Gary Sain Remembered as the ‘Can Do’ Leader of Visit Orlando Orlando, FL – Tributes poured into Orlando from throughout the exhibition industry after Gary Sain, the respected head of the city’s convention and visitors bureau, died unexpectedly of an apparent heart attack on May 4 at the age of 61. “He was a true visionary in the trade show industry and probably had the best marketing mind of anyone I have known,” said William Carteaux, president and CEO of SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association. “His ability to look at every problem and obstacle as an opportunity was tremendously refreshing.” [See sidebar for detailed information about funeral arrangements].
Ryan Strowger Joins IAAPA as VP of Exhibitions, Conferences and Sales Washington, DC – After a 12-year stint at the Consumer Electronic Association (CEA), Ryan Strowger will join the International Association for Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) as vice president, exhibitions, conferences and sales later this month. Most recently, Strowger served as director, business development, for CEA, producer of the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which ranked No. 1 on the TSE Gold 100 last year.
Two Major Changes in Los Angeles: Abbassi and Liberman Los Angeles, CA - Pouria Abbassi, CEO and general manager of the Los Angeles Convention Center, will be leaving his post at the end of May. No other details were available as TSE went to press. In recent news, Mark Liberman announced on May 1 that he will retire as CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board at the end of the year.
Revamped Miami Airport Convention Center Debuts Miami, FL – The Miami Airport Convention Center (MACC) completed a comprehensive overhaul this Spring, and the occasion was marked with a gala grand reopening on April 26 that showed off its potential as a trade show venue. The modernization of the MACC included new lighting, flooring and a redesigned lobby along with upgrades to the air-conditioning, restrooms and escalators. The facility also features a 29,000 square foot ballroom.
Salt Lake City, UT -- SMG named Daniel Hayes general manager of the Calvin L. RamptonSalt Palace Convention Center and the South Towne Exposition Center in SaltLake City. Hayes has been with SMG for 12 years. He was most recently facility director/assistant general manager of the Salt Lake City venues and replaced Allyson Jackson, who transferred to the Jekyll Island Convention Center in Georgia.
A Lesson on Social Media for the Skeptics Dubai - A standing-room-only crowd of 130 attended the WTM Vision Conference Dubai on May 1 to hear Mark Frary, co-founder of the World Travel Market’s Social Travel Market Conference, talk about using social medial to promote hotels in the region. When doubters in the audience noted that 61% of Facebook users state they don’t want hotel brands active in their social media, Frary replied, “I would be happy engaging with the 39% of those 845 million who want interaction with (hotel) brands.”
Orlando’s Gary Sain Passes Away After Apparent Heart Attack
Orlando, FL - The trade show industry is stunned and deeply saddened by the sudden death of Gary Sain, CEO of Visit Orlando, who collapsed and died Friday night of an apparent heart attack. He was 61.
Sain was stricken at a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, according to Visit Orlando Chairman Paul Tang. Sain had just returned from ASAE’s Springtime held Thursday, May 3 in Washington, DC, where he was his usual lively and energetic self.
Kathleen Canning Named GM of Nation's Second Largest Convention Center Orlando, FL – Kathleen Canning will take over as general manager of the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando this Summer. Canning, currently deputy general manager, will step into the job held by Jessie Allen, who is due to retire in July after 25 years as an Orange County employee. Canning joined the OCCC in 1985 and was named to her current post in 2002. The OCCC was expanded twice while Canning was in the leadership ranks and currently has 2.1 million square feet of prime exhibit space, according to the Trade Show Executive World’s Top Convention Centers rankings.
Increase in San Diego Hotel Room Tax Approved; Will Help Finance Planned Expansion to SDCC San Diego, CA – Hoteliers passed a new room tax that is expected to generate more than $30 million annually and will help finance a planned $520 million expansion of the San Diego Convention Center. The levy will add 3% to room charges at the major downtown hotels closest to the convention center and between 1% and 2% for hotels in the city that are farther away from the center and presumably less likely to see a significant increase in business from the center. The current citywide room tax is 12.5%.
Miami Beach Takes Another Step Closer to Convention Center Expansion Miami Beach - The city of Miami Beach took a major step toward its long-awaited convention center expansion this week when it accepted eight bids for the estimated $1 billion redevelopment project. The expansion would add roughly 213,000 square feet of exhibit space to the 55-year old convention center, plus 27,000 square feet of meeting space, an assortment of pre-function, food and beverage and back-of-house space, and a headquarters hotel.
NAHB, Chinese Manufacturers Association Sign Exhibition Agreement Washington, DC – The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) signed an agreement last week with a major Chinese trade association that will bring its members – who are product manufacturers for the residential construction industry -- to the annual NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) in January 2013 in Las Vegas. Last year, IBS featured 15 Chinese exhibiting companies among its 100 international exhibitors and 900 exhibitors overall. “We are hoping to increase this number for 2013," said Mark Pursell, NAHB senior vice president for exhibitions, marketing and sales. NAHB is also working with a Chinese company to sell exhibit space.
TSE Announces the Class of 2012 – the Elite Trade Shows that Will Be Celebrated This October as Gold 100 Honorees Oceanside, CA– CONEXPO-CON/AGG grabbed the top honors as the largest trade show in theTrade Show Executive Gold 100rankings of 2011 shows, announced Darlene Gudea, president of Trade Show Executive Media Group on April 17.Spanning 2.2 million net square feet (nsf)of exhibit space, CONEXPO/CON-AGG’s triennial orbit brought the mega show into position to eclipse the International ConsumerElectronics Show (CES) as the largest event of 2011. Just as noteworthy was CES, which once again weighed in as the largest annual show of the year.
Parking, Marshaling Space at Las Vegas Convention Center to Expand Las Vegas, NV – A vacant lot next to the Las Vegas Convention Center will be
turned into expanded parking and marshaling space for the center. The Las Vegas
Convention and Visitors Authority agreed to purchase the 1.4-acre property for
$7 million on April 11.
Hanley Wood Signs Registration Deal with CompuSystems Irving, TX – Hanley Wood Exhibitions signed a multi-year agreement with CompuSystems, Inc. for registration and lead-management services for its portfolio of shows. Terms of the agreement were not announced. The agreement adds nine trade shows to the roster of CompuSystems clients including two mega shows that were honored at TradeShow Executive’sGold 100 Awards last year: TheWorld ofConcrete atNo. 17 and Surfaces which came in at No. 59.
Ortale Named Executive VP at National Trade Productions Alexandria, VA - National Trade Productions this week named Andrew Ortale Executive
Vice President, a newly created position at the event management company.
Ortalewill oversee business development and work with event services teams on
client relationships. He also will represent NTP through participation in
industryassociations and events.
French Exhibition Organizer EUROVET Acquires 100% Stake in CURVExpo
New York, NY – After acquiring a 30% stake in CURVExpo in November 2008, EUROVET announced that it has acquired 100% of the trade shows held semi-annually in New York and Las Vegas. Launched in Las Vegas in February 2007 by co-founders Jean-Luc and Laurence Teinturier, CURVExpo serves retailers in the fashion and intimate apparel, men's underwear and swimwear industries. According the company, CURVExpo has grown more than 20% annually to four events in just five years.
Washington, DC - Hanley Wood LLC welcomed Peter Goldstone back to the fold, naming him CEO. He will come on board in early May when Frank Anton transitions to the role of company chairman. Goldstone will resume an 11-year career with Hanley Wood that was interrupted in 2010 when he left amid a restructuring and later become president of Atlantic Media’s Government Executive Media Group.
Snow Show’s David Ingemie Will Take the Stage at TSE’s Gold 100
Oceanside, CA – David Ingemie, the dynamic president of Snowsports Industries America (SIA), will take the stage as one of the trade show industry’s most elite leaders at the 2012 Trade Show Executive (TSE) Gold 100 Awards & Summit. Ingemie will make a rare appearance before an audience of trade show CEOs, group vice presidents and show organizers as the focus of Bob Dallmeyer’s Power Lunch session on October 4.
How Rod Alberts’s Power Steering Kept the North American International Auto Show on Track Detroit, MI - The auto industry has long been in a state of flux, but the North American International Auto Show has remained at the top of the hill. Executive Director Rod Alberts tells Trade Show Executive how he keeps the venerable show firing on all cylinders.
TSE Saluted for Advertising Gains Oceanside, CA – The resurgence of the trade show industry has translated to a double-digit gain in advertising for Trade Show Executive (TSE), which has not gone unnoticed by the publishing industry. min online reported this month that TSE had increased its ad pages 35.4% in 2011 and was among the leading page gainers for the year. The trend has carried through into 2012, TSE Publisher Darlene Gudea told min.
IAEE President Hacker Testifies on Visa Issues Before Senate Appropriations Sub-Committee on Homeland Security Washington, DC - Testifying Wednesday March 20 before the Senate Appropriations Sub-Committee on Homeland Security, IAEE President Steven Hacker noted that the United States has become the "Blackberry" of international travel, having lost 30% of its market share since 2000 while worldwide travel increased by 60 million visitors and competing nations reaped the benefits.
Medical Shows Backtrack in Second Half Oceanside, CA– Medical conferences lost some steam in the second half of 2011 with a sharp drop in attendance and a lesser sag in the amount of exhibit space sold, according toTrade Show Executive’s Second Semi-Annual Medical Show Reportpublishedin the March issue. The attendance at 21 shows surveyed for the research report were(9.6)% smaller than they were during the same six months of 2010. The amount of exhibit space sold slipped(1.4)% even though there was a 1.9% increase in the number of exhibitors.
The Ritz-Carlton DC Will Host 2012 Gold 100 Awards as Event Begins East/West Rotational Pattern Washington, DC – The Ritz-Carlton Washington, DC will be the venue for this year’s Trade Show Executive (TSE) Gold 100Summit & Awards as the annual salute to the exhibition industry’s leading trade shows comes to the East Coast for the first time. The biggest and best shows in the nation will be saluted at the 5-star Ritz-Carlton October 3-5, just a month before the presidential election. “The entire nation, and Washington in particular, will be buzzing about politics and the economy,” said Darlene Gudea, president of Trade Show Executive Media Group. “Being inside the Beltway at this historic time will be a great experience for all participants.”
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.
))
