Comments on: Convention Crashing or Smart Business

By: Greg Strosaker

Greg Strosaker — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:13:27 +0000

I agree with Mark’s comments; when such trends like these start to move, fighting them with rules and regulations ends up hurting both parties in the long run. I’m not exactly sure how organizers could engage or take advantage of this evolution, but the outboarders are definitely identifying a need and finding their own way to fill it.

I’ve seen similar patterns at recent shows where formerly big exhibitors have gone to using a smaller booth at the show and offering invitations to off-site events, ranging from smaller customer meetings to larger showrooms of even their own local facilities.

By: Heidi Thorne

Heidi Thorne — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:12:39 +0000

Totally agree about creating a win-win scenario for everyone. Some of the problem is related to the facility and show floor limitations in some venues. Maybe offering an off-site option could be an option. That way the show doesn’t lose revenues, but offers exhibitors expanded opportunities. I think Traci’s suggestion of keeping an open mind will help some of these new ideas surface. Thanks for the great discussion!

By: Mark Ley

Mark Ley — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:40:19 +0000

Wonderful conversation! It’s hard to fault companies that are looking for new ways to creatively engage their prospects.

In the traditional tradeshow format, a well designed booth was the only way an organization could (excuse the term) think outside the box and creatively engage attendees. What outboarding provides is a cost effective blank canvas in many ways. Nokia did a great job of blending obligation and new ideas, however, I think they were looking to appease the tradeshow with obligatory attendance, not truly be a part of the show.

What if the tradeshow organizers looked at this as an evolution and looked for ways to engage this process of outboarding and make it a part of their model?

The music industry has been facing a similar problem with digital music vs. traditional production methods. Digital music distribution and file sharing have been fought for years unsuccessfully. The music companies that have figured out ways to adopt and adapt are the ones succeeding in today’s market. How similar is this to our world of tradeshows and events?

By: Josh

Josh — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:09:02 +0000

Heidi, I think you’re touching on an interesting point and that is, what can trade show organizers do to get out in front of the issue. The key here is communication and creating a plan that is beneficial for all parties involved. But it’s easier said than done. There is so much money tied up in these events and so many cooks in the kitchen that it’s hard to not to alienate a group of exhibitors over something like this. It’s has to be a win-win for everyone before you’ll see much cross promotion. What do you think?

By: Josh

Josh — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:02:30 +0000

Tracie, thanks for the great feedback! I think the Nokia example doesn’t fit squarely into the broader conversation about outboarding. They clearly took the necessary steps to ensure that they didn’t step on any toes, or shoot themselves in the foot by hosting an offsite event at MWC. A bigger question is whether this will be a trend that exhibitors in other industries will adopt at future events….

By: Heidi Thorne

Heidi Thorne — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:41:29 +0000

Coming from a tradeshow production and convention hotel background, the usual reason that exhibitors wanted to outboard (they finally gave it a name!) was to circumvent the costs of exhibiting at the show itself. That is definitely not the case here for Nokia. I have to agree with Traci in that show producers need to keep an open mind and somehow meld these shows-within-shows to create an even greater event.

I think my greatest concern is over actual show attendance. Tradeshows live and die on attendance volume. How will these outboard events affect the actual show floor traffic? Should separate attendance stats be collected for the outboard event? Does that skew the true attendance picture?

The other concern deals with marketing. The problem here is that the outboard event is unlikely to promote attendance at the actual show itself, especially if they are staging a event-a-palooza! Anti-climactic for sure. Should the show producer integrate the outboard event into show promotions? What should they charge for co-promoting?

The other question which needs to be answered is were these events being held during regular show hours or before/after? Appears that Nokia did token exhibits at the actual show. Exhibitors should be allowed–even encouraged–to host whatever lavish events they want during off hours.

A bigger problem comes in with those who are not exhibiting at the actual show walking the show floor and inviting attendees to the outboard event whether it is during or after show hours. That behavior needs to be quickly curtailed with dismissal from the show floor. Period. That amounts to stealing marketing dollars from the show producers.

By: Traci Browne

Traci Browne — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:47:32 +0000

As always great post Josh and I hope to see a lot of comments from both show organizers and exhibitors. Personally I don’t see anything wrong with what Nokia has done on the surface. They did exhibit at the show so were not strictly riding on the shows coattails. I’d love to find out more about how the show organizers felt. Also, did Nokia involve them in their plans to have an off-site location. I think communication is key and something like this can actually enhance the show.

As an organizer I would love to hear ideas like this from my vendors. If I keep an open mind I can work with them to find ways this kind of thing can enhance the event overall. I would ask them to do what they can to promote the overall show and their presence there along with promoting their off-site activities. Perhaps they are bringing something to the table the organizer could not afford to do or have the resources to carry it out. Like the concert Nokia had arranged. People don’t go back home and say I went to this great concert Nokia put on while I was in Barcelona…they are saying, When I was at Mobile World Congress this year I went to a fantastic concert that Nokia sponsored…I can’t wait to go again next year!