In case you hadn’t heard there was a news item in Meetings & Conventions that came across the wire this week regarding an alliance between ESCA, IAEE, SISO, IAVM and DMAI.
The CEOs of these organizations plan to meet at least twice a year to discuss opportunities for “joint cooperation.” While I applaud any effort for industry associations to facilitate better communication for the purpose of improving opportunities and outcomes for trade show exhibitors, my hope is that these CEOs will also reconsider the invitations that was extended to each of them by the Exhibit Industry Council last year to participate in the development and adoption of Best Practices for our industry. As of this writing, the EIC has not received any positive responses to that invitation.
In my experience, there is already a fair amount of communication, and joint cooperation, between and among show organizers, facilities and general service contractors. Our industry will really move forward in more positive, “joint cooperation” kind of way once the coalition that plans to meet in Washington DC in June is also open to regularly planned communication with the customers of the trade show industry, the exhibitors, and the organizations that build and service their exhibit programs.
Our belief is that for any new industry initiative to succeed it must have the buy-in and cooperation of all industry stakeholders. We look forward to the day when the members of this new alliance join the EIC to promote Best Practices that will provide the kind of cooperation that will lay the foundation for our industry’s future success. Because when our exhibitor customers succeed, everybody wins!
