Issue link: https://tradeshowexecutive.epubxp.com/i/107551
P OW E R LU N CH Continued from page 38 P O W E R L UN C H S N A P S HO T CHRIS BROWN Career Path: Senior VP, Conventions & Exhibitions; Executive VP, Conventions & Business Operations, National Association of Broadcasters, Washington, DC, 1999 - present Director, Meetings & Conventions; VP, Meetings & Conventions, Personal Communications Industry Association, Alexandria, VA, 1995 - 1999 Vice President, Association Services Group, CMC, Arlington, VA, 1994 -1995 Manager Exhibit Sales/Director Exhibits, Food Marketing Institute, Washington, DC, 1985 - 1994 Staff Programmer/Analyst, Compuware Corporation, Greenbelt, MD, 1984 - 1985 Staff/Senior Staff Consultant, Arthur Andersen & Co., Washington, DC, 1982 -1984 Professional Affiliations: Member of the Board of Directors and 2012 Chairman of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) Member of the Board of Directors and 2005 Chairman of the International Association for Exhibitions & Events (IAEE) Awards: Marketing Genius Award from Trade Show Executive, 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award from Tradeshow Week, 2008 MeetingTech Online Innovator Mentor Award from MeetingTech Online, 2008 Education: Executive Masters of General Administration, University of Maryland University College B.S. in Commerce, McIntire School of Commerce, University of Virginia Personal: Married for 31 years, four children, lives in Fairfax, VA 40 February 2013 | Trade Show Executive others, and in the last few years, we have partnered with organizations that also present awards, such as the New York TV Festivals group which recognizes dozens of leading content creators at their annual awards gala during our show. No doubt I am missing some others, since there are so many. And on the exhibitor side, NAB does not give any other awards, but almost every major industry publication has an award program tied to the show. Most focus on identifying the top new products and innovations introduced at NAB. BOB: Your media partners are a Who's Who of media. How important are they to your overall success? CHRIS: Tey are incredibly important to our success. We put a lot of efort into nurturing those relationships and expanding our reach through them. We now have partnerships with approximately 200 publications, giving us several million impressions. BOB: Care to divulge the revenue breakdown between exhibitors and attendees? CHRIS: Without getting into specifcs, about 90% of the revenue is driven from the exhibitor side. BOB: The NAB Education Foundation hosts a Career Day during the show. How important is it to your event? CHRIS: Like many industries, the broad- cast sector constantly needs an infusion of fresh talent, and many of our member companies are looking for every opportunity to recruit good folks. Te show represents a great place to help facilitate this. Tis Career Day and other activities that attract young talent are an important way to build the next generation of loyal show attendees. BOB: You're a consistent booster of the trade show industry. What are the biggest issues facing us in the next decade? CHRIS: Now that's a big question. I am sorry to say that some of the issues we face going forward are the same issues we've faced for the last ten years: we still need to prove our value to corporate America. Tere remain lots of questions among our customers about the ROI delivered by trade shows, even though we have produced great data through CEIR and other sources. We need to properly communicate that data, and our industry associations need to make this a priority. We also need to try new approaches for everything from pricing to bundling services to venue design. I am a big believer in the need for us to get ahead of the curve on delivering digital content that complements our live oferings. Most shows drive a unique audience that represents a tremendous opportunity to extend the impact well beyond the days of the physical event. BOB: Let's change the subject slightly: what's your prediction for the future of face-to-face? CHRIS: Lots of change as our shows will continue to evolve and advance. Events such as South-by-Southwest (SXSW) and Comicon, which fold in elements of festival, fanfest, convention and trade show, are going to be more the norm, either in whole or in part. Te trend will be to more "happenings" at events that deliver unique experiences and that include a lot of diferent types of forums and interfaces, not just an exhibition foor or conference only. I think face-to-face has to evolve this way to deliver both value and a type of experience that cannot in any way be duplicated in cyber space. BOB: I wholeheartedly support you in these thoughts. Any final thoughts on our future? CHRIS: Let me come back to one point: we all need to be a bit paranoid about the future of our industry, and not because our situation is dire, but because we are vulnerable in many ways. It is important that people get involved helping to sort out what that future should look like. If we do nothing, we could all ride the industry into extinction. BOB: Let's talk about international attendance. How do you handle so many visitors from over 150 countries? CHRIS: Here, again, I give credit to our team. We are fortunate to have one of the best in the business when it comes to international attendance promotion: