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Launching products is much easier online these days. Launching relationships isn't as easy. Learning is also important.
I hope we don't lose the Conference aspect of Tradeshows so soon.
The conference, however, tends to treat trade show exhibitors like second-class citizens to prevent them from "tainting" the educational aspect of their workshops, etc. And the attendees are encouraged subtly to do the same.
So, quit exhibiting, pay more for the conference and go to meet other people. It will make your online product/service launch easier and faster.
Conferences, yes; trade shows, no.
If I *must* go to a show, I don't buy tickets, I just open a tab at the bar in the lobby of the nearest hotel or bar. Its where everyone goes anyway to "get away from the racket and have a conversation". Don't tell the folks running these shows, but that's how I've "attended" their overpriced soirées for the past three years.
Having the opportunity to meet company presidents and reps one on one has afforded me lots of business opportunities - from reviewing equipment to picking up contractual work. It also allows me to see all these people and their new offerings in one location.
For my industry, it has little to do with bloggers or social networks - except that we get a heads up on what to look for.
By the way, if face to face isn't important - why do you travel so much?
Individually many of these happenings appear small and insignificant but it's where the relationships are formed that create the army evangelizing the product launched from the living room.
I think instead of these great services (vimeo etc) killing big shows, they could complement them. Free viral marketing, video streams, PR, and positive network effects - now that's the chocolate fudge cake of marketing, right? If we all embrace the ecosystem, the thousands of us that cannot afford tickets (yet), and even when we can - would love to see you interviewing people randomly throughout the day, we trust you to decide the people or project presentations that you think we want to hear about.
If for example bloggers like yourself streamed more than the official event organisers currently do (and they are doing it a lot - Giga Om does a great job using Mogulus) then we would all get the access (and laughs) that doesn't kill but promotes these events. Huge free viral PR for the people that are saving up for next year's ticket to Le Web, ;-)
On that note here is the UStream from LeWeb
http://www.lewebparis.com/2008/12/leweb-live-3-...
Must say though - if you stop going to these things, they will get killed off. They should be paying you all good money to attend. How would you calculate the value of that?!
Could the 44,000 perceive it as them being shunned by a company that thinks they are too good to party with them?
It could be equal to the guest of honor not showing up for their own birthday party.
What kind of damage can that unhappy 44,000 do to the company's image?
Sometimes you spend money to make money, other times you spend it so you don't lose money.
If you want to enter a new market its better to talk to your local network and see who has contacts in the market/country/city you want to enter and get introductions its gives people a sense of trust.
Also digital media has made a difference; however in the service industry traditional meet and greets and attending networking events these in conjunction with digital media(websites, newsletters, blogs, email pdf brochures mail outs) have killed the expo/show.
Most people who aren't attending the show don't have the time or want the expense of going as you often as a visitor get very little ROI as well.
So from both sides its better not to attend and just go to a conference at least you get some information that may be beneficial plus people are more open and genuine at conferences as they don't feel the pressure of the business card/small talk shuffle.
Every January (and previously, because of MacWorlds in NYC and Boston, in the June-August timeframe) they had to send some products out the door that had to meet the expectations of tons of people (which, as of late, these products have disappointed a majority of these people). They prefer their own private events where they can be more in control of what they release (such as the iPod events in the early fall).
It is quite unfortunate, but without Apple I will not expect to see a MWSF '11 despite the strong 3rd party developer and community attendance. All of these reasons add up to Apple leaving MacWorld as well as the overall decline of these trade shows in general.
Changes in the world demand changes in how news is reported and business is done... IMHO this isn't something to worry about, it's just change.
I went to COMDEX every year until the Internet killed it. Even Apple used to show off products there - I remember seeing the Newton for the first time at COMDEX 92 or so.
Now Apple can hold a small press conference and get nationwide media coverage, and even smaller companies have lots of options for getting exposure. Even in the days before Youtube and blogs, a major publisher I worked with decided not to exhibit at COMDEX because the cost was too high for the return compared with online advertising.
Same with Apple - they dropped out of COMDEX a few years before it crashed and burned, and it wasn't because of blogs or online video or social networks. It was because of the Wall Street Journal and Wired magazine and the fact that people could load Apple's website any time they wanted news from Apple.
Just because Facebook and Qik are the cool things now doesn't mean they started this trend. It's been going on for probably 10 years, and new forms of online expression just speed it up.
http://ourmaninside.com/2008/12/14/politics-and...
I see some instant parallels to how Apple approach 'getting the news out' and how Reuters are doing the same.
I'm not surprised that Apple has pulled out of MacWorld; the timing astounds me. What I'd love to know is who was Steved? The timing smells of payback.
We'll keep going to the trade shows that show direct returns (Interop, FOSE and others) and dump those that don't, but to say the trade show is dead is well, just brain dead IMHO.
As to Howard's early points, face to face is still important in making an impact. But to your point, that doesn;t have to be a big trade show. Social networks also facilitate smaller face-to-face meetups, but mostly are opportunisitc, rather than creating the destination points that trade shows are.
As someone else pointed out above, Boston/Valley/New York types and some others lose little, but anyone traveling from somewhere else doesn't have the network for face-to-face interaction that the tech hub dwellers do. (I'm in Boston btw)
I really don't understand where a lot of the costs go - until you get the bill from the union workers.
A lot of companies aren't there for the press coverage or the parties or the lavish Sony and Samsung booths. They're there to score a few sales, partnerships, better industry contacts, whatever. For these people, a trade show like CES, where everyone is in the same place at the same time, is cheaper than shuttling reps all over the country making individual stops (and granted, web conferencing is cheaper still). I shared a cab with a salesman and his bluetooth headset last year, and judging from his conversation, I'd never heard of his company but their CES ROI was great. These guys will keep CES alive, even if the show morphs into a more typical trade show.
Though I enjoyed going to trade shows for years, I hardly ever go anymore - as most of the stuff I'll see there is something I've already seen on the internet or received by email.
Though actually getting to meet the people face-to-face might be interesting when we're doing some business, most of the "search" can now be done remotely instead of walking through corridors... And as it was said, it's far too expensive for small companies to get some space in there as well - while on the internet... anyone can have their website.
May I be ubergeeky and quote Battlestar Galactica?
"All this has happened before, and all of it will happen again."
Bloggers killing trade shows? Nah. It's cost, pure and simple. It's part of a cycle.
Comdex imploded long before blogging was commonplace. Remember PC Expo? It's history, too. Many others are gone. But new ones rise to take their places.
These big shows become wildly popular. Hotel & exhibit space costs rise. Big companies spend big money, but when the economy goes south, so do their marketing & travel budgets. Big moments of chest-thumping - which is all a trade is, really - are often the first things to get cut.
Of course, you could argue that the LAST thing you should cut in a downturn is a chance to tell your story, but that's another blog post, isn't it?
Anyway, bloggers have a tendency to think the world revolves around them. They see the giant slain and figure the killer rock must have come from their sling. Not the case, at least in this case.
It's a cycle. It's happened before, and it will happen again.
Dwight.
I joined CEA because I found and still find CES the most exciting experience on the planet. It is vibrant and allows you to use all five senses to see the best and newest stuff and how companies position themselves. Our entire corporate culture is based on the fact that innovation can come from anywhere and we have to run the show so the smallest entrepreneur with an idea can inexpensively expose it to investors, media and retailers from around the world.
Trade shows work for me because I need the human interaction. Just like real life. Technology is great. But I still need the thrill of holding my wife's hand.
I have a day job as a programmer for a Medical Ass. the conference is a big money maker for my company and the exhibitors. So attendance has great ROI for all parties ( My company, the exhibitors and the attending M.D.s). The education of the M.D.s is what drives this.
But in my side biz of an online kiteboarding shop (http://WindyDevil.com) I have not seen a need to go to any tradeshow. Walking around a large hall to meet with manufactures has no ROI. What I have been doing in this case is going to beach expos and contests that give me ROI because it meet lots of people form manufactures to potential customers and have fun doing the sport I love.
I live in S.F. and I don't even go to MacWorld anymore.
-Chris
As a couple of folks have pointed out above, events are also the origin of an enormous amount of social media. Video, live blogging/tweeting, etc extend the reach of any show activity. Good events are the source of so much content for bloggers, and the source of so many connections for everyone-- we may all be pickier about which events to attend this year, but we'll still want to go to the revelant and compelling ones.
If you're Apple, and you have stores on every corner, perhaps you don't need a show to focus attention on your products (though notice that they're still doing WWDC...a developer ecosystem still needs a lot of stoking). If you're not Apple, I'd be very careful how you evaluate live events.
More on this here: http://blog.web2expo.com/2008/12/macworld-loses...
small world, eh?
dt
Trade Shows only work (have only ever worked) for both groups when combined with conferences/low-cost training or when you (as a product consumer) already have done your research and want an in-person meeting.
Biz dev using Trade shows to build relationships? Unless you prebook mtgs, it's like hoping the right fish swims by and jumps in your boat.
Trade Shows are still at the lagging end of the decision cycle to buy or to launch.
SN tools are for everything in the "front end of innovation".
It's not web 2.0 that's killing trade shows. It's the economy. No one is spending money. No one is traveling. Face to face events will return when the economy stabilizes. But never the same as before because there will be a healthy blend of virtual, extending the reach of face2face events globally for those who can't attend live.
Blogging, social networks, web 2.0 collaboration tools, and virtual events build and sustain business relationships ...... especially during economic downturns.
Bloggers all went these shows can't exist without out us, storm the gates, and then once they got bored (about 3 years later), the spin be that all these shows can't exist without us, make us excited again. Temper your one-day news and live blogging-egos, it was never about you in the first place, which is why CES will thrive.
It's a good gig if you got history/scale, as not many people(competitor) would dare to start one, unless they can find a different niche/focus (E3, CeBit, CES)
This is the same for B2B conferences in various industries/sectors (e.g. Telecoms: IIR, IBC, Informa, Finance: euromoney, FT, economists) however, one thing is for sure, most so so organisers (especially the market leaders) tend to become blinkered and develop narrow field vision, namely, they focus too much on sponsors need (rather than paying attendees or even key stake holders' requirements)
Therefore, in the end, we see things like these MacWorld saga (not knowing the background/real story, the organiser may have asked apple to how best to appease them, it might be too late or they might not have even asked because they thing they have scale!? Anyone knows?)
Key however is that trade show/conferences alike, need to be focused, and as mentioned the internet/video/blogging change that, but mostly so far within the FMCG market, let's so on B2B, they are still quite niche & sometimes internally focused. E.g. Challenges of rating, not easily understood derivatives/"structured products" (or zero cost products, CDO, CDS) are already well known in the finance sector.
One thing is for sure, pulling a few (or even big number) of key senior industry guys together is not difficult, IF you already has built up the trusted relationships.
Many conference organisers may have lost sight of key Focus/benefits are clearly relationship buildings.. Cost vs benefits for attendees/sponsors quite frequently don't add up.
Therefore, finding the balance or win-win is KEY!
I personally prefer 4-10 people maximum lunch/evening functions of senior people are most effective!
@garethwong
Until this economic downturn tradeshows on average were growing not shrinking. When the economy comes back tradeshows and other face to face mediums will be as strong as ever.
As for Apple dropping out. I would love to talk to you about that as well. I am sure they had their own reasons and money was most likely a part of that equation but Apple is a very poor example to use vs. normal companies. They have long proved themselves to be for Apple and only Apple. For some reason lots of fanboys think that's great. I don't.
Tradeshows are not meant for consumers, or hobbyists. They are meant for professional buyers, sellers and press. They are the pulse of each industry they represent. Big companies, small companies, new technologies, industry trends and so much more. MacWorld is really more of a consumer show / tradeshow hybrid.
CES is a great example of a tradeshow and a very well run, and very high ROI event. If you ask any exhibitor on their tradeshow floor I would wager 8 out of 10 will tell you they got their moneys worth and it is a must attend event for them. They are huge because they are a great association, have a great team running their event but more than anything they are a reflection of their industry and I think Gary would agree with that. The consumer electronics industry is huge covering almost every aspect of our lives and businesses and it has been booming for several years now.
If you like I would love spending some time walking a show floor with you and comparing the way you walk a tradeshow floor vs the way I do it. What you see vs. what I see, and what you look for vs. what I look for.
As a salesperson I can tell you that I find tradeshows to be the single most effective sales tool I have ever used and offer the highest ROI of any sales process. In fact industry data backs my own personal experience up.
I will sign so folks can take my perspective with a grain of salt but I have attended, exhibited and organized litterally hundreds of events.
Rick Calvert
CEO & Co-founder
BlogWorld & New Media Expo