TSEA Announces Winners

The winners of TSEA’s First Annual Exhibitors’ Choice Awards were just announced at the TSEA Foundation Gala in conjunction with the TS2 show in Chicago, IL.

Over 400 exhibit industry professionals came out to the Chicago Illuminating Company to celebrate and cheer on the winners and nominees of the awards. The winners include…  

Favorite Exhibit House
Winner: Exhibitgroup/Giltspur
Honorable Mention: 3D Exhibits, Skyline

Favorite General Contractor
Winner: Freeman
Honorable Mention: GES

Favorite Installation and Dismantling Company
Winner: Nth Degree
Honorable Mention: Czarnowski

Favorite Transportation/ Freight Company
Winner: TWI
Honorable Mention: Barrett

Favorite of the Rest (all other types of suppliers)
Winner: Exhibit Surveys
Honorable Mention: NMR Staging & Events, United Service Companies

Favorite Show Manager
Winner: Mary Pat Heftman, National Restaurant Association & Karen Chupka, Consumer Electronics Show
Honorable Mentions: Bob Hughes, National Association of Convenience Stores Show & Mary Upton, The ASI Show!

Favorite Show of 2009
Winner: Consumer Electronics Show
Honorable Mention: National Restaurant Association

Favorite Convention City
Winner: Las Vegas
Honorable Mention: Chicago

Best Convention Center
Winner: McCormick Place
Honorable Mention: Las Vegas Convention Center

Hmmm… not too many surprises but always great to see participation and opinions expressed in the form of awards. Congrats to all!

For more information, visit tsea.org.

The Rocky Mountain Chapter will hold a luncheon on May 26, 2009. The Lone Star Chapter held its first formation meeting and will be sending out a survey soon to help plan its initial meeting. The New England Chapter will be hosting a Chapter Kick-Off Rally on June 17, 2009 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

In the second half of 2009, additional chapters are planned for Houston, Philadelphia, Michigan, New York and Southern California. Current chapters also exist in Chicago and Toronto.

More information at www.tsea.org

The Exhibitors’ Choice Awards will allow exhibitors to nominate and vote for their preferred shows and vendors. TSEA is asking exhibitors to submit nominations in any or all categories.

Nomination forms can be found at tsea.org and should be submitted to reddiamondawards@tsea.org by Friday, May 15, 2009. Voting for the top five nominated companies and shows will take place on tsea.org from May 20 – June 15, 2009. The following is a list of categories:

• Favorite Convention Center
• Favorite Exhibit House
• Favorite General Contractor
• Favorite Installation and Dismantling Company
• Favorite Transportation/Freight Company
• Favorite of the Rest
• Favorite Show Manager
• Favorite Show of 2009
• Favorite Show – 50,000 sq. ft and under
• Favorite Show – 50,00 – 100,000 sq. ft
• Favorite Show – 100,000+ sq. ft

In addition to the current honors, Distinguished Service, President’s and Chairman’s which are presented at the TS2 opening ceremonies, TSEA will also present the Red Diamond Awards at the Gala. These awards will recognize outstanding Active and Allied TSEA members and include:

• Exhibit Manager of the Year
• Allied Member of the Year
• Perfect Partner of the Year
• Michael Seymour Chapter Leader of the Year
• Tom Bowman Green Award
• Master’s Award
• Emerging Leader Award

For the Red Diamond Awards, TSEA is asking members to submit nominations in any or all categories. Nomination forms can be found at tsea.org and should be submitted to reddiamondawards@tsea.org by Friday, June 5, 2009.

“The money we raise at this event will help fund TSEA’s new e-Learning Center, our expanded education program and research such as the Exhibit Industry Carbon Project,” said Margit B. Weisgal, CME, President and CEO of TSEA. “We’re excited to present new ways to recognize industry members and increase our ability to provide endowments.”

An announcement regarding venue and ticket information for the Foundation Gala will be sent May 1, and will also be available on the TSEA web site at www.tsea.org.

The Red Diamond of TSEA

The Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA) just let us in on the schedule for the first in a series Red Diamond Educational Seminars. The topic for this one-day workshop is Event Measurement Strategies and Techniques for Tradeshow and Event Managers, plus, as a bonus topic, How to Restructure Event Strategies in Uncertain Economic Times. The first seminar will be presented at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL on May 27, 2009 and in Atlanta, GA, June 9, 2009.

TSEA’s “Event Measurement Strategies and Techniques for Trade Show and Event Managers” is a day-long “How To” seminar taught by Ed Jones, President of Constellation Communication Corp., the acknowledged expert in trade show measurement and improvement.

We understand that tradeshow and event managers who participate in this day long seminar will enhance their ability to:

• Develop insight into your organization’s specific business improvement initiatives
• Align your show and event program with your organization’s business improvement initiatives
• Establish business improvement goals, tactical objectives and measurement criteria to quantify the value of a show or event
• Understand, identify and report the four sources of profit improvement from trade shows and events.
• Communicate more effectively about the accomplishments of your event marketing program
• Be more influential at all levels of their company, or chain of command
• Learn how to communicate in a manner that executives understand and value
• Guide your internal customers and extended events team to more informed decisions and quantifiably improved results

“We are very proud of the quality this speaker brings to our educational programs along with a curriculum that will benefit our members immediately. There is already a high level of interest among members and non-members alike,” said Margit B. Weisgal, CME, president and CEO of TSEA. “This day will do more to boost your career than any program you will ever attend. We look forward announcing the schedule for other cities around the country.”

More information and registration forms are available at www.tsea.org and may also be obtained by calling 312.842.TSEA (8732).