One Day, Six Hours

“Networking at its best” defines ECNY’s 21st Annual Supplier Showcase in the Bronx — the little show that could. 

An incredibly delicious Napoleon pastry the size of a large domino marked a sweet ending to your author’s third Elevator Conference of New York (ECNY) Supplier Showcase from noon to 6 p.m. at Villa Barone Manor in Bronx, New York, on April 6, a day that began chilly and rainy but ended with a hint of sunshine. Always held at Villa Barone, a catering hall virtually by itself off the charmingly named Throgs Neck Expressway, the 21st annual trade show drew a slightly reduced crowd of roughly 650 due, in part, to a powerful F4 tornado preventing some Georgia visitors from attending, according to organizer Bobby “Bobby Dee” DeFrancesco. Still, those who made it, including some from northeast Georgia, say the show was well worth it. PTL Equipment, a Toccoa, Georgia-based manufacturer of elevator fixtures, has exhibited for fives years and, God-willing, “most definitely” will attend in 2023, says Customer Service Manager and new owner Jonathan Wright. He observes: 

“The ECNY Supplier Showcase is different from most in many ways. The cost is, by far, more affordable than that of other shows, with the added advantage of it being for only six hours on one day. That may sound like we just want to get it over with, but with everybody’s busy schedule due to the overwhelming amount of work we are seeing in the vertical-transportation (VT) industry, we are able to visit with many customers in this amount of time. The showcase allows the contractor to come by and stay for the entire event or just drop by during their lunch break. Not only is the cost affordable for vendors, but it’s free for current ECNY members to attend, which again, allows for time to network. And don’t forget they have an amazing meal, including pastries, soft drinks and snacks, at no additional cost.” 

At this year’s showcase, ELEVATOR WORLD was represented by your author and EW President T. Bruce MacKinnon, who took turns manning the handsome EW booth next to the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation (EESF) and the Elevator Learning Center just beyond the venue’s front entrance. Setting up the EW booth the day before, MacKinnon snapped some pictures of the star feature of the Villa Barone: the custom, glass elevator that countless couples have ridden as they make their grand debut as husband and wife in the Villa Barone’s main ballroom. The elevator was an EW Project of the Year winner in the Special Applications Category in 2004 (EW, January 2004). Showcase exhibitor Gillespie Corp. performed the engineering for the glass elevator, which was designed by Gem Elevator Co. Inc.

EW was one of 136 companies and associations that exhibited from not only the NYC area but throughout North America. European companies remain on a long waiting list to secure a spot. DeFrancesco has always reserved the spot by the front door for EW, and it’s prime, as it boasts large windows that let in natural light and is among the first (and last) booth visitors see. We spoke with many VT industry representatives, from CEOs to mechanics, who were thrilled to grab an EW tape measure or an issue of the magazine in which their project was featured. A team of approximately 12 young men from Queens-based Morgan Elevator — as well as its CEO — stopped by to pick up multiple copies of the issue that featured a major VT modernization they handled at the iconic Queens housing community Electchester (“Elevating Electchester,” EW, April 2022). 

While exhibitors come from all over, attendees are primarily from the NYC metropolitan area. Among them were Dynasty Elevator Vice President John Mezzo and Project Manager Amelia Holguin. Mezzo says it was their first Supplier Showcase, although representatives of the Manhattan-based company took advantage of a recent ECNY seminar on elevator controller equipment. Mezzo says: 

“We thought the show was great. It is very rare to have that many industry leaders all in one space, and it was great being able to see everyone in person and catch up, particularly during a post-COVID time. What sets the showcase apart is the smaller size of it. Some of the much larger ones make it difficult to actually get around to talk to everyone about their offerings.”  

Indeed, Rich Madarasz of Tempe, Arizona-based remote industrial equipment monitoring company Qameleon Technology says he “got lost in the crowd” when exhibiting at larger shows. Qameleon has exhibited every year at the Supplier Showcase since 2015, except during 2020, when it was canceled by the pandemic. Madarasz says he found out about the show from reading EW. He says: 

“For us, this is the perfect show. It is small, inexpensive and focused on the center of the elevator universe (NYC). We learn a lot from talking with elevator professionals from the NYC area, and also from talking with the other vendors. We have exhibited at this show long enough that many of us know each other and share ideas.” 

As for actual sales, Madarasz says he sold only one smaller product to an attendee. However, he did generate sales and future sales by partnering with fellow showcase vendors. 

DeFrancesco points out that mechanics who attend the show are often the key to sales down the line. DeFrancesco says: 

“They come to really study what is at everyone’s booth. They’ll go back to their supervisors and say, ‘I saw this tool that can save two hours worth of labor.’ The next thing you know, the company that exhibited that tool gets an order for 20-30 pieces.” 

Reflecting on the fellowship and relationship-centric flavor of the showcase, the team from DeFrancesco’s company, Benfield Electric and Elevator Supply Corp., based in Mount Vernon, New York, gave a tool to a guy who actually wanted to purchase it, Benfield Network Administrator George Medina says. Medina’s and colleague Elevator Sales Manager Paul Sickler’s assessment of the show is short, sweet and to-the-point. The people and the food, Medina says, make it stand out. Benfield has exhibited since the beginning and plans to in 2023 and every year after that. Sickler’s bullet-point list of what makes the great include: 

• Connecting with only our targeted group of customers in the NYC metro area
• Producing numerous business opportunities
• Providing increased exposure
• Offering the “best bang for the buck”
• “We will absolutely continue to attend this event,” Sickler says. “It’s the best of its kind!”