Issue link: https://tradeshowexecutive.epubxp.com/i/58649
SPONSORED BY and the repurposing of items. We also donate to local charities at the close of an event and incorporate organic and locally grown food choices into the mix. In addi- tion, most of our major service vendors, such as GES and Freeman, offer signifi- cant green solutions. With our Nevada decorators and the Las Vegas facilities, Nielsen diverted over one million pounds of waste from the landfill in 2011 alone! Even our military events have recycling programs and they reuse many decorat- ing items to ensure a low-waste outcome. Finally, Nielsen facilities practice green solutions by reducing water and electrical usage, recycling and composting. BOB: Nielsen has several shows in TSE's Gold 100. How do you define a successful show? DAVID: Our customers define whether a show is successful. If they say it is meet- ing their objectives, we're rewarded with growth and sustainability which are our internal marks of success. However, I don't believe there is one single measure of a successful show. It is important for us to know what each customer defines as their success and deliver solutions to help them achieve it. It could be delivering their full brand story in a consolidated or industry-wide environment, meeting key attendees face-to-face, furthering the sales process, branding and messaging against competitors, or gaining national and international media coverage. BOB: Does a trade show have to grow to be good — or considered successful — or is that concept changing in this new century? DAVID: Let me put it this way: it ab- solutely has to be good to grow. Rick Kash co-chairman of Nielsen and Dave Calhoun, Nielsen's CEO, wrote How Companies Win, in which they define "Current demand" as expressed or easily observed wants and needs. Serving cur- rent demand is where we and most of our industry are operating. However, I see this as limited and this type of growth as unsustainable in the long term for many maturing shows. Terefore, my goal is to spend more of our time going forward on understanding and serving "Latent demand" which the authors define as serving unrealized or unarticulated needs and "Emerging demand" defined as tip of the iceberg needs and behavior oſten demonstrated by a small but grow- ing group of customers. BOB: What do you value most in your associates? DAVID: Loyalty, dedication, curiosity, creativity and, very important, self-motivation. BOB: How did you get into this business? DAVID: I had an internship with a ski manufacturer while in college and one of my responsibilities was to help them exhibit in their big industry trade show, SnowSports Industry America (SIA). Tis gave me a working knowledge of what a show provided and why it existed. Imme- diately following college, I was working in a ski shop to pay my rent when I met Jeff Wetmore, co-founder of Action Sports Retailer (ASR) and Outdoor Retailer, who came into the shop to profile it for an upcoming ASR issue. We got talking and the next thing, I was selling booth space and supporting advertising for this new startup show called Outdoor Retailer. Tat was 1983, and I've been with this brand ever since. BOB: Who were your mentors? DAVID: Tree people shaped me person- ally and professionally: First, my father, who led by example with a solid work/ life balance. He set the professional bar very high by being the absolute best at everything he did – a 2-handicap golfer, top business student with undergraduate and masters degrees, Navy Top Gun, GE young executive, and successful business owner for over 30 years. Next is Tom Kemp, Miller Freeman president and now CEO of Northstar Media. He taught me fiscal discipline and how to truly work a budget. Finally, Steve Lewis, founder of Performance Racing Industry as well as co-founder of ASR and Outdoor Retailer. He was absolutely ahead of his time in understanding the customer experience at a trade show, then promising and exceeding expectations every time. I was lucky to mentor under him for my first seven years in the trade show business BOB: What do you predict for the exhibition industry in this decade? DAVID: As more online and impersonal connectivity occurs in our daily lives, I see the face-to-face experience becoming even more important and a real differen- tiating factor for companies in the future. However, if you think you can produce "your father's trade show" year aſter year and somehow remain relevant, you are soon to meet your new competitor. BOB: What is your secret extravagance? DAVID: Premium gas for my pickup truck that I drive every day. BOB: (laughing) What helps you sleep at night? DAVID: Knowing I have the absolute best people available and they are experts at running our business day in and day out. BOB: Conversely, what keeps you awake at night? DAVID: I oſten worry about what we are not doing that we should be. Contact David Loechner at (949) 226-5777 or david.loechner@nielsen.com Columnist BOB DALLMEYER, CEM, has been chairman of both the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and the Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA), as well as a former director of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR). In 2006, he was inducted into the Convention Industry Council's Hall of Leaders and received IAEE's Pinnacle Award in 2008. Contact Bob at (323) 934-8300 or bdallmeyer@tradeshowexecutive.com www.TradeShowExecutive.com | March 2012 61