In a time when exhibitors are more vocal about rising costs, labor leaders representing unions who service McCormick Place in Chicago, USA have proposed a “Customer’s Bill of Rights.” This was reported in a blog posted by Tradeshow week (1/15/2010). This initiative is designed to make the overall customer (exhibitor) experience better. But, the blog continued “It will require a new business model where labor, suppliers and organizers work closer together.”
Chicago has had a negative reputation for the difficulties with labor so this initiative seems to be on the right track. What about in the rest of the exhibition world? Are contracts between labor, suppliers and organizers designed with the exhibitor in mind? Might the industry benefit if it re-focused its attention to be more “customer friendly?” Is this a wave of the future?
Your comments
posted by Barry Siskind
From the perspective of Asia, this is a particular problem for shows in the US. It doesn’t affect operations here in the same way as it does in some venues in N. America. In fact, it’s quite a shock for exhibitors who travel to the US from Asia to discover some of the crazy charges for services they’re not used to having to outsource like “drayage” (I thought you needed horses for a dray) and electricians.
I’m not so sure about Europe, but these types of restrictive practises aren’t an issue that gets discussed much at the industry events I attend.
Overall, though, there is a clear need to focus on making it painless for exhibitors to use our events otherwise they will clearly look more enthusiastically at some of the alternatives.
[…] January 22, 2010 In a time when exhibitors are more vocal about rising costs, labor leaders representing unions who service McCormick Place in Chicago, USA have proposed a “Customer’s Bill of Rights.” This was reported in a blog posted by Tradeshow week (1/15/20 … Continue reading … […]