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This Just In

Dialogue, Discussion and Debate Highlight TSE’s Gold 100 Summit; Upgraded Ocean-View Room for the First 150 Registrants

HIL ANDERSON, SENIOR EDITOR

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA – An intensive program tapping into some of the best minds in the business world, entertainment industry and exposition business will be the hallmark of Trade Show Executive’s 2nd Annual Gold 100 Awards & Summit. This year, the fast-paced series of panel discussions, live interviews and interactive sessions will give senior level executives some unique insights into the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as 2009 winds to an end.  The event will be held September 23-25 at the Terranea Resort & Conference Center in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

TSE is providing an upgrade of an ocean-view room for the first 150 attendees to register.

Trade Show Executive’s annual Gold 100 Awards & Summit is truly a “summit” for the trade show industry. It brings together the leaders of the nation’s top exhibitions for one-on-one discussions of the leading issues of the day in a setting that is equally inspiring.

The experience and expertise of the presenters, panelists and moderators guarantees that each session is “worth its weight in gold” and will give guests plenty to talk about during the social and networking portions of the program.

“Looking Forward to 2010” is a major theme of the September 24 summit program, which will be followed up in the evening with the main event, the presentation of the Gold Grand Awards at the black-tie Gold Awards ceremony and banquet.

The event gets underway on the afternoon of September 23 with the annual Gold Golf Outing on the links of the seaside Trump National Golf Club. The par-71 links were designed by Donald Trump himself and offer ocean views from every hole.

Gold delegates may opt for the afternoon Gold Harbor Cruise around nearby San Pedro Harbor. Spanned by the Vincent Thomas Bridge, San Pedro is home to the bustling twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the largest commercial harbor in the U.S.

Sunset brings the traditional opening night reception in the ballroom of the Terranea Resort & Conference Center, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean.

After breakfast al fresco the following morning, the summit portion of the week gets underway.

Keynote speaker Watts Wacker is a futurist with a specialty in business and marketing, and author of the business school standard The Visionary’s Handbook. His thoughts on “deviant marketing” promise to shake up your thinking as integrated media companies and show organizers seek to expand their brands.

The Trending & Spending panel brings the popular monthly feature in TSE to the live stage through a panel discussion moderated by TSE Vice President/Publisher & Editor Darlene Gudea. The state of the economy and the prospects for a recovery in 2010 will be analyzed and debated by TSE Chief Economist Frank Chow; Paul Woodward, incoming managing director of UFI – The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry; Aaron Bludworth, COO of the George Fern Company; Terence Donnelly, vice president, trade show markets for Experient; and Jim Rooney, executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority.

Building excitement about your brand will be the basis of Kam Diba’s presentation on the subject of experiential marketing. Kam, a dynamic 29-year-old executive on the fast track, is presently the creative director for NBC/Universal. He  has been on the front lines of developing customer loyalty and excitement over a particular brand. Events are an important component of experiential marketing, and the strategy can also be applied to events themselves as trade shows strive to be the “must-attend” highlights of the industries they serve.

The latest innovations in the trade show industry are covered in a session that examines the new capabilities they offer and how they can assist organizers and service contractors. Peter MacGillivray, director of the SEMA Show, joins the conference via a live video feed from China. The SEMA Show was last year’s winner of the Gold Grand Award for “Most Innovative Show.”

A live version of Power Lunch, the monthly TSE cover story, will be the highlight of the luncheon portion of the summit. TSE columnist Bob Dallmeyer will interview Peter Eelman, vice president of exhibitions for the International Manufacturing Technology Show, and will discuss the strategies used to keep the 80+ year-old show fresh.

The opportunities that Web 2.0 technology offers show organizers will be outlined in a session on enhancing events digitally. Robert Priest-Heck, president and CEO, WCP Exposition Services, will lead the discussion along with John Barber, digital director at Immersa Marketing.

The summit program wraps up with a panel discussing the full gamut of burning issues and controversies facing the industry. Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, will moderate the discussion, which promises to be frank, insightful and focused on the crux of the matter. The panel includes Kevin Johnstone, director of trade shows at NAMM, the International Music Products Association;  Tim Lesmeister, vice president of marketing, WD-40 Company; and Chris Meyer, vice president of convention sales for the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority.

More information on TSE’s 2nd Annual Gold 100 Awards & Summit can be found on the event website, which is accessed through www.TradeShowExecutive.com

Reach Darlene Gudea, TSE vice president/publisher & editor, at (760) 630-9111 or dgudea@tradeshowexecutive.com

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