HCEA Adopts New Joint Venture Guidelines
By Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 2/23/2004
The Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Assn. has advice for show managers on how best to accommodate joint ventures and other co-marketing arrangements at exhibitions in its revised "Guide-lines for U.S. Healthcare Conventions."
As pharmaceutical companies begin teaming up with one another to co-produce and market individual drugs, they are beginning to increasingly ask for shared exhibit space. Many show managers of these health care shows are having difficulty deciding the fairest way to determine how prime the exhibit space they sell them should be.
Typically, show managers reserve the best space for their most senior exhibitors, but are now wondering what to do when older, loyal exhibitors team up with younger firms to market products. These guidelines are designed to help them.
"We thought it needed to be dealt with because more and more joint ventures are becoming prevalent," said Jennifer Palcher, communications manager for the HCEA. Industry members have begun to talk about the need for guidelines in order to handle the new situation, though she admitted, "I've never heard they're a problem." The association routinely updates its guidelines, which are available on its Web site, www.hcea.org.
