Give Me Two Shows to Go

Two well-established shows have announced location changes beginning as early as next year. The ASI Show Philadelphia will move to New York City in 2008 and 2009, and probably beyond. ShowEast is leaving Orlando for Miami Beach in 2009.

The ASI Show Philadelphia, an advertising specialty tradeshow, is booked at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York for 2008 and 2009 and, according to ASI Show President Matthew Cohn, for the indefinite future. What will now be called ASI Show New York will be held May 6–8 next year, the same dates it had been scheduled in Philadelphia.

Cohn said the new city and old dates were both big plusses: the dates because the attendees, exhibitors, suppliers and decorators wouldn't have to reschedule, and shows scheduled around that date wouldn't be adversely impacted; the city because New York is always a big draw, and it's where ASI members have said they wanted to go.

According to Cohn, the good news about the dates gets even better in 2009, when they're two months earlier, March 8–10.

"One of our goals was to move to the first quarter, because historically there's lots of new product development that comes out early in the year," he said. In addition, having two more months between the ASI Show New York and Promotions East will be better for both shows.

Cohn said the New York area has a higher number of ASI members than any other part of the United States. Plus, it is more likely to draw new attendees.

"We surveyed our members in every major Northeastern city, and New York was the favorite among exhibitors and attendees by far," Cohn said.

Booth space already reserved by suppliers for ASI Philadelphia will automatically be transferred to ASI New York.

Meanwhile, Nielsen Business Media's ShowEast for the movie theater industry, held Oct. 16–18 at the Orlando World Center Marriott, will be in the same venue in 2008. However, it will take place Oct. 26–29, 2009, at Miami Beach's Fontainebleau Hotel.

Since its inception in 1984, ShowEast has had only two homes: Atlantic City and Orlando.

"Both cities served the show well," said Robert Sunshine, co-managing director of the show and senior vice president of the Nielsen Film Group, which also owns and operates ShoWest in Las Vegas, Cinema Expo in Amsterdam and CineAsia in Macau.

"The move to Orlando was (meant) to open up the show to theatrical exhibitors from Latin and South America," he said. "We now attract more than 200 theater owners from this territory."

Attendees, sponsors and exhibitors asked for the change, Sunshine added.

"They wanted to go into a new property. Miami Beach not only will help us attract more delegates from the Americas, but will also boast the reopening of the Fontainebleau," he said.

He added that Miami Beach would provide a better forum to attract press and help publicize some of the movies that are screened for delegates. Miami Intl. Airport also will make it easier for guests traveling from the West Coast and Europe.

Sunshine said, "New properties always bring back old customers. The history of the Fontainebleau alone is enough to bring back many people in the industry, just to see the place. The Natl. Assn. of Theater Owners held a major convention there about 25 years ago."