A Woman On the Air
Lisa Plummer -- Tradeshow Week, 4/4/2008 5:54:00 AM
Justine McVaney said she loves when things go wrong – and the adrenaline rush that comes from making them right. As senior vice president of operations and event marketing for the Natl. Assn. of Broadcasters, McVaney is responsible for all logistical operations and customer service programs, as well as marketing, security and convention housing for the annual tradeshow, NAB. With that much on her plate, one would think she’d be under enormous pressure as she prepares to open the show April 11-14 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
But Contributing Editor Lisa Plummer discovered that, if anything, McVaney thrives on the buzz.
Question: How has the show changed since the first NAB convention in 1922? Answer: It was once just a broadcaster show, about content, creativity, delivery and distribution. Over the past 20 years, the show has grown to embrace other industries that are also seeking to create and manage content, such as telecommunications, enterprise, government and the film community.
Q: How are you keeping it current today? A: We had to reposition ourselves, so we renamed the show. The tag line has changed to “Where Content Comes to Life.” It’s what we’ve always been, but we needed to say it more clearly for the new markets, to really define it for them.
Q: What’s your strategy to grow and stay competitive? A: Educating all of the emerging markets about the fact that NAB has always been a show about content, where you can find the knowledge and tools to deliver and produce it. … Our other area of focus is, how do we make our show, which is extremely relevant for four days in Las Vegas, relevant on a year-round basis? We’re working on building our online tool, NAB 365, a year-round place where people in the marketplace can get news and information.
Q: Why does NAB keep its show in Las Vegas? A: Vegas has been a very good draw for us from an attendee standpoint. We’ve looked at other cities – we do a lot of surveys post-show – and (results show) that Las Vegas is the No. 1 city they want to come to. The proximity of Vegas is an appeal, and the heavy demographic is a pretty strong draw from the West Coast.
Q: Do you believe the economy is affecting your industry and your show attendance? A: We’re seeing some cancellations on the exhibitor side, but we’re on track for our goal. We lost two major exhibitors, and we’ve been able to overcome those big hits, but it has impacted us a little on the attendance side. We’re down about 5 percent or less right now in registration.
Q: The managers of some large shows have started to question the high cost of doing business in Las Vegas. Has NAB ever considered moving it to a less expensive city? A: Our exhibitors would say yes (the costs are too high). The rates in Vegas have gone up. They’re anxious about the cost of doing business, and budgets are being tightened. What they liked was it was easy to do business here but, as Vegas has grown and gotten more sophisticated as a tradeshow destination, so have the headaches that have emerged. (Yet) we feel that Vegas is still the best draw for us. We’d rather work with the city, the hotels and the vendors to control costs, to find creative solutions before pulling out and moving to another city.
Q: What other issues of holding a show here need to be addressed? A: There’s still work to be done with work rules. We’d like to continue to work with the unions and the city to clarify who performs what work on the showfloor, and help exhibitors control or reduce costs by being able to perform more work in their own booths. Exclusivities with the convention center are also an issue that needs to be addressed.
Q: What’s your favorite part about producing this show? A: I love what this show is about, the technology that’s represented, the cool stuff out on the showfloor and what they’re doing. I love putting out fires and solving problems in a cost-effective way. We all have high expectations for ourselves and the show. We strive for making it better, cooler and different than other shows.
