Exhibit City News recalls stories that shaped our industry
Complied by Mark Hebert, Exhibit City News
We’re excited to bring back our “A Look Back at Tradeshow History” feature! If you’d like to submit your own industry milestones or historical highlights, please send them to Mark at Markh@exhibitcitynews.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Twenty years ago this month:
Freeman Installation specialists claimed their third consecutive gold medal in the EACA Show Floor Olympics, held in July during the TS2 annual conference and tradeshow in Chicago. This victory marks their continued dominance, with the Chicago team winning in 2002 and the Washington, D.C. team taking the title in 2003. The 2004 team, led by Tony Sirag and Mike Linz, secured the win against stiff competition from other top industry teams.
Nokia and AEG teamed up to bring a 7,000-seat Nokia Theater (now the Peacock Theatre) to downtown Los Angeles. The venue, part of the Sports and Entertainment District near the Los Angeles Convention Center, included a live music club and open-air plaza. The project transformed the area into a hub for live entertainment and cultural events. “Nokia Theater Los Angeles fulfilled a largely vacant and underserved live music and entertainment landscape here in Los Angeles,” said Jo Harlow, Nokia’s VP of marketing.
The EDPA New England Chapter (now the Northeast Chapter) and EACA held their second annual charity golf tournament on June 23 at Juniper Hills, with nearly double the attendance. Awards included lowest score, longest drive, and “Most Honest Team.”
Winners included:
- Lowest Score/Winning Team: Stephen Pinette, Pearl Studio 82; Rob Cohen, Display Supply & Lighting; Tom Rothfuss, Granite City Electric.
- Most Honest Team: Michael McMahon, David Connor, Ed Scott-Hansen, Joel Long.
- Longest Drive/Men: Dean Cerrati, Access TCA.
- Longest Drive/Women: Donna Hopkins, Moss.
- Closest to the Pin/Men: Dean Cerrati, Access TCA.
- Closest to the Pin/Women: Susan Ponte, Freeman.
Twenty-four years ago this month:
The Washington Convention Center exhibit hall was completely sold out for the Trade Show Exhibitors Association’s annual show, TS2. The event, known as The Trade Show about Trade Shows, TS2000, took place in late July and attracted 273 industry suppliers. Exhibitors showcased their offerings in the newly opened Washington Center, which provided 60,100 square feet of available space.
Exhibit Source, Inc. celebrated the grand opening of its $3-million, 80,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art headquarters in Homewood, IL. This full-service exhibit house specialized in designing and fabricating custom exhibits and offered custom rental exhibits for events and tradeshows.
Business Week magazine’s first annual Small Business Summit was disrupted when a Las Vegas landmark, the Desert Inn, closed its doors in August. Shortly after purchasing the Desert Inn, new owner Steve Wynn announced redevelopment plans, marking the end of an era. The summit, originally scheduled for September 14, had to relocate to the soon-to-be-opened Aladdin Resort & Casino. The Aladdin, a $1.4 billion mega-resort with 75,000 square feet of meeting space, opened in mid-August.
Twenty-Five years ago this month:
Creative Management Services and Lincoln Studios merged to form MC2, a distinctive provider of marketing environments and solutions for exhibits and tradeshow services, corporate meetings, and special events. The new company set up headquarters in St. Louis.
TS2 reported a six percent growth in attendance following the 1999 show at Navy Pier in Chicago, IL. More than 4,300 attendees filled the 56,450-square-foot floor, where 247 exhibitors displayed their products. The keynote speaker was Susan O’Malley, president of the NBA’s Washington Wizards.
The National Sporting Goods Association’s Total Sports show was purchased by Miller Freeman, Inc., which announced plans to move the show to Las Vegas the following year. The event would be rebranded as SGB’s SportsLab Expo and Conference.
Twenty-Six years ago this month:
The MGM Grand Hotel and Casino officially opened its newly constructed 380,000-square-foot convention and conference center.
Exhibit City News launched its website, offering news stories, industry events, and classified ads, which can still be found at www.exhibitcitynews.com.
MetroExhibitors Service, Inc. joined forces with The TERM Group, Inc. to form a new company, offering expanded services to the tradeshow industry.
