Easy comes this 4th of July celebration, but it wasn’t easy back when.
For those of us in the events and tradeshows industry struggling to maintain relevance in an era of

• Bruising Economics,
• Unequal Representation,
• Uncertain Loyalties,

…this is an excellent time to think hard about our futures.

Coming out of the worst industry downturn ever, some of us might be tempted to think the worst is behind us. But thinking a better economy will solve our problems is like thinking a benevolent king will be the way to a brighter future.

It took ‘Common Sense’ to see that the bigger issues could only be addressed through major changes. It took great leadership and personal risk to lead the change. The status quo had to go. The future had to be seized.

Giving voice to the people was challenging then – its’ still challenging today. The way forward was to join a movement that sought to respect and preserve the best traditions of the old, while adopting the best ideas of the new. The Rights of Assembly, of Free Speech, and of Press now present themselves to us as the embrace of social networks, of user-created content, of the open and ubiquitous internet.

The media world is changing rapidly around us. The revolution is well underway.  The way forward for us now is to recognize the real threat that new-media alternatives pose to face-to-face events and to take up arms – not against them -  but to embrace them. Fortunately, there are new tools and processes to help turn those risks into rewards.

Join us as we provide the tools that keep events – and the organizations that hold them – vital to their customers, and relevant into the future.

So let’s enjoy our holiday, but let’s use it for some reflection, some inspiration, and some action.
Years from now we can enjoy our own fireworks and think about the new-media revolution we were part of!

Join us and read The Papers to learn how we’re working to advance the State of the Conference, Events and Tradeshow Industry.  Join the revolution!

Have a great Independence Day!