Conventions

May 1-3, 2012. It’s about innovation, intelligence and passion, we heard. In the most pharmaceutical kind of way, of course… INTERPHEX is supposed to be the leading annual pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical trade show. Key decision makers came for the networking opportunities, products, services and information they needed to ensure quality and maximize efficiency, agility, and flexibility in their manufacturing and supply chain areas. This show is where intelligence and passion intersect with the full spectrum of industry products and services (over 650 suppliers exhibiting) to create new insights and innovation — hence the motto above.  There were over fifty conference sessions, including an event convened to fight childhood cancer, and a program to track the way firms move a product to market, strengthening the alignment between INTERPHEX’s traditionally strong exhibit platform and its educational components.  Hey, what does this blue pill do?

May 1-3, 2012. USFS is the U. S. Food Showcase,  a meeting place for the buyers and traders who promote their food products in an international market. This trade show was specially crafted to promote food-related products and to increase the rate of export.  The U.S. Food Showcase attracts buyers from every major market, featuring appetizing new products for virtually every category. Buyers could access a broad array of sector opportunities, from supermarkets and convenience stores to restaurants and food service companies to specialty shops, with products covering beverages, health foods, canned goods, dairy products, meats and snack foods.  There were education programs in research, industry relations and public affairs, all mounted on behalf of 1,500 member-retailers and wholesalers.  Makes you hungry just to think about it…

May 1-3, 2012. Coal Prep is the Annual Coal Processing Exhibition and Conference.  Industry professionals came from all over the world to share the latest ideas and most effective techniques on coal preparation and aggregate processing plant technologies. These professionals homed in on Lexington to purchase and preview the latest equipment and services in order to increase coal plant productivity and reduce costs.  Coal Prep provided a comprehensive educational program on coal preparation technology, geared to the needs of operators.  Indeed, the show made a concerted effort to “Get Back To The Operators” and provide in-depth coverage of the topics that are particularly vital to them.  Topics discussed included crushers and pulverizers, plant automation, conveying and feeding equipment, dust suppression…  Operator, you still there…?

Trade Show Network News (TSNN), the trade publication for the Trade Show industry has just published its Top 250 trade shows for 2011 and Las Vegas again leads the pack with 7 of the top 10.

While we haven’t fully explored the entire list, it does include several that have pulled out of Vegas because of the expense in exhibiting here. NAPTE comes to mind as they were one of the 1st to go back in 2008. It’s not so much the cost of rooms & meals because we all know that Vegas is king when it comes to cheap room & board. It is the cost of actually putting on the show for both the trade show companies and the exhibitors themselves.

Frequently we hear from vendors that one of the reasons they hate to exhibit in Las Vegas is the uncompromising stance of the unions. For example ASD which is 2 yearly now completely moved into the LVCC when it once was so crowded that it completely filled the Sands Expo, the South Hall at LVCC & the Mirage. Many vendors have pulled out because even if they had no trash or their booth wasn’t messy, they were charge daily for service, often when they came in the next day only to find their trash still full or their booth still with signs of the previous day’s floor flotsam.

The city of Chicago, in 2008, negotiated a deal with the unions that in order for them to grow their trade show opportunities, the unions would give up some concessions while the city agreed to promote their venues as a better bang for the buck. Certainly not in January but April – October, they have increased their trade show purchased footage by several 1000 sq. ft.

2008- In June, major trade show contractors and the union representing the largest single group of workers on the trade show floor announced a new collective bargaining agreement designed to further reduce costs for McCormick Place exhibitors and provide them with greater operational flexibility

Miami and Dallas have followed the lead of Chicago and have been able to attract many more trade shows, not just from Las Vegas but globally since revamping their trade show efforts.

Recently both CES and the Shot Show have renewed their contracts with Las Vegas, but as the old Wall Street adage goes “buy low, sell high, make a profit” it is the opinion of B-T-B that LVCVA needs to think about where it wants to be in the next 5-10 years with the trade show industry that has become the bread and butter of the casinos or do they want to continue to lose market share while focusing on weekend events like the Electric Daisy Carnival that brings crowds with limited money for gambling or trade shows, the bigger of the high dollar revenue drivers? Who has more disposable income; 6 20somethings stuffed in a hotel room with 20.00 each for the weekend or the business person coming for 3 days finding him/herself at 2am jet lagged and in the casino to chill out.

Rossi Ralenkotter & his staff have done an amazing job with turning Las Vegas into a business destination for companies and executives alike but we need to keep growing as THE place to not only have fun but to bring products to market in a business friendly environment.

Where’s Oscar?

Apr. 22-25, 2012. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists (or AAPG) is one of the world’s largest professional geological societies. The energy industry is actually featured in a new feature-length movie, aired at the conference, that asks the question: What will it really take to make the transition from oil and coal to alternative energy sources?  Past AAPG President Dr. Scott Tinker, Director of the Bureau of Economic Geology, professor of geosciences, and renowned energy lecturer, was the onscreen guide at the center of a film that embarks on a round-the-world journey to answer this and related questions: If coal is dirty, why do we keep using it? Can we really clean it up? Will oil get more expensive? Will it run out? How quickly will we adopt alternatives, and which ones? How risky is hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”? How dangerous is nuclear?  And why do I have to punch in my zipcode when I buy gas at the pump…?