Holiday Showcase

The Association Forum of Chicagoland once again hosted it's Annual Holiday Showcase on Tuesday, December 16 at Hyatt Regency Chicago's Grand Ballroom. Having been to a number of similar events in the past, I was expecting to see some tempered expectations from the show exhibitors, but was shockingly surprised by the enthusiasm for 2009.

I'll first recognize the fact that the show floor was saturated with hotel sales people from around the country. Hotel sales people are, by nature (or by sheer willpower) a very upbeat and optimistic group and always seem to be on top of the world. Adding to the collective jovial atmosphere was a veritable blizzard in Chicago on the day of the show, which put some folks' commute home at nearly four hours. I can only imagine the effect that had on some attendees flight arrangements! That being said, everyone I spoke with was extremely positive with the business they have in hand at the moment. Each and every one of them were very concerned about the coming slowdown, but had not seen a measurable change in their daily workload as of yet.

While the Motivation (IT&ME) Show was much more broad in terms of scope and level of exhibit investment by sponsoring companies, the Holiday Showcase seemed very succinct and to-the-point. Booth spaces were very small and aisles were very tight, which made navigating difficult at times (particularly when attempting to avoid detection by certain individuals). Most hotel chains took the less-is-more approach, with the host Hyatt being the lone exception. Even Las Vegas was very subdued... and nothing LV does is subdued!

The reps from the large properties and chains that I spoke with all proclaimed to be very busy with plenty on the books for Q1 2009. But I understand their perception of my role, and any other response would be sales suicide.

PRESS RELEASE FROM WEBSITE:
3,425 Attendees, Exhibitors Discover What’s Next at Holiday Showcase 2008

CHICAGO – More than 2,311 association industry professionals discovered "what's next" for association management through informative and inspiring education sessions and unequaled networking and business opportunities today during the Association Forum of Chicagoland's sold-out Holiday Showcase 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

This year, 1,114 exhibitors showcased their products and services to association professionals and corporate meeting planners during Chicagoland's annual No. 1 business services and meeting sites exposition. More than 25 percent of exhibitors were business services and nearly15 percent were new to Showcase.

The 20th anniversary of Holiday Showcase included a motivating and energizing presentation by Center Stage speaker Nancy Giles. The TV and radio talk show personality and contributor to CBS News Sunday Morning shared her views on race, politics, career choices, and social networking. Before Giles took the stage, Showcase attendees were formally introduced to the Forum's new president and CEO, Christie Tarantino, CAE, who officially will lead the Forum Jan. 5.

"This year marks 20 years of contacts, contracts, content and celebration at the No. 1 business services and meeting sites expo in Chicagoland," Tarantino said. "And the Forum will continue to offer an unparalleled one-stop shopping experience, full of actionable wisdom and opportunities for association and meeting planning professionals to expand and share their knowledge for many years to come."

Participants also chose from a diverse array of learning topics, including the Knowledge Lab, learning stations that covered going digital with publications, demystified Second Life, provided insight on gaming for education to engage members and explored advanced applications and what's next in Web 2.0. There also were sessions on delivering high impact meetings, maximizing negotiations in a tough economy, determining how information sharing in Cyberspace impacts associations' intellectual property protections and unique insights from ASAE & The Center's "Decision to Volunteer Study."

Participants were treated to a special lunch performance by the Jesse White Tumblers with Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White as part of the act. The day concluded with eight exceptional grand prizes with a minimum value of $2,500 and 30 exciting booth prizes.

"The largest gathering of business services and hospitality exhibitors in the Midwest continues to be an ideal experience," said Holiday Showcase 2008 Chair Bill Grusich , CMP, president of hinton + grusich. "The learning sessions were fantastic, addressing all staff specialties, needs and career levels in association management and the opportunities for association managers to connect with peers and exhibitors were plentiful."

Holiday Showcase 2009 will be Dec. 15 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Details will be available in June at associationforum.org.

Starwood, Hyatt and Marriott are all pushing ahead with very ambitious expansion plans over the next three years, so I guess they see the light at the end of the tunnel! I overheard many exhibitors saying that they had a better show than last year. Generally, the exhibitors seemed pretty positive about their experience at Holiday Showcase 2008, but the hospitality industry as whole, is a pretty upbeat bunch. We have to be!