For the past nine years Exhibitor Media Group and the EDPA University Affiliation Program have provided an exhibit space for Bemidji State University and FIT/NY design students to introduce themselves and to share their portfolios with prospective employers at EXHIBITORLIVE. The students also use this time to attract design companies to sponsor them for internship opportunities to augment their curriculum.
“EDPA has been a strong believer that supporting a focused educational training program for exhibit design will provide a shining light to keep our industry creative in spirit, and knowledgeable about face to face marketing tactics that work at trade shows,” said Larry Kulchawik, Past President of EDPA & IFES industry associations.
Each year, before EXHIBITORLIVE officially opens the doors to the exhibit hall, EDPA provides a guided tour to meet different types of exhibit industry suppliers, EDPA members, and supporters of the program. The purpose of the tour is to see the exhibit hall in what may appear to some in a state of chaos and anxiety. The students also learn to be aware of what they design, as someone has to build it. This period of installation is a reality check that most will not see until the show opens the next day. Fork lifts, ladders, carpenters are gone and replaced with the smiling faces of booth staff reps eager to showcase their services with lights on and monitors flashing.
The exhibit hall tour begins at the EXHIBITORLIVE registration area where Randy Acker, President & COO of Exhibitor Media Group, and Kulchawik introduce the students and faculty to how a trade show is created and managed. The tour then makes 10 stops to various types of exhibit suppliers: fabric, lighting, AV, furniture, flooring, exhibit systems, portable exhibits, show contractor, and full service exhibit houses who all play a role in the creation of a trade show exhibit. This behind the scenes tour provides valuable insight to the workings of a magical industry.
“Regardless of how busy things are for me the day before our show opens I always have time for the future designers of the exhibit industry,” said Acker. “I firmly believe that we veterans of the industry need to help the next generation succeed – their success will be our success. The student’s passion and energy for our industry inspires me and reminds me just how dynamic our industry really is.”
“Whenever I get a chance to speak about the exhibit industry,” said Larry Kulchawik, “I always share this fact: Trade shows and meetings generate $100 billion in the USA, and as an industry it is ranked #22 in contribution to the GNP, larger than agriculture and the printing industry. Yet few have gone to school to enter the business. We have all fumbled into it, were self taught, and have done pretty well. Imagine how much stronger the industry could be if we studied our trade before doing it?”
“The trade show industry continues to grow worldwide,” Kulchawik continued. “Its future relies on successful face to face marketing tactics that work to grow businesses. Might there come a time when human interaction in a controlled environment will no longer more effective than electronic communication? For now, my bet is on the power of emotion through live interaction. Let’s continue to train others to exploit the art of trade show marketing.”
About Bemidji State University
Bemidji State University, located in northern Minnesota’s lake district, occupies a beautiful campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. The University enrolls nearly 5,000 students annually and offerings include more than 65 undergraduate majors and 13 graduate programs encompassing the liberal arts, interdisciplinary studies and applied fields. The University is a member of the Minnesota State College and Universities System and has a faculty and staff of nearly 600. University signature themes include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and global/multicultural understanding. For further information about the University, visit our web site at www.bemidjistate.edu.
About SUNY/FIT
State University of New York/Fasion Institute of Technology is New York City’s internationally recognized college for design, fashion, art, communications, and business. FIT takes innovation to skyscraper heights. When you enroll at FIT, you join a long line of ambitious, energetic pacesetters. FIT offers the leading graduate-level program in Exhibition Design. Design experts participate in class presentations, lectures, studio projects, and host off-site trips. For more information go to www.fitnyc.edu/2868.asp.
About EDPA
The Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA), founded in 1954, is an internationally recognized national trade association with more than 300 corporate members from 18 countries that are engaged in the design, manufacture, transport, installation and service of displays and exhibits primarily for the exhibition and event industry. Visit www.edpa.com for more information.
About Exhibitor Media Group
The leader in trade show and corporate event marketing education, Exhibitor Media Group publishes the award-winning EXHIBITOR magazine, a monthly publication featuring best practices in trade show marketing. EXHIBITOR’S Learning Events include: EXHIBITORLIVE, the industry’s top-rated conference and exhibition for trade show and corporate event marketing; EXHIBITORFastTrak accelerated learning conferences; and EXHIBITOR eTrak professional online learning. Exhibitor Media Group is the founder and sponsor of CTSM (Certified Trade Show Marketer), the world’s only university-affiliated professional certification program. For more information go to www.ExhibitorOnline.com.
EXHIBITOR is a registered trademark, and EXHIBITORLIVE, EXHIBITOR FastTrak, and EXHIBITOR eTrak, are trademarks of Exhibitor Publications, Inc. in the USA and other countries. All company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated.
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