Stateside with Stephanie
It ’ s a kind of Magic … Stephanie Selesnick catches up with Joe Loggia
n 2014 , the largest deal of the year was UBM acquiring Advanstar for US $ 972m . Advanstar was led at the time by Joe Loggia and , after a year or so of helping with the transition , he left the company . At that time , Advanstar owned and operated fashion tradeshows including MAGIC , WWD MAGIC , FN Platform and Coterie and a number of other show divisions . This was the second transaction Joe led Advanstar Inc . through as CEO .
Before entering the world of exhibitions and leading MAGIC and other expos to new heights , Joe worked as a Certified Public Accountant , was a manager at Coopers & Lybrand responsible for fraud and financial investigations after spending ten years in law enforcement .
I caught up with Joe after he appeared as a special guest speaker on an industry ad hoc bi-monthly Zoom , and asked him what he ’ s been up to since leaving UBM a few years ago . Besides taking the time to travel the world as a tourist and not for work , he ’ s consulted on a number of projects and serves on a couple of Boards , including a tech start-up and a sales development company .
I asked him to gaze into the proverbial crystal ball , and we discussed where he sees the exhibition industry heading post Covid-19 . “ Stop looking at what was and start looking at the structural changes in your show ’ s industry ,” he advises . “ Don ’ t look at the past . All industries have been affected by the pandemic and shutdowns . Relationships between your expos and their industries should be all about connectivity . Exhibitions should be a resource for your industry – all of the time .”
He continued : “ If you want your team to be successful going forward , ban anyone from talking about what was . Benchmarks from past shows are useless .” Speak with the survivors – those companies in your industry coming out of the pandemic still in business . They ’ ve endured without your show for one , two cycles or more . How have they done it ? Talk to them . Find out what they need your show to be – and plan fulfilling it going forward .”
Joe also recommended organisers asking themselves what kind of value their tradeshow could add to the industry . “ Traditionally , it ’ s always been easier to recruit exhibitors than getting attendees to show up . Historically our industry has always leaned on their exhibitors to make the show happen . What are you going to do differently to attract visitors back to your events ?” he said .
Shared experiences are one of the most important part of what face-to-face provides . However , there will be changes . Long term , Joe believes , “ all the talk about whether or not there will be hybrid shows is silly . All events will have digital components – simply look at television distributing streaming options everywhere .”
He cites Disney + as a prime example . “ They were way ahead of the competition , planning for digital expansion long before the pandemic . We as consumers want content when we want it , the way we want it and are used to receiving it in that way . However , Disney hasn ’ t abandoned their other divisions and will continue to bring people together at their theme parks and in movie theatres . They understand people still crave shared experiences .”
I asked Joe what his future plans are , but he declined to be specific , instead caging his answers with a simple statement of : “ I ’ m not allowed to disclose plans as NDA ’ s are in effect .” But , watch this space , our industry has not , I ’ m sure , seen the last of Joe and his magic .
Left : Informa Markets Fashion
“ Exhibitions should be a resource for your industry – all of the time .”
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 1 2021 19