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The Show Must Go On
By Richard Bermack
Contributing Writer
The cyberworld of online shopping was predicted to be the end of trade shows, but just the opposite happened. In the last few years, trade shows have blossomed into a major Bay Area industry. The larger shows attract between 50,000 to 100,000 visitors. Many of the shows feature theatrical performances with major stars. Over a million people attend trade shows in the Bay Area each year, according to Sign Display and Allied Crafts Local Union 510 Representative Mike Hardeman. "People are hungry for the touch and feel of products, and the company of other people with similar interests," he explains.
Each week Local 510 members transform huge empty halls at convention centers and hotels into small metropolises with hundreds of booths and flashing lights. The booths feature state-of-the-art technology, including 5-foot video screens, and an array of glitzy gizmos to showcase new products, from electronics to transportation to medicine. And when it's over, they take it back down and get ready to set up the next show.
"We get to see all the latest things, from cars to medicine," states Paul Fitzpatrick, a Local 510 steward. That's one of the fringe benefits. But it's also a lot of hard work. "Twelve-hour days, rolling out 10 by 100 foot carpets. It really tests your stamina," states Hardeman.
Local 510 members set up shows all over the larger Bay Area. They travel to Stockton, Fresno, Vallejo, and Monterey. Often they will travel with the shows, setting them up at venues all over the United States and even abroad. It's not uncommon for them to travel with shows to Switzerland or Japan. The union has about 860 members. They maintain an A, B, and C list. Those entering the trade start as a C, then become a B, and after 500 hours, they can attend a short training program, join the union, and make the A list.
We went on the job site with Local 510 members as they prepared for a comic book show at Moscone Center, run by the Freeman Company.
Kenyatta BoddieTrade Show Installer, 18 years
Honestly, I love this job. It gives me a lot of freedom and you’re constantly doing something different. It’s never boring. From delivering tables, to rolling carpet, to building exhibits, you are doing a lot of different things. You just learn them one at a time. Rigging is my newest. You have to be constantly thinking. I used to be afraid of heights, but now I’ve been up in the air 37 feet. You just keep looking straight ahead and don’t look down. You concentrate on fastening cables to eyelets and getting the graphic to hang straight. My uncle got me in the union, and then my father and brother and cousin joined. Now it’s a generational thing. I have another younger brother and sister who have been on the B list and are about to make it to the A list.
Gene BersonShow Foreman, 30 years
It’s hectic sometimes, and as it gets closer to opening, it has to be finished. It’s like a play. When the curtain goes up, the show must go on. So as you get closer to the opening, the pressure mounts. And I’m telling you, when people get tired from working long hours, all the inhibitions come down. We get to know each other pretty well. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We know how to forgive and how to get each other going. You become pretty close working together over the years. We’ve had a few close calls, but we’ve never missed a deadline yet. We also have to coordinate with the other unions: teamsters, electricians, janitors. Communication is vital. Labor unity is essential, and underlying that is the knowledge that we are all people trying to do the same thing I was a writer, and a friend of mine, who is also a writer, was in the union and told me about it. The job is largely casual labor and draws people who are artists and writers and travelers, who don’t mind part-time work. When I started, there were a little over 100 members in the union; now there are almost 900. I’ve seen the trade change over the years. Now it’s more about numbers and corporate profits, satisfying the stockholders or the national office. Some of the companies, like Freeman, are still small enough so they can put customer satisfaction first, and that’s why I like working for them.
Elisa SmithTrade Show Installer, 10 years
What’s my favorite thing? Building strange, large exhibits. One time I built a waterfall that had a Jeep floating around in the air in the middle of a desert scene. I think it was a Chrysler Jeep. There’s a lot of camaraderie around building things, and we all work well together. I was doing catering and odd jobs. Then a friend told me about this. I came out as an extra, started working, and got enough hours to join the union. My mom was a machinist and my dad a cook. My mom’s job was non-union and she got paid $10 an hour. If it had been union, she would have gotten $20. So that was all the incentive I needed to know I wanted to join a union. I enjoy working together with people. Unions are supposed to be democratic and that means everyone participating and helping out. I try to go to all the meetings and if something is going on, I’ll volunteer to help out. Organizing parties, feeding people, if it needs to be done, I’ll step up. Like I tell my union brothers and sisters, lots of hands make for lighter work.
Qishn (Shawn) HuTrade Show Installer, 1 year
I like the flexible schedule. I’m usually working with the MIS system, which is short for modular interlocking systems. I put the metal pieces together and create different types of booths. They can be as small as 9 by 10 feet or as large as 40 by 100 feet. You get to see different things you would never think about, like the comics at this convention. I’m not a collector but I like getting to see them. It opens your eyes to all the different things. We have car shows, computer shows, and a lot of high-tech shows. Sometimes I won’t understand it, but it’s still pretty interesting.
Paul FitzpatrickTrade Show Installer, 24 years
I started out when I was 18. I signed up at the same time with three of my brothers. By now we’ve installed trade shows all over the Bay Area. It’s been a great living. I’ve supported my family, I’ve been able to buy a home and put my kids in good schools. I like the variety of the shows. Every show’s a little different and has its own flavor. Sometimes I’ll bring the family down. They got to see the car show last week and look at all the new cars. This weekend I’ll bring the kids to see the comic books.
Doug WelchDisplay Show Installer, 15 years
I love it. You’re constantly challenged to do things to the best of your ability, to make everything look as good as possible. I like rigging. I’ve never had a fear of heights. It’s all about figuring out the ceiling and securing things so they are straight and are not going to fall. Safety is one of the most important things. Occasionally you hear about how something or someone fell, but that’s in another city. We’re given good training, and the union makes sure the work is safe, and that we get paid well.
Matt BordenOn the Job Steward, and Local 510 Recording Secretary 37 years
Our goal is to eliminate accidents. We have a safety committee and are pretty good at it. I make sure everyone is safe by enforcing the safety rules. We keep people off the top of the ladders, simple things like that. People forget occasionally. Over the years there have been a lot of improvements and people have become a lot more health and safety conscious.
Bob BanderasTrade Show Installer, 28 years
It’s pretty easy work, once you catch on. It is just a matter of how fast you can do it. It’s all about putting out the tables and laying the carpet. I used to be a Teamster. I liked driving truck, but there’s more work here and it’s consistent. Plus you do it and then you get to go home.
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