CNN Correspondent to Emcee TSW Fastest 50
-- Tradeshow Week, 6/9/2008
The sixth annual Tradeshow Week Fastest 50 event will take place the weekend after the Nov. 4 presidential election, meaning this year's master of ceremonies may have plenty of news to share with the participants.
Carol Costello, a CNN News correspondent and contributor to the cable news network's “The Situation Room,” will emcee the gala dinner that is the highlight of the Nov. 7-9 weekend of activities in Baltimore.
Along with covering the 2008 presidential election, Costello has been instrumental in CNN's coverage of Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami in south Asia and the shootings at Virginia Tech University last year.
“Carol Costello's a well-known face on CNN,” said TSW Editor-in-Chief Michael Hart. “We're fortunate to have another wonderful news professional with national credentials serve as our master of ceremonies.”
Last year's TSW Fastest 50 in Atlanta was emceed by another CNN news anchor, Erica Hill.
Each year, TSW recognizes the 50 fastest-growing trade and consumer shows in the United States and Canada. The 50 winners will be announced in August. Then, during the black-tie gala Saturday, Nov. 8, the top prize in three categories (consumer shows, trade and association shows) plus the overall fastest-growing show, will be named. The weekend also includes a series of receptions, dinners and an executive-level conference, all intended to acknowledge success in the tradeshow business.
This year's host hotel will be the new Hilton Baltimore, adjacent to the Baltimore Convention Center and scheduled to open in August with 757 rooms and 60,000 square feet of meeting space. Saturday's conference and that evening's gala will take place at the Hilton. Friday's opening night reception will be at the American Visionary Art Museum and Sunday morning's farewell brunch at Geppi's Entertainment Museum.
In 2003, Costello anchored the coverage of the D.C.-area sniper case and interviewed former President Jimmy Carter about his 2002 Nobel Peace Prize. In addition to Carter, Costello has interviewed three other former U.S. presidents: Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Costello joined CNN in October 2001 after five years at WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C., where she was an anchor and investigative reporter. Before that, she spent three years at WBAL-TV in Baltimore as an anchor and co-anchor. She began her career as a weekend anchor and reporter for WAKR-TV in Akron, Ohio, then moved to WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio, to work as the station's principal weeknight anchor.
To qualify as one of the TSW Fastest 50, shows must have grown in net square footage over the previous three years, 2005 through 2007. Biennial or triennial shows may have taken place in 2004. Winners will be calculated with a formula that includes both percentage of growth and actual square footage.
TSW is now accepting nominations for the 2008 TSW Fastest 50. For more information, go to www.TSWFastest50.com or call (323) 965-4453.
