Kitchen, Bath Show Moves to Biennial Schedule

Few show managers would turn their backs on the potential revenue of a 100,000 square foot tradeshow by deciding to hold it only half as often – even if that's what exhibitors say they want. But that's exactly what Messe Frankfurt claims it's doing with ISH North America. The company has changed the exhibition for the kitchen and bath, plumbing, heating and air conditioning sectors from an annual to a biennial schedule, catering in part, it said, to the demands of exhibitors and attendees.

According to Messe Frankfurt President Roland Bleinroth, the show management firm has produced biennial ISH shows in Europe, Asia and other countries for 20-odd years. However, U.S. and Canadian kitchen and bath shows are typically annual events so, to capture exhibitors and attendees in this market, Messe Frankfurt felt it had to mimic the format of its North American competitors, Bleinroth said.

Inge Calderon, executive vice president of the American Supply Assn., one of several show sponsors, said the poor economy and tough competition forced show management to switch to a biennial event sooner than previously planned. She noted that the biennial ISH show in Frankfurt each spring will occur in ISH North America's off years to encourage trans-Atlantic participation at both events.

This year's October show will only be the third North American ISH. The show has actually grown in size, but not in participation, having gone from 110,000 net square feet and 10,735 attendees in 2002 to 115,000 net sq. ft. and 9,000 attendees in 2003.

But Bleinroth said that after polling exhibitors and attendees across all product groups, a clear majority preferred a biennial event. Companies find the cost of participating out of proportion to the number of new products introduced.

Yet, he said his group will offer a conference in the years it doesn't produce an exhibition. "It will have an educational element, but the cost will be dramatically reduced," Bleinroth said.

"We take the long-term approach, unlike other show organizers," he said, admitting, "it will mean negative short-term revenue for profit margins."