This truly was a room full of worthy rivals. We sat around a conference table speaking candidly about the unique challenges we face as earned revenue departments in contributed revenue organizations; sharing the struggles and frustrations of balancing internal needs against external client demands; and comparing our pricing, our vendor relationships, and our venue rules. Individually, we provide the same basic services to the same people and we compete with each other for clients; yet, in that room, we were completely collaborative.


This was only my second time attending a PVP meeting and I admit that I was initially surprised by how easily people shared information about their business practices, especially with a room full of “competitors.” But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that sharing infor- mation, knowledge, and resources has been a part of my experience in this industry from the start.


As an event manager coordinating city-wide conventions at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, I would contact event managers in other cities to seek insight about a client or conven- tion that they hosted in previous years, and event managers would contact me to learn more about an event that was upcoming for them. Our CVBs and sales teams may have competed with one another to contract the event, but once the contract was signed, if someone asked for help, you were happy to provide it.


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For particularly large shows, event managers would sometimes attend the convention the year before it came to their city to be better prepared. I was not lucky enough to be sent ahead to a conference, but did have a few event managers from other cities come to Philadelphia and spend a day or two following me around during a show. We learned from one another and the experience made us better at our respective jobs.


When I left the convention center and went to work for an exposition company, the competi- tion between general service contractors was fierce. As an Account Executive, I might sneak onto a show floor to learn more about an event before bidding on it, scheming to take the business away from another contractor. When I saw another contractor walking my show floor, I knew why they were there and didn’t like it.


Overlooking Independence National Historical Park, our 13,000 square foot conference center provides state-of- the-art technology, delectable cuisine, and the friendly team of professionals needed to turn your vision into an exceptional, unforgettable experience.


sciencehistory.org(215) 629-5151 facilityrental@sciencehistory.org Mid-Atlantic­EvEnts Magazine 53


Here, I want to focus on the third concept, which struck me as the most subversive and challenging in our current sociopolitical climate. Rather than identifying a person or organization as “competition you must beat,” consider them instead to be a “worthy rival” from whom you have much to learn.


ALL THE ELEMENTS for an except ional event


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