March 2004
Where to work

Reed Exhibition Cos. and other for-profits offer extensive benefits, competitive salaries and a wide range of incentives to hire and retain top talent

By Heather Kirkwood

Remember the Internet boom, when the employment market was competitive, and employers competed with one another to offer the best perks? While many companies have trimmed their benefits packages during the economic downturn, employees at Norwalk, CT-based Reed Exhibition Cos. continue to enjoy many benefits that for others are a distant fond memory. Not only does the company offer competitive salaries, health benefits, vision and dental benefits, retiree health insurance benefits, a 401K plan and a pension, but it also offers an on-site gym, cafeteria, and discounted dry cleaning service that picks up and drops off laundry at the office.

“Yes, we know times aren’t like they used to be, but we want the best talent from inside as well as outside the exhibition industry. The best way to attract and retain them is a good benefits package,” says Joann Bottoni Jepsen, Senior Vice President of Human Resources. Of course, she concedes, being the subsidiary of a global company like Reed Elsevier helps to stay ahead of the pack.

Beyond benefits, what makes a show management company a great place to work? Whether it’s a large or small company, we all fantasize about the ultimate place to work — a place where we are valued for our skills and richly compensated for our time. We dream of bosses who understand what motivates us and are willing to accommodate what we value — whether it’s salary, flexible schedules that allow us to be better parents or to serve the community, or benefits that make us feel appreciated and secure.

This month, EXPO Magazine, in cooperation with the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO), went in search of some of the best for-profit companies for show managers to work. We surveyed for-profits and asked them about hiring practices, promotion opportunities, salaries, benefits and perks. We asked companies to tell us what makes their corporate culture great, whether it be team-building exercises, special events, contests or recognition programs.

Some companies chose not to participate, citing proprietary information. Yet, we’ve found some stand-out employers that go out of their way to provide a positive and rewarding workplace.

Reed Exhibition Cos.
“We find that employees, especially generation X’ers, are very attracted to benefits that help them balance work and home better,” says Bottoni Jepsen.

Should employees or their families feel under the weather, the company offers a program called Home Care Plus/On the Mend, which reimburses employees $10 an hour up to 40 hours a quarter to have someone stay with a sick child or help out with errands or housework for under-the-weather adults.

In addition, Reed offers transportation reimbursement accounts so employees can save pre-tax dollars to pay for commuting expenses if they use public transit to and from work. 

The company also recognizes the importance of volunteerism to the well-being of employees and the community. The company offers two days off a year for employees to perform volunteer work. For now, the days are spent working on a company project. This year, it was Norwalk Reads, a cause that fits well with the company’s education publishing division. The company provided a $1,000 donation, held a book drive and provided volunteers to read to kids. They also organize a number of company-wide projects such as Toys for Tots and Chilly Willy, a coat drive for a local shelter. Employees bring gifts for Toys for Tots and place them under a tree in the lobby of the office. At the company Christmas party, they sell raffle tickets to raise money for even more toys.

Reed has a number of programs to honor its employees’ achievements and ideas. For the sales force, there’s the Golden Ticket Contest. The more a sales rep sells, the more tickets with his or her name are entered into a drawing to win one of 30 prizes, ranging from DVD players to airline tickets.
To encourage all employees to constantly be thinking about the future, the company instituted the Greenfield Launch Program, which rewards individuals or groups who come forward with an idea for a new show. They’re eligible for a lump sum payment upon the launch of the show and a percentage of revenues for the first three times the show is held.

There are also a myriad of achievement awards given by management and voted on by employees. They are given at an off-site ceremony that this year took on the look and feel of the Grammys, with a red carpet and greeting by management dressed in evening attire.
“Our employees organize events for a living, so they’ve got high expectations,” jokes Bottoni Jepsen.

Sound like a great place to work? If you want to apply for a job, ask a friend at Reed to recommend you. Employees who recruit other successful employees are eligible for as much as a $1,000 bonus.

Reed at a glance
www.reedexpo.com
Number of employees: 311
Number of exhibition employees: 311
Total number of shows: 36 trade shows, covering 5.2 million square feet with 251,000 attendees
Percentage of female employees: 52.7 percent
Percentage of minority employees: 9.6 percent
Turnover rate: 6 percent

The TradeFair Group Inc.
When visitors enter the Houston offices of The TradeFair Group this month, they might think that someone is celebrating a 41st birthday. The number 41 adorns the office, but employees aren’t celebrating a birthday. Instead, the number is to remind them of the jackpot they’ll all split if they exceed the goal for their next show by $41,000. Instead of keeping the extra profit, management will split the $41,000 among the company’s employees.
The jackpot is in addition to the company’s profit-sharing program and other sales incentives. “When you work for a small company like ours, that’s not a bad amount,” says Christy Williams, Sales Director.

The TradeFair Group may be a small company, but it’s a tight-knit group full of creative ideas to keep the team motivated and happy.
For example, to ensure everyone knows the business, from the exhibitors to featured speakers at each show, employees are playfully quizzed at various office functions and meetings. If someone asks who the Golden Sponsors are at the next show, the sales team might know the answer, but the conference team may not. Correct answers don’t just result in bragging rights — they result in cash. Employees get a dollar for every correct answer, so they often leave routine meetings with $5 or even $20.

“It’s so much fun, plus it helps our customer service,” says Williams, “We all know every aspect of the business. We don’t have to tell a customer they’ll have to wait until someone returns to get the information they’re looking for.”

Employees at The TradeFair Group know how to have a good time, too. They frequently leave the office for team-building exercises such as happy hours, dinners, bowling or game nights.

Eighty percent of new or open positions are filled by existing employees, further building the camaraderie and retaining talent.

Employees also enjoy competitive salaries; a bonus program; sales contests; medical, dental and vision insurance; a 401K plan; and comp days when they travel over the weekend.

The TradeFair Group at a glance
www.tradefairgroup.com
Number of employees: 9
Number of exhibition employees: 9
Total number of shows: 9 trade shows, covering 124,500 square feet with 12,800 attendees
Number of female employees: 60 percent
Number of minority employees: 60 percent
Turnover rate: 10 percent

Hanley Wood Exhibitions
Washington, DC-based Hanley Wood is dedicated to professional development – which is great for those striving to grow and learn the exhibition industry.

The company administers a skills test, not to admonish employees for their faults, but rather to identify places where the company can help employees grow. The skills test covers everything from floorplans to registration.

To further help employees grow, Hanley Wood has an internal intern program. Employees are encouraged to learn more about the industry by “interning” with a show on which they wouldn’t ordinarily work. This way, it’s easy to see how other show managers in the company get the job done. It also ensures others within the company know something about other industries and other shows. The company also sponsors a college savings plan. Currently, 20 percent of jobs are filled internally.

Employees also enjoy recognition awards. Every quarter an employee is recognized for going above and beyond the call of duty in some way that relates to the company’s mission and values. Perhaps they did something that saved the company money, or they did something that reinforces the company value of respecting other employees.

Darby Adams, Manager of Human Resources, says the company is a nice mix of corporate and casual. While the demeanor of the workplace is corporate and businesslike, employees at Hanley Wood know when to let their hair down. In the summer, employees take off early on Friday to make up for all those long, busy winter months working on shows.

Hanley Wood also gives back to its community. Capitalizing on its construction industry connections, Hanley Wood sets aside time for its employees to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, a charity that builds houses for low-income families.

Hanley Wood employees also enjoy competitive salaries and a benefits package that includes a medical, dental and vision plan; compensation time for traveling; a pension; and a profit-sharing plan. 

Hanley Wood Exhibitions at a glance
www.hanleywood.com
Number of employees: 500
Number of exhibition employees: 69
Total number of shows: 14 trade shows, covering 1.85 million square feet with 200,000 attendees
Percentage of female employees: 80 percent
Percentage of minority employees: 80 percent
Turnover rate: 5 percent
 
JD Events
Based in Fairfield, CT, JD Events is a great place to work for people with young families. “Of course we want our employees to work hard, but we also want them to keep in mind what’s really important — their families,” says Dawn Jeffrey, Vice President.

Flexible hours are the norm, as long as work is completed, and vacation time is generous at 20 days of paid time off a year.

“Instead of vacation days or sick days, we just give employees the time off to do what they need to do,” explains Jeffrey. There’s no tracking of which days were used for illness and which for vacation. 

Not only do they have policies that make it easy for employees to attend to needs at home, but they also create a work environment that sometimes feels like home – right down to the wear-your-PJs-to-work day.

In fact, there are several special days like this throughout the year. On appointed days, employees are encouraged to bring their pets to work, and four times a month employees are treated to lunch. 

On Fridays, employees take turns cooking breakfast for the company in the office’s full kitchen. Sometimes it’s eggs and sausage. Other times, those who are cooking-challenged bring bagels. It’s a great chance for everyone to touch base and talk about concerns.

In the summer, the company closes its office at 2 p.m. on Fridays. No one is required to come in earlier the other days of the week to make up the time. Instead, management knows that at show time, everyone works more than eight hours a day to make the company a success.

Will growth change the corporate culture? Maybe, but employees are already discussing how to work more efficiently and retain this family-like dynamic as the company moves forward.

JD Events at a glance
www.jdevents.com
Total number of employees: 10
Total number of exhibition employees: 10
Total number of shows: 5 trade and consumer shows, covering 400,000 square feet with 75,000 attendees
Percentage of female employees: 60 percent
Percentage of minority employees: 10 percent
Percentage of turnover: 0 percent

IDG World Expo
This isn’t the first time Boston-based IDG World Expo has been singled out for being a great place to work. The company has been recognized in Fortune magazine’s list of 100 great places to work for three years running.

Employees at IDG World Expo enjoy competitive salaries; a 401K plan; medical, dental and vision coverage; and a profit sharing scheme. They also receive paid maternity leave as part of the company’s short-term disability coverage on a sliding scale depending on their years of service. For example, employees who have been with the company under a year receive four weeks off at 60 percent of their salaries. Those who have served between one and five years receive six weeks off at 100 percent of their salary, and those that have served more than five years receive 13 weeks of maternity leave at 100 percent of their salary.

Employees also have access to a confidential employee assistance program, which offers everything from help with financial planning to legal advice from attorneys to counseling services.

In addition to the $250 Christmas bonus employees usually receive, the company has started a new bonus plan that’s designed to encourage ownership in the company’s successes. Each department is given a profit goal. If the department exceeds the profit goal, then the employees split the amount over goal they achieved. “It will be tough, given the economic times, but it will spice things up,” says Alana Jones, Human Resources Director.
Employees also have the opportunity to earn stock ownership in the company. Although IDG World Expo is a privately held company, employees are given a kind of virtual share when the company is profitable. The share values are based on a benchmarking system against other similar companies. If an employee decides to leave, he or she has the option of leaving the money with the company to grow, or of rolling it over into the next employer’s 401K plan.

Finally, management works hard to encourage communication between departments by holding Friday mixers. Food and drink are provided, and employees network and mix with one another. The time is also used to recognize employees for achievements that week, or to bring up challenges everyone is asked to help solve.

“For us, this has been a great way to improve communication, because we have fun doing it,” says Jones.

IDG World Expo at a glance
www.idg.com
Number of employees: 40
Number of exhibition employees: 40
Total number of shows: 9 trade shows, covering 285,000 square feet with 77,000 attendees
Percentage of female employees: 68 percent
Percentage of minority employees: 0 percent
Turnover rate: 21 percent

Source: Society for Human Resource Management, www.shrm.org.