Learn More About A to Z

Calanit Atia is president of A to Z Events, an entertainment and tradeshow modeling agency based in Las Vegas serving multiple cities. Exhibit City News asked her how the business is conducted, and what some of the demands are in the tradeshow and exhibits environment. Here are her responses:

Exhibit City News: How long have you been doing this?
Calanit: My brother owned a software company in 1987 and he was an exhibitor at Comdex. He dragged me along because he needed some cheap labor to help him at the show. I was amazed by the energy of the tradeshow floor and was hooked. After I served two years in the Israeli Air Force, I went to UNLV to study hotel management with an emphasis on tradeshows and convention services. Shortly after I graduated, I started A to Z.

ECN: Why did you decide to open a tradeshow talent firm?
Calanit: One of the most frustrating things for companies coming to town for a tradeshow is to get the right-looking models, the appropriate entertainment, or the perfect actors within the budget the client has been given. I noted quickly after working with several companies that there wasn't one big company that everyone used, so I decided to start my own. I try to differentiate A to Z by approaching it from the customer's point of view by making it easy to view all of the talent in one spot at www.EntertainmentForEvents.com and quickly make a decision that fits the needs and, most importantly, their budget.

ECN: Could you distinguish between tradeshow model and tradeshow talent?
Calanit: The most common need for talent for exhibitors and tradeshow management is an actor or a model who represents a product or service on the tradeshow floor. The goal is to draw attention to that product or service. These same models sometimes are needed for special events held after the tradeshow, such as cocktail receptions, award ceremonies and banquets. In addition to models or actors, companies also request bands, impersonators, comedians, magicians, and dancers to help them make a big splash at the tradeshow or special event.

ECN: What was the strangest corporate request received?
Calanit: I once got a request for a monkey that could shoot a small basketball at a little hoop. It sounded cute, but hoop-playing monkeys were all booked that week.

ECN: Is there an organization for tradeshow talent?
Calanit: Providing tradeshow talent really falls under event planning, so A to Z belongs to all the trade associations that serve the tradeshow and exhibitor industry such as IAEM [International Assn. for Exhibition Management], Las Vegas Hospitality Assn., and ISES International Special Events Society].

ECN: Between the 1990s and 2005, what has changed?
Calanit: Customers want talent to really interact with attendees and to be more than a beautiful face. The talent has to serve a specific purpose. For example, one exhibitor created a game like Twister and we brought two dancers who played the game for the attendees based on questions answered regarding the exhibitor's product. It really brought a lot of energy to the booth and people really had fun with it.

ECN: What are some of the biggest obstacles you face?
Calanit: As with anything in the tradeshow world, it all comes down to delivering quality despite short time frames and making sure you deliver what has been promised. Because you are booking talent and not renting furniture, talent can get sick, they can get stuck in traffic, they can't find parking, so you always have to plan ahead and anticipate everything that could possibly happen.

ECN: If you were not operating your present agency, what line of work would you be in?
Calanit: As Don Walter, past president of IAEM once told me, "Once you catch the tradeshow bug, you can't shake it". I caught the bug at Comdex in 1987 and opened A to Z Events to work in the industry, so I guess I can't shake it!