Who Really Is To Blame For The High Freight Costs At Mccormick Place?

/EINPresswire.com/ Chicago, IL - May 7, 2010 — The current topic in Chicago being covered by the media is the fact that several large shows are leaving McCormick Place for other cities. Show Biz USA is very proud of the proposed changes that the MPEA Board plans to institute at McCormick Place and Navy Pier. However, these Union labor changes do NOT benefit the exhibitor, as it relates to freight handling, but only the General Contractor producing the show. The General Contractor reaps the benefit of the reduced costs and crew size, but the exhibitor’s freight charges remain the same. The General Contractor does not pass this savings along to the exhibitor.

Show Biz USA has come up with a solution to bring these shows back to McCormick Place and Navy Pier by greatly reducing the exhibitor’s freight bill, which is better than 50% of their final bill. As outlined in our plan, the exhibitor would realize a TREMENDOUS savings in their freight costs. EXAMPLE: A trailer load of freight charged to the exhibitor by the General Contractor to unload their freight and deliver it to their booth is anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000, round trip. The actual Teamster Union labor cost to the General Contractor is $750, for a 3-man crew and forklift, round trip. As you can see, the price difference is astounding! We estimate the savings to the exhibitor would range anywhere from 35% to 50% of what they are currently paying. Remember..the savings is based on hundred weight charges…not hourly charges. The Unions are a very small cost by comparison to what is being charged by the General Contractor. More.

Six Best Practices For Creating An Online Interactive Exhibitor Listing That Gets Results

From Midcourse Corrections:

We all know that measuring ROI from tradeshow participation is like painting a moving car. Buyers are at various stages: awareness, consideration, preference and purchase. Often, it takes multiple touches to move buyers closer to purchase. Face-to-face interactions tend to either accelerate or better qualify the buyer’s stage.

Back in the good old days (three – five years ago), buyers primarily evaluated products by walking the tradeshow floor and kicking tires. Today, they do advanced online research and have a more targeted approach to tackling the show floor. They want to use their time as efficiently as possible.

Likewise, exhibitors need proof to justify their investment to participate in your tradeshow. One way to deliver that proof is to arm them with analytics. And analytics from interactive online exhibit listings are extremely powerful, often delivered in real time. More.

Trade Up Your Tradeshow Model

from ASAE:

Looking for the next big thing in tradeshows? It may be closer than you think. Associations that have found success with new and different tradeshow models share what they’re doing and how it works for them.

Have you taken your tradeshow's temperature lately? Take a look at your expo floor. Would you say business is red hot, tepid, or cooling fast?

"With the economic changes going on for the past few years, so many associations are suffering, and they have to care for the annual meeting because it's such an important part of their health," says John Parke, CMP, president and CEO of Leadership Synergies, LLC, which assists associations in sales performance and process improvement. "The annual meeting, especially the tradeshow, has to work. And many are scrambling to make sure it works."

While some may be scrambling, other associations are soaring, with new tradeshow formats that fit their audiences and their organizations. Some have made slow changes; others have drastically transformed their shows. And some have years of experience with the "new" formats that other associations are just now discovering. Full Article.

Online Directory of Conferences and Tradeshows

AllConferences.com is an online, searchable directory of meetings, conferences and tradeshows.

What Questions Do Your Customers Ask at Your Tradeshow Booth?

by Tim Patterson

Do your customers ask questions at your tradeshow booth?

Are they curious about things like flavor, color, delivery time, production values, technical details or design elements?

Do they want to know MORE?

Of course they do! That’s what customers do. They’re curious. They give feedback. And often it comes in the form of a question.

At your next tradeshow make a point of writing down questions that your booth visitors ask about your product, service or company. This can be beneficial for a number of reasons. More.

100 Trade Show Lead Generation Ideas

For most exhibitors, lead generation is their #1 reason for exhibiting at trade shows. Exhibit marketers want leads to replenish their sales pipeline, bring in new and repeat customers, and generate sales revenue.

So to help stoke the lead generation fires, here are 100 ideas to get you more leads at your upcoming trade shows, divvied up among 5 main areas: Link.

Convention exhibitor 'bill of rights' in the works, Daley proposes privatization of McCormick Center

The Sun-Times reported Thursday that state lawmakers are drafting a ‘bill of rights’ for exhibitors at McCormick Place to convince them to keep their business in Chicago, and allowing McCormick to refinance its debt, reducing its annual costs by $40 million.

The refinancing will allow McCormick to reduce its rent charges to exhibitors, and the bill of rights could possibly include allowing exhibitors to hire their own electricians and bring in their own food. Food and electricians are two high-cost items at McCormick that has gained a lot of publicity in the past year. More.