CEA to Establish Electronics Market Center in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV – The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) will strengthen its ties with its home away from home in Las Vegas by establishing an international marketplace in the city to host overseas visitors. The CEA has obtained the rights to the “World Trade Center, Las Vegas” trademark from the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA), and formed a corporation that will develop plans for the facility and look at potential locations.

Conference Board Survey: Executives Planning for Recovery
New York, NY – The consensus among CEOs is that the economy is entering a recovery that will require a degree of repositioning rather than a return to business as usual, a new survey from The Conference Board said. The CEO Challenge 2010 Survey concluded that companies were no longer trying to weather the recession and were looking to the future and a resumption of growth.

President Signs Travel Promotion Act
Washington, DC – President Obama signed the Travel Promotion Act into law March 4. He also signed a measure creating the public-private agency that will implement the plan to boost international business and leisure travel to the U.S.  The act is seen by the travel industry and trade show organizers as an important step in increasing the flow of overseas exhibitors and attendees to U.S. exhibitions.

COMDEX to Live Again as a Virtual Show
Framingham, MA – The legendary COMDEX will make a comeback this Fall as a virtual trade show produced by Everything Channel, a United Business Media (UBM) company. The November 16-17 show will cater to the technology sales sector and will take place in a digital version of Las Vegas, the city where the physical COMDEX was a marquee event from 1979 until it folded in 2003.

Fate of Two Major Trade Shows on Chile Calendar Unknown
Santiago, Chile – The status of Santiago’s main convention center was unknown Monday as rescue work continued in the wake of the deadly magnitude 8.8 earthquake that slammed the Chilean capital over the weekend. Executives at Kallman Worldwide, Inc., told Trade Show Executive their staff in Santiago made it through the terrifying shaking unscathed. They had not, however, been able to make contact with either the management of Espacio Riesco, Santiago Convention & Exhibition Center Chile, or the Chilean Air Force.

Travel Promotion Act Passes; Program’s Launch is Next Step
Washington, DC – Passage of the U.S. Travel Promotion Act and its anticipated signing by President Obama was saluted by business travel leaders as a time to both celebrate and encourage Washington to move forward with implementing the measure. The bill will both promote travel to the U.S. and make it easier for international visitors, including trade show attendees, speakers and exhibitors, to get through the sometimes frustrating visa application process. The next step will be forming the organization that will actually formulate the programs.

Attendance Bounces Back in January
Oceanside, CA – Trade shows held in January showed signs of good growth in attendance but lagged in net square feet and exhibitor counts, according to the Trade Show Executive Dashboard of Monthly Trade Show Metrics, which will be released online on March 1. Based on the 18 major shows held in January and surveyed by TSE, attendance grew 4.2% to a total of 571,236 participants. However, the benchmark for exhibit space slid (14.9)% to 6,738,625 nsf and exhibitors fell (5.3)% to 17,609. Much of the attendance growth was driven by the high performance of four shows, all of which grew more than 10%. “The events in TSE’s January Dashboard include a heavy dose of shows in the consumer goods sector, and buyers are clearly optimistic about future retail sales,” said Darlene Gudea, president of Trade Show Executive Media Group. “At the same time, there are continuing questions about whether attendance growth is sustainable. Joblessness is still a major obstacle to a full recovery in both the economy and exposition industry,” she said.

Mayor Raises Possibility of Some Privatization of McCormick Place
Chicago, IL – Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said at an appearance before a Chicago business association February 22 that getting the city out of the management of McCormick Place might be a way to reduce costs for trade show organizers. A spokesperson for Daley said privatization was only a concept as the city and the Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority (MPEA) seek to reduce labor costs. Daley ruled out selling the landmark convention center.

WCP Exposition Services Company Renamed Wheelhouse Solutions
San Francisco, CA – The name of the parent company of Champion Exposition Services, George Fern and Immersa Marketing has been changed to Wheelhouse Solutions. President and CEO Robert Priest-Heck said the new name better reflects the services the company offers beyond basic exhibitions. In baseball, a pitch thrown to the batter’s “wheelhouse” often results in a home run.

Adam Gross Named Chief Marketing Officer of JEGI
New York, NY – Adam Gross moved up to chief marketing officer of The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. (JEGI). In the newly created position, Gross will lead the New York investment banking firm’s marketing initiatives as well as the enhancement of its business development and lead-generation. JEGI has been a frequent participant in mergers and acquisitions involving trade show organizers and B-to-B media companies.

Dallas Convention Center’s Frank Poe to Head Up GWCC
Atlanta, GA - Frank Poe, director of the Dallas Convention Center, has been named executive director of the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) in Atlanta effective April 1. The 38-year convention center veteran will replace Dan Graveline, who retired at the end of 2009. He will be in charge of the complex that includes Centennial Olympic Park and the Georgia Dome as well as the GWCC. Mark Zimmerman remains general manager of the GWCC.

Penton CEO Sharon Rowlands is TSE’s April Cover Story
Oceanside, CA - Sharon Rowlands, CEO of Penton Media, will be the cover story for the April issue of Trade Show Executive. TSE Columnist Bob Dallmeyer will interview Rowlands for TSE’s Power Lunch column. Earlier this month, Rowlands announced that an agreement had been reached with lenders to reduce the company's debt. When finalized, the restructuring will eliminate $270 million in debt and strengthen Penton’s balance sheet. In addition, some of Penton's existing shareholders have agreed to make a significant new investment in the company, which will provide additional working capital to fund operations. Dallmeyer will speak with Rowlands about this new infusion of capital and her strategies for reshaping the media firm, which is one of the nation’s largest independent show organizers. Natural Products Expo East and West are two of Penton’s Gold 100 shows.

President Obama to Meet with LVCVA in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV – President Obama will speak to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) on Friday in an appearance that could result in a boost to the business-travel and exhibition industry. The appearance at a joint session of the LVCVA and Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce is expected to bury the hatchet between Obama and the travel industry over remarks the president made that contributed to a chill in corporate meetings and other events. A public presidential push for passage of the U.S. Travel Promotion Act is also considered likely.

Reed’s Chet Burchett to Headline TSE’s Upcoming Gold 100 Event
Oceanside, CA – As the East coast digs out of the snow, the trade show industry is also beginning to see a thaw in the icy business climate. What the recovery will look like and how to capitalize on new opportunities is the theme of Trade Show Executive’s third annual Gold 100 Awards & Summit. The by-invitation only event will be held September 22-24 at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel on the scenic Southern California coast. The three-day event will offer even more of the debate, dialogue and high-level networking that is a hallmark of the event. TSE columnist Bob Dallmeyer will bring his monthly Power Lunch column to the stage as he conducts a live interview of Chet Burchett, president of Reed Exhibitions Americas.

San Jose Modifies Labor Agreement
San Jose, CA – The labor exclusive implemented at San Jose McEnery Convention Center on August 1, 2009 has been officially modified to allow service contractors to deal directly with labor, Team San Jose announced February 18. A statement issued by the organization was vague but said, “Team San Jose's announcement modifies operations at the convention center around providing labor services, addressing immediate concerns of decorators as long-term discussions continue. The interim operations plan permits decorators to work directly with local labor at the convention center.”

Governor Signs Bill to Replace Chicago MPEA Board
Chicago, IL – Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill that will replace the 13-member board of Chicago’s Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority (MPEA) with a seven-member board. The measure was signed February 17 and will result in a new board being seated within 30 days. Current board members are eligible for the new panel.

Top Industry Veterans to Speak at SISO CEO Summit; Early Registration Deadline is March 1
Austin, TX – The Society of Independent Show Organizers’ (SISO) CEO Summit April 11-14 in Austin, TX marks the 20^th anniversary of the formation of SISO. The event, to be held at the Barton Creek Resort and Spa, will be brimming with a packed schedule of sessions and networking opportunities for trade show industry CEOs.

DC Blizzard Spawns ‘Snowcial Media’ Conference
Washington, DC – At the height of Washington’s February blizzard, a remarkable example of the potential of social media and the tech-savvy trade show industry occurred:  A group of snowbound attendees put together an impromptu conference to replace ASAE‘s 2010 Technology Conference & Expo event that had been cancelled.

GES Changes Name; Keeps Acronym
Las Vegas, NV – GES Exposition Services changed its name to Global Experience Specialists, Inc.  The company also added its sister companies Becker Group and Exhibitgroup/Giltspur (EG) to its brand as part of a reorganization launched last Summer by parent company Viad Corp.

PRG Acquires Davis Audio Visual
Denver, CO – Production Resource Group, LLC (PRG) has acquired Davis Audio Visual, a comprehensive provider of trade show AV services based in Denver.  Tim Dyer, president of Davis, was named general manager of the PRG rental facility in Denver.

Nominations Open for TSE’s 8^th Annual Innovation Awards
Oceanside, CA –Trade Show Executive is now accepting nominations for its 2010 Innovation Awards, which honor the best and most promising products, services and technology solutions for the exhibition industry. Award winners will receive a commemorative plaque; the Innovation logo for use in ads, exhibits, collateral and websites; plus a cache of publicity that includes a write-up in TSE. In addition, some of the winners will be invited to make a presentation on their products at the annual Trade Show Executive Gold 100 Awards & Summit September 22-24 at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel, CA.

Penton Pre-Packaged Bankruptcy Targets $270 Million Debt
New York, NY – Penton Media said the pre-packaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition it announced February 9 would slash $270 million from the company’s debt load. Penton CEO Sharon Rowlands said the restructuring had the backing of Penton’s lenders and would enable the b-to-b media company to conduct business as usual, with no changes to the management roster or interruption of employee pay.

Attendance Outperforms Other Metrics
Oceanside, CA – With 7.2 million jobs lost since the recession began in December 2007 and thousands of companies out of business, the universe of buyers to attend trade shows has shrunk measurably along with the number of companies to contract exhibit space. The latest edition of Trade Show Executive’s Dashboard of Monthly Trade Show Metrics bears this out. For the average trade show in December, the benchmark growth in net square feet (nsf) was actually a decline of (18.8)%; for exhibitors, it was a decline of (11.2)%. Attendance was off (8.2)%, but it was the lowest decline of the three metrics submitted to Trade Show Executive by show organizers.

Palm Springs Steps Up Marketing Efforts as Local Hotels Renovate
Palm Springs, CA – As a result of several hotel renovations in Palm Springs, the Palm Springs Convention Center is refining the way it markets to show managers and event planners. The center’s marketing efforts include taking part in a new campaign, “Better, Bolder, Beautiful,” with local hotels and the Palm Springs Desert Resorts Convention & Visitors Authority. The program is designed to highlight improved convention center and hotel offerings in Palm Springs.

David Causton to Remain McCormick Place GM for Now
Chicago, IL – David Causton says he will remain as general manager of McCormick Place for the time being rather than take early retirement now from the Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority (MPEA). The MPEA has offered early retirement to 20 top executives as part of a sharp reduction in its ranks.

TSE Announces ‘Hot Dates & Hot Rates’ Specials for Show Managers
Oceanside, CA – Trade Show Executive (TSE) launched a new feature on its website where show managers can find special rates and other incentive packages available from venues, CVBs and other service providers. The new service debuted today at www.tradeshowexecutive.com/hotdates.asp with special offers from two SMG-managed convention centers.

Diane Bjorklund Promoted to VP of Events
Oceanside, CA - Diane Bjorklund, director of events for Trade Show Executive since December  2007, has been promoted to vice president of events, announced Darlene Gudea, president of Trade Show Executive Media Group. “Diane and her team launched Trade Show Executive’s Gold 100 Awards & Summit in September 2008 and it has quickly become an exclusive gathering of the leading minds in the exposition industry,” said Gudea. In 2010 and 2011, Bjorklund will lead TSE’s strategic plan to expand both domestically and internationally.

Trade Show Executive Strikes News-Sharing Partnership with Mash Media, Publisher of Exhibition World
Oceanside, CA – Trade Show Executive (TSE) is adding some European flavor to its coverage of the global exhibition industry by announcing a strategic partnership with U.K.-based Mash Media, publisher of Exhibition World. The partnership was finalized at the October UFI Congress in Zagreb and will ensure that readers of both sector-leading publications get the best coverage of the latest developments on both sides of the pond.

Sun & Stars Shine at Trade Show Executive’s Gold 100 Awards & Summit
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA – A spectacular sunny Southern California day was the backdrop for this year’s Trade Show Executive Gold 100 Awards & Summit, where a top-notch roster of speakers shined some light of their own on the latest forecasts for the industry. They also addressed burning issues such as social networking, branding, innovation, exclusives, discounting and experiential marketing. That evening, at the Gold Gala awards ceremony, top shows such as CONEXPO-CON/AGG,  the International CES, RSNA, Surfaces and others took home Gold Grand Awards in categories such as “Highest Economic Impact” and “At the Forefront of Technology." Here's a 12-page recap with photos from the sessions and red carpet....