Convention center tradeshows are still going strong in this digital age, but the success of these face-to-face affairs may come down to one key query. Are you fully engaging your attendees?
Two-minute exhibitor product videos uploaded to YouTube were a big hit at a recent restaurant industry tradeshow. Buyer attendees were invited to vote for their favorites, and in the process of their review, they gleaned product information. That made exhibitors happy, and that show’s customers declared the contest—and the tradeshow—a great success.
At this year’s annual Shot Show in Las Vegas, at least one educational session had people walking among attendees with mics to garner comments and questions about the topic at hand. Free-flowing ideas about marketing in various regions of the nation came from those in the retail trenches, and attendees praised the takeaway.
These recent show experiences are among many that are keeping tradeshows relevant and engaging in the digital age. People may be conducting a load of business online, say those who organize and track shows for attendance and ROI, but when people get out of their offices to attend a show in person, they vote with their feet.
Shows by the Numbers
“There are the same number of U.S. tradeshows now as there were five years ago,” says David DuBois, president and CEO of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE). “Attendance goes up or down, according to the metrics of an industry or the overall economy. Some show segments—like technology—are rockin’. Others, such as education and government, are not doing very well. But 13 of the 15 show segments we measure are positive.”
He pointed to statistics released by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) that third quarter 2014 tradeshow growth marked the 17th consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth. Other CEIR 2014 research shows that contrary to popular belief, younger segments of the population still believe in the value of face-to-face events, including tradeshows.
“The fallacy that people under 30 just want to sit in front of their devices is false. Yes, they do a lot online, but they know when they get out of the office, shake hands, and look people in the eye and talk about business challenges, there’s a difference. There are just some things you can’t do via e-mail,” DuBois adds.
A survey by WorldMate, makers of an app used by business travelers to manage trips, revealed that nearly half (42.2 percent) of its 11 million users attend one to two conferences annually, and 67 percent of those are willing to travel more than 1,000 miles to attend a conference.
“Technology is vital today,” says Ian Berman, vice president of development at WorldMate, “but we all need connection with others as well. Shows are important because business is done between people. At some point, you need that human connect and lots of shows are facilitating business actually getting done at shows.”
What’s Now
Tradeshow content is getting delivered in multiple areas, outside the four walls of a meeting room and on the show floor as well as online. People aren’t just networking at golf tournaments, cocktail parties and show booths anymore.
Rachel Wimberly, editor-in-chief of Tradeshow News Network (TSNN), says creating memorable and engaging experiences for all customer groups is absolutely essential if organizers want to attract new attendees and have others return to them.
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“Creating experiences at a show is so important,” Wimberly says. “Cisco Live! certainly does this. They have a director of vibe whose entire job is to make sure people have the experience they expect, especially great learning experiences. People are just not going to do the same old same old.”
And the experiences being created aren’t just for attendees or buyers, she adds. Organizers who regard their exhibitors as customers and partners tend to enjoy the best success.
Treating exhibitors like customers is part of the show strategy employed by Chris Dolnack, senior vice president & CMO for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, sponsor of the annual Shot Show in Las Vegas that draws over 60,000 attendees from among the firearms, hunting and sport shooting world.
“We are competing with other media for exhibitors’ marketing spend,” Dolnack remarks. “We never take them for granted, and we continue to add value and make them feel appreciated. One of our newest ways of doing this is our exhibitor academy. This is an opportunity for them to learn from our show management partner about such things as saving on show costs and new developments at the show destination.”
Dolnack says his group has also sponsored dine-arounds at The Venetian, to show clients new restaurants and menus, especially those with private rooms where they might entertain their own customers. and he knows restaurant bookings occurred as a result of this.
“We are constantly looking for ways to improve our customer experience both for exhibitors and attendees,” he continues. “Creating exciting and fun experiences at shows is so important these days if you’re going to get customer buy-in.”
What About Tech?
Tradeshow organizers and industry trackers say engagement happens at many levels, and technology plays a vital role in both in-person and online encounters.
“Today’s tradeshows need to be interactive learning and branding experiences,” says Corbin Ball, a leading meetings industry technology speaker and consultant. “The standard connected-seller-with-buyer model is becoming obsolete. More activity on the tradeshow floor, such as theaters, genius bars, and other kinds of interactive sessions, are being used.”
Ball also said the confluence of mobile technology (mobile event apps) and social media are revolutionizing the on-site experience. People are carrying around super-computers in their pockets, and these “Swiss-army” knife products offer a wide range of activities, including wayfinding, networking, polling, surveys and much more within the tradeshow environment.
Though virtual and hybrid events may draw prospective attendees into an organization’s sphere and provide income streams from online educational sessions, they do not replace in-person encounters.
“Face-to-face events remain the best opportunity for networking, brainstorming, and relationship building,” Ball adds. “For an exhibitor, it is often the best way to meet so many qualified buyers in such a short time. And for buyers, it’s a great chance to meet vendors of interest—all together in one location, categorized and mapped for your choosing. To put it succinctly, there is no such thing as a virtual beer!”
Ruth A. Hill is an engaging contributor to Meetings Focus.
