Face-to-Face Report : September 2010
Industry Forecasts Expect Trade Shows to Grow Through 2014
Despite the fact that the U.S. trade show market declined 16% in 2009, a new report from AMR International, "The Global Exhibition Organizing Market: Assessment and Forecast to 2014,” predicts that the industry in the U.S. will grow at an average rate of 5% per year through 2014.
According to MEETINGS:review, “the key drivers for this optimistic view of the industry’s long-term prospects are the improving macro-economic conditions combined with the ongoing need for face-to-face interaction between buyers and sellers.”
AMR’s optimism echoes new estimates from Veronis Suhler Stevenson (VSS), that overall spending on trade shows in 2014 will rise approximately 4% over this year’s level as the world economy picks up steam, although it will likely be closer to 2012 before trade show organizers see much noticeable improvement in space sales and space rates paid by exhibitors.
“We forecast that exhibit space will decline again in 2011 and increase in 2012 and thereafter,” Hal Greenberg, a partner in VSS Structured Capital Funds, told Trade Show Executive.
CEIR President & CEO Doug Ducate expressed agreement with the forecasts’ optimism, and said that he expects trade show growth to pick up more steadily in early 2012. Preliminary CEIR Index data confirms that, while the number of b-to-b events has remained flat, they have grown significantly in size (net square feet), a positive indicator.
User-Generated Conference Content: Why and How You Should Crowdsource
As b-to-b media companies strive to cultivate communities that encourage user-generated content – from article comments and reviews to live chats and wikis – event organizers are discovering why and how they should solicit community participation in the development of conference content.
When the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) education committee, led by Michael McCurry, sent messaging out (via e-mail and social media) requesting conference topic suggestions, the purpose was to “get potential attendees involved and engaged in the session idea generation process, therefore giving them a feeling of ownership to the event,” McCurry said. (His blog detailed the process.)
Not only does input generate innovative new ideas and engage potential attendees, but the marketing value of such involvement is often overlooked. “People turn around and talk about their own sessions on Twitter and deliver free marketing for us,” explains Shawn O’Keefe of South by Southwest, which has crowdsourced its content for four years.
While the benefits are tremendous, there’s a right way and a wrong way to solicit community feedback, warns the Trade Show News Network. You have to be cautious to not “over-empower” the crowd so as to lose control of your own event.
Some advice from TSNN: “Stay transparent, keeping the process orderly and announcing the results promptly.” Chris Bucchere, CEO of The Social Collective and Bucchere.com, adds: Offer everyone that participates an incentive, and promote the crowdsourcing platform heavily. Read more here.
UBM Launches New Virtual Platform LAUNCHPAD
UBM Studios, United Business Media’s virtual events unit, earlier this week introduced LAUNCHPAD, an interactive platform designed to help businesses launch new products and deliver targeted information to key audiences.
LAUNCHPAD’s application examples include product and program launches as well as sales/lead generation. According to UBM’s release, components of LAUNCHPAD include registration, video, supporting materials, social networking, chat and participation metrics.
Click here for more information.
FEATURED RESOURCE
ABM’s Library of Free CEIR Research Available for Members
ABM members from around the globe continue to take advantage of the Association’s partnership with the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), designed to provide ABM members with important, timely information on the world of face-to-face – all at no cost.
The following reports have recently been added to ABM’s library of free CEIR research available for members:
- Guru Report: A “Greener” Place for Face-to-Face
- Building Exhibit Results for the Not-for-Profit Government Exhibitor
- Guru Report: Space Allocation Methods for Exhibitions and Events
Other top-requested reports include CEIR’s 2010 Index report, an analysis of the 2009 exhibition industry and future outlook; The Power of Exhibitions in the 21st Century, which offers a wealth of insight into how new generations of attendees want to connect, learn and network at events; Effective Methods for Visitor Promotion, which analyzes the most and least effective tools for attracting visitors and reveals the average spending on pre- and post-exhibition promotion; and Digital + Exhibiting Marketing Insights 2009, a comprehensive analysis of the influence of digital media on the exhibition industry.
Contact Kate Patton with your request(s), and the research will be e-mailed to you directly.
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