It's no surprise that trade show attendance has been down over the last year. The market has had a big influence upon our industry as well as upon the cities where shows are held. More surprising to me is the number of our clients who have informed us that they had a good, sometimes even a great show. All through the current slow economy, you will notice that trade show floor traffic has lessened. At many shows, attendee volume is lower that what you may have seen in recent years. Don't be concerned. The number of visitors that your exhibit tracts is less important than the type of visitors who are on the trade show floors.
Why? There are more buyers on the floor as a percentage of attendees than is normally the case. This is consistent with our experience this year. Thus, while much of the news connected to trade shows is that, for instance, hotel vacancies are up in Las Vegas, the fact of the matter appears to be that people who aren't attending shows this year are those who previously came for reasons other than to make purchases. On the exhibitor side they are bringing less booth staff and on the attendee side – less decision makers. Many people just came for the parties – and those days are over! In picking and choosing some of those people are now out and those who are there to buy have an easier time navigating the show. It's all the more reason to keep investing in your show presence.