Most, if not all FPSA members, are now aware that beginning in early November of 2011, PROCESS EXPO will be held in Chicago on an every-two year basis in the fall timeframe. This decision is a result of numerous discussions, roundtables, and meetings populated by the suppliers who will be responsible for all aspects of the new format. A task force, receiving input from FPSA Industry Councils, has reviewed and forwarded recommendations to the FPSA board of directors on everything to do with a tradeshow including: where - Chicago; when - late Fall; how often- every-two years; cost to exhibit; cost to attendees; lay-out of the floor; role of education; etc. The role of FPSA member/exhibitors will continue as we move forward and expand the work of the task force into functional sub-committees to deal with Show Sales, Show Operations, Attendee Marketing and Promotion, and Educational Programs. In short, PROCESS EXPO will be exclusively owned and managed by the member/exhibitors of the show.
Who knows more about how a tradeshow should be sold, organized, and promoted than the exhibitors who make up that show? The mantra at FPSA has been and will continue to be, “offer the best tradeshow experience possible at the lowest possible price to the exhibitor and the attendee.” When the exhibitors have their say on the cost per square foot to exhibit and the fee for their customers to attend, you can be certain that they will not assess themselves or their customers one dollar more than necessary.
The role and importance of exhibitors in a tradeshow is not limited to the design of the exhibit floor. The single most important element in the attraction to potential attendees is the quality and quantity of the exhibitors in that show. It’s worth repeating. It is not the association who sponsors the show, but the exhibitors that make up the show that deliver the audience.
Willie Sutton, the infamous bank robber, was asked why he robbed banks. He responded, “Because that’s where the money is.” In similar fashion, when attendees are polled on why they attended a particular show, the number one answer is because of the companies that are exhibiting. Quality attendees will be attracted to PROCESS EXPO because they will see the bellwether companies that supply the worldwide food and beverage industries.
We will send you a lot of information about the “new” PROCESS EXPO in the coming months. I urge you and those in your company who have a stake in the decision on where you invest your exhibit dollars to participate in a webinar on April 28, 2010 at 1:30pm EDT.
Details on that webinar will be sent to you soon. But, in the meantime, mark you calendar and plan to be there. It’s about your tradeshow. It’s about your role in this historic undertaking. It is worth your time and effort. I guarantee it.
David Seckman
President and CEO, FPSA
