Several convention and tradeshow companies have relocated to larger facilities and opened new offices during the summer months. These companies range from event marketing agencies to full-service design agencies.
The recent expansions are being fueled by a desire to grow into additional markets, as well as increased demand for face-to-face marketing products and services.
In August, Shepard Exposition Services, a general service contractor, opened an office in Houston, Texas. This office is the 10th national location for Shepard.
“We feel that Houston is the best entry point into South Texas, as it is one of the fastest growing event markets in the United States,” explained Richard Maples, vice president of sales for Shepard. “Houston, along with San Antonio and Austin, are more frequently becoming host cities for our customers’ events as well as in requests for proposals from prospective clients.”
Shepard is currently in the planning and implementation stages for the 2012 production schedule and the Houston office is expected to be fully operational in January 2012 with a full complement of services and equipment.
“We are very thankful to our customers as they are the primary reason we have continued to grow in a recessed economy,” said Carl Mitchell, president and owner of Shepard.
Also in August, Orbus Exhibit & Display Group, a supplier of exhibit and event solutions, expanded its US presence by opening a new full-service facility just outside of Las Vegas, Nev.
With the opening of the new facility, Orbus anticipates providing improved savings in time, transit and shipping costs to clients located in Western states. This facility will carry and fulfill hardware and graphics for the full line of Orbus products.
“We are thankful for the opportunity to expand into this region,” said Aaron Kozar, vice president of Orbus’ West Coast Operations. “The West is one of the largest markets for our current client base and my hope is that our experience will help us grow well beyond our existing presence in this key area.”
Orbus has been serving clients across the U.S. from its two Chicago-based facilities. The company signed a five-year lease for the 56,073 square-foot facility and created over 50 jobs in distribution, manufacturing and printing as a result.
Another U.S.-based company that is stretching its wings flew all the way across the pond for its recent expansion.
inVNT, a live events agency that supports brand messaging for some of the world’s largest companies and trade associations, recently announced that it has opened an office in London.
inVNT’s decided to open the new office to better support clients who have global marketing programs, such as Subway, Porsche and PepsiCo.
“inVNT creates and designs events throughout North America, Europe and Asia, so strengthening our global footprint is vital to serving current and prospective clients,” said Scott Cullather, founder and managing partner, inVNT. “Our new London office builds upon the rapid growth we’ve experienced.”
inVNT’s London office is already supporting major event production initiatives in Rome, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva and Shanghai. The establishment of the London office follows the opening of a new footprint in Detroit and the expansion of inVNT’s offices in New York, Washington, D.C., and Jacksonville, Fla.
The London office has been open since August.
Hill & Partners Inc., a full-service exhibit design firm, has outgrown its Quincy, Mass., location and relocated to a newer, larger office space in nearby Weymouth.
The company will occupy the second floor of their new building, expanding their office from its present 2,800 square-foot size to more than 6,500 square feet.
“We (were) literally at capacity where we are in Quincy,” said Michael McMahon, CEO of Hill & Partners. “We have enjoyed our time and love the environment and location, but are out of room to grow further.”
The new location, which was completed in August, was a necessary move since Hill & Partners plans to increase its employees from 18 to 25 over the next two years.
Following an April relocation to a bigger facility in Orlando, Fla., Beyond Exhibit Logistics also expanded operations into Southern California during the summer.
Jeff Brauer, Southern California city manager, is leading the crew that will provide installation and dismantle services in California.
“Southern California is a popular destination for tradeshows from San Diego to Anaheim and Palm Springs to Los Angeles,” said Brauer. “Beyond clients frequently have shows in Southern California and we wanted to provide our clients direct service with an established crew they can count on.”
In the Midwest, Edlen Electrical Exhibition Services, an independent electrical contractor, announced the opening of a new office in Chicago, Ill.
“Chicago is a very important addition to the Edlen family,” said Jim Wetterling, president of Edlen. “We are excited to be able to partner with events at McCormick Place and Navy Pier in order to further enhance the exceptional quality of the services provided at these exciting destinations.”
Edlen will provide electrical and plumbing services to events in the Chicago market.
The company that began this series of summer expansions is ClassicMODUL, a designer and manufacturer of aluminum extrusions and accessories.
They opened a southeast U.S. manufacturing and warehouse facility in Birmingham, Ala.
“We are excited by this opportunity to better meet the needs of our clients on East and West Coasts and anywhere in between,” said Kevin Carty, VP of sales. “Now with locations in the northwest, southeast, and the northeast, ClassicMODUL offers much greater shipping flexibility. We feel confident that we have chosen the right location, the right partner, and the right group of extrusions.”
The Birmingham facility will stock select aluminum extrusion profiles for exhibit houses, retail designers, and museum display builders. With the exception of CNC bending, the southeast facility can handle all manufacturing requests, including cutting, installing locks and assembly.
