Trade Shows: That depressing last day

March 1, 2010

Why is it that the last day of a trade shows is so depressing? Aisles become sparse and exhibitors appear depressed. Many exhibitors look like they are mainly interested in packing up and getting out of town. In fact some even start their tear down before the show closes. No matter how good the first days were, exhibitors become despondent in the end and leave minus some of the excitement felt earlier in the event.

I noticed it happening at the just concluded Toy Fair. A great show but you couldn’t tell it from the last day.

Who is to blame? All of us; attendees leave town and exhibitors want to. But where are they going? They have already invested most of their dollars just in coming to the show. The cost of air is fixed and the price of an extra night and meals is marginal compared to what has already been invested.

In fact, the R.O.I. for the extra day(s) is quite impressive when weighed against the incremental investment. Here is just a little of what you get by staying the whole time: The extra time to think; to see additional exhibitors, to spend more time looking at new products; to negotiate and make new relationships. All of that is invaluable. It will make any attendee smarter and better connected. That means enhanced value for themselves and their companies.

So, leaving trade shows early is an unwise financial and business decision. We can try to teach attendees that lesson but it may not be enough. What can we do? I will give you some ideas on my next posting.

Posted by Richard Gottlieb on March 1, 2010 | Comments (5)

March 2, 2010

In response to: Trade Shows: That depressing last day
Jeff Bakalchuck commented:

Richard: Do you think that the Engage Expo played any part in this? I noticed that traffic was light during the part of toy fair that overlapped with Engage. Also, we had snow on the 16th(what would toy fair be without snow right?), could people have rushed to leave Gotham before they got snowed in? On a personal note, the last day of Toy Fair is always a little sad for me. It means 362 days before I see some of these people again.

March 2, 2010

In response to: Trade Shows: That depressing last day
Make it fun! commented:

Toy Show would be smart to open the show to the public on the last. Or at least to kids accompanied by an adult. This would make the exhibitors stay, increase press coverage (imaging the video of kids playing with new or about to be released toys), and add excitement to the last day. The down side is that the industry would be forced to see and interact with the public. Toys would be judged on if they are fun or interesting. Not just on their price or PR strategy.

March 2, 2010

In response to: Trade Shows: That depressing last day
Naomi Tripi commented:

I have had only good experiences by staying to the last minute. I have gotten free press, as local reporters hate to arrive when there are too many exhibitors still competing for attention, and have made a lot of sales to those "wait-n-see" folks who waited too long to place orders in person with other exhibitors who took off. Also, the networking with exhibitors you get during those last less-interrupted moments really helps make these connections memorable to those you network with. I am in complete agreement with Richard on this point. Except, the slowness of the last day is what I capitalize on, so if everyone stays that dynamic will change making the specific benefits I like about the last day change. But there is no question that the first couple of days are always amazing too, so one more of those wouldn't be too bad either.

March 2, 2010

In response to: Trade Shows: That depressing last day
Dave Ference commented:

I disagree with your cause and effect. I have made the mistake of attending Toy Fair and other trade shows on the last day and vendors are disinterested at best. Literature is put away and it's almost too much trouble to get it for you. Salesmen are more interested in talking to each other than attendees. Booths are being packed up as much as possible. Attendees are treated as annoyances. Some vendors are gone already or booths are unattended. It gets worse as the day goes on. We avoid the last day of trade shows as much as possible because it is a waste of our time at best and quite annoying at worst.

March 1, 2010

In response to: Trade Shows: That depressing last day
smartynots commented:

It's easy, toy fair needs to be a 2 day event with a preview night for VIPs.