April 2005
5-minute interview: David Weil

David Weil, Director of Trade Shows, oversees Chicago-based Smith Bucklin & Associates trade show management services. Currently, the company manages 35 shows and a number of the country’s largest events, including the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) and the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE). In the last year, Smith Bucklin has signed up five new shows and secured a contract to manage NPE — the International Plastics Showcase in 2006.

EXPO: What do you see as the biggest trend unique to association shows?
Weil: A big trend among association shows is finding ways to extend content past an annual event to the rest of the year. That often means more vertical events throughout the year. Webinars are also becoming more popular. 

EXPO: Smith Bucklin has grown quite a bit in the last year. Is outsourcing a growing trend? Why?  
Weil: Yes, outsourcing is definitely a growing trend. We currently have five Tradeshow 200 events. We manage the association, as well as the show, for two of those events (the Chicago Midwest Beauty Show and the Car Care World Expo) — and just the show for the three others (North American Association for Food Equipment Manufacturers, International Baking Industry Exposition and NPE 2006 — The International Plastics Showcase). The trend is growing because association staffs are so overworked. When an association outsources all or part of a show, it frees up their staff to serve the membership, focus on legislative goals or whatever else needs attention to move the association forward.

EXPO: What advice would you give to a group thinking of outsourcing a show? 
Weil: Most associations can attribute 60 percent to 80 percent of their revenue to the annual show or conference. Whether to outsource an event is probably one of the biggest decisions an association can make. My advice would be that if the event’s revenues are growing, if the show is expanding, if there’s a healthy number of new and repeat exhibitors, then don’t think about outsourcing. But if a show’s revenues are falling, if exhibitors are leaving, or if show space is decreasing — then it’s time to think about whether your association’s staff really has the time and expertise necessary to continue managing the show. If the decision is made to consider outsourcing, then carefully vet any potential partners. Do they have the capacity to really understand the event? It’s so important to find the right partner.

EXPO: Is it more common to outsource an entire event, or just certain tasks such as booth sales?  
Weil: More commonly if an association is going to outsource, they outsource the entire show. Unless there’s a strong reason for doing otherwise, I think it’s better to outsource the entire show. It makes it easier for the show’s management to really understand what’s going on with that event on all levels. It’s too easy for things to get overlooked if things are spread too thin.

EXPO: Some show organizers prefer shorter contract periods (i.e., one-year contracts) when outsourcing their events. What do you believe is ideal, and why?  
Weil: This puts the focus on the wrong thing. I’m not as concerned about the details of the contract as I am with the quality of our relationship with our partners. I know that if we have a good relationship with them, if we have mutual trust, then we’ll have a multi-year contract. But, to answer the question, yes, we’d prefer a multi-year contract that covers at least a few show cycles. It takes a show cycle or two to really have an impact on an event. We want the chance to see the impact our decisions make on an event, and we want our clients to see it too before a contract is up.