Bob Mikulas Backs Industry-Wide “Unification Campaign”
Bob Mikulas, president of the National Lawn & Garden Show/Marketing Conferences (NLGS), has agreed to back an industry-wide “Unification Campaign.” Mikulas says, “It’s time I say thank you and give back to an industry that has been so loyal to NLGS, and it’s time something extreme is done to pull the industry together.”
The campaign gives manufacturers who have exhibited at any 2004 trade show between January and May the opportunity to reserve the same amount of space free of charge at the June 2005 National Lawn & Garden Show’s new Extreme Expo, scheduled for June 6-8 in Chicago. For example, exhibitors who paid for a 20-x20-foot booth at another show in 2004 will get a free 20-x20-foot booth at the NLGS Extreme Expo in 2005.
Mikulas is giving the first 50,000 sq.ft. away at no charge. “It means that exhibitors must respond fast if they want to get free space,” said Mikulas. After May 31, booths will start at $900 per 10-x10-foot space, a 50 percent discount. According to the NLGS, Mikulas is setting a 30-day window for the industry to pull together. If 50,000 sg.ft. of free exhibit space is reserved by the end of May 2004, then Mikulas will go ahead with his plans.
“This is something that is seriously needed in the lawn and garden industry, and I’m willing to pay for it in 2005 if exhibitors commit early,” said Mikulas. “Exhibitors have had a tough year at tradeshows. I will put my money where my mouth has been for the last 10 years, bear the risk and back the ‘Unification Campaign’ and a new Lawn & Garden Merchandise Council.”
One representative from each lawn and garden trade organization or special interest group will be invited to sit on the council. According to NLGS, the primary goal of the council is to unify the lawn and garden industry. It will be identifying where the fragmentation exists and then address current issues that effect industry health and growth in the United States, including the impact international trade is having on exhibitors. The council will also advise on future NLGS dates and venues.
The addition of the 2005 National Lawn & Garden Show’s Extreme Expo will run in conjunction with the one-on-one appointment format. The Extreme Expo will focus on product exposure in extreme proportions. “We have some new and innovative concepts in place that promise to capture the attention of buys and get the industry excited about the event,” said Mikulas.
For more information on how to get a booth, contact NLGS at (719)488-0226.
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