CoreNet Global Bans Site Publications From Fall Show

From the Publisher of Business Facilities:

An association is defined as an organization of people with a common purpose and formal structure. Synonyms of the word include alliance, union, society, company, band, and fellowship.

I was thinking of this definition the other day when word filtered out that the CoreNet Global Association is disallowing the core economic development/site publications--Business Facilities, Site Selection, Area Development, and Expansion Management--from exhibiting at the CoreNet Global Summit biannual trade shows in the U.S. At the crux of this decision is CoreNet's desire to capture a larger share of advertising in their own economic development publication, CoreNet Leader, which they have been publishing for six years now. Surely part of the decision was also that each of the "Big Four" site publications created their own events that have seen some success in the corporate real estate marketplace.

You see, CoreNet Global views the traditional site publications as competition. CoreNet Global does not want the media cavorting with its clientele at their CoreNet Summit events. Unfortunately, they just don't get it. CoreNet Summit isn't their event; it belongs to the entire real estate community--which includes the media. The media represents a very big part of the corporate real estate community, while the publication CoreNet Leader only represents one viewpoint.

CoreNet Global has ceased to act like an association for some time now. They have never collaborated with the media and have generally acted more like a for-profit group than a non-profit. The CoreNet Summit events have declined in relevance for several years now. If CoreNet Global continues to behave as a for-profit entity and a clandestine organization, then no one should support their efforts--and their claim as the association representing our marketplace will end.