Carlsbad, CA – Trade Show Executive will honor the 100 shows that have set the Gold Standard for the trade show industry at its Gold 100 Awards Gala & Summit September 17-19. The event includes an Academy-Awards ® type ceremony at the five-star Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Laguna Niguel, CA with Emcee Bill Kurtis, a former CBS Newsanchor and current host of A&E crime and news documentary shows.
The Gold event also features a fast-paced summit which takes TSE‘s leading editorial features from the pages of the magazine and brings them to life on the stage at the Ritz-Carlton. Specifically, several members of TSE’s Trending & Spending Forecasting Board will look at industry trends and provide a forecast of future growth. And columnist Bob Dallmeyer will conduct a live interview of an industry leader in his acclaimed Power Lunch column – at lunch. Other sessions will focus on innovation, burning issues confronting our industry and Chief Marketing Officers’ perspective on trade shows. Keynote Speaker Terry Jones, former president of Sabre and founder of Travelocity.com, will discuss today’s challenging travel issues in “The State of Travel” and share his thoughts on the interplay of technology and communications in the years ahead.
The unprecedented event is expected to draw 200 participants including managers of the largest 100 trade shows; the top brass from the major show producers and associations; senior executives of industry associations including UFI, ABM, SISO, MATSO, CEIR and ESCA; and editors from the business media. Blue Star Jets, one of the world’s largest brokers of private charter jets, signed on as a Gold sponsor of the event and will award free round trip transportation for six people as a prize for one of the Grand Award winners. The winner will be announced at the event and must be present to claim this unique prize.
The 10 Grand Awards include:
1. The Largest Show managed by an Association or Society
2. The Largest Show managed by an Independent Show Organizer
3. The Top Show Organizer among the Gold 100 (i.e. the association or independent organizer with the largest number of Gold 100 shows)
4. The Top Brand (the parent show must be U.S. based and among the Gold 100; other shows under the brand name can be held in any other city in the U.S. or overseas)
5. The Show with the Most Dramatic Growth
6. The Show with the Highest Economic Impact on the Local Economy
7. The Show with the Most Innovative Practices
8. The Show with the Highest Global Participation
9. The Show at the Forefront of Technology
10. The Greenest Show
There will also be a golf tournament and plenty of opportunity for attendees to enjoy the final glorious days of Summer on the Southern California coast.
Darlene Gudea, vice president/publisher of Trade Show Executive, said, “The 100 shows that will be honored at the Gold Gala are the giants in the industry, not only in sheer size but also in economic impact on their host cities. They have truly set the Gold Standard for the exposition industry and the industries they serve.”
Numerous sponsors have stepped up to offer their financial support and creative ideas, enabling Trade Show Executive to create a grand event of celebration and inspiration:
- The Title Sponsor of the event is the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority
- Gold Sponsors include SMART-reg International, Inc.; Hargrove Inc.; PRG/Hi-Tech; United Service Companies; and Blue Star Jets
- Silver Sponsors include GES Exposition Services; the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and Advantage Boston; the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau and Orange County Convention Center; the Rosemont Convention & Visitors Bureau; and the New Orleans Morial Convention Center.
- Bronze Sponsors include the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority; SMG; ngn; Privileged Access.tv; the Georgia World Congress Center; Champion Exposition Services; Production Transport, Inc. and Freeman.
Registration is available online at www.tradeshowexecutive.com/GoldGala/GoldGalaHome.asp. A limited number of registrations are available for VIPs of shows and organizations not in the Gold 100 ranking. Please contact Diane Bjorklund for more details.
Reach Darlene Gudea at (760) 929-9666 or dgudea@tradeshowexecutive.com; Diane Bjorklund, director of events, at (630) 312-8915 or dbjorklund@tradeshowexecutive.com
