EXHIBITOR Prepares for Larger Showfloor
By Heidi Genoist -- Tradeshow Week, 2/6/2006
If the country's largest tradeshow for exhibit managers and event marketers is any indication, business for booths and other products could be picking up.
Exhibitor Magazine Group predicted that its annual Las Vegas show, EXHIBITOR 2006, will reach record-setting size at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center March 5–9.
In terms of net square footage, "right now, we're still six weeks out, and we're already breaking the record that we set in 2001, so we're up 5 percent over last year," Carol Fojtik, Hall-Erickson director of the show, said at press time.
She reported that 274 firms already were slated to exhibit, with sales continuing. In 2001, EXHIBITOR's peak, the show featured 280 companies spanning 63,600 net square feet of space and attracted 5,869 total attendees, including exhibit personnel. In 2005, it drew 278 exhibitors and 3,541 attendees to a 60,500 net sq. ft. showfloor. That number of exhibitors was down from 296 the previous year.
Fojtik said this year's pre-registration indicated attendance also would increase compared with last year, although it might not break 2001's record.
New companies account for much of the rising demand in exhibit space at the upcoming show, according to Exhibitor.
"I think exhibitors in most industries today are starting to return to tradeshows again, either increasing their space or returning from a show they took a hiatus from," Fojtik said. Those who had put off buying new displays while budgets were on hold have started shopping around to replace their overused materials.
In turn, supplier companies "are coming to the show to capture the new market share that's out there now," she said.
Natl. Trade Productions' Steve Greenspan said he, too, is finding increased receptiveness in marketing and selling TS2 — Where Trade Shows and Corporate Events Begin, still five months away.
"I think the increases experienced in the market are putting people in a position where they can be more aggressive with their marketing. For growth in our show, it's a combination of that, and what we demonstrated in 2005 and what's in the plans for 2006," said Greenspan, who took over directing TS2 last year, when NTP bought it from sponsor the Trade Show Exhibitors Assn.
Although TS2 is EXHIBITOR's closest competitor, Fojtik and Greenspan agreed that they are not each other's biggest problem.
"The potential database of companies that can attend is in the millions," said Fojtik. "Just look at the thousands of tradeshows held in the U.S. that have thousands of participants. The potential buyers (for EXHIBITOR) are in the millions."
Greenspan added, "Our biggest challenge isn't EXHIBITOR. It's further penetration into the market" of people who too often don't see themselves as members of a tradeshow or events industry, or as needing education to do their jobs better.
He said he's actually hoping EXHIBITOR does well. "The more success that all of us in the business can achieve, the better it is for both shows," he said. Nevertheless, he added, "Where it's competitive is on an individual basis. If a company can only be in one show, we'd like it to be ours."
As a potential growth area, both EXHIBITOR and TS2 are focusing on corporate event marketers and their suppliers. Here, EXHIBITOR claims an edge, with the launch of its Corporate Event magazine last year, added to the 23-year-old Exhibitor magazine.
Lee Knight, founder and CEO of the media company, said the new magazine reached a circulation of about 5,000 in its first year and was "very close to being on target" in its advertising sales. Across the company, he said, "we're 22 percent ahead of our goal on sales this year."
In preparation for the expected large crowds at EXHIBITOR 2006, Knight and his team have transformed the registration area into a community center. "What we're really focused on is creating a profile for this community of people who all share the same interests and frustrations," Knight said.
To feature the commonalities of members, the community area will have interactive exhibits.
