For many of us, summer vacations are over, and children are back in school. All of us connected to the tradeshow industry will head into the onslaught of the autumn show and event calendar, with each of us doing our part that supports the saying – “The show must go on!”
However you are connected to the industry – manage an association, sell booth space and sponsorships, manage facilities, design and/or fabricate exhibits and displays, involved in the intricacies of transport or perhaps you are one of the many thousands of support staff attending to the thousands of small deadlines that make a show or event possible – the entire staff here at ECN salutes you!
Our September print edition is packed with great content, including highlights from my recent trip to the International Federation of Exhibition and Event Services (IFES) 2013 World Summit and the International Association of Congress Centres’ (AIPC) Annual Conference and 55th General Assembly in Cape Town, South Africa.
Our feature stories share how international exhibiting is becoming the norm in South Africa and other countries, such as China and Singapore, as improved MICE infrastructures and award-winning, technologically advanced facilities create attractive venues for exhibitors and attendees alike. As a convenient international hub, organizing meetings and tradeshows in Latin American countries are on the rise with increases in tourism and international flights. Sustainable initiatives in meetings destinations like Richmond, British Columbia, cater to an entire lifestyle that benefits exhibitors and attendees as well as the environment.
Nationally, significant changes in legislative reform and electrical services to Chicago’s McCormick Place and Navy Pier may be a game-changer in the tradeshow industry. Across the country in the southern Nevada desert, constructing manmade lakes and cultivating wetlands are ways to preserve the environment while creating sustainable building designs that are both green and efficient at Lake Las Vegas Resort.
Meanwhile, women in the industry are taking over the world. Experienced and knowledgeable IMEX executives help lead the world’s largest hosted buyer program in the meetings, incentive travel and events industry. Having planned and organized tradeshows worldwide, these fearless females know what it takes to put on a show on a global scale. While woman-owned businesses are nothing new, an innovative venture that can change the landscape of one aspect of the tradeshow industry is the work of yet another formidable woman in the industry. Traditional booth staffing and modeling agencies may be a thing of the past with the launch of an alternative business model to help both exhibitors and models.
The 19th Annual Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic is just around the corner – support one of the great charities of our industry!
This year’s event takes place on Monday, Oct. 14 at the Chateau Elan in Braselton, Ga., just outside Atlanta. If you cannot join the hundreds who golf, volunteer and/or attend the banquet, then you can at least sponsor the event or contribute directly to the fund. Please visit www.rsmgc.org to learn more about the charity and the hundreds of recipients who have benefited over the years. I cannot overemphasize the importance the organization has made to the lives of people in our industry from across the nation.
