Consider the VIRTUAL world as an alternative -- for the SELL of it.

And I certainly don't mean a VIRTUAL trade show.

At least not one that's orchestrated by traditional trade show management organizations that are trying to replace their exhorbitant profits from words like "drayage" and "I&D", with unreasonable pricing for Virtual words like "second-life."

Attention Exhibit Managers ... Don't Be The Next American IDLE! (Forgive me Simon.)

Considering an all time high unemployment rate, today, from companies cutting back on non-profitable people and activities... YOU have to SAVE your company MORE than it's paying you to survive today. And a good way to do it is to LQQK into Virtual World Platforms in which meetings, marketing and selling sessions can be conducted without the traditional costs related to trade shows and their services, and travel.

Where you can get such a platform is directly related to how close you are to your phone right now to be able to dial 630-642-6500 and ask for (Avatar) Richard Erschik

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.