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National Hardware Show® Welcomes Ed Several as Group Vice President and Show Manager


With the 2008 National Hardware Show's return to Las Vegas showing an increase in several key metrics such as attendance, satisfaction and loyalty, Reed Exhibitions has appointed a new Group Vice President and Show Manager, Ed Several, to carry on that momentum. Several will be bringing new and innovative concepts to the marketplace utilizing his robust background in retail, packaged goods and trade show marketing. This combined with industry knowledge in the areas of masonry & landscaping supply and hardware along with outdoor hunting & fishing sports and golf will provide fresh perspective for the event.
For the past four years, Several has been responsible for Reed Exhibitions' Professional Golf Association (PGA) events portfolio which include the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando (Tradeshow Week Top 200 event); the PGA Fall Expo in Las Vegas and the Eastern Sports Show (ESS) in Harrisburg, PA. Under his leadership, these events have grown and continually exceeded customer's expectations.
Before Reed, Several's professional background included award-winning stints working for Spalding Sports/Top-Flite Golf and Kraft Foods. In addition, he was involved in supporting the launch and management of a masonry & landscaping supply business.
Several will continue the success of the National Hardware Show at a pivotal time. Preliminary 2008 post-show analysis concluded there was an unofficial 14 percent increase in attendance over the '07 show (pending a third-party attendance audit conducted by Exhibit Surveys, Red Bank, NJ). Scores indicating retailers' and exhibitors' satisfaction with the event have improved over last year's numbers as well.
"I am eager to bring innovative concepts and ideas to the marketplace to help manufacturers and retailers utilize the National Hardware Show as a catalyst for their businesses, while recognizing the challenging environment that faces the hardware/home retail industry today," commented Several. "My plan is to transform the National Hardware Show into an indispensable tool by introducing new marketing approaches, creative retailing concepts and emphasizing the greatest access to discover the latest new products, best practices and education.
"We are pleased to have Ed managing this important business," said Dennis MacDonald, senior vice president. "Ed not only brings a wealth of experience to the team, he also brings great passion to everything he does. Reed's promise of delivering contacts, content and communities with the power to transform our customers' business is always paramount in Ed's mind."
Several will continue to report to Dennis MacDonald, senior vice president, who oversees the overall strategic brand development for the National Hardware Show.
Plans for the 64rd National Hardware Show¬, featuring Lawn & Garden World(tm), Homewares(tm) and New Product World(tm), are well underway as the leading global retail home enhancement event returns to Las Vegas, May 5-7, 2009 in Las Vegas.
For more information and updates on the 2009 National Hardware Show, visit www.nationalhardwareshow.com.

2008 NATIONAL HARDWARE SHOW® AND FREEMAN TEAM UP TO RECYCLE/DIVERT 88% OF POST-SHOW MATERIALS FROM LANDFILLS

When the 63rd National Hardware Show®, featuring Lawn & Garden World™, Homewares™ and New Product World™ completed its three-day event at the Las Vegas Convention Center, 88 percent of the materials collected post-show were recycled or diverted from landfills, according to Freeman, whose partnership with Reed Exhibitions extends to a mutual desire to be "green."
"Now, more than ever, we are looking at post-show materials in a different, more sustainable way," said Dennis MacDonald, senior vice president for the National Hardware Show. "As we act more responsibly towards deposing the tons of waste that events can generate, both Freeman and Reed have taken a proactive approach."
Freeman serves as the official services contractor for the National Hardware Show. In that role, they provide overall event dŽcor, furnishings, freight handling, installation and dismantling, and other services essential to the production of the event. Locally, they produce over 600 expositions and events annually, with over 450 full-time employees in the Las Vegas office. Through Freeman's recycling coordination program, the final reports received by the recycler recorded 148.79 tons of post-show waste collected at show site. Over 88%, or 130.8 tons of that waste was able to be recycled, once separated and sorted. Specifically, 28.2 tons of paper and cardboard, 17.8 tons of carpet padding, and 11.5 tons of plastic, among other materials, were recycled or salvaged for other use.
In addition, Freeman's ongoing company-wide program to recycle aisle carpet from their central distribution centers ensure that the great majority of aisle carpet used at all Freeman events is diverted from landfills through a remanufacturing process into drainage pipes. Since 2006, Freeman has effectively recycled over 40 million square feet of aisle carpet through this innovative and unique manufacturing partnership.
Additionally, Reed and Freeman have teamed up to enable a local Las Vegas charity to be more effective to its constituents. For the fourth year in a row, Reed has encouraged its National Hardware Show exhibitors to donate their leftover products and displays to a charity for developmentally disabled adults called Opportunity Village. These donated items were then either sold in a silent auction or placed in the
Opportunity Village thrift store.
The National Hardware Show team partnered with Freeman in getting the items collected at show site, loaded onto multiple trailers, and delivered to Opportunity Village. As part of their ongoing local community service programs known as Freeman Cares(tm), Freeman helped match up National Hardware Show with Opportunity Village, who they have worked with on a long-term basis. Freeman paid credit to the way the National Hardware Show team pushed the program with exhibitors, which increased the overall volume and impact of the joint effort.
This year, for the first time ever, the thrift store exceeded $100,000 for the month of May. This money not only off-set the expenses in the thrift store and paid the thrift shop workers, it also helped fund other programs that don't generate any revenue.
"One of the core Reed values is making an impact to our community," observed MacDonald. "This cooperative program not only gives back to the local Las Vegas community where Reed Exhibitions conducts business, it also enables the manufacturers/suppliers, our customers, with an alternative, constructive option for corporate responsibility. We have enjoyed this collaboration with our customers for the past four years and the program gets enhanced every year as more and more customers learn about the many benefits." For more information on the charity, visit www.opportunityvillage.org