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Sports
Licensing and Tailgate•Picnic Event Sells Out in Nine
Months
Show Floor to Cover 300,000 Square Feet in Las Vegas
October 1, 2006
When the management team at Showproco, LLC announced the creation of the Sports Licensing & Entertainment Marketplace and Tailgate•Picnic Show back in the winter of 2006, they set themselves a lofty goal. With a November ’06 date, they would have just ten months to fill 300,000 square feet of space with exhibitors, buyers and major licensors—an unheard-of timetable in the trade event business.
Now it’s early October. There are fewer than 50 booths left, with a sellout expected sometime later this month. The biggest licensing entities in sports are creating eye-popping exhibits and sending key executives, including CLC, CLPA, MLB, MLS, NASCAR, NBA, NFL, MHL, Professional Bull Riders (PBR) and World Poker Tour (WPT)—along with hundreds of their licensees.
During the initial planning stages of the Sports Licensing & Entertainment Marketplace and the Tailgate • Picnic Show sponsored by American Tailgaters Association, Showproco management agreed that there was no “rule book” for launching a new trade show, and that there has never been any guarantees to exhibitors or buyers.
“That was very liberating,” Keusch recalls. “We asked Why are there no guarantees? and What if we actually gave guarantees?”
This started the ball rolling on a groundbreaking concept—Buyer and Exhibitor Guarantee Programs. Exhibitors were invited to supply a list of their top clients and hottest prospects, and the show guaranteed that at least 75 percent would attend. Buyers, meanwhile, were guaranteed that the show would be a productive use of their time and money or receive—a no-questions-asked up to a two-night hotel (room & tax).
“By putting our money where our mouth was,” says Sales Manager Mohammad Ali, “we removed the one major obstacle that a new show faces. When we encountered someone who was hesitant about attending, we could honestly say This is a win-win for all!”
“We had a huge response to this concept,” adds Keusch. “The ‘wait-and-see’ people realized that everyone else was jumping on board, so they quickly followed. As each of the leagues came in, their licensees started snapping up exhibit space, and buyer registration kept building and building.”
The Sports Licensing & Entertainment Marketplace and Tailgate•Picnic Show will be held in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, November 9–11, 2006.
