EXPO: What were the biggest changes in the cable industry during the past decade, and how have they affected your show?
York: Our industry has grown hugely since the 1980s. There used to be a significant number of regional shows, so we positioned ourselves as the national show. Now those regional shows don’t exist, and we provide attendees the latest information on cable telecommunications technology, programming and services. In recent years, technologies such as high-speed Internet and voice over Internet (VoIP) technologies have become very important for cable companies. Being able to offer something for everyone is our ace in the hole. Expanding the show’s reach, though, adds an additional challenge. It means that our reach extends to other markets, and we’re now competing in new areas.

EXPO: People might be surprised by the large international presence at your show. What have you done to nurture this segment, and what challenges have you had to overcome?
York: We do have a strong international presence of some 1,000 attendees. Like other shows, we experienced a significant drop in numbers after 9/11, but now those numbers have come back. One reason is that we’ve stayed in contact with cable associations in other countries. We also take part in the Department of Commerce’s International Buyer Program. A lesson we’ve learned is that you can’t just have a singular international strategy. What works in Japan, for example, might not work at all in Korea. We had to differentiate, treat each as a separate market, and identify the specific needs of that market. We are still working at mastering this.

EXPO: What do you see on the horizon with the greatest potential to impact your show?
York: The cable industry has undergone a lot of consolidation in recent years. Since there aren’t regional events serving this market the way there used to be, we’ve got to fill the gap for the smaller cable operators, as well as the bigger companies. That means rotating to cities we’ve never gone to before to be sure we hit every region of the country.

EXPO: What is the biggest challenge facing the exhibition industry?
York: The business of producing shows is getting more expensive. It’s necessary to make so many very long-term commitments, which you’ve got to balance against serving your audience. We might not be producing a show under the same parameters years from now. With our industry changing so much, this is a real challenge. The other challenge is that as technology evolves, it’s possible to build solid relationships outside of a face-to-face event. I don’t think the need for face-to-face events will go away, but what people need to achieve at a face-to-face event is changing, and we’ll need to understand that and respond.