Signs of Trouble at Pulvermedia

TradeShow Executive and ComputerWorld are both reporting troubling news at Pulvermedia. According to ComputerWorld, “the founder of Pulvermedia — the producer of VON trade shows – has resigned.”[TradeShowExecutive] [Computerworld]

Apparently, both Jeff Pulver and Carl Ford left farewell messages on the company’s blog last week, but neither provided details on their departure.

Trade Show Executive reports Pulvermedia has laid off some employees and is restructuring, and quotes the firm’s event’s group CEO as saying the company is in a silent period so he can make no statements about the reorganization.

The trade show publication also said that TICC Capital Corp., a backer of Pulvermedia, said in a March 13 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it had lost $10.6 million on its investment in Pulvermedia. Rumors are swirling that Pulvermedia’s financial backers are stepping in to take over the company’s resources.

There is no firm information about the future of the company or the shows, which were among the earliest venues for Internet voice and video.

Source: TradeShow Executive, ComputerWorld

Boston Gains New Life Sciences Trade Show

BIOMEDevice, a new life sciences industry trade show focused largely on the medical device industry, is coming to Boston in 2009. [BizJournals]

Canon Communications LLC, the Los Angeles-based trade show company that is producing the two-day show, will work closely with the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council, or MassMedic to ensure the event’s success.

“We are very excited about it,” said Kevin O’Keefe, Canon’s senior vice president. “Outside of California, (Massachusetts houses) the biggest concentration of medical device manufacturers in the United States.”

BOIMEDevice will be held April 22-23, 2009, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

Source: Biz Journals

Photo: BCEC

Three Textile Shows to Unite in 2010

The ATME-1/Megatex, Techtextil North America and SPESA Expo — will co-locate and align with one another at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) in Atlanta for Textile & Sewn Products Industry Week 2010, scheduled to take place May 18-20, 2010. [TextileWorld]

ATMA Chairman Jay White Jr., of Morrison Textile Machinery Co believes the co-location is positive for the attendees. “We expect excellent customer attendance from the entire textile processing and applications chain. This will be a very significant event for our industry with numerous networking opportunities, educational seminars and business and technical workshops alongside the trade shows themselves. Anyone who is in the textile business in the Americas should recognize that this is a ‘must-attend’ event,” says White.

This marks a continuing trend of multiple shows within an industry merging into one large show, allowing attendees to maximize their time and have access to educational seminars, networking and other special activities in one stop.

Source: Textile World

Orlando Secures PRI Show Through 2016

Officials with the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show have agreed to extend their contract six years beyond the original 2010 expiration. [bizjournals]

“Orlando provides the PRI Trade Show with all the attributes of a great host city, including a spectacular convention center, and this has been proven by the enormous volume of business transactions concluded every year at the show,” say Steve Lewis, PRI show producer.

“Orlando’s dynamic growth in accommodations, amenities and attractions combined with our unparalleled service will ensure a uniquely compelling and successful show for PRI and its trade show attendees for many, many years to come,” says Gary Sain, president and CEO of the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The annual event, featuring previews of the latest racing product lines, garners about 45,000 attendees.The 2008 PRI Trade Show is scheduled for Dec. 11 through 13.

Source: bizjournals.com

Photo: PRI

Wynn Resorts Planning New Convention Center

Wynn Resorts reports the addition of a convention center to the Las Vegas property is in the preliminary planning stages. Renderings for the new convention space featuring two new hotels and nearly 2 million square feet of exhibit space were started a couple of months ago.

According to Steve Wynn, chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts, the new facility will be built on the site where the golf course is now located, and that it would extend “2,000 feet to Paradise Road, from an area approximately 550 feet east of our villas, so that there will be a large lake with fountains like Bellagio that will entertain both hotels and the convention and meeting space.”

Wynn hopes to leverage the property’s ideal location between the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) and Sands Expo. He believes the new facility will help alleviate some of the issues the convention industry in Las Vegas currently faces including long taxi lines and daily traffic jams in and out of the LVCC. [TSW]

Source: TradeShow Week

Int’l. CES and Las Vegas Garner Top Spots

Intl. CES has earned the title of the biggest trade show in North America in 2007. CES grew its show floor by 6.6 percent to 1,804,070 net square feet, securing its place in the top spot.

The designation was awarded by to Tradeshow Week 200 (TSW 200), a list of the 200 largest trade shows in the U.S. and the 50 largest shows in Canada. [TSW]

It’s no surprise Las Vegas continued to be the No. 1 destination for North America’s largest shows, with 44 shows from the list, followed by Orlando with 24 and Chicago with 20.

The complete list is available at http://www.tradeshowweek.com/info/CA6262423.html.

Source: TSW

McCormick Place has Lackluster Year

According to the Chicago Tribune, anyway you slice and dice the data, McCormick Place had a rough 2007 with overall attendance coming in at less than 900,000. [ChicagoTribune]

McCormick Place officials were quick to point out that some of Chicago’s largest shows only come to to town every two or four years, and the odd-numbered years always tend to be weaker at the exhibition hall. Even when you take that into consideration, 2007 was well below every other year since 2001.

Exhibit space came in at 7.5 million square feet for 2007, the lowest total since 2001, when 14.2 million square feet were used.

“Within the calendar for 2007 there were no mega-shows,” explained McCormick Place General Manager David Causton. “But there will be in calendar 2008.” Things look even better for 2009, when the International Plastics Showcase makes it’s way back to Chicago.

Source: Chicago Tribune, Kathy Bergen

Photo: McCormickCenter.us

NYC Gains More Trade Show Square Footage

The West Side trade show facility between 51st and 54th streets on the West Side Highway is set for expansion.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation chose Vornado and its subsidiary Merchandise Mart Properties to expand the facility, currently on Pier 94, to include Pier 92. The project is expected to create 355,000 square feet of trade show and conference space.

The city hopes the new expanded facility will help capture billions of dollars in lost revenue by hosting at least 40 conventions annually. By 2013, experts expect attendance at these shows to grow to more than 300,000 per year. [TRD]

Source: Linden Lim, The Real Deal

Photo: Pier 94

Freeman Announces Big Managment Changes

Freeman announced a series of senior level management changes today.

Joe Popolo, formerly president, was tapped to succeed Donald Freeman Jr. as the new CEO. Freeman will retain his position as chairman. Carrie Freeman Parsons became vice chairwoman, in addition to being chief marketing officer. John O’Connell, former executive vice president and COO was promoted to president. Jeff Price was promoted from executive vice president to COO of the exposition services division.

The promotions are part of the company’s ongoing management development and succession program and will take effect on July 1, 2008. [Freeman]

Photo: MicroSoft

Trade Show Marketing: The Blind Leading the Blind?

Paul DiModica, author of the best seller Value Forward Selling, believes many companies aren’t getting the most out of their investment in trade shows. “Most companies just go to trade shows year after year and waste their marketing investments because they don’t know hot to increase trade show success or correctly track the return on investment for the event.” [eMediaWire]

I agree with his assessment and to help us all out, DiModica has penned a new book: Value Forward Marketing.

DiModica says, “Often, it’s the blind leading the blind where companies just keep going to trade shows because they have always gone and because their competition goes.” Value Forward Marketing teaches us how to have a successful show by sharing tactical and strategic action steps based on industry best practices.

Some of the topics covered are:

• Setting up your trade show booth
• Calculating your ROI
• Developing effective marketing materials
• Driving attendee traffic to your booth
• Maximizing your prospect leads