TS2 Management Is Back in TSEA's Hands
Association will handle sales and operations, July show last for NTP
By Heidi Genoist -- Tradeshow Week, 6/21/2004
After 12 years of outsourcing, the Trade Show Exhibitors Assn. is taking back the management and exhibit sales of its TS2 — The Trade Show About Trade Shows. Association officials say the move is part of an overall strategy to bring new relevance to the annual conference and exhibition for corporate exhibit managers.
Next month's TS2, set for July 12–15 at Chicago's McCormick Place, will be the last operated by Natl. Trade Productions, which has run the event on TSEA's behalf since 1999. Starting with the 2005 show, scheduled for July 11–14 in Washington, D.C., show sales and operations will be overseen by Stuart Lawry, hired by TSEA for that purpose.
However, NTP will remain on contract with TSEA, providing overall marketing for 2005 and beyond. Paige Cardwell, NTP's vice president of marketing, said the company would "drive the strategy and vision of the show, from graphic design through exhibitor marketing support." She said NTP was pleased with the change, because it shows TSEA "recognizes that we can continue to contribute to the success of the event."
In 1992 the association first sought outside management for TS2, begun 21 years ago in Omaha, Neb. Before hiring NTP, TSEA used Convention Management Group for four years and the Rebedeau Group for three.
TSEA President Michael Bandy said TSEA's good relationship with NTP would not change because of this decision. While the return to self-management may save the association some money — albeit, not much, since it entails the hiring of additional staff — he emphasized that this is not the main motivation.
"It's all about customer relations and customer service," Bandy explained. "As the association that represents exhibitors, we thought it was important that we know and understand what our own exhibitors are looking for. It's more than just selling space. Having NTP added an extra layer between us and our clients; now we'll get back that day-to-day contact."
At its April meeting, TSEA's board of directors gave the go-ahead on the management change. Bandy said the search for a senior sales manager started immediately, but he doesn't know the exact number of candidates from which Lawry was chosen for the position. Following posts at home-industry associations and publishing companies, the 20-year trade-show veteran was most recently a show director for Cornerstone Expositions, the Vernon Hills, Ill.-based company started in late 2002 by former Reed Exhibitions executive Eileen Oswald. Cornerstone folded earlier this year.
Lawry, who assumed his new role June 1, said he'd never attended TS2 but felt, "I know it loosely, because of all my interactions with exhibitors over the years." He will be on hand at the 2004 show making preparations and doing booth sales for 2005.
Coinciding with the announcement about Lawry and NTP, TSEA revealed that it would be working with tradeshow technology provider a2z, also starting with the 2005 show. Under terms that neither party would disclose, the Columbia, Md., tech firm will provide its a2zShow 5.0 tradeshow planning software and service to the association.
Michael Hatch, executive vice president of a2z, said the suite of products TSEA selected would increase efficiency in the sales and management process. For instance, exhibit space can be booked online in real time as sales associates discuss customers' needs on the phone.
Hatch said, "I am thrilled and excited about this, mainly because I've been involved with TSEA since 1978."
Hatch said he'd been discussing a2z's products with Bandy for years, but NTP had been using its own proprietary systems for sales and service at TS2. The change in management opened a door for a2z, which is also working with the Intl. Assn. for Exhibition Management and the Healthcare Convention and Exhibitors Assn.
"It's taken almost five years to get the lead associations to be in a position to make the decision to use the technology," Hatch said. "Once they start using it, I think we'll see some shifts in the industry. It's a productivity tool that can easily cut the work of managing a show in half, by streamlining the booth sales process."
