83 replies to this topic

[Remy]

I am going to agree with Jeff on some points. Walking through the show as a distributor, as I walked past booths I had numerous requests to scan my badge. Most of them I turned down. If all you want to do is: scan my badge so you can send me a catalog, I'm not interested. I want a supplier that can engage me in conversation and give me a reason to use their product or service. That is the beauty of having a show with fewer people. EXPO was not crowded this year. If you had time to scan my badge, you had time to tell me about your product. I don't need another catalogcluttering up my office.
I go to see what's new and get ideas from suppliers. Trade shows oput a human face to a company. I feel better doing business with a company I ahve talked with. There were a few suppliers I had no intention of talking with but they engaged me and showed me ideas I could take back to my clients. THAT'S why I go to the show. You can get some of it at a regional show but there are so many vendors that don't show.
As an aside, I have to believe that all those ASI shows have to cost suppliers a fortune to attend. Why not do 1 show and convince your customers to come there?

[jimknecht]

Remy said:

As an aside, I have to believe that all those ASI shows have to cost suppliers a fortune to attend. Why not do 1 show and convince your customers to come there?

Well, first of all, it takes all my efforts to get my customers to purchase my cups, so now you really think I can tell them which show to attend? Also, I attend a show primarily to meet NEW customers... not my own customer base. Granted, it sure doesn't hurt to renew relationships/friendships, but there are far cheaper ways to contact your existing clients.

I spent most of my life in this industry where there was one main show... the Expo. Yes, I do miss those days but realistically, those days are gone.

Problem with one show is that it becomes too big for you distributors to manage efficiently. That is why I can get more contacts from a much smaller show, ASI Orlando, than the huge Expo. Plus Orlando is shorter & cheaper, so I get a much better ROI. Now in the "old days", when there was just one big show, you folks knew that was really your one & only chance to get catalogs/new supplier info, so y'all really worked it. Nowadays, with the plethora of smaller shows, email marketing, online product search tools, online websites etc., you have no real incentive to work it hard.

Edited by jimknecht, 29 January 2010 - 05:52 AM.

[Promo Man]

There should be regional shows (like ASI does). East coast, midwest, south, west. I also wish the shows were on weekends, or started on a Sunday so we would not have to lose selling time which can be at least 3 days on long trips.

[Remy]

Amen to shows should be on weekends! the real reason they are not is simple economics. The hotels can make better money on vacationers over a weekend and offer better convention rates during the week.

[Allan]

Plus some people actually spend time with family and other obligations on the weekends.

Remy said:

Amen to shows should be on weekends! the real reason they are not is simple economics. The hotels can make better money on vacationers over a weekend and offer better convention rates during the week.

[3Koi Maui]

I prefer the shows to be during the week. As Allan said, weekends are for other activities, although in truth it's hard not to put in a few hours.

I can appreciate wanting to dedicate as much time as possible to the efforts of running a business. But I've already experienced working far too many hours a week for a corporation. I'll do what it takes to survive and thrive, but it's just too easy to put too much into work and find that the years have slipped away.

[jimknecht]

Amen to that! Trouble is, even with weekday shows, it is not unusual for us to have to leave on the weekend anyway.

Edited by jimknecht, 29 January 2010 - 08:35 AM.

[royster13]

It does not matter, when, where or how often you have a show or shows it will be wrong for some folks......

[Badgerfans]

One problem with smaller local traveling shows like the NPS, is that the hours (4) are so limited to just 9 to 1 that you don't have enough time to spend at the booths you need to spend time with. Yesterday at the NPS in Milwaukee there were so many suppliers there and so many distributors there, it made for a tough day even to get around the room-- let alone get a few words in with Suppliers. The place was packed since many in the Milwaukee/Wisconsin area knew this was about there only chance to meet suppliers this year, or at least until the PPAW (for members) end user show in March. There is a smaller ASI show in May. But for the most part, yesterday was the day for Milwaukee and it was packed. So it is easy to say that local shows are great, but they do have limited hours and limited space.
I am not saying that the NPS is a bad thing. They are great, but they are too good when you have too many people. It is like attending a Sold out Brewer game (40,000) compared to the days with 8,000. For those attending the game with 8,000 it was easier to get around, but for the the 4 games with 40,000 the Brewers are a lot happier.
It is almost like the NPS show in Milwaukee yesterday was too good.

[korl]

As a supplier, we feel it is important to reach a solid set of customers and prospects early in the year - and tradeshows have proven to be a successful marketing tool to do this. We exhibit at PPAI, ASI Orlando, and ASI Dallas every January & February. And I am happy to report that we had very successful shows at all three of these locations this year. Even though total attendance numbers were lower, the number of distributors that we talked with was significantly higher than last year - in all three locations.

As for PPAI's location - I have no problem with Las Vegas. I personally would not spend my own money to travel to Las Vegas for vacation, but for business travel (namely tradeshows), it is an ideal location - especially in terms of travel costs and the ease of working with the convention centers. We bring at least 5 people out to Vegas to work the booth at PPAI, so the lower airfare and hotel rates are important to my budget.

Many people have thrown out the idea of going back to Dallas. Please NO!!! Although our ASI Dallas show is always really good for us, I HATE traveling to Dallas! The hotel areas near the convention center are not safe at night and there are really limited choices for restaurants and virtually no shopping in the convention center area.

Besides, I can get home to Minnesota several hours earlier from Vegas than I can from Dallas with the red eye flights! :)

[promoman1]

I agree with Lisa. Don't go back to Dallas!! The weather in January is bad. (I remember that freezing rain!) The hotels are expensive and not near the convention center.

While I'm not a huge fan of Vegas...it's a good place for a trade show. Mandalay Bay is a beautiful venue, you can find quality inexpensive hotels and flights are reasonable. There are great restaurants and plenty of entertainment options.

[Mark@BB-U]

Chicago is not the place for a Show in January!

Javits in NYC is large enough but the weather really sucks in January. Parking. No way! Costs are too high Food, Lodging & Transportation. And you still have the Union problem as you have in Chicago for exhibitors. Ever been in a Blizzard in NYC & Chicago . . I have!

Only southern states should be considered in January

Vegas is still your best option in January. REALLY

Oh by the way, Chicago has the ASI show in July :D

That is my 2-cents.

Mark
in Iowa

[HarryAriel]

jimknecht said:

Scott, I wish your poll had more choices. Yes, I would like to see it move, but it doesn't have to be in the central time zone. As I stated in another thread, I would like to see the show move around. St. Louis sounds good & it is not warm... at least in Jan. Same for New York. Atlanta would be nice also.

Unfortunately, St. Louis doesn't have facilities for a show the size of the Vegas show. A major advantage for keeping the show in Vegas is the outside activities available for off-show hours. The hotel prices are reasonable. The climate isn't that bad (You should be in Toronto in January) Transportation around town is easy to get. If you want to get a different show atmosphere, you have plenty of opportunities with the ASI shows. :o

[jimknecht]

HarryAriel said:

Unfortunately, St. Louis doesn't have facilities for a show the size of the Vegas show. A major advantage for keeping the show in Vegas is the outside activities available for off-show hours. The hotel prices are reasonable. The climate isn't that bad (You should be in Toronto in January) Transportation around town is easy to get. If you want to get a different show atmosphere, you have plenty of opportunities with the ASI shows. :o

Harry, of course there are other opportunities, such as with the ASI Shows, but does that make sense to send folks to your competition? The whole point of the discussion is the industry's one & only association holds their one & only show each year in the same spot... on the left coastal area. Surely there are other locations in the country that can host such a show... Dallas did it for many years.

I belong to other national associations, and they all rotate their shows to give maximum exposure to all members. Yes, Vegas has lots of pluses, but the question is not if it is a great tradeshow location, but should we grant access to more folks by moving the show location to different parts of the country. If you note the poll results, many think so.

[pluspromo2]

Since I'm near Chicago, Chicago would be a great choice. I believe PPAI was in Chicago years ago at the Convention center or Navy Pier. However, Ron, I'm not sure if Chicago would fit your criteria. At one time, I would say yeah.

But because I haven't attended their show in Las Vegas, I would like to go there. So, maybe moving around would be ideal. St. Louis sounds good to me too.

frida

[royster13]

What is the average price of a hotel room in markets other than Las Vegas?......In Vegas you have 10s of thousands of rooms for lower cost than every other market in the US.....There is a reason a number of very large shows have made it their permanent home....Consumer Electronics Shows, Pizza Expo, International Hospitality Week, National Association of Broadcasters, etc.....For the most part it is only smaller shows that rotate venues.....

[jimknecht]

Royce, a cheap room is nice, but that is only one expense of many. Thing is, many folks just don't want to travel from one end of the country to the other for a tradeshow... especially when there are competing shows much closer by.

Can someone post the demographics of this last show? My bet is, the west coast is over emphasized.

[FindingPromo]

I guess I do not know what is meant by the Expo "over emphasizing" west coast attendees???

Any show, no matter where it is held, is going to have the demographics skewed in some way, by the proximity to attendees.

Orlando and Dallas in January and February respectively, to my understanding, have picked up some of the suppliers that have chosen not to be a part of our Industry's national event, and some suppliers participate in all three.

Our industry's national event, the PPAI Expo, is much more than cheap rooms, ease of flights into, a world class convention facility, a plethora of entertainment and food options and a gathering of the top professionals from across the country all in one place . .

** THE showcase for new products for the year
** A place for industry volunteers to participate in an make a difference in shaping the industry
** Hundreds of Supplier sales meetings with their independent representatives from around the country
** Thousands, and I yes, said Thousands of Distributor sales meeting from sales teams from 2 persons to many hundreds. I know of distributors that are - New York based with reps from Western States,
- California based with reps from North Carolina,
- California based with reps from Hawaii ( and visa versa )
- Chicago based with reps from 10 plus states
- Minnesota based with reps from 40 plus states
- Texas based with reps from 20 plus states
- Maine based with reps from 40 plus states
- Ohio Based, with reps from 40 plus states

This just to name a few.

Vegas has become the convention capital of the World for many reasons, and the Expo has only become an even more enriching experience for exhibitors and attendees since the move to Vegas.

As was mentioned in Dallas last week, at our industry leadership development meetings, when some regional associations asked how do we reply to suppliers that are unable to have attendees stop and engage with attendees at a show . . . . the answer is pretty simple, it's not the Show producer's responsibility to get the attendees engaged with suppliers.

Suppliers need to find a way to make their products, displays, show employees, promotions or advance marketing efforts cause the attendees to WANT to engage themselves on the show floor.

The Primary responsibility of the show producer in any industry is to provide qualified show traffic and have them in a venue / provide a surrounding experience where they feel comfortable and can easily find suppliers on the floor.

Edited by FindingPromo, 29 June 2010 - 06:33 AM.

[LouieM]

The Expo has lost it's luster. There are so many looky loos, sample grabbers, and vacationing family members that it is no longer "THE PREMIER SHOW" that it once was.

For alot of the distributors it is a getaway that they can write off. In my opinion Orlando is now a better show than Vegas. I see more of the top salespeople in Orlando, they come to Orlando to business.

We will always do Vegas because we still receive a return on the investment, but it is NOT the premier show any longer.

[jimknecht]

FindingPromo said:

I guess I do not know what is meant by the Expo "over emphasizing" west coast attendees???

Any show, no matter where it is held, is going to have the demographics skewed in some way, by the proximity to attendees.

That is exactly my point. That is why I question if the industry's only association should limit their show to the far side of the country?

FindingPromo said:

the Expo has only become an even more enriching experience for exhibitors and attendees since the move to Vegas.

Wonder if your comments are biased because you happen to be west coast? How can you back up this assertion? Why does simply the location make something more enriching? You know, I get pretty enriched in other cities too.