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Review All Articles > June 18th 2008 - Vol 11, Issue 25

EACA Showfloor Buzz

Vol. 11, Issue 25, June 18, 2008

EACA NEWS

Make Plans to Attend our 10th Annual Conference!    The EACA is hosting its 10th Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA on July 28-29, 2008, in conjunction with TS2.   This year’s event will place a special focus on the EACA’s 10th Anniversary.    EACA members are invited to come together to celebrate this milestone as we review the accomplishments of the past ten years and begin to chart our course for the next ten.
 
The EACA 10th Anniversary Conference information contains complete descriptions of all sessions and events.       In addition, the EACA Conference Registration form and Sponsor form has complete information for participating in this year’s event.     If you have difficulty accessing any of this information please send an email to jimwurm@eaca.com <mailto:jimwurm@eaca.com> .
 
And, as always, your EACA Conference badge grants you access to the TS2 Exhibits!
 
Thanks to our Annual Conference Sponsors.     The EACA Annual Conference will take place on July 28-29, 2008 at the Pennsylvaniz Convention Center in Philadekphia, PA.  Conference materials have recently been circulated to EACA members, and are also available on the EACA web site.    Please be sure to make your plans to attend!
 
The EACA would like to thank and recognize our Annual Conference Sponsors to date:
 
Presenting Sponsor
UBC Metropolitan Regional Council
 
Platinum Sponsor
Freeman
 
Gold Sponsor
ExpoServices USA
 
Silver Sponsors
CORT Tradeshow Furnishings
MC2
On Location
The TERM Group

Remember to Vote for the 2008 Intrepid.   The EACA would like to remind all its members to cast their votes for the 2008 Intrepid..   If you would like to cast your vote and need the 2008 Intrepid Ballot, you can either grab it here or at the EACA web site.
 
This year’s nominees are:
David Causton, MPEA
Joe Mondelli, EACA Chicago
Bob Lessin, IUPAT
Mia Rampersad, IHA
Anah Corley, Stetson Convention Services

 
Also Remember to Cast your Vote for the EACA Hall of Fame.   The EACA would also like to remind all its members to cast their votes for the EACA Hall of Fame.   If you would like to cast your vote and need the 2008 Hall of Fame Ballot, you can either grab it here or at the EACA web site..
 
This year’s nominees are:
Steve Barry Jr, TWI
Dick Gorbett, Global & Atlas Van Lines
Tom Mobley, Global Spectrum
Art Ursin, Poirot

 
EACA PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Congratulations to Mike and Debbie Kadow  and Family on the birth of their grandson, Alex Michael Kadow on June 6.   Alex weighed in at 9lbs. 3oz and according to his granddad was born with a golf club in his hand.   Look for him on the links in a couple years!


CHAPTER NEWS

Chicago Chapter News

6th Annual Golf Outing to Benefit RSMGC     
The Chicago Chapters of the EACA and EDPA announced the dates for their 6th Annual Golf Outing to benefit the RSMGC.
This scramble golf event will take place at Maple Meadows Golf Club in Wood Dale, IL on Monday, August 4, 2008 with a 1pm shotgun start.      Golf will be followed by a dinner reception with raffle prizes.

For additional information on the 2008 EACA/EDPA Chicago golf outing contact Nancy Virene at njvirene@thetermgroup.com.



INDUSTRY NEWS

Strike Scheduled in Boston  <M&C Midweek News> Approximately 300 to 350 food-service workers at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center will stage a three-day strike beginning June 21, according to Brian Lang, vice president and chief negotiator for Unite HERE Local 26, which represents workers employed by Aramark, the centers' food-service provider. The employees, who have been without a contract since October, are protesting Aramark's "unfair labor practices," Lang said, including the termination of two workers who allegedly were involved with union activities and the intimidation of others. Complaints have been filed with the National Labor Relations Board. An Aramark spokesperson declined to comment on specifics relating to the Boston negotiations. According to the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority's convention calendar, events that could be affected include the Boston Health  Fitness Expo 2008, a two-day public trade show expected to attract 50,000 people, and the Drug Information Association's annual meeting, expected to draw 8,500 attendees.
 
White Papers Reveal Customer Views of the Industry
 
"Is anyone listening? Please help us!"
 
That's not something organizers or service providers typically hear. But that's the plea researchers heard when they talked to exhibitors about their experiences in the tradeshow world.
 
That research is the subject of two whitepapers to be released at 6:30 p.m. June 18 by MAYA Design, a human-centered design consultancy based in Pittsburgh, Penn. It's the result of a six-month study that included phone interviews and on-site research at shows handled by different service providers in different cities. MAYA researchers spent time alongside exhibitors and attendees to understand their experiences throughout the lifecycle of a show..
 
The Expo Group co-funded the study after hearing Mickey McManus, the President and CEO of MAYA, deliver a keynote presentation at the 2007 Exhibition and Convention Executives Forum (ECEF) in Washington, D.C.
 
"The Invisible Exhibitor: What Your Exhibitors Aren't Telling You (and Why It Matters for the Future of Your Show)" is a whitepaper focused on the exhibitor experience. It reveals that exhibitors desire a business-partner relationship with their associations and show organizers.
 
Exhibitors were frustrated by service relationships that reduced their efficiency and sent costs out of control. Researchers found that solutions to which organizers typically turn to for help sometimes added to the problem. Even when organizers and exhibitors were in the same industry, their challenges were mutually exclusive, and exhibitors felt that organizers ignored them or didn't understand their unique needs.
 
Although attendees weren't a primary focus of the research, "The Invisible Attendee: What Your Attendees Are Thinking (and Why You Should Care)" provides some insights into the attendee experience. Researchers discovered that organizers might not be doing enough to understand the goals and motivations of attendees, who seek a return on their investment in time and money based on expectations that aren't always met.
 
"There is a real disconnect between the disciplines in our industry," says The Expo Group President and CEO Ray Pekowski. "All of us are working in the same industry, yet not aligned with the real needs and experiences for all the related stakeholders of a tradeshow. The customer experience turns out to be fragmented when they have to deal with independent silos.."
 
"Communication moves us toward understanding and ultimately connection..
Reading these whitepapers is like being a fly on the wall in the professional lives of your exhibitor and attendee customers."
 
To download the full text of the whitepaper report go to:
 
http://www.theexpogroup.com/whitepapers/Default.aspx



THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Women must try to do things as men have tried.   When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.

-- Amelia Erhart



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