US shows are days of work, nights of networking

[Arran Coole]

Phil Soar has stated in his column in Exhibition News, that a US show is ‘basically, an excuse to take a third or even forth weeks holiday‘

If Phil Soar wishes to be quoted on the back page of the FT, as is his wish (EN Feb 09) then we all need to be careful what is said.

My personal, first hand experience, of attending and exhibiting at trade shows in the US is certainly not one of a jolly . Exhibitors and international visitors may arrive early but they then will start networking immediately and when the final whistle is blown on the event, you can’t see for the dust cloud of attendees diving to the airport. For the US industry – unlike the UK where the vast amount of shows are in London or Birmingham where visitors can pop to the show in a day - the travel times for most buyers, who can be based all around America and indeed globally, is large. In the US the main reason for going is days of education seminars, and this requires extended hotel days of stay to attend the show and earn those important qualification points. Therefore, that means a flight and hotel stay which quickly adds up to a couple of thousand dollars – that’s where the company gets hit. From my experience most visitors and exhibitors seem to be keen to get home and back to work after days away from friends and family. This is also the reason why US shows have parties for visitors – because the vast majority of visitors are staying overnight and visitor/exhibitor networking is important. It’s not really a surprise that events are held in the holiday locations, as pointed out, after all if we are to do face to face, let’s do it in style. What are your experiences?

[Paul Collett]

Well said Arran - is Phil not in the events industry anymore? How're things anyway my friend?

[Michael Boone]

After 20 years of non-stop trade shows in the USA, in both a buyer mode in the early days and as a labor supplier for the last 18, it is indeed work. But with a bright side, as you gain knowledge from people you did not know existed in their respective industries. You meet a cross culture of folks that few get to experience. I deal with corporate CEO's down to the teamsters and carpenters installing the stands daily. Keeps a broad perspective of what it takes to keep the world revolving and evolving. There are the cocktail parties and such, but truly most people, are here to learn, network, and do real business. As I just returned form 6 days in Las Vegas, I saw 4 am and 4 pm, each day I was there, as there was little sleeping, and the networking continued into the wee hours.
No vacation as such, but more a sleep on the plane while returning, as you tend to give it all you have, while there. It is an expense for the company to send you and most in our business are driven to succeed or do not last long. We tend to make the most of it as such.

[Michael Thimmesch]

Arran, you are exactly right. Trade shows aren't a vacation, they are a non-stop networking event. I was just at Exhibitor2009, where I presented to our dealers, had meetings with vendors, staffed our exhibit, took seminars, taught a seminar, and networked at industry events. It was 4 days before I even had a chance to go outside. The flight back from Vegas got me home at 12:30 at night, otherwise it would have been a whole day lost to travel, but I wanted to get home before I was brainwashed into thinking the whole world revolved around casinos, restaurants, and meeting rooms.

[Arran Coole]

Thanks to both Michael's for replying. I attended the SISO CEO summit in San Diego, and again it's an event in a holiday resort location. Yes I did go whale watching, had many a fine dinner etc. However for me it started on a Saturday for the travelling, Whale watching (which we personally paid for) was on a Sunday and the days started at 0700 and finished when the bar shut at night. You know I ran out of time for all the meetings and side chats we had to do. 16 hour days are no jolly even though we were in the very nice Grand Del Mar resort.

Question is why should we have to do business in a 'serious' location. That's the question here (US) at the moment but Vegas, for example has never been cheaper and is a city set-up for trade shows - even the cab drivers know the venue and hotels associated with each event - they get a print off every day. A lot of discussion has gone into visitor numbers and many, Chris Brown of NAB for example, has lamented the industry's focus on the numbers, the argument is not how many 'brochure collectors' are there in the hall but how many buyers do you have serious discussions with. In fact I would argue that the 'brochure collectors' deduct from the experience by adding to the queues, and generally getting in the way of the buyers. How many times have you been on a booth with an obvious time waster (e.g. people selling you products) whilst you see the CEO of XYZ walk past?

So why have the event in a 'nice' location as opposed to a non 'holiday' location?? Because we would rather network in a cool environment, tell our colleagues we are going somewhere nice, and dare I say it - extend our trip by one day. However that extra one day is spent with other industry people. The old adages still apply in these difficult times: It's not what you know, it's who you know & people buy (and partner) from people they like. One event this year is in a location that is not popular with people - result? People will still attend but the networking potential will shrink. We like nice places because we are human and being away from friends, your home bed, pets etc is punishment is enough to offset a fancy dinner or two.

[christi pemberton]

Having an event in a nice location comes down to accommodating the participants.....at these events you have to full speed ahead with the networking/buying/selling/marketing/making connections/meeting point people....and that will wear you out at some point. So, being in a nice location is the least that an organizer can do to help bring some comfort to the people attending the event and also keep the momentum going. When you are able to take in the sights just for a minute, you are able to have a little rest and peace of mind which can go a long way. Becoming burned out can happen fairly easy in this stress-driven economy and business world...so why not help prevent that.

[christi pemberton]

Yes, I agree! Having events in holiday locations is the least one can do for the thousands of participants who are spending so much money to come and stay in that location. I love conference events, but they can wear people out; therefore, having a holiday location can be therapeutic for the participant; therefore, allowing him/her to get the most out of each event and come back again next year. When you have an event, whether it is for business or leisure, you have to accommodate the participant..you have to make sure that they are comfortable and get the most out of their stay.

Christi

[Mary Adler-Kozak]

I didn't have the opportunity to read the article...but...(being a B2B show director for 10 years, a past exhibitor, and a former buyer all at the same trade show) I see very few of our attendee/buyers "vacationing" at our event. The average buyer at our show has been in the industry (college stores) for 8 years or more. As most mentioned in their posts, the networking never stops at our show, be it evening functions, lunch tables on the trade show floor, education sessions that take place prior to our trade show, or dinners out with their peers. Tradeshows are hard work, on the feet and the brain. While many of our destinations are vacation spots, this coming year, Orlando, FL for instance the average time spent on the tradeshow floor by buyers is 17 hours of the 21 available hours of the trade show. Attendees take their jobs seriously and definitely take advantage of show specials at our show. Free freight and discounts, especially in today's economic climate, help pay for their trip. Education is a bonus! Regarding vacationing: We see a bump in shoulder night stays in destinations like Orlando so we know some buyers choose to extend their stay in "destination" locations....but after all of that work...they do deserve a real vacation.