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CANTON, Ga. – Sable Productions’ Hugh Macgregor died suddenly Aug. 22 at his home in Naples, Fla., the Association of Marine Technicians said in a press release yesterday.
Macgregor was the promoter for the AMTECH National Marine Service Expo tradeshow for the past 10 years and was known as a pioneer in the Canadian trade show industry prior to his entering the marine industry, the association reported.
Macgregor’s love for boating lured him into the marine industry after his retirement from a successful show-promoting career. He met Joe De Marco, AMTECH president, in the early 90s when the association was looking for a promoter to assist in producing its annual tradeshow.
“Hugh was a quality individual and we are all going to miss him,” De Marco said. “He was an extremely reliable and an honest person. You could really count on Hugh to do what he said he would do. The industry has lost a good friend”.
Macgregor’s show career began at MacLean-Hunter in the sixties and seventies. While at MacLean-Hunter, Hugh produced the Festival Express, a cross-Canada concert series featuring Janis Joplin, The Band, Grateful Dead and many others. In 1975, he established Hugh F. Macgregor & Associates, which Reed Exhibitions acquired in 1988 and renamed Reed Exhibitions Canada. During his career, he created and produced many events that still operate today such as the Canadian Machine Tool Show, Canadian Plant Engineering and Design Show and various regional industrial exhibitions.
He was president of the Canadian Association of Exhibition Managers from 1983 to 1985. He was also one of the founders of Auto-Reg Systems, which later became Show Care Solutions.
He is survived by his wife, Ann; two sons, Bob and John Macgregor; daughters-in-law, Angela and Belen; three grandchildren, Cole, Chase and Ewan; and sister, Marg Firby.
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