Dennis Hill, who spent 55 years organizing some of the largest and most successful events in manufactured housing, passed away on July 2.
He was 80.
Mr. Hill was the talent behind Show Ways Unlimited, based in Roswell, Ga., and the hundreds of manufactured housing industry trade shows he and his team put on. Prior to the start of his 55 years in manufactured housing, he went to graduate school at the University of Georgia.
In 1966 he was swept up in the U.S.’s call for 50,000 troops to Vietnam. He trained and prepared but never was shipped out.
Instead, he was sent to Fort Rucker in Alabama where he organized musical acts to entertain the troops, 4,000 to 5,000 at a time. In civilian life, he found that same thrill in organizing trade show and industry events, starting with shows in Atlanta and Nashville and more recently organizing the annual show in Louisville and the former Tunica Show, now held in Biloxi.
Working five decades ago at the Southeastern Manufactured Housing Institute, Hill said that the trade show business literally just popped up.
“The regional group was there for 10 years, and my original role was member services and the service and supplier division,” Hill said. “Maybe it was a catch-all for anything and everything.
“My boss walked in and said ‘You’re going to do a trade show’ and I said ‘What is a trade show?’ I guess I figured it out.”
Mr. Hill had many people around him, including a 22-member board, to help organize a trade show from earliest planning, through working with partners and vendors, to securing space and getting show homes organized and speakers assembled.
He said it was an experience that got his blood flowing. Doing shows was something akin to running a political campaign with all the months of planning that must coalesce into action.
Mr. Hill was good at motivating people and took great joy in seeing a show come together.
Tim DeWitt, the former director of the Michigan association, collaborated for nearly 40 years with Hill.
“He found a niche and honed in on it. I think what’s made him as successful as he has been… when you’re in a state association it’s very helpful to be able to work with a private promoter who has more room to move and can make decisions to get something implemented a lot faster than you’d be able to working in public sphere,” DeWitt said. “He was always a calming influence, and that’s important. He supported us in good times and bad, and we could rally around that.”
Mr. Hill retired in 2021 but remained in contact with many industry colleagues. He is survived by his wife of 58 years Nancy, their daughter Alison, two grandchildren, Bri and Max, and a great-grandson, Everest Sebastian.
A Celebration of Life will be held on July 9, 2023, at 3:30 p.m., at Alpharetta Presbyterian Church, 180 Academy St, Alpharetta, Ga. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Tunnel 2 Towers Foundation, Furkids Animal Rescue in Alpharetta, or the APC Pastors Emergency Fund.
