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To Tradeshow or not to Tradeshow, that is the Question

February 8th, 2022 by Kenneth Abrahams

Long before anyone had heard of COVID or its variants, trade associations, and the tradeshows, conferences, and conventions they sponsored, were in trouble. It used to be that if you wanted to learn about new products or trends in your industry one of the only ways to do it was to physically attend one of these events. It brought together sellers, buyers, and an educational component that you really couldn’t find elsewhere. For example, if you own an amusement park and want to add a new multimillion-dollar thrill ride, you went to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo (IAAPA). As the internet has expanded and people are much more comfortable researching and purchasing online, the need for these events seems to be less crucial than it used to be. You can research products quickly, comparing specs all without ever leaving your home or office.

So, is there really value in attending these things anymore? Is it worth the time out of your office or the cost? This is on my mind because next week myself and several other people in our offices along with all our speakers will be packing our toys and heading to Kansas City for the National Association for Campus Activities annual convention called NACA Live. During most of the pandemic, we have avoided in-person tradeshows, if they even happened. Repeatedly, the question was asked, is it worth the potential risk? Several months ago, we started doing these live conferences to get our name back out there, hoping to return to our pre-COVID business routine. We continue to ask ourselves, on a very regular basis, why attend and is it worth it?

This is a decision that every organization and individual needs to make for themselves, but before you go, take a few moments, and ask yourselves these questions:

1. What will I get by attending that I can’t get from doing research online?

2. What is the overall cost, not just money but time and effort as well?

3. Can we, as an organization, and I, as an individual, afford the time and the cost to go?

4. Can we, as an organization, and I, as an individual, afford not to go?

5. If you are a vendor, will you meet perspective new clients?

6. If you will meet perspective new clients, will there be enough of them to make it worthwhile?

7. As a business, are we well known enough to the attendees of this conference that another opportunity and a different show may be a better way to allocate our funds?

8. If I am going as an attendee, what are my overall goals?

a. Is it just for education and exposure?

b. Am I looking for new products or vendors?

c. Do I have new co-workers or people that I supervise that will benefit from this?

d. Will I save money and time by meeting with various suppliers in a short amount of time and availing myself of show specials?

e. Am I attending just to connect with old friends and enjoy the social component?

f. Is there a significant educational component that will provide me with new information and strategies to do things differently or better?

g. Is the decision to attend being made at a higher level?

Not easy questions to answer. Often, we head to these shows because we have always attended, and people expect us to be there. There is a lot to think about as you plan to either exhibit or attend one of these events. Pre-COVID, we didn’t spend as much time thinking about many of those questions, but we do now. It always seemed as if it was the cost of doing business, for better or worse. We have seen participant numbers drop as some educational institutions have implemented travel bans and some companies whose resources, either financial or staffing, have been impacted and they have decided to pass on attending.

There is a part of me that is excited to attend. It has been two years since I last attended a live tradeshow. Years ago, United Airlines did a commercial about a business that just got fired by a long term customer. In the commercial the President or CEO tells his staff they were fired because their client didn’t know them anymore. (Here is the link if you want to watch it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU2rpcAABbA) His solution was to put his people on the road to visit every one of their customers. Yes, this commercial is 30 years old, and the world has changed. Ecommerce is alive and well as some brick and mortars are shuttering their businesses. Ritz Camera, Circuit City and many others still exist but only as websites owned by some other company that bought the name. Being a 60 plus year old Baby Boomer, I understand and relate to that commercial. Of course, I use texts, Zoom, emails, the occasional social media posts, and other methods of communication to stay in touch with my clients but I am more comfortable talking to them face to face. Like the CEO in that ad, I want to know who I am doing business with. I want to be able to look them in the eye and hear what their concerns and frustrations are. For me, that interaction is still best in person. To be masked for 8 to 10 hours a day is not super appealing, but that is a small price to pay for that face to face, or mask

to mask, interaction.

Having seen the delegate list for NACA Live 2022, the numbers are down from where they were 2 years ago in Denver. Many of the colleges and universities that we work with on a regular basis are not attending this year. Schools, students, and staff that I truly look forward to reconnecting with won’t be there, and some of my personal favorites have left the field. It begs the question; did we make the right call? Should we have stayed home and waited until the Fall conference season? Since we haven’t yet attended, it is too early to tell but I believe we made the right call. Like that company in the ad, we need to reconnect with folks and get back out there. Besides, I love BBQ and there are few better places in this country to have some good stick to the ribs BBQ than Kansas City. Sorry North and South Carolina. As an organization, we will continue to ask those questions about future shows. Pandemic or no pandemic, it makes for a great discussion.

About the author:

Ken Abrahams has attended trade shows and conferences for more than 40 years. He has seen changes that he considers both good and bad come and go, over time. Although, standing in a both for hours on end doesn’t excite him, meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends does.

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