Dallas, TX – Hanley Wood Exhibitions sees its acquisition of the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo as a fine addition to its construction portfolio and a brand that can be built-out worldwide.
Hanley Wood acquired Greenbuild on May 23 as part of a new partnership agreement with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The new arrangement will have the council focusing on the educational content of the show while Hanley Wood and its seasoned management team handles operations, marketing and, ultimately, the expansion of the Greenbuild brand overseas.
“One of the primary initiatives for acquiring Greenbuild centers around taking the show abroad,” said Rick McConnell, president of Hanley Wood. “We will jump into an in-depth feasibility study with the USGBC team to help us pinpoint just the right spots to launch. And Hanley Wood and USGBC have already been in outreach mode to partner with key designated countries.”
“Our strategy in the U.S. will be focused on growing the Greenbuild Conference and Expo,” McConnell told Trade Show Executive. “At this time, there are no plans to launch other U.S. shows with the Greenbuild name, but we could broaden its educational reach by looking at conferences where they might make sense.”
Adding On
Greenbuild, reportedly the largest conference and trade show in the world dedicated to “green” building, will take its place alongside Hanley Wood’s well-known general construction shows, such as International Roofing Expo, CONSTRUCT and World of Concrete. Lindsay Roberts, group director for Hanley Wood, has been assigned to manage Greenbuild. Also, Kate Hurst of the USGBC was named show director and will report to Roberts.
With Hanley Wood now running the trade show, the USGBC can narrow its focus. “Through Hanley Wood’s commitment to Greenbuild, USGBC can now accelerate investment in our core mission,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president and CEO of USGBC. “One of the reasons we chose to partner with Hanley Wood is because of their commitment to maintain and build upon those essential qualities of Greenbuild that make it such a unique experience.”
Green is a Familiar Color
Many Hanley Wood building shows have had a strong presence of sustainable building products on the exhibit floor for several years. The database of prospective exhibitors and attendees Hanley Wood has built over the years will give the marketing for Greenbuild a shot in the arm.
“That was a big reason we made the deal,” McConnell said. “We have large, comprehensive databases from our customer lists that should assist us in growing the reach of Greenbuild,” McConnell said.
An influx of new exhibitors appears to be just what the doctor ordered for Greenbuild. The November 2012 show in San Francisco experienced a (4.0)% decline in exhibit space to 171,140 net square feet and a (5.9)% drop in the number of exhibiting companies. An encouraging note to the USGBC – and the Hanley Wood exhibitor pool – was a crowd of 24,660, which was 7.2% above the 2011 event in Toronto. The show also lived up to its green reputation and diverted 86% of its waste from landfills.
The 12th annual Greenbuild will take place in Philadelphia this coming November 20-22. The USGBC said prior to the announcement of the Hanley Wood partnership that the show was expected to include 171,000 nsf of exhibits and 30,000 attendees. One of the high-end attractions outside the exhibit hall includes keynote speaker Hillary Rodham Clinton.
“We are acquiring the show in mid-cycle, so while we anticipate nice growth from the 2013 20th anniversary of Greenbuild, the bigger impact will be felt in 2014,” McConnell said.
Reach Rick McConnell at (972) 536-6300 or rmcconnell@hanleywood.com
