Growing Pains For earthNOW
Lisa Plummer -- Tradeshow Week, 6/12/2008 2:58:00 PM
The launch of earthNOW Expo demonstrated that first-time tradeshows, especially those in the crowded green marketplace, don’t always start with a bang. Held at the Las Vegas Convention Center June 4-5, the show for eco-friendly consumer products and services proved to be a more intimate gathering than initially planned.
Instead of the projected 250 exhibitors and 2,000 attendees, 40 green product manufacturers, distributors and service suppliers and a handful of attendees occupied approximately 10,000 square feet of space. Although pre-registration attendance numbered 350, according to earthNOW Show Director Bob Peters, there appeared to be significantly fewer on the showfloor.
Despite a quieter launch than expected, and some exhibitors more unhappy than could be considered desirable, Peters, who also owns the show, remained optimistic. He said he believed that even though the show's concept was on target, every launch has its challenges.
“If you’ve been in the industry for a while, you know it’s pretty difficult to start a new show. … It’s rarely gangbusters right out the door,” Peters said. “(Also) it’s hard when everybody wants to come to a first-year show to walk it, but nobody wants to buy into it.”
Nevertheless, several exhibitors, who preferred not to be identified, said they felt the show was poorly organized, badly marketed and that they were misled by management's representation of the show's expected size.
Not everybody was disgruntled though.
“The quality (of buyers) is better than the quantity,” said exhibitor Ken Hubscher, vice president of marketing for Ingredients Matter Intl. “We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response.”
Attendee Christine Hoover, owner of Green Products Solutions, said that even though she wasn’t overly impressed with the variety of vendors, she believed the educational sessions were worth her price of admission.
“(The show) seems very new, very ‘green’ in the green business,” she added, “but it’s good to get your feet wet (with a show) when it’s small. I may exhibit next year.”
Speaker Gillian Christie, founder and CEO of Christie Communications, said she believed other factors also impacted the show’s business.
“I think we’re observing the price-of-oil phenomenon, and it's expensive to travel now,” Christie said. “I think the idea (for the show) is right, the time is right, the need is right - the oil price is wrong."
Whatever the factors, it appears that Peters has his work cut out for him if he wants to keep earthNOW alive and kicking. His strategy for next year? Hone in on identifying the marketplace, find more green product buyers and bump up marketing efforts, he said. Peters added that he is seriously considering collocating earthNOW with another industry-related event in 2009.
“Hopefully, three years from now the show will be successful,” he said. “People realize it’s a valid concept and they want to get themselves in that marketplace. I think we have something … I’m excited about the future.”
Dates have been tentatively set for earthNOW to return to the LVCC June 4-5.
