The EACA, along with all other industry stakeholder associations, has been invited to participate in an Exhibition Industry Summit on October 6, 2011 in Irving, TX.
The invitation states that “the times demand unprecedented communication and collaboration among the organizations that represent all segments of the exhibitions and events industry.” The invitation also states that “notwithstanding our excellent market position (as an industry)… we may be at a crossroads that will require some modifications to some long-held industry traditions and business practices.”
The hope here is that this event will be informed by the work of the Exhibit Industry Council, who, for the past two years, has endeavored to identify the concerns of our industry’s customers, the exhibitors. At present, two Best Practice Recommendations have been developed to address the primary exhibitor concerns of cost control and event measurement and metrics. While these Best Practices are not intended to be the final word on these subjects, we certainly hope that they provide ample fodder to start the conversation on issues that are near and dear to the hearts of the exhibitors.
Are there are other topics that should be addressed at this industry pow-wow?
If so, let us know and post your comments here. Our commitment is to keep the conversation going and let you know the outcomes of the meeting on October 6.
The Exhibition Industry Summit is being hosted by ASAE (American Society of Association Executives), ESCA (Exhibition Service Contractors Association), IAEE (Int’l Association of Exhibitions and Events), and SISO (Society of Independent Show Organizers).
A troublesome area, in my opinion, is the ever-increasing restrictions on exhibit design in the US. In Europe, the “cubic content” model and others allow exhibitors to pretty much use their booth space as they wish to use it. But in the US, shows are getting more and more restrictive on exhibitors.
For some reason or another there seem to be a “right to a clean site line” mentality that is getting ridiculous. Even with 20×20 and up island spaces, exhibitors are being forced to keep the design “open” so that attendees can see through their exhibit to the exhibitors on the other side! Why should you be required to make sure that people can see through your exhibit? Where did this “open is better” mentality come from? What happened to the right to utilize the space you are paying for as you see fit?
Just my opinion but a “best practice” would be allowing an exhibitor to use the space they paid for instead of requiring them to allow people to see through their exhibit to their neighbor’s exhibit (who may even be a competitor).
These show restrictions are, in my opinion, nothing more than an attempt by show management to force exhibitors who wish to have a better presence to expand horizontally (by purchasing a larger booth space $$$) instead of vertically (full utilization of the space they paid for.)