^{April 2003}

Holding your show in one of the most popular destinations for shows can be a blessing and a curse. Popular show destinations can mean increased attendance, better familiarity with shows and more hotels near the convention center. But it can also mean tighter move-in and move-out schedules, multiple shows in the city and center, and competition for attendees’ time with so many other attractions.

What’s the skinny on hosting your show in one of the hottest states for shows? To get the inside scoop, EXPO searched for show managers who’ve been there and who really know whether a destination is up to the task of hosting your next show. We didn’t ask CVBs or facilities for references. Instead, we tapped independent sources who hold shows in the 10 states that host the most shows, according to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research census.

California
Long Beach
Labor is better to work with than at most destinations. Laborers enjoy a good reputation with contractors, and we've even had the same workers year after year. The consistency is nice. In addition, the convention center’s customer service representatives are great. It started to pour down rain during our move-out, and they helped our smaller exhibitors by opening up underground parking and allowing them to use elevators to get their materials out of the center quickly and dryly.
Sue Frias, Director
Building Industry Show

Los Angeles
Labor in Los Angeles is well-skilled and pleasant to work with, but pay attention to concurrent events and shows in Anaheim and San Diego, as this can strain the labor pool and impact the quality of the workforce. It’s best to concentrate your hotel block downtown because traffic from Westside and Santa Monica can result in 60-minute shuttle rides each way.
Dorothy Belshaw, Senior Vice President
George Little Management (GLM)

San Diego
The city has great public transit. Encourage attendees to use the buses and trolley system in conjunction with the shuttle service. Consider using the outdoor area behind the center, which looks onto the ocean, to host your opening ceremony. The stairs provide a theater-type area for attendees to sit.
Crissy Hart, Director, Conference and Exhibits
International Association of Culinary Professionals

San Francisco
Moscone Center enjoys a great location. Right upstairs and outside of the center are wonderful restaurants that let attendees get refreshed without taking them away from the show site. There are also good restaurants inside the center, as well as in the nearby Yerba Buena Park and Metronome areas. FAO and Gumps are nearby and are good places to hold parties, as are the North Hall Lobby upstairs or the North Hall Lobby at the bottom of the escalators.
Susan Corwin, Vice President
GLM

Colorado
Denver
Denver’s proximity to the mountains provides access to many wonderful excursions that can be accomplished in as little as half a day. I don’t have a favorite because there are so many: Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, or Central City, an old gold mining town that now has legalized gambling.
Jim Fricke, Show Manager
Colorado Garden Show Inc.

Florida
Miami Beach
Choose your hotel carefully because while they are plentiful, they aren’t all good. I prefer to use the newer hotels being built every year. The Miami Beach Convention Center staff is good, but be prepared to spend more on special events at the center because it uses an exclusive caterer. Sponsorships help offset some of the cost, but not all.
Ilana Vardy, Show Manager
Advanstar Communications

Orlando
The Orange County Convention Center’s in-house monitors are valuable for promoting specific messages to attendees. We used them to convey information about the show, and we sold sponsorships so exhibitors could use them as well. One of the most underused parts of the center is the auditorium in the Central Lobby. It’s great for presentations and keynote speakers because it’s well-equipped and convenient.
Gail Billingsley, Director of Marketing
PGA Worldwide Golf Exhibitions

Georgia
Atlanta
Atlanta is one of my preferred destinations because the costs for exhibitors are relatively low when compared to other similar destinations. Labor in particular is very affordable. Also, hotel room rates and meal costs are low for a large metropolitan area, making Atlanta a great destination for attendees and exhibitors.
Stuart Aizenberg, Director Trade Shows and Allied Membership
National Automatic Merchandising Association

Louisiana
New Orleans
The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is a dream. The only challenge is that the hotel market has become so competitive. There are so many hotels, it has always been a challenge to get attendees to book inside the block. Some of our hotels are undercutting our block rates by as much as 50 percent, so we had our housing bureau audit the hotels in our block against our attendee database. That did bring our numbers up.
Jane Bogue, Show Director
Commercial Marine Expositions, Diversified Business Communications


Illinois
Chicago
Before working for the American Heart Association, I exhibited at McCormick Place for 12 years. The local unions have made tremendous improvements in customer service during the past decade. (The city, labor and show managers have worked together to improve labor relations and rules.) An exhibiting company not familiar with a labor union environment like Chicago will likely still find it a shock, but I think the right communication systems are in place for a smooth move-in and move-out. I'd recommend Heather Halford. She does a great job of keeping the general contractor and support vendors in the loop with the center’s staff.
Barb Charbonneau, Senior Manager, Exhibits
American Heart Association

Texas
Dallas
GLM and the Dallas Market Center have improved the situation at the World Trade Center for moving freight up 15 floors to the temporary exhibits. Permanent exhibitors who also display in the temporary area can use a separate freight elevator, freeing one of the elevators for exhibitors trying to get freight to the temporaries section. Because of parking problems, there is now an oversized vehicle program for Market Hall exhibitors. They can use a special parking lot close to the freight doors to move-in and restock.
Rita Malek, Show Manager
GLM

Houston
Texas is a right-to-work state, so Houston was one of the better cities in terms of working with labor. However, if you're holding your show in Houston, you should be aware that construction has shut down a lot of streets. This makes it a challenge to find parking or get around as an out-of-towner. It’s worthwhile to dedicate some time in advance to this issue.
Craig Mortiz, Vice President and Founder
The TradeFair Group Inc.

San Antonio
The Institute of Texan Cultures is a great place to hold a VIP reception. Choose the “Dome Show” in the center of the museum, where guests can eat while surrounded by a film about the cultural history of Texas. Spend a little extra and get the docents to staff several booths and explain them. They dress in costume and play a role appropriate to each display. Our VIPs loved it.
Dick Barton
Marketing, Etc.

Nevada
Las Vegas
Las Vegas’s world-class restaurants provide plenty of places to hold special events or parties. Some of the best are: Cili’s Restaurant and Golf Course, the Foundation Room at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, the Voodoo Café at the Rio and Jillian’s Restaurant.
Chuck Schwartz, Chairman
ConvExx

New York
New York City
If you’re using the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, budget for shuttle
service. Our attendees have long complained that it’s hard to get a taxi at Javits. Work with the convention and visitors’ bureau to get discounts on shows, museums and other attractions for your attendees. They can help you negotiate special deals at some venues or get special tickets, but that depends on availability and other events in New York at the time of your show.
Jim Forlenza, Senior Vice President
E.J. Krause

Tennessee
Nashville
Our show is unique because many of our exhibitors must have open flames. The city, as well as our facility, Opryland Hotel, were proactive, putting us in contact with the right city offices and making sure we had the right connections to make our show work. If you need more rooms than Opryland can provide, there are a number of nearby hotels.
Joan Letchworth, Show Director Hearth, Patio and Barbeque Association



Heather Kirkwood is Senior Editor of EXPO magazine. She can be reached athkirkwood@ascendmedia.com.