Hanley Wood Acquires The TFM Show; Will Co-Locate with CONSTRUCT2009
Washington, DC - Hanley Wood LLC completed the acquisition of The TFM Show from Group C Communications and will co-locate the event with its CONSTRUCT2009 show next year. “It is a logical fit and blends well with our CONSTRUCT event, its audience and extensive educational offerings,” said Galen Poss, president of Hanley Wood Exhibitions. Details of the purchase price were not revealed. Berkery Noyes represented Group C Communications.

International Mogul Bill Warnes Passes Away
Arlington, VA - Bill Warnes passed away yesterday, surrounded by family and friends, after a battle with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.   A former high-level official of the Department of Commerce, Warnes was president and founder of Marketing International Corp. with his wife Carolyn, based in Arlington, VA.  Warnes  started out organizing pavilions in Latin America and later expanded to Europe and Asia, specializing in the defense industry.  

Ziff Davis Media Could Emerge from Bankruptcy in June
New York, NY – Ziff Davis Media Inc. reached an agreement with its debt holders on a reorganization plan that should allow the company to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June. Ziff Davis Media CEO Jason Young said creditors agreed to the deal in part due to confidence in the company’s future. “We are poised to capitalize on the recent digital momentum that we are experiencing, as shown through the unique visitor growth in the First Quarter, which grew by more than 20% over the First Quarter of last year,” Young said. Ziff Davis Media, which is a separate company from Ziff Davis Enterprise, produces the DigitalLife and Electronic Gaming Summit events and publishes PCMagazine.

ZDM also announced that it had brought in electronics marketing executive Peter Weedfald as president, a position vacant since 2005. A former Ziff executive in the 1980's, Weedfald has also served as chief marketing officer (CMO) at Samsung Electronics and Circuit City.

Change in Management at TSEA
Chicago, IL – The Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA) named consultant Margit Weisgal as its new executive director, replacing Stephen Schuldenfrei, whom the association said was retiring after three years as its president. Arthur Veale, chairman of the TSEA board, said that hiring Weisgal was the first step in “a new strategic program to better serve members.” 

Twisters Bypass Virginia Convention Centers
Virginia Beach, VA – An unexpected series of tornadoes in southeastern Virginia touched down well away from the convention and tourism areas around Norfolk and Virginia Beach. An estimated seven twisters struck the Suffolk County region on Monday, destroying or damaging about 145 homes and causing 200 injuries, but no deaths. The storms occurred several miles inland and did not affect exhibition facilities closer to the coast.

Georgia World Congress Center Completes Tornado Repairs
Atlanta, GA – The tornado that slammed into the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) on March 14 was a fading memory a little more than a month after it swept through downtown Atlanta.

The convention center began hosting scheduled events within two weeks after the storm and had all three buildings open for business 42 days after the twister struck. “Looking at the damage on March 14, we had no idea how long it might take before we could open,” said Dan Graveline, executive director of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. “Here we are, just 42 short days later, fully operational. It is truly amazing.”

General Manager Mark Zimmerman said, "Thousands of people have worked to get the convention center and the city back to business.” A total of 1,100 union workers and another 750 laborers working in two 12-hour shifts per day put in 270,000 man hours over the course of 42 days.

Mobile Bay Adds Hotel Space in Push for Trade Show Business
Mobile, AL – Renovations were completed recently on the two major hotels serving the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center located on the historic Alabama city’s riverfront.

About $70 million was spent to overhaul the 375-room Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel, while the nearby Battle House has been restored to the glory that earned it the nickname “Mobile’s Living Room.” The two hotels, as well as other inventory currently under construction, will give downtown Mobile 1,317 rooms and will support Mobile’s current push to solidify its position as a destination for regional and national conventions and trade shows.

These are heady times in Mobile Bay. The city was buffeted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but has lately been enjoying a fresh breeze of good economic news.

Popolo Named CEO of Freeman; Don Freeman Remains Chairman
Dallas, TX – Joe Popolo becomes chief executive officer of Freeman this Summer following an executive reorganization that includes Carrie Freeman Parsons as the new vice chairman, John O’Connell  as president, and Jeff Price moving up to chief operating officer. Donald Freeman, who is not retiring, will remain as chairman of the company, it was announced today.

The move was part of a reorganization of the executive leadership at Freeman that goes into effect July 1 as the company continues to diversify. 

Trade Show Executive to Launch Award Gala & Summit to Honor the Top U.S. Trade Shows
Carlsbad, CA - A unique event debuting this Fall will salute the leading trade shows in the United States and offer the media a rare opportunity to learn more about our $85 billion industry.

Trade Show Executive’s Gold 100 Award Gala & Summit will salute the producers of the 100 largest trade shows in the nation as ranked by net square feet of exhibit space and will also present Grand Awards in ten categories ranging from  “The Show with the Highest Economic Impact” to “The Top Brand.” The event will be held Sept. 17-19 at the seaside Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Laguna Niguel, CA, one of the top hotels in the world.  The event is expected to draw 200 top executives and more than 30 journalists to the by-invitation-only gala and summit,  as well as 350 to the opening night reception. 

Television personality Bill Kurtis will be the master of ceremonies for the event.  Kurtis is a former CBS News correspondent and anchorman for the CBS Morning News and has been called the  “Walter Cronkite of our generation.”  Kurtis has since become a fixture on cable television as the host of the long-running true-crime series American Justice on A&E, and producer of Cold Case Files and Investigative Reports.

Champion Names McNally EVP; Brown and Koval as co-COOs
Middleboro, MA – Champion Exposition Services promoted Steve McNally to executive vice president and named John Koval and Ron Brown to fill McNally’s former position of chief operating officer.

Koval will be responsible for Champion’s operations in the eastern U.S. while Brown will handle the west, the company announced April 23. McNally will work personally with champion’s national customers and collaborate with CEO Mark Epstein on optimizing the company’s national infrastructure.

SMG Launches SITEPAS
Philadelphia, PA - A global company with a global brand should have a simple lead-sharing culture. That’s the philosophy behind SMG’s new SITEPAS program, launched April 15. SITEPAS, an acronym for “Send It To Every Peer At SMG,” encourages lead-sharing across SMG properties through a simple form and the company Intranet. The goal is to enable clients to book rotating events in multiple venues in one easy step.

ECEF Presents Hot Topic Next Month on Enforcing Intellectual Property Rights of Trade Show Exhibitors

Washington, DC – The hot-button issue of protecting exhibitors from the increased number of fake, copied and unlicensed products displayed at trade shows is a headline topic at the June 19 Exhibition & Convention Executives Forum (ECEF). Joachim Schafer, managing director/executive vice president, Messe Dusseldorf GmbH, will give a presentation on how German show managers are taking steps to prevent a repeat of the high-profile police raids on more than 50 booths at this Spring’s CeBIT show in Hannover. 

Trade Show Executive to Feature 8-Part Series on Attendance Growth Success Stories
Carlsbad, CA - Economic unease is spreading, driven by a falling dollar, rising fuel prices and skittish financial markets. The possible effect on the trade show industry includes the likelihood of softer attendance at some shows as the year progresses, according to forecasts by Trade Show Executive’s Exposition Forecasting Board in the April issue.

With that in mind, Trade Show Executive is launching an eight-part series that will spotlight the shows that bucked the trend and achieved dramatic attendance growth. Beginning with “NAMM Show Grows by Tweaks and Bounds” in the June issue, TSE News Editor Sandi Cain takes a look at how the International Music Products Association increased attendance by turning people down.

CEIR Index: Trade Shows Post Respectable Growth of 3.2% in 2007

St. Petersburg, FL – The average trade show grew 3.2% in 2007, according to the CEIR Index, released on April 7 by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research at the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) CEO Summit. Growth statistics were off from a high of 5.8% in 2005 but up significantly from 2002 when trade shows contracted 2.9%.  Trade show growth outperformed the economy, which grew only 2.2% during the same period, as measured by GDP (Gross Domestic Product). It was the fifth consecutive year of industry expansion, underscoring the health and vitality of the trade show industry, said Doug Ducate, CEIR president & CEO. 

Latest Research on Scientific Events Reveals 99% of Delegates Visit Exhibits

Arlington, VA – Scientists prefer conferences more than exhibits, although that has not kept them off the show floor.  A survey of 1,000 scientists, conducted by BioInformatics, LLC, a leading market research firm, found that only 1% do not visit the exhibit hall at scientific conferences.  Additionally, 76% of the scientists reported that visits to exhibit halls have influenced their purchase decisions in the past 12 months, said Tamara Zemlo,  Ph.D,  director of syndicated research and analysis for BioInformatics.

TSEA Membership Woes Force Layoffs

Chicago, IL – The Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA) laid off three of its five staff members last week, however, the association’s president said its activities would not be curtailed. Stephen Schuldenfrei, president of the TSEA, declined to comment on the exact reason for the downsizing. However, he said that cost-cutting, due to a lack of growth in the membership rolls, was a factor. He told Trade Show Executive, “We are going to operate with all of the services we have had. We are just going to have to do it more efficiently.”

John Mooney Receives Inaugural Krakoff Leadership Award at SISO’s CEO Summit
St. Petersburg, FL - The Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) awarded the Robert L. Krakoff SISO Leadership Award to John Mooney, partner in 3 Deep Media, LLC and past principal of M|C Communications. Mooney was honored for his vision, leadership and ethical standards, and for being instrumental in developing the exposition industry. An exclusive interview of John Mooney by Trade Show Executive columnist Bob Dallmeyer will run in the May issue of Trade Show Executive  as the cover story.

Pulvermedia Reorganizing &  Downsizing

Melville, NY – Pulvermedia, Inc. is undergoing a restructuring that included some layoffs; however, company officials denied rumors the company had been shut down or was about to be acquired. Jason Chudnofsky, CEO of the company’s Events Group, told Trade Show Executive that Pulvermedia was in a “silent period” during which there would be no public discussion of the details of the reorganization. He said, “Right now, it’s business as usual with some reorganizing taking place” and that the company remained “focused on our upcoming events.” Pulvermedia organizes the VON events that serve the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) industry. In a March 13 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission,  TICC Capital Corp.  cited a $10.6 million loss in its investment in Pulvermedia.

Chicago  CVB  to Offer  Broadcasts Live from Trade Shows at McCormick Place

Chicago, IL – The Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau (CCTB) today announced that it will offer show managers and their exhibitors the opportunity to participate in a new online video broadcast called “Live from the Floor of McCormick Place.” The broadcast will feature news-style segments on the exciting developments at the show including new products, demonstrations, industry experts, celebrities, and other happenings at the trade show. The program series will kick off with the 2008 International Home + Housewares Show  March 16.

TSE to Launch the Trade Show  Executive  I-Show™ with iCongo

Carlsbad, CA  and Montreal, Canada -  iCongo, the leading provider of online events, and Trade Show Executive magazine, the leading magazine for  trade show and event executives,  have announced an alliance to produce the trade show industry’s first interactive directory of resources and industry vendors,  the Trade Show Executive I-Show™  in September 2008.

“More than a directory but not a face-to-face event, TSE’s I-Show™ is a new business platform that enables show executives to access rich information about venues and service firms in a way that has never been available to trade show executives before,” said Darlene Gudea, VP/publisher & editor of Trade Show Executive. “We are very excited to work with iCongo who offers one of the best software platforms to make this event a success.”  Ranging from a personalized video greeting by a CVB president or a virtual tour of a convention center, Gudea said the content within each exhibitor’s booth is limited only by their imagination.

By using the new generation of tools of iCongo’s platform, TSE’s I-Show® will resemble the look and feel of a trade show. “Exhibitors” will be arranged by category into one of six halls.