The International Association of Exhibitions and Events is considering expelling one of its members for allegedly soliciting members to book hotel rooms for IAEE Expo! Expo! without being the official housing bureau.

IAEE president and CEO Steve Hacker said the practice, often called poaching, is “unacceptable to us” and unless the company ceases its poaching activities, the association will move to expel Complete Event Planning, Henderson, Nev., which joined IAEE this past spring. No action had been taken as of press time. The board was scheduled to meet this summer to determine a path forward, says Hacker.

The issue came to light in June when IAEE sent a bulletin to members informing them that several members had received telephone solicitation calls from individuals who said they were associated with CEP in connection with housing for IAEE's annual meeting, Expo! Expo!. The bulletin goes on to say that CEP is not authorized to provide housing for the event and reminds members that rooms booked outside the official housing block can potentially lead to attrition.

If the board does decide to move forward with expulsion proceedings, the company would be given an opportunity to defend itself, but the way Hacker sees it, it's unlikely an expulsion would be reversed unless they discontinue this activity. “There's no place in our membership for people who engage in those kind of practices,” he said.

Alex Alexander, corporate division director at CEP, says the company works with only exhibitors and doesn't solicit attendees. On average, the company books less than 1 percent of the total number of exhibitors scheduled to attend any one trade show, he states. “I'm certain that our percentage of the market is not causing a marketing company to go into attrition on their block contracts.”

CEP offers a “high-end, exclusive service” for exhibitors that exhibit at multiple shows throughout the year, he says. “We strive to handle the housing needs of this exclusive list of exhibitors throughout their scheduled year.” CEP does not represent itself as an official housing bureau, states Alexander, adding that their clients prefer not to book with official housing companies. “We are proud to be an independent housing bureau, as there are many companies who prefer an independent looking out for their interests,” he continues. This is a new service to the market that many have a hard time understanding, he says, but he equates it to being a buyer's agent in the real estate market.

IAEE Creates Air Transportation Task Force

In other International Association of Exhibitions and Events news, the IAEE board of directors recently voted to create an Air Transportation Crisis Task Force with the charge of developing best practices for the management of exhibitions and events.

The task force will examine and anticipate the key air travel issues that will affect meetings and events and will recommend best practices to members for dealing with these challenges. Some of the issues that will be examined and monitored by the task force include the reduction of lift or the elimination of air service in cities; the inconveniences imposed on business and meeting travelers by the system; Transportation Security Administration-imposed obstacles; safety issues as well as other matters that have the potential to reduce the number of attendees coming to events.

The news, information, and tips will be delivered via the new IAEE Air Transportation Newsletter.

Additionally, the IAEE board moved to launch a meeting of legislative representatives from member organizations to tackle the air travel issue. The objective of the meeting, which will be held in September in Washington, D.C., is to develop an IAEE legislative network of lobbyists to explore and advocate for issues of common interest and concern. Finally, the board voted to increase involvement with the Travel Industry Association, which has taken the lead in addressing the air transportation concerns.

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