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JUST HOW do you determine the success of a trade show?
It is easy if you put away emotions and look carefully at the purpose of the show and then see to what extent it has or has not achieved it.
Trade shows have two objectives. From the supplier doing the showing, there is a profit motive.Hold on a minute.What about those who attend the show? Yes, that’s right. They too have a profit motive.
The question arises not about the motive but about the timing of the profit? The supplier, that is the exhibitor,will usually reckon on making a profit from every order taken, but that profit will only become a reality when the goods have been delivered and paid for.And the one who places the order? His profit, if it comes,will take a little longer. If it comes, it will only be when the goods in which he has invested have been sold on to his customer,who by and large will not have pre-ordered them and will have to be tempted to buy them by the display, the seller’s powers of persuasion and the price. All this may be obvious but sometimes the obvious needs to be stated.
Profit, in trade terms, should never be considered a dirty word.A Doctor’s wife recently responded to a friend who suggested that G.P.s have it too easy these days and ‘just look at their whopping salaries’with a retort that they deserved every penny of what they received provided they gave good service. There are so many ways of making good profits.Mike Ashley’s recent Float (Sports Direct) on the Stock Exchange, has brought into focus one-way of doing it.Many in the sports trade have been critical of his methods, pointing out that it was not the traditional way of the trade. Probably not. But those who do perform everything in the ‘traditional way’ and bemoan that it is hard to make a living, might perhaps stop and consider why they are in trade. It is easier to do so from without than within.We maybe should make more of an effort to keep most of our love for our loved ones and give a little less to our business. Ideally, and this is the real challenge,we should love our businesses not simply for what we are able to do with it but also for the life outside of it that it affords us.
But back to the Trade Shows. The expense of a stand has long been too high for such to be regarded simply as a supplier’s vehicle for waving the flag.And the cost of time and effort, not to mention travel, for the retailer, has to be justified by the presence of a reasonable number of exhibitors able to show product and engage in meaningful dialogue, to make the visit worthwhile.And worthwhile means having proper regard for the profit motive. It takes two to tango and it takes two to make a successful, profit motivated, trade show. Let’s dance!
Last word with organisers: “Although attendance figures were down from last year at 1873 individuals over the three days, it is a given with exhibitors and organisers that the unseasonably warm weather has had a detrimental effect on retail sales in general this winter. The organisers have received much positive feedback following this year’s layout, highlighting the success of the new format of the show and proving that on-going improvements will attract those exhibitors, buyers and visitors next year who were unable to attend this time round.”
“Overall we found the show great and we will be back next year.We’re a new company with new products to the UK and Slide is one of the best ways to get the products out there.” (Andrew Phyn, JunkiGear)
