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FEATURE Continued from page 47 leisure, entertainment, finance, retail, gam- ing, fine art and energy around the globe. It's first foray into the North American market comes with the launch of the Counter Terror Expo U.S., a spin-off of a trade show launched in 2008 in London. Te U.S. trade show will debut May 16-17 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. In Febru- ary, the company hired David Audrain as president and CEO of newly created Clarion Events North America. But geo-cloning is only one small part of the company's North American strategy. "At the moment, I expect to see more happen through new launches, joint ventures and acquisitions," said Audrain. His biggest challenge: "Te U.S. has tra- ditionally been a closed market where it's hard for international players to come in. But it's opening up." MOTOR TREND AUTO SHOWS Growth Through New Platforms Motor Trend Auto Shows LLC (MTAS) produces more than 50 international auto and motorcycle shows and races annually as part of the Source Interlink Media Con- sumer Automotive Group. In addition to these events for consumers and enthusiast audiences, Source Interlink creates content for 77 publications, 86 websites, and numerous television and radio programs. "What we look at overall is brand strategy, not necessarily the medium," said John Marriott, general manager. MTAS is focused on leveraging their brand through multiple platforms. In early February, the company announced its launch of the Motor Trend YouTube Channel making original automotive content avail- able to online audiences. Te Motor Trend Channel is part of YouTube's rollout of about 100 new original content channels throughout the year. "We are at the fore- May I Take Your Order?.A nosey robot peeks into a car, but not at the Detroit auto show. The mechani- cal bomb-squad was on display at a London security show that Clarion will spin off as Counter-Terror Expo US in the Spring. front," said Marriott, "but it's a landscape that's changing rapidly." His biggest challenge: "As the economy continues to improve slowly or margin- ally, we are focused on maximizing the value to sponsors, advertisers and exhibitors," said Marriott. "We are work- ing hard to earn and retain business by packaging what we are offering across the different channels." Last year, Source acquired Grind Net- works, MediaWorks and Mind Over Eye. Te company hopes these acquisitions will help to expand its online content ca- pabilities, grow its digital media platform and creative offerings, and complement its existing digital and print initiatives. Te company is launching one new mo- torcycle race, part of its Endurocross and MiniMotoSX races, in Sacramento, CA, in June. "Tat market has a lot of traction, said Marriott. "Te sport was a part of the X Games for the first time last year." During the economic recession, many exhibitors downsized and right-sized their booths for the company's 21 inter- national auto shows. "Te industry has stabilized, but I think we've found the new normal," said Marriott. "Consumer car buying is trending upward, but we are still significantly off the mark from 2006 and 2007 levels. We think there's a lot of pent up consumer demand to purchase new vehicles, and we are looking forward to that bubble bursting." Reach David Audrain at (404) 729-1249 or david.audrain@clarionevents.com; Lorenz Hassenstein at (215) 953-4756 or lhassenstein@asicentral.com; Ned Krause at (301) 493-5500 or krause@ejkrause.com; John Marriott at (860) 663-5527 or John. Marriott@sorc.com; Galen Poss at (203) 883-4702 or galenposs@dmgevents.com; Nancy Walsh at (203) 840-5499 or nwalsh@ reedexpo.com; Dave Weil (312) 245-1576 or dweil@smithbucklin.com; Ted Wirth at (207) 842-5588 or TWirth@Divcom.com; Joe Loggia at (310) 857-7500 or jloggia@ advanstar.com Contributing editor DANICA TORMOHLEN, who served as editor-in-chief and publisher of EXPO magazine, has covered the trade show industry since 1994. She has won numerous awards for outstanding editorial and design, including the Folio: Award for Editorial Excellence and Best Web Site Redesign from min's b2b. Tormohlen is active in the trade show and publishing industries, serving on various committees for the Int'l Association for Exhibitions and Events. She currently serves on the board of directors for American Society of Business Publication Editors. She can be reached at (816) 803-8103 or danicat@tradeshowexecutive.com 48 March 2012 | Trade Show Executive