive to Marco).
 

EACA PEOPLE IN THE NEWS


MG Design Associates is pleased to welcome Danielle Schwabenlender to their Accounting Team. Danielle brings to MG Design a proven ability to achieve and exceed all internal development goals.  Danielle received her Bachelor of Science degree in 2005 from the University of Wisconsin Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin.

MG Design Associates is also pleased to announce the expansion of their Show Services department with a highly skilled and seasoned Show Services Manager, Cindy Hart.
 
Cindy has spent over 12 years in the tradeshow industry and brings to MG Design a diverse array of abilities that range from accounting, account management, and show services.  Her previous work experience has been in the role of Senior Account Manager for Contempo Design and most recently with Catalyst Exhibits.


EACA CHAPTERS


CHICAGO CHAPTER ANNOUNCEMENT

Next Customer Service Training – November 2007

The Chicago Chapter of the EACA, in conjunction with the MPEA and EACA National will be sponsoring its 2nd Customer Service Training Program for showfloor workers in Chicago on November 26 thru November 28.
 
The second installment of the EACA Customer Service Training Program will be developed and delivered by Randy Eppard, Phd in Human Development.   Eppard is an associate professor for University of Maryland University College,   Prior to his professorship, Eppard worked for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters as Director of Training Curriculum.    Randy developed th customer service program under the direction and guidance of Chicago Chapter EACA President Joe Mondelli.
 
To get more information on times and locations for the November training see the attached Training Overview.   To sign up your people for the November training use the attached Sponsor/Registration Form, and the attached Participants List Form.
 


INDUSTRY NEWS

Free WiFi Now at Las Vegas CC    <Tradeshow Week>   The Las Vegas Convention Center is the latest to offer customers free wireless hotspots. Smart City, the facility's telecom provider, is managing the service, which offers 64 kilobyte-per-second speed connections to anyone with wireless capability on his or her laptop.
 
The Expo Group announces Show Manager of the Year Award Winners   <Expo Web News>  The Dallas-based Expo Group has announced the five winners for its Show Manager of the Year (SMOTY) Awards. The winners are chosen for exhibiting innovative practices, strong customer service, a commitment to success and an ability to overcome obstacles. Five winners were selected, based on the size of their shows. They are:
 
• 1 to 150 booths: Lori Riggs, CMP, Director of Conferences & Special Events, National Safety Council Greater Omaha Center. Riggs was nominated for being able to work within a tight budget and still increase attendance.
• 151 to 300 booths: Nancy Jo Wiggin, Vice President of Sales, JD Events. She grew a neglected event despite a competing event in the same city 10 days after her show.
• 301 to 700 booths: Melinda Kendall, General Manager, IDG World Expo. She recognized the opportunity of co-locating her show to bring in 50 new exhibitors to the event.
• 701 to 1,500 booths: Claire Kilcoyne, Show Manager, METALCON International. She teamed with non-profits to give a steel framed house to a disabled Iraq war veteran.
• 1,501+ booths: Charles Olentine, Executive Vice President, U.S. Poultry and Egg Association. He introduced an international buyer program, which resulted in more than 90 countries being represented at his show.
 
LVCVA approves union agreements during renovation <Exhibit City News> The Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA) Board of Directors at its Oct. 9 meeting approved two agreements with local construction unions. The agreements should guarantee there will be no work interruptions during the center’s lengthy $890 million renovation projects that are scheduled to begin in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC).
 
Board officials said the project’s labor agreements with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Southern Nevada and affiliated local carpenters and laborers unions were necessary to minimize disruption at the numerous conventions scheduled during the projected three years of construction at the convention center.
 
Trade Show Revenues Up 11.3% in Second Quarter of 2007, According to CEIR Report   <Trade Show Executive> Trade show revenues continue to grow this year with an 11.3% increase for the second quarter over the same period in 2006, and show attendance up an impressive 13.5%, according to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR).

New MGM Mirage Project in Atlantic City to Include CC  <Tradeshow Week> The MGM Mirage Board of Directors has approved plans for a new resort casino in Atlantic City, N.J. that would include a convention center. The project, expected to cost $4.5 billion to $5 billion, would include 3,000 hotel rooms and the largest casino in the city. The proposed project, next to the existing Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, is expected to break ground next year and open in 2012.


THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.


-- Thomas Jefferson



Publisher's statement.   The Showfloor Buzz is a publication of the Exhibitor Appointed Contractor Association (EACA) which is dedicated to "raising the level of service excellence on the showfloor."  
 
This publication is sent free of charge to all EACA members each Wednesday, and to non-members four weeks later.   Annual subscriptions to current issues of the Buzz are available to non-members for $49.95.    Please send subscription requests to jimwurm@eaca.com.
 
EACA members are also permitted to submit job postings to the Buzz free of charge for a one time listing.   Member job postings can be extended for additional weeks in the Buzz as well as posted to the EACA web site.    The costs for extending your job posting are one month for $50, 2 months for $85, and 3 months for $125.
 
If you have news from the tradeshow floor that you feel is important to the success of our members,  or our industry's customer, the exhibitors, please forward it to the EACA  @ 541-317-8768 or email us @ jimwurm@eaca.com