Yesterday, a friend of mine told that me he visited a manufacturing show - and it looked more like a "furniture" show. Why? Because since there were soooo many exhibitor no-shows, the show manager simply filled the empty exhibit spaces with furniture as rest areas for the attendees. (Whose numbers BTW are also diminishing.)
HOW BAD IS THAT?
What is it that show managers are NOT seeing? Are they NOT seeing that ROI no longer means Regular Old Invoice? Are they NOT seeing that exhibitors can't measure anything or prove the real ROI requirement = Return On Investment.
Show organizers need to face the fact that THEY have to consider providing the education their exhibitors need to succeed, because exhibitors certainly are NOT being taught by anyone in their companies.
Education is clearly the differentiating factor in business today – and those show organizers that take on the responsibility of educating their existing customers (for retention), and prospective exhibitors (for acquisition) will survive the death spiral that plagued trade publications over the past decade.
Call me at 630-642-6500 for a copy of the recent artice "Are trade shows going where trade publications went?" And you will see what I mean.
Showing posts with label trade show ROI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trade show ROI. Show all posts
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Trade shows are seemingly GOING... where trade publications WENT.
Is there anyone other than me that's old enough to compare what's happening to trade shows today, with what happened to trade publications in the past decade?
It's even spooky to look at the comparisons.
Trade Show = Publication
Show organizer = Publisher
Booths = Pages
Unions = Ad Agencies
Exhibit Manager = Ad Manager
Consider what happened to trade publications during the past decade. As readers began to find other ways to communicate with advertisers besides circling a reader service card (RSC) and waiting weeks to be contacted by the advertiser's sales force (if they ever were), they began using the Internet to ACQUIRE information about the advertised product, long before they picked up the phone to INQUIRE. Then, advertisers did a poor job measuring where the phone calls (leads) were coming from and lost track of any way to measure advertising ROI. The result? Look at the thickness of trade publications today.
LQQK what's happening today in the trade show world.
Show organizers are wayyy too focused on square-footage sales, general contractor's service costs are skyrocketing, exhibit houses are increasing pricing within their "bundles" and exhibitors (that can't prove ROI) are being forced to find other ways to SHOW their products and services. The result? Look down the aisles at the next trade show you attend.
Enter 2009... and the INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL WORLD for exhibiting and individual company events, and check back here soon for a "peek" at what this writer has found to be an upcoming trend to turn yesterday's SHOW n TELL into... SHOW n SELL.
It's even spooky to look at the comparisons.
Trade Show = Publication
Show organizer = Publisher
Booths = Pages
Unions = Ad Agencies
Exhibit Manager = Ad Manager
Consider what happened to trade publications during the past decade. As readers began to find other ways to communicate with advertisers besides circling a reader service card (RSC) and waiting weeks to be contacted by the advertiser's sales force (if they ever were), they began using the Internet to ACQUIRE information about the advertised product, long before they picked up the phone to INQUIRE. Then, advertisers did a poor job measuring where the phone calls (leads) were coming from and lost track of any way to measure advertising ROI. The result? Look at the thickness of trade publications today.
LQQK what's happening today in the trade show world.
Show organizers are wayyy too focused on square-footage sales, general contractor's service costs are skyrocketing, exhibit houses are increasing pricing within their "bundles" and exhibitors (that can't prove ROI) are being forced to find other ways to SHOW their products and services. The result? Look down the aisles at the next trade show you attend.
Enter 2009... and the INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL WORLD for exhibiting and individual company events, and check back here soon for a "peek" at what this writer has found to be an upcoming trend to turn yesterday's SHOW n TELL into... SHOW n SELL.
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