Every Fall, teachers and parents find they have a new job. Somehow they wake up and find out they have been given the job of picking and scheduling the school assembly programs for their school. Yes, you know who you are!

Well, if you live in Illinois, North Western Indiana, South Western Michigan or Southern Wisconsin, and in particular, if you live in or near the Chicago area, you have a great advantage! At the beginning of each new school year Chicago-land residents have the opportunity to attend a showcase where they can not only meet with many different performing artists and their representatives, but watch short segments of many programs to see what they like.

There are two of these events that take place.

The great grand dame of showcases takes place at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, Illinois. Forty live performances enhance this two-day event, showcasing many great and a few … uh…not so great … presenters. All the while there are some 120 booths set up in the lobby and auxiliary area, where roughly 500 school assembly program coordinators and event planners meet with artists and companies discussing and getting ideas for school assembly programs to visit their schools during the coming year. A lot of actual scheduling is done at Skokie so bring your calendar! This year this event takes place August 31 and September 1. Don’t miss it!

The other event, and the “new kid on the block” is the Premier Showcase founded in 2005. The Premier Showcase is similar to Skokie, but is a one-day event that will take place this year on September 14, at the Carlisle in Oakbrook, which is very convenient for all the western suburbs.

Mobile Ed has attended both events in past years, and both are fine venues. We have always enjoyed the opportunity to meet and speak with the customers we can normally only hear on the phone! It is great to get a face to put with the voice!

This year we will be in attendance at the Skokie event on August 30 and September 1.

So if you are in the Chicago area and looking for ideas for school assemblies for this year come on by and say hi! I will be there along with two of our presenters, Dick Buchholz (animal expert extraordinaire! and star of Animals and the Environment) and Jeff Hoge (otherwise known as Dr. Exhaustus, star of Our Changing Climate, but sometimes known to perform a cracker jack, jim dandy Abraham Lincoln school assembly, too!) I will also be featuring a few items from different programs for your entertainment, and, even better, we will have some “show-specials” available, offering a limited number of school assembly dates at special reduced prices. These bargains will only be available if you schedule at the showcase, so if you are looking for a deal try to make it to Skokie! I will look forward to seeing you there!

Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fields of science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN