Smart Meetings

TRADE SHOWS

Author: Sandi Cain
December 2007

Features

Let’s make a deal: The lowdown on those exhilarating, exhausting trade shows

 

Trade shows are an integral component of many annual meetings and conventions, but for meeting planners without a trade-show management company, they can be a double-edged sword. The exhibits are a necessary revenue generator and new product resource. But from an attendee standpoint, it can be difficult to find time to walk a show floor in between or after educational sessions. Therein lies the conundrum.

Trade shows—regardless of their size—only work if the exhibitors are happy, and they’ll only be happy if enough attendees come to the show floor. We all hear about the Consumer Electronics Show, MAGIC and the National Association of Convenience Stores—giants that fill even the major convention hub of Las Vegas with thousands of attendees. But there are myriad smaller shows that provide educational opportunities, introduce new products to a targeted market and provide a chance for buyers or users to meet and build relationships with vendors who cater to their industries. How can you, the planner, make them more effective?

“You have to maximize attendance, which drives everything else,” says Randy Bauler, CEM, corporate relations and exhibits director of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and the chair-elect of the International Association of Exhibitions & Events. “It helps sell booths, which increases revenue,” he says.

If the trade show component of a meeting is an after-thought, it could mean reduced income and exhibitors in subsequent years. But with some effort, it also can be turned into a showcase of industry trends and ideas that mesh with general sessions and breakouts and generate purchases on the show floor.

“Trade shows do bring in needed revenue and are an important aspect of how we all do business,” says Joan Eisenstodt, chief strategist for Eisenstodt & Associates in Washington, D.C. “Those who exhibit need to understand how to talk with others on and off the floor; those who buy need to realize that learning about a product or service doesn’t mean you have to buy, but it does mean you learn.”

 

TRENDS POINT UP
There’s no question that the value of trade shows has increased. According to the 2007 CEIR Index, the exhibition industry grew at a compound annual growth rate of 2.3 percent between 2000 and 2006, driven by overall increases in the four key categories of attendance, revenue, net square feet used and number of exhibitors. Attendance alone grew 4.6 percent in 2006. And 89 percent of respondents to a survey by the Professional Convention Management Association said they plan at least one meeting a year with an exhibit.

According to Red Bank, N.J.-based Exhibit Surveys Inc., trade show attendees spent an average of 8.5 hours on the show floor in 2006, up from 7.8 in 2005. What’s more, exhibitors are spending more to reach customers at the shows, shelling out $129 on average for each customer who came to a booth in 2006, up about $14 per person (in 2007 dollars) from 2005. It’s apparently paying off, because 43 percent of booth visitors say they plan to buy an exhibitor’s product or service within the 12 months following the show.

But exhibitors expect better than that. In fact, targeted marketing is a huge issue within the trade show industry, where managers and exhibitors are going the extra mile to reach a very specific audience. In 2006, 78 percent of attendees visiting specific booths had buying influence for the exhibitor’s product or service.

The focus on targeted marketing may be one factor driving a strong correlation between increased marketing budgets and increased attendance. About half of trade shows responding to Exhibit Surveys reported increased budgets in 2006. And 53 percent of growing shows have increased their attendance marketing budgets, while 70 percent of shrinking shows have cut their attendance marketing budgets.

Nevertheless, survey respondents said they still face big challenges in attracting international attendees, reaching VIP buyers and reaching first-time attendees. To remedy that, the American Institute of Architects, based in Washington, D.C., has gone beyond the typical e-mail blasts, targeted brochures and post-show surveys to reach members who don’t attend—they ask members why they didn’t attend and what might change their minds.

So how can you as a meeting planner improve your skills as a trade show director, too? Here are some tips from other planners with experience in this sector.

 

GETTING THEM IN THE DOOR
Trade show organizers and meeting planners alike wrestle with this issue. Seventy-one percent of show managers told Exhibit Surveys that the promise of seeing new products is still a major motivating factor for attendees. Other motivators are networking and educational seminars, said 52 percent of organizers.

“The more you give the attendee reasons to come, the more likely (it is) they will come,” AACCN’s Bauler says.

You might start with something basic: ask the members or previous attendees what they want, says Angelo Gangone, vice president of trade shows for the Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers in Commerce, Calif. “It’s simple but important,” he says. AWFS, which drew 19,000 attendees and more than 900 exhibitors to its most recent show, also heavily promotes the educational aspect of the show. They emphasize the fact that it’s one place where members can see for themselves how products work. “We make them believe they need to be there or they’ll miss something important,” Gangone says.

Another simple solution might be found in your floor plan, says Joette Cross, assistant director, meetings, for the Denver-based Financial Planning Association, which drew more than 3,000 attendees to Seattle in September, along with about 250 exhibitor booths. She tries to place sessions next to the exhibit hall so attendees have to pass through, and places cybercafés and bookstores in locations that need traffic.

“When I first started in this business, I thought it was about squares on a sheet of paper, but the real success has more components,” she says. That includes considering the proximity of the exhibit hall to registration, break areas and educational sessions—all of which can result in more foot traffic to the exhibits.

Medical conventions tend to be dominated by continuing education programs, so John Buckley, assistant director for meetings and conventions of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) in Arlington, Va. arranges specialty coffee breaks, wine and cheese receptions and free lunches—all in the exhibit hall. The Financial Planning Association does the same, providing lunch, afternoon coffee and an evening reception in the exhibit hall each day. “We maximize the effectiveness of food and beverage,” Cross says.

Adding educational sessions to the show can draw more people too. That worked for the Car Care World Expo staged by the Chicago-based International Carwash Association, which added a new investor seminar to its Las Vegas show in 2005. The first seminar drew 100 attendees; the next year, 250 signed on.

“Education happens in the sessions and on the show floor,” Eisenstodt says. She thinks in-booth sessions enhance the show experience and give exhibitors a better chance to learn buyers’ needs. The American Resort Development Association agrees. The timeshare industry organization makes exhibitors full-fledged attendees who are eligible to attend all sessions and social events. To make that happen, exhibit floor hours are exclusive, providing more opportunities for exhibitors to earn industry certifications and to network with attendees. “We generate $1 million in revenue from booths,” says President and CEO Howard Nusbaum, “so we don’t want to treat them like second-class citizens.” The show drew 4,000 attendees this year.

 

TIMING IS EVERYTHING
“Take a hard look at exhibit hall hours,” FPA’s Cross says. If they’re too short, it’s detrimental to attendees pressed for time. If they’re too long, attendees may adopt a ‘manana’ attitude, she says.

It’s still a delicate balance that each planner has to address. The FPA has settled on about 13 hours of exhibit time over 2-1/2 days. But IDSA has just 9-1/2 show hours—and is closed on the final day of the convention. “It’s very popular with attendees,” Buckley says. “It allows them to make appointments with (sales) people that day.”

Bauler, meanwhile, favors dedicated exhibit time that doesn’t conflict with educational sessions. And if you can provide education on the trade show floor, that’s a plus, he says. Attendees like the chance for hands-on interaction with the products. Some shows schedule such sessions before the hall opens to other attendees.

 

MAKIN’ IT EASY
Most show organizers today have some sort of online planning tool for prospective attendees to use. Some are interactive, employing matchmaking software that enables attendees to find exhibitors and other attendees and set up meeting times before they go. Some use kiosks at entry points that show a map of the exhibit hall. At the recent Wired Next Fest in Los Angeles, attendees could pinpoint which types of products they were most interested in and print out a map at the kiosk directing them to those booths. “Help your attendees maximize their time to find what they’re looking for,” Bauler says.

If all else fails, IDSA has found a way to make sure attendees pick up a printed map at the show: it includes the menu for the wine and cheese reception.

 

HELP YOUR EXHIBITORS
Though small shows are unlikely to be able to provide lead-retrieval systems to exhibitors, there are other things you might do to help them track their own ROI. For instance, as RFID badge costs come down, it becomes easier to provide these to attendees, enabling them to swipe their badges at exhibit booths with their own lead-retrieval systems-equipped booths to get better show follow-up.

Some organizers have begun to work with lead retrieval and management companies like Smart-Reg International in Palo Alto, Registration Control Systems in Ventura or American Exposition Technologies/ExpoBadge in Anaheim to provide this service. Alternately, you can offer attendee lists to exhibitors.

Just as importantly, talk to your exhibitors, IDSA’s Buckley says. He walks the floor to get instant feedback from them and sometimes helps troubleshoot booth-related issues.

 

HELP ATTENDEES CONNECT
Social networking is still fairly new to the exhibition industry, but more groups are giving it a look as a way to help attendees connect. In the meantime, meetings tech guru Corbin Ball of Corbin Ball Associates in Bellingham, Wash. says groups can use their own databases to help people find each other at the conference. “If you can use technology to find the right contact, it can pay for the trip,” he says.

As attendance grows, planners might want to explore using companies that specialize in attendee relationship management to jump-start those efforts.

 

ADD PIZZAZZ
There’s no question that trade shows are beginning to embrace interactivity at exhibit booths. But now more of them are doing the same to simply make the shows more attractive and keep attendees on the floor longer. Some go to extremes:

• The WSA Show (formerly known as World Shoe Show) brings thousands of shoe buyers to Las Vegas each year. But how exciting is it to sell shoes? Last year, they demonstrated how: they staged a public fashion show at (where else?) Fashion Show Mall to highlight new shoe lines. The show was broadcast on the giant screen outside facing The Strip.

• The International Association of Exhibitions & Events last year tried something different for the opening general session in San Diego. Entitled “Belly Up to the Bar,” it featured a panel of industry experts discussing the most critical issues while sitting—you guessed it—at a staged “bar” complete with bartender to pour. The theory, espoused on the website, was that a lot of business gets done at the bar, so why not mirror that atmosphere in the first session?

• The Gift and Home Furnishings Markeat the LA Mart in Los Angeles added parties, late-night shopping, a lounge, a welcome station and a day spa to its 2006 event.

• The NAMM Show—the largest convention in Anaheim—isn’t open to the public, but as a show devoted to musical instruments, it draws a wealth of celebrities from the entertainment world—and a lot of lookie-loos as a result. Last year, they staged a NAMM Jam in the lobby of the convention center at the end of the day, and some attendees held concerts or jam sessions at nearby hotels to be enjoyed by anyone who happened by.

 

PARTNER WITH YOUR DESTINATION
Of course, there also are things you might do before you ever get to the exhibit hall that add to the attendee experience.

Kevin Johnstone, vice president of trade shows for NAMM, suggests meeting with local officials not just to review security and safety measures, but also to “demonstrate the value of your product to the local economy.”

He says it also helps if you make sure the city knows who your attendees are likely to be—celebrities, politicians, scientists or musicians—and what visitor-serving businesses might expect from the crowd. Is it a late-night party crowd or one that won’t be visible after dark? Do they mob the restaurants for breakfast at 6 a.m. or want the best dinner reservations? That knowledge can help the entire city serve your attendees better. And that’s the kind of thing that will help you have a successful show.

 

 

SMART ATTENDEE TIPS
Some people see trade shows as an endurance test. Smart attendees see them as a challenge to be solved with good detective work. Here are some tips for you to consider when you’re the attendee instead of the organizer. 

 

• Do Your Homework.
Show organizers across the board emphasize this as a key to making the trade show work for you. Most show organizers today offer more than just a printed exhibitor guide handed out at registration—they put those lists online, allowing you to determine which exhibitors you might like to visit and what you want to learn or accomplish from each.

• Prioritize.
Some exhibitors may be old friends you just want to connect with; others may have valuable new products useful to your business. Put them in separate lists and decide what’s most important to accomplish.

• Plan Your Time.
There’s nothing more frustrating than arriving at an unattended exhibit booth or learning the person you wanted to see isn’t on site. If possible, contact key exhibitors ahead of time to set up appointments—or at least learn who might be working the booth. Some shows are beginning to use matchmaking software that lets you connect with other attendees with similar interests and arrange to meet them before you go.

• Map It.
Some organizers provide online show-floor maps so you can see where the booths are before you arrive. If you use this feature, keep in mind there may be last-minute changes. If show-floor kiosks are available on site, use those to find the exhibitors you want to see or to confirm the location.

• Relax.
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and sit down in the lobby to plan your route through the hall in order to maximize your time.

• No Excuses.
Still reluctant to spend time walking the hall? Consider this: “Before you pass judgment, look at the list of exhibitors,” says John Buckley, assistant director of meetings and conventions for the Infectious Diseases Society of America in Arlington, Va. You might find some valuable information in the show hall—and the revenue they generate helps support the educational sessions, he says. “Just going to see one exhibitor can go a long way (toward keeping them happy),” Buckley says.

• Follow Up.
“Planners need to sit back and think about what would help (them) get through the exhibit hall,” says Joette Cross, assistant director, meetings for the Financial Planning Association in Denver. Helping attendees to use their time productively will be a win-win for both sides.

“Exhibitors are critical to us, but in the end, the show is for the attendees,” says Angelo Gangone, vice president of trade shows for the Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers in Commerce, Calif., whose show was a Tradeshow Week Top 50 in 2006. “We ask what we can deliver in terms of proper content and products for them,” he says.

 

Sandi Cain, a regular contributor to Smart Meetings, is a freelance journalist who has covered the meetings, hospitality and tourism industries for more than a decade. She is a resident of Laguna Beach, Calif.