Posted by
Barry Siskind
UFI Community Manager
The Exhibitor’s 2010 Economic Outlook published by Exhibitor Magazine, was an eye opener. One conclusion that caught my eye was that 63.8% of exhibitor’s in the USA plan to either maintain or increase their budgets for staff training.
http://www.exhibitoronline.com/advertising/EconomicOutlook2010.asp
For me that’s like purchasing a car then paying someone to teach me how to get the best performance from it.
In other industries, manufacturers and suppliers invest in training to ensure their customers get the most from their investment.
BMW supports their Performance Driving School
Nikon supports the Nikon School where participants learn how to get the most from their new SLR camera.
Should exhibition organizers be doing the same?
Do organizers have a responsibility to ensure that their exhibitors get the most from their investment?
If you answered yes, what methods of delivering this specialized training have you tried?
If you answered no – why not?
The UFI Focus Meeting on Education (Taipei, March 3) will be looking at some of these questions too.
I’m torn by this issue more than most I see — given the responses, or lack thereof. The matter of unintended consequences creeps into everything we do as a show producer. On one hand, the more we teach exhibitors the basics of exhibiting, the better they are favored to successfully sally through the production. On the other hand, that impacts others on the floor by shifting attention away from the ho-hum to the Howdy Doody guys with the snazzy displays and snappy repartee.
It’s also trying on one’s sense of success to find our competitors (“promoters” who wish they could be “producers”) – it’s trying (frustrating) to find they’re also attracted to the successful types offering flavorful deals to satisfy parched palates. In other words, they outbid and under-perform and generally confiscate a growing enterprise which we dedicated time to assist. Then, the loyalty to OUR exhibitor becomes a COMPETITOR to our loyal exhibitors by exhibiting in Other Guys’ shows. (There’s a zero sum equation in small markets.)
So, we hasten to help those who wish, while promoters hustle and hiss about those they miss.
In conclusion, I suspect no one spent their marketing budget foolishly — unless they exhibited elsewhere.