Where the Consumer Is Still King
Michael Hughes -- Tradeshow Week, 6/25/2007
Despite a slowing housing market, consumer shows are healthy. Collectively, consumer show producers are forecasting total gross sales growth of 4.5 percent in 2007, according to a survey conducted by Tradeshow Week research and the Natl. Assn. of Consumer Shows.
What's driving this growth? Fifty-nine percent of consumer show producers responding to the survey said it was related to better marketing, and 48 percent claimed they were providing improved value at their shows. Thirty percent reported taking a stronger sales approach.
While the consumer show market is competitive and tied closely to consumer spending, only 15 percent and 14 percent of survey respondents selected weak competition and wider economic trends, respectively, as growth drivers.
They cited several serious growth constraints:
- rising marketing and venue costs
- finding venue dates and space
- difficulty attracting sponsorship revenue and attendees
According to respondents, secondary concerns include:
- increasing labor costs
- industry sector and economic challenges
- competition with other media and entertainment
Interestingly, even with discussion of declining newspaper readership and the move to e-mail and Web marketing, the No. 1 attendee marketing medium is still the local newspaper. A close second is radio, followed by broadcast TV and its network affiliates. Both cable TV and exhibitor outreach (i.e., working with exhibitors to promote to their key prospects and buyers) scored relatively low as attendance drivers in the survey. Forty-two percent of show producers identified cable TV and 29 percent pointed to exhibitor outreach as primary attendance drivers.
Success in today's consumer show market takes a combination of superior industry segment, local market knowledge, and media and marketing partner development. The best show producers look for ways to market and share costs with media partners.
Of course, the ability to keep shows fresh is critical. It also takes the ability to jump on new opportunities from rapidly changing consumer trends, new venue developments and aggressive exhibitor and sponsor sales and marketing.
Today the consumer truly is king. As long as consumers continue to spend and seek entertainment outside of the home, consumer shows will remain healthy.
| Percentage of show producers | |
| Past exhibitors renewing | 59% |
| New exhibitors | 51% |
| New sponsors | 35% |
| New attendees | 30% |
| Past sponsors renewing | 28% |
| Past attendees | 24% |
| Core market exhibitors | 23% |
| Secondary market exhibitors | 8% |
| Source: TSW and NACS | |
| Author Information |
| Michael Hughes is associate publisher and director of research services for Tradeshow Week. He can be reached at mhughes@reedbusiness.com. |
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