Enterprise-Building Challenge Stories

By applying the same principles of hard work, drive and tenacity he exhibited on the sidelines, Iacovone seamlessly transitioned from high school teacher/coach into the private sector. He began his new journey working for an Atlanta Georgia based tradeshow and event management company. After a few years learning this new industry, Tom moved back to his east coast roots to work with an exhibit builder in New Castle Del. In just a few short years, Tom and a partner acquired the company and renamed it Avalon Exhibits.

After years of success as owner and operator of Avalon, in 2007 he merged his firm with Art Guild, a full-service provider of face-to-face marketing and educational programs, which was founded 100 years ago. The company creates and manages trade shows and event programs across the country. Tom is the VP with  responsibilities in leadership, internal culture management, revenue growth, operational efficiencies and customer satisfaction.

Founded in 1920 as a fabricator of signs and movie marquees, Art Guild has a network of domestic and international partners and works with a number of Fortune 500 companies, including Campbell Soup, DuPont, and Mastercard. It also has constructed lobbies and showrooms for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Franklin Institute, the Clinton Library, the National Constitution Center, Liberty Science Center, and American Museum of Natural History, among many others.

In addition, Art Guild has worked closely on the event side with a diverse set of clients, including organizers of the Super Bowl, the Arnold Palmer Golf Classic, Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, and a Justin Timberlake concert. "We're a large to mid-sized company and we operate in a very competitive market," Iacovone said. "No project is too big. You're only as good as what you do."

Iacovone is a people person—a trait that serves him well as the person who oversees Art Guild’s trade show and event division, including the sales and marketing of two divisions: retail and mass production.

In a time when the trade show market is being disrupted by a global pandemic, Art Guild is trying to fight it's way through the challenges. And yet, as the market slowly loosens up and a slate of companies eye a return to the impending “new normal,” Art Guild finds itself, like all the companies in the industry, trying to prepare for the unprecedentedly busy time.

“Our system was on the verge of failing,” Iacovone recalls. “We survived, but were battered and bruised. We found ourselves in that position nobody wants to be in: ‘Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.’ It became a race to avoid insanity. We are very good at identifying problems as a company and equally as good at offering solutions. But like so many companies discover, implementation can be a challenge—especially during the unprecedented times we find ourselves in. It is something we really need to learn from.”

To provide a peek into how companies deal with adversity, here’s a snapshot of the challenge Art Guild faced, and how Iacovone and his team worked through the steps of identifying, processing and implementing solutions.

"In the age of COVID, we had a number of remote workers, so we needed to find a balance that didn’t impact our performance and our ability to get things done. To make things even more challenging, because of what was happening, our clients were waiting until the last minute to make decisions, which forced us to do the same.

"While we tried to rank these issues by importance, as you can imagine, the difference of opinion was rampant. Our stakeholders all had different priorities, and it became challenging to get people to be open minded. Opening your mind to change can be an obstacle.

"What we were facing was a high-volume of jobs. Many were new builds. It was one of the busiest times in our company’s long history and we were not prepared. Among the specific challenges we faced was that like most companies, we had a shortage of project managers. After nearly 18 months of being relatively dormant because of COVID, the amount of work at one time put a tremendous amount of stress on the organization.

What ended up being the biggest issue?

"Our biggest issue tends to be an issue all companies face.

"We are very good at identifying problems. And we are equally good at offering solutions.

"Unfortunately, the challenges with implementation were even greater due to the pandemic. So, when I sent out the agenda with all the problems as I saw them, and asked everyone to review and add to the list, I was hoping we would be prepared to discuss them in depth and detail. What happened was that every stakeholder had his own specific problem and priority.

"We knew we had to identify and implement what needed to be done or the entire process would just turn into a wasted exercise. Identifying and solving problems should be easy, but where too many companies fail is in the implementation process.

"There are myriad reasons for that. Company politics. Costs do not justify end results.There is just a failure to launch. 

The solution should always be to identify the problems in quadrants: high priority/low cost, high priority/high cost, low priority/low cost, low priority/high cost. In essence, you grab the low hanging fruit first and move systematically through the process.

How did you end up with the strategy you embraced? Where did you turn for answers?

"You have to work with the resources you have. I was able to gather the ones I had amassed over the years. One of those was rooted in the Kaizen Event Principles. In Japanese, the word Kaizen means "good change."

"It starts by questioning the best practices you use. That's why I took different stakeholders from across our company—not just the people who were directly involved in the situation, but everyone who touched the issue on some level.

"We brought in a cross section of people—our project managers, account managers, AEs, our production people—all to deal with this problem. You want to get a lot of different views. One of the principles of Kaizen is to question the wisdom of many. While one person's specific knowledge is important, no one person can understand a problem from every angle. The more points of view you understand, the closer you get to the truth

"Next, we took a deep dive into the problem. It was important to identify what the problem was before we could fix it. While there is value in learning from the past, too often, the old ways of working become an excuse for doing things the way we've always done them.

"If you can implement these principles in your organization, you will find a successful continuous improvement culture in the areas of progression of quality, productivity and management.

"One of the things I have always referred to is Einstein’s theory of insanity: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” I think this is something that we really need to learn from. What Einstein describes as insanity is, according to quantum theory, the way the world actually works. Einstein did not believe in the inherent unpredictability of the world. He believed that you shouldn’t roll the dice. When you do, you are doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. 

"The whole principle is to empower people to make changes within your company, which in the end, is going to make you more efficient. For Kaizen to happen, everyone must be ready to challenge the current operation in a respectful and curious way.

What approach did you take?

"I still believe it is important to identify the problem—or problems—you have and work to find solutions. The key is to not operate in a vacuum. If you can seek a thoughtful approach, the resources you need and surround yourself with people you trust, you are on the right path forward. I think that process works.

What’s the core message you would offer others before they tackle their next big challenge?

"I believe that you really must have a plan—one in which your goals and objectives are clearly defined. Make sure these goals and objectives are reasonable and attainable. Set a corresponding agenda and timeline that is also reasonable and attainable.

"More than anything, you have to go into the process with an open mind. You have to listen, and listen effectively. The last thing you want to do is get so caught up in your own ego that you are not listening. You alone do not have all the answers. Do not solicit advice or only invite like-minded individuals into the process.

"Make sure the team you pull together is well prepared and they work ahead of time on their thought processes. Follow up on every homework assignment you make. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received about taking on challenges in your business?

"I have been blessed with some very thoughtful and intelligent mentors over the years. One of the main axioms that stands out is failure to plan is planning to fail. More than anything, you have to have a plan. Success doesn’t happen by accident. It takes effective and coordinated planning. It means you have to know where you are headed and how you are going to get there. To see that path and travel it, you need a plan.

"Having a strategic plan should be a part of your core company values, which is a long-term vision. You need strategic imperatives to achieve the vision. Like I said earlier, identifying and solving problems are the easy part, but you need a plan to implement them. And that has to be ingrained in your core values.