1. 12 Tradeshow Executive • November/December 2001
O
ne of the first lessons I ever learned when
I started in the tradeshow industry 20 years
ago was about the quality of character
among those who respond to trouble for a
living. Working for an EAC company that
erected displays at shows, I knew my job
was to service companies that exhibited at shows by erect-
ing and dismantling their displays. It seemed straightforward
—check on the freight, count the crates, find the set-up
plans, coordinate the necessary labor needed, and get it
show ready. Simple enough. But the lesson I learned then,
and am reminded of each day, is what separates those who
can handle the simple projects from those who can respond
to any crisis and solve any problem.
Like any industry, exhibit set-up and dismantle has its
capable, yet undistinguished workers, and it also has its
superstars. I was fortunate to start out on a team of super-
stars—individuals who craved a challenge. A comment
from one of these superstars formed that first indelible les-
son. He said: “I hate when the job is routine, and goes
according to plan. I know the customer will be happy, but
anyone can make them happy when all goes according to
plan.It’s when things get seriously screwed up that I get
excited, because I know that’s why they’ve really hired us—
to pull them out of the fire and make their show a success.”
It’s Comdex/Fall about 20 years ago. One of the larger
exhibitors in the show approaches our service area at close
to 9 p.m. the night before the show is to open. Although he
is a regular customer of our company, this exhibit manager
had instead opted for the lowest-priced service provider on
this show. The manager is at the end of his wits. The new
display looks great, but the standard furniture that’s been
provided by the show contractor does not. The CEO is to
arrive first thing in the morning and someone’s job could be
on the line. No one else can find what this exhibitor needs.
Can we help solve their problem?
When approached with this last-minute problem after losing
the biggest job of the year at Comdex, another service com-
pany may have been vengeful. But this one responded in
the only way it knew how—it swung into positive action.
PERSPECTIVE BY JIM WURM
Our heros are always with us but we don’t always notice unless
we’re in a crisis. “It’s when things get seriously screwed up that I get excited.”
EAC Heroes at Home in Crisis
Three stores are quickly identified that may carry the kind
of furniture this exhibitor needs. But it’s years before the
advent of the specialty tradeshow furnishings company and
these stores are all closed. We take the exhibitor window
shopping, and locate the exact furniture needed. Two more
hours of effort yields the name and home phone number of
the store manager. We wake him up and convince him to
open his store at 2 a.m. so we can buy the furniture for the
exhibitor. When the show opens the furniture is in the
booth, and the CEO gives the exhibit manager a pat on the
back for a job well done.
“Heroes respond in times of crisis, because they’re uniquely
equipped for those times.” Before I heard that comment, it
had never occurred to me that someone could so prepare
themselves for the unexpected that they could get bored
with the routine, or actually relish the thought of taking on
a serious challenge. But the more I worked in the
tradeshow industry in those early days of my career, the
more superstars I met with the same can-do attitudes. And
the more can-do attitudes I met, the more I realized that
this was the job description of the EACs.
EACs get hired because they’ve never met an obstacle
they can’t overcome. If things always went according to
plan, exhibitors could hire their requisite number of labor-
ers from the service desk, and supervise their work in set-
ting up the display. But, despite best intentions, the
move-in process at tradeshows is full of unexpected wrin-
kles and occasional crises. It’s these unexpected events that
lead to the development and ultimate flourishing of EACs.
Exhibitors wanted professionals who they could count on
in these times of trouble, and the EACs answered the call.
Exhibitors have come to rely on service companies whose
attitude about getting the job done is “whatever it takes.”
The tropical depression near New Orleans had developed
into a full blown hurricane. All air travel in and out of the
airport was suspended, and the last-minute shipment of the
display must go by ground overnight to make the show. But
the wrong graphics get loaded into the display crate.Years
before the cell phone era, the driver forgets his beeper. But
the situation only appears impossible. A helicopter is char-
tered to fly the route the truck will take to New Orleans.
Within three hours the truck is spotted and flagged down.
The graphics are switched and the show opens flawlessly.
3. To overcome vast challenges, heroes focus on a positive
end-result and then find the next step.
Redefinement and Reassurance in Troubled Times
The events of September 11 have redefined what we
mean when we say tragedy or crisis. The suffering that was
visited on those who worked in the World Trade Center,
and the Pentagon, as well as their family and friends trivi-
alizes the impact felt in the tradeshow industry. Even so,
the devastation rippled outward and triggered crises in our
confidence, our economy and our faith in our fellow man.
The initial response in our industry resembled that of many
others—travel plans changed, strategic business plans
were re-examined and altered, and businesses enacted
cost-cutting measures to safeguard their companies.
At a time when our industry is usually gearing up for a
very busy fall season, some convention centers fell eerily
silent, leaving all to wonder what would come next.Yet,
through it all we continued to look for a better under-
standing, for guidance on how to proceed, and for signs of
leadership that everything will be OK.
Ultimately, as we seek to formulate a forward-thinking
response in this time of crisis, we turn to those who are
always there in times of trouble.
Negotiations reach impasse. The EAC is told of the local
union’s intent to strike. The reserve gate is established at the
convention center, and the contractor flies its own staff, at its
own expense, to service the clients in the show. But the BA
in this tradeshow town is a character from another era. He
shows up at the hall brandishing a revolver, and making
threats about the repercussions for any contractor attempt-
ing to work on the show. A win for this BA is shutting down
the show, or forcing the contractor to sign a contract that is
not good for the industry. But this EAC has done his home-
work. The facility manager, the show manager and the offi-
cial contractor are kept in the loop each step of the way.
Ultimately, the trouble-making BA is removed from the hall
and the show is moved in without any inconvenience to the
exhibitors.
If you want to find a hero, look for the one with the
internal confidence and the external focus.
We’ve all been changed by the events of September 11,
and the EACs and other exhibit service suppliers are no
exception. It is not work as usual for the can-do types in
the tradeshow industry. In fact, there are some who won-
der if there will be a “usual” again. But this will not distract
them for long from the job at hand. More comfortable in
positive action than in negative contemplation, the EACs
are doing, and will continue to do, what needs to be done.
Show cancellations and general business interruptions
have created a new sense of urgency in their businesses.
They are thinking about what they can do, or what our
industry can do, to make exhibitor customers feel safe and
secure about their tradeshow plans. They know that this
will present a huge challenge for our entire industry. They
know it’s a time when they need to reach out to one anoth-
er, to find a way to work together, more closely than ever,
for their mutual good, and the good of our industry.
In Times of Personal Crisis, EACs Step Up
There are no crises like those that touch us personally,
and there is no greater response to those crises than per-
sonal giving.
Super Show Atlanta 1994 was scheduled to open tomorrow,
and the Nike booth was not yet ready. “No problem,” said
the EAC crew chief. “I’ll stay all night if I have to, but this
booth will be ready by the morning, and it’s going to be
beautiful.” With the work finally completed at 2 a.m.,
Randy Smith gets in his car to make the drive to his subur-
ban Atlanta home. But the long hours have taken their toll
and Randy falls asleep at the wheel. He dies instantly in the
one car crash and leaves behind a wife and two young boys.
For evidence of how the members of EAC community pull
together in times of crisis one need look no further than the
recently completed Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic. The
objective of this event is to provide emotional and financial
support to members of the exhibit service community who
have suffered a tragedy or face insurmountable medical
expenses. In it’s seventh year, the RSMGC has become a
fixture in the can-do community of tradeshow workers.
The RSMGC is proof positive that in times of crisis—
when people we care about are suffering—we can’t stand
by and simply wish them well. Those of us more fortunate
must step up and be counted. This year, more than 200
tradeshow industry professionals set aside their own prob-
lems to come together in Braselton, Georgia, to help out
the less fortunate. In doing so, they not only lifted the spir-
its of those who are troubled, they gave themselves a much
needed gift of mutual healing and support. The participants
at the RSMGC reaffirmed their faith in their fellow man,
provided hope for the personal well-being of their col-
leagues, and unselfishly gave tens of thousands of dollars to
overcome the economic crisis of their colleagues.
If and when the time comes when I must battle a crisis,
I know which guys I want on my team. They’re my heroes.
When trouble comes, as it does, you can be certain the
EAC community will be ready to respond.
Jim Wurm (jimwurm@eaca.com) is Executive Director of EACA, 2214 NW 5th St.,
Bend, OR 97701, (541) 317-8768.
EAC Heroes at Home in Crisis
14 Tradeshow Executive • November/December 2001
