Unification of two organizations creates new council based on aligned strategic vision.
HOUSTON – The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) announced during its Opening General Session at Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition that the Major American Trade Show Organizers (MATSO) is a council of IAEE as of 10 December 2013.
Aligning with IAEE’s mission of providing stakeholders of the global exhibitions and events industry with information and resources that will advance the industry’s success, a new IAEE MATSO Council is being created to meet the needs of large show organizers. MATSO’s 30 member organizations produce and manage 52 of the largest trade shows in North America – both association-owned and for-profit events that on average occupy more than 29 million net square feet of exhibit space. The combined revenues generated by these trade shows’ exhibit space exceed one-half billion dollars annually.
IAEE Chairman Jason McGraw, CTS, CAE, said, “This year presented many new opportunities, and I am excited to have had the opportunity of working with the MATSO board in creating a new IAEE MATSO Council Our missions are aligned and I am thrilled MATSO will now have a dedicated position in our governance structure for these major shows. This reinforces the value that IAEE offers to organizations operating major trade shows and helps these organizations operate more efficiently through a unified voice in the exhibitions and events industry.”
Current MATSO Chairman and Senior Vice President, Sales & Exhibitions for National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc. Chris Nemchek said, “MATSO and IAEE share an aligned vision that complements one another. Since 1985, MATSO has provided a place for the organizers of the largest shows in the U.S., and we are proud to extend our reach as an IAEE council and confident the IAEE Board of Directors will help members make further progress.”
The MATSO Council is comprised of not-for-profit association and for-profit exhibition organizers whose shows are at least 200,000 nsf of exhibition space. The focus of the MATSO Council is on all functional aspects of large show production: marketing and sales, legislation, labor, international challenges, and operations and will provide a forum to support in-depth problem solving in a competition-free environment based on a foundation of confidentiality and trust. The MATSO Council will work to develop best practices unique to large-scale events and release position statements on issues that impact large-scale events and exhibitions overall in support of face-to-face meetings overall. MATSO members who were also members of IAEE will no longer have to pay separate dues to MATSO.
This brings the number of IAEE councils representing different segments of the exhibition industry to three, including the IAEE Public Events Council and the Asia Exhibition Council.
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