It is safe to say that Tom Kallman, President and CEO of Kallman Worldwide, knows more about the tradeshow business that most people.

Since 1963, Kallman Worldwide has worked in more than 50 countries to advance global trade in STEM-driven industries and supply chains. For nearly three decades, the company has been organizing the U.S. presence at trade events in different parts of the world. More than 300 companies are exhibiting products and capabilities under the USA Partnership Pavilion at the ongoing Show.

“The Pavilion works for everyone who wants a global trade advantage,” Kallman says. “SMEs exhibit with us because they know we can help stretch their budgets without compromising their opportunities.”

Does this year’s edition hold a special significance, especially as it is the first one after the pandemic?

2023 is our 60th anniversary and our 28th year organizing the United States at the Paris Air Show. If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past six decades, it’s that in every crisis, there’s an opportunity. In our business, that opportunity is to reopen the marketplace and reunite supply and demand. The return of the Paris Air Show is an emphatic statement of our industry’s resilience. I’m glad to see the show and our clients’ businesses bouncing back from the pandemic as strong as ever at Le Bourget.

How many U.S. companies are attending the show as part of the USA Partnership Pavilion? Has the number increased significantly from 2019?

More companies are participating in the USA Partnership Pavilion and related programs at Paris this year. In addition to the 6,500 sqm Pavilion in Hall 3 — which is home to 300-plus exhibiting companies, including 17 state pavilions and the FORUM thought-leadership stage — our digital Pavilion directory on Sourcehere.com, shared chalet (with 21 companies on board), and the Al Worden Endeavour Scholarship Awards we are presenting Thursday, 22 June, all align to amplify America’s prominent participation in the show and leadership in the global aerospace economy. And after the trade days are done, our “Workforce Weekend” program will transform the Pavilion into a three-day STEM-festival to inspire future engineers and pioneers during the show’s Public Days. Overall, our Paris program this year is our biggest ever.

The USA Partnership Pavilion is a regular fixture at all major trade shows. What does a company stand to gain by being a part of the USA Partnership Pavilion?

There’s a reason it’s called the “Partnership Pavilion.” Since 1963, Kallman Worldwide has worked in more than 50 countries to advance global trade in STEM-driven industries and supply chains. That includes nearly 30 years organizing the U.S. presence at the world’s most important trade events. Every step forward has been in partnership with countless individuals and institutions, exhibitors and organizers, who share our belief that national pavilions are an invitation to international cooperation. Whether you’re a first-time exhibitor or a trade show veteran, our global partnerships are your advantage.

More than half of the Pavilion exhibitors this time are small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Is the Pavilion primarily for such companies?

The Pavilion works for everyone who wants a global trade advantage. SMEs exhibit with us because they know we can help stretch their budgets without compromising their opportunities. For example, in the Pavilion this year, 17 state departments of economic development and commerce will present their own state-branded stands featuring state-based co-exhibitors. The majority of those exhibitors will be SMEs. In a spirit of partnership, the states recognize the Pavilion as a magnet for attracting more international VIPs and buyers, and we recognize the win-win efficiency of working with state leaders to introduce new suppliers into the show. Together, we’re creating opportunities to generate business overseas and create jobs back home.

OEMs and other major companies typically hog most of the limelight at trade shows. What role does the Pavilion play in ensuring that small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) get their share of attention?

From OEMs to SMEs, the Pavilion helps everyone stand out in the crowd. Some of that advantage is easy to see in the overall presentation of the space — the high traffic location, high profile events such as the opening ceremony and VIP tours, the Meeting Point exhibitors lounge and the FORUM thought leadership program. Out of the spotlight, participating U.S. government and military trade advisors, industry advocates, universities, and professional societies with experience in country are available for trade advice and counsel. And after the show closes, our partnership with the new Sourcehere.com global supply chain network keeps every Pavilion participant connected year-round online. Sourcehere supports thousands of suppliers and buyers with tools and utilities — including direct messaging — to connect, conduct business, and build trade relationships online, anywhere, anytime.

Can you talk about “Workforce Weekend,’ which your company is organizing in Paris as part of the Pavilion?

Nation-to-nation, as a grateful representative of the United States of America, and people-to-people, as a responsible global citizen, “Workforce Weekend” is our way of thanking Paris for 28 years of true partnership. After the trade days are done, in cooperation with the FAA, NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, AIA, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, and our 300+ Pavilion exhibitors, we will transform the Pavilion into a three-day science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) festival to inspire future generations of engineers, and pioneers during the show’s public days. The program will feature games, entertainment, and educational activities including personal appearances by Apollo 16 Lunar Module Pilot Charlie Duke and Space Shuttle Commander Mike Bloomfield.

When and where was the first U.S.A. Partnership pavilion organized? Who was it that came up with the idea to get most of the U.S. companies under one roof?

It all started with a cup of coffee. In 1963, our founder, my dad, Jerry Kallman, Sr., thought it would be nice to provide free coffee to his contingent of U.S. exhibitors at Electronica, the environmental industry show in Munich, so they wouldn’t have to take time away from their stands to find it somewhere else. National pavilions are not a new idea — world’s fairs, for example — but that simple gesture of personal attention still informs our brand of service and community everywhere we go.

What are some of the important aerospace and defense tradeshows later this year where your company will be organizing the U.S.A. Partnership Pavilion?

After Paris, we’re looking forward to advancing America’s global trade interests in July at F-AIR in Colombia, September at DSEI in London and MSPO in Kielce, Poland, October at Seoul ADEX in South Korea, and November at the Dubai Air Show. If there were any doubts, post-pandemic be assured, this industry is back!

Is it easy or hard to retain companies from one trade show to the next?

That’s a hard question to answer because there are so many variables involved in every business relationship. Since we’re celebrating our 60th anniversary in the business of advancing global trade this year, I think the answer is, whatever we’re doing seems to be working!

What advice would you give to a company that is part of the Pavilion and attending the Paris Air Show for the first time?

Welcome! Paris is a big show, and there will be many distractions. Take advantage of everything the Pavilion offers to optimize your time and maximize your impact, and if you see something, say something. Ask questions. The more we know about your goals and what you need to succeed, the more we will exceed your expectations!