2012 Gold Rush - Trade Show Executive

2012 Gold Rush
TRADE SHOW EXECUTIVE'S GOLD 100 AWARDS & SUMMIT RECAP
Hollywood’s Michael Villani returned as master of ceremonies
for the Gold 100. Villani kept the proceedings
on course and on time with his usual aplomb.
The New Business Models session tackled the tricky
issue of pricing. Jochen Witt (R) of JWC led the presentation
that also included Reed’s Nancy Walsh and Gene
Sanders of SPI, the Society of the Plastics Industry.
48 November 2012 | Trade Show Executive
Different Kind of Keynote. Author Scott McKain
spoke about the art of differentiation and keeping trade
shows unique and a cut above the competition.
Jason McGraw of InfoComm takes part in the audience
give-and-take. Questions and comments from
the fl oor added to the quality of the Gold 100 Summit.
Gary Shapiro of the Consumer Electronics Association (left) moderated the popular “Burning Issues” panel.
He was joined by (L-R) Roger Dow of the U.S. Travel Association, Peter MacGillivray of SEMA, Britton Jones
of Business Journals, Inc., and Kerry Gumas of Questex Media Group.
Continued from page 46
Panels of Peers
Every year, TSE brings in a solid roster
of speakers who are at the forefront of
the trends and challenges shaping the
exposition industry. The November
presidential election, the sputtering
economy and the art of keeping trade
shows at the top of their game were a
common thread in most sessions.
• Keynote: Scott McKain, commentator,
former CBS anchor, and author of The
Collapse of Distinction, opened the Gold 100
Summit with a warning that “familiarity
breeds complacency.” Customers will
take you for granted if you take them for
granted, he said. Ask yourself, “What is it
about this year’s event that makes it compelling
for a person to attend, given the
hectic world and crowded marketplace?”
Once you develop the “high concept,”
McKain urged the Gold 100 delegates to
drive home that point repeatedly in every
contact with their customers. “Mindshare
precedes market share,” he emphasized.
• New Business Models: Jochen Witt,
president of JWC and a past chairman of
UFI, moderated the session on new pricing
strategies. He said three levers influence
profit: cost, volume and price. “Pricing is
the most important profit improvement
lever,” he noted. “By increasing your price
5%, you can often increase your profits
as much as 50%.” He further noted that
price differentiation is important because
customers like to have choices.
Nancy Walsh, executive vice president
of Reed Exhibitions, noted that Reed is in
its second cycle of Choice Pricing, which
assigns different prices for booth space
based on location and other factors. She
presented a case study on a revamp of
booth pricing for a show that resulted
in a 9.5% increase in revenue.
Gene Sanders, senior vice president of
SPI, the Society of the Plastics Industry,
briefed the crowd on SPI’s online budget
calculator, which enables exhibitors
to quickly figure out their expenses for
exhibiting at NPE. The three biggest ticket
items are exhibit space, material handling
and utilities, and the budget calculator
helps them avoid sticker shock when
they receive their invoices.
Continued on page 50