MATSO Members Take on Bed Tax
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 1/24/2005
Organizers of the country's largest tradeshows are concerned about proposed hotel tax increases in Chicago — and they want to do something about it.
At the recent Major American Trade Show Organizers Mid-year Meeting, Jan. 6–7 at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel, change within the Chicago tradeshow industry — particularly plans for an increase in the city's bed tax — was one of the meeting's primary areas of discussion.
"Several MATSO member organizations will soon call a meeting with the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau to voice some concerns," said Meg Ellacott, MATSO managing director, regarding "bureau convention services issues and the proposed hotel tax increases. If (members) come together with a united voice, perhaps they can get the bureau to work with them to combat the new taxes."
Twenty representatives from 13 of 30 MATSO member organizations attended the meeting, held to coincide with a MATSO member show, the Intl. CES.
The group garnered an exclusive tour of the 1.5 million-plus net square foot show. Members also discussed business in other first-tier cities; ROI and their interest in new internal communication vehicles, such as a listserv.
MATSO Chairwoman Pat Dwyer, senior manager of conventions and tradeshows for SmithBucklin, said it was "a real good general sharing of industry issues."
Annually, MATSO member shows occupy more than 29 million net square feet of exhibit space and bring together more than 1.3 million buyers in 11 cities, according to the group.
The 2005 MATSO Annual Meeting will take place July 11–12 at New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center during the Intl. Fancy Food & Confection Show (Summer).
