Is teamwork the answer to taking charge of your show?

By Stacey Anderson O’Brien

It’s 10:30 a.m. You have 20 messages in your voicemail, 40 messages in your e-mail, and you’re late for a meeting with your decorator. Dividing yourself in half is not an option for getting the work done, but some show managers are discovering that by outsourcing some responsibilities they’ve gone from being bogged down with grunt work to truly managing their shows.

When the World Wide Pet Supply Association (WWPSA) began outsourcing the registration for its three shows, the organization’s staff didn’t worry about letting go of responsibilities. Instead, they relished the time outsourcing freed up so they could focus on more strategic show tasks. “We’re a small staff organization, and I wear 12 different hats,” says Doug Poindexter, Executive Vice President at WWPSA, “Giving up one hat didn’t bother me a lot.”

Poindexter and his staff began spending more time on exhibitor and attendee promotions and following up on leads, and less time on registration packages. “In our organization, seeing that there are only five of us doing three shows a year, it was fairly easy for me to not have to worry about whether or not I’d be doing something else, because I already was,” says Poindexter.

Yesterday, outsourcing was often a quick fix to a staffing or financial problem. Today, the trend is proactive partnering — outsourcing to gain strategic advantages and focus on what’s really important to your organization.

Outsourcing can be the answer for associations that don’t have the resources or expertise to take their shows where they want them to go, says Mike Smoyer, Vice President of Conventions at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI). But outsourcing show management services doesn’t have to mean you’re out of a job. 

“The world is moving very fast,” says Carol Fojtik, CEM, Senior Vice President at Hall-Erickson Inc., “There are things you need to be hands-on with and things you don’t. There’s a saying that you should be training your replacement now, so you can move up,” she says. “This holds true here. An association show manager can take on the role of being a director, and it elevates them within the organization because they’re overseeing the entire show and directing it.”

Outsource or not?
How do you decide whether to outsource? Look at your organization’s strategic plan, then look at your staff’s expertise, says Mary-Kate Rada, Volunteer Services Manager at IEEE Computer Society.

Her association outsources show management of its SC Show (formerly Super Computing) to DC Expositions. The group’s reasons for outsourcing include past success with its vendor, lack of physical space for more employees, and unsteady and seasonal work related to the show.

“Closer to the meeting dates, we need an entire team of people, and that would mean hiring temps. We couldn’t employ full-time staff for the whole year to manage it, especially with the salaries, benefits and space required,” says Rada.

“In our organization, seeing that there are only five of us doing three shows a year, it was fairly easy for me to not have to worry about whether or not I’d be doing something else because I already was,” says Poindexter. “We were spending time taking computers down and setting them up and all those kinds of things. It just made sense to outsource registration. We looked for reliability, services offered, cost.” 

If your association’s strategy is to serve a worldwide constituency or a domestic constituency that’s looking to export, for example, consider an international outsource partner. That’s what Smoyer did when FMI launched a show in Asia.

“Considering the multiple languages spoken in the regions our event targeted, combined with the 14-hour time difference, it just wasn’t economically or culturally feasible to sell and market exhibit space from Washington, D.C.,” says Smoyer.

Not many associations are in business to manage trade shows. If the association’s existing staff could be better used working on the association’s core mission, consider outsourcing show services and redirecting staff members into research, education, membership, raising sponsorships, lobbying, etc., suggests Smoyer.

“The larger the show gets, the more people you need to hire to run it effectively, and that adds a lot of overhead,” he says. “Especially with the high turnover all industries have experienced the past four to five years, that puts a lot of strain on an association.”

Select partner, structure deal
Bringing in a show manager can be scary for an association — especially handing over vital information like your exhibitor list, attendee list and the show’s financials. “It’s a lot like dating,” Smoyer says. “Not many people meet each other once and get married. It takes work as you move forward, just like a relationship does.”

Jim Forlenza, Senior Vice President at E.J. Krause & Associates Inc. says potential partners should be treated like potential employees. Ask for references, samples, work experience — and be sure to follow up on them.

“For international work, I would favor a background that includes having lived and worked overseas,” says Cherif Moujabber, President 

and Founder of Creative Expos and Conferences, who works with the Department of Commerce, International Buyers Program, to extend his clients’ reach to U.S. embassies around the world. Just having made a few trips overseas doesn’t really make someone an expert, he cautions.

After finding the perfect partner, start with an honest conversation and a descriptive contract, including a schedule with specific tasks to be completed, as well as a reporting system. Clearly define the roles of both parties, and leave little room forinterpretation.

Ask your potential outsource  partner for a copy of their standard contract and add in your own expectations to customize it for your own show, says Rada.

The more detail, the better. For example, if you outsource housing, do you want your attendees to be able to stay at the hotel of their choice, even if your block is already full? Would you rather your outsource partner steer those members to the other hotels that you have contracts with where your blocks aren’t yet full?

“Good fences make good neighbors,” Smoyer says, “You have to be very explicit about what you mean by exhibit marketing and actually outline it.” 

If possible, build in incentives or other ways for your outsource partner to share in your show’s success, says Forlenza. “Sometimes there’s an association mentality that a flat fee is better,” he says. “But they would probably see a much greater reward if they are providing an incentive.”

Smoyer agrees. “Make it a win-win situation,” he says. “Include accelerated commission scales once goals are achieved. Give them an incentive to help you save costs, so they are really paying attention to who they work with. Make them your partner in your venture.”

Maximizing the relationship
In general, delegate but don’t abdicate, says Moujabber. “Once you know the objectives that you and the outsource partner are working toward and agree on specific targets, give some free room with checks and balances along the way,” he says.

E-mail updates, online financial databases, phone calls and face-to-face meetings are all ways to keep your finger on the pulse of your show. The frequency and method of communication depend on what you’re outsourcing — and your comfort level. Just be sure to establish specifically what’s expected up front.

“You want to try to find a partner that becomes part of the team,” says Poindexter. “If you can do that, you are way ahead of the game. It’seasier to do when you have somebody who truly is part of the team and understands what you need and works to make you successful, then everybody wins.”

Stacey Anderson O’Brien is a writer, editor and corporate communications consultant based in suburban Kansas City, MO. O’Brien, a graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, has covered hundreds of trade shows as a writer for Atwood Publishing LLC and served as EXPO’s editor in 1994.