Finally–a totally relevant-to-this-industry, really interesting manifesto on changethis.com: Making Trade Shows and Events Matter In a Self-Help World. Actually, it’s not a manifesto yet–it needs your vote to get it to the table. So, show the rest of the world that this industry counts–vote today to get this one published. (Plus, it’s good voting practice for us U.S. citizens facing upcoming political elections.)

And if you have a passion for something, go ahead and submit your own manifesto proposal. We’re always complaining that no one understands this industry–here’s your chance to educate them.

To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.

If I’m reading him right, Rich Westerfield poses an interesting scenario for trade shows: buying out an all-suite hotel for the whole shebang, not just for sleeping rooms, and skip the convention center altogether. Exhibitors could use the non-sleeping portion of their suites as booth space. He makes a compelling case–I especially like the part about the bathrooms being just five feet away from any exhibitor! And I really can’t think of a downside.

So I’ll just echo his question: Why isn’t anyone doing this? Or are they, and I just haven’t heard about it?

To receive a weekly update, e-mail Sue.

Thanks to the Experiential Marketing Forum listserv, I recently read about how Tylenol is doing some very low-key sponsorships at extreme sporting events to market to the 18- to 35-year-old demographic. The scary thing is, according to the article, that “pain is cool” to the body-piercing, tattooed younger crowd, so Tylenol is trying a “cooler” approach by supporting events that cause pain.

OK, this one hurts my brain (Tylenol, anyone?), but this is a good indication that sponsors and exhibitors are willing to, as Apple once said, “Think Different” to target this age group by giving money to event organizers to almost sneak their way into youth consciousness.

Are any of your event sponsors looking to boost themselves with this (or any other) demographic? I’d love to hear about any other ways companies are using events—and giving them financial support—to get innovative in their marketing.

To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.

Tradeshow Week has come out with its list of 50 fastest growing trade shows. Despite my post yesterday about quality vs. quantity, when it comes to trade shows, the prevailing mindset is still that bigger is better–especially when you’re talking bringing in the bucks for the organizer. So, congratulations to all the show organizers who made the fast 50 fast!

To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.

From guest blogger and regular magazine contributor Kay Carstens:

The moving van is loaded and taking at least twenty-five percent of San Francisco’s twice-yearly Furniture Mart to Las Vegas. That’s the percentage of exhibitors that have already signed contracts for 2005 space at the new Las Vegas World Market Center. Stretching 1.3 million square feet, the first phase of the Las Vegas facility has been sold out since it broke ground in March 2003. It will open for its first show next July—the same month as the San Francisco show—a complexity scheduled with a one-day overlap even without tear-down and set-up time.

It’s a matter of space. The San Francisco Furniture Mart outgrew its former permanent home and hosted shows at San Francisco’s Civic Auditorium, about 300,000 square feet smaller than the first phase of the Las Vegas World Market Center. BTW, a second phase to start next year will add another 1.5 million square feet.

The gathering of furniture designers, manufacturers, and buyers doesn’t produce enough hotel room sales to be allotted space in the Moscone Center, so competing with Las Vegas on space is simply not an option for San Francisco. Las Vegas officials also acknowledge they’re gunning for the San Francisco shows, which together generate 30,000 visitors. Babs Blair, director of leasing for the World Market Center, says San Francisco does great with what it has, “but the industry needs to go to the next level.”

Is this how it’s going to be? Shall the industry prepare to see Boston blow Macworld out of New York — without Apple and Steve Jobs—and then host a showcase like the DNC but complain because its new convention center has booked 61 conventions over the next 10 years instead of the expected 60 per year? Will we see more predatory raiding like Las Vegas heading its vans to the desert with San Francisco’s furniture aboard? Has the boom in new and enlarged convention centers over the past 10 years come a cropper? Perhaps not, perhaps the much-anticipated explosion in conventions, and enough tradeshows for everyone, is still over the horizon. A buyers’ market in convention space does not bode well for anyone.

To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.

Yesterday, I asked a question: If you could reinvent trade shows, what would they look like?

Today, TSMI’s Rich Westerfield posted some great ideas about what could (and in some cases, is) being done to reinvent the expo. As he says, ” think you’ll find that for many of the ideas you come up with, there’s really no reason to wait.”

So why are so many shows (including pretty much all the ones I’ve been to in the past year) still waiting? In this era of experiential marketing, we all need to think of new ways to fix old problems if we want trade shows to keep their status as a top marketing tool.

And why are Rich and I the only ones talking about this? Let’s hear your thoughts–seen anything innovative or interesting being done lately?

Here are links to articles that have some more good ideas:
Inside TS2
Mission Critical: Delivering Exhibitor ROI
Listen to Your Exhibitors

To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.

According to Decent Marketing, a story I missed in last week’s New York Times was a doozy for the trade show biz. The NYT writer characterized your basic expo as: ” … stale air and fluorescent glare, … ghastly food, the long lines … throbbing feet from walking the show floor, exhausting marathons of schmoozing and wheeling-and-dealing, the tedium of listening to long-winded lectures in windowless rooms …”

Ouch. The truth really does hurt, doesn’t it? While events (including trade shows) are second only to direct marketing in terms of perceived return on investment, according to the recent joint study by MPI Foundation and The George P. Johnson Co., anyone who’s ever limped the never-ending aisles or manned a booth on one of those “bowling alley” days knows, trade shows could use some improvement.

Otherwise, it may just be a matter of time before the Decent Marketing prediction comes true and companies flee the trade show floor to host their own shows. The trend has already started as more companies have figured out what blogger Katherine S. Stone says:”Given the ungodly amounts of money companies often spend on trade shows, they could probably afford to host something in their own backyard, keep it short and sweet, foot the bill for the travel of the attendees, and come up with a compelling alternative to long-winded lectures.”

My last post asked you to envision a whole new industry–let’s start with trade shows. What can we do to make them more experiential, more meaningful, less stressful, and more profitable for attendees and exhibitors alike?

To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.

According to Decent Marketing, a story I missed in last week’s New York Times was a doozy for the trade show biz. The NYT writer characterized your basic expo as: ” … stale air and fluorescent glare, … ghastly food, the long lines … throbbing feet from walking the show floor, exhausting marathons of schmoozing and wheeling-and-dealing, the tedium of listening to long-winded lectures in windowless rooms …”

Ouch. The truth really does hurt, doesn’t it? While events (including trade shows) are second only to direct marketing in terms of perceived return on investment, according to the recent joint study by MPI Foundation and The George P. Johnson Co., anyone who’s ever limped the never-ending aisles or manned a booth on one of those “bowling alley” days knows, trade shows could use some improvement.

Otherwise, it may just be a matter of time before the Decent Marketing prediction comes true and companies flee the trade show floor to host their own shows. The trend has already started as more companies have figured out what blogger Katherine S. Stone says:”Given the ungodly amounts of money companies often spend on trade shows, they could probably afford to host something in their own backyard, keep it short and sweet, foot the bill for the travel of the attendees, and come up with a compelling alternative to long-winded lectures.”

My last post asked you to envision a whole new industry–let’s start with trade shows. What can we do to make them more experiential, more meaningful, less stressful, and more profitable for attendees and exhibitors alike?

To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.

First it was inflatable hotels, then inflatable meeting space…and now we have blow-up booths! What’s next, inflatable attendees? There’s already too much hot air on the exhibit floor–stop the madness!

To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.

I was at the CME Congress in Toronto last week, where there was lots of talk about core competencies for various types of physicians–the things they absolutely have to know to do their jobs. There also was a lot of discussion about what the docs think they know versus their real knowledge base, and ways docs can self-test (usually through a Web site) to determine whether or not they needed to learn what a particular activity covered (went to a very good session on this and would be glad to share–please e-mail me if you’d like particulars).

Just curious how that might translate to meeting professionals:

What would you say are the core competencies meeting professionals must have?

How would you feel if those who provide your continuing education provided voluntary, anonymous self-tests you could take to learn which of these core competencies in reality may need honing and which you’re already up to snuff on, regardless of where you think your skill levels are in each of the areas?

Just curious–does anyone have a special resources page on their meeting website for exhibitors that gives them info on how they can maximize their experience at your trade show, along with the usual logistical info? If not, I think it’d be a great value-add for them. Or how about an e-newsletter with links to interesting articles on exhibiting?

One article link you may want to include is this very interesting article from Event Marketer I just ran across on the psychology behind bumping booth traffic. There also is just tons of great stuff for exhibitors at www.boothmom.com.

Hey, with the proliferation of trade shows and exhibitions, along with a consolidation of exhibitors in many markets, every little edge you can give them just might keep them coming back to your show instead of your competitors.