Is Anybody Out There?

Last year came to a lackluster end for tradeshows as attendance declined for the first time since the third quarter of 2003.

According to Tradeshow Week's Quarterly Report of Tradeshow Statistics, shows held during October, November and December 2005 experienced a 2.9-percent decrease in professional attendance, while the number of exhibiting companies grew 1.2 percent and net square footage improved 2.7 percent compared with the same quarter last year.

By comparison, shows that took place during the fourth quarter of 2004 saw an 11.1-percent improvement in attendance and 2.8-percent growth in net sq. ft., while exhibiting companies remained stable.

Show managers were unable to provide a consistent explanation of the most recent quarter's attendance decline, illustrated by 15 shows experiencing double-digit decreases. However, the hurricanes that struck the Southeast during the fall, along with show rotation and location, were cited as contributing factors in several cases.

Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma certainly played a role in the lower attendance at four shows that had to be rescheduled, and another handful that was canceled altogether.

Originally scheduled to take place Oct. 30–Nov. 1 at New Orleans' Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, The NACS Show was held two weeks later during COMDEX's old dates at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

"It was like doing two shows in one year with two weeks to plan," said Jane Berzan, the show's senior vice president. She anticipated that the move would have a huge impact on the show's success.

"We resold every space that had to be canceled, except 1 percent," she said. "We tried to replicate the original floorplan." While 99 percent of the exhibit space was resold, attendance was down 11 percent.

"We assumed those who had registered would come," Berzan said. However, because of other industry-related meetings going on, postponing the show by two weeks created scheduling conflicts for a number of would-be attendees, she said. Companies still sent representatives to the show, just not as many as usual.

Show rotation and location were cited as major factors in attendee turnout at other shows.

Due to construction on the expansion of the Indiana Convention Center and RCA Dome, the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show moved to Orlando's Orange County Convention Center last year. Although the move enabled the show, which was busting at the seams in Indianapolis, to better accommodate its exhibitors — including an additional 125 first-time exhibitors — it lost about 3,000 attendees.

Even so, show manager Karin Davidson said she and her exhibitors were pleased with the turnout. She thought the move helped weed out some less-serious attendees, but still attracted the real buyers. Since most of the show's attendees live in the Midwest, driving to Indianapolis was previously an attractive option. A road trip to Orlando was not as convenient, and stores sent fewer people.

Exhibitors told Davidson that attendee quality was as high in Orlando as in Indianapolis. "They got just as many contacts, even though there were fewer people in the aisles," she said.

PMA Fresh Summit Intl. Convention & Exposition, which rotates between the East and West coasts, had a similar situation. Tradeshow manager Jamie Hillegas said she always expects attendance to be lower during East Coast years.

Last year's show, held in Atlanta, attracted 8,103 attendees, a 24.8-percent drop from the 10,777 who attended the 2004 show in Anaheim.

"It wasn't a bad year. That's what we forecast for the East Coast," she said.

A lot of produce growers are located on the West Coast. The show gets more walk-ins because people can drive there so easily. "But we do have East Coast exhibitors that don't exhibit on the West Coast, because it's cost-prohibitive for them," added Hillegas.

She said the show only felt a minimal effect of the hurricanes and, in any case, its location had little to do with that, as exhibitors and attendees who were affected had the same problems regardless of where the show was located.

On the other hand, for the shows that bucked the tide and saw substantial attendance improvement, some of the same factors worked to their advantage.

In the case of ASN Annual Meeting & Scientific Exposition/Renal Week, location was an asset. Held in St. Louis in 2004, the show in 2005 saw an 18.9-percent increase in attendance due to its setting in Philadelphia, said Cele Forgarty, convention director.

"The Northeast corridor does very well, especially for medical meetings," she noted, because more pharmaceutical companies are located in that area and can send more people. Plus, Fogarty pointed out, Philadelphia is easy to get in and out of by plane or train.

Location wasn't the only contributing factor, though. She cited the show's strong educational component as the main reason for attending: "The program drives this meeting. I've never lost my delegates to a city; they're in the meeting rooms."

Brian Randall, group vice president at Diversified Business Communications, found a way to double attendance without regard to the venue. His secret: collocation.

Held alongside All Asia Food Expo and Intl. West Coast Seafood Show, the Los Angeles edition of Expo Comida Latina experienced a 53.3-percent increase in attendance from 2004 to 2005.

"We created a more compelling reason for people to come out: three markets in one," Randall said.

The collocation worked, he believes, because the three markets had crossover interest for most exhibitors and attendees. According to Randall, there's a new flavor hitting taste buds called Chino Latino, a fusion of Asian and Latino flavors. The show supported that trend.

In order for a collocation to be successful, he said, it must have a strong value proposition for attendees. "They should be able to do more, see more, have a better experience."