The annual spring trade show of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield moves to the MassMutual Center for 2006. Organizers say the new venue provides facilities and amenities that will take the Market event to a higher level and bring greater value for exhibitors and visitors alike.

Deb Boronski says a new venue, the MassMutual Center, will no doubt generate some excitement and curiosity for the 2006 Business Market Show, set for April 5.

“People are always asking, ‘what’s new for this year?’” said Boronski, vice president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield and coordinator of the Market event for the past several years. “Well, now we’ve got a pretty good answer for them.”

But the gleaming new convention center will do more than draw some attention to the event and perhaps a bigger crowd, she said; it will also create a bigger and better show.

Elaborating, she said the facilities at the center, especially the smaller function rooms, will enable organizers to schedule a number of programs and seminars during the day — from the monthly luncheon of the Advertising Club of Western Mass. to the launch of the Affiliated Chambers’ new Division of Business Excellence.

The number and variety of scheduled programs has even prompted organizers to change the event’s name. “It’s no longer just a trade show,” said Boronski, “we’re calling it a conference and exhibition.”

And it is one that will likely live up to that often-used phrase ‘something for everyone,’ she said. In addition to the nearly 200 booths on the exhibition floor, the 2006 show will feature seminars on everything from identity theft to Internet marketing; the region’s burgeoning Hispanic market to making full use of those electronic gizmos.

“This is not just a trade show any more it’s a showcase,” said Boronski. “What we’re doing is giving businesses more reasons to send more of the people to the show.”

Getting Down to Business

As she talked with BusinessWest in the main exhibition hall at the MassMutual Center, Boronski said the $70 million facility, opened last fall, gives show organizers a large degree of flexibility simply not obtainable at the Eastern States Exposition, the show’s home for the past decade.

“The Big E was a great venue, it served us well for many years,” she said. “But we were limited in some of the things we could do there; it was essentially one big room, which made it more difficult to conduct break-out sessions and seminars. Here, we have the facilities to do a lot more of everything.”

And, in the progress, provide the change and value (to both exhibitors and visitors alike) that a show must provide to succeed, she explained.

“Each show is going to be different from the one before,” she said, noting a turnover rate among exhibitors of about 30%. “But we strive each year to bring new programs and events that will give people ample reason to leave their offices and plants and come to the show.”

This year, there will be a number of incentives for coming to downtown Springfield, starting with the annual breakfast and its keynoter, Steven Little, a senior consultant for Inc. Magazine, who will speak on business growth and what he calls the “future of opportunity.”

Meanwhile, the Advertising Club of Western Mass. will stage its monthly luncheon at the show, and is inviting exhibitors and visitors to join in the festivities. Reservations will be needed for the luncheon (tickets are $25 for ad club members and $30 for non-members; visit www.adclubwm.org), which will include the program Branding: Making Your Mark. It will feature regional case studies that will examine the elements of effective branding.

In the afternoon — 4 o’clock to be exact — the ACCGS will launch its new Division of Business Excellence. A successor to the membership-driven agency SPACE, the Springfield Area Council for Excellence, the DOBE as it’s called will provide a number of services aimed at helping area companies become more competitive in a global marketplace.

These will include informational programs as well as linking business owners with consultants who will provide assistance on a fee-for-service basis with implementation of business excellence strategies including Kaizen, lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and others.

“We thought the Market show was the perfect forum for us to launch the business excellence division,” said Boronski. “There will be hundreds of business owners and managers there, giving us an opportunity to generate awareness of the division and how it can make the region more competitive.”

Market 2006 will also feature a number of free business seminars, to be staged in morning and afternoon sessions, in the MassMutual meeting rooms next to the exhibition hall. The scheduled programs include:

The attractive lineup of events should attract a larger number of visitors than previous shows, said Boronski, adding that she is hopeful that individuals working in downtown office towers will set aside at least some of their day for the show.

“They don’t have to get in their cars and drive anywhere,” she said, noting that some people working downtown were put off by the prospect of driving to the Big E. “There are 9,000 pre-paid parking spaces in downtown Springfield — if we can get just 10% of those people to come to the show, that’s an additional 1,000 visitors, and that would make the event so much better.”

Show Time

The 2006 Business Market Show will be the 17th edition of the event, said Boronski, adding that since year 2, the goal — and the challenge — for organizers has been to make the show different and better.

The MassMutual Center provides the setting and the amenities to make that assignment somewhat easier, she said, noting that additions for this year take the event well past the label trade show.

“We’ve gone to a new, much higher plane,” she explained. “We’re still a showcase of 200 area businesses, but now we’re so much more than that.”

Fast Facts What: The 2006 Business Market Show Conference and Exhibition When: April 5 Where: The MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield Schedule: Breakfast is at 7:15; the business exhibition runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Breakfast Keynote Speaker: Steven Little, senior consultant for Inc. Magazine Parking: Ample parking is available in downtown Springfield lots. Exhibitors will receive a $5 voucher for parking in the Civic Center garage. Fees for attendees will not exceed $8. For More Information: Call Deb Boronski at (413) 755-1309 Web site: www.businessmarketshow.com