^{October 2003}

As the 21st century dawns, convention centers are striving to meet a rapidly ` changing and ever-expanding set of demands placed on them by the rising expectations of show managers. After all, 21st century shows aren’t just rows of exhibits teeming with the latest wares hawked by means of fish bowl drawings and booth babes. They are multimedia events, demanding the latest in broadband access and satellite uplinks to create a buzz. 

But as convention centers across the country constantly upgrade their 21st century offerings, many are also rediscovering that the key to winning the competition for a show manager’s attention isn’t just the latest wiring or wireless technology — it’s good old-fashioned service. More often than not, a 19th century approach of taking the time to listen to customers, inquiring about their experience and needs, and then incorporating the knowledge gained to create a customized product dictates the latest trends in ever-evolving convention centers. 

For some, that means simpler contracts. For others, it means union agreements that place service above territorial squabbles. And for others, it means creating spaces that are elegant, and yet flexible enough to accommodate a wide range of events. 

“Convention centers are taking a page from the hotel industry,” says Jack Zimmer, Executive Director of the International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM), “They’re moving away from being strictly utilitarian civic centers. They’ve got to constantly strive to meet the higher expectations of show managers. Customer expectations don’t go down.” 

2001, not quite a space odyssey
It wouldn’t be the 21st century without technology creeping into every facet of life at a convention center. And while the voice of HAL doesn’t yet waft through the halls of state-of-the-art facilities, plenty of other futuristic amenities are becoming not just luxuries,but necessities. No matter how much space a center has, without an up-to-date technological backbone, more and more show managers will have to pass on a facility. 

Joe Flynn, Global Telecom Events Director for Advanstar Communications Inc., says finding a convention center that meets his technological specifications, as well as his space and date requirements, is becoming increasingly challenging. The technological requirements needed by exhibitors to demonstrate their products moves at a faster pace than most convention center upgrades. 
“A lot of convention centers don’t seem to want to make the investment in technology,” Flynn says, “This is a major problem.” 

Indeed, technology is the new competitive battleground. In response to show managers’ needs, centers are vying to offer the most capacity and flexibility by increasing bandwidth, introducing wireless Internet connections and increasing the points of connectivity to the Internet throughout the building. 

As a result, facility managers are adjusting budgets, lobbying city councils and forming partnerships with technology companies to keep their facilities current. 

Some of the most popular technological amenities are videoconferencing, satellite uplinks and downlinks, computerized ticketing and state-of-the-art fiber-optic backbones that support video, audio and graphic-heavy Internet traffic, as well as wireless technology. 

“It’s the corporate business that drives technology upgrades as much as it’s trade shows,” says Joe Psuik, Director of the San Diego Convention Center, “The big technology companies have to have the latest for their product launches and corporate shows, and they’re willing to pay what it costs. But you’ve got to be able to provide the service.” 

Psuik says facilities like his build their technology backbones with future upgrades in mind. It’s one area where facilities are discovering it doesn’t pay to scrimp. “Whatever you do, it’s going to be out of date 90 days after you’ve installed it,” Psuik says, “So you use the best wiring, and you try to build in more than you need.” 

In San Diego, Psuik says, points of access to the Internet backbone, for example, have been put in throughout the building — in the lobby for information kiosks and in the meeting rooms, as well as in the exhibit halls. 

Frank Poe, Executive Director of the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center Complex and President of IAAM, says repeat business from show managers with specific needs helps some facilities keep pace. “You’ll notice that the facilities that host highly technical showsyear after year keep up pretty well,” says Poe. 

For example, in New York, home to many glitzy product launches, the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center has taken videoconferencing up a notch, forming a partnership with MediaOnDemand.com to enable show managers or exhibitors to broadcast live from their boothor broadcast general sessions via the Internet or satellite (around the world). 

Old & new fashioned details
The convention center market has created pressure that is causing facilities to review everything, from something as simple as the carpet, to something as complex as the facility’s space contract. As convention centers move from civic buildings to an ambiance that resembles that of a hotel, they are beefing up their facilities to keep pace with the changing times. 

“Facilities that are competing for the same business generally have the same amount of space,” says Ken Stockdell, Senior Associate, at Atlanta-based Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback and Associates, an architecture firm that specializes in working with convention centers. 

“Instead, facilities are turning to quality as a way to gain a competitive advantage,” Stockdell explains, “From a value standpoint, it’s a good strategy since finishes generally only represent about 5 percent of total construction costs.” 

Besides the marble-like finishes and elegant wall sconces, Stockdell says today’s new convention centers, as well as renovations, require that opportunities to use space for sponsorships be built into the overall plan. For example, ceilings are designed to make it easier to hang banners. Or beams might be used to create architectural interest, as well as provide a place from which to hang advertisements. Video monitors or electronic signs are other features now commonly used. 

“Show managers are looking for opportunities to customize the spaces they’re using,” Stockdell says. Among the innovations show managers could see in coming years are more control over lighting in any given space by way of remote control and program key cards that would give them access to the parts of the building they’ve rented when they need it. The cards would eliminate the need for keys, or for building personnel to come and unlock restricted areas. “Right now, it is just a matter of cost, but we have clients looking at these options,” says Stockdell. 

In San Diego, reviewing customer service took on many forms. The expansion includes flexible meeting room space; service corridors that run through the center of the buildings, so building staff are never seen by attendees as they move chairs or transport food; and pantries located near some of the larger rooms to keep food warm and add finishing touches before serving it to guests. 

But service goes beyond the building. Last year, the San Diego Convention Center revamped its facility contract to make it easier for show managers to digest. The changes cut the contract from 21 pages to seven. The facility also introduced a program whereby show managers can lock in not only dates, but also rates for their shows 10 years in advance. “Most of our clients sign contracts with convention hotels early in the planning stages. This new process gives planners the piece of mind that they have the space in the center before they make other legally-binding agreements,” says San Diego Convention Center Corp. President and Chief Operating Officer Carol Wallace. 

Convention centers are also looking for ways to provide service in a more public way — directly to attendees. 

“Convention centers are offering guest services or concierge desks at a much more aggressive rate than a few years ago,” says Poe, “It’s part of a mentality that’s much more like that of a hotel.” As a result, guests can get directions within the building or find out about local restaurants or entertainment spots. 

All about reputation
Some cities striving to be more competitive have looked beyond the physical characteristics of the building to the unions working inside. Two years ago, Chicago was facing a problem: squabbles over who was allowed to do what had given the city a reputation among exhibitors as being a place where labor was difficult to work with. As a result, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) worked with the unions serving McCormick Place and Navy Pier to create a labor agreement that provides for a certain amount of flexibility between the unions, as well as between the unions and the exhibitors. 

Under the agreement signed by the Teamsters, Carpenters, Decorators and Riggers unions, exhibitors with booths less than 300 square feet can set up and dismantle their own booths. In addition, the agreement served to help unite the unions so that they work together as one force. Now, unions can work across traditional jurisdictional lines. Exhibitors also have the flexibility to perform some electrical work, such as computer hook-ups and video camera operation. 

On Jan. 10, 2001, the agreement was renewed for another five years. “The trade show experience for our customer improved dramatically under the 1998 agreement, “ says Kelly R. Welsh, Chairman, MPEA Board of Directors. “The announcement keeps those work rule changes in place and reaffirms the commitment by all sides to grow the $6 billion a year convention industry in Chicago.”
Philadelphia is another city that has found it necessary to work with unions to provide the service show managers expect. The city’s unions have had a reputation for working slower and not cooperating well. Labor disputes leading up to the Republican National Convention almost resulted in a work stoppage that would have embarrassed the city. 

Now, however, the city has a brand-new labor agreement that brings together the unions in the interest of customer service. Among the agreement’s many provisions, representatives from all unions will attend pre-show conferences with a representative of the facility and the contractor. The special needs of each show will be addressed and jurisdictional issues worked out in advance. 
Should conflict arise, a representative agreed upon by both management and the unions will make a decision about the disagreement within 15 minutes of the problem being brought to their attention. After the show, the parties involved will meet again to hash out any issues or make any needed adjustments to work rules. The object is to keep disagreements off the show floor and to help the unions work together more efficiently. 

Another aspect of the new labor agreement requires unions to maintain ongoing educational classes for workers on hospitality and customer service, as well as technical aspects of their respective fields. The classes will start immediately. 

“We had an Achilles heel,” says Bob Butera, President of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority, “We haven’t had an effective delivery system. We’re putting our best foot forward and I believe we now have the infrastructure to handle it.” 

Effective work rules are getting more attention in union and non-union cities alike, says Poe. As part of the exhibition industry’s efforts to create some standardization, representatives from facilities, unions, exhibitors and show managers have formed the National Labor Relations Committee. The committee is in its infancy, however. “It’s our hope that exhibitors will find the same standards whether they’re in New York, Chicago or Dallas,” Poe says, “It’s a lofty goal, but I think the process itself is good for the industry.”

It’s those lofty goals that convention centers will continue to strive for, whether it’s renovating space, adding new building additions, or forming creative and unique partnerships with outside companies to keep pace with the rising cost of technology — all in a quest to serve the show manager. As Zimmer says, “Customer expectations never go down.” 

Heather Kirkwood is the Senior Editor of EXPO magazine.