SHOW NEWS: East Show Numbers Up; Orlando Conference Features Tommy Grant

John L. Wolz

After 22 years in Columbus, OH, many exhibitors have high expectations that the new Orlando, FL, location for the National Industrial Fastener Show/East will return distributor registration to four-digit levels.\
Show management announced that distributor Tommy Grant, chair of the Fastener Quality Association, is the featured conference speaker on the U.S. Fastener Quality Act.
The show will be on Friday, May 9, 2003. Conferences will be on Thursday. The Southeastern Fastener Association will present sessions on the FQA and sales management practices. Martha Thomas of the Institute for Trend Research will present an industry outlook for 2003.
The East show�s record distributor registration peaked at 1,753 in 1995. It has been below 1,000 for the past three years and down to 410 last year. The numbers include advance and on-site registration. Actual attendance is not known, because show management does not use a verified attendance system.
�A change of scenery can be good for trade shows too,� show general manager Gloria Crase remarked.
Orlando�s scenery includes Disney World and other attractions. �I�m going to play and to work,� said one manufacturer�s rep who wouldn�t have returned to Columbus this year. �I�m bringing my daughter and granddaughter.�
In addition to seeing more distributors, one exhibitor said he is hoping for �new faces� from the Southeast who haven�t been to the Midwest show. Show management said it has received a �significant number� of registrations from people who have never been to Columbus.
The East show has had as many as 653 booths, and show partner Mike McGuire recently proclaimed this year�s East show as �sold out� at 200-some booths.
Crase noted the show is at 100 booths more than 2002 and is still selling exhibit space.
For show information contact Crase. Tel: 614 895-1279 Fax 614 895-3466 E-mail: nifsco@fastenershows.com Web: fastenershows.com
How to Cut Costs at Orlando
� Fewer booths are an advantage for exhibitors. The show will have a busier feel and the number of distributors will be divided by 200-some exhibitors rather than 600-some of Las Vegas and past Columbus shows.
Exhibitors can cut costs with less expensive booths, as there won�t be as many companies competing for distributors� attention.
New lighter-weight displays reduce shipping and on-site drayage costs both to and from the show. The retractable displays and tabletop display systems are a fraction of the size and weight of older hard-wall or pop-up displays, can be carried in a suitcase and look better than wrinkled banners. Examples can be seen online at signsandstripes.com/sales.htm.
� Order booth furniture, electrical and telephone services before the advance discount deadline. Check your exhibitor�s manual or contact general manager Gloria Crase for deadlines. Tel: 614 895-1279.
You can cut costs with less booth furniture. Do you need as many chairs as last year or just one for occasionally resting feet? Is one table sufficient? Do you need to rent a booth wastebasket if there are nearby aisle trash containers?
� The Early Bird attendee discount registration already ended. Register by April 25 for $40. On-site registration has been increased 25% to $50 this year. In the past few years free or discount coupons have been provided to East show exhibitors to give to distributor customers. Check with show management.
� Book flights by April 22 for 14-day advance discounts. Before making flight and hotel reservations for booth staff, contact show management to ask if distributor registration is up or down from last year. Adjust booth staff accordingly.
� The official hotel is The Peabody, which show management describes as a 10-minute walk to the show. The fastener rate at the Peabody is $160 per night. Tel: 800 423-8257
Orlando has more than 86,000 hotel rooms, including more than 6,000 near the convention center. Hotels less than a mile from the convention center include Clarion, Days Inn, Embassy Suites, Best Western and Sierra Suites.
Information on additional hotels is available on the Internet at Orlando.ConventionCenterHotelsGuide.com or by calling 866 656-7127 and at OrangeCountyConventionCenter.com or 954 252-3416. The websites claim to offer hotel discounts of 40% to 70%. Hotels.com (800 246-8357) advertises Orlando hotel rooms starting at $39.95. One exhibiting fastener manufacturer told FIN he finds substantial discounts by booking rooms through Priceline.com. �2003 FastenerNews.com