Issue link: https://tradeshowexecutive.epubxp.com/i/65565
POWER LUNCH Continued from page 36 BOB: International attendance has been integral to your growth. POWER LUNCH SNAPSHOT JIM PITTAS Vice President of Tradeshows at the Pack- aging Machinery Manufacturers Institute Joined PMMI in June 2000 Manages seven-person team with annual budget of $18 to $23 million Part of the senior management team respon- sible for all aspects of member services — including recruitment and retention, industry studies and surveys, assist with creating educational programs and promotions Manages all three PMMI events: } PACK EXPO International (Chicago) – A biennial event featuring 1.1 million net square feet of exhibit space, 45,000 attend- ees, gross revenues of $18 million+ and net profits of $10 million+. The 2010 show ranked No. 3 on TSE's Gold 100 list } PACK EXPO Las Vegas – A biennial event featuring 600,000 net square feet of exhibit space sold, 25,000 attendees, gross revenues of $11 million+ and net profits of $5 million+. The 2009 show ranked No. 27 on TSE's Gold 100 list } EXPO PACK Mexico – An annual event produced in Mexico City featuring 16,000 net square meters (about 172,000 net square feet), 23,000 attendees, gross revenues of US$4 million+ and net profits of US$1.5 million+. Developed non-dues revenue via new exhib- itor services division (PACK Expo Services) generating $12 to $16 million in revenue Group show director, Nielsen Expositions (formerly VNU ), 1992 to 2000 Professional industry associations: Board Member – MATSO (Major American Trade Show Organizers), ASAE, IAEE 38 May 2012 | Trade Show Executive How are you building a global reach? JIM: International visitors yield about 14% of our total attendance in Las Vegas. Our global marketing department does a great job working with the many international associations and the U.S. Department of Commerce to increase the number of delegations coming to PACK EXPO shows. Tat, and an increase in our marketing and PR efforts, continue to drive positive results. As with most organizations today, the major targets are Brazil, Russia, India and China, but we are also seeing big increases from other countries. BOB: Expo Pack is coming up soon in Mexico City. Are you predicting similar growth for the Latin American marketplace? JIM: Expo Pack continues to grow and has become the most important packaging and processing show in Latin America. It also helps that the market has grown significantly over the last 10 years and we have increased our marketing and PR efforts to capture that audience. BOB: Are there plans to create more shows now that the global economy is strengthening? JIM: We are always looking for new opportunities. We discussed launching new events and researched a few options, but up to this point, we are focused on growing our existing events. When the research says that PMMI needs to launch more regional or international shows, we will do it. BOB: There have been several public challenges to your industry in the past — the Tylenol packaging scan- dal quickly comes to mind. What were some of the other challenges you've faced and how did you overcome them? JIM: Te Tylenol crisis in 1982 — when bottles of Tylenol were tampered with and laced with cyanide — was definitely a game changer for packaging. Tat crisis led to the development of tamper-proof bottles for medications. Te more recent chal- lenges have been more on the food process- ing side, related to food safety, with recent recalls in peanut butter and baby food. Tis has pushed the FDA to create a new set of regulations called the "Food Safety Modernization Act" which will change the game for both packaging and processing. We are mindful of these hot issues as they present themselves, and this year, our show will have a huge focus on "Food Safety" issues with sessions dedicated to the new requirements. Tis is another reason for our success: as our industry changes and new issues come to the forefront, we work to become the industry resource. BOB: Everyone faces struggles on the job at one time or another. What was your big challenge? And how did you overcome it? JIM: My first big challenge was in 2001. Te show was in Las Vegas that year and our first day was awesome, with a record number of attendees. Ten the second day, we woke up to the events of 9/11. We were all consumed with the tragedy like everyone else, but still needed to make decisions as what to do about the show. We had many exhibitors who wanted PMMI to close the show, but our leader- ship and the building asked us to stay open because the exhibitors and attend- ees really had nowhere to go. It was the right call and the show stayed open in spite of some complaints. We worried this decision might affect future shows, but the next year, it grew in both exhibit space and number of attendees. BOB: Social media is integral to your show engagement strategies. Describe some of them.? JIM: We have several people on staff who are firm believers in all the different social media platforms and have taken an active interest in being the "Voice of PMMI." We also offer "connected communities" for three of the vertical industries we serve. Tese allow our attendees to be part of an online com- munity with others from their industry throughout the year. We post news stories and have an editor post a blog on a regular basis; the attendees can respond to the blog and/or post messages to each other. Our attendees want to network with each other, as well as our suppliers, SPONSORED BY