By now, all of you are aware of the change in ECN’s format. For the first time after covering the convention, tradeshow and meetings industries for over 18 years, we have gone to a different page size with glossy covers, all neatly stitched and trimmed. It’s much more portable and easy to read, which makes it convenient for today’s busy tradeshow professional’s lifestyle.
The very first issue of ECN was printed in June 1994. Much like a church bulletin, it was eight pages, printed on two 8.5-by-16-
inch sheets of paper and stapled in the middle. Exhibit City News was considered the voice of Chicagoland’s tradeshow workforce. Even though we have included all other aspects of the tradeshow and convention industry and extended our reach beyond Chicago, ECN is still dedicated to the tradeshow workforce (as seen in Part III of the special I&D section in this issue).
By 1996, the newspaper grew into a 32-page national publication bearing the tagline “Uniting the Nation’s Tradeshow Community.” Over the past 18 years, ECN has evolved into an indispensable resource for industry news and information. Full color was added in 1998 and now… Exhibit City News is making a push for more international readership. On April 12, we added our first, monthly International News Blast, and with this new format, we’re ready to keep updating this global industry with the news that matters most.
I would like to thank everyone for supporting Exhibit City News throughout the years and for sharing our passion for the convention, tradeshow and meetings industries.
