October 2002
Why are these shows thriving?

Despite the negative effect of Sept. 11, economic woes and spending-conscious companies, four shows thrive by revving up their marketing and promotions efforts.

By Dawn J. Grubb

Any show would be happy to post numbers like the SHOT Show enjoyed in 2002: Near-record attendance at 18,549 buyers — the most since 1997 — and sold-out exhibit space, with more than 1,400 exhibitors occupying 495,000 net square feet of space. And when you realize that overall trade show attendance dropped an average of 4.5 percent and total spending fell 3.2 percent in 2001 (see “B2B Communications Trends,” EXPO, July/August 2002), these numbers are even more impressive.
But they didn’t just happen. A targeted promotional campaign that made it clear that attending the show was vital to their livelihood lured attendees, and a multimedia blitz encouraged exhibitors to tap this ideal audience.

“We were slightly concerned because of the state of other trade shows,” says Doug Painter, President of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) in Newtown, CT, which sponsors the SHOT Show. Although handgun sales spiked after the terrorist attacks, Painter knew the short-term fluctuation wouldn’t boost attendance. To attract gun- and hardware-store owners, as well as armed services and law enforcement representatives, organizers had to work even harder to promote the show’s value as a unique networking and educational forum.
 
No matter what industry you serve, promoting your show’s value is still key. But you must work harder now that the purse strings are tighter. Here’s how four shows have defied the downturn.

Make attendance a must
“Marketing is key — we try to make sure attendees know how important the show is for their business,” says Jim Buckley, Vice President and SHOT Show Manager for Reed Exhibitions in Norwalk, CT. “You can’t keep chopping wood with the same dull ax; you must sharpen your skills by attending the show and learning how to run the best business possible.”
 
Besides offering networking opportunities where business owners could share tips, the 2002 SHOT Show included seminars by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). In addition, this year organizers added SHOT Show University, where more than 150 attendees participated in workshops covering marketing databases, human resources, public relations and community citizenship.
 
Another educational event, the annual state-of-the-industry meeting, updated more than 1,000 industry members on legal victories in municipal lawsuits and on increased participation in the Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Fund, to which 134 companies have pledged a percentage of sales to underwrite legal-defense and public-relations efforts. Painter says the fund, created in response to municipal lawsuits four years ago, helped unify the industry. That unity has benefited not only the NSSF but also SHOT Show attendance.
 
“This is the event for firearms and the outdoor shooting sports industry. There’s no other show like it,” says Buckley. “Most attendees are NSSF members. People really come together when attacked by those who think guns are dangerous. Attendees and exhibitors work to keep shooting sports alive. They become part of a big family.” 
 
This camaraderie, combined with the long history of shooting sports and a loyal following, fosters steady growth, Buckley says. But although more than 100 companies join the show each year, marketing is still essential. “It’s hard to encourage a retailer to leave his shop for four days and come to the show. We must continually find new ways to encourage attendance. We don’t promote with just a brochure and a couple of postcards anymore; we use all media,” he adds.
 
One increasingly important medium is the Internet. As more attendees use the Web, SHOT Show organizers work to make the site more user-friendly, allowing online registration and hotel reservations. Using the Internet for registration, as well as for after-show surveys, cuts costs — a bonus for the show. “But making it easier for customers is the most important thing,” Buckley says.
 
Customer service is the cornerstone of the show’s success, according to both Painter and Buckley. Within a month after the show, organizers survey attendees and exhibitors and react to the feedback (for example, adding a law enforcement segment three years ago). Organizers also handle reservations for air travel, hotels, restaurants, shuttle services and rental cars. “We realize attendees are more in control than ever — they can choose where to spend their money,” Buckley says.
 
Providing an attractive location also helps. Las Vegas, the 2002 location, has always proved successful, Buckley says. He hopes Orlando, FL, host of the 2003 show, will offer similar appeal with its low airfares, plentiful hotels and restaurants, tourist attractions and warm climate. SHOT Show organizers will sweeten the deal with special 25th anniversary offerings: cakes, cocktail parties, a country-western concert and awards for long-term customers. “We make them feel like family. That’s what makes the SHOT Show unique,” says Buckley. “Solid relationships help the show grow.”

Get the word out
An early start and a two-pronged (Internet and print) marketing approach helped the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) achieve record attendance at its 2002 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Denver, Aug. 17-20. The event drew 5,805 attendees, and 850 exhibitors occupied about 3,000 square feet. The 2002 meeting was the second largest in attendance in the show’s 82-year history.
 
“Marketing was a huge factor,” says Susan Robertson, Vice President of Marketing Communications for ASAE. “We realize individuals’ buying power has changed — people think harder about where to spend their money. You have to really hit home why they should attend the show and give them more time to make the decision to attend.”
To that end, show organizers sent information packets to exhibitors six to eight weeks earlier than in previous years and strongly encouraged early reservations. A separate direct-mail piece went to association members; then attendees received preliminary program information.
 
Although Karl Ely, CAE, Publisher/ Advertising Director of Association Management magazine, attributes much of the show’s success to an attention-grabbing direct-mail piece, he stresses the importance of combining print with online marketing. As much as 40 percent of registration comes through the association’s Web site. So e-mail reminders follow direct-mail pieces in a “one-to-one marketing” effort. “Print is effective for our group; the Web site is the catch-all. It’s also an effective way to sell tours because attendees can link to travel partners,” Robertson says.

Location is also key. This year, tours included shopping districts, the home of “Unsinkable” Molly Brown and Rocky Mountain National Park. In addition, attendees enjoyed an Earth, Wind and Fire concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater, an opening reception at the Denver Performing Arts Complex and a “Colorado Adventure at Coors Field” where participants sampled buffalo meat and local microbrewery offerings. “Denver is a great city: lots of attractions and beautiful scenery,” Robertson says. 

Of course, scenery and attractions are gravy; the meat of the meeting is education. This year’s show offered sessions in accounting, communications, finance and administration, government relations, management, marketing and technology, as well as a two-day symposium on meetings and expositions. “Our lineup of educational programs is as deep as it’s ever been,” says Robertson. “Curriculum geared toward running an association makes this the best event in the industry.”

Find your niche
Being the best — and biggest — trade show for a specific industry can let you not only weather a harsh economy but actually benefit from it. Take Messe Frankfurt’s Light+Building 2002, for example. In its second year, this Frankfurt, Germany-based trade fair saw 20 percent more exhibitors (2,215 vs. 1,810), 20 percent more exhibition space (121,388 square meters vs. 100,219) and 13 percent more attendees (118,500 vs. 104,536).

So how does an international show in its sophomore year achieve double-digit growth when established national events are floundering? Roland Bleinroth, president of Messe Frankfurt’s U.S. operations in Atlanta, credits a weakened U.S. economy among the success factors. “Attendees and exhibitors are concentrating on what’s crucial to their business — that typically means the leading trade show will remain, if not be enhanced by, the economy,” he says. “Other shows downsized or were even scratched.”

Light+Building established itself by cornering a niche market (lighting, electrical engineering, air conditioning and building automation) that large industrial trade shows weren’t serving. Though organizers knew they had a winning concept, convincing industry members to buy in proved challenging. “You’re asking the customer to put money down on trust — that you’ll deliver what you promise,” says Bleinroth. “If you don’t impress them the first time, there won’t be a second and third.” 

Impressing exhibitors and attendees takes creativity, work and money, he adds. To build excitement, Messe Frankfurt organized extravagant nightly light shows throughout the city. But the real focus is on the quality of the trade fair. To ensure the right mix of exhibitors and attendees, managers carefully control growth and expand space cautiously. “Unlike U.S. shows, we restrict growth on exhibitors if attendance growth isn’t parallel,” says Bleinroth. “Growth may not be best for the long-term development of the show.”

Achieving the desired growth despite post-9/11 fear of flying required specialized marketing. To lure wary travelers, U.S. promotions emphasized increased security. The approach worked — 25 percent of attendees traveled abroad to reach the show, and the number of U.S. attendees rose 13 percent. “We have 68 offices worldwide; we can do a quick marketing effort on a dime and implement changes fast,” says Bleinroth. “You can never be comfortable in the trade show business — you always need to change and react.”

Embrace change
Rolling with the changes meant finding a new location for the 2002 Utah International Auto Expo, a consumer show. When the 2002 Olympic Games forced the show out of its traditional Salt Palace venue in Salt Lake City, the change turned out to be a blessing. Organizers moved to the new South Towne Exposition Center in Sandy, UT, about 30 minutes away. Their rewards were easier venue access, free parking and a 16.7 percent attendance increase.

“I think the planets were aligned — the place was absolutely packed!” says Craig Bickmore, Executive Director of the Utah Automobile Dealers Association, which sponsors the show. “It was the most successful consumer show in Salt Lake.”

Despite a snowstorm, more than 350,000 attendees lined up outside the center to visit the more than 35 auto manufacturers occupying 285,000 square feet. Bickmore credits the new location, where the show will remain for now, as well as great products (exciting concept cars and 0 percent financing deals) and promotion for the show’s record-setting attendance. “We had a local media buyer who just promoted the heck out of it,” he says. “Most of the media attention was on the Games, but the buyer was able to really spread the word.”

For regional shows, a local media buyer who knows your specific market can be more effective than a national buyer, Bickmore continues. For example, NASCAR is popular in the South but isn’t a big draw at the Utah show, where consumers are more interested in the mix of exotic, concept, antique and new cars. Attendees range in age from 20 to 80, drive to the show from within a 40-mile radius and bring lots of kids. Keeping these factors in mind lets show organizers tailor events for attendees and offer something for everyone.

The strategy worked even better than Bickmore had hoped. “We were stunned. We anticipated record attendance, but we didn’t know just how good it would be,” he says. “Now we have to outdo ourselves next year.”

Dawn J. Grubb is owner and president of 24/7 Communications in Overland Park, KS.