By Bernard Martin
As i sit here watching the sun rise over Lake Como I find myself contemplating what kind of thought process it took to destroy a set of brand names that have existed for decades. SME has decided to drop the long-standing names WESTEC, SOUTHTEC, and EASTEC and replace them with things like Manufacturing Technology Series – Southeast or MT Series West. To anyone who’s been in the metalcutting manufacturing industry for a while, that’s like hearing Nike decided to rename itself Athletic Footwear & Apparel Global Division North. It’s technically descriptive—but completely forgettable.
These shows have been around for decades. WESTEC, EASTEC, and SOUTHTEC have built strong regional identities over the last 30-plus years. People said, “See you at WESTEC,” not “See you at the Manufacturing Technology Series Western Event.”
The names meant something. They had roots. It struck me: this is not just a “refresh” — it feels like a dismantling of decades of brand equity. And it’s a move that, to me, seems deeply foolish.
Honestly, I think this name change misses the mark. Everyone in our industry knows those old show names — they’ve been part of the rhythm of shop life for decades. They were short, memorable, and instantly recognizable. When you replace familiar names with long, corporate-sounding titles, you lose that immediate connection. It’s like trying to rename Chevy to General Motors Midwestern Passenger Vehicle Division. Nobody’s going to remember it, and it doesn’t inspire much excitement.
There’s also a ton of history tied to those names. People remember their first booth, their first sale, the big customer they met at WESTEC, or the machine they bought after seeing it run at EASTEC. Those memories matter. They give the show personality. When you throw that away, it gives off a sense that the people running the show don’t fully appreciate the brand equity they inherited. It feels like overthinking for the sake of uniformity, not progress.
And beyond nostalgia, this is just bad business. From an SEO standpoint, WESTEC, EASTEC, and SOUTHTEC had decades of backlinks, articles, and organic search traffic behind them. They were established brands with digital authority. Starting over under a new name means starting from zero — losing all that visibility and web traffic that’s been compounding for years. That’s like scrapping a perfectly dialed-in machine setup that’s been running efficiently for decades just because someone decided the color didn’t match the new logo.
Even the new names sound flat and bureaucratic. Manufacturing Technology Series – Southeast doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. It sounds like something a committee dreamed up after too many branding meetings, not an event people look forward to attending.
At the end of the day, brand names aren’t just labels. They’re emotional shorthand for relationships, experiences, and trust. WESTEC, EASTEC, and SOUTHTEC weren’t just trade shows—they were industry landmarks. Changing those names doesn’t modernize the events—it risks making them irrelevant.
These shows have been around for decades. WESTEC, EASTEC, and SOUTHTEC have built strong regional identities over the last 30-plus years. People said, “See you at WESTEC,” not “See you at the Manufacturing Technology Series Western Event.”
The names meant something. They had roots. It struck me: this is not just a “refresh” — it feels like a dismantling of decades of brand equity. And it’s a move that, to me, seems deeply foolish.
Honestly, I think this name change misses the mark. Everyone in our industry knows those old show names — they’ve been part of the rhythm of shop life for decades. They were short, memorable, and instantly recognizable. When you replace familiar names with long, corporate-sounding titles, you lose that immediate connection. It’s like trying to rename Chevy to General Motors Midwestern Passenger Vehicle Division. Nobody’s going to remember it, and it doesn’t inspire much excitement.
There’s also a ton of history tied to those names. People remember their first booth, their first sale, the big customer they met at WESTEC, or the machine they bought after seeing it run at EASTEC. Those memories matter. They give the show personality. When you throw that away, it gives off a sense that the people running the show don’t fully appreciate the brand equity they inherited. It feels like overthinking for the sake of uniformity, not progress.
And beyond nostalgia, this is just bad business. From an SEO standpoint, WESTEC, EASTEC, and SOUTHTEC had decades of backlinks, articles, and organic search traffic behind them. They were established brands with digital authority. Starting over under a new name means starting from zero — losing all that visibility and web traffic that’s been compounding for years. That’s like scrapping a perfectly dialed-in machine setup that’s been running efficiently for decades just because someone decided the color didn’t match the new logo.
Even the new names sound flat and bureaucratic. Manufacturing Technology Series – Southeast doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. It sounds like something a committee dreamed up after too many branding meetings, not an event people look forward to attending.
At the end of the day, brand names aren’t just labels. They’re emotional shorthand for relationships, experiences, and trust. WESTEC, EASTEC, and SOUTHTEC weren’t just trade shows—they were industry landmarks. Changing those names doesn’t modernize the events—it risks making them irrelevant.
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