Exhibits and Exhibitors; Hemingray booth pictured

The Exhibits and

The Exhibitors

A Review Of The Booth Displays At The Tenth Annual Beverage Exposition, Held In The Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wis., During "Bottlers' Week", November 10 To 14, 1930.... Photographic Reproductions Or Leading Exhibits

FROM almost every standpoint, the Tenth Annual Beverage Exposition, held in the Auditorium at Milwaukee, Wis., from November 10 to 14, was a complete success. While the total amount of exhibition space occupied was not quite so large as at Atlantic City, in 1929, yet there were more individual firms exhibiting, and there was on view a greater variety of machinery, supplies and accessories used in the soft drink bottling industry, than ever before. As an outstanding example of the improvement in soft drink bottling methods and materials, the Milwaukee Show was probably the most complete held thus far.

It cannot be denied that the attendance was not equal, in numbers, to one or two former Exhibitions, but what was lost in numbers, was more than made up by the interest shown by the several thousand bottlers who did attend. Not only was practically every State in the United States represented, but there were visiting bottlers from Canada, Mexico, England, France, South America and even Russia. Those who came from territory contiguous to Milwaukee, and those who journeyed long distances, were not disappointed, for with more than 160 machinery, supply and accessory firms occupying booth space totaling approximately 31,700 square feet, the bottlers saw a more interesting show than ever before.

This year it was necessary, to occupy two floors in order to care for all the firms who desired to exhibit. The Main Arena housed, for the most part, the exhibits of the extract and flavor manufacturers, the specialty drink concerns, and some manufacturers of motor trucks and accessories and light machinery. Mechanics Hall, underneath the Main Arena, was given over largely to manufacturers of heavy machinery, with a scattering of other companies exhibiting a wide variety of supplies. While the two-floor arrangement was not ideal, there was not much cause for complaint. The aisle space between booths was very generous, and it was easy to view the exhibits without being pushed and jostled about. An exceptionally wide stairway from the Main Arena to Mechanics Hall provided easy access from floor to floor.

Upstairs, not a pillar or post marred the sweep of the Exhibition. The arena was spacious, with a ceiling at least 50 feet high, and with lighting fixtures that made the arena bright at all times. At one end was a stage, on which a large orchestra was placed. There were concerts each day and for the devotees of dancing, snappy music was played from time to time. Many beautiful displays were to be found on the Main floor. Much thought and considerable expense were involved before the finished booths were ready for the visiting bottlers, and the riot of color and the clever handling of the merchandise shown, evoked much enthusiasm.

With Mechanics Hall being given over to heavy machinery exhibits, it was natural that the appeal to the eye had to be somewhat relegated in the interests of practicability. But even downstairs, there were a number of beautiful booths, with some of the heavy machinery exhibitors making a splendid showing with their drapes and the arrangement of their fixtures, lights, ferns and flowers.

As is generally the case, the machinery exhibits drew the greatest amount of serious attention. Several new developments in bottling machinery were being exhibited for the first time, and these drew a constant stream of visiting bottlers who came, not only to look, but likewise to learn — and in many instances, to buy.

There was always a large number of visitors in Mechanics Hall, and the vast majority of them naturally gravitated toward booth 705 where the NATTONAL BOTTLERS' GAZETTE kept open house. As usual, the N.B.G. had its own official photographer and its own staff artist on hand, and the results of a busy week of activity are shown in the hundreds of exclusive photographs and sketches reproduced in this issue.

From the standpoint of actual business transacted during the Show, it is rather difficult to draw any worth-while conclusion. This much may be said, however; a surprisingly large number of exhibitors volunteered the information that more actual business had been placed than had been anticipated, and some even declared that the volume of machinery sold in Milwaukee was greater than that sold at Atlantic City a year ago. This is all the more remarkable because the attendance was approximately 40% less than in 1929.

A feature of this year's Beverage Exhibition was the re-arrangement of Convention Schedules, so as to permit the visiting bottlers to spend a greater amount of their time in the Exhibition Hall. In the first place, the Special Meetings (or Experience Meetings as they are better known) were cut from six to five, and of these five, one was held in the morning. By this arrangement, no bottler who desired to attend the Meetings, was compelled to absent himself from the Show for more than one hour at a time. Both the bottlers and the Exhibitors found that this schedule worked to better advantage than in past years, when Experience Meetings were held on three afternoons, and two hours were required of those who attended them.

Another feature of this year's Exhibition was the absence of any distractions that might serve to take the visitors from their rounds of the displays. The result was greater and more concentrated interest in what was shown, than ever before. This was, undoubtedly, a "serious show" — serious from the viewpoint of the bottlers who came to look and learn. Coming after the tremendous sweep of the Atlantic City Auditorium, the Milwaukee show was more intimate, and those in attendance at the booths were able to talk to prospects with greater freedom, and considerably more promise of ultimate success in opening up new accounts.

All in all, the week of exhibiting, which opened so auspiciously on Monday, November 10, at 1 P. M., and continued until Friday, November 14, at 7 P. M., was a great success — a success that future exhibitions will have to step lively to equal.

Appended below — and on succeeding pages — is a list of the exhibitors who filled in the questionnaires distributed by the N.B.G., and returned them in time for publication in this issue. It will be noted that there is a brief description of each display, together with the names of those representatives who were in attendance at the booth.

The pages of pictures which illustrate this story of the Tenth Annual Beverage Exposition, give some idea of the extent, variety and beauty of the displays, and are a part of the Pictorial Review of the 1930 Convention and Exposition featured in this issue.

·

·

HEMINGRAY GLASS CO., Muncie, Ind —

This attractive booth showed a variety of beverage bottles of a new design.

Greeting the visiting bottlers were Philip W. McAbee, president, William [sic] Willard P. Zimmerman, secretary-treasurer, Harley Campbell, in charge of bottle sales, Mr. Good, C. Schnirring, Mr. Nielson, Mr. Tresman and Mr. Richardson.

·

·

1.—Edward Ermold Co., New York City, N. Y. 2.—National Adhesives Corp., New York City, N. Y. 3.—Liquid Carbonic Corp., Chicago, Ill. 4.—Citrus Products Co., Chicago, Ill. 5.—Perfection Equipment Co., Inc., St. Louis, Mo. 6.—Pure Carbonic Co., Inc., East St. Louis, Ill. 7.—American Filter Co., Milwaukee, Wis. 8.—Hemingray Glass Co., Muncie, Ind. 9.—Oakite Products, Inc., New York City, N. Y. 10.—Androscoggin Pulp Co., Boston, Mass.

·

·