Off the Showfloor   

Back in December, I gave an interview to The Los Angeles Times. Tiffany Hsu, one of the business reporters, said she had noticed an increased number of green shows being advertised and wondered if the interest could support that many.

She asked me questions for at least half an hour. After we finished, I asked her when the story would run, but she wasn’t sure.

Lo and behold, the story showed up on my Google alert for “tradeshow” last week.

“It's a huge amount of money,”...Read More

If you were at Tradeshow Fastest 50 this past weekend and had Twitter, you were privy to a whole other conservation happening.

I have four Twitter accounts on my phone: my personal Twitter (I’ll give it to you if you ask, but don’t judge me), my work Twitter @stephaniecorbin, our magazine Twitter @TSWNews and our TSW Fastest 50 Twitter @TSWFastest50. Because I noticed some tweets on the other sites, I didn’t want to risk two people tweeting, so I just stuck to @stephaniecorbin.

We used the hashtag ...Read More

I think discounts are good. I’ve mentioned this before. 

But I recently read a blog on the American Society of Assn. Executives & The Center for Assn. Leadership’s Web site that suggests taking that principle one step further: free.

The author, Joe Rominiecki, who is the managing editor for newsletters at ASAE & The Center, makes an interesting point for associations: Why not give away meetings free to first-year members? I think the logic is sound that those members will see the value proposition and become repeat attendees. I also think that by going once...Read More

When I think of greening in the tradeshow industry, there are several individuals who immediately come to mind.

Funny enough, of the nominations for the inaugural TSW’s Top Eco-Leaders, only one was someone who I would have named off the top of my head. Undeniably, though, all the nominees have taken steps to institute programs to reduce waste and promote the environment in relation to the tradeshow industry.

I know there are more of them out there. This blog is one more reminder that we’re looking for nominations. Until the recession, greening was the No. 1 topic in the tradeshow industry. And, despite it being put on the backburner while some other issues get taken care of, those wh...Read More

The Intl. Association of Exhibitions and Events board of directors wants the mayor and city council of San Jose, Calif., to weigh in on the debate over an exclusive labor policy at the McEnery Convention Center.

I wrote a story a few week ago on this. The gist is that Team San Jose, the public-private partnership hired to run the convention center and other venues in the city, contracted Teamsters Local 287, based in San Jose, to exclusively provide labor in the convention center. One concern for general service contractors is that they already had negotiated a deal with Local 85 in San Francisco, assuring its members half of all ...Read More

There’s a lot happening for me before I fly off to ASAE & The Center’s Annual Meeting & Exposition this weekend.

Any week before I’m scheduled to be out of the office is like that, but this week’s particularly jam-packed.

I’m flying into Toronto Saturday night for the annual event. That means, for a West Coaster like me, a crack-of-dawn flight and a layover somewhere. Mine’s Cleveland this time.

I’m excited, though, to be at the annual event. I’ve been to a few industry meetings this year, and I definitely noticed a more muted tone to the “pa...Read More

Before addressing what I want to address in this blog, I need to make a disclaimer: I almost flunked economics in college.

At 18, I think I had gotten two B’s in my life before macro- and micro-economics were listed as requirements for me to graduate with a journalism degree. I got D’s in both. I cried. I contemplated retaking the courses. I didn’t. I moved on with my life.

That said, I grasp the concepts now better than when I was sitting in the lecture hall, scratching my head, but I still think now – as I did then – that the intricacies are difficult even for economists to wrap their heads around at times.

At convention centers across the country, officials almost always are calling for more space.

Yesterday, I read a column Heywood Sanders wrote in Sunday’s The Tennessean questioning the many convention center officials who promise expansions and new convention centers will be an “economic boon.” And then it doesn’t happen.

We’ve all probably heard of Sanders. He’s with the University of Texas at San Antonio and probably the biggest critic of publicly financed convention centers. He’s been speaking out against them for years.

Even if you’re not in danger of a layoff or a change in your economic status, a downturn leads to penny-pinching.

I’m always looking for a good deal. If I can forego a purchase for a bit while the price drops, I’ll do it. And, because of the economy, I’m finding the deals out there now are bigger and better.

With retailers around the country scrambling to lure customers with the promise of a discount, it’s no surprise that the convention and tradeshow industry also is looking for ways to ease strapped wallets.

I had an e-mail from the Intl. Assn. of Exhibitions and Events waiting for me yesterday morning when I turned on my computer.

Have you been in...Read More