Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Assn. and keynote speaker for the TSW Fastest 50 executive-level conference, not only has been the face of the travel industry for the past five years, but also an outspoken supporter of the tradeshow industry since the first whispers against both began just as the economic recession started to take hold.

As head of the travel industry's most significant lobbying organization, he is a staunch believer in the power of face-to-face marketing and the role that travel and tradeshows play in the U.S. economy.

Tradeshow Week: What will you cover in your keynote?

Roger Dow: I'm going to talk about how critical tradeshows are to how we do business and how we communicate with one another. It's at tradeshows that commerce gets done, where people get leading-edge ideas and best practices they might not be able to get (elsewhere), it's continuing adult education. … Then, also, just how important it is to promote travel, tourism and tradeshows around the world. I'm really going to put in perspective what's going on, how critical the industry is to our national economy, some of the threats we have facing us and what we're doing about it as a group.

TSW: How significant are these travel issues to the tradeshow industry?

Dow: Tradeshows are travel. When you look at travel and tourism, (it's) a $770 billion organization. When a tradeshow occurs, the lion's share … of people come from somewhere else. They all travel to get there. They all utilize all the facilities from the hotels, to the taxicabs, to the restaurants, to the curiosity and gift shops and souvenir shops and museums. It's really a great driver for almost every aspect of business that's done within a city. And travel is a key ingredient. When it's difficult to travel, fewer people go to tradeshows. When it's easier to travel and there's plenty of planes and availability, more people come to tradeshows. We're linked.

TSW: What might the future bring for tradeshows and travel?

Dow: Tradeshows are going to continue to play a more important role in adult education. It is going to be where people go to learn best practices. They're going to be much more of a global influence on our various businesses, on the ability to sell products. So having the international attendee is going to be critical, and you're going to see an interaction of more technology along with live face-to-face.

About the author
Tradeshow Week, 11/16/2009