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