Newbury Park, CA – Tom O’Gorman, Sr., a former sales executive with Reed Exhibitions who retired in 1996, passed away on March 16 at the age of 81 after a long illness. O’Gorman achieved notoriety as the sales executive for the International Woodworking Show, conceived and launched in Atlanta in the early ‘80s by Robert Black, founder of The Show Company International, which was acquired by Cahners Exposition Group and then by Reed Exhibitions. At the time, the IWF was the largest new show ever launched, and together, Black and O’Gorman made it one of the trade show industry’s most iconic shows. O’Gorman also successfully sold exhibit space for a number of shows launched by Black including the Kitchen & Bath Show, the Office Equipment & Furniture Show, and the International Telecom Show in Geneva, Switzerland. He was also the first advertising manager of Tradeshow Week before Irene Sperling took over the role in 1979.
Services for Tom will be held at St. Julie Billiart Church in Newbury Park, CA at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 23.
Reach his son, Tom O’Gorman, Jr., at togorman@gmx.com
