Despite Slow Economy, Shows Post Gains

It might be too soon to call it a trend, but some recent tradeshows are trumpeting major upswings in exhibitors, attendees and sponsors – rays of sunshine in what has been a mostly bleak year or two.

Case in point: Although the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival focuses on an upscale demographic and even raised ticket prices for its Nov. 18-22 event, that didn't hurt business one bit. A record 9,000-plus wine and food enthusiasts attended the event held in several locations around San Diego, compared with 8,000 in 2008, said Michelle Metter, a partner in Fast Forward Event Productions, which produces the show. Exhibit sales at the show also rose 29 percent.

Meanwhile, Messe Frankfurt's semiannual Texworld USA, held Jan. 19-21 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York, featured 139 exhibitors from 14 countries and 2,468 attendees, a 20-percent increase, compared with last year's 2,031.

And The NAMM Show for the music products industry, held Jan. 14-17 at the Anaheim Convention Center, attracted 87,569 registrants, a 2-percent increase, compared with last year. Plus, among NAMM's reported 1,373 exhibitors were nearly 250 new companies – a record.

The evidence does seem to indicate that things are looking up, according to Michael Hughes, vice president of research and consulting for Tradeshow Week.

“Travel and exhibitor budgets have stabilized and business leaders are getting more confident, but there is still uncertainty, and this is also benefiting shows,” Hughes said. “Attendees are going to shows to stay connected to what's going on, and exhibitors need leads and to show their industry that they survived the recession.”

Other shows covering the consumer electronics and specialty food trade sectors also posted recent attendance gains.

The San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival credited partnerships for its success.

“Our partners are key, and we deliver the right kind of audience,” Metter said. She added her strategy was to increase ticket prices just enough to ensure qualified, high-end attendees (and to limit attendance to a certain extent because of the venues' finite capacities). Last year, ticket prices went from $100 for general admission and $150 for VIPs in 2008 to $125 and $175, respectively.

Sponsorship revenue increased 55 percent. Unlike most consumer shows, the San Diego show generates hotel room nights. With a little work, Metter said, the number of hotel sponsorships grew from four to 47.

“Some show producers are married to what they've done before,” she added. “We reach out for new ideas, we're creative in exhibitor prospecting and give them maximum exposure at the show.”

While Texworld USA exhibitors were apprehensive about the state of the U.S. economy, the positive turnout demonstrated that buyers were determined to ride out current conditions.

David Audrain, president of Messe Frankfurt North America, said the show has never been more valuable or relevant than in these turbulent economic times, and, he added, he expected a strong July show with many new and returning textile mills exhibiting.

Texworld USA exhibitors exclusively are direct-apparel fabric mills, and all buyer-attendees are qualified before being allowed to register. Messe Frankfurt also offers significant extra services to its top 300 buyers, including some one-on-one specific matchmaking with key mill representatives.

The show, like many others, declined by every measure between 2008 and last year, but this year's attendance exceeded 2008's, which had been the best winter show ever – until now.

“Our decline in attendance in 2009 was actually not too bad, compared to what other shows experienced last year,” Audrain said. “The most important thing for us was that we maintained, and even increased in some areas, our marketing efforts for both the 2009 and 2010 shows. Even though we missed revenue targets in both years, we maintained our marketing investment and even spent more where it was valuable.”

Kevin Johnstone, director of tradeshows for NAMM, the Intl. Music Products Assn., said his show successfully is positioned as a can't-miss event, but, he added, he knows he must provide the content that makes it so. Therefore, he spends time listening to members and analyzing their feedback.

And the show remains affordable, Johnstone said. Membership in NAMM is inexpensive and comes with admission to the show. The price per square foot is one of the lowest in the business, he added, and includes a generous drayage allowance.

Johnstone said he hoped this year's numbers signaled a “comeback tour” for the tradeshow industry. Exhibitors reported great sales and there seemed to be a tremendous amount of optimism for the coming year, he added.

At the Consumer Electronics Assn.'s Jan. 7-10 Intl. CES in Las Vegas, preliminary registration figures indicated there were more than 120,000 attendees, up from last year's 113,085 attendees, according to CEA officials. International attendance increased by more than 1,000. More than 2,500 technology companies, including a record 330 new exhibitors, introduced 20,000-plus new products.

The global consumer electronics industry knows CES is the must-attend event for seeing innovations, networking and deals, said Tara Dunion, CEA's director of communications.

“As we come out of the economic downturn, attendees are focusing on making their companies as productive and successful as possible, and they know they need to be at CES to do so,” she added. “With companies cutting back on travel to customers, the 2010 CES was the first time that many could have face-to-face meetings with key clients.”

The Natl. Assn. for the Specialty Food Trade's Winter Fancy Food Show, held Jan. 17-19 at Moscone Center in San Francisco, also posted its highest attendance in five years, drawing 16,780 specialty food buyers, an 8-percent increase, compared with nearly 15,500 attendees last year. The 1,300 exhibitors included 184 first-timers. Participation in the conference program also was up 47 percent, according to Ann Daw, NASFT president.

“There is clearly positive momentum in our industry as consumers start to spend again on distinctive foods and beverages that add enjoyment to their meals,” Daw said.