the April 2009 Issue in PDF Format - Trade Show Executive

Continued from page 33
more psychologically
devastating to them
than the drop from
9,000 to 8,000.
Bob: What actions are
you taking at Advanstar
in light of this?
Joe: The three most
important things for
us to do in these tough
times are: one, create
cost-effective programs;
two, focus on quality;
and three, Service,
Service, Service.
Bob: How do you keep
your team motivated?
Joe: We have a great
team. Everybody knows
it’s tough, so we are in
constant communication
with them. I visit all offices each year
and do a thorough presentation on our
priorities, which is particularly useful at this
time. We reach out to them on a personal
basis and get them to be very connected
to their customers. We remind them that
none of us woke up today in Darfur, Iraq
or Afghanistan, that we still have endless
possibilities and we are lucky to be here
in the United States of America. Finally,
everyone who has a job should be happy
for that job.
Bob: What is Advanstar’s USP?
Joe: We look for three things: right markets,
right products and the right teams. First, we
want to be in the right markets, ones that
are large and growing. We particularly seek
markets where the dynamics are conducive
to change, creating a constant need to
communicate. Second, we like our products
to be crucial in our customers’ sales and
marketing mix. Third, we like to maintain
the right Advanstar team to accomplish this.
Ultimately, our focus is on connecting our
customers to their customers. As a result, we
have leading products and great ones. We
have very good customer relations because of
our very good teams.
Bob: Are you currently considering any
launches or acquisitions?
Focused on Service. Advanstar’s executive team keeps customer service as its No. 1
focus. Loggia (second from left) meets with (L-R) Sheryl Ritchie-Longo, corporate director
of facilities; Nancy Nugent, vice president human resources; and Georgiann DeCenzo,
executive vice president.
Joe: We are highly focused on launching
new products, by figuring out the best way
to grow within industries where we are
established. We’ve just launched several
new electronic products: the latest is www.
DVM360.com, a one-stop site for doctors
of veterinarian medicine to get news,
product and clinical information. In our
veterinarian business, we have the three
leading magazines and three successful
trade shows. We’ve done the same thing
with our healthcare group, with www.
ModernMedicine.com, which is another
professional portal. We launched the
Premium Section within MAGIC, and
we’re launching an apparel section in our
licensing show. We’re focusing on new
international pavilions at our Dealer Expo.
Bob: What is the competition like in this
environment?
Joe: It’s different in all sectors. Where we
have shows, there are lots of competitors,
and we are not seeing any less or more of
them.
Bob: How do you reach out to Gen X and
Gen Y?
Joe: If you want to communicate
efficiently and effectively to the younger
generation, you have to think electronically.
That’s why we have electronic initiatives
in every Advanstar group. For examples,
the off-road segment of
our power sports group
offers www.offroad.
com, a B-to-B platform
that drives an incredible
675,000 users a month. We
have www.searchautoparts.
com, which is a portal
for parts and training
information used by
mechanics, body shops
and DIY folks. In every
group, we look at where
the young people are going
electronically and we go
there. We use Twitter and
Facebook extensively – we
actually get orders through
Facebook.
Bob: What about your
green initiatives?
Joe: We have internal and
external programs that make us ecologically
friendly. We work on drastically cutting
down trash at our events. At MAGIC, we
added a section for environment-friendly
clothing.
Bob: Any advice for middle managers
today?
Joe: Be the first one at work every day
and, when needed, be the last one to go
home. Make sure your priorities are to
your customers, your company and your
staff. I’d say that we are not the first group
to experience a recession – we’ve been
here before and this, too, will pass. The
people who can evolve and look at this as
an opportunity, not just a struggle, will be
successful in the future.
Bob: What keeps you up at night?
Joe: (laughing) My three daughters, but
they would say it’s the dogs.
Bob: Final thoughts?
Joe: Trade shows remain a highly viable
way to connect, communicate and conduct
business. We need to make sure that
we focus on continuing to be effective,
efficient and adding value to the process.
Reach Joe Loggia at (818) 227-4417 or
jloggia@advanstar.com
34 April 2009 Trade Show Executive www.TradeShowExecutive.com