Convention organizers are finding ways to keep costs in line by finding "Free Trade Convention Centers"
Exclusive contracts cost convention organizers and their guests millions of dollars in higher cost for AV and Computer Rental equipment. Exclusive contracts cause some convention organizers to change venues due to high costs. This has recently hit home with the McCormick Place and Navy Pier in Chicago when the State of Illinois passed a law that effectively ordered the convention centers to stop overcharging.
Ian MacCosley recently posted an article about convention centers overcharging for everything from plasma flat screens to internet connections. Convention centers have a captured audience and they try to capitalize on that effect by offering exclusive contracts to vendors who also pay hefty fees for the privilege of being the only game in town.
At the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) executive conference, held August 9-11, 2010 in Boston, MA, the SISO board and its members sent a powerful message to convention centers and hotels who are in the business of hosting trade shows. SISO said they strongly opposed “any policies whereby facilities require show organizers to use only that facility’s appointed and exclusive in-house vendors for services that would otherwise be widely available in the marketplace.”
They added, “Policies whereby the organizer is limited in its choice of contracting for services will, inevitably, drive both exhibitor and organizer costs needlessly higher, endangering loss of business to the city and the facility by driving shows to more friendly venues without such restrictions.” - Source: Trade Show News Network
All Convention Vendors want is Free Trade
Independent Audio Visual and Computer Rental companies want fair, open competition. Some in the industry are voicing their opinion about the illegal trade obstructionist policies by many convention centers and hotels. Convention Vendor will be recommending to all our clientèle ‘FREE TRADE’ hotel and convention center venues.
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