Under the leadership of Dave Flory, director of national accounts and exhibit house sales, CORT Trade Show and Event Furnishings, the Exhibit Designers + Producers Association (EDPA) Chapter Development Committee announced the formation of three local U.S. chapters in the Northeast, Florida and Southern California.
Founded in 1954, the organization’s mission is to advance the interests of members engaged in the design, production and service of exhibits, events and experiential environments. According to the EDPA, success and integrity of the industry will be enhanced through advocacy, communication, education and good works.
In developing independently governed local chapters, the purpose is to provide additional regularly accessible platforms in support of the EDPA national mission. They greatly enhance the membership experience and provide a rich ground for a variety educational, networking and charitable opportunities to support the industry and local community.
“It depends on the chapter, but most chapters do some sort of fundraising,” Flory shared. “For instance, the Northern California [chapter] holds the Randy Smith Golf Classic each year, and the Chicago chapter will host networking and social events, four educational events, and one or two fundraisers a year.”
According to Flory, local chapters are formed by region to meet the needs of members.
“The regions are selected by demand but also by the proximity to the area. If people are too dispersed, it makes it difficult to attend meetings,” said Flory. “There also needs to be a large base of exhibit designers and builders located in the region. However, people will travel to attend meetings. The Mid Atlantic chapter, for example, is very geographically diverse as the meetings alternate between D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia.”
Chapters are currently operating in Northern California, Las Vegas, the Midwest area surrounding Chicago, the Upper Midwest area surrounding Minneapolis, the Great Lakes area surrounding Detroit, the Mid Atlantic area of surrounding the DC/Baltimore and Philadelphia markets, and the Southeast area surrounding Atlanta.
Underway are chapter formations in the Northeastern in New England, and the Florida and Southern California markets.
Collaboration between chapters ensures relevant industry information reaches every member of the organization.
“This is where my role and the role of CORT really come [sic] into play,” Flory stated. “I hold a conference call between chapter leaders every other month to share best practices, speakers [who] could travel and chapter structure. While the goal of these chapters is to meet a local need, my goal is to share best practices and networking across the organization.”
Those interested in helping to develop the chapter by joining a committee or in attending a local meeting may contact the respective representatives:
Northeast: Sarah Fantauzzi of RES Exhibits, sfantauzzi@res-exhibits.com
Florida: Steve LaManna of APG Displays, stevel@apgdisplays.com
Southern California: Boi Smit of Cees Smit Inc., boi@ceessmit.com
For further information about EDPA, contact Melissa Nemitz at mnemitz@edpa.com.
