Missing my chance to meet Captain America

I am addicted to trade shows and when I can’t get to a certain show I will look online for news and information about trade shows not taking place in Las Vegas


The one show that has eluded me year after year is Comic Con — the annual convention of popular arts with special guests, themes and anniversaries, and programming. It is the ultimate gathering of science fiction characters, comic book heroes and the celebrities who portray them in films.

Most of the characters are the attendees who travel to the San Diego Convention Center to participate in the convention. The press enjoys covering this event because there is never a shortage of costume-clad sci-fi fans. This year the show is going ape with the release of “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” on Aug. 5.


More than 125,000 fans have descended upon the Convention Center this week, dressing up like their heroes, which this year will include vampires, werewolves, zombie-killers and demon-hunters featured in recent and forthcoming comic books, TV shows, movies and video games.

Hugh Jackman was photographed at Comic Con passing out movie poster to hundreds of fans. Most fans know him as Wolverine of X-Men films of he has been promoting “Real Steel” his latest action film about boxing robots.

According to press releases, Jackman is Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring.

This film will most likely appeal to males. From the trailers it looks like the Rock ’Em Sock ’E Robots of my youth have taken over the silver screen.

I wouldn’t mind donning my Star Trek uniform and spend a day walking among Captain America, the Hulk or Spiderman.

Las Vegas does host the Star Trek Convention but it is not the same since Star Trek: The Experience shut down at the Hilton.

Las Vegas meanwhile has a beauty show in Cosmoprof North America, a show shoe from WSA and the ASD merchandise show taking place this month.

I may not get to rub elbows with Captain America but next month I will get chance to listen to President Bill Clinton who is the keynote speaker for the Summer 2011 Las Vegas Market at the World Market Center on Aug. 1.

Live long and prosper.

Healthcare exhibit industry on an upswing

I am addicted to trade shows so when an association makes a rare stop in Las Vegas I make an effort to visit and check out the exhibits. For the first time ever the Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association held its annual meeting at the Wynn in Las Vegas. The June 25-28 meeting offered a great opportunity to learn about the association and learn about the industry.

There were a few exhibitors who had also exhibit at the annual Exhibitor show held in Las Vegas during the spring so a few companies were able to reuse some of the elements from its booth from that show in March. MG Design and Elements were two companies that had a familiar branding to me since I also visited their booths at Exhibit2011.

One education session gave me some insight into the state of the health care exhibit industry and, according to HCEA’s marketing research and communications manager Frank Skinner, the industry is on a small upswing but many companies are using less space at trade shows and spending less money.

The average square footage for large shows dropped from 200,000 to 130,000 square feet during the past year.

The Wynn was a great location for a show of this size. The exhibit show floor was located just a few hundred yards from the education sessions, but for some reason Las Vegas is not among the top cites for the health care exhibit industry.

“For 14 years Orlando has hosted an new healthcare meeting every five days,” Skinner said, adding that other popular destinations are Washington, D.C., San Diego and New Orleans.

I managed to walk the floor and talk with some exhibitors who demonstrated their products.

Congratulations to two exhibitors for winning best booth awards during the show. Kaon, No. 122, was the best small booth with its under 10-foot-by-10-foot exhibit. The best large booth award went to Crêpes á Latte Catering for its attention-grabbing booth. Not only did their booth look good, but the coffee and mini cupcakes were delicious.

Coffee must be very much accepted in the healthcare industry because I could not help but notice that there were a few exhibitors offering cups of java for attendees. Markey Coffee Communication caught my attention with it special blend of coffee brought from the United Kingdom.

For the first time, the Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association (HCEA) will have the attendance at its Annual Meeting professionally audited by an independent, third party auditing organization.

The 2011 HCEA Annual Meeting, to be held June 25-28, 2011, in Las Vegas, will be audited by the not-for-profit organization BPA Worldwide, therefore providing HCEA with complete and accurate attendance and demographic data about its meeting. 

The audit will be a census-based, independent validation of verified meeting attendance. BPA Worldwide will confirm and validate show attendance data for HCEA based on verified registration, demographics and geographic coverage. Thanks to Jennifer Palcher-Silliman for making it possible for me to attend.

Overall a great show with decent attendance. I will have to wait for the audit to be complete before knowing how many healthcare professionals attended but I think the association should be pleased with the results.

I just connected everything through PING and I hope it works!

Freeman makes industry-changing deal with Wheelhouse Solution

LAS VEGAS — In an announcement that will change how some general contractors will conduct business, Freeman and Wheelhouse Solutions announced today that Freeman will has acquired Wheelhouse, an experiential marketing services firm comprised of three companies – Champion Exposition Services, George Fern Company and Immersa Marketing.

Joe Popolo, CEO of Freeman and  Wheelhouse CEO, Bob Priest-Heck made the announcement that was posted onto YouTube and can be be viewed on Trade Show Expo's website as well by clicking this link..

The combination of these two companies will form the premier experiential marketing firm, operating under the Freeman name.

As of today, Champion will be integrated into Freeman. Fern, a leading exposition services company, and Immersa, a leading experientialmarketing agency, will operate as individual brands under Freeman.

There had been talks of this acquistion for days but not much could be found on the Internet until today. Calling this the next step to the future on its company blog, Freeman bring together a large group of industry talent that will be sure to change the face-to-face industry in Las Vegas and across the country.

Perhaps it was the recession that triggered tallks of this decision but it goes to show how the industry is evolving.

Other companies may wondering who they can team up with to provide better customer service and keep their piece of the industry pie. It is a good move for Champion and Fern but only time will tell if this acquistion will be accepted by the unions and trade show managers.

Read more on TSE's Website!

Licensing Expo missing its Tony

I am addicted to trade shows because it is a great way to meet people who enjoy conducting face-to-face business meetings.

The tradeshow industry has allowed me to shake hands or at least be in the same hall with some of the biggest names in film, televisions, sports and politics.

With the Licensing Expo taking place at the Mandalay Bay this week I could not help but feel a bit sad with the absence of one of the most gracious men I have ever had the chance to meet in person.

Tony Curtis had been one of Las Vegas most popular residents but he was more than just and actor. He was an author and artist as well. Although a bit frail during the last few years of his life he continued to make public appearance. He was a regular celebrity at the Licensing Expo held every year in Las Vegas.

As ill as he may have been he still managed to show up to promote his artwork, sign a few autographs and say hello to his fans. Unfortunately, last year was his final appearance at the Las Vegas trade show.

Curtis, the son of a Bronx tailor and star of such films as "Sweet Smell of Success," and "The Defiant Ones," passed away Sept. 29 of last year. He was 85.

I enjoyed watching him sitting in his wheelchair, talking with his fans and still able to flirt with the many women who waited in line to get an autograph, a kiss and a photo with the American film actor.

I was in awe of him because I had always been a fan of his films. “Some Like It Hot” is one of my favorite films. I liked all of his films and I have tried to watch as many of them as I could.

For years I thought he was Harry Houdini until I began to understand what films were all about. I even liked his guest appearance as Stoney Curtis on the Flintstones cartoon series.

That episode debuted in 1965 but I caught it in syndication in the early 70s as a youth growing up in Los Angeles.

I know his presence at Licensing Expo is missed. There is  an empty booth where he would have welcomed attendees to his table.

I did managed to say hello to him while taking his photo at the show bit I could never get close enough to shake his hand.

Although his brand is not include with the list of exhibitors at this year’s show, hopefully his brand will return to the show so that a new generation of fans can continue to become acquainted with Curtis.

John Wayne, Elvis and Jim Morrison are still popular draws for fans so I am sure Curtis will always have his following.

U.S.A.! U.S.A.! not just a chant but also a brand

I am addicted to trade shows but when I received an invitation to attend the 11th Global Travel and Tourism Summit held in Las Vegas last month, it was hard to pass up.

I confess I did not originally know what the Summit was about but I this was a great chance to attend a an event at the Aria Resort and Casino, so I managed to procure a press credential for the May 17-19 gathering of leaders. The list of speakers and guests was a Who’s Who of Global travel leaders that included CEOs and VP’s of various international hotel, travel and tourism companies, members of President Barack Obama’s cabinet, heads of various internet travel companies and the President of Mexico Felipe Calderón.

This was the first time this Summit was held in Las Vegas and just the second time the United States hosted the annual meeting organized by the World Travel & Tourism Council. It was a great opportunity for Las Vegas to showcase itself to the Global travel community.
Representing and welcoming nearly 1,000 delegates from 65 countries to Las Vegas were Mayor Oscar Goodman and Rossi Ralenkotter, CEO and President of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

“But basically what Las Vegas is all about is it’s about fun in the evening and about doing serious business in the during the daytime,” said Mayor Goodman as during his brief time on the stage.

One press conference I attended was by the Corporation for Travel Promotion membership panel who discussed what it is doing to bring more tourism to the United States. It is a fact that the U.S. has seen fewer overseas visitors every year since the Sept. 11 attacks.
People used to come here for the mountains, beaches, cities, cuisine, historical monuments, or just to take in a baseball game or a Broadway play. People have their own reasons for visiting the U.S.

The U.S. did not need to promote itself but lately many tourists have been perhaps afraid or unsure of traveling to Los Angeles, New York, Miami or even Las Vegas.

The new Corporation for Travel Promotion is trying to increase travel to the States and have formed a public and private partnership between the government and the tourism industry, including the heads of Diamond Resorts International and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in Orlando.

Its board members say every state needs to pull behind the power of the U.S. brand to entice people visit.

But the question seems to be just how do you promote a country as large as the United States?

“Each state is still going to promote itself and its iconic landmarks,” according to Caroline Beteta, president and CEO, California Travel & Tourism Commission.” Beteta says the CTP will also promote those same icons to attract first-time visitors.

"We need people to be thinking about America," says Beteta, who is also the vice chairwoman of the CTP. "If they're not thinking about America, they'll never consider California.”

Las Vegas has a lot to market to the global travel community beyond the casinos, sun and swimming pools. Las Vegas is a one-stop global tour with its own Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower and erupting volcano.

Luring tourist to America will be the task at hand for Jim Evan, who during the Summit was announced as the CEO to run the Corporation and develop all the marketing programs to attract millions more visitors to the U.S.

Evans is a long-time industry leader with strong marketing and CEO experience and a successful record of coalition building, which is extremely important given the need to align the priorities of 50 states, hundreds of destinations.

Currently the CTP is launching "Destination America" — an international ad campaign including TV spots, print ads and websites to educate the world about the rules for entering the United States.

The 12th Summit is scheduled to take place in Tokyo on April 17-19, 2012. That is a bit too far for me to travel.

However, after a few days at the Global Summit I was convinced I needed to see more of America myself. I think I will start with Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston or the Bellagio Fountains.