June 2004
2003 Trade Show Attendee Benchmarks
Exhibit Surveys’ report reveals attendees spent more time on the show floor and more days at shows in 2003
By Danica Vasos
 Attendees spent more time on the show floor and more days at shows in 2003, according to a report by Red Bank, NJ-based Exhibit Surveys Inc. Attendees spent an average of 8.9 hours on the show floor in 2003, compared with 8.3 hours in 2002. In addition, attendees spent an average of 2.3 days visiting exhibits, compared with 2.1 days in 2002.
“Overall, trade show attendance has declined slightly, but the quality has not,” says Ian Sequeira, Vice President of Exhibit Surveys. “For many shows there were fewer representatives from each company attending in 2003. So it makes sense that they would spend more time on the show floor and more days at the show.”
The report, compiled from 48 shows in varying industries — such as the medical field, communications or manufacturing — provides statistical data on attendee buying power. It also tracks the quality of attendees and their activity at shows. Among the survey highlights:
• Buying influence remains strong. The number of attendees at trade shows with the ability to influence buying decisions (recommend, specify or purchase) remains strong at 83 percent. That number is unchanged from 2002.
• More than half of attendees will buy this year. The number of attendees planning to make a purchase in the next 12 months increased slightly from 53 percent in 2002 to 54 percent in 2003.
• Traffic decreases. The average traffic density score (which measures the number of attendees per 100 square feet of exhibit space) decreased from 2.3 in 2002 to 2.0 in 2003.
• Fewer first-time attendees. The number of first-time attendees fell from 35 percent in 2002 to 30 percent in 2003.
• More attendees traveled farther to shows. In 2003, an average of 64 percent of attendees traveled more than 400 miles to attend a show, 38 percent came from surrounding states, and 23 percent came from within a 200-mile radius of a show.
Danica Vasos is Editor of EXPO. She can be reached at 913-344-1303 or e-mail dvasos@ascendmedia.com.
This report is based on the results of attendee surveys conducted by Red Bank, NJ-based Exhibit Surveys Inc. for 48 shows held in 2003. (For a complete list of surveyed shows, click here.) Each survey was administered by mail or e-mail shortly after each show. For each survey, a systematic probability sample of about 1000 to 7500 attendees was taken from the registration list at the close of the show. In most cases, exhibit personnel were excluded from the sample. The survey group was sent a detailed questionnaire, a personal cover letter and an incentive for completing the survey, ranging from a $1 bill to a chance to win a cash prize. A per-show response rate of 10 percent to 30 percent was typically obtained.
|
Hi-Tech |
Retail |
Medical |
Manufacturing |
All Shows |
| AUDIENCE QUALITY INDICATORS |
|
|
|
|
|
| Total Buying Plans |
51% |
63% |
57% |
46% |
54% |
| Net Buying Influences |
85% |
89% |
78% |
83% |
83% |
| Final Say |
35% |
53% |
30% |
36% |
39% |
| Specify |
29% |
26% |
25% |
33% |
28% |
| Recommend |
58% |
48% |
60% |
53% |
55% |
| AUDIENCE ACTIVITY INDICATORS |
|
|
|
|
|
| Avg. Hrs. Spent Visiting Exhibits |
9.1 |
10.3 |
7.5 |
9.5 |
8.9 |
| Avg. Days Spent Visiting Exhibits |
2.2 |
2.2 |
2.6 |
2.1 |
2.3 |
| % from Surrounding State |
52% |
41% |
17% |
44% |
38% |
| Within 200 Miles |
26% |
39% |
11% |
29% |
23% |
| Over 400 Miles |
62% |
56% |
77% |
55% |
64% |
| First Time Attendees |
35% |
30% |
21% |
32% |
30% |
| Previous Show Attendance |
37% |
45% |
44% |
35% |
40% |
| Attend No Other Shows |
39% |
36% |
31% |
33% |
36% |
| Regular Attendee |
29% |
32% |
32% |
28% |
30% |
| Traffic Density |
2.4 |
1.4 |
1.7 |
2.1 |
2.0 |
Total buying plans
Percent of attendees planning a purchase
within 12 months of
show |
Net Buying Influences
Percent of attendees with buying power (final say, specify or recommend) |
Average hours
Amount of time an
average attendee
spends visiting exhibits |
New Prospects for Exhibitors
Percent of a booth’s visitors who haven’t had any contact with that company within the previous 12 months |
Traffic Density
Number of attendees occupying every 100 square feet of exhibit space |
The average is 2.0 attendees per 100 net square feet. How does your show rate? (For a formula to calculate traffic density for your show, click here.) Here’s how the top shows increase traffic density on the show floor.
1. Co-locate strategic events. In 2003, the AIIM Conference and Expo and the ON DEMAND Conference and Expo co-located for the first time. “We brought together two events that served different aspects of the product life cycle,” says Brian Randall, General Manager for the Advanstar Technology Group. More than 3,500 visitors attended both shows in 2003 and more than 7,000 visitors attended both shows in 2004, says Randall.
2. Partner with associations and media. “We offer our partners 21 meeting rooms to use free of charge during our event,” says Randall. “If they hold committee meetings or other events at the show, it helps to increase attendance. And these groups help us create a sense of community at the show.” The show features 48 association partners and media sponsors.
3. Design the show floor like a mall. Don’t put all your anchors in the front, says Randall. “Aisles are important, too. We have a 12-foot center aisle that runs from corner to corner so that attendees can see everything,” says Randall. “The worst thing you can do is to create a maze. All our aisles lead to something — a restaurant, a big exhibit, a theater, etc.”
4. Provide education on the show floor. In addition to paid content, Networld+Interop offered 18 free iLab courses — one-hour sessions on the latest technologies — on the show floor at this year’s show. “Also, engineers provide tours of the network that we build on site, part of which is featured throughout the show floor,” says Lenny Heyman, General Manager of N+ I. “This year, more than 4,000 attendees have signed up for the tour.”
5. Offer food and beverage on the floor. On the first day of this year’s show, N+I had a food crawl, starting at 4:30 p.m. and lasting until the show closed at 6 p.m. “It’s a great way to get people back on the show floor at the end of the day,” says Heyman.
SHOWS WITH THE HIGHEST TRAFFIC DENSITY
1. TECHXNY -- 7.5
2. COMDEX -- 7.4
3. NAHB -- 3.9
4. N+I -- 3.6
5. NAB -- 3.3
5. ISA -- 3.3
7. AIIM/OnDemand -- 3.2
8. CES -- 3.0
8. ICE -- 3.0
10. NRA -- 2.9
What percentage of booth visitors are not current customers of exhibitors?
84% of attendees who visited an exhibit had no contact with that company within the previous 12 months
How well do exhibitors attract and engage potential customers?
79% of its potential customers are attracted to the average exhibit
47% of an average exhibitor’s potential customers speak to a staff member when they visit an exhibit
How much do exhibitors spend to reach a potential customer?
$117 for each customer who enters an exhibit
$200 for each customer who talks to a staff member
How qualified are attendees?
78% of booth visitors are interested in the product or service displayed
43% of booth visitors plan to buy the exhibitor’s product or service within the next 12 months
77% of booth visitors have buying influence for the exhibitor’s product or service
Sidebar: How to attract attendees with buying power
In 2003, 83 percent of attendees had net buying influence (specify, recommend or have the final say in purchasing products and services), and 54 percent of attendees planned to purchase within 12 months of the show. Does your show fall below the industry average? Find out how the top shows attract key buyers.
1. Know the decision makers. “We work with an independent research company to conduct in-depth attendee surveys every year,” says Jane Berzan, CAE, Senior Vice President, Events, Marketing and Supplier Relations for the National Association of Convenience Stores. “We ask about their company, their title and their purchasing plans — that analysis allows us to understand which positions have influence over purchasing decisions, which products they plan to purchase and to estimate the amount of their planned expenditures as a direct result of attending our show.”
2. Target your marketing. “We spend about 80 percent of our show promotion budget on attendee marketing,” says Berzan. “We send targeted marketing pieces to as many as 10 different types of buyers with customized messages about how to most effectively work the show floor, which education sessions are most relevant to them, and which networking opportunities appeal to them.”
3. Promote new product introductions at your show. To get the top buyers, you’ve got to have the newest products, says Berzan. “To encourage exhibitors to introduce new products in conjunction with the NACS Show, we have several new-product-focused initiatives in place, including: a new product showcase that features hundreds of recently introduced products placed in a high exposure location; a print piece which serves as a preview and is mailed in advance of the show; and, a dedicated area on the show floor for first-time exhibitors,” she says.
4. Ask your exhibitors. “We ask key exhibitors ‘Who’s not at the show that you want to see?’” says Berzan. “Then we will personally call them and invite them to the show.”
5. Qualify attendees. E3 has a stringent attendee qualification process to control the growth of attendance and maintain the quality. Each registrant is required to supply two forms of industry credentials (business license, business ads, commercial lease, company credit card, employee W-2 form, paycheck stub or resale tax certificate). “Attendees are able to enter their initial registration online, however, their application is held in queue until their faxed materials are received, reviewed and approved,” says Mary Dolaher, Vice President, Events, for E3.
6. Hone your list. “Our marketing team works closely with a list broker to research the most highly qualified and reliable lists,” says Dolaher. “We continue to refine our list selection criteria and look for all available sources of quality lists. By capturing response information on various selects and data elements within our lists, we continue to weed out the lower responding segments.”
7. Develop the right media partners. You can reach the right buyers if you market to those buyers in the publications they read, says Eric Faurot, General Manager of COMDEX. In 2003, COMDEX worked with about 75 media partners, from Fortune and PC Magazine to XML Journal and Government Computer News. COMDEX used targeted ads for each audience.
8. Offer high-level education for decision makers. “We offer education geared toward CEOs and company presidents,” says Taly Walsh, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Membership for InfoComm. The show features numerous business development, project management and strategic planning courses.
9. Build relationships with key buyers. “We have someone on staff who is dedicated to audience development,” says Don Berey, Group Director for Gainshare Media LLC, which produces the SuperFloral show. “They pick up the phone and personally call about 300 companies to talk to them about the show and who should be attending. It builds a relationship with the buyers, and we get feedback on improvements for the show.” For the Natural Products West show, “we personalize buyer programs based on their needs,” says Brian Henderson, Executive Vice President. “We focus on eliminating their objections for attending the show. We treat attendance like exhibit sales. We’ll go out and personally visit with buyers to sell them on the show.”
10. Expand your attendee base. A few years ago InfoComm began to target end-users as a new audience segment. To attract them, InfoComm partnered with end-user groups and publications to develop their prospect list and market the show.
1. SuperFloral -- 97%
2. National Association of Convenience Stores -- 95%
3. Exhibitor Show -- 95%
4. Natural Products West -- 94%
5. InfoComm -- 94%
6. NAB -- 93%
7. Comdex -- 92%
8. WorldWide Food Expo -- 92%
9. TS2 -- 91%
10. ALA (tie) -- 90%
10. TechXNY (tie) -- 90%
1. E3 -- 83%
2. CES -- 82%
3. National Association of Convenience Stores -- 80%
4. Comdex -- 75%
5. WorldWide Food Expo -- 74%
6. International Builders Show -- 71%
7. InfoComm -- 71%
8. Natural Products West -- 70%
9. Exhibitor Show -- 70%
10. NAB -- 67%
| Traffic Density (TD)= |
N x tv x 100
A x ts |
| Where: |
N = Net Attendance = _____ (excludes exhibitors, press, and staff)
A = Total exhibit space = _____ net sq. ft.
tv = Average time attendees spent at the exhibits = ___ hours
ts = Total hours the exhibits were open = ___ hours | |
