Talking Trash (and Recycling) in Atlanta

Nearly everyone who makes their living from solid waste (with the possible exception of Oscar the Grouch) will gather in Atlanta in May. That’s when the annual WasteExpo will convene in the Peach State’s largest city, from the 15th to the 18th at the Georgia World Congress Center.

This year’s show marks the first for which the lead organizer will be Intertec Exhibitions. The show is sponsored by the Environmental Industry Association (EIA), WASTEC, the National Solid Waste Management Association and Waste Age magazine. Show organizer Intertec Exhibitions is a division of Primedia Inc., a New York City-based media company that acquired the rights to WasteExpo from the EIA along with the organization’s publication.

While there may be some changes brought about by Intertec for this year’s show, WasteExpo 2000 will once again offer the kind of educational conferences and product exhibitions that the waste and recycling industries have come to expect from the annual event. The event’s organizers say that WasteExpo’s mission is to “provide all industry players with an exhibit floor, special events, educational sessions and on-site features that are meaningful, valuable and informative.”

SHOPPING AND LEARNING

Rita Ugianskis-Fishman, the Group Show Director for Intertec Exhibitions, says that she is excited about what this year’s WasteExpo has to offer. “We are really proud of the number of items we have implemented in such a short period of time,” Ugianskis-Fishman says. “I think our attendees and exhibitor customers will definitely benefit.”

WasteExpo’s exhibition hall has built a reputation as an invaluable opportunity for supplier companies to make themselves visible to the industry in an efficient and personal way. Many suppliers to the waste and recycling industries view it as a good way to come face-to-face with the industry and get a better feel for the tone of this year’s marketplace. Waste-Expo continues to carry a reputation as a place where both small and large businesses can maintain industry relationships and foster new contacts at the same time.

This year, the exhibition floor will be organized into five “Product Concentration Areas”—Size Reduction and Classification; Landfill & Composting Equipment; Volume Reduction & Material Handling; Waste Transfer, Collection and Transportation; and General/Business Services. Previous shows have offered nine concentration areas. The goal in restructuring the floor is to benefit the exhibitors by increasing the likelihood that buyers will be able to find them. Over 450 companies are expected to exhibit, covering over 230,000 square feet of floor space.

“There are over 75 new companies exhibiting at WasteExpo 2000,” Ugiansksis-Fishman says. “Attendees are certain to see products and services that they haven’t seen before at the show,” she adds.

Among the changes Intertec is introducing for 2000 are a new advertising campaign, new attendee targets, new scheduling for sessions (designed to minimally conflict with exhibit hall hours) and a new direct mail campaign. Revamped educational sessions have been designed in part to help attract targeted new attendee segments—the public sector and waste generators. Exhibitors will also have the opportunity to take educational sessions at a 50% discount.

“The entire education program has been revamped,” Ugianskis-Fishman says. “We are lucky to have the EIA as one of the show’s sponsors. They have organized a tremendous program, completely different from previous years.”

Monday’s educational sessions focus on “Business Management Strategies and Practices,” featuring sessions on hiring, mergers and acquisitions, effective contracting, career development, team building and effective marketing on a budget.

“Tools to Optimize Your Business” is the focus of Tuesday’s sessions with programs that examine topics from the Internet to managing natural disaster waste. Media relations, lobbying government representatives, and equipment evaluation are other topics that are slated for this session.

Wednesday is a day of “Intensive Learning Opportunities” and workshops. Sessions include topics such as conducting business online and equipment purchasing focuses. There will be workshops on topics ranging from safety to international trade. Facility tours will be held on Thursday.

According to Ugianskis-Fishman, a professional business speaker highlights each day of the educational track. Guest lecturers from various areas of the business consulting arena will offer insight into management segments such as human resources and planning.

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

This year’s WasteExpo marks the second following the announcement that Primedia Inc. would be assuming show management responsibilities from Washington-based EIA. However, last year’s event had largely been planned before the Primedia acquisition.

“Technically this is the second show under the ownership of Intertec—a Primedia company—but this is really the first show under Intertec management,” Ugiansksis-Fishman says. “The success of the 1999 event really is attributed to all the hard work of the show management team at the EIA. 1999 was the transition year.”

“Our plan,” Ugiansksis-Fishman explains, “is to implement a show which serves the needs of our customers. As long as our customers find success via WasteExpo, then we will consider ourselves successful. All of [this year’s] changes came as a result of our customers telling us what they liked and what they would like to see more of at WasteExpo. Plan on more of the same types of changes—those that come from customer feedback.”

Other new features to this year’s WasteExpo include computer kiosks (to help attendees find the product, service or information they are looking for by entering a keyword), education business centers (where attendees can learn further information on an education session), and an official show directory available to pre-registered attendees that will assist in planning their time at the show in an efficient way.

Those making plans for the 2001 WasteExpo will need to note that the date and location of that show have been changed by Intertec. Originally scheduled for the fall of 2001 in Atlantic City, N.J., the 2001 WasteExpo will now take place at Chicago’s McCormick Place in April. Intertec surveys revealed that Spring remained the preferred time for the event for most participants. RT