Where Is Everybody?

It seems tradeshow attendees refused to come out of their winter hibernation as the year began with a slight decrease in average attendance, even though net square footage and the number of exhibiting companies saw signs of improvement.

According to the Trade-show Week Quarterly Report of Tradeshow Statistics, events held during January, February and March saw year-over-year growth of 2.7 percent in net square footage and a 1.4-percent gain in exhibiting companies. Attendance, which increased by 4 percent in the year-ago quarter, dropped by 1.6 percent.

Growth was apparent in net square footage and exhibiting companies in the first quarter of 2005 as well, rising by 3.2 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively.

Show managers cited many of the usual reasons for poor attendee turnout, including location and weather, as the Northeast was hit with a major blizzard in February. Another possible explanation for the attendance decline is the lingering impact on the tradeshow industry of last summer's hurricanes.

The Golf Industry Show, originally scheduled Feb. 9–11 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, had to be relocated not once, but twice.

"We were supposed to fly out for a site visit the day Hurricane Katrina hit," said Julia Ozark, senior tradeshow manager.

But once the green light was given to relocate, show staff started looking at other venues. First, it was announced that the show would be held in Houston, but the city had move-in and move-out conflicts with another event that couldn't be worked out. So it was held at Atlanta's Georgia World Congress Center. In the end, organizers had to come up with three floorplans and three booth assignments.

"We were doing 20 booth assignments a day," Ozark said.

Despite management's hard work, the Golf Industry Show still experienced a 9.8-percent decrease in net square footage and an 8.5-percent reduction in exhibiting companies.

Attendance was down 16 percent, which Ozark believes had more to do with the actual location. Atlanta was not a popular destination for her attendees, she said.

"Our numbers were close to when the show was held there in 2003," she said.

Critical Care Congress, previously scheduled for New Orleans Jan. 21–25, was moved to San Francisco's Moscone Center Jan. 7–11, and fared better.

"We didn't want to lose any of our scheduling," said Linda Stansberry, industry relations manager. "San Francisco was able to accommodate our programming schedule."

Stansberry said pre-conferences were held on Friday with the opening reception on Saturday and exhibits Sunday through Tuesday.

The show, which attracts those who work in hospital intensive care units, saw a slight decrease of 2.2 percent in net square footage, but a 3.5-percent increase in exhibiting companies and a 7.6-percent increase in attendance. For Stansberry, the new venue worked to her benefit. California, she said, was the right choice for her show.

For the past four years, attendance at the three-in-one show Buildex Vancouver/BC Construction/Design Northwest has grown 7 percent each year.

"If we could nail it to one thing, it would be magic," said show manager Dave Tyldesley.

The booming building and construction market in Vancouver, British Columbia, may have had something to do with the growth. The city will host the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, which has helped instill confidence in the market.

But perhaps the most significant factor contributing to the show's success is its partnership with 30 industry associations. The exhibition benefits from cross-promoting through their memberships, getting content for the seminars and using their distribution lists for potential attendees.

"Companies are taking larger booths, which is great, but we've maxed out the (Vancouver Convention & Exhibition) Centre. As exhibitors take larger spaces, we can't take more exhibitors," Tyldesley said.

CaterSource, an annual tradeshow for the catering industry, has doubled in size each year since 2004. Its recipe for success includes taking advantage of its sponsorships, which have quadrupled in the last year.

Both the Intl. Caterer's Assn. and Intl. Military Community Executives Assn. each had its own conferences but have folded them into CaterSource. Foodservice Directors magazine offers an educational track during the conference.

A caterer herself, Vice President of Sales Jolene Ihle said the sponsorships offer everything from focus groups and sessions during the conference, to consultations with experts and hospitality, to the use of products in seminars and events.

Catering, projected to be a $16 billion industry in 2006, is the fastest-growing segment of food service.

"Restaurants are now getting into catering," Ihle said. "It's a nice way to put the icing on the cake for additional revenue."

The 2006 show saw a 76.2-percent increase in net square footage, while exhibiting companies were up 64.3 percent and attendance improved 38.9 percent. In 2007, the show will take place at Las Vegas' Sands Expo & Convention Center and is projected to draw 600 booths to a 60,000 net sq. ft. showfloor.

The improving economy and bigger budgets are responsible for the increase in net square footage and exhibiting companies, according to show managers.

Carol Fojtick, senior vice president of Hall-Erickson, which managed Exhibitor2006, said that budgets have been tight for the past couple of years. As a result, companies were using the same booths to exhibit at tradeshows, rather than buy new ones. Simultaneously, other companies were either becoming more selective with exhibiting at tradeshows or taking a showcase hiatus.

Exhibitor, which targets those who plan or execute their organization's tradeshow or event marketing program, experienced growth across the board, another sign that the industry is returning.