Empowering Youth Empowerment

Chris Griffin (TS Crew), Immediate Past President of EACA, recently conducted a tour for 15 high school scholarship winners from the Youth Empowerment Project over at OCCC and Infocomm 2017.

The kids got to learn about the trade show industry and how the process all comes together through the combined efforts of the Association, General Contractor, EACs, Suppliers, Exhibitors and Attendees.   They got an opportunity to tour the world class Orange County Convention Center from inside the show, to rest of the facility interior, to the outside dock areas and the EAC storage areas.   They were most impressed with the new state of the art technology on display at Infocomm 2017.

• how do companies that exhibit find your company, to ask for your help?
• when did you know you wanted to do this for a living?
• what should we be studying if we want to work in this industry?,    and
• would you do anything differently in your life, if you could go back and make any changes?”

^{New CBAs Evidence Renewed Focus on Positive Labor and Contractor Relations}

When the EACA was reformulated last fall the principle goal for the association was to re-energize our collective efforts to create more positive outcomes for our collective bargaining efforts.    We are pleased to announce that this effort has borne fruit and created the kind of positive outcomes that enhance our collective abilities to service our exhibitor customers.     Just take a look at the results that have been achieved already in 2017:

1. Boston.   The new agreement in Boston was successfully ratified on April 1. The new CBA includes a new referral system which creates more flexibility for contractors there.   In addition, they’ve created a new training committee and will be meeting with the Las Vegas training center so that both locals can create a give and take on their respective training programs.
2. Las Vegas.   The new CBA was ratified at the end of May, and created a much more successful outcome than in past negotiations. The collective efforts of the EAC community working with the GCs worked very well on I&D related issues. A special note should be made that the teamsters local was very supportive of the combined contractor bargaining effort with GCs and EACs together.
3. Denver.   The new agreement has also been ratified here and special thanks are given to John O’Shea and Bill Muller who led the EAC community effort there.

A special note of thanks to Shannon Scherer (Nth Degree), EACA President who has spearheaded our efforts and whose leadership and attention to details has provided the foundation for these successes.

^{EACA Takes Part in Record Breaking Exhibitions Day}

<TSNN>.  For the fourth year in a row, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events spearheaded #ExhibitionsDay, held June 6-7 in Washington, D.C., at which 112 trade show professionals had more than 100 face-to-face meetings with congressional representatives on Capitol Hill.

“The 4^th Annual Exhibitions Day was a tremendous success, as we realized a 30-percent increase in participation of IAEE members who joined us in Washington, D.C., to make important calls on Congressional staff,” said IAEE President and CEO David DuBois, CMP, CAE, CTA, FASAE.   He added, “This year’s issues were very bi-partisan in scope and we know that support was garnered by many Congressional leaders as they continue to deliberate during the current sessions. Global Exhibitions Day was also very successful as advocacy events took place in 75 countries.”

Highlights of the day captured by CNTV can be found HERE.

Here were some of the issues discussed:

·       Support for the continuation of Brand USA (targeted for elimination in the President’s proposed budget)

·       Infrastructure support, including H.R. 1265 (Rebuilding America’s Airport Infrastructure Act)

·       Stop online booking scams (H.R. 2495 and S. 1164)

·       Industry security initiative (the alignment of EMSSI with the Department of Homeland Security), and the need for necessary resources for the DHS SAFETY Act Office.

Skyline Exhibits to Host 3rd Annual Services Summit

PAUL (June, 2017) – To keep its I&D professionals up to date with its newest exhibit systems, best practices in service and the latest trends in exhibiting, Skyline Exhibits will host its 3rd annual Services Summit. Over 80 attendees from all over the U.S. and Canada will converge on Skyline’s 280,000 square foot global headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota. Attendees include Skyline dealership owners, I&D managers and supervisors, installation technicians and coordinators.

The Summit allows attendees to receive hands-on training with Skyline’s systems including its newest exhibiting products. The training event takes place for three days. Dozens of interactive training sessions are led by some of the most experienced I&Dprofessionals in the trade show industry. “Attendees not only have the opportunity to learn from experts, but share their experiences and learn from each other,” stated Tim Brengman, Vice President of Operations, Skyline Exhibits.

2018 Salary Budget Increase

<Employco HR Newsletter>.  Employee compensation is expected to grow by 3.2 percent in 2018, up from a 3.1 percent increase in 2017 according to a recent report from ERI Economic Research Institute. These estimates represent forecasted changes to employee compensation but do not necessarily represent the average salary or wage increase that workers will receive.

Although the economy and overall employee compensation might be improving, employees’ actual take-home pay might be tempered as companies pursue a shift in employee benefits cost. Employco provides clients with the resources to evaluate a total compensation plan and employee communication campaign.

LVCVA Board Approves Expansion Project

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s Board of Directors gave final approval for the $1.4 billion expansion and renovation of the Las Vegas Convention Center, paving the way for 600,000 new square feet of meeting space.