PLENARY Omaha Products Show Q Unconventional: Now You See It Q ISPA EXPO Q Tipster: LinkedIn, Linked Up
POST CON The Business of Manufacturing
MEETING: 25th Biennial Omaha Products Show, produced by Mid-America Expositions at the Qwest Center Omaha on Sept. 14–15. More than 7,000 attendees and more than 400 exhibitors participated in the Midwestern business and industrial expo, which offered products and services from a variety of manufacturing, technology, and other business-to-business sectors.
CHALLENGES: Speaking with Convene in advance of the show (read our Pre Con profile at http://bit.ly /o0j7hJ), Bob Mancuso Jr. — Mid-America’s CFO and director of the show — said that an ongoing challenge was making sure that his event evolves along with the economy. “The core compo-
nent of the show is still manufacturing, machine tools, equipment, and industrial products,” Mancuso said. “But business-to-busi- ness is definitely a factor, as that segment of the economy has continued to grow over the years.” This year’s Omaha Prod- ucts Show served that sector in a number of ways. An online business-networking service called WOWBIZ shot interviews and promotional videos for exhibitors around the show floor. The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Manufacturing Council co-located its meet- ing with the show — which its members were able to attend. And the Nebraska chapter of the Institute of Supply Management held its monthly luncheon during the
trade show, Mancuso said, with a presentation on “gen- erating sales and keeping the pipeline full in the sales pro- cess” by LeadJen President Jenny Vance.
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PRODUCTIVE: “What we try to do is make [the Products Show] a positive opportu- nity for businesses.”
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INITIATIVES: Also helping expand the show’s reach was the recently debuted Products Show Summit, which offered more than 20 seminars “on both industrial and management or business concepts,” Mancuso said. And this year the exhibit hall featured a Jobs Pavilion and a complimentary exhibitor reception, which offered “a thank-you to exhibitors for being in the show,” Mancuso said, “but also another opportunity for the exhibitors to network.” Indeed, providing a wel- coming space for business- people to come together is more important than ever. “Sometimes in the national media, manufacturing takes some hits because of losing business to other countries,” Mancuso said. “What we try to do is make it a positive op- portunity for businesses. They need to work harder to get their company exposure and continue to be visible and to show that they’re still in business. So we provide that opportunity — at one place and at a low cost, meaning there’s an easy return on investment.” n — Christopher Durso