Posted by
Barry Siskind
Community Manager
The world of exhibitions has changed again. Exhibitions which once were the place for manufacturers to show off new products and services are now challenged by the internet.
Attendees can now research all they need to know faster and more efficiently when they let their fingers fly over their keyboard. Exhibitions are now evolving into a place to engage as a community. In an ever fragmented world, this engagement makes a perfect fit for the exhibition organizer.
When I walk the aisles of most exhibitions I notice they haven’t changed much in the last quarter century, which is when I first discovered this business. As a visitor I am faced with long halls with high intensity lights, noise and numbing detail.
If we agree that exhibitions have moved beyond being a place just to sell or introduce a product then it seems that some fundamental change in the way they are organized is in order. It could be a simple as shorter aisles, exhibitors grouped by community or having technology to increase the attendee’s ability to meet exhibitors and peers.
I’m not sure it’s fair to say “most” exhibitions haven’t changed in 25 years Barry although quite possibly reasonable to say “many”. And, you make good points on the need to reinvent ourselves.
When people ask the question “will the young people of today still want to attend trade shows”, my response is usually, “yes, but not if they look and feel like the shows their parents and grandparents used to visit”. And you’re right, there are quite a few of those!
I like the ideas you suggest although they’re not always easy to implement. But hey, who ever suggested that excellence should be easy?
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