We Don't Need No Stinkin' Politics

Heidi Genoist -- Tradeshow Week, 6/26/2006

Still suffer shame or confusion when — surrounded by insurance agents, commercial real estate brokers and other more glamorous professionals — you are asked at cocktail parties what you do for a living?

Take heart. It seems the tradeshow industry now has an occupation to look down on too: politics.

It was already becoming clear that tradeshows are more fun and fashionable than political assemblies from the "Thanks, but no thanks" responses from Orlando, Atlanta, San Francisco and others to the Republican and Democratic Natl. Committee invitations to bid on their 2008 nominating confabs.

But their fate was sealed by the kiss-off from Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, wizard of the tradeshow Oz.

According to the Las Vegas Sun's Washington, D.C., bureau, Mayor Goodman cited a full schedule at the Las Vegas Convention Center and the economic fallout that would come from displacing 18 events, including MAGIC Marketplace, as the city's reason for declining to bid on the DNC.

Those 18 events are expected to generate an economic impact of $615 million. Compare that to the $156 million generated by the 2004 DNC in Boston. It makes politics seem so ... low-margin. Ick.

Still, one has to wonder whether Goodman (whose dream of getting a professional sports team has been repeatedly thwarted during his seven years as Las Vegas mayor) would have shown the same love for tradeshows if it were, say, Major League Baseball looking for bids.

You might be more popular than Howard Dean, but if you're thinking of taking on Albert Pujols, better wait a while.