There was a 1970s film titled: “Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?” It was a pretty awful effort, despite starring Tony Curtis, and lost over $4 million at the box office. But, “Suppose They Gave a Trade Show and Nobody Came?” Andy McCourt casts a critical eye over declining trade show attendance.
This terrifying prospect for organizers of major print, packaging and graphic arts trade shows is pandemic as the industry struggles to discover renewed relevance in an online-addicted world. What is apparent – as the recent Ipex UK and Print USA shows discovered – is that the old formulae no longer work. By that I mean the tried and trusted method of hiring a venue, renting out floorspace to exhibitors, promoting to an audience and hoping they will attend and buy the exhibitors’ wares.
Closer to home we have PrintEx next May, with initial exhibitor marketing kicked off with a tour of the new venue, Homebush Olympic Park because the Sydney Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour is being torn down and rebuilt. This is how trade shows happen: exhibitor marketing followed by bookings to fill the space; followed by visitor attraction marketing to bring in the punters. I should probably mention here that I have been involved at a marketing level with two Ipexes (1993 and 1998) and a PacPrint that was the largest and most successful ever (1996). Drupa 2016 will be my eighth as a researcher/analyst/journalist. I’ve also been in charge of exhibitor stands and budgets.
The current predicament, locally and internationally, is triaxial:
1) For exhibitors: “Why should I spend money supporting a trade show where all of my competitors are, when I can promote to my existing customers one-on-one?”
2) For organizers: “How can we retain and expand on our exhibitor base and deliver an all-encompassing event that appeals to all sectors of the industry?”
3) For visitors: “Why should I bother going when I can find out everything I need to know on the internet and from suppliers directly?”
Unless all three axes are addressed and addressed competently, graphic arts trade shows will continue to shrink. Make no mistake about it; the trade show brand is subservient to the sum total of exhibitor clout. Huge tech shows such as CeBit can afford to drop a few big names but, with a shrinking exhibitor base (unless new areas such as 3D Printing are incorporated!), graphic arts trade shows can ill afford to be without leading brand vendors.
New initiatives are coming into graphic arts trade shows, such as masterclasses, workshops and forums. Some have been successful, some not so but if well executed and promoted, they can draw more crowds. People want to learn more and are prepared to pay for it…I think a pay-for approach and better quality presntations is better than ‘free seminars.’
What do no-show exhibitors miss out on?
But can vendors ill afford not to participate in reputable industry-organised trade shows? In some cases, yes and there is the additional aspect of poor PR for ‘not supporting the industry.’ A substantial portion of revenue from PrintEx (and PacPrint) goes to initiatives such as the GAMAA Scholarships and PIAA activities. Whether you approve of these associations or not, they are a visible part of the industry, acting to promote, encourage and change it for the better. Exhibitors boycotting events such as PrintEx, which are not privately owned, are effectively saying is: “we want all the gravy from sales of equipment and technology, but don’t want to spend any of our budget supporting industry initiatives – the meat and potatoes.”
I think one area where Ipex fell short (apart from the move to London with minimal consultation with exhibitors), was that the show no longer represented an industry ‘greater good’ purpose. Purchased by IIR-Informa from Picon, the UK association much like GAMAA, after the 2006 event; Ipex became privately-held, a for-profit endeavour with tenuous connections and unknown financial benefit to trade groups engaging in altruistic initiatives. Nevertheless, the sole major digital exhibitor there, Konica Minolta, had a field day clocking up over $5 million in sales because there was virtually no competition in its class there.
Just turning up to trade shows has never been enough; you have to exhibit yourself and present in a persuasive, entertaining way. The old John Cleese educational video ‘How not to exhibit yourself’ is as relevant today as it was in the 1970s when it was made. Sitting around on chairs eating hot dogs, on boring shell stands, while staring into the aisles at people passing by is no way to exhibit yourself. The same goes for press conferences in front of the media. Forget corporate mission statements and proud history rundowns – deal with facts, new products, innovation, applications, excitement; the future.
PrintEx is less than a year away. Show whispers say that at least three major suppliers to the industry might not be there. I say to these suppliers – show your support for the industry that provides your customers; show your support for training, apprenticeships and scholarships; plan your involvement effectively to pre-market your attendance, make sales and generate good leads. Set a show budget and target revenue goals at, and within 3 months of, the show’s end.
If someone said to you: “I will bring 8,000-10,000 prospective customers in through your front door,” it would be a poor marketing director that ignored it. Exhibiting at PrintEx will accomplish just that…the rest is up to you.