I recently read through Rachel Wimberly’s blog post A Show Floor With Style and Flavor and had an idea or two myself. Wimberly states:

I’ve been to shows where I thought it didn’t work. For example, at ASAE & The Center for Assn. Leadership’s meeting last year at Chicago’s McCormick Place, the showfloor was only open for a few short hours, and lunch was served at exactly the same time.

Obviously, the planners at these conventions were not thinking or planning with the exhibitors in mind. I think that a separate planning stage needs to be planned for the exhibitor and show floor in mind. How can we get the attendees to funnel through the exhibitors so they can garner more leads? This should be part of every planners agenda. In the above instance, the main time period for the exhibitors to show their wares was during the lunch hour. When lunch is served people are not looking forward to hitting the booths, at least I’m not I would rather listen to my stomach.

Rachel goes on to give a better example:

Secondly, Richard Harper, Mandalay’s vice president of sales and marketing, said they made a distinct choice to go with a higher-end food product that was served in stands dotted here and there right on the showfloor. People ate and mingled and raved about the food, which included gourmet sandwiches and exotic salad selections. I, for one, happily ate my way though the exhibits.

This is an example of thinking through what was necessary to get the 4300 attendees to pay attention to the exhibit booths and reward them for so doing. Planners must make these types of adjustments to make sure their exhibitors can justify the huge expenses laid out for the booths. This will also help you sale return exhibitors for the next show you host.

I think that if you make the exhibition floor rewarding to the attendees it would be a benefit. In fact I recently attended a convention where they played bingo for prizes. if attendees would get stamped from each vendor they had a chance to win prizes. Some of the prizes were awesome, think 50″ plasma TV. I also like the idea of food and mingling. Why not had food stations next to the exhibitor or perhaps even better the beer! What is your idea for getting people to participate in the show floor? I would love to share your ideas on Convention Insider.

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I am about to make my way out to the Las Vegas Convention Center again for an annual blogging conference I am a sponsor of and will be speaking at in September. I was interested to read over at Tradeshow Week that the Las Vegas Convention Center is not getting the changes that were slated in its growth. They state:

Citing current economic conditions, a Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority spokesman said some renovations of the Las Vegas Convention Center have been put on hold. The previously planned renovations that involved the North and Central halls and meeting rooms will continue with a projected 2011 completion date and a cost of $395 million, according to LVCVA spokesman Jeremy Handel. The second and third phases of the renovations have been postponed.

I have reported here many times about the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Las Vegas Convention Center Authority and how they have captured some of the largest conventions i the world. They have a huge impact on the economy of Las Vegas and it is difficult to image that they would be having difficulty with expansion. This is another indicator that perhaps we are in a slow down in our economy of the trade show and convention business. When powerhouse locations such as this are taking stock and cutting back and tightening their belt, it must be true.

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I get a newsletter from the folks over at Skyline Exhibits and one of their articles caught my eye recently. The article mentions that Tradeshow Week had done a survey about the drayage and labor costs so I went on over to check it out. I won’t recap the findings, but what Skyline indicates is that the labor costs as provided in the survey are not quite as steep a climb as those of 2007.

What was interesting was that the highest gain in costs were audio-visual costs and security. This is an obvious trend with the technology changing the way that it has and how people are using that technology, but I also wonder what the security issues are that warrant those higher costs? I guess people have to guard against theft of that technology!

We hear nothing but gloom and doom in many industries right now and apparently convention and trade shows are not impervious to those reports. The full report* by Skyline can be followed to their site.

*”Used by permission of Skyline Exhibits.”

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I was reading through a client’s drafts of a blog post today and came across an interesting story that I thought I could expound on it given the nature of the idea behind the story. The story essentially discusses the idea that this town in the south near Muscle Shoals, Alabama, is beginning to see its end of days.

Their economy is bad and they have no real reason for people to visit, that is, until recently. The new reason they are excited? The Golden Bear has come to town. Jack Nicklaus and his golf company are opening an exclusive golf resort to include, condos, shops, retail areas and of course 18 holes of public golf. This may be just what a struggling town needs to become more than just your every day blip on the screen on that spec on the map.

This made me think about what a good convention or a trade show could do for the economy of a small town like the one named in the article. What would a convention say the size of a Comic-Con do for a town that has no real draw. The City of San Diego makes millions of dollars on that convention, and that for some towns could be the entire annual budget to run the entire city.

The Marriott Muscle Shoals Hotel and Spa is located near the City and has a few hotel rooms as well. This is an interesting article and interesting implications for the economy of a town. What concessions would be given to a large trade show that would come to a town that would have the ability to handle nearly all of the needs of a 100,000 person convention or trade show. The Comic-Con trade show is a show that I thought of because it was just recently all San Diego could handle, and I even blogged about this before as an issue that the City of San Diego could not handle as they did not have nearly enough local rooms. I guess they actually pulled it off as the numbers don’t look too bad. It reminds me of the idea of a small little party that takes place in South Dakota each year with a few motorcycles. I wonder how much money that brings into a small town city in the middle of nowhere?

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I was reading about my friend Aaron Brazell and his thoughts on attending conferences and how we can make them a little more eco-friendly just by changing our habits and what we normally do like taxis, and our linens in our hotels and even so much as not to attend the conference in person and perhaps attend the conference online or in the back channel. It was this last idea that had me thinking about what conference planners and others are doing to help make their conference and trade show easier to attend and more eco-friendly.

I was thinking of the number of conferences I attend each year and the amount of travel I have with all the other things Aaron discusses with leaving that carbon footprint. I would love to see more conventions and trade shows make available online their conventions and meetings and seminars. I have attended conventions through the use of live streaming, where I had a chance to see a speaker that used their laptop to broadcast the presentation.

I know that as a convention center, being more “green” is important as I found out in Portland when speaking to them. many convention centers are trying to find ways to be more eco-friendly. I heard recently that the swag given away at one conference was being “recycled” which is a trend that I have heard from other organizers.

What are the things you are seeing at conventions and trade shows to make them more eco-friendly?

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I’m here in Seattle this week presenting at a conference on business blogging. It seems that I have been doing a large amount of traveling recently. This trend continues as it looks like i will be traveling to Miami in December to present on a panel at the IAEE about using social media to promote your trade show or convention. This is becoming a more popular way of promoting conventions, events and trade shows. People are using applications like blogging, YouTube, and other web applications that are consider social media tools. I’ll be talking with other industry leaders in the social media field on the panel to discuss how you can promote a convention or trade show using the tools available. Lots of convention and event planners are scrambling to get the upper hand in getting attendees and exhibitors to learn more about their event and the facilities where there event will be held. It should be a well attended session.

The event in December is well known to industry people involved in conventions and trade shows. The International Association of Exhibitions and Events Expo Expo is set to be held on December 9-11, 2008 in Miami, Florida at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Registration is set to open August 4, 2008. This is one of the largest events or the convention industry and if you decide to go, look me up! I’ll be looking for you too.

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I apologize for the scarcity of posts last week as I had a really bad bug that had me wishing that I might be at an end for this world. Luckily, the antibiotics have now kicked in and my lungs are back in my chest and the golf balls I swallowed are no longer cutting off my air supply. In case you haven’t figured it out I had strep and bronchitis and was my whimpering self.

Now that I have had a chance to get back in the saddle, I found a cool blog that is offering to give a code for all of you travel enthusiasts that want to attend a free pass at the Adventure Travel Expo. All you have to do is leave a link of your travel website or of your travel blog and you can get a pass for the expo.

The expo is going to take place at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center on September 13-14, 2008. The web site explains the overview of the event:

The event gathers hundreds of captivating destinations from exotic India to captivating Cayman and exciting, activities: a huge scuba pool, kayak demonstrations, an aerial zip line, a rope adventure course, cultural performers and much more. ATE is THE place to kick off the winter blahs and plan that ultimate vacation.

Sounds like a great event and some dynamite speakers are slated to talk about their trade. This from the press release:

Sponsored by the area’s leading newspapers, The Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, organizers will leverage the very lucrative Seattle-Tacoma DMA. ”Seattle is one of the largest media markets in the country with a high income population that is very involved with outdoor and leisure activities,” stated John Golicz, Unicomm’s CEO. “This is a great opportunity for travel marketers to expand market share in Seattle which increasingly serves as a main gateway to the Asia/Pacific region and Canada as well as an emerging market for the Caribbean and Latin America.“

I’ll be in Seattle next week myself giving a presentation and I’ll hopefully get to report from the area and see if I can get an interview with someone perhaps at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center.

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I am an avid BBQ fanatic. In fact the title of this post is a bit misleading given the fact that I often barbecue here in Colorado while it is snowing. I actually had them make sure I had a gas line in the perfect spot when I had

my home built so that I could get to my grill quickly and use it often. Grilling is a part of our everyday life. As we made dinner I was inspired to check out the National BBQ Association and find out where they

would be holding their annual convention. Turns out they are headed to Texas!

The trade show is scheduled to take place in Austin, Texas on February 17-21, 2009. The theme for the event is awesome:

“BBQ, Brews and Blues in the Heart of Texas”

The theme makes me want to register today!

The City of Austin is the perfect place for the event, not only because of the fact that when you think Texas you think BBQ and in fact Austin is the Capital of Texas BBQ, but the City of Austin is known for its music scene and its famous night life. I just spent a few days in Austin in the Spring this year and I think it is the perfect location for the event.

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I have been to some pretty cool places to attend conferences, conventions, trade shows and events. One of the places I have never been is Hawaii. I was wondering why none of my conventions or trade shows have ever been held in the 50th state and I suppose it has to do with the logistics of having an event that far into the Pacific. The travel the cost and everything else that might be associated with planning an event to be held there may prove too difficult. I decided to take a look at the Hawaii Convention Center and see for myself.

The Hawaii Convention Center was opened in 1998 at a cost of $350 Million. It brings together all the real culture of the Hawaiian Islands. A release provided by the center states it nicely:

From a distance, the Hawai`i Convention Center is awe inspiring with its airy, glass-walled lobby featuring a 70-foot misting waterfall. The foyer is crowned with canvas canopies, reminiscent of ocean white caps and the sails of voyaging canoes. A grand exterior staircase descends to the Ala Wai Promenade. More than 60 percent of the center is landscaped, including an award-winning, 2.5-acre rooftop garden with flowing ponds and tropical flowers.

I would not expect anything different from a tropical paradise such as Hawaii. It does seem that they have difficulty in getting meeting and event planners to choose their facility but they give the top 10 reasons why they should be considered for an event. They have an uphill battle with the prices of air fare to Hawaii, but they seem to offset that cost with some lower pricing than their competitors. The Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau talks about the return on investing in an event held in Hawaii:

“As much as anything, these past few years have amplified Hawai‘i’s value as a meetings destination. Clients have found that holding meetings in the islands consistently provides a proven return on investment and that we satisfy their objectives while staying within budget,” said Michael Murray, CMP, CMM, CASE, vice president of sales and marketing for HVCB’s CMI division.

Murray sums it up nicely about the Hawaiian experience:

“Groups and incentives love to come here. Associations consistently see attendance exceed expectations, and we’re the number one destination for incentives. The net result is that attendees return home refreshed and reinvigorated. Add it all together and it’s easy to see why Hawai‘i is the ‘ultimate global gathering place’ for business meetings.”

I would love to attend a meeting, or event in Hawaii to test that theory of feeling refreshed and reinvigorated. If you are planning an event there and need someone to report there about the experience of your show drop me a line. I still owe my wife that Hawaiian honeymoon.

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I was just reading through Trade Show Week about the difficulty had by a trade show in Alberta, Canada called Rig Expo 2008. Apparently this show did not adhere to the build it and they will come idea. Approximately 60 exhibitors signed up to be a part of the expo that concentrates on the oil field industry. There were plenty of exhibitors but someone forgot to tell the attendees to show up. There were a number of reasons given for the lack of attendance at the show, but that does not take the sting out of the lost investment. The head of the show had anticipated 3,000 to 4,000 attendees and apparently that number shrunk to about 22 attendees in a four hour period. Ouch.

Unfortunately not a lot can be done for the people that paid that $2,500 price tag for a 10′ x 10′ booth. There really are no guarantees. Show organizer Paul Pearson said just this as his answer to the issue of paying back exhibitors:

“We rented the building, we advertised the show, we did everything we could,” he added. “You pay your money and take your chances.”

I’m trying to wrap my mind around the idea that the show organizers did not have a better idea of attendance. They apparently had no pre-sold tickets and had no idea if anyone would show up for the event. Something tells me that many exhibitors won’t be taking chances on this show in the future. I’m sure many of the exhibitors are now calling this the Rigged Expo.

How do you protect your investment? Go with an established show and if the show is not an established trade show, make sure that the people behind it have some good credentials. In this instance it looks as though many of the exhibitors believed the show to be a good one for them invest in and attend.

Michael Hart, Editor-in-Chief at Trade Show Week also touched upon this same problem in his blog post titled “Living With Green Fatigue” as he describes:

The show manager of this launch, designed to market – and stop me if you’ve heard this one before – eco-friendly products and services, had optimistically projected 250 exhibitors and 2,000 attendees.

Our contributing editor Lisa Plummer counted 40 booths and, while the show’s manager claimed he had 350 pre-registered attendees, Lisa said there may have been 15 at the most on the showfloor during the time she was there.

Another example of a show that had some lofty numbers projected and came nowhere near those projections. Those exhibitors also must have felt the sting of not having attendees to show their wares. Hart seems to imply that the reason for the poor attendance is the fact that there are far too many “green” type trade shows on the market. If that is the case, then I suppose it is the fault of the exhibitor for making a bad choice of shows. That can be a hard pill to swallow, and makes it tough for new trade shows to get the establishment they need to get sponsors and exhibitors.

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