The International Association for Exhibition Management recently issued a 10-page Exhibition Industry Manifesto that focuses on improving industry education and communication, and creating best practices and national guidelines for the industry. But that's just the start, says IAEM President Steven Hacker. “We need to decide which of the recommendations are immediately executable and which require a lot more study.

“Not everything on the list is something we can do alone,” Hacker said. “There will have to be a lot of collaboration on this.”

Recommendations include:

• Facilities should become involved in helping to promote increased attendance.

• TSEA and HCEA should collaborate to promote joint exhibitor training programs.

• Facilities, CVBs, and show organizers should coordinate so that set-up and removal schedules avoid overtime costs to exhibitors whenever possible.

The manifesto resulted from the July 26 Exhibition Industry Summit IAEM hosted in Chicago's McCormick Place. The next formal large-scale discussion of the manifesto will take place at IAEM's Global Council in Orlando in December.

The manifesto is available at www.iaem.org under “News and Industry Report.”