It’s a virtual world? Apparently, meeting in person still matters a lot to many business people, and there was ample proof of it at the HIA-LI’s 37th annual trade show and conference.
Around 5,000 attendees flooded the floor of the event, subtitled “Fueling the Future of Long Island Business,” to view displays of more than 375 exhibitors and network at the Suffolk Credit Union Arena at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood. Companies spanning a dizzying array of professions and industries showed, and showed up, to walk the floors at Long Island’s largest business-to-business trade show. Vehicles not only filled the main parking lot, but parked in nearby lots and on dirt patches for the May 29 show that also for the first time included numerous lectures and sessions.
“That’s the thing about this show that appeals to people. It’s very varied in terms of industry,” HIA-LI President and CEO Terri Alessi-Miceli said. “The volume of the show has changed dramatically. It has grown tremendously. As the HIA-LI has grown, this has grown.”
The trade show, which started at a hotel with a few members, has expanded to include many of HIA-LI’s more than 1,000 member companies, and thousands of others.
“It’s an incredible place to see the breadth of industry that exists on Long Island, the entrepreneurial spirit that’s here, the energy that’s in the room,” said Valley Bank Long Island Market President Kevin O’Connor. “People represent their company, but also try to generate other business.”
Steven Miley, Dime Community Bank’s chief marketing officer and executive vice president, also said diversity in terms of industry is a huge benefit.
“One of the biggest benefits of participating at HIA-LI is the opportunity to connect with business leaders on Ling Island,” he said, “and have the opportunity to discuss economic growth, and how Dime can help.”
Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency Executive Director and CEO Kelly Murphy said that in an often virtual world, being there can still make a big difference.
“It provides companies with a cost-effective platform to market to potential customers, meet with decision-makers face-to-face, and network with a variety of stakeholders,” she said of the trade show.
Read also: HIA-LI Report Provides Blueprint For Workforce Development
HIA-LI NETWORKING
While it’s possible to network online, many said that trade shows, far from relics of yesterday, provide a big networking opportunity.
Phil Boyle, President and CEO of Suffolk OTB/Jake’s 58 Casino Hotel, called the event “perhaps the best business networking event held on Long Island with hundreds of participants and thousands in attendance.”
“I can say unequivocally that Jake’s 58 has begun business relationships and hired employees whom we first met at the trade show,” Boyle said.
Murphy said companies do business here, finding out about each other, sometimes switching sourcing and forming partnerships.
“We see a lot of synergies as a result of the show,” the IDA leader said, noting pharmaceutical makers, label makers and testers can form connections. “It’s amazing how deep it goes.”
Griffith said companies can meet, collaborate and further innovate, based on connections made at trade shows such as the HIA-LI’s.
“The HIA-LI Trade Show fosters meaningful networking, drives business development, and supports collaboration across Long Island’s most active industries,” he added.
Meanwhile, Melville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ted Macaluso said his group also seeks to support business through shows, which remain as important as ever.
“The goal is to help the economy and keep business on Long Island,” said Macaluso, whose group does its own business expo in October.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
While companies at the show are in very different industries, many noted all are tied into a single economy. Long Island, a region rich in small business, shows its wide range of businesses at the show.
Joe Campolo, managing partner of the law firm of Campolo, Middleton & McCormick and an HIA-LI Board member, noted that partnerships are key at the Innovation Park at Hauppauge, formerly the Hauppauge Industrial Park, the second largest industrial park in the nation after Silicon Valley.
“Economic development takes a whole ecosystem to exist,” he said of the collaborative nature of capitalism. “Transportation is critical. Sewer expansion is critical.”
John Hill, deputy director for science at Brookhaven National Laboratory, noted they have a $900 million budget for fiscal 2024. He said they buy from many local companies.
“Small businesses, legal folks, contractors,” Hill said. “These are all folks we need to deliver our science.”
IT’S THE ECONOMY
Few places are better to take the temperature of the economy than a trade show floor. Valley Bank Long Island Market President Kevin O’Connor said his bank is doing well with $60 billion in assets and 200 branches, including 13 years on Long Island, since buying the State Bank of Long Island in 2012.
“Our view of the economy is the view that our customers have,” he said. “They are concerned because of what is going on in Washington and New York from a political standpoint.”
He said executives showed optimism earlier in the year amid inflation. “Our bank did a survey of how business owners felt in December and January,” O’Connor said. “Eighty percent of business owners were optimistic.”
PSEG Long Island Director of Energy Efficiency and Renewables Michael Voltz gauges the economy in part by electricity demand.
He said they also want to help businesses reduce use by being energy efficient, which is good for the environment.”
EXPANSION
While inflation and high taxes remain, many companies have been expanding.
“We’re working with several businesses that are expanding or growing in the county,” said Murphy of the Suffolk IDA.
As possibly the biggest and best example, Orbic Electronics is moving manufacturing from abroad to the U.S., renovating a 60,000-square-foot space and building a 75,000-square-foot addition as part of a $107 million capital investment designed to create more than 500 jobs.
The Sands isn’t going ahead with a casino at the Nassau Hub, but Tracey Edwards, a senior vice president at Sands New York, said they would develop the property.
“If one particular project isn’t working, you have to tweak it, work with partners and figure it out. That’s what we’re going to do,” she said. “Sands New York made a commitment. And Sands New York is here to stay.
CHALLENGES
A trade show floor also tends to be an ideal place to take the temperature regarding troubles such as inflation and uncertainty.
“Inflation was terrible. Construction costs are up almost 50%,” Jim Coughlan, co-founder and principal at TriTec Real Estate, said. “We can’t go to the investment community and say we’re breaking ground in November, this is what it’s going to cost us.
Griffith cited inflation and supply chains as key elements to manage especially while growing.
“Like many in our industry, we’re navigating ongoing supply chain unpredictability and rising material costs,” he said. “At the same time, we’re balancing rapid growth with the need to scale our operations sustainably, particularly.”
Poverty remains a problem nationwide, including on Long Island. So helping people deal with hunger remains a priority. Peter Crescenti, a spokesman for Long Island Cares, Inc. – The Harry Chapin Regional Food, said they provide food to more than 313,000 food-insecure Long Islanders.
They in 2024 distributed more than 16 million pounds of food to 330 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, housing for seniors and veterans, homeless encampments and more. “We are dedicated to assembling every available resource for the benefit of our needy Long Island neighbors,” Crescenti said.
He said at six food pantries they operate they saw 30% increase in demand for emergency food over the last 18 months. The number of “food insecure” Long Islanders rose from 270,000 last year to 314,000, including 71,500 children.
“This is a chilling reality,” he said.
TRADE TALK
While there’s a lot of talk on trade show floors, the show this year for the first time also included trade show talks in addition to breakout sessions.
“The conference piece has grown tremendously,” Alessi-Miceli said. “With the conference piece, you can be educated and informed.”
She said the show has become more digital, electronic and tech-savvy, printing badges digitally at the press of a button, while processing thousands promptly. Shuttles, including electric vehicles, brought people to the door.
“That helps with handling volume,” she said.
The show brings together global and local companies, tech and tradition. Harris Beber, global head of marketing for Google Workspace, gave a talk “Demystifying AI: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and Why It Matters for Your Business.”
While trade shows let people turn to good old-fashioned shoe leather, tech remains an important ingredient to success.
“That’s important, forecasting what the future will look like,” Alessi-Miceli said, although based on this year’s HIA-LI trade show it’s probably safe to predict that the HIA-LI trade show is likely to continue to grow.
