Both Sides of the Floor
Angelo Gangone's Path From Exhibitor to Show Manager
By Vanessa VanderZanden -- Tradeshow Week, 3/15/2004
There is no law that says there must be a separation of church and state when it comes to tradeshow managers and exhibitors. In fact, many would argue that a close relationship between the two sides helps to streamline the shared goals of both contributors to the show. One such proponent of this togetherness would be Angelo Gangone, fair director of the Assn. of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers' AWFSFair.
A rare individual in the tradeshow business, Gangone actually moved from running one of the largest exhibits at the exposition to managing the event itself. His unique journey to the top may reflect the growing desire on the part of show managers to better understand the exhibitors they seek to benefit.
Starting in 1982, Gangone attended AWFSFair regularly in a number of marketing and sales positions for the second largest exhibitor at the show, SCM Group USA, which took up roughly 15,000 square feet of what is projected in 2005 to be a 400,000 net square foot show. He went to work for SCM Group USA in 1992 with the charge to create a marketing department.
After handling so many different marketing aspects for SCM, Gangone explained, he wanted a new challenge. So, with absolutely no tradeshow management experience, he took over as fair director in mid-July 2003, a mere two weeks before last year's show.
"This was my huge advantage. I knew the industry extremely well, knew the big guys as friends and colleagues and knew what they were looking for," Gangone said. "I did have to learn the tradeshow side, but the huge advantage was knowing the business and talking one on one with them in their language."
His segue from exhibitor to show organizer had begun with volunteer work on the tradeshow's advisory committee and, later, its board of directors. In talking with AWFS Executive Director Dale Silverman, Gangone discovered that the association was already looking for a replacement for the existing fair director.
He admits that the decision to hire him was a gutsy one on the part of the association. Still, "by coming from the industry, when we have a conversation I can relate to the industry and feel it gives me more credibility," Gangone said.
As for SCM, "I treat them like any other exhibitor," Gangone said. "They have to follow the rules like everybody else, but it can be a little bit sensitive. I know them from top to bottom. It can be a bit of a balancing act."
