WOA 50th ANNIVERSARY -- Sowing The Seeds

Quadracci agrees, adding that during the '70s there were also numerous supplier hospitality suites and that the conference was strictly a men's affair.

However, its primarily social reputation was turning off some attendees. So, in the late 1980s, Basore, who had become the executive director in 1988, began to make some changes to the organization, accordingto Tiffany.