June 15, 2007

Spring 2007 Newsletter available

Here is the front-page story from the newsletter:

The show goes on with Local 1928

It all starts with little more than four walls and a cold concrete floor. But just like a carpenter who can take rough wood and turn it into something amazing, our CMAW Local 1928 display people use their expertise to transform a bare, empty room into the grandest of tradeshows.

More than 400 members make up CMAW Local 1928, under the watchful eyes of brothers Don Pengilly, president, and Louis Acker, secretary-treasurer. To meet ambitious timelines, our 105 person display team work tirelessly, often practically around the clock, to ensure that every finite detail is taken care of in the set-up of Vancouver tradeshows like the Car Show, Home & Garden Show and Boat Show. With no flexibility in the completion date, Local 1928 members understand the true meaning of "the show must go on" because ready or not, opening night is opening night! Together with the contractor they're working for, every step must be planned with precision timing as step-by-step the show comes to life.

The process begins by marking the floor with the appropriate dimensions and measurements, then in comes the giant spools of carpet that must be laid according to the specifications of each display booth. The next step is called draping -- setting up the drapes that form the backdrop for display booths and the skirting around tables. At this point, the clients who will man the booths during the event begin to arrive to check out their station while Local 1928 continues to take care of finishing touches like polishing displays and vacuuming the site, as well as working with clients to ensure all of their display requirements are met.

One of the final steps is to install the red carpet . . . well, a lot of the time it's red. This aisle carpet must join perfectly with the booth-area carpet so that it's virtually seamless. For the duration of each show, several Local 1928 members remain on site to ensure displays are kept in good order and to take care of any client concerns. Once the show is over, the entire crew returns and one step at a time they skillfully dismantle everything and prepare materials for their next gig, usually somewhere else in the country, or for storage.

There is no doubt that our brothers and sisters of Local 1928 bring an uncanny level of meticulous precision to their jobs. People come from far and wide to attend many of the grand-scale trade shows that take place in Vancouver throughout the year. Local 1928 plays a significant roll in helping to showcase not only Vancouver, but the value of our great union.

Our display people currently work for Local 1928 employers Derrick Exhibits, Horizon Exhibits, Worden Watson and Levy Show Service. More than 200 shows currently take place in Vancouver. By 2009 the opening of Vancouver's new trade and convention centre will enable the number of shows to increase by as much as 50 per cent. This is wonderful news because it means more jobs will be created and Local 1928 will grow to meet the demands of this growing industry.