DALLAS — A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is worth even more. This is the spirit behind the new ALL IN campaign, organized by the Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA).
The campaign’s mission was twofold. First, ESCA put out a call to member exhibition service companies and contractors to create original videos on how they are preparing to safely resume events. Then, an online discussion was held on June 15 with key industry players and ESCA board members who shared their own strategies and experiences. The videos were shown throughout the online event and are also featured on the ESCA website.
ESCA President Neil McMullin, Senior Vice President of Shared Services at Fern, moderated the panel, which included David Causton, General Manager, McCormick Place; Randy Pekowski, President and COO, The Expo Group; Jeff Quade, Executive Vice President, Exhibitions, GES; Damon Ross, Senior Vice President, Group, CORT Events; Joanne Sanders, International Vice President/Department Director, Trade Shows and Exhibitions, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees; and Chris Schimek, Executive Vice President, Delivery and Brand Experience, Freeman. ““We are ready to take on any challenges and overcome any obstacles that come our way after the past year and now after a fairly rapid restart,” McMullin said. “We are indeed … after a fairly rapid restart,” McMullin said. “All In” because it is‘It’s time to get back to what we do best.”
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Venue-wise, McCormick Place’s Causton was optimistic after the news from the previous week, with World of Concrete kicking off in Las Vegas and the state of California reopening. That morning, he’d learned that FABTECH 2021 would go ahead. the first large-scale manufacturing trade show to return to McCormick Place from September 13-16. This was announced just as Illinois enters final phase of reopening. The Chicago Auto Show, scheduled for July 15-19, is expected to attract 130,000 people to the city.
This level of activity, which is felt in cities across the United States, The challenge is to scale up staff, materials and processes. “How do we manage the peaks and valleys we’re seeing now??” said the Expo group Pekowski: “We are looking at a robust fall and we are in the recovery phase. The most significant increase in hiring is occurring now and is expected to continue over the next 12 months.“
At Freeman, they communicated with furloughed employees throughout the process. team members via a specially created newsletter called “Stay connected,” as well as public meetings and webinars, and we created playbooks “to make sure we get back to normal as quickly as possible,” Schimek said. “THE The integration timeline has been accelerated due to the acceleration of vaccinations and new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We’ve had conversations with all the different trades as far as getting shows back on track.” He predicted that initially, when shows do resume, the workforce the call will not be as big due to smaller footprints.
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Meanwhile, Quade reported that GES has also created a flexible management pool to successfully execute It is Calendar 2021.
CORT’s Ross reported the highest level of inventory since 2019, sufficient to meet needs for the next six months to a year. “We have reorganized our warehouses and our service providers have launched programs in which they teach warehouse associates how to drive to be able “They get their certificates,” he said. The driver shortage, exacerbated by the pandemic, is a hot topic within the group. According to Causton, transportation management companies are improving their driving school programs, creating different levels of certification and developing hiring and retention incentives.
Sanders assured that his union members were ready to work again. “Our people are professionals–“They are oriented towards employment and are committed to training in this area,” she said.. “We have not seen a mass exodus of workers like in other sectors, such as restaurants and hotels. Their goal is to return to this career.”
Although there is still much to be done, one thing emerged clearly from the ALL IN roundtable: cooperation, even between competitors., has never been stronger. This has been demonstrated by the efforts of industry coalitions such as Go LIVE Together. This resulted in the creation of the ECA Legislative Action Day on June 2, which attracted 150 industry advocates and resulted in more than 3,000 letters sent to lawmakers, according to Schimek.
““I have never seen, in my career in the industry, such a level of collaboration and cooperation,” said GES’s Quade.. “What is in the best interest of everyone in our industry, that’s what matters. It’s not about protecting your relationships with your customers, it’s about how we can all succeed together.“
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Join ESCA at(972) 447-8210; info@esca.org