Did you know that trade shows can serve as a peace tool? At least that’s the hope of a new show that opened in New Delhi, India this week. The show called “Lifestyle Pakistan” features furniture, fashion, and food – but what makes it unique is that the 600+ exhibitors will be from neighboring Pakistan, which has a less-than-favorable history with India. Organizers hope that by opening up the door for sharing culture and trade between the two countries, it will help to heal previous misunderstandings.
Convention Center News:
Aviation Week’s MRO Americas 2012 Conference in Dallas didn’t go exactly as planned this week. In the middle of the conference, storm sirens began going off as the Metroplex was under a tornado emergency. But the staff at the Dallas Convention Center managed to evacuate all attendees to a safe location in a timely manner. It’s a great lesson in emergency management — Do you ask questions about disaster planning at your venues?
In an attempt to draw in new conventions, the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia is eliminating their 8 percent labor management fee. The change takes effect July 1 and is the first step in lowering labor costs at the center.
This week’s news zeros in on Chicago, with two primary stories coming from there. First, the Windy City Chapter of TSEA has decided to form their own group, independent of the new TSEA-EACA merger. The new group, which held their first meeting this week, will be called the Midwest Exhibit and Event Professionals Association.
The second story is a big win for Chicago: the Car Wash Show has announced they’re leaving Las Vegas for the Windy City in 2014. The move comes as a result of Chicago’s recent labor reforms that make it more exhibitor-friendly environment.
After what the trade show world has been through the past few years, it’s amazing now to see so many shows breaking records that it barely makes news. While we can’t mention all of the success stories (a great problem to have), a few do warrant highlighting. There’s no doubt that the construction industry has been one of the biggest victims of the economy, so when the World of Asphalt and AGG1 2012 sets records for attendance, exhibit space, and education sessions, that’s a big deal. As a bonus, those attendees were highly qualified, with 84 percent in managerial roles.
New York isn’t the only city struggling with an outdated convention center that’s lost its ability to draw in major conventions. According to the Miami Herald, the Miami Beach Convention Center is overdue for a makeover and a proposal is in the works to demolish it — along with City Hall and the old Jackie Gleason Theater — to make way for a modern multi-purpose development including a convention center, hotel, condos, office space, restaurants and parks. But like any improvement project, it’s not without controversy and must still be approved by voters.
