November 2006
5-minute interview: Denise Medved
Founder, The Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show

Medved, who is the author of two cookbooks, founded The Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show (www.metrocooking.com) in 2005. A trade show veteran with more than 20 years in the business, Medved has held senior management positions at Reed Exhibition Cos., IDG World Expo and National Trade Productions Inc. (NTP). 

EXPO: Where did the idea for the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show come from? 
Medved: I’ve always had a passion for cooking and entertaining. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Back in 2001, I quit my job at the time to write The Tiny Kitchen cookbook, but I didn’t know anything about publishing. A week later, Bob Harar, Chairman of NTP, called and asked if I’d help him launch a government security show. Six weeks later, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11th happened. It seemed like an opportunity, so in exchange for ownership in the show, I agreed, with the understanding that in three to five years I’d want to sell to launch my own project. That’s exactly what I did. After I sold my stake, I wrote a business plan for The Tiny Kitchen Inc., which is an integrated media company that focuses on cooking and entertaining for consumers.  As part of the business plan, I decided to launch The Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show, and here I am working in an industry that was totally new to me, but one for which I have a great deal of passion. I love it.

EXPO: The shows you’ve launched in the past few years, like GOVSEC, have been incredibly successful. What do you think has been the key to the success for these launches?
Medved: There are a number of things that are key to a successful launch. Some are obvious. You’ve got to serve a need in the marketplace, and you’ve got to have a pretty good database of potential exhibitors to start from. To launch shows, you’ve also got to be great at multitasking. When you launch a show, you’ve got a finite amount of resources, and if you can’t do several things at once, then you can’t keep an eye on the marketplace, go out and build those relationships with exhibitors and keep track of the logistics of launching a show all at the same time. You’ve also got to have an entrepreneurial spirit. You’ve got to have a vision, a passion, and be able to communicate that vision and passion to the marketplace. When you’re launching a new show, that’s all you’ve got. There are times when I’ve gone to an appointment, and I know it was my passion that got me the deal.

EXPO: You’ve worked for large show organizers, and you’ve gone out on your own to launch a show. What advice would you have for a show manager with aspirations of one day launching their own show or business?
Medved: The biggest difference about being out on your own as opposed to working within a big organization is that you’ve got the flexibility to change your plans on a dime. When you’re not working within a larger structure, there are no layers of approval. One of the challenges, however, is that you don’t have a supporting infrastructure. You’ve got to, for example, construct a database yourself. Since you don’t have the financial or overhead support of a larger organization, you’ve got to be able to watch the dollars, make the decisions you feel are best, and not get completely stressed out about how you’re going to pay the bills at the end of the month.