July/August 2004
Profile: Top Gun

Two decades of military leadership helped mold Jim Bracken’s strategy for success: evaluate the situation, make a plan and execute efficiently. Now he’s at ease leading VNU Expositions into the global arena as a lean fighting machine.

By Dawn J. Grubb

Jim Bracken likes to get things done. It’s a plan-and-execute mentality that he honed during 26 years in the Marine Corps. Since joining the trade show industry in 1983, his take-charge approach has helped the retired colonel rise from Director of the Modern Day Marine Military Exposition to leading VNU Expositions into the global arena. Throughout two decades of acquisitions and mergers, streamlining expenses and investing for growth, Bracken has focused on the task at hand. And at the moment, he says, VNU Expositions has extraordinary focus — one that has kept the company successful these past few years despite a recession.

The numbers speak volumes: VNU Expositions generated 79 percent of parent company VNU Business Media’s operating income for 2003. But success doesn’t breed contentment. The fire that ignites a startup continues to burn in the 69-year-old Chairman. He simply refuses to stand at ease.

“We need to stay lean and mean and innovative,” he says. “We pride ourselves on having some of the leanest expense ratios in the industry. We do a lot with a little.”

And how. A team of 235 people produces more than 50 shows each year in six countries — the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Thailand, France and the Netherlands — and there are plans to expand into China and the United Kingdom. And the Modern Day Marine Military Exposition — Bracken’s first foray into managing a trade show — is still going strong.

“It was quite a learning experience,” Bracken says, recalling his initiation with Capital Convention and Exhibit Co. after he retired from the military. “The show had a lot of momentum, so it was nothing I could mess up too badly.”

It was a good career fit, as well. Bracken found he relished time on the exhibition floor, interacting with attendees and exhibitors and learning the intricacies that go into a successful show. He quickly caught on to what worked and what aspects could be improved.

“I approached the job as I’d always done in the military,” he says. “Prepare for operation, execute your plan, learn from the experience, and prepare for the next venture. Look at every aspect to see if we’re doing things correctly, and get outside advice when necessary.”

The tactic proved triumphant, and the Washington, DC-based company developed other shows during the 1980s. Bracken bought Capital Conventions in 1992 when the original owner decided to sell, and the next few years became a whirlwind of mergers. Bill Communications approached him the next year with an offer. In 1997, Dutch publishing firm VNU Business Media came on the scene, eventually moving its headquarters to New York City. Bracken maneuvered through the changes with ease, continuing his role as President with each acquisition before becoming Chairman in 2002.

When VNU acquired Miller Freeman in 2000, the company more than doubled its shows, going from 30 to 78 in just one year. Miller Freeman had been in growth mode, trying to build its show portfolio. The VNU team found potential weighed down by high overhead that was spread out across the country. Bracken and his team trimmed the number of shows to 52, eliminating marginal players and consolidating management and extraneous offices. Next, they reorganized the company into four U.S. divisions and one in Brazil, each headed by presidents who oversee daily operations. It’s all part of VNU’s “let’s get it done” philosophy (see sidebar).

“Our purpose was to push the authority down as far as we could,” he says. “Success depends on doing our job right. Authority is not centralized. Decisions need to be made by people doing the shows, not the corporation.”

While the divisional heads concentrate on running VNU’s operations, Bracken focuses on his top goal: building an international presence. “VNU is an international company,” he says. “We now have VNU Exhibitions Europe and VNU Exhibitions Asia. We have plans to grow overseas, and they’ll expand their offerings here in the United States.”

The effort will expand leading brands through partnerships with VNU subsidiaries. For example, the Action Sports Retailer Show for the extreme sports industry moved from California to France in 2003, and the Hospitality Design Show is launching in Hong Kong, Shanghai and the United Kingdom. Spin-offs are an important part of VNU’s growth strategy, says Bracken.

Aside from his role at VNU, Bracken serves as Chairman of the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO). As Chairman, he acts as liaison with other organizations and government agencies.

“One hot issue we’re working on now is problems with visas, a very difficult process affecting the industry,” he says. “We educate agencies, such as the Department of Commerce, on how visa issues affect trade shows.”

He’s also involved with the International Association for Exhibition Management, Major American Trade Show Organizers (MATSO) and the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR). It may seem like a full load, but Bracken thrives on multi-tasking. After graduating in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in history from St. Michaels College in Burlington, VT, he joined the Marine Corps officer candidate school. He followed up tours in Asia by earning an MBA from Pepperdine University in 1972, and he completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1982.

With so much on his to-do list, it’s a wonder that he finds time to pursue his passion for collecting vintage postcards. Over the years, he’s stockpiled about 6,000 postcards and is currently scoping out those commemorating the Russo-Japanese War of 1906. And then there’s Judy, his wife of 47 years, and their three sons and nine grandchildren, ranging in age from 2 to 17. “Time management is always a challenge,” Bracken acknowledges. “But you’ve got to find that balance. Family always tops my priority list. It’s all about focus.”

Spoken like a true leader.