September 2005
Marketwatch: Staffing
Outlook for hiring looks solid for 2006
By Danica Tormohlen
The exhibition industry appears to be in line with other industries when it comes to hiring expectations in the coming months, with 42 percent of show organizers planning to increase staffing budgets an average of 11 percent in 2006, according to the 163 show organizers who responded to an online survey conducted by EXPO Magazine and Exhibit Surveys Inc. in June 2005. In comparison, according to the National Association for Business Economics (NABE, www.nabe.com) Industry Survey released in July 2005, 42 percent of NABE members are expecting increases in employment over the next six months.
“Over the last two quarterly surveys, the percent of respondents expecting increases in employment over the next six months has risen by 12 percent points,” according the NABE survey. More than half (55 percent) of show organizers don’t plan to increase staff budgets in 2006, while 46 percent of NABE members report no change in employment in the next six months.
Where would shows add staff first if they could? Thirty-six percent of show organizers report they would add exhibit sales staff first, followed by 24 percent with marketing staff and 18 percent with administrative assistance. And for-profits want more sales help than associations, with 47 percent of for-profits wanting to add exhibit sales staff first, compared with 28 percent of associations.
Danica Tormohlen is Editor of EXPO. She can be reached at 913-344-1303 or e-mail: dtormohlen@ascendmedia.com.
Volunteers help
33 average number of volunteers who work on association shows
Average staff budget
What’s the total staff budget (full-time and part-time) for your largest show? (only includes direct salary allocation for work on the largest show)
Average spending on temps/third-party vendors
How much do you spend on temps and/or third-party vendors (show management companies, association management companies, advertising/PR agencies, floor management, consulting, etc.)?
Staff budgets in 2006
Do you expect your staffing budget to increase, decrease or stay the same in 2006?
Temp budgets in 2006
Do you expect your temp/third-party vendor budget to increase, decrease or stay the same in 2006?
Help wanted: Sales
If you could add someone to your staff, where is the first place you would add them?
1. Exhibit Sales -- 36%
2. Marketing -- 24%
3. Administrative Assistance -- 18%
4. Operations -- 12%
5. Education/programming/content -- 4%
Other -- 4%
6. Registration/Housing -- 2%
Verbatim
What’s your biggest staffing issue and why?
“All staff of our association are required to work at the show. Some of their jobs are totally unrelated to the show so when they work at the show, they really are just in the way … Because I am a small company, I have a lot of turnover. Staff move on to larger companies with better compensation programs and opportunities to move up … Budget constraints for administrative staffing, limited to seasonal temp assistance, which presents a challenge with the learning curve each year … Lack of trade show industry experience … Finding qualified and effective sales staff … Having entire team see the big picture rather than just their own department deadlines … High turnover since we employ bright young staff.”
More on www.expoweb.com
You’ll find additional exclusive Web-only content from this study, including:
• Who reports to show management
Exhibit sales -- 61%
Operations -- 58%
Registration/Housing -- 46%
Marketing -- 42%
Administration -- 42%
Education/programming/content -- 40%
Other -- 8%
• Profile of survey respondents
What type of organization do you work for?
Trade association/ society/not-for-profit -- 63%
Independent/for-proft -- 36%
Corporate event management -- 2%
What's the total gross revenue of your largest show?
$500,000 or less -- 17%
$500,001-$1 million -- 17%
$1,000,001-$2 million -- 14%
$2,000,001-$3 million -- 13%
$3,000,001-$5 million -- 16%
More than $5 million -- 23%
How much NET exhibit space do you require (in square feet)?
Less than 25,000 -- 7%
25,000-50,000 -- 14%
50,001-100,000 -- 21%
100,001-250,000 -- 30%
250,001-500,000 -- 15%
More than 500,000 -- 12%
• Average staff budgets for association vs. for-profit shows
Association -- $255,000
For-profit -- $268,000
• Expected changes in staffing budgets in 2006 for small vs. large shows, and association vs. for-profit shows
Smaller shows (less than 100,000 NSF)
40% expect to increase staffing budgets in 2006, an average increase of 17%
None expect to decrease staffing budgets in 2006
60% expect staffing budgets to be about the same in 2006
Larger shows (more than 100,000 NSF)
43% expect to increase staffing budgets in 2006, an average increase of 7 percent
6% expect to decrease staffing budgets in 2006
52% expect staffing budgets to be about the same in 2006
Association shows
40% expect to increase staffing budgets in 2006, an average increase of 5%
2% expect to decrease staffing budgets in 2006
58% expect staffing budgets to be about the same in 2006
For-profit shows
44% expect to increase staffing budgets in 2006, an average increase of 20%
5% expect to decrease staffing budgets in 2006
51% expect staffing budgets to be about the same in 2006
EXPO Magazine has partnered with Exhibit Surveys Inc. to conduct the Marketwatch surveys and report the results. For more information about Exhibit Surveys, visit www.exhibitsurveys.com or call 800-224-3170.
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