Times are a changin’...
Well, the news of the move of IDCE to the Morial Convention
Center in New Orleans is taking the Trade Show and Convention industry by
storm. This move marks the first time a
Tier-1 Convention Center in the United States has undertaken such a bold move. The reaction from the industry has been
interesting (to say the least). A BOLD
move! Others have referred to this deal
as “Risky”… “Crazy”… “Questionable”. I, however, like to better characterize it as
“Exciting”… “Adventurous”… and my
favorite… “Self Determining”!
If you have not heard, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial
Convention Center has purchased the International Disaster Conference and Expo
(IDCE) from Atlanta-based Imago Productions, Inc. The
two parties began working on IDCE in a first-of-its-kind joint venture in
2010. To understand this move, you have
to understand the background of IDCE.
After Imago Productions attempted to launch the National
Disaster Reconstruction Expo in 2009, New Orleans witnessed the strengths of the
idea as well as the weaknesses of execution in this event. The producers were simply not in a position to
bring much needed senior level government participation to this event. Given the relationships of the facility to
State Government in Louisiana and additional resources available through the convention
center, the facility offered a partnership with the producers on the
event. It made sense: The facility would bring in resources the
producers didn’t have, such as government relationships and in-house services
(a/v , f&b, security, additional staff).
The producers would bring in the show management expertise and personnel
needed to launch and manage the event… sales, marketing, conference operations,
exposition operations, vendor procurement, housing and logistics.
The marriage of these two teams resulted in an amazing, successful
launch of what is quickly becoming the premier event uniting the disciplines of
Homeland Security, Emergency Management, first response, resiliency, business
continuity, loss mitigation, and all silos related to disaster preparation, response,
recovery, and mitigation. The initial launch netted over 1700 attendees
representing public and private sector leadership from 27 different countries,
and over 170 exhibitors. The follow-up
event, scheduled for January 2013, is expecting to draw close to 5,000
international attendees and 250 exhibiting companies. The growth projections for this event are
staggering.
The relationship of the State of Louisiana to IDCE resulted
in the ability of the event to secure leadership that is second to none. IDCE is led by an Event Executive Committee
consisting of 16 individuals representing Federal, State, and Municipal
Government, industry associations, academia, and private sector service providers.
Leadership includes the Honorable Tom
Ridge, the creator of the Department of Homeland Security and former Governor
of Pennsylvania and co-chair of IDCE2013.
Also sitting on the Event Executive Committee is Director of Emergency
Services for Wal-Mart, Mark Cooper (who is also a member of the FEMA National
Advisory Council); Ky Luu, former director of USAid’s Office of Foreign
Disaster Assistance; Joey Booth, Executive Director of the LSU Stephenson
Disaster Management Institute; Kevin Davis and Pat Santos of the Governor’s Office
of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for the State of Louisiana;
Tres Hurst from Cotton Global Disaster Solutions… the list just continues to impress. These relationships and leadership contributions
have been a direct result of the involvement of the Convention Center in IDCE. Simply
put, the involvement of the Convention Center IS the reason IDCE is becoming so
successful.
What was realized through the launch and growth of IDCE is
that the Convention Center had resources reaching far beyond the scope of
facility space rentals and minimal ancillary services. What
was also recognized through this experiment of a marriage between a convention
center and show production team was the ability of a facility to become much
more self-reliant in regards to business opportunities. Producing events “in-house” would give a facility
the ability to create business where none existed. The facility would be able to target slow
dates, create events, fill holes, and generate a new revenue stream in the process,
while staying true to the goals and objectives of the facility… to bring
visitors to the city of New Orleans and State of Louisiana, presenting a
positive economic impact on the city and State through increased tourism revenues,
not to mention expansion of industries served by IDCE (as an example, check out
this article: http://neworleanscitybusiness.com/thenewsroom/2011/07/14/disaster-recovery-firm-makes-new-orleans-its-new-home-base/)
.
The two teams decided it would be in the best interests for
all involved to move IDCE “in house” with the convention center. In addition, a new department would be
created, through which the facility would work with community resources to
identify new opportunities for events, conduct feasibility assessments, and
launch events presenting the best opportunities to meet goals and objectives. This department would also become an incubator
for new ideas and opportunities; great ideas that only need resources to become
reality. The production company would
move all human capital and event resources to the facility, with all staff
becoming employees of the convention center.
This department is now the MCCNO Trade Shows and Conventions
Department, and officially opened on August 1, 2012. In addition to IDCE, three new events are now
under review for possible launch by 2013.
So why sell? This has
been the biggest question hitting the producers. This is simple. Why not?
The purpose of IDCE was to respond to the effects of Katrina on the city
of New Orleans and State of Louisiana.
Through the assistance of State resources, this event is now meeting its
goals and objectives. Imago was a small
company with minimal resources. In addition
to the monumental increase in event production resources available to IDCE, this
move allows the team to work on new events and opportunities as they grow the
MCCNO event portfolio. It brings
additional satisfaction to all involved, and brings the most benefit to all who
have worked so hard to make IDCE not just a reality, but a success.
The purpose of Imago Productions, Inc. was not one of
financial goals, but to make a difference.
The motto of Imago was always “Markets That Matter”. With the move to the State of Louisiana and
the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, this leadership team has a
much greater opportunity to do just that… create and implement markets that
matter; that make a difference.
The reaction of the industry has been mixed. This is expected when you try something
new. Show Organizers seem to feel
threatened by the move of a facility owning and operating their own event. The leadership from a major global event
production company publically stated such a move would threaten the
availability of facilities to their respective events, falsely prophesying
events would forgo independent events to ensure in-house events had
preferential treatment for scheduling.
Huh?
The primary purpose of an event facility is to present a
positive economic impact on the communities they represent. They create tourism opportunities… bringing
visitors to spend money on hotel rooms, in restaurants, and gift shops. The business on facility books represents
multiple events, serving multiple industries, each having a unique impact on
the city. These books are managed with the
specific purpose of maximizing the use of the facility space to the benefit of
the communities served.
As such, decisions are made regarding which events get what space
over specific dates based on the size and scope of what they present as a
whole. Facilities constantly protect
specific date patterns and space in an effort to attract events that will
benefit their community. It is a simple
concept… the best business gets the best dates and space. Why would a facility owning an event in place
of an independent production group be any different?
The primary purpose of the MCCNO Trade Shows and Conferences
department is to fill holes on books, in turn allowing the facility to be less
dependent on third parties to assist when schedules are slow. Events will continue to be evaluated on an
impact basis. Available dates to
in-house events will meet the same guidelines and objectives as any third party
event. The only difference… there is
less risk of event halls, hotel rooms, restaurants and gift shops being vacant
during slow periods due to the lack of possible buyers.
Today, the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center can help meet
its own needs. That, my friend, is the
trend of tomorrow. With the announcement of the MCCNO, other facilities are
beginning to follow suit. Clarion North
America recently announced a deal to produce events with the Georgia World
Congress Center in Atlanta. Numerous
other facilities are actively engaging event producers to consider launching
local and regional consumer and B2B events focused in industries unique to
their region. The trend will continue,
and the industry will be better off for it.
It took a city that experienced catastrophic losses and
re-birth to bring this concept to fruition.
Now the industry we serve is experiencing change and re-birth. Innovation, economic growth, and industry
stability will be the result. New ideas…
new events… new jobs. Isn’t this what
the industry is all about? Yes… times are
changing…. But for the better, and we all benefit. THANK YOU New Orleans… Laisse le bon temps
rouler!
