March 2, 2012 Julie Ballard
One more reason to come to Orlando is the chance to preview a daylong cavalcade of some of the nation’s best speakers. All will carry the NSA’s highest certification. This is a great way for you to scout out talent for your events. It takes place on Tuesday of Expo! Expo! week.

February 24, 2012 Julie Ballard
May we have two minutes of your time please ?---please help the board of directors of The International Center for Exhibitor and Event Marketing (ICEEM) better understand your needs as a professional in the exhibitions and events industry by taking a very brief 10-question survey. The board is conducting the survey with the objective of understanding the effectiveness of The Center’s resources. To take the survey visit here: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22ELWPXQP4U/ . Your input...

February 17, 2012 Julie Ballard
Organizers of US pavilions abroad --- will want to visit this web site http://www.sba.gov/about-offices-content/1/2889/resources/14315 to secure information about The State Trade and Export Promotion Grant (STEP) Pilot Grant Initiative that will provide grants to states for small business exporting assistance programs. The aim of the STEP Initiative is to increase the number of small businesses that are exporting and increase the value of exports for those small businesses that are...

February 10, 2012 Julie Ballard
Who would have guessed that presidential campaign politics would have played a role and tipped the balance in our favor after ten years of effort? Yet, this appears to be what is happening. In a briefing on Monday via conference call I discovered some startling reversals in position --- remember this comes just one week after the president made headlines at Disney World advocating strongly the need to create jobs by encouraging more international visitors to the US. As of this week both...

February 2, 2012 Julie Ballard
Thanks to Susan Brower and US Travel Association we now have a new and dramatic video that highlights the power of travel to exhibitions in the US. See it at www.iaee.com ---look for “ More than 10,000 Exhibitions ” at the center of the home page. If you would like a copy for your own purposes or chapter events let me know ( shacker@iaee.com ) and I’ll get a copy to you. It would make an ideal opener for chapter meetings and business group presentations you may be making....

February 2, 2012 Julie Ballard
An economists’ forecast you can bank on, maybe --- Roger Martin-Fagg knows the exhibition industry better than any other economist alive and he has been consistently and remarkably accurate in most of his forecasts. He has spoken at Expo! Expo!, the SISO CEO Summit, the Global Exhibition Summit, and UFI events. Last week he spoke at a forum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Here in bullet form are his key current forecasts: Three difficult years ahead for the global economy with a...

February 2, 2012 Julie Ballard
Authors Needed for 4 th Edition of the Art of the Show Textbook --- It has been five years since the last update to IAEE’s textbook. It is now used in over 25 colleges and universities. We need authors for two new chapters in the textbook: Strategic and competitive analysis considerations in both launching new exhibitions and planning existing ones. The role of Business Intelligence in the planning process, including the importance of having statistics and the basics of...

January 27, 2012 Julie Ballard
Nominations for the IAEE Board of Directors are being solicited in preparation for the next meeting of the Nominations Committee --- If you wish to be considered or know someone who you think is highly qualified to serve as a director please request a copy of the GUIDE FOR NOMINEES from Peggy ( pjohnston@iaee.com ). The GUIDE contains complete information about the role and responsibilities of an IAEE director and contains a detailed application form. The forms are due by COB on 29...

January 20, 2012 Julie Ballard
Years of lobbying efforts are finally bearing fruit as evidenced by the President’s Executive Order issued earlier today and his widely reported comments while in Orlando. As you will see, many of our most important Visa and entry issues are being addressed. Here is a brief summary of the Executive Order: The Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior will be charged with: Co-leading an interagency task force to develop recommendations for a National Travel & Tourism Strategy...

January 9, 2012 Julie Ballard
Office of Government Ethics Rules will Draw Hostile Fire…to us --- All logic and business sense aside, the idea of keeping federal employees and agency appointed heads away from our events is a loaded political weapon that will be used by the administration against us and other business groups. It is, remember, an election year. Here is what will happen. A coalition of organizations including IAEE is being led, rightly so, by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)...