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This Just In

Change in Management at TSEA

HIL ANDERSON, SENIOR EDITOR

Chicago, IL – The Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA) named consultant Margit Weisgal as its new executive director, replacing Stephen Schuldenfrei, whom the association said was retiring after three years as its president. Arthur Veale, chairman of the TSEA board, said that hiring Weisgal was the first step in “a new strategic program to better serve members.”

Weisgal, currently president of Sextant Communications in the Baltimore area, received TSEA’s Distinguished Service Award in 2007. After the announcement was made on April 24,  Weisgal told Trade Show Executive, “I am by nature a marketer. We want to grow the association and go in some different strategic directions.”

Weisgal said she would have more to say in the near future about an action plan for TSEA, which was forced to lay off a number of its Chicago staff earlier this month.

TSEA was formed about 40 years ago as a voice for exhibit and event marketing professionals. TSEA has 1,500 members according to info on its web site but the association told Trade Show Executive that it currently has about 1,000 members.

The association’s highest-profile service is the Certified Manager of Exhibits (CME) program. There are also regular webinars focusing on various aspects of exhibitors getting the best marketing results from their participation in a trade show.

TSEA also sponsors the TS2 trade show, which is owned by National Trade Productions  and will run July 28-31 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. The show has been on a growth curve of 10% to 15% annually since NTP acquired it.  The show opens in about 12 weeks and is expected to draw about 2,500 attendees and span about 40,000 net square feet of exhibit space.  It will offer over 70 educational sessions. [ See article “TSEA Membership Woes Force Layoffs,” posted April 6.]

“We welcome Margit and are looking for great organizational advancement under her leadership,” said Veale. “Her knowledge of the trade show industry promises to send TSEA in exciting new directions and make it even more effective and responsive to our members.”

Reach Margit Weisgal at (240) 472-4420 or margit@sextantgroup.com; Arthur Veale at (312) 842-8732 or arthur.veale@amx.com

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