World of Cindric

When Tom Cindric went to work for Hanley Wood Exhibitions in 2001 as show manager of World of Concrete, it was already a successful show. Since then, it's gone from good to extraordinary.

That year the show had a 650,311 square foot showfloor and drew just under 26,000 attendees. This year it took up 900,006 sq. ft. in and around the Las Vegas Convention Center, and Cindric and his staff managed to attract more than 90,000 attendees — all in an economy in which the construction and real estate industries supposedly are in turmoil.

Further evidence that the industry-in-turmoil business — if accurate — doesn't apply here is the recent decision by Hanley Wood to buy a new event in the construction sector, the CSI Show; promptly rename it Construct; and also put it in Cindric's hands.

Cindric has 18 years in the tradeshow business, starting with a marketing position at The Larkin Group. After stops at Advanstar Communications and Natl. Trade Productions, he has been with Hanley Wood more than six years, long enough to grow World of Concrete by a quarter of a million sq. ft. and launch another version in Mexico City.

Cindric spoke with Tradeshow Week Editor-in-Chief Michael Hart about his start in the business nearly two decades ago, the future of the tradeshow industry and why media reports about a troubled construction industry mean nothing to him.

Question: World of Concrete hasn't always been in Las Vegas, has it?

Answer: No, it used to have a rotation. The show had its start and its first 28 years in the Chicago area. The first show I did was in New Orleans in 2002 and rotated to Orlando in '03, and then on to Las Vegas.

The Aberdeen Group, which previously owned it, had given verbal commitment to take the show to Orlando and Vegas every other year.

When I came on board in 2001, that was one of my focuses: Looking toward the future, where did we want to put the show? In '05, we made the decision to stay in Vegas permanently.

Q: Why?

A: The show would see an up and down in its attendance. We would go to Orlando and, while it was a great venue for the show and it was great for hitting the Southeast market, we just couldn't draw the attendees like we did every year when we went to Vegas.

We had done some analysis geographically and found people on the West Coast were not traveling to the show when it was on the East Coast, but people on the East Coast loved Vegas and would travel. Plus exhibitors really liked Vegas.

Since '05, when we made the announcement, the show's grown 200,000 square feet and grown 20,000 attendees. So we feel like we made the right decision.

Q: The real estate and construction sectors are famously undergoing a serious downturn. Yet, World of Concrete has grown by that much in the last two years?

A: Fortunately for us, the commercial construction market has been pretty stable and has grown significantly the last few years, whereas on the residential side we've started to see that slow-down. There's always a need in the commercial industry for roads and buildings and schools and government projects.

Concrete is the second most utilized substance in the world next to water. It is a perishable product, meaning once it's made it has to be delivered in a timely manner, and finished and completed.

Q: Even knowing that the construction business is cyclical, what is it about concrete that keeps exhibitors and attendees coming back year after year?

A: There's an incredible need for it. That's really what drives our show and makes World of Concrete different from some of the other construction shows that are out there.

There's an art and science with concrete, so there are always new technologies and new ways to finish the concrete. That's why our show continues to do well. We have an education program that put 10,000 of our attendees through 28,000 sessions. People come to get a master certificate from our show, because that means something to them.

Q: I assume you didn't know much about concrete before you took this job. How did you become so steeped so quickly in a sector you weren't familiar with?

A: Fortunately for me, I had people on staff who had been on board with the show for 25 to 28 years. A contract salesperson has been with the show since 1975. You have to lean on those people to educate yourself about the industry.

We challenge ourselves to become product champions: ingraining yourself in the industry, attending industry events, traveling around and seeing customers.

The first year, I visited 20 or 30 customers, went to their offices and walked through their plants and really invested the time to learn about the challenges, the market.

It takes time.

Q: Why the decision to launch World of Concrete Mexico instead of, your first time out, a show in one of the world's other fast-growing economies?

A: For most of the companies manufacturing products in North America, Mexico falls under their jurisdiction. When you're calling on a customer, they make the decisions for Mexico as well.

When you start to go offshore, into China and India, the decision-making process changes for a lot of companies. It's a different office. It's an office in Asia or Germany that might be making the decision.

I was in India and China. While the need is there, when you're trying to get the technology into the right hands, you can sometimes be a little ahead of the curve.

That, by no means, means we're not going to do a show internationally, but certainly you really have to understand the distribution channel.

Q: How is running a show in Mexico different from one in Las Vegas?

A: There are no unions. Exhibitors can carry materials in. There are not those restrictions.

I'm not saying that's always a good thing. Part of having unions is having skilled labor to put on a show efficiently and effectively.

There are challenges with how materials are brought in and how freight is brought in. Certainly, there is the customs issue with shipping equipment internationally.

Our show hours are from 1 to 8 p.m., and all the booths are hardwall, which is the European model, not the U.S. model.

So, it takes a while. You have to educate those exhibitors who haven't done anything internationally.

Q: Why did Hanley Wood buy the CSI Show (which you have renamed Construct)?

A: This acquisition is another addition to the commercial sector, which is obviously something my team and the people we have brought on are well aware of. The show used to be one of the leading shows. It's had some challenge, and we think we can turn it around and make it the leading show in the marketplace.

We have a 45-year sponsorship agreement with the CSI association to support and endorse the show.

Q: What, besides the name, do you plan to change?

A: Hanley Wood's launched a magazine recently called Architect, which focuses specifically on the architects and engineers. We're taking Construct and aligning it with this magazine, along with the CSI association, to broaden the scope of the event.

The construction specifier and what the specifier does have changed. Technology has changed, and architects and engineers are those people who the show needs to target.

The magazine will allow us to reach those people, as well as doing what Hanley Wood does best: our marketing programs, the database we have, and creating an event with on-floor demos and strong education. That's what we feel is going to help take the event and get it back to its, so to speak, glory days.

Q: Same question as before: The downturn in construction isn't going to hurt you?

A: It's in the commercial space, which right now is pretty steady. The other thing is that it has a broad appeal. If you produce doors or flooring or insulation or gutters, you should be at this show. That was the other attraction to this event: It's not a niche market. That's why it's smart.

Q: How has the tradeshow industry changed during the 18 years you've been in it?

A: The biggest thing is why people go to tradeshows. You really have to give attendees a real strong reason to get on an airplane any more. Travel's not as easy as it was. People today are working even harder, so time out of the office is more and more difficult.

In a lot of shows I've worked on, people go to the show to do business. They might tie a weekend into it but the old thing of, "I'm taking a week and taking the family and going to a tradeshow" — I don't think that's necessarily the primary reason anymore.

We've had to change our marketing strategies to really get people to say, "Man, I can't miss this event because it helps me do my job better."

Q: What changes do you anticipate in the next 18 years?

A: There will continue to be advances in technology and new ways to do things. We need to utilize technology to educate attendees so they can have a better experience when they come to the show.

Nothing will ever replace face-to-face, but there are a lot of things that can enhance the face-to-face experience. That's the key: We've got to continue to get whatever those things are to our attendees to enhance their experience.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person entering the business?

A: You really have to become a product champion. If I had it to do over again, I would have earlier in my career gotten involved in selling. For someone coming in, being involved in the marketing or sales side early in your career is critical.

For most show managers today, those are the two pieces of the puzzle: You can't have exhibits without attendees, and you can't have attendees without exhibits.