Best In Show » McCormick Place

Your 2010 Budget and “The Drapes”

AlexG — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:10:48 +0000

Are you planning to utilize Pipe & Drape for your 2010 Exhibit?

Many trade show coordinators are finding the belt tightening in 2010 is getting a little rediculous. So…

At the risk of breaking corporate confidentiality agreements, I’ve inserted a rendering that many exhibitors plan to emulate at IMTS 2010.

No, your eyes do not deceive you. It features a sleak pipe frame, curtains provided by show management, and objects TBD situated in the foreground (manufacturing equipment, a podium, the possibilities are finite!). It SCREAMS “we’re at IMTS, and we’re not going anywhere!”

Really, these exhibitors aren’t going anywhere. Not dressed like that, at least.

What will other exhibitors be doing?

Some companies will skip the trade show entirely, licking their wounds and figuring out whether they will survive to see 2011. Yikes.

An exclusive few will roll out new products, hammer at the competition, and establish themselves as leaders within the marketplace. They’ve planned 2010 with an exhibit budget that may actually be less than their 2009 tradeshow budget, while still large enough to make a positive statement at the biennial manufacturer’s show. They know this is their opportunity, and they’re not taking Pipe & Drape for an answer!

Tweet This Post

Are you getting the ol’ Bait & Switch?

AlexG — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:07:31 +0000

Siemens Medical's Tradeshow Exhibit @ RSNA '09, in Chicago

A recent conversation I had with a prospective client reminded me of one of those bizarre practices within the trade show exhibiting industry. My prospect is in design for a 20×20 rental exhibit – custom designed, but with 100% rental components. After going through most of the details of what we include within our contract price, he asked a very pointed question:

Tim: Ok, I know from experience that sometimes I’ll see a rendering, and it looks really bold and slick, and then the thing gets to the show, and the booth is just – the beams looked like 6×6’s on the render, and you get to the expo and they’re 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 – and it looks and IS flimsy and… …it’s just been awful. What are THESE made out of? How big are they?

Me: Hmm. Great question. I’m glad you asked it, because they happen to be 6×6 extruded aluminum. It’s light, but it’s also sturdy. And we won’t design it if we aren’t going to build it.

What baffles me, with this exhibitor’s very astute query, is how exhibitors can ever put up with anything less than what a design implies? If a company promises one thing and then delivers something wholly different – why wouldn’t you throw them out with the trash and find a new exhibitor? Does this sort of thing happen in other industries without consequence?

Tweet This Post

NPE Leaves McCormick Place?

AlexG — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:56:32 +0000

NPE, the National Plastics Expo, has been held at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center since 1971. After 13 consecutive shows in Chicago, including 2009’s show – which boasted 44,000 attendees, and generated over $95 MILLION in local spending – NPE is filing for divorce from Chicago. 2012 and 2015 NPE tradeshows will be held at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center. “They were very upset with a lot of the rules and regulations that McCormick Place has. When I met with [SPI President and CEO Bill Carteaux] and others, they were very concerned about the cost factor compared to Orlando, Atlanta and Vegas,” said a rueful Mayor Richard M. Daley. There is no indication as of press time whether or not NPE plans to seek custody.

More info on the move from the Chicago Tribune. Also, NPE’s announcement.

Last week, HIMSS (the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) made headlines after announcing their 2012 annual tradeshow is being held in Las Vegas. HIMSS’s 2009 expo was held at McCormick Place, and HIMSS is headquartered in Chicago. 2009’s trade show is now being described as an “indiscretion.”

So I’m trying to sort this out – anyone know if these two stories are related?

Tweet This Post