Bob Priest-Heck Named Chief Sales Officer of Freeman
Dallas, TX – After joining Freeman last June with its acquisition of Wheelhouse Solutions, Bob Priest-Heck will move from his current position of executive vice president to chief sales officer (CSO). He replaces former CSO Bob Moore, who will retire in June 2012.  Prior to joining Freeman, Priest-Heck served as CEO of Wheelhouse Solutions, the parent company to Champion Exposition Services, the George Fern Company andImmersa Marketing, all of which were acquired by Freeman. 

SMG Announces Allyson Jackson Will Move from Salt Lake City to Jekyll Island
Salt Lake City, UT - After overseeing the management and operation of Salt Lake City's Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center and South Towne Exposition Center for the last 13 years, Allyson Jackson, regional general manager for SMG, is moving to Georgia's Jekyll Island Convention Center, also managed by SMG. During her tenure in Salt Lake, Jackson launched the sales and marketing efforts for the South Towne Exposition Center, completed in 2000,  and was project liaison for thesecond expansion of the Salt Palace, completed in 2006. 

Obama Unveils Strategy to Boost Travel to and Within the U.S.
Orlando, FL -- President Barack Obama today unveiled a plan to ease the way for international visitors to obtain visas and travel to the U.S. as part of a comprehensive effort to spur job creation. Speaking at Walt Disney World in Orlando, the heart of Florida’s tourism industry, the President released an Executive Order boosting visa processing capacity in  Brazil, China and India by 40% which would reduce the wait time to obtain visas to approximately three weeks for the majority of visa applicants. Theinitiatives also included a final rule to expand and make the Global Entry program permanent. He also nominated Taiwan to the Visa Waiver Program.  

World Tea Media Acquired by F+W
Cincinnati--F+W Media of Blue Ash, OH on January 10 announced the acquisition of World Tea Media, producer of the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas. With the deal, F+W gains a presence in the food and cooking market, while World Tea Media expects to strengthen its position in the sector through F+W’s portfolio of events, education and competitions as well as ecommerce, magazines and video.

No Changes Expected  after NTSB Hearing on Air Show Safety
Washington, DC — At the public hearing of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on January 10, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official said it's unlikely there will be significant changes to air show and air race safety rules despite an accident at the National Championship Air Race and Air Show in Reno, NV, last September that killed 11 people and injured 70 others. "If we become aware of a risk that exceeds the boundary of what we think is acceptable, we will make those changes. But not currently," said John McGraw, the FAA's deputy director of flight standards service.

New York Gov Proposes Huge Convention Center to Replace Javits
New York, NY – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pitched a plan in his State of the State address on January 4 to build a major convention center on the grounds of the Aqueduct Race Track in Queens. The center would be located near the city’s two major airports. Recognizing that New York is losing tax revenue, tourism dollars and jobs to neighboring states, Governor Cuomo also announced that he will support a constitutional amendment to allow gaming in New York state. An estimated $1 billion in economic activity annually could be generated from the plan, he said.  

Microsoft Announces 2012 CES Will Be Its Last
Redmond, WA –Microsoft announced yesterday that 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will be its last to feature a keynote presentation and booth. "We won’t have a keynote or booth after this year because our product news milestones generally don’t align with the show’s January timing," wrote Frank Shaw, corporate vice president, corporate communications, in The Official Microsoft Blog. 

Super Bowl 2014 May Displace Trade Shows at Javits
New York, NY - In October, the NFL set the date for the first outdoor Super Bowl in a cold-weather city for Feb. 2, 2014 at the MetLife Stadium at the New Jersey Meadowlands. Since then, New York and New Jersey have been working behind the scenes to figure out where to house all of the Super Bowl-related events, including the NFL Experience, volunteer headquarters, and the media center. Sources involved in the discussions told Trade Show Executive that shows at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center during late January and early February 2014 may be displaced to make room for these events.

CEIR Research Reveals that Exhibitions Will Remain Strong Into Next Decade
Dallas, TX - A study of exhibition trends released by CEIR at Expo! Expo! in Las Vegas revealed that exhibitions remain a valuable sales and marketing tool in a changing marketplace. The study, The Changing Environment of Exhibitions, also indicated that companies are more selective about the shows they choose based on the quality of a show’s attendees, favorable ROI and positive past performance at the show.

IAEE Unveils Industry PR Campaign at  Expo! Expo!
Las Vegas, NV - The International Association for Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) kicked off its Annual Meeting & Expo! Expo! with an announcement that some industry professionals have waited for years to hear. IAEE is launching a public relations campaign to build awareness for face-to-face events. “IAEE has worked to promote the primacy of face-to-face events, and I am very excited to report that this long-needed and long-requested vision will become a reality starting at this meeting,” said Vinnie Polito, 2011 chair of IAEE, and managing director of VP International.  
Gary Sain, president and CEO of  Visit Orlando and IAEE board member, helped to raise $1 million in funding over three years for the campaign in less than six months. “We need to be enthusiastic story tellers for this industry we love,” said Sain, who was presented the 2011 IAEE Chairman’s Award for his efforts.

Messe Frankfurt Enjoying a Momentous 4th Quarter
Frankfurt, Germany – Messe Frankfurt wrapped up a busy November that included the acquisition of a Russian trade show, the acquisition of a satellite venue, and a deal that will make Frankfurt the home to a portfolio of UBM Live events for the next 10 years.

Canadian Organizers Seek to Overcome Strong Loonie
Toronto, Canada – The Canadian dollar was picking up steam against its U.S. counterpart at the end of 2011, which wasn’t particularly good news for the dominion’s trade show industry. Global changes have made Canada’s discounted dollar a distant memory and pulled the loonie – so named for the $1 coin with an image of a loon on it -- to nearly dead-even with the U.S. dollar. The result has been the end of the favorable exchange rate Americans enjoyed when exhibiting at, or attending, a trade show north of the border.wasn’t particularly good news for the dominion’s trade show industry.

Diversified Business Communications Acquires CME Provider Pri-Med
Portland, ME – Diversified Business Communications is expanding its presence in the medical education arena into the U.S. with the acquisition of Pri-Med from MC Holdings Corporation. The acquisition adds 50 medical education conferences and various digital properties to Diversified’s current portfolio of 20 conferences held in Canada.

Javits President and CEO Resigns
New York, NY -- After serving as president and CEO of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York since January 1997, Gerald McQueen has announced his resignation.  McQueen has agreed to continue in his position until a successor has been selected and set in place.  Prior to joining Javits, McQueen was a specialist in organized crime, and was hired as inspector general in 1995 to fight against corrupt union practices at the center. “Jerry has played a critical role in getting organized crime out of the center, and under Jerry’s leadership, the center has, for many years, been one of the few convention centers in the country that covers its expenses,” said Carl H. Loewenson Jr., Javits Board Chairman.

Crain’s Chicago Business Examines McPier Political Feud
Chicago, IL – Allegations that political spite played a role in the woes of McCormick Place in recent years were outlined in a lengthy newspaper investigation of the relationship between leaders of the Illinois legislature and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA). Crain’s Chicago Business contends that Speaker of the Illinois House, Mike Madigan, used his clout to block three efforts by MPEA to refinance its debt between 2005 and 2010.

The Stars Came Out for TSE’s Gold 100 Awards & Summit
Half Moon Bay, CA – With a collective footprint of 39 million net sf of exhibit space, 15,000 exhibiting companies and 3.3 million attendees, the 100 trade shows that made up the fourth annual Trade Show Executive Gold 100 reflect some of the most important engines of the world economy. The organizers of those Gold Standard events were honored by Trade Show Executive and 37 sponsors in a three-day extravaganza September 21-23 at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay near San Francisco.