The word came as I was sitting at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport preparing for my flight to New Orleans and VenueConnect that Turner Madden had passed away just two days earlier.

The message came via text and for the longest all I could do was blankly stare at the words on my phone that I wished were not real. Finally, a couple of delayed blinks later, I realized what I was reading was true and that one of our industry’s most recognized personalities in Turner Madden had, indeed, somehow left us.

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Cowboys Stadium No More: With Deal, It Is Now AT&T Stadium
–NPR

After what is rumored to be a multi-million dollar naming deal, the iconic Cowboys Stadium will called AT&T Stadium from now on.

In a press release, AT&T said part of their attraction to the deal was that Dallas is their home. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement that the naming deal ties the team with “one of the world’s strongest and most innovative companies.” Continue Reading →

Turner David Madden, Jr., who served for a number of years as IAVM legal counsel and was a respected industry friend and advocate, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, July 22. He was 61.

“This is a big shock to all of us,” said Vicki Hawarden, CMP, IAVM president and CEO. “Turner had a lot of passion for IAVM that came out when he talked. He was an advocate on legal issues and knew so much about what was going on in our industry, namely ADA issues. He was a great friend to our association and to many of us personally, and he will be greatly missed.”

Others also praised Madden for his professionalism and how he enhanced IAVM’s name and reputation in many circles.

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The boxes are packed, the plans made, and we are counting down the days to another VenueConnect! A huge shout out of appreciation to our incredibly hard-working VenueConnect Chair, Kim Bedier, CFE, and her committee, and special thanks to them for putting in place a Legacy Event, allowing our members to give back to the community. And to our local host, Bob Johnson, his team, and their partners goes our deepest gratitude. Without their support, this event would not be nearly as amazing as I’m sure it will be. I can promise you, you don’t want to miss the trade show this year; it’s going to be full of surprises.

We are still rolling along very well in membership, and although we have been pacing behind on exhibit sales, we have closed much of the gap with increases in registration and sponsorship, as well as with a few expense reductions. Continue Reading →

One of the best things about our industry is that we’re not limited by geography or cultural boundaries. Because each country has its own exhibiting style, rules and practices, it’s important to acquaint yourself and your team with the differences so you don’t go into this process blindly.

During my career, I’ve had the opportunity to manage global brand activations for many clients, and I’ve developed practices that provide the best opportunity for success.

Here are my top four that you need to know if you’re exhibiting internationally:

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