After a two week span where we’ve seen two of Chicago’s bigger tradeshows “pass” on their 2012 contracts with McCormick Place Convention Center, the NRA has decided to negotiate their future shows as well. Strike while the iron is hot, one could say.
NPE’s first public announcement was made prior to leaving town - and obviously officials in Chicago thought it prudent to call their bluff… Whoops.
As coy as I’ve played with regard to this situation, it is a serious one for McCormick Place, MPEA (Metropolitan Pier and Exhibition Authority - gov’t. entity that governs McCormick and Navy Pier, AKA- “McPier”), Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, and the City of Chicago. All are major stakeholders, and all have significant influence over how these confrontations pan out. There is one sure thing I’m aware of:
Other shows will be following suit. Any and every contract that can be renegotiated will be. Every aspect of the tradeshow cost structure is up for grabs. The days when the exhibit house was the only party to “dicker with” are over. The “take it or leave it” attitude has met its natural rejoinder: “Leave it.”
And our apologies to Oprah: We’re very sorry for the picture, and we’re very sorry that we tried to pin this on you. And on a personal note, I’ve never bothered to watch your show.
Received an inside tip that NPE and HIMSS may have skipped town for the same reasons that motivated Chicago’s most famous entertainer. Is this a conspiracy, or is there something more obvious that I’m missing?
I’m struggling to get my brain around NPE and HIMSS making decisions to leave McCormick Place.
Is it the weather? Chicago does get cold in the winter time.
Is it the business world expressing their disagreement with President Obama? I understand that some disagree with some of his policies. I suppose changing the host city for your tradeshow to a non-Obama city could be one way to flex your economic muscles.
Is it Chicago-style cuisine? Perhaps contemporary diets are incompatible with deep dish pizza and Chicago style ‘dogs - and that would upset expo attendees.
I’m at a loss here, people. Please help me pin down the cause for these two significant tradeshows departing from McCormick Place Convention Center. Thus far, it appears these are totally random occurrences, without any specific cause. Is there any way we can prevent this from happening to the other prominent trade shows held in Chicago?
The greatest lessons I received from the elite public school system in suburban Illinois involved understanding the importance of knowing what the rules are, how exceptions are made, and how they are enforced. Knowing the rules helped me out of quite a few binds!
In the tradeshow world, it’s very much the same way (yes, I’m comparing convention centers to public schools - would anyone blame me for the comparison?). Understanding the technicalities that surround your exhibit, where and when to ask for variances, and what variances show management can or cannot accept, can define the success or failure of your tradeshow booth.
I recently had a client call me with a list of 5 shows that they wanted to exhibit at in 2010. They wanted to do a 20×20 exhibit that was 16 ft. tall. Maximizing visibility and utilization of cubic footage that they pay for has always been of utmost importance to them. (more…)
After a two week span where we’ve seen two of Chicago’s bigger tradeshows “pass” on their 2012 contracts with McCormick Place Convention Center, the NRA has decided to negotiate their future shows as well. Strike while the iron is hot, one could say.
