Behind The Scenes:  Fastest 50 Preparations Heading Into the Home Stretch
Chicago, IL – The notables of the trade show industry started arriving in Tuesday in Chicago, where the Swissôtel was abuzz with setup of the Trade Show Executive (TSE) Fastest 50 Awards & Summit. Crews from Hargrove Inc. and PRG spent the day setting up the stage and audio-visual network that will bring to life the annual salute to the fastest-growing trade shows in the U.S.  Here's a sneak peak.....

Toronto-Based
 Private Equity Firm Onex Agrees to Buy Nielsen Expositions for $950 Million
Toronto, ON - Onex Corporation, the largest private equity firm in Canada, today announced that it has agreed to acquire Nielsen Holding’s trade show unit, Nielsen Expositions, for $950 million -- nearly ten times EBITDA (adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization). The deal is expected to close in June.  Nielsen produces more than 65 trade shows each year in sectors including general merchandise, sports, hospitality and retail design. The company generated revenues of $183 million last year and EBITDA of $97 million. 

TSE’s Fastest 50 is This Week
Chicago, IL – “The stage has been set for the 2013 Trade Show Executive Fastest 50 Awards & Summit in Chicago, and all that remains is to see which show organizers will take home the coveted trophies for the fastest-growing exhibitions in the U.S.,” said Diane Bjorklund, vice president of events for Trade Show Executive Media Group. The event will pack a year's worth of  inspiration and celebration into a 48-hour time frame, featuring Contagious author Jonah Berger as keynote speaker, as well as leading industry speakers who are known as the idea generators.  [Go to Fastest50/agenda.asp for a look at the complete agenda.]

Shows Adapt on the Fly Following Boston Marathon Bombings
Boston, MA – It was all over the news. Keeping the exhibition industry humming after two bombs exploded during Boston’s famed marathon hinged on prompt and thorough communications from trade show organizers and convention center officials. How did two healthcare meetings proceed amid the unfolding tragedy?

Nielsen Expositions Reports Lower Q1 Earnings Due to Show Timing
New York, NY – Earnings for Nielsen Expositions in the First Quarter of 2013 were down 7%  from the $61 million in the same period a year ago, but parent company Nielsen Holdings N.V. predicted a solid rebound in Q2. “You will see this flip around in Q2," said Nielsen CFO Brian West. "We expect to see the division grow in double digits in the Second Quarter.”

Tom Cindric Moves Up to Vice President at Hanley Wood
Dallas, TX – Tom Cindric was promoted to vice president of Hanley Wood Exhibitions with new responsibilities for the development of brand extension strategies. Cindric, who joined Hanley Wood in 2001, had been group director for World of Concrete and CONSTRUCT. He will continue to have P&L responsibility for these shows. World of Concrete has flourished under Cindric and is now one of the largest construction exhibitions in the U.S.   

TSE’s Fastest 50 is in One Week; Look Who’s Attending
Oceanside, CA – There is only one week left to register for Trade Show Executive's Fastest 50  Awards & Summit which will honor the fastest-growing shows and celebrate the people who built them into the most successful and talked about shows in the nation. Join us for three exciting days of inspiration and celebration! The Fastest 50 is known as a top-tier networking and idea-swapping event for trade show leaders who have guided record-breaking growth for their events, often 10 times the benchmark. A partial list of the CEOs and show directors participating is listed at the end of this article. 

ABM Members Approve Merger with SIIA
Amelia Island, FL – ABM members voted April 28 to approve a merger with the Software & Industry Information Association (SIIA) at the ABM Annual Conference 2013, running April 28-May 1 at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort. ABM, the 107-year-old association of business information companies including media firms which organize exhibitions, will now operate as a part of the Content Division of SIIA, which represents 700 member companies that develop software and digital information content. The two groups said they hope the merger will create a comprehensive business information and media industry association.

CMO Council Releases Event Engagement Study
Palo Alto, CA – Nearly 90% of marketers said that events still hold some level of importance and value for their organizations, according to study released by the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council, conducted in partnership with the Exhibit & Event Marketers Association (E2MA). The report, “Customer Attainment From Event Engagement,” surveyed more than 260 senior-level marketers during the Fourth Quarter of 2012 and the First Quarter of 2013. 

NRA Selected to Manage the Pennsylvania Gun and Outdoor Show
Harrisburg, PA – The National Rifle Association won the bid to  manage the Pennsylvania outdoor show formerly produced by Reed Exhibitions and owned by the Harrisburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Hersey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau.

Reed’s decision to ban semi-automatic rifles from the exhibits early this year created a firestorm of opposition, leading to the withdrawal of all but one of its marquee sponsors, all of the big gun manufacturers, numerous gun shop owners and several celebrities scheduled to entertain. On Facebook, pro-gun rights groups called for a boycott of the show. They felt Reed’s decision was counter to their Second Amendment right to bear arms. The controversy led to the postponement of the show.

New Programs and Top Speakers Highlight June ESCA Conference

Plano, TX – The Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA) has expanded the session offerings at the 2013 ESCA Annual Summer Educational Conference and lined up leaders from major general service contractors as speakers.

Five Named to CIC Hall of Leaders

Alexandria, VA – Peggy Daidakis, executive director of the Baltimore Convention Center, and Eduardo Chaillo, former head of the Mexico Tourism Board, were among the five honorees named to the Convention Industry Council (CIC) Hall of Leaders Class of 2013. They will be formally inducted at a black-tie gala on October 13 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. 

Feds Crack Down on Publishers of Notorious Fair Guide

Washington, DC – A U.S. federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order that could finally derail the European publishers of Fair Guide, an allegedly bogus directory that has targeted trade show exhibitors and has been a thorn in the side of exhibition organizers for several years. The order was granted in Chicago late last month and orders the publishers of Fair Guide, who are based in Slovakia and have been identified as Wolfgang Valvoda and Susanne Anhorn, to stop doing business in the U.S. It also requires banks, clearing houses, transaction processors and mail-forwarders to cut off all services to them.

Fastest 50 Keynote Speaker Jonah Berger Offers Insights on Making Your Trade Show Contagious

Oceanside, CA – Building a viral buzz among customers is a feather in the cap of any trade show marketer, and best-selling author Jonah Berger will help organizers increase the odds of such a “spontaneous” boost for their shows in his keynote address at the Trade Show Executive (TSE) Fastest 50 Awards & Summit in Chicago.  TSE is honored to bring Prof. Berger to Chicago through the “XPerience….powered by Freeman” sponsorship and is grateful to Freeman for their support of the keynote session.  

Berger has built a name in the business world as an expert on how companies can catch lightning in a bottle and turn their products into the talk of the town. He is an assistant marketing professor at the prestigious Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and he wrote a book on the topic called Contagious: Why Things Catch On, which reached No. 3 on the Wall Street Journal’s best-sellers list.