In 2000, Ray Pekowski wanted to do something special for the show managers throughout the industry who don’t get a lot of attention. They don’t plan the biggest shows, perhaps, and the media overlooks them. They are not making the most money, necessarily, and don’t make any top 20 or top 200 lists.

So The Expo Group Show Manager of the Year Awards were created to recognize show organizers who weren’t getting any recognition. The SMOTY Awards honor those who have great new ideas and carry them through, those who demonstrate creativity in problem solving or even decorating, those who pay attention to the little details that make shows a success, and those who practice The Expo Group’s own philosophy of providing premier customer service.

Ray Pekowski founded The Expo Group with this mission: To be the premier service company in the tradeshow industry. The Expo Group (TEG) is a true general service contractor with a revolutionary way of doing business, called Single SourceŽ.

Exhibitors on shows contracted to TEG have one contact through whom they order all services needed to exhibit. They have one discount deadline date and receive only one invoice at the close of the show. The amount of time and money saved since 1987 is astronomical.

Show organizers, too, benefit from this Single SourceŽ system by having one contact and one invoice. They also see increased efficiencies, which saves money, and have more accurate planning tools because of the nature of a true general service contractor.