Oceanside, CA –Tad Ishizumi, president of Reed Exhibitions Japan Ltd., will give a gripping presentation on the aftermath of an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant disaster that derailed Japan’s trade show industry at this Fall’s 4th Annual Trade Show Executive Gold 100 Awards & Summit.
A number of exhibitions in Tokyo had to be cancelled after the March 11 quake and subsequent tsunami, but Reed has been getting back on schedule thanks to the dedication, ingenuity and methodical hard work of Ishizumi and his team.
In the days and hours after the unprecedented quake crippled much of Japan, Reed was looking outward in its role as host to what was supposed to be a stream of international exhibitors and attendees filling venues such as Tokyo’s Big Sight Convention Center.
While Japan’s venues came through without any significant damage, there were many questions about potentially dangerous aftershocks and the availability of air travel, hotel rooms and even electricity. With Tokyo’s main nuclear plant out of commission, convention centers were required to operate on a fraction of the power they usually used. Would people stay away in droves even months after the quake? Would Reed’s entire Japan portfolio be dealt a crippling blow?
It was in this urgent environment that Ishizumi had to decide if three major April shows – Finetech Japan, Filmtech Japan and the inaugural Photonix – would take place as scheduled. The three shows had a combined 60,000 attendees and 820 exhibitors, and it is safe to say nearly all of them were anxiously waiting to see if Ishizumi would give the green light or decide if the odds were too high and opt for cancellation.
Ishizumi was keenly aware that a large percentage of the companies contracted to exhibit in Reed’s Summer trade shows were small and medium-sized companies that had a lot riding on a successful show. It was up to Ishizumi to not only develop a plant of action on the fly but also communicate the status of their shows and countless other details to literally thousands of customers as quickly as possible.
Reed Exhibitions Japan continues its heroic efforts to keep its 2011 trade show schedule on a successful path, and it appears Ishizumi’s presentation at the September 21-23 Gold 100 Awards & Summit at California’s Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay will be one of the most memorable stories ever told in the trade show industry.
Reach Darlene Gudea, TSE president, at (760) 889-8585 or dgudea@tradeshowexecutive.com; Diane Bjorklund, TSE vice president of events at dbjorklund@tradeshowexecutive.com or (630) 312-8915
