The Illinois General Assembly broke the union death grip on McCormick Place, making the venue more competitive for conventions and trade shows #AdobeCP
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Read the full press release.
One of the long standing complaints from vendors in venues like McCormick is the requirement that they use union staff to move booths in to and out of the arena, plug in electrical connections, move carpeting, supply food, and more. According to the press release,
The new law calls for:No mention is made of how the unions feel about this, but I imagine they aren't happy. Under the law, though, the unions do continue to operate in McCormick Center, and to provide the default set of services for vendors. Vendors will be able to choose their own contractors, however, which is what makes this law so bold.
- New labor work rules that reduce crew sizes, require less overtime pay and eliminate hassles for customers.
- Expanding exhibitor rights, allowing customers to do their own work, regardless of booth size.
- The appointment of a Trustee, former MPEA CEO Jim Reilly, to oversee operations during an 18 month transition period and select a private manager for McCormick Place.
- Restructuring capital debt to allow the MPEA to further lower costs to customers and put the MPEA on sound financial footing.
- Allowing shows to select outside electrical and food service contractors.
- Auditing contracts to ensure savings are passed on to customers.
- Make recommendations to whether Navy Pier should remain in control by the Authority or become an independent entity.
The law is aimed at retaining a specific longtime customer of McCormick Place, the Graphic Arts Show Company. It produces shows such as the venerable Graph Expo and Print. I have worked as a presenter at these shows for Adobe and others over the years, and have been shocked at the amounts of money vendors must spend to exhibit. Not to mention how expensive it is for staffers to feed themselves and travel to and from the hotels to the venue. I have watched the number of exhibitors dwindle in recent years (including Adobe, who hasn't exhibited at a major Print Industry show in the US for a couple of years now), and it comes as no surprise that GASC would lobby for concessions to make its show more affordable for vendors.
The value of trade shows and conventions is severely diluted when big name attendees don't show, citing booth costs. These booth costs are driven not so much by the convention organizers but rather by the venue. It was not uncommon for a large booth's costs to exceed $1 million for an extended show, and that amount doesn't include the cost of staffing the booth. Having worked at many of these events and watched as the vendor's teams sit idle while waiting for an electrical worker to show up and connect a twist-lock plug that's sitting right out on the open, I appreciate the bold steps that the Illinois legislature have taken.
Let's hope this precedent extends to other trade show cities like Las Vegas, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and others. Let's also hope that companies like Adobe will return to these events and boost the relevance of the convention overall.
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