The document discusses how exhibit and event service contractors (EACs) excel at solving problems and responding to crises in their work setting up and dismantling trade show displays. It provides several examples of EACs going above and beyond to ensure trade show clients' needs are met, even in difficult circumstances or emergencies. The document also discusses how EACs support each other both professionally and personally during times of crisis through initiatives like the Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic, which fundraises for colleagues facing medical hardships.
The document discusses the importance of building strong relationships with clients through positive emotional experiences and trust. It emphasizes managing expectations, having regular communication through meetings and follow ups, addressing issues promptly, and focusing on the human element of client relationships. The goal is to provide what clients need, not just what they want, and turn any mistakes into opportunities to strengthen the relationship.
El documento proporciona una introducción al sistema de control interno. Explica que el control interno implica la comparación y verificación de hechos y situaciones contra una referencia para establecer su conformidad. Luego define el sistema de control interno como un proceso diseñado por la alta dirección de una organización para proporcionar seguridad en el logro de objetivos relacionados con la eficiencia, fiabilidad de la información y cumplimiento normativo. Finalmente, resume los cinco componentes del marco COSO para el control interno.
The document discusses improving customer service in the trade show industry. It describes how exhibitors often face poor customer service experiences like long wait times, lack of tools and preparedness from installers. An Exhibitor Industry Task Force was formed between industry associations, labor unions, and contractors to develop strategies to improve service. Their goals include standardizing language, increasing and training workers, and creating a PR campaign to improve the industry's image and communicate the benefits of their efforts to turn customer service from a "third-world" experience into a "world-class" one.
The creative director provides tips for staying creative amidst agency chaos:
1) Pretend to be calm even when the creative mind is full of chaos in order to avoid unhealthy chaos and organize workloads.
2) Give the creative team ownership of projects and simple, clear tasks to avoid chaos. Involve clients in the creative process where possible.
3) Infrastructure like production and operations managers who act as gatekeepers can help protect creatives from some chaos and allow creativity to thrive under pressure from deadlines. Saying "no" to unreasonable demands is sometimes needed.
The creative director provides tips for staying calm and organized amid agency chaos:
1) Pretend to be calm even when the creative mind is full of chaos, and temper creativity with discipline as the creative director.
2) Give the creative team ownership of projects and clear, simple tasks to avoid chaos spreading. Involve clients in the creative process where possible.
3) Experience has taught the director that chaos can become unhealthy, so they now know how to live with people and organize workloads while facing different tasks simultaneously.
Anthony Melchiorri is a hospitality industry expert and host of the Travel Channel show Hotel Impossible. He learned the hotel business in the 1990s working at prestigious hotels like the Plaza Hotel and the Algonquin Hotel in New York City. He now runs his own hotel consulting firm called Argeo Hospitality and spends about three weeks per month traveling for his work helping struggling hotels get back on their feet.
Possible Essay Topics For Catcher In The RyeKaren Knowles
The document provides instructions for requesting writing assistance from HelpWriting.net in 5 steps: 1) Create an account, 2) Complete an order form with instructions and deadline, 3) Review writer bids and qualifications then select a writer, 4) Review the completed paper and authorize payment, 5) Request revisions until satisfied. It emphasizes that original, high-quality content is guaranteed or a full refund will be provided.
The document discusses the importance of building strong relationships with clients through positive emotional experiences and trust. It emphasizes managing expectations, having regular communication through meetings and follow ups, addressing issues promptly, and focusing on the human element of client relationships. The goal is to provide what clients need, not just what they want, and turn any mistakes into opportunities to strengthen the relationship.
El documento proporciona una introducción al sistema de control interno. Explica que el control interno implica la comparación y verificación de hechos y situaciones contra una referencia para establecer su conformidad. Luego define el sistema de control interno como un proceso diseñado por la alta dirección de una organización para proporcionar seguridad en el logro de objetivos relacionados con la eficiencia, fiabilidad de la información y cumplimiento normativo. Finalmente, resume los cinco componentes del marco COSO para el control interno.
The document discusses improving customer service in the trade show industry. It describes how exhibitors often face poor customer service experiences like long wait times, lack of tools and preparedness from installers. An Exhibitor Industry Task Force was formed between industry associations, labor unions, and contractors to develop strategies to improve service. Their goals include standardizing language, increasing and training workers, and creating a PR campaign to improve the industry's image and communicate the benefits of their efforts to turn customer service from a "third-world" experience into a "world-class" one.
The creative director provides tips for staying creative amidst agency chaos:
1) Pretend to be calm even when the creative mind is full of chaos in order to avoid unhealthy chaos and organize workloads.
2) Give the creative team ownership of projects and simple, clear tasks to avoid chaos. Involve clients in the creative process where possible.
3) Infrastructure like production and operations managers who act as gatekeepers can help protect creatives from some chaos and allow creativity to thrive under pressure from deadlines. Saying "no" to unreasonable demands is sometimes needed.
The creative director provides tips for staying calm and organized amid agency chaos:
1) Pretend to be calm even when the creative mind is full of chaos, and temper creativity with discipline as the creative director.
2) Give the creative team ownership of projects and clear, simple tasks to avoid chaos spreading. Involve clients in the creative process where possible.
3) Experience has taught the director that chaos can become unhealthy, so they now know how to live with people and organize workloads while facing different tasks simultaneously.
Anthony Melchiorri is a hospitality industry expert and host of the Travel Channel show Hotel Impossible. He learned the hotel business in the 1990s working at prestigious hotels like the Plaza Hotel and the Algonquin Hotel in New York City. He now runs his own hotel consulting firm called Argeo Hospitality and spends about three weeks per month traveling for his work helping struggling hotels get back on their feet.
Possible Essay Topics For Catcher In The RyeKaren Knowles
The document provides instructions for requesting writing assistance from HelpWriting.net in 5 steps: 1) Create an account, 2) Complete an order form with instructions and deadline, 3) Review writer bids and qualifications then select a writer, 4) Review the completed paper and authorize payment, 5) Request revisions until satisfied. It emphasizes that original, high-quality content is guaranteed or a full refund will be provided.
Things to think about if you want to make an idea a reality
Presentation from Kristjan Kristjansson, Co-founder & CEO at 50skills for students at the University of Toronto
Website for details:
https://www.vikingherald.com/
Barack Obama delivered an electrifying and historic speech on election night 2008 that resonated powerfully with audiences. The speech was masterfully crafted, building momentum through techniques like repetition, dramatic imagery, contrast, anecdotes, and rhetoric. Obama referenced inclusion, promises, and slogans to relate his message back to the campaign. While not everyone is called to give historic speeches, anyone can learn from Obama's exemplary speech design and presentation skills with training and practice.
The document discusses the need for customers to have independence and control over their own data through tools like VRM (Vendor Relationship Management). It argues that current systems like CRM (Customer Relationship Management) are about control by vendors rather than mutual relationships. VRM would empower customers by making them the center of data integration across companies and allow for more open marketplaces where both customers and vendors can have balanced, trusting relationships. This could help address issues around data silos, targeted advertising, and other problems that result from lack of customer control and choice.
How Do I Write An Essay In Third Person - Online Writing ServiceDeja Lewis
The document provides instructions for using an online writing service to have essays written. It outlines a 5-step process: 1) Create an account with valid email and password. 2) Complete a 10-minute order form providing instructions, sources, and deadline. 3) Review writer bids and choose one based on qualifications. 4) Review the completed paper and authorize payment if pleased. 5) Papers can receive multiple revisions to ensure satisfaction, and plagiarized work results in a full refund.
1) In the past, the tradeshow industry was divided between the "exhibitor camp" focused on exhibitor needs and the "show management camp" focused on show organizer needs, with little cooperation between the two.
2) Facility managers in Chicago, Las Vegas, and Orlando recognized the need to work with Exhibitor Appointed Contractors (EACs) and bring the camps together to better serve customers.
3) They developed initiatives like Chicago's "Chicago, Inc" consortium, Las Vegas' EAC registration process, and Orlando's training program to foster cooperation across the industry and address concerns like risk exposure, space and labor needs.
Neil St. Clair - Never acquire technology you understandDavidCutrano
The document discusses different personality types that companies exhibit when responding to disruptive technologies. It uses robo-advisors in financial services as an example. The types are:
1. Acquirers - acquire technology companies early in the hype cycle out of fear or greed without understanding the technology or market. This leads to poor acquisition choices.
2. Developers - build their own technology when seeing acquisitions, but also without proper understanding and often just cannibalize existing business.
3. Waiters - understand their business and wait for the hype to die down before carefully acquiring stronger remaining companies or technology with clear synergies. Waiters tend to have the highest returns.
The document argues companies
This commercial for Credit Sesame promotes its service of providing free credit scores while also showing consumers what impacts their score and giving strategies to improve it. The ad uses humor and fear of the unknown to catch viewers' attention. It suggests Credit Sesame can help reduce fears about credit scores by providing more information and recommendations. The short, repetitive ad allows frequent airing to promote Credit Sesame's credit monitoring and improvement services.
Increased marketer use of short-term project assignments has made advertising agency income less predictable. Yet fixed costs stay the same. Hollywood faced this problem and changed to a less risky and more rewarding business model.
Here’s how what worked for Hollywood could work for advertising agencies.
MGT-240 One Smooth Stone Video TranscriptWe produce business t.docxARIV4
MGT-240 One Smooth Stone Video Transcript
We produce business theater events for our clients, and theater is live, and that means you've got one shot to get it right.
Millions of dollars are on the line, that CEO is out and onstage, and the audience wants to hear the message and wants to be moved to action.
That's a lot of pressure, but pressure that we're ready for because of the great relationships we have with the clients and the great structure that we've got within our organization.
-Yeah. Now we just need to add a little life to this party, if you know what I mean.
-Business theater. What exactly does that mean?
It means that when a large corporation wants to hold an important sales meeting, client meeting or product launch, they call a company like One Smooth Stone.
Want a celebrity spokesperson at your meeting? A rock band? An impersonator? Do you want the
Entire show live? Or would you like some pre-produced videos?
Whatever the request, they can deliver.
Of course, there's much more to this than just putting on good theater.
To ensure proper ROI, or return on investment, for their clients, One Smooth Stone starts by listening to their needs. And typically these companies have a need for some type of marketing or an event that communicates in a broad fashion to a group of individuals, and we help them write the strategy, deliver the messages, help facilitate the production and deliver an event that's meaningful, that has some type of return on investment and that establishes a message out in the marketplace that people can have some type of action on.
-So who are these clients?
They range from companies like Motorola and Nortel to International Truck & Engine, Coast Pharmaceuticals, and others.
The meetings take place all over the world and are attended by thousands of employees who need to be educated and entertained.
-We have stopped the evildoers from doing that evil they do so evilly.
-As you meet some of the employees from One Smooth Stone in this video, one of the things that you'll realize is that their jobs require expertise not only in their own industry, corporate event planning, but in their clients' industries.
On a given week, you might find them studying up on anything from heavy-duty trucks to anti-cholesterol drugs.
-Koppel, spell dyslipidemia.
-D-i-s-demia.
-Wrong. MC, pronounce it.
-Dislapla.
-Wrong.
-So how do they do it all?
With patience, hard work and a good sense of humor, especially when asked to have a client logo tattooed on their arm or shaved in their head.
Don't worry, those were computer special effects.
These employees are dedicated, but they're not crazy.
So now that you understand what One Smooth Stone does for a living, let's examine how the company is organized.
We'll begin with a quick overview of organizational principles.
For example, one theory that was synonymous with the concept of management for many years was Fayol's principles of organization.
As many companies ...
7 business lessons an entrepreneur can learn from super heroes by idowu hitop...Idowu Temitayo
The document discusses 7 business lessons that entrepreneurs can learn from superheroes. These include: knowing your weaknesses like Superman; establishing a strong network like Batman; reacting quickly to issues like the Flash; leveraging new technology like Iron Man; inspiring your team like Captain America; adapting your tactics like the Incredible Hulk; and persevering through failures like Wolverine. The document argues that by learning from both successes and mistakes, being open to communication and trends, entrepreneurs can become "super-hero entrepreneurs" in the real business world.
This document provides an overview of advertising agencies and their role in promoting brands and businesses. It discusses how advertising agencies help raise awareness for companies through various publicity strategies and media. The document also analyzes several major Indian advertising agencies, including Xebec, Canco, McCann-Erickson, Carat, and Percept. It examines their operations, clients, achievements and organizational structures. The project aims to study the multi-dimensional operations of advertising agencies and how they help both large and small businesses succeed through effective promotional campaigns and marketing.
1. It fosters civic engagement and participation. Involving youth in leadership roles and decision-making encourages long-term civic involvement.
2. It brings new perspectives and ideas. Young people bring a fresh point of view that can help address issues in new ways.
3. It develops future leaders. Providing leadership opportunities for youth helps develop important leadership skills that will benefit their future careers and communities.
are startup agencies like creature shaping the advertising world and is it fo...Dominic Barlow
Startup agencies like Creature are shaping the advertising world for the better by bringing a more flexible and collaborative approach. The founders of these agencies often have successful past experiences at larger agencies and bring high quality work. Smaller agencies allow for open communication across roles and more multi-functional teams. While large agencies can still provide value, especially for large global brands, the nimbleness of startups has enabled them to win major clients and shift perceptions in the industry.
The document discusses the significance of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in Canadian history. It was a defining moment that transformed Canada from a colony to a nation. While the battle is celebrated as part of Canada's 150th anniversary, the important contributions of Canadian legal professionals in World War I are often overlooked. This year, on the 100th anniversary of the battle, their service will also be recognized.
Final fille inspiring business leaders making a difference 2021 vol 3 compressedMerry D'souza
Every business needs to understand their market, their abilities and make sure they can always support every opportunity. “I would not recommend taking business for the sake of taking business, if the finished product leaves the client underwhelmed. Don’t bite off more than you can chew,” he opines.
Steven L. Blue | Transformational Leaders | Exeleon MagazineExeleon Magazine
Exeleon is a leading Business Magazine that aims to stand out by recognizing new, emerging, and established businesses and entrepreneurs. Subscribe and read this issue of Exeleon Magazine's Transformational Leaders featuring Steven L. Blue of Miller Ingenuity as the Cover.
Agency from Scratch is a call to action for traditional advertising agencies to re-visit their business model and their way of working to get in shape for today's demands on the creative industry. It is not a program about values and missions and other fluffy stuff that's nice to discuss. It is a program about habits, designed to change behaviour rather than just written commitments which are - in a fundamentally opportunistic service industry - rather irrelevant in praxis.
This document discusses the rise of loss mitigation services to help homeowners facing foreclosure. It describes how the author's company has evolved to specialize in loss mitigation, working with banks to modify loans by reducing interest rates, extending terms, and lowering principal balances. The company ensures the process is handled properly through attorneys to avoid legal issues and help both homeowners and banks.
Things to think about if you want to make an idea a reality
Presentation from Kristjan Kristjansson, Co-founder & CEO at 50skills for students at the University of Toronto
Website for details:
https://www.vikingherald.com/
Barack Obama delivered an electrifying and historic speech on election night 2008 that resonated powerfully with audiences. The speech was masterfully crafted, building momentum through techniques like repetition, dramatic imagery, contrast, anecdotes, and rhetoric. Obama referenced inclusion, promises, and slogans to relate his message back to the campaign. While not everyone is called to give historic speeches, anyone can learn from Obama's exemplary speech design and presentation skills with training and practice.
The document discusses the need for customers to have independence and control over their own data through tools like VRM (Vendor Relationship Management). It argues that current systems like CRM (Customer Relationship Management) are about control by vendors rather than mutual relationships. VRM would empower customers by making them the center of data integration across companies and allow for more open marketplaces where both customers and vendors can have balanced, trusting relationships. This could help address issues around data silos, targeted advertising, and other problems that result from lack of customer control and choice.
How Do I Write An Essay In Third Person - Online Writing ServiceDeja Lewis
The document provides instructions for using an online writing service to have essays written. It outlines a 5-step process: 1) Create an account with valid email and password. 2) Complete a 10-minute order form providing instructions, sources, and deadline. 3) Review writer bids and choose one based on qualifications. 4) Review the completed paper and authorize payment if pleased. 5) Papers can receive multiple revisions to ensure satisfaction, and plagiarized work results in a full refund.
1) In the past, the tradeshow industry was divided between the "exhibitor camp" focused on exhibitor needs and the "show management camp" focused on show organizer needs, with little cooperation between the two.
2) Facility managers in Chicago, Las Vegas, and Orlando recognized the need to work with Exhibitor Appointed Contractors (EACs) and bring the camps together to better serve customers.
3) They developed initiatives like Chicago's "Chicago, Inc" consortium, Las Vegas' EAC registration process, and Orlando's training program to foster cooperation across the industry and address concerns like risk exposure, space and labor needs.
Neil St. Clair - Never acquire technology you understandDavidCutrano
The document discusses different personality types that companies exhibit when responding to disruptive technologies. It uses robo-advisors in financial services as an example. The types are:
1. Acquirers - acquire technology companies early in the hype cycle out of fear or greed without understanding the technology or market. This leads to poor acquisition choices.
2. Developers - build their own technology when seeing acquisitions, but also without proper understanding and often just cannibalize existing business.
3. Waiters - understand their business and wait for the hype to die down before carefully acquiring stronger remaining companies or technology with clear synergies. Waiters tend to have the highest returns.
The document argues companies
This commercial for Credit Sesame promotes its service of providing free credit scores while also showing consumers what impacts their score and giving strategies to improve it. The ad uses humor and fear of the unknown to catch viewers' attention. It suggests Credit Sesame can help reduce fears about credit scores by providing more information and recommendations. The short, repetitive ad allows frequent airing to promote Credit Sesame's credit monitoring and improvement services.
Increased marketer use of short-term project assignments has made advertising agency income less predictable. Yet fixed costs stay the same. Hollywood faced this problem and changed to a less risky and more rewarding business model.
Here’s how what worked for Hollywood could work for advertising agencies.
MGT-240 One Smooth Stone Video TranscriptWe produce business t.docxARIV4
MGT-240 One Smooth Stone Video Transcript
We produce business theater events for our clients, and theater is live, and that means you've got one shot to get it right.
Millions of dollars are on the line, that CEO is out and onstage, and the audience wants to hear the message and wants to be moved to action.
That's a lot of pressure, but pressure that we're ready for because of the great relationships we have with the clients and the great structure that we've got within our organization.
-Yeah. Now we just need to add a little life to this party, if you know what I mean.
-Business theater. What exactly does that mean?
It means that when a large corporation wants to hold an important sales meeting, client meeting or product launch, they call a company like One Smooth Stone.
Want a celebrity spokesperson at your meeting? A rock band? An impersonator? Do you want the
Entire show live? Or would you like some pre-produced videos?
Whatever the request, they can deliver.
Of course, there's much more to this than just putting on good theater.
To ensure proper ROI, or return on investment, for their clients, One Smooth Stone starts by listening to their needs. And typically these companies have a need for some type of marketing or an event that communicates in a broad fashion to a group of individuals, and we help them write the strategy, deliver the messages, help facilitate the production and deliver an event that's meaningful, that has some type of return on investment and that establishes a message out in the marketplace that people can have some type of action on.
-So who are these clients?
They range from companies like Motorola and Nortel to International Truck & Engine, Coast Pharmaceuticals, and others.
The meetings take place all over the world and are attended by thousands of employees who need to be educated and entertained.
-We have stopped the evildoers from doing that evil they do so evilly.
-As you meet some of the employees from One Smooth Stone in this video, one of the things that you'll realize is that their jobs require expertise not only in their own industry, corporate event planning, but in their clients' industries.
On a given week, you might find them studying up on anything from heavy-duty trucks to anti-cholesterol drugs.
-Koppel, spell dyslipidemia.
-D-i-s-demia.
-Wrong. MC, pronounce it.
-Dislapla.
-Wrong.
-So how do they do it all?
With patience, hard work and a good sense of humor, especially when asked to have a client logo tattooed on their arm or shaved in their head.
Don't worry, those were computer special effects.
These employees are dedicated, but they're not crazy.
So now that you understand what One Smooth Stone does for a living, let's examine how the company is organized.
We'll begin with a quick overview of organizational principles.
For example, one theory that was synonymous with the concept of management for many years was Fayol's principles of organization.
As many companies ...
7 business lessons an entrepreneur can learn from super heroes by idowu hitop...Idowu Temitayo
The document discusses 7 business lessons that entrepreneurs can learn from superheroes. These include: knowing your weaknesses like Superman; establishing a strong network like Batman; reacting quickly to issues like the Flash; leveraging new technology like Iron Man; inspiring your team like Captain America; adapting your tactics like the Incredible Hulk; and persevering through failures like Wolverine. The document argues that by learning from both successes and mistakes, being open to communication and trends, entrepreneurs can become "super-hero entrepreneurs" in the real business world.
This document provides an overview of advertising agencies and their role in promoting brands and businesses. It discusses how advertising agencies help raise awareness for companies through various publicity strategies and media. The document also analyzes several major Indian advertising agencies, including Xebec, Canco, McCann-Erickson, Carat, and Percept. It examines their operations, clients, achievements and organizational structures. The project aims to study the multi-dimensional operations of advertising agencies and how they help both large and small businesses succeed through effective promotional campaigns and marketing.
1. It fosters civic engagement and participation. Involving youth in leadership roles and decision-making encourages long-term civic involvement.
2. It brings new perspectives and ideas. Young people bring a fresh point of view that can help address issues in new ways.
3. It develops future leaders. Providing leadership opportunities for youth helps develop important leadership skills that will benefit their future careers and communities.
are startup agencies like creature shaping the advertising world and is it fo...Dominic Barlow
Startup agencies like Creature are shaping the advertising world for the better by bringing a more flexible and collaborative approach. The founders of these agencies often have successful past experiences at larger agencies and bring high quality work. Smaller agencies allow for open communication across roles and more multi-functional teams. While large agencies can still provide value, especially for large global brands, the nimbleness of startups has enabled them to win major clients and shift perceptions in the industry.
The document discusses the significance of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in Canadian history. It was a defining moment that transformed Canada from a colony to a nation. While the battle is celebrated as part of Canada's 150th anniversary, the important contributions of Canadian legal professionals in World War I are often overlooked. This year, on the 100th anniversary of the battle, their service will also be recognized.
Final fille inspiring business leaders making a difference 2021 vol 3 compressedMerry D'souza
Every business needs to understand their market, their abilities and make sure they can always support every opportunity. “I would not recommend taking business for the sake of taking business, if the finished product leaves the client underwhelmed. Don’t bite off more than you can chew,” he opines.
Steven L. Blue | Transformational Leaders | Exeleon MagazineExeleon Magazine
Exeleon is a leading Business Magazine that aims to stand out by recognizing new, emerging, and established businesses and entrepreneurs. Subscribe and read this issue of Exeleon Magazine's Transformational Leaders featuring Steven L. Blue of Miller Ingenuity as the Cover.
Agency from Scratch is a call to action for traditional advertising agencies to re-visit their business model and their way of working to get in shape for today's demands on the creative industry. It is not a program about values and missions and other fluffy stuff that's nice to discuss. It is a program about habits, designed to change behaviour rather than just written commitments which are - in a fundamentally opportunistic service industry - rather irrelevant in praxis.
This document discusses the rise of loss mitigation services to help homeowners facing foreclosure. It describes how the author's company has evolved to specialize in loss mitigation, working with banks to modify loans by reducing interest rates, extending terms, and lowering principal balances. The company ensures the process is handled properly through attorneys to avoid legal issues and help both homeowners and banks.
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