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May 2008
5-minute interview: Kristie Harrington, Owner, North East Expos Inc.
Kristie Harrington, owner of Granby, CT-based North East Expos Inc., is the 2007-2008 President of the National Association of Consumer Shows (NACS). Her own consumer-oriented events include the 2008 Festival for Kids, the 2008 Home Show at Harbor Yard, the 2008 Dodge Truck North East Fishing and Hunting Show, and the 2008 Connecticut Flower & Garden Show. Having grown up in the family consumer show business, she’s an industry veteran. Here are some of her thoughts about what’s on the horizon for consumer events and NACS.
EXPO: How would a recession affect consumer show producers?
Harrington: Everyone is concerned about the economy. I think, however, that business-tobusiness trade shows stand to be more impacted by a potential recession than consumer shows. When the economy is bad people tend to stay closer to home and look for things to do that don’t involve going very far or spending a lot on gas. The other thing to remember is that consumer shows are all so different; they serve different markets that would be impacted in different ways if there were a recession. A boat show, for example, would likely be impacted differently than a flower show.
EXPO: What do you see as the biggest challenge facing consumer shows these days?
Harrington: The biggest challenge is the most age-old one — how to get people in the door. That’s harder than ever. You have to maintain the current attendees while reaching out to the next generation. Knowing how to reach that next generation is hard. There are also so many new ways to advertise — you have to spread your advertising budget over several different potential mediums. Newspapers are declining in readership, but I find that our shows are spending more and more on online advertising, often in cooperation with the local paper’s online offerings.
EXPO: What is the biggest new trend in the consumer show market?
Harrington: I think one of the biggest new trends is definitely going “green.” An increasing number of consumer shows are really trying to be more green in their production practices. They’re also responding to the consumers’ interest in green things. Many shows are adding “Green Expos” or green sections to say, for example, a home show.
The NACS Annual Convention will be held June 25-27, 2008, in San Diego.
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