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The leaders of four exhibitions and events industry associations announced that an All-Exhibition Industry Summit meeting would soon take place for the purpose of creating a set of Guiding Principles that will define industry best practices.
John H. Graham IV, CAE, President and CEO, ASAE, Chuck Grouzard, Chairman of the Exhibit Services and Contractors Association (ESCA), Vinnie Polito, Chairman of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and Sean Guerre, Chairman of the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) jointly disclosed that they will be inviting two elected leaders from each of the associations that are active in the exhibitions and events industry in the United States to attend the Summit. The industry-wide summit would be "a precedent-setting and long-overdue breakthrough," they added.
Grouzard says, "There have been many piecemeal attempts throughout the years to define those practices that are essential to the efficient and fair conduct of business in the exhibition industry. While we applaud all of those past attempts the fact remains there are too many troublesome issues that demand a common and agreed to set of understandings. We believe it is now time for the entire industry to come together. Anything less than a broad and comprehensive industry effort is destined to fail."
"The stresses of the Great Recession and the anemic economic recovery ever since make it essential for all of the segments of the exhibition industry to consider how we might adapt ourselves and our industry to the new realities that lie ahead," Guerre added. "The pressures to do our business efficiently have never been greater. There has never been a more appropriate time to do this than now."
Speaking for IAEE, Vinnie Polito pointed out, "If all of the organizations in our industry set aside our respective organizational egos and devote our full attention to crafting real solutions that will withstand time and further economic stress we will have contributed something very important to our members and the customers that they all serve. We know that if the will is there we can achieve great things."
"A joint initiative across our sector is imperative to the future of the industry we represent," said ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham IV, CAE. "Now, more than ever, we need to put our brains together to come up with guidelines to streamline our operations and ease the many processes that guide the work of our industry as we work together on today’s challenges and prepare for future opportunities."
Among the organizations that will be invited to participate in the summit meeting are the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR); the Corporate Event Marketers Association (CEMA); the Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI); the Exhibitor Appointed Contractors Association (EACA); the Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA); the Healthcare Exhibitors Association (HCEA); the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM); the International Center for Exhibitor and Event Marketing (ICEEM); the International Exhibition Logistics Associates (IELA); the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA); and the Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA).
The summit is likely to take place in October at an agreed to location for a day and a half. An independent professional facilitator will be retained to help guide proceedings. Invitations will be issued within several days.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
