Why Attendees Attend Tradeshow

Why would anybody want to go to a convention or a tradeshow anyway? The obvious answer is, of course: It depends. Attendees need to see new products, keep up with trends, bank continuing education units, stay in touch with their contacts and try to forge new relationships. Some people simply want to get out of the office, rack up some frequent flyer miles and benefit from the freebies.

Still, we have seen some trends in the exhibitor surveys we've done. The reasons for attending change when looking at shows in different industries. For example, manufacturers are more interested in seeing new products and potential suppliers; professionals in service-based industries often focus on education and networking.

Here are some of the reasons for attending that we've seen in recent research:

• Seeing what's new
  The raison d'etre for most tradeshows. The question is: In the future, will attendees need to see more or less product on the showfloor? My guess is that, as the Internet and electronic marketing grow, it will be even more important for buyers to touch and experience new products and meet the people they will be doing business with. While we've seen exhibits using more flat screens and computers to convey messages, it is possible that there may be a shift back to displaying more products.
• Getting or staying well educated
  Education is a primary attendance driver. Our surveys show that 20 to 40 percent of convention and tradeshow attendees pay for some level of educational content. Our forecast is for event producers to continue to add both paid and free educational content.
• Staying up to date
  Often the most important information sharing comes from informal person-to-person interaction, and general observation of show floor traffic and networking events. It's hard to quantify, but buzz is often more powerful than any other aspect of an event. Still, there are specific ways in which shows and conferences can develop exclusive content and analysis to provide value. One way is to develop reports only available at the show or information analysis based on tapping the collective intelligence of attendees and exhibitors.
• Networking
  It would be interesting to find out if attendees are looking more to meet new people or if they prefer to get reacquainted with current contacts, friends and acquaintances. My bet would be that the breakdown is about 50-50. Not surprisingly, exhibitors tell us they're a little more interested in meeting new buyers than in staying in touch with current customers.
• Comparing products and people
  Even though the exhibit design and production industry continues to shift to flexible, modular elements, high-quality exhibits are still very important. Corporations man their booths with second- and third-tier staff at their peril. Stakes on the showfloor are getting higher as buyers spend less time there. They have little patience for booth staff with limited knowledge.
• Maintaining existing relationships
  As outsourcing continues to be a growing trend in corporate America and around the world, partnering is more and more strategically important. It makes sense to stay in contact with current partners. Shows provide the chance to see, not just primary contacts, but also their superiors and support staff.
• Buying things
  There are buying shows, and there are shows that further the branding and selling process. Buyers from small and mid-sized companies must compete with buyers at bigger companies, i.e. big-box retailers. Understandably, many shows focus on their largest VIP buyers. But working with smaller and mid-sized buyers to help them gain an advantage may become more of a focus for show management over the next few years.

How else will attendee drivers change in the future? The next trend for attendees may be to go beyond traditionally attending sessions and reviewing exhibits — which can be somewhat passive experiences — to more hands-on experiences: product "test drives," demos and direct product comparisons. On the education side, the question is how can attendees leave the show changed in some way, and not just more informed?

Eventually, strategic planning for event organizers will come down to one question: What can we offer that complements and goes beyond what a potential attendee can glean from the Internet?