Tradeshow Photographers Merge to Create Oscar/Einzig

Two of the industry's oldest and largest tradeshow photographers are joining forces.

The Chicago-based Oscar & Associates, founded in 1945, and New York-based Einzig Photographers, established by Stan Einzig in 1965, will now be known as Oscar/Einzig Photography.

The merger of the two competitors creates a company responsible for photographing hundreds of top tradeshows as well as industry events such as the Exhibitor Show, TS2 and the ECEF Forum. Company officials stress that the merger of equals will be transparent to customers.

The firms had been contemplating a union for several years. "It makes sense for a variety of reasons," said Oscar & Associates CEO Mark Bailey. "We both bring different things to the table. They are more technology-focused. We're more service-driven. It's really a unique combination."

While job titles are still being hammered out, roles have already been divided. The 15-employee Oscar & Associates, which has traditionally focused more on customer service and marketing, will oversee day-to-day operations. Bailey and partner Jon Ryan will be assigned to that task.

Stan Einzig, renowned for his photographic style, will remain in New York, managing events in that region. Einzig, whom Bailey called "a great photographer," will still train new photographers.

Son Dave Einzig, who previously handled company operations as vice president, will develop new technological and Web-based photographic solutions under the auspices of Einzig Interactive.

"That's a great element of this merger. It enables us to focus on different areas," said Dave Einzig, who said he hasn't been able to develop new products as much as he'd liked.

Einzig said there's much potential for integrating traditional photo and video content with Web and multimedia solutions. For example, sponsorship shots could be linked to online floor plans to provide a more persuasive sales tool for sponsors.

Company representatives plan to open a Las Vegas office and roll out new services.

"The industry obviously is consolidating. You put the two of them together and it's an unbeatable combination," Bailey said. "We are the most experienced companies. If you don't use Oscar, you use Einzig. If you don't use Einzig, you use Oscar."