Advertising loves the word “new”. It’s right up there in popularity with “free.” “New” is often seen in tandem with another advertising favorite “improved”. So the triple threat would be “get the free, new and improved ….”
When FPSA announced that it was moving PROCESS EXPO to fall dates beginning in 2011 and that the show would be held every two years, we had some feedback that this was going to be a “new” show added to the myriad of shows serving the food and beverage industry. When we were tagged with the “new” descriptor for PROCESS EXPO 2011, we were somewhat nonplussed. Since FPSA and its predecessor associations have been sponsoring trade shows for over 100 years, we could reasonably ask, “When does something old become new?” We were not adding a “new” show but redesigning our current one. And, by going to a biennial show, we are, in fact, reducing the number of shows. While we protest that we are not a “new” show, we will gladly admit that this version will be vastly “improved”.
Who knows more about trade shows than the exhibitors? With that in mind, we involved our member/exhibitors in every aspect of the “improved” PROCESS EXPO 2011. From the layout of the floor to the low registration rate for our visitors, one will see the influence of the vast experience of our member/exhibitors. Adding major improvements to the event will be the new work rules for McCormick Place legislated recently in Illinois. Both small and large exhibitors will find significant cost savings in their 2011 experience.
We are taking a “new and improved” approach to the development of the educational programs that will be a strong complement to PROCESS EXPO. Rather than beginning with the traditional “call for papers”, we are going to the end user of our educational offerings, the processor, and asking them to design the programs. We are asking the processors to identify the key issues they want to hear about. We want them to reveal the problems they are facing every day. And, we promise to develop and deliver pragmatic responses to those issues and problems in the seminar offerings at PROCESS EXPO 2011.
Want to hear more about what is “new and improved” with PROCESS EXPO? We invite you to join us for a networking reception at the show next month. At 4 pm on Monday, July 19, at the FPSA booth, exhibitors and members of FPSA will have an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about how we as a supplier-owned and supplier-run show are focused on optimizing attendance at the lowest possible cost to both attendees and exhibitors.
We hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
David Seckman, President
FPSA
