Showfloor Buzz – May 19, 2017

New EACA Member Programs …..Coming Soon!

In our ongoing efforts to provide member value the EACA is is embarking on new programs that are targeted for release this fall.   These new programs include:

Enhance Exhibitor Buyer’s Gude

With our new web site look comes a new and more robus Exhibitor Buyer’s Guide that will provide opportunities for members to have a “point of purchase” presence in our EAC Registration System.   The EACA receives more than 15,000 visits per month from exhibitors that are eiher registering their EAC for one of our client shows, or looking for an EAC to service them.   The enhanced features of the site will allow our advertisers to be present on the page when and where an exhibitor lands who is looking for information on new potential suppliers.

Group Purchasing Program

The EACA will be looking to leverage the strength of our combined membership by negotiating with vendors for group purchasing discounts on common consumable items like carpet tape, double-face tape, velcro, shrink wrap, visqueen and the like.   The kickstarter for this effort will be a survey of our membership so we can determine our collective annual purchasing volume.   Look for that survey coming to you soon.

Monthly Webinar Program

With our new web site look comes a new and more robus Exhibitor Buyer’s Guide that will provide opportunities for members to have a “point of purchase” presence in our EAC Registration System.   The EACA receives more than 15,000 visits per month from exhibitors that are eiher registering their EAC for one of our client shows, or looking for an EAC to service them.   The enhanced features of the site will allow our advertisers to be present on the page when and where an exhibitor lands who is looking for information on new potential suppliers.

MCH Group acquires MC2

MCH Group, a globally leading live marketing company with its head office in Basel (Switzerland) has acquired a 100% holding in MC2 (“MC-squared”), a recognized leader in the exhibit and event marketing industry in the U.S.  This is by far the biggest acquisition in the 100-year history of MCH Group and a key strategic expansion. “The acquisition of MC2 marks a tremendous step forward in the implementation of our corporate strategy, which we have been pursuing since 2005″, explains René Kamm, CEO of MCH Group. “With MC2, we will be greatly boosting our international presence and activities, as well as expanding our range of services in the live marketing field.”

MC2 employs over 350 employees at 15 locations in the U.S. (Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Kingman, Las Vegas, Lehigh Valley, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, San Francisco and St. Louis) and in Germany (Düsseldorf) and records an annual turnover of about CHF 160 million. MCwill remain an autonomous company within MCH Group¹s Live Marketing Solutions division.  It will maintain its organizational structure under the leadership of CEO Gary Benson and his management team, as well as its operational locations in the U.S. and Germany

New Services, New Pricing Models from The Expo Group

<Irving, Texas> With a relentless focus on growth-focused strategic design, The Expo Group is pleased to announce the addition of strategic positioning services, experiential audience engagement activations and audio-visual production expertise along with a new pay-for-performance pricing model.

“Corporate brands and associations face new challenges in the competitive landscape, and we are positioning our company to help event professionals navigate solution-choice overload,” says The Expo Group President and Chief Operating Officer Randy Pekowski, “just as we did when our company was founded to implement a solution that simplified the exhibitor service ordering model.

The 2017 Economic Outlook 

<Exhibitor Magazine>.   According to the results of EXHIBITOR Magazine’s 2017 Economic Outlook Survey, which gauged the opinions, expectations, and experiences of more than 400 exhibit and event professionals, 2017 is likely to be at least marginally better than last year in terms of show schedules and budget allocations. Plus, with half of respondents considering new builds in the next 12 months – and 87 percent anticipating larger returns – it appears that 2017 is off to a decent start.

Near the end of last year, economic forecasters made optimistic, albeit tepid, predictions about 2017: With consumer spending up 3.8 percent and take-home pay up 3.6 percent over the past 12 months, Forbes.com’s Bill Connerly predicted a “mild cyclical rebound” in 2017 as consumers continue to up their spending in line with their incomes.    But apparently that optimism isn’t shared by everyone in the exhibit- and event-marketing industry. In fact, the more than 400 face-to-face marketing professionals who responded to EXHIBITOR Magazine’s 2017 Economic Outlook Survey reported a level of optimism that can only be described as cautious. Just four out of 10 exhibit and event professionals are optimistic about the effectiveness of trade shows in 2017, a number that is identical to 2016 results. Slightly more promising, however, is the fact that 79 percent describe their feelings about the economy as “optimistic” or “hopeful,” marking an increase of 9 percent compared to last year.Forty-eight percent of respondents are maintaining their 2016 trade show budgets, while 29 percent report they are receiving increases averaging 19.7 percent. Granted, 23 percent are experiencing budgetary reductions, but with three-fourths letting their face-to-face marketing investments ride or anteing up, the data bodes well for the year ahead.

Employee Discrimination & Harrassment 

<Employco HR Newsletter> In light of recent highly publicized allegations of employee harassment at Fox News and Uber, many companies are taking this opportunity to ensure they¹re properly positioned to prevent and respond to charges of discrimination. And, Fox News and Uber aren¹t alone. In 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) handled 91,503 discrimination cases with Race (35.3%), Disability (30.7%), and Sex (29.4%) making up the top three most commonly cited discriminatory practices.

As the U.S. workforce increasingly reflects a diverse population, companies must effectively manage diversity in order to attract and retain high-quality employees and create a more cooperative, creative, and productive work environment. Gaining a reputation as a fair and equitable place to work will raise a company¹s profile in the business community and the marketplace.

Tips to avoid employee discrimination and improve diversity:

  • Post the required notice: ³Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) is the Law²
  • Create and distribute a comprehensive policy on anti-discrimination
  • Provide diversity and harassment training to employees and managers
  • Don¹t retaliate if an employee reports discrimination
  • After receiving a complaint, conduct a thorough and immediate investigation
  • Keep records of harassment and check those records when new allegations surface to look for repeated behavior