E-retail Show's No. 1 at Tradeshow Week Fastest 50

BALTIMORE—At a time when economic challenges are making headlines, celebrating the growth of shows at the sixth annual Tradeshow Week Fastest 50 Nov. 7-9, honoring the 50 fastest-growing shows in the United States and Canada, became even more poignant.

“This is an incredible affirmation that we got it right seven years ago,” said Ray Pekowski, CEO and chairman of The Expo Group. Pekowski suggested the idea for the TSW Fastest 50 during the aftermath of Sept. 11, when the country was in a recession and news from the tradeshow industry wasn't always positive.

“These are challenging times, make no mistake about it,” he added. “To try to excel in the tradeshow industry, it will take ... timing, bravado and a smidge of luck.”

And that luck was with the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition during the black-tie awards gala Nov. 8 when the show took home not only the award for the fastest-growing tradeshow, but also the award as the overall fastest-growing show.

“When we first put together our information to TSW, we didn't know what this meant in terms of recognition,” said Steve Rogers, exhibition director of Vertical Web Media, which stages the show.

During his acceptance speech for the overall award, Rogers gave kudos to the TSW Fastest 50 event and the networking opportunities it provides for the show managers who attend.

“It's apparent that there's a lot of very good knowledge base out there in this room,” he added.

Vertical Web Media President Jack Love wasn't able to attend the event, but, Rogers said, it was Love's vision, along with Kurt Peters, Internet Retailer magazine's editor-in-chief, who made the magazine and show what they are today.

“We are all thrilled by this,” Love said after the event. “It was a complete surprise.”

The show started in 2005 with 45 exhibiting companies on a 4,500 net square foot showfloor at the Hyatt Regency Chicago's Riverside Center. This year, Rogers said, the show had about 320 exhibiting companies on a roughly 52,000 net sq. ft. showfloor – with another 175 exhibitors on a waiting list. The 2009 show will be staged at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

“We are very honored to win this prestigious award,” Rogers said.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization's BIO Intl. Convention took the top award in the association category, recognizing years of increasing growth.

“I wasn't really prepared for this,” said Robbi Lycett, BIO Intl.'s show manager. “It is a great honor. I love working for the Biotechnology Industry Organization.”

Lycett took the helm in 2005, and just one year later, the show had an 8-percent attendance growth, with 19,479 attendees in Chicago that year, compared with 18,000 in 2005 in Philadelphia. In 2007, the show in Boston had 22,366 attendees.

The New England Intl. Auto Show was named the fastest-growing consumer-hybrid show.

“Yikes. I didn't really expect this,” said David Whitmore, vice president of the show's producer, the Paragon Group. “As I'm sure you know, I didn't do this on my own; we're a team of 10 people in our company.”

In 2007, the show grew 46 percent to 127,096 net sq. ft. after moving from Boston's Bayside Expo Center to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.