Green Pastures Ahead for Sellers Expositions
Rachel Wimberly -- Tradeshow Week, 6/11/2007
The typical association show is either owned and managed by the association itself, or a management company with multiple offices and a large staff, such as Hall-Erickson or SmithBucklin.
But Sellers Expositions, a 10-person company led by husband-and-wife team Warren and Susan Sellers, manages the show that is No. 21 on the 2007 TSW 200: the Intl. Lawn, Garden & Equipment Expo, which recently merged with a show run by two associations and changed its name to the Green Industry & Equipment Expo.
"It's a really strong partnership," said William Harley, president and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, the association that was behind the Intl. Lawn show. Working with the Sellerses and their staff, he added, had a number of pluses. "The biggest one is their expertise and experience with our show. They are an extension of our staff and very much focus on our show," he said.
The 2006 show — held Oct. 6–8 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, its home for more than 20 years — spanned 751,900 square feet and drew 449 exhibitors and 17,984 attendees.
Warren Sellers has worked on the event since its inception in 1984. In fact, as an employee of the Kentucky Exposition Center, he was in on its creation.
"There were dark days that needed to be filled (at the center), so we researched industries that didn't have tradeshows," Sellers said.
The Natl. Hardware Show and Lawn & Garden World had a small section for lawn and garden equipment, but there was no standalone show devoted entirely to the industry.
Sellers went to work for the Montgomery Group, which managed the show after its launch. In 1992, he bought the Louisville office of the company and renamed it Sellers Expositions.
The company manages a few other shows, but nothing close to the size of the Green Industry & Equipment Expo. Sellers said there were a number of benefits to having a smaller company run a big show. "My wife and I own the company and make all the decisions, so there's no hierarchy," he added. "We don't have to pull out a contract every time someone wants something done. They are dealing with the president and owner of the company on things."
Having a limited staff also means he often has to wear different hats. "There's some days I'm the bottle washer," Sellers said. "If needed, I help with move-in, move-out, attendee and exhibitor promotion. I have my hands in everything."
All of the company's 10 employees are the same way. "Everyone works on it to some capacity," he added, "but most of them work on it full time."
Harley has nothing but praise for the job his hired management firm does. "Sellers has done a very good job in its relationships, not only with us, but also with exhibiting companies," he said. "It's a year-round relationship, and in today's world that's important. They're not just selling space once a year."
This year, the newly named show runs Oct. 25–27 in partnership with the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) and Professional Grounds Management Society, which jointly ran the now-merged Green Industry and Conference Expo.
A policy board made up of representatives of PLANET, PGMS and the outdoor power equipment group, OPEI, will steer the planning for the merged event. They plan to maintain key elements of the combined shows, including educational sessions on lawn care, interior landscaping, landscape management and design/build/installation, as well as dealer education.
Harley said the merger made sense because the two shows fit so well together. "There's brand equity in both shows, and now it encompasses the industry," he added. "The look and feel (of the show) will be apropos of the things we read about every day. The green industry and the green environment and the whole issue of climate change and global warming it's right in the thick of" all those issues.
A show that was already big will now be even bigger. Sellers estimated the event could grow by 50 percent indoors, and its massive outdoor demo area will increase from 160,000 net sq. ft. to 240,000 net sq. ft. "That's what we're shooting for sales-wise," he added.
There will also be some firsts at the show. Until now, exhibitors have received one bill for indoor and outdoor space, but now they will be charged separately. There will also be a $10 fee to pre-register; the door charge will jump from $25 to $50.
"The value of bringing the two shows together is really a winner," Sellers said. "We're making a bigger splash, and there's more savings not having to go to two shows."
Sellers is proud that he and his team are a part of the show's continued growth. "It feels good they've trusted so much of their business to us," he said of OPEI and the other associations.
Harley wouldn't have it any other way. "Sellers goes the extra mile to engage the exhibitor world as well as the attendee world, as do we," he said. "They really devote time to the needs of the show, and do extremely well."
