WASHINGTON, DC — The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has been a boon to many small vendors in the trade show industry. “The fact is, 99% of the trade show industry is comprised of small businesses with fewer than 500 employees,” said Hervé Sedky, Emerald’s president and CEO. “So far, the PPP and other relief programs have been critical in helping these businesses stay afloat.”
However, he added, “if events continue to be postponed or cancelled, there will likely be some consolidation” in the trade show supplier ecosystem.
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That consolidation is already underway, said Larry Arnaudet, executive director of the Exhibition Services and Contractors Association (ESCA). “Some of our larger contractor members have reduced their initial footprint, and at the same time, some members have absorbed those that were struggling.” The result, he said, may well be that some show organizers will switch contractors to continue working with their same account managers.
Reed Exhibitions US is among those planning to continue working with existing suppliers during this challenging time, said Yancy Weinrich, chief growth officer. Emerald also has “deep, long-standing relationships with key suppliers and subcontractors. These relationships are a driving force in our collective support for each other and our industry as a whole,” Sedky said.
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“As our industry continues to navigate this period of unprecedented change, alignment and communication with external suppliers provides transparency into business resilience and the operational strategies needed to bounce back during these challenging times.”
Find the rest of the story in the next May issue of Trade Fair Manager.
Contact Larry Arnaudet at larry@esca.org ; Yancy Weinrich at YWeinrich@reedexpo.com ; and Hervé Sedky at herve.sedky@emeraldx.com