Trade Show News by Tradetec Skyline Chicago

Archive for September, 2008

November 30th-December 5th 2008 - Chicago’s McCormick Place will once again house one of the largest trade show events for the Radiological Society of North America.  RSNA 2008 has expanded to three buildings at McCormick Place, creating an array of exhibiting opportunities and educational events throughout the week long trade show.

Some of the rules & regulations to keep in mind for your trade show display & exhibit booth staff are clearly lined out by the Technical Exhibit Committee

Exhibitors may not sponsor any educational or marketing activities to RSNA meeting professional registrants other than ones that have been specifically authorized by RSNA (such as an approved Non-RSNA Satellite Symposia event)

Your trade show exhibit badge may not be defaced, such as inserting stick on cards, or applying stick-on novelty items.

Do not leave your trade show display unattended

Make sure your the Audiovisual devices that are in your trade show display are not too loud. (80 dps or lower).

Refreshments may not be used so as to attract attendees into your trade show display or as a promotion, but liquid refreshments are allowed with prior approval.

If you are looking for more information on the trade show rules & regulations, contact your local Chicago Trade Show Display & Exhibit House for more information and exhibiting assistance.

RSNA is sponsoring a series of tours and events while you are attending the Chicago Area Trade Show, for more information visit rsna2008.rsna.org to find out more details.

Chicago may not be the host of the Magic Fashion and Apparel Trade  Show but it does have a abundance of trade shows in the upcoming months hitting local exhibit halls and conference centers.  Chicago does host some of the largest trade shows with an incredible amount of exhibit space at McCormick Place, Donald E. Stephenson Convention Center and the various venues that are scattered across the Chicago land area.

Preparing your exhibit for a Chicago Trade Show is easy with a local Chicago Trade Show Display & Exhibit House that is well versed in design, fabrication as well as trade show services.  Offering a comprehensive program  with background knowledge of the logistics, planning and rules and regulations of  Chicago land Convention Centers and Exhibit Halls.

Getting your trade show displays and exhibits ready for the upcoming events should be a priority in your planning process.  Looking forward on your trade show calendar with the following upcoming events, is your trade show exhibit display ready to meet your competition face to face when the convention center & exhibit hall doors open for the upcoming events?

* NSC Congress & Expo (Natl. Safety Council)
* The ASI Show! Chicago
* ASCO Annual Meeting
* PITTCON
* Coverings
* International Home & Housewares Show
* GRAPH EXPO
* NRA Restaurant-Hotel-Motel Show
* RSNA Scientific Assembly & Annual Meeting
* Supermarket Industry Convention & Educational Exposition
* NXTCOMM
* ProMat
* The Motivation Show
* CMM International
* NeoCon World’s Trade Fair
* Worldwide Food Expo
* Chicago Midwest Beauty Show America’s Beauty Show
* Food, Dairy & Beverage Exposition
* National Manufacturing Week
* Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting
* Chicago Gift & Home Market
* Mid-Am Horticultural Trade Show
* FoodSmarts Meeting & Expo (IFT AMFE)
* True Value Spring Market
* Chicago Boat, RV & Outdoor Show
* Carquest World of Wheels
* Supercycle Show and Parts Expo
* VollExpo
* Chicago Auto Show
* American Chemical Society
* Hot Import Nights
* Building Service Contractors Association
* International Trademark Association
* FMI Show
* International Fancy Food Show
* IAASS Conference on Space Flight Safety
* American Association of Museums

Keeping with the ‘green’ theme, the AHR EXPO will produce much of its promotional materials in
digital format and make them available online, thus eliminating thousands of sheets of paper. Hosting the 2009 AHR EXPO at Chicago’s McCormick Place also reflects the Show’s ‘green’ commitment.
McCormick Place utilizes many recycled and environmentally friendly products. These include 100%
recycled paper products in restroom facilities, cold beverage cups made of PLA (Poly Lactic Acid-resin
derived from natural corn starches that are 100% annually renewable and fully compostable), flatware in dining areas made of compostable potato starch, and all packaged food boxes are 100% compostable, including the lunch box, napkins, cookie bag, flatware, sandwich and salad containers.

Much of the focus at AHR this year is the “green theme”, it is difficult to say if or when Green will become the standard in exhibit products and services.  Tradetec Skyline offers several solutions to Green Exhibiting when it comes to your overall trade show display design.  Comprehensive solutions for Green Exhibiting starting with Graphics Solutions that have eliminated printing errors by 80%, creating less waste. Painting Procedures that no longer need harmful solvents for clean up as well as shipping consolidation.

With custom lightweight modular trade show displays, and environmentally friendly manufacturing Tradetec Skyline can start you on the road to Green Exhibiting.

AHR Expo & Trade Show - Chicago McCormick Place - January 26th-29th, 2009
ASHRAE Expo & Trade Show runs concurrently along with AHR Expo & Trade Show - January 24th - 28th, 2009

Tradetec Skyline announces the New TradeWinds Fabric Pop Up Display to their product offerings.  A new definition for easy! An aluminum pop-up frame with a single-piece fabric graphic in minutes,  no tools are required for set up, making this trade show display simple, yet a comprehensive trade show exhibit solution.

With an aluminum frame, this is a light weight solution for your trade show display and exhibiting needs, a single piece fabric graphic and aluminum feet for added stability.

The fabric graphic is wrinkle resistant stretch knit, and comes attached to the frame providing a taut fitting mural and stays attached for packing and shipping.  Available with or without end panels, flame retardant, and is an interchangeable  trade show display solution.

Packaging options include either a soft carrying bag or a hard shipping case, that can turn into a portable and function trade show table.

In addition to the TradeWinds Fabric Pop Up Display we have added a  new literature rack to give a stylish and streamlined look to your trade show display.

Simple set-up, this 6 tiered literature rack, 3 positions on each side holding up to 600 sheets of literature.  It comes in Silver or Black and easily coordinates with other TradeWinds and Skyline products.

This trade show display has many advantages for exhibitors looking for ease of use as well as a bold statement:

Lightweight
Quick 5 Minute Set Up
Seamless Graphic Mural
Wrinkle Free Graphics
One Shipping Case
Clip on Lights
Case Table

Product Available September 30th, 2008
Portable & Reliable Trade Show Solutions from Tradetec Skyline - you local Chicago Skyline Dealer.

Targeting your niche market by exhibiting at smaller trade shows & venue’s, the inception of the Precast Trade Show began in Chicago.  The home of  Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute - PCI, The PreCast Trade Show will be held in February 2009 in Houston.  PCI has a large list of upcoming trade shows & events in the industry.

“The Precast Show is an equipment and services trade show designed by precasters and suppliers, and it puts the focus squarely on manufacturing, safety, technical training and the producers who are doing award-winning work in this industry,” according to Ty E. Gable, president of the National Precast Concrete Association. “The Precast Show was designed from scratch by the experts – the exhibitors and precasters who will be doing business on the trade show floor.”

NPCA held extensive brainstorming meetings with exhibitors and precast manufacturers and developed the event along with longtime trade show partner, the American Concrete Pipe Association. The Precast Show has been in the planning stage for more than two years, starting with a meeting of 66 major exhibitors held in Chicago in 2006. The group started with a blank sheet of paper, Gable said, and worked toward their vision of the ideal show.

The show will never be as large as the trade shows geared toward the entire concrete industry, but that’s actually one of its main benefits. Richard Isaacson, principal with iwi group LLC, based in Norcross, Ga., said that the largest shows are so massive that “some of your customers aren’t going to be able to find you. That’s the benefit of a smaller show. Everyone will be able to find you and you’ll be able to spend time with them. I’m excited about it,” Isaacson added. “I think it will give us a good opportunity to see our customers in a setting that is conducive to selling. It’s quality, not necessarily quantity.”

By Kerri Zerlin — Tradeshow Week, 9/15/2008
Autumn is almost officially here, and with it comes cooler weather, a presidential election and – during the next six months – the grand openings of 15 new, expanded or renovated venues.

According to the soon-to-be-released 2008 Tradeshow Week Major Exhibit Hall Directory, September is the busiest month of them all, with eight convention centers and hotels opening, or re-opening, their doors.

Phoenix awaits the late-December completion of the Phoenix Convention Center expansion, which will bring its total exhibit space to 690,000 square feet, from its previous 250,000 sq. ft. Convention Center Director Jay Green said groups have been booking space through 2025.

“Convention planners want to come to Arizona, but, because of the limited size of the former Phoenix Civic Plaza, were unable to do so,” Green said. “By nearly tripling the size of the former facility, the new Phoenix Convention Center will be one of the top 20 convention centers in North America in terms of size, and will be able to host more than 80 percent of convention business.”

The largest newly constructed center to open in the United States, with 150,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, is the Raleigh (N.C.) Convention Center (see related story on Page 1). But Expo at Mundo Imperial in Acapulco, Mexico, is even larger. Its grand opening is scheduled for next month with 244,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space and another 113,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

“Mundo Imperial is bringing to Acapulco new business for all the hotels,” said Antonio Vera, director of sales and marketing for the venue, which cost more than $340 million. “Most of the expos and conventions … that we will be having in the next couple of years will be coming from the domestic market, from Mexico.” He added that, though flights from the United States are not as numerous as he would like, the situation is improving, and the Mundo Imperial staff is promoting the venue to U.S. association and tradeshow organizers.

Smaller destinations are stepping up with larger venues as well. Daytona Beach, Fla., opened its Ocean Center Convention Hall this month, after a $76 million expansion took the center from 225,491 sq. ft. to 452,491 sq. ft. Although the expansion is complete, the existing building will now undergo a renovation, scheduled for completion by the year’s end, according to Dave Byron, community services director with the Volusia County government, owner and operator of Ocean Center.

He added that the venue expected to receive its certificate of occupancy within days, and already has begun booking shows, including the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Assn.’s Fire-Rescue East, which expects its 2009 show to use more than 130,000 sq. ft., have between 250 and 300 exhibitors and attract about 9,000 attendees, according to Jim Wile, executive director of the FFCA.

Byron said marketing of the facility has been underway for 18 to 24 months, and bookings have been fairly strong for the next year.

“Because of our much greater capacity,” Byron said, “we’re very optimistic that we’ll be able to go … at least into the second-tier convention market in Florida and, in some cases, even the first.”

The Rhode Island Convention Center Complex renovation also was completed in September, with the ribbon-cutting ceremony taking place Sept. 5. The $80 million renovation, according to Tim Muldoon, general manager of the Rhode Island Convention Center, included an over-the-street walkway that connects the convention center to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, a sports arena. Muldoon added The Westin Providence, which is connected to the convention center, added 200 rooms, giving it a total of more than 560 rooms and making it a bona fide headquarter hotel.

“Right now we have the ability to go after a little different market set as far as our convention business,” Muldoon said. “It makes the joining of the Dunkin’ Donuts Center … and the convention center all the more important, because we’re going to need that space for general sessions that are of a larger size than what we could have handled.”

The center’s renovation already helped the complex book new shows, including the 2009 GovEnergy Workshop & Exposition. The show, last held at the Phoenix Convention Center in August, will have a 50,000 sq. ft. show floor, about 200 exhibitors and a total attendance of approximately 2,500, according to the U.S Dept. of Energy, the show’s organizer along with four other government agencies.

Other new venues opening between now and the end of January:

Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage, Alaska, October, 86,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space
Jackson Convention Complex in Jackson, Miss., January, 60,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space
South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, British Columbia, September, 45,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space.

Supercomm Comes to Chicago

Tradeshow Week, 9/9/2008 5:30:00 PM
Telecommunications Industry Assn. and USTelcom will replace the struggling NXTcomm, last held in June at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with the newly named Supercomm, the original name of the show before the two associations split and then reunited.  The newly branded show will be held in Chicago on June 8th-11th, 2009.
Advantages to having a trade show exhibit at Supercomm - Business and technology solutions that can grow your network, and help you in the delivery of your services and products.

Buyers from all across the globe, in a growing industry.

Supercomm will have a new look and line up of keynote speakers, conference and education sessions, trade show exhibits and pavilions.

Chicago will soon be buckling down for winter time, but all over the nation there will be trade shows going on for the Outdoor Retailers and Sporting Goods Suppliers.  Start planning your trade show display for the upcoming events.

The Shot Show opens at the Orange County Convention Center on January 15th, 2009.  Advertising your upcoming trade shows to your prospective clients is a must when it comes to trade show marketing.  The Shot Show has recently released some information on fraudulent solicitation for the upcoming event and are warning exhibitors to use caution.

Last years event held record numbers of attendee’s and exhibitors with over 58,000 in attendance.

With the following events coming up around the corner, now is the time to plan your trade show display for your presence on the trade show floor, and define your spot in the market place.  With high quality trade show graphics, your marketing strategies can be defined and your message can be heard.

ATA - Archery Trade Association - January 8th-10th - Indiana Convention Center and 300,000 Square Feet of Exhibit Space

ICAST - July 15th-17th, 2009 - Orange County Convention Center- in 2008, ICAST exhibitors filled 1,350 trade show booths

Outdoor Retailer Winter Market - January 22nd - 25th, 2009 - Salt Palace Convention Center - Salt Lake City

Outdoor Retailer has proven to be the leading growth vehicle for brands that are interested in progressing and advancing into multiple channels of the outdoor marketplace.

Chicago Boat, RV & Outdoor Trade Show - January 14th - 18th, 2009 - McCormick Place - Chicago

This is a trade show you don’t want to miss if you are in the restaurant industry, if you are planning on being an exhibitor and are unsure of how to go about preparing your exhibit & design for a fresh new look, a local Chicago Exhibit house is offering a free exhibit rental program.  Let a team of experts worry about your Trade Show Services so that you and your marketing team can focus on your pre-trade show marketing strategies.

Registration for 2009 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show® and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event Now Open

Special early online-only pricing offered through December 1, 2008

The National Restaurant Association today announced that attendee registration is now open for its 2009 Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Trade Show and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB). A special online-only discount is available for restaurant and hospitality industry professionals who register before December 1, 2008. NRA Show 2009 will be held May 16-19 at McCormick Place in Chicago, and is the largest industry trade event in the world. IWSB 2009 will be held in conjunction with the NRA Show on Sunday, May 17, and Monday, May 18, and is the only beverage alcohol event exclusively focused on the restaurant and hospitality industry. Attendees may register online at www.restaurant.org/show or www.winespiritsbeer.org.

“If restaurant and hospitality industry professionals could only attend one trade show next year, the NRA Show would be their absolute best choice,” said Lorna Donatone, Convention Chair for NRA Show 2009 and President of School Services, Sodexo, Inc. “The event gathers the best and the brightest of the industry in one place, among 2,200 exhibitors showcasing thousands of products and services. No other industry trade show offers more opportunities or more excitement, and we are pleased to provide special registration prices to committed individuals who want to get a head-start on the next business year.”

General attendees registering for IWSB will automatically be registered for the NRA Show. However, those registering for the NRA Show will not automatically be registered for IWSB; separate qualifications, registration and badges are required for IWSB.

Before December 1, 2008, registration for the NRA Show is $30, and IWSB registration is $85. Between December 2 and April 10, 2009, NRA Show registration is $40 and IWSB registration is $95. After April 10, 2009, registration fees increase to $80 for the NRA Show and $135 for IWSB.
National Restaurant Association members receive free registration for the NRA Show and the value-added discount rate of $55 for IWSB when registering any time.

The NRA Show attracts more than 71,500 industry professionals from 100+ countries and is the premier venue to find new products and services, build relationships and network, learn from experts and peers, as well as explore the latest trends in food and beverage, equipment, training and cooking techniques.

Now in its second year, IWSB is the industry’s first and only professional forum focused exclusively on restaurant and hospitality bar programs. Held in a separate exhibit area of McCormick Place, the event gathers brewers, vintners and distillers, leading beverage experts, beverage alcohol buyers and more in one exclusive area.

Registration for NRA Show 2009 and IWSB 2009 exhibitors and for news media will begin later this fall.

Celebrating its 90th year, the annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is the largest single gathering of restaurant, food service and lodging professionals in the world. The 2009 Show will be held May 16-19, at McCormick Place in Chicago. The event attracts more than 2,200 exhibiting companies and 71,500 attendees and visitors from all 50 states and 100+ countries. For more information, visit the Show Web site at National Restaurant Show

Written by: Sue Hensley

In October, more than 5,000 emergency medicine professionals will descend on Chicago for the largest, most prestigious show in emergency medicine.  Scientific Assembly 2008  - October 27th, 2008. The attendees come highly motivated to participate in our advanced educational programs.

Trade Show Exhibits can help portray a message to a highly technical group with up to date multi-media presentations, functional trade show work stations, and graphics.

Exhibitors that have participated in Scientific Assembly in the past know the value this trade show brings. In 2007 there were over 5100 professional attendees and over 1800 trade show exhibitors.