TIM LESMEISTER - Trade Show Executive
TIM LESMEISTER - Trade Show Executive
TIM LESMEISTER - Trade Show Executive
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Continued from page 9<br />
White Paper Says Audits Reassure<br />
Exhibitors in Recession<br />
By Hil Anderson, senior editor<br />
Shelton, CT – A new survey indicates that<br />
the quality of the attendees rather than<br />
their sheer numbers is the primary factor<br />
in an exhibitor’s decision to take part in a<br />
particular trade show.<br />
The survey led to a white paper<br />
released this month by BPA Worldwide<br />
that supported the idea that an attendance<br />
audit is a valuable tool for show<br />
organizers to prove that their events offer<br />
a solid ROI even if the overall crowd<br />
count of the show is down.<br />
“With today’s economic climate, we<br />
are already seeing a drop in trade show<br />
attendance,” said Glenn Hansen, president<br />
and CEO of BPA Worldwide. “Data from<br />
an independent event audit, however,<br />
means organizers can drill down into their<br />
event’s attendance figures and identify<br />
exhibitors’ target markets.”<br />
The white paper, available on the BPA<br />
Worldwide website, was compiled from a<br />
survey of approximately 6,600 exhibitor<br />
contacts at companies of various sizes<br />
conducted late last Fall. The results<br />
showed companies making plans to scale<br />
back exhibiting in 2009 and that 40% had<br />
seen traffic at their exhibits falling off<br />
during 2008.<br />
Exhibitors Accept Lower Attendance if<br />
Quality Remains High<br />
But the size of the crowds was less<br />
of a concern than the quality of the<br />
attendees who did show up. The survey<br />
found that 46% of exhibitors rated<br />
attendee quality as the No. 1 reason to<br />
attend a show, an opinion held by 61%<br />
of chief marketing officers and 55% of<br />
vice presidents in charge of advertising or<br />
marketing.<br />
Small companies were more apt to<br />
base their exhibiting decisions on attendee<br />
quality than large companies, although<br />
28% of large companies significantly<br />
valued attendance audits compared to<br />
22% of mid-sized companies and 8% of<br />
small companies.<br />
As the global economy continues<br />
down an uncertain road, BPA pointed<br />
out that marketers are being held<br />
accountable for every spending decision<br />
in every media platform. “Event audits<br />
are the obvious answer for organizers<br />
who can use the data to set their show<br />
apart from their competitors,” the paper<br />
said, “and for exhibitors who can use<br />
attendance demographics to choose the<br />
right event, staff their booth appropriately<br />
and provide accountability to senior<br />
management.”<br />
<strong>Show</strong> Selection is a Group Effort<br />
A number of exhibit/event managers<br />
and event coordinators (28%) indicate<br />
show selection is a group decision<br />
involving sales, marketing, product<br />
development, senior management and<br />
other titles. When making exhibiting<br />
decisions, the highest ranked tools for<br />
supporting those decisions, according to<br />
BPA, were:<br />
• Historical performance/exit surveys<br />
(63%),<br />
• Exhibitor-supplied promotional<br />
materials (59%),<br />
• Input/references from other exhibitors<br />
(58%), and<br />
• <strong>Trade</strong> show/event audits (41%).<br />
Down Time is the Right Time<br />
Organizers who may be concerned<br />
that launching an audit program would<br />
result in a jarring drop from their<br />
unaudited attendance figures might<br />
actually find the recession to be an<br />
opportune time since the downturn has<br />
already created volatility and uncertainty<br />
in attendance.<br />
“An economic downturn coupled<br />
with an event audit can be a perfect<br />
combination for starting anew,” Hansen<br />
said. “Marketers are expecting attendance<br />
to be down. An audit proves you are being<br />
proactive in the eyes of your exhibitors.”<br />
The event audit’s demographic<br />
breakdown allows organizers to prove<br />
that their show continues to deliver the<br />
same key buyers as in better times, even<br />
Continued on page 12<br />
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