Trade Show Talk Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of Trade Show Talk, host Danica welcomed Chris Griffin, President and CEO of CREW XP, a company that has been providing trade show labor and event services since 1994. He shared his career journey—starting from his first job at Putnam Investments in college to becoming a sales executive at Skyline in Dallas and eventually a business owner. He talked about his company's specialization in turnkey exhibit solutions for other exhibit houses and experiential agencies, highlighting their operations in Orlando, Fla., and Las Vegas. Discussion topics included the industry's response to the pandemic, challenges with labor and cost, visa delays affecting international participation, and the importance of choosing the right business focus. Finally, he offered advice for first-time entrepreneurs, based on his 20+ years of experience as a business owner.  

Join Griffin at the Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic on Sept. 26 at Chateau Elan in Braselton, GA. The golf tournament is a fundraiser to help families in the exhibition industry who have suffered severe tragedies or face insurmountable medical expenses. Since its inception in 1995, the Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classics have provided more than $2 million in assistance to more than 170 trade show families. Donate here or apply for assistance here. 

Our guest: Chris Griffin, President and CEO, CREW XP 

Chris Griffin is the President and CEO of CREW XP, a provider of turnkey exhibit solutions and logistical support. With more than 25 years in the trade show and experiential marketing industry, Griffin is a distinguished leader and advocate. He has authored numerous online and instructor-led courses, training thousands of industry professionals. He has served for a decade on the board of the Exhibitor Appointed Contractors Association (EACA), including two years as President, and currently holds positions on the Board of Directors for the Experiential Designers and Producers Association (EDPA) and as Secretary/Treasurer of the Exhibitions and Conferences Alliance (ECA). 

A respected industry advocate on Capitol Hill, Griffin is also an active trainer and lecturer, teaching trade show courses at the University of Central Florida and advising the Orange County Convention Center’s Intern Training Program. Under his leadership, CREW XP continues to excel in providing innovative solutions across major event cities in the U.S., with fabrication facilities in Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla. 

Griffin is also the host the Experience Builders Podcast, featuring interviews on business fundamentals that help experiential agencies and exhibitors. 

Connect with him on LinkedIn here. 

Podcast Host: Danica Tormohlen 

An award-winning journalist who has covered the trade show industry since 1994, Danica Tormohlen is VP of Group Content, Meetings, Sports, Travel for Informa Connect. In her role, she oversees content for Trade Show News Network, Corporate Event News, MeetingsNet, BizBash and Connect's portfolio of in-person events. These leading media brands publish websites, newsletters, social media channels, video, podcasts and online and in-person programming for the trade show, corporate event, association meeting, experiential marketing and exhibition industries. 

Tormohlen currently serves as president of the Women in Exhibitions Network North America chapter. She has been a speaker and moderator at major industry events, including the TSNN Awards, IMEX, IAEE, SISO, UFI, ESCA, DI and Large Show Roundtable — to name a few. 

Thanks to our sponsor

Connect Marketplace: Where Events Business Get Done. Connect Marketplace is hosting five regional events this fall and winter in Seattle, Los Angeles, Greenville, SC, Frisco, TX and Washington DC. Don't miss your opportunity to join passionate event experts for unparalleled networking, one-on-one business meetings, and inspiring education sessions. Find out more at Connectmeetings.com 

Gaby Appleton joined Trade Show Talk to share her experience as Chief Digital Product Officer at RX, a public company that produces more than 400 events in 22 countries. In this newly created position that she’s now held for three years, Appleton and her team have been building and commercializing digital products that enhance the value of RX events, by connecting buyers and sellers across 43 different industry sectors. With more than 20 years of experience in product development, sales and marketing, digital transformation and strategy, she told us she loves tackling complex problems. In fact during the pandemic, she led the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) Covid-19 contact tracing app, which was the second-most downloaded free app in the UK in 2020 with 30 million users. 

At RX, she has overseen the rollout of the company’s own registration system Mercury, the mobile badge-scanning app Emperia and an Exhibitor Dashboard to analyze their results and improve their performance. Most recently, RX introduced Colleqt QR, where visitors can capture information about RX exhibitors, sponsors, and their products by scanning Colleqt QR codes at exhibitor booths and at product feature zones with their mobile phones. We talked about the company’s digital strategy and execution. She shared insight on how and when RX determines whether to build proprietary systems vs. buy services from vendors. Find out the scoop on what’s working to increase adoption and engagement of RX’s digital products. 

Our guest: Gaby Appleton, Chief Digital Product Officer for RX 

Appleton is a customer-focused digital leader, with board- and C-level experience with more than 20 years of experience in product development, sales and marketing, digital transformation and strategy, gained at RELX, Procter & Gamble, the NHS and McKinsey. She also serves as a non-executive director at LSL plc, one of the UK’s largest providers of services to mortgage brokers, estate agents and lenders. 

She helps organizations find data-driven ways to serve customers better, and to grow revenues as a result. She loves tackling complex problems, working in networked and global environments, and building empowered teams with high levels of trust and collaboration. She holds a BA from Cambridge University in Natural Sciences, and in her spare time she plays touch rugby and tries to improve her DJ skills.

Our sponsor: Connect Marketplace

Connect Marketplace: Where Events Business Get Done. Connect Marketplace is headed to Milwaukee from August 27 to 29. Don't miss your opportunity to join thousands of passionate event experts from around the globe for unparalleled networking, one-on-one business meetings, innovative education sessions, and a dynamic tradeshow overflowing with the latest event solutions. Find out more at    Connectmeetings.com

Ep. 48 – In Play: Toy Association EVP Global Market Events Kimberly Carcone

The Toy Association EVP Global Market Events Kimberly Carcone joined Trade Show Talk to share her experience overseeing the association’s flagship event, Toy Fair. In 2023, the 118th Toy Fair returned last fall to New York City for the first time since 2020.

Held at Javits Center, Toy Fair 2023 attracted about 20,000 attendees to see tens of thousands of products on display by 1,021 exhibiting companies, including nearly 400 first-time exhibitors. The trade show brought buyers from nearly 100 countries together to shop, explore, and see the latest trends and innovations in toys and play across the equivalent of nearly eight football fields filled with toys and games. 

Carcone shared insight into why the association’s leaders looked to move to New Orleans but then ultimately decided to remain in New York after the announcement of the move was met with strong feelings of tradition and enduring memories of toy business conducted in New York. 

Find out how she and her team worked closely with Javits to confirm the first available opening in 2025. The next Toy Fair will be held March 1-4, 2025 at Javits Center. The show has confirmed dates in February in both 2026 and 2027.

Our guest

Kimberly Carcone, Executive Vice President, Global Market Events joined the Toy Association in September of 2007.  

She has more than 30 years of experience in non-profit and corporate management, event development and execution, sales, marketing, and publishing, in both New York City and Washington, DC. 

Carcone is a seasoned professional who has succeeded in numerous industries including performing arts & cultural affairs, interior design & architecture, hospitality, travel, pharmaceutical, the legal arena and for the past 17 years, the toy industry. 

Prior to joining the Toy Association, Carcone served in various leadership positions at ALM Events, a division of American Lawyer Media, E.W. Williams Publications, Miller Freeman, Inc., VNU Business Media, The American Society of Interior Designers and the NYS Council on the Arts for the City of Long Beach.  

She is a founding member of the Women in Exhibitions North America Chapter, has served on the NYIAEE Board of Directors and was recently named Vice Chair of the newly created UFI North America Chapter. Kimberly currently serves on the Jacob K Javits Customer Advisory Board, the NYC&Co. Tradeshow & Events Committee, UFI Global Congress Advisory Board, Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment Advisory Board, and United Inventors Association Advisory Board. 

She studied Association Management at the George Washington University in Washington DC and holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Buffalo State University.

In addition to her professional pursuits, Carcone has been a producer of anindependent film, a breeder of thoroughbred racehorses, is a strong supporter of the Arts and remains an avid beach lover.

Her LinkedIn bio can be found here.

Last June, Nth Degree and its PE owners, MSouth Capital, bought Fern Expo. John Hense, who joined Nth Degree in 2018 as CFO and was elevated to CEO in late 2021, now serves as CEO over both companies. 

Hense brings 20 years in leadership roles in growth-oriented companies. His previous three leadership roles were technology-focused with logistics-intensive companies, including Flash Global Logistics, Diligent Delivery Systems and most recently Ship Supply. 

In this episode of Trade Show Talk, Hense shared his experience as a leader with PE-owned companies from outside the industry and how he’s putting those skills to use in the event and trade show sector. He and Podcast Host Danica Tormohlen talked about the recent acquisition and integration of Fern Expo. 

Context: Nth degree serves its clients at more than 13,000 event and trade show projects annually while Fern Expo services more than 1,400 events annually, including many top 100 shows and dozens of Fortune 500 companies. 

Hense told us Nth Degree has doubled its revenues and events since 2019 by implementing technology and a new lead strategy. He talked about how he sees a similar growth trajectory with Fern Expo over the next few years. Find out how the general services contracting company is expanding its services to achieve this aggressive goal.

Our guest

As CEO of Nth Degree and Fern Expo, John is laser-focused on customer experience and improving it through the initiatives the leadership team takes on. He brings to the role 20 years in leadership roles in growth-oriented companies. His previous three leadership roles were in logistics-intensive companies with a heavy technology focus—Flash Global Logistics (where he was also COO), Diligent Delivery Systems, and most recently Ship Supply. He joined Nth Degree in 2018 as CFO and became CEO in late 2021. He originally comes from Alberta, Canada but lives in Atlanta. John is an active outdoorsman, whitewater kayaker, scuba diver and woodworker.

His LinkedIn bio can be found here.

After 11 years with the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), Marsha Flanagan was promoted to president and CEO in November, and she officially took the helm on Dec. 1, during the move-in of the association’s largest event of the year. 

In this episode of Trade Show Talk, Flanagan shared her experience as a 25+ year association professional. She and Podcast Host Danica Tormohlen talked about the recent IAEE Expo! Expo! Annual Meeting & Exhibition, dubbed The Show for Shows. Held Dec. 5-7 at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center Dallas, Expo!Expo! 2023 grew year over year, attracting 1,900+ industry professionals (pending verified audit), compared with 1,476 in 2022, and 241 exhibitors in 35,500 net square feet, compared with 233 exhibitors in nearly 31,000 net square feet in 2022. 

In her first podcast as IAEE president and CEO, Flanagan told us the IAEE team beat all the event’s goals set by its board of directors. While the numbers are still being crunched, Expo!Expo! 2023 might be one of the association’s largest trade shows in terms of revenue on record, she revealed.

We also talked about:

• Her decision to apply for the position and the support from her family

• How she ended up in the event industry after deciding law school wasn’t the right career path for her

• What it means to her to be the first woman to lead the 95-year-old association whose members are 65%+ female

• How and why the association deployed new event tech, like Zenus, to improve the attendee experience with data-driven metrics

• What’s first on her agenda as she begins her new role: Filling her previous position, succession planning and restructuring

• Reflections on achievements in 2023 and challenges as the industry gets set to begin 2024

• What she learned from her predecessor, David DuBois, and how she plans to create a culture of belonging, passion and purpose

Our guest

As IAEE’s president, Flanagan is responsible for the management of IAEE’s full-time professional staff, producing the annual business operating plan and budget, overseeing the support of all meetings of governance units, leading business development, directing fundraising efforts, advocating for the industry and the organization’s members, providing organizational leadership and strategic counsel to the board. Also, she serves as the association’s representative with industry coalitions, partner organizations and strategic alliances.

Prior to joining IAEE, Flanagan was the Director of Content Strategy and Development at the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), where she was responsible for steering strategy and the development and delivery of all PPAI professional development and editorial offerings.

Flanagan spent 6 years in the medical industry serving in various roles overseeing operations, purchasing, revenue cycle management, marketing and business development.

Flanagan began her career with Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and spent 12 years in various roles including Executive Vice President of Professional Development where she oversaw operations, including all strategic partnerships, the design and delivery of all professional development offerings and meetings management.

She was named one of the 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry by Successful Meetings in 2017 and named to BizBash’s Inaugural Top 500 in the Events Industry in 2018 and 2019. In 2021, she was listed in Meetings Today as a 2021 Trendsetter. In 2021, she obtained her GBAC Trained Technician Certificate of Completion from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a division of ISSA.

Flanagan received her bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University and her master’s in education from the University of Arkansas specializing in Meeting, Tourism and Recreation Management. She obtained her Certified in Exhibition Management designation in 2021.

Flanagan is a 5th generation Texan, loves sports and the outdoors and spending time with family.

Ep. 45 – SEMA's Vice President of Events Tom Gattuso: In the Driver’s Seat

With a 12-year track record at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), Tom Gattuso shared his experience as VP of Events for SEMA Show, the annual trade show for the automotive aftermarket industry. Held Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center — right before Formula 1 debuted on the Las Vegas Strip — SEMA Show attracted 2,200 exhibitors and more than 150,000 attendees — that’s more attendees than CES in January (115,000) or CONEXPO/CON-AGG in March (139,000+). 

We talked about:

• The size of market: $51.8 billion in 2022, according to the 2023 SEMA market report. The industry is expected to grow 4-5% annually in 2024 and beyond.

• Economic impact: Last year’s SEMA Show generated $256 million, which is expected to go higher in 2023. 

• For the first time ever, SEMA Show, the annual trade show in Las Vegas, opened to the public on its last day in 2023. 

• Established in 1963, SEMA has 7,000+ member companies in the business of customizing cars and trucks. The association added a new membership category for consumers who are car-crazy fanatics, rugged overlanders, vintage car restorers, adrenaline-fueled racers,  grease-monkey gearheads, "cars and coffee" connoisseurs, or weekend warriors looking for automotive adventures.

• The launch of SEMA Fest, a consumer event held Nov. 3-4 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. 

• 16,000 tickets were sold to see a star-studded roster of musical talent, featuring performances by Imagine Dragons, Incubus, Wiz Khalifa, AJR, Third Eye Blind, Bush, Walk the Moon and more. The event featured immersive automotive lifestyle events, a consumer marketplace, foods and drinks, world-class drifting, motorsports competitions and freestyle motocross.

• How SEMA show attracts 3,000+ media

• How he’s already preparing for the 2024 show while the Las Vegas Convention Center is under construction

• SEMA is one of the few associations that has acquired a show — and been successful with these impressive stats in 2022: 1,000 companies and 3400 booths — up 10% YOY. Purchased from the founder in 2012, Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show runs it annually in Indianapolis.

• To close out the year, PRI Show rolls into Indianapolis from Dec. 7 to 9. For the first time, the show will have a go-kart track and competition at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Podcast host Danica Tormohlen also shared the top five new stories from Trade Show News Network, Exhibit News Now and Corporate Event News.

Our guest

Tom Gattuso has been involved in producing automotive events for more than 25 years and currently serves as SEMA's Vice President of Events. With a background in both trade and consumer shows, Gattuso brings a unique perspective to building the optimal environments to connect people within the automotive industry. 

Throughout his career, Gattuso has had a role in every aspect of event production from sales to marketing to operations to management and has lead teams that turn show concepts into reality. A consummate student of shows and events, he also serves on volunteer Boards for the Trade Show industry on both the regional and national level.

Gattuso holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing and English from James Madison University.

Ep. 44 – RX Group Vice President Sarin Bachmann: Taking Luxe to the Next Level

RX Group VP Sarin Bachmann shares her experience as a member of senior leadership team at RX, a public company that produces more than 400 events covering 43 sectors in 22 countries. She shines a light on the RX jewelry portfolio that she oversees — one of the few at RX that includes several events like JCK, Luxury and JIS, as well as digital and print media products for the JCK brand — JCKonline.com and JCK Magazine.

We talked about:

• Her recent appearance as a speaker on the stage at the recent UFI Global Congress in Las Vegas where she talked about risk management and her experience with events during hurricane season in Miami, home of JIS

• How her team was able to achieve an impressive 24% increase in attendance at the JIS Fall Show in October in Miami Beach: Marketing the destination and capitalizing on the bleisure trend

• Bringing back in person: How she led the team that produced the first show for RX US in March 2021 in the jewelry sector that soared during Covid

• What’s hot in digital in her portfolio: Everything, but especially the launch of a holiday gift guide

• The theme for the 2024 JCK show at the Venetian in Las Vegas: Love … she revealed

• What she’s looking forward to in 2024: Adding a sustainability summit at JCK, which is on pace to sell out again 

• Giving back to the industry through the JCK Industry Fund, which has awarded more than $300,000 in grants this year 

Our Guest

Sarin Block Bachmann, Group Vice President of RX, is a member of RX’s Senior Leadership Team and oversees RX’s jewelry portfolio including JCK, Luxury, and JIS events along with the digital and print elements of the JCK brand—JCKonline.com and JCK Magazine. 

One of RX’s largest and most important events globally, JCK has thrived under Bachmann's leadership. Bachmann directly manages JCK while overseeing Event Leaders on both Luxury and JIS and has steered JCK to become an industry leading, award-winning event in the trade show industry, and the most important jewelry buying and educational event globally for the jewelry industry. Luxury, the curated, invitation-only event taking place alongside JCK has also been reimagined under Bachmann’s portfolio as the event for the luxury jewelry community.  JCK and Luxury bring over 30,000 industry professionals together, including 18,000+ vetted attendees from over 100 countries and 2,000 exhibitors, ranging from designers, manufacturers, and gemstone wholesalers to packaging companies and technology service providers. The show covers 1.2 million square feet of exhibition space at the iconic Venetian Expo and The Venetian Las Vegas. 

Under her leadership in event strategy, planning, execution, sales, attendance, acquisition, marketing, public relations, operations and special events, Bachmann has achieved all-time high ratings for both exhibitor and attendee satisfaction, loyalty and net promotion for both JCK and Luxury, increasing scores between 15 to 20% and over 30 points in NPS overall.  Furthermore, under her strategic and creative direction, JCK has led the way in becoming a top experiential event that attendees not only consider necessary for their business but also eagerly anticipate attending. In the digital realm, Bachmann led the team in bringing JCK to the industry virtually in 2020, with the JCK Virtual show being a pioneer in launching digital offers in light of the pandemic limiting face-to-face events.

In March of 2021, Bachmann led the team to bring back the first show for RX US, JIS, and continued to forge the team ahead in bringing back in-person JCK and Luxury events in August as some of the first large scale trade shows returning to face-to-face, all to great success.  New to Bachmann’s achievements are leading the JCK team in exceeding pre-pandemic 2019 show levels before most shows, in both sales revenue, attendance, and much higher NPS and customer satisfaction scores, with the 2022 edition marking a milestone year in the event’s history and winning Trade Show Executives Gold 100 “Greatest Trade Show” of the year award. This was then followed up under Bachmann’s leadership with the 2023 edition continuing to grow to a sold out show floor and increasing attendance once again.

As a member of RX’s senior leadership team, Bachmann plays a critical role in shaping event leaders across RX US, leading bi-monthly Event Leader meetings where key issues are discussed and best practices are shared across the division leaders.  Bachmann also leads the way with activations and experiences, playing a crucial part of JCK and serving as a model for other B2B events, along with increasing the focus on DE&I in all the industries she serves forging partnerships with key members of diverse groups including the Black in Jewelry Coalition and leading by example at her shows and RX.  Bachmann utilizes her experience in change management by serving as the Executive Sponsor and liaison for the show teams with the digital team during RX’s roll out of a new registration system across RX US.

Bachmann currently serves on the executive boards of the American Gem Society, Jewelers’ Security Alliance, 24 Karat Club of New York, Women’s Jewelry Association and UFI Global Congress Advisory, as well as on the GEM Awards committee and chair of the JCK Industry Fund committee. 

Ms. Bachmann holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Albany and the prestigious honor of having been invited to participate in the GE Management Development Course. She was also one of a select few to be chosen for the Reed Elsevier Business University.  Her career trajectory began in consulting as a Process Design Consultant with Andersen Consulting (Accenture). She expanded into communications as a Six Sigma certified Master Black Belt for General Electric at NBC and later became the Director of E-Business for NBC’s Broadcast and Network Operations Division.  Now serving close to two decades in show management, Bachmann is a well-rounded and well-known professional, highly regarded throughout the jewelry and trade show industries.

When she is not achieving record breaking results in the industry, Bachmann is spending time with her husband, visiting her two sons in college, taking a workout class, or relaxing on a beautiful beach.

Awards & Accolades for JCK and Luxury under Bachmann’s Leadership (Present – 2019):

• Trade Show Executive – 2023 Gold 100 Grand Award “The Greatest Trade Show” of 2022 

• RX GLOBAL – Building Business Awards: 2022 Show of the Year 

• RX USA – Team of the Year Award 2022

• Trade Show Executive – 2022 Fastest 50 in all three categories for JCK – Attendance, Exhibitors, Square Feet, and all three shows JCK, Luxury & JIS receiving Fastest 50 Awards

• AEO Excellence Awards (UK) Short List Finalist for 2022 Best International Show – Americas 

• Trade Show Executive – 2022 Gold 100 Grand Award “The Show Must Go On” for 2021 event

• Tradeshow News Network (TSNN) 2022 Comeback Award, Outstanding Attendance for 2021 event

• Trade Show Executive – Grand Award Gold 100 “Return to Normal” for 2020 event

• Tradeshow News Network (TSNN) Best of Technology Award for JCK Match program 2019

Podcast Host: Danica Tormohlen

 An award-winning journalist who has covered the trade show industry since 1994, Danica Tormohlen is VP of Content for Tarsus Group, which was recently acquired by Informa for $940 million. In her role, she oversees content for Trade Show News Network, Corporate Event News and Exhibit News Now. These leading media brands publish websites, newsletters, social media channels, video, podcasts and online and in-person programming for the trade show, corporate event and exhibition industries.

Tormohlen currently serves as a board member for Women in Exhibitions Network North America chapter. She has been a speaker and moderator at major industry events, including the TSNN Awards, IMEX, IAEE, SISO, UFI, ESCA and Large Show Roundtable — to name a few.

Thank you to our sponsor! 

Zenus

What if you could prove your event is working with hard facts and learn how to make it even better? With Zenus’s Ethical Vision AI, you can protect your budget and have detailed reporting. Learn how that’s all possible at Zenus.AI

In an exclusive interview, we had the opportunity to talk with UFI President Michael Duck, who serves as executive vice president, commercial development of Informa Markets, and UFI CEO Kai Hattendorf, to get the inside scoop on the breaking news that UFI kicked off its first Global Congress in U.S. with the launch of a North America Regional Chapter. 

We talked about:

• Why the regional chapter was formed in North America and why now

• What UFI regional chapters do and how they support members

• Who will lead the North America Chapter (volunteer and staffing)

• What benefits members will receive from the chapter

• Why is UFI different from the U.S. based associations

• When and where the chapter will meet next

On Nov. 1, UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, kicked off its 90th UFI Global Congress in Las Vegas — the first time for the global gathering to meet in the U.S. — with a member vote during its annual General Assembly to approve the launch of a North America chapter. 

Exhibition Place Toronto General Manager Laura Purdy will chair the new chapter together with vice chairs Kim Carcone, executive vice president, global market events for the Toy Association, and Pepe Navarro, director general for Tarsus/Informa. UFI will work with MAD Event Management, a trade show management company led by President Martha Donato and CEO Marty Glynn, to manage the activities for the new North America chapter. 

Back story

As an integrated part of the industry association ecosystem, UFI has long been active across North America. More than 65 national and international exhibition end events industry associations — including the Society of Independent Show Organizers and the Exhibition Services and Contractors Association in the U.S., AMPROFEC and AMEREF in Mexico and Canadian Association of Exposition Management in Canada — are UFI members. 

“UFI is a trailblazer for collaboration among industry associations – and has been for more than 20 years, with great success around the world,” Hattendorf said. 

“Having seen multi-year stable growth in membership from across North America, UFI opens a North America chapter to ensure these members are well represented in the organization,” said Duck, who helped UFI open its first regional chapter more than 20 years ago. At the time, that regional chapter covered Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa. 

As of today, UFI will have five regional chapters, including North America, Europe, Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Latin America. At least 5% of its global membership is based in each of these regions, Hattendorf said.

“We have seen our membership numbers rise constantly across North America,” Duck said. “North America represents a vital and growing share of UFI membership, with 7% of UFI’s 830 member companies based in the region and more than 25% of UFI members with active business in the region.”

Major trade show companies, like Informa, RX and Clarion, are part of the European chapter, as their headquarters are located in Europe.

“Through the chapter, we make sure that the voices and needs of UFI members from Canada, U.S. and Mexico are well represented in UFI’s governing bodies, including the Executive Committee and the Board, as well as through the Chapter leadership,” Duck said.

Hattendorf added, “We can also serve our members and the industry in the region better through the chapter structure and its corresponding regional office.”

Podcast host Danica Tormohlen also shared the top five new stories from Trade Show News Network, Exhibit News Now and Corporate Event News as November begins.

Our guests

UFI President Michael Duck is Executive Vice President – Commercial Development of Informa Markets and Informa Plc. 

He joined the business in 1994 in Hong Kong and has worked in various leadership roles, focused on building up the company’s presence in the Asia region, especially in China and India, and expanding events into the Middle East and Africa. 

He founded and chaired the regional chapter Asia, Middle East and Africa, as well as the Sustainability chapter for UFI.

At Informa, he is working across the global markets business, which spans 30+ international markets, acting as a main point of contact for building relationships and a pipeline of growth activity particularly in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and beyond, through M&A and the internationalization of products and brands. He also supports the wider Informa Group divisions, with commercial activity in Asia.

Michael has volunteered with UFI for 20 years, and he has also been an Executive Committee member of the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association (HKECIA) for over twenty-five years and was Chairman from 1998-2000. 

Connect with him on LinkedIn here.

Kai Hattendorf is Managing Director / CEO of UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry. He is responsible for UFI activities and events globally, as well as the operation of its Paris headquarters and the offices and presences in Bogota, Brussels, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

From 2019 to 2021, Kai served as Honorary President of the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC), a global Council of international and global associations serving the Business Events Industry, where he remains on the Board.

Prior to his current role, Kai worked in the exhibition industry for numerous years in senior management positions at Messe Frankfurt’s global headquarters, focusing on transformational issues ranging from digitisation to marketing and communications.

Kai’s work in the events industry has been recognized through various awards and recognitions around the world. Most recently he was named “Business Events Strategist of the Year” by PCMA.

His previous career also includes leadership positions in marketing/strategic communications as well as in strategy and product development in the ITC and Media Industry for the Deutsche Telekom Group, the dpa Group (the German Press Agency), and a fintech start-up.

A journalist by education, Kai has internationally reported and worked for the WDR and Radio Bremen broadcasters in Germany, at Euronews in France, the BBC in the UK, and the Voice of America. He holds a Master’s degree from the American University, Washington, DC. He also studied in Dortmund and Edinburgh. 

Connect with him on LinkedIn here.

Podcast Host: Danica Tormohlen

An award-winning journalist who has covered the trade show industry since 1994, Danica Tormohlen is VP of Content forTarsus Group, which was recently acquired by Informa for $940 million. In her role, she oversees content for Trade Show News Network, Corporate Event News and Exhibit News Now. These leading media brands publish websites, newsletters, social media channels, video, podcasts and online and in-person programming for the trade show, corporate event and exhibition industries.

Tormohlen currently serves as a board member for Women in Exhibitions Network North America chapter. She has been a speaker and moderator at major industry events, including the TSNN Awards, IMEX, IAEE, SISO, UFI, ESCA and Large Show Roundtable — to name a few.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Zenus

What if you could prove your event is working with hard facts and learn how to make it even better? With Zenus’s Ethical Vision AI, you can protect your budget and have detailed reporting. Learn how that’s all possible at Zenus.AI 

We had a conversation with Josh Rifkin, CEO of Flatworks Displays, about his experience leading a U.S. manufacturing company that sells a custom flatpack weight bearing trade show booth systems that assembles with no tools. 

With 25 years of experience, Josh knows what goes into preparing for trade shows. In fact, he was an exhibitor for more than a decade when he served as sales director for a major publishing company, exhibiting in dozens of shows a year. As an exhibitor, he found that renting booths was expensive, especially the costs for labor. 

He launched Flatworks Displays in 2017 to solve this problem. He truly believes that focusing less time, money and energy on building the booth to display a product is the key to increasing a company’s bottom line. Flatworks Displays is based in San Diego, CA. 

A few of their exhibitor clients: Rawlings Sporting Goods, Franklin Sports, Magna-tiles, Toysmith, Honey Stinger, Blue Buffalo Pet Food, Nixon, Richardson Sports, Alteryx, Hape, Safari, Chronicle Books, Corkcicle, PADI, Bron Tapes, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, Outset Media, Pineapple Express, Wrangler, Crazy Aaron's, Rothco and Nexbelt.

In this episode, we had a conversation with John Rozum about his experience producing the record-breaking The Utility Expo, fueled by federal funding from historic and transformative legislation passed in 2021.

In fact, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is expected to increase federal spending on infrastructure by about $550 billion over the next decade, nearly all through grants to state and local governments, which own much of the nation’s infrastructure.

The biennial trade show returned to Louisville, Ky., with more than 21,000 utility construction professionals from all 50 states and 60 countries. The trade show, held Sept. 26-28 at the Kentucky Exposition Center, featured more than 900 exhibitors showcasing the latest products and solutions for the utility construction industry. Exhibits covered a record 1.5 million net square feet, and the event featured equipment test drives and interactive product demonstrations. 

The Utility Expo is owned by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, a North America-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers with more than 1,000 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. 

The equipment manufacturing industry in the United States supports 2.3 million jobs and contributes roughly $316 billion to the economy every year. In addition to The Utility Expo, AEM also owns and produces CONEXPO-CON/AGG, The International Fluid Power Exposition (IFPE), and the Commodity Classic.

We talked about:

• How The Utility Expo increased attendance by 30% over its last show in 2021 and by 10% over its previous attendance record in 2019 

• How the biennial show grew from 1.3 to 1.5 million square feet of exhibit space

• The new community zone that debuted in 2023

• Why the show has made its home in Louisville since 1987

• What’s trending in utility equipment: Sustainable equipment and accessories

• The state of the utility industry: Strong due to infrastructure investments, which are expected to increase in coming years

• And so much more!

Podcast host Danica Tormohlen also shared the top five new stories from Trade Show News Network, Exhibit News Now and Corporate Event News that were published in mid September 2023.

Our guest

John Rozum, Senior Director, Ag & Utility Exhibitions and Events for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), is a self-described “event nerd” with more than two decades of experience leading some of the largest trade shows in the United States. He plays a critical role in the planning and execution of industry-leading trade shows such as The Utility Expo, CONEXPO-CON/AGG and The International Fluid Power Exposition (IFPE), as well as the Commodity Classic. Rozum is currently serving as chairperson of the Major American Trade Show Organizers (MATSO) and president of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA).

Rozum joined AEM in 2013 as the organization’s attendee acquisition manager, and he currently serves as Show Director for The Utility Expo and IFPE. Prior to joining AEM, he worked in several sales and event management consulting roles, including more than a decade spent leading the trade show for the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. john earned a Bachelor of Science in both Ag Journalism and Poultry Science from the University of Wisconsin.

Connect with him on LinkedIn here.

Podcast Host: Danica Tormohlen

An award-winning journalist who has covered the trade show industry since 1994, Danica Tormohlen is VP of Content forTarsus Group, which was recently acquired by Informa for $940 million. In her role, she oversees content for Trade Show News Network, Corporate Event News and Exhibit News Now. These leading media brands publish websites, newsletters, social media channels, video, podcasts and online and in-person programming for the trade show, corporate event and exhibition industries.

Tormohlen currently serves as a board member for Women in Exhibitions Network North America chapter. She has been a speaker and moderator at major industry events, including the TSNN Awards, IMEX, IAEE, SISO, UFI, ESCA and Large Show Roundtable — to name a few.

Thank you to our sponsor!

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