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Cautious Optimism and Creative Thinking in 2010

2010 looks like it is on track to be better than 2009 and offer some recovery to the recession-battered trade show industry: 38.5 percent of meeting planners surveyed by Association Meetings believe that 2010 attendance at their largest meeting will be greater than at the largest show of 2009.

And this year we at least know more about what to expect than last year, when the industry seemed to be in a free fall. But the optimism organizers are feeling is cautious.

However, when the going gets tough, the tough get creative! Trade show organizers are looking to bring in the best possible audience with the smallest budget — and they're finding ways to leverage new technologies to stay in touch with exhibitors and attendees:

• Social Media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr and others are becoming an increasingly popular — and easy — way to raise awareness of the event and interest in it. For instance, it's easy to create a Facebook page for a trade show that is linked with your Facebook profile and main Web site. Updating the page takes only seconds and will be seen by your friends and "fans."
• Outsourcing advertising, promotions and PR is a welcome option for companies that have had to downsize their staff.
• YouTube videos are increasingly popular, and they are easy to create and upload. Video footage of past shows and product reviews are just two of the many options — and they will be available to not only your current exhibitors and attendees, but also others who may find your videos through a Web search.

Other cost-effective options are less technical, such as encouraging exhibitors to do some of the work of drumming up attendees and looking to create new niches for consumer trade shows in new locations. But the name of the game is keeping costs down while finding new ways to increase attendance.

2010 cost-cutting by the numbers

The Association Meetings survey found that many respondents were thinking along the same lines when it comes to cost-containing strategies:

• 82 percent plan to increase email promotion and 71 percent plan to use Facebook and Twitter, as opposed to 38.5 percent who planned to use direct-mail campaigns to increase attendance at 2010 meetings. Green strategies are just as effective as direct mail (and sometimes more so) and can save a bundle!
• 35 percent of respondents had decreased their meeting staff — making up the staffing shortfall by working longer hours or working smarter: 19 percent had increased productivity through adopting new technologies.
• 23.8 percent had made up for understaffing by moving some work functions to outside vendors.

For more ideas about how to use social media to increase trade show attendance and save a bundle over traditional marketing, see this month's Trade Show Tech article.

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