As Covid threats seemingly diminish and society returns to some semblance of “normal,” the question for industry folks is – to paraphrase The Clash – should you stay or should you go…to trade shows?
While attendance at resumed in-person shows and expos is rising, it’s obvious that prospective attendees are still a bit skittish about getting back together in person compared to pre-Covid.
For instance, CES 2022 hosted 44,400 in-person attendees, compared to the whopping 171,268, including 6517 members of media, who came to Vegas for the last pre-Covid CES in January 2020. CTA reports that “sales for the upcoming CES 2023 are strong,” and the organization expects 100,000+plus attendees next January 5-8. “There was an unmistakable energy and buzz on the [CES 2022] show floor as many attendees saw colleagues for the first time since the pandemic began,” a CTA spokesperson related.
Panasonic, for one, is “thrilled to be participating at in-person events again, in North America and around the world for all our B2B and Consumer businesses,” says a spokesperson for Panasonic, which is already planning its CES 2023 exhibit. “While we have stayed connected with our customers virtually, we recognize the importance and value to meet with our partners in person.”
Appliance exhibitors and dealers also seem more anxious to return to reconvene in person. To the mild surprise of organizers, NKAB’s first post-Covid in-person Kitchen and Bath Show (KBIS) in Orlando this past February attracted 70,000, not that far off from the last pre-Covid show in February 2020 in Las Vegas, which drew 90,000 attendees. “Our exhibitor presence was softer than normal,” admits NKAB EVP and chief strategy officer Suzie Williford, “but still solid. Attendee numbers, while not our strongest ever, significantly surpassed our plan” of 50,000 attendees. According to KBIS organizers, 83% of exhibit space has already been sold for the upcoming January 31-February 2, 2023, confab in Las Vegas.
Attendance at the recently concluded CEDIA Expo in Dallas was expected to reach 15,000, which compares closely to the 20,000 who attended the last pre-Covid Expo in Denver in September 2019.
“We’re already back to pre-COVID attendance levels for both exhibitors and members,” asserted Jennifer Baldwin, VP of customer experience and events for AVB BrandSource, which returned to on-site shows with its August 2021 Convention in Nashville, followed by its AVB Summit this past March in Las Vegas and its recently concluded convention in Dallas.
The attendance at the twice-annual PrimeTime, the Nationwide Marketing Group (NMG) buying group confab last held this past August in Orlando, also approached pre-Covid levels. NMG expects “strong” attendance at its upcoming Dallas meeting in late March.
Clearly, show operators, sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees were glad to be back in person – to a certain degree.
“[The] comfort levels of vendors, attendees and companies, in regards to trade shows, are going to continue to vary as time goes on,” observes Carl Prouty, brand spokesperson for Abt Electronics. “But based on the number of in-person events occurring now, it seems like people are starting to feel safe again.”
“Looking at attendance and engagement during our most recent show in Orlando, it’s safe to say that our members are not only comfortable with the idea of returning to in-person events, but they absolutely see the value in and appreciate the opportunity to get together in person,” echoes Melissa Stenson, member experience VP at NMG.
Of course, it’s not only health issues that are causing some exhibitors and attendees to re-examine the pros and cons of attending trade shows in person, especially in the wake of not having to physically participate the last two years. “I’m assuming that most trade shows going forward will be a mix of in-person and virtual as companies are not willing to spend the money they once spent on the shows,” noted a representative of one major consumer technology manufacturer. “Trade shows are huge investments, and if the investment doesn’t create a positive ROI, companies are less likely to make that investment, especially in the challenging economic environment we are in now.”
Benefits of Showing Up
The obvious level of remaining in-person skittishness is countered by both the enthusiasm of those who have chosen to show up, and both the desire and the need to show up.
“CES 2022 [was] fantastic for Withings,” says Paul Buckley, Withings North American director of sales and marketing, who noted that the company’s booth attracted. “nothing but quality traffic all three days. The amount of deep conversations we’ve had has been overwhelming and the response from the media has been spectacular. I’m so happy Withings exhibited.”
CTA cited 94% of CES 2020 exhibitors who said their annual sales were influenced by CES, and 2020 attendees indicated 24% of their annual sales were expected to be influenced by CES. “CES 2022 brought back the serendipitous experience for exhibitors and attendees,”says John T. Kelley, VP and acting show director, CES, “those chance encounters you have while walking the show floor often lead to new connections, partnerships, and business deals.”
“Wow. We are so thrilled to have been able to host an in-person KBIS in February, and clearly so were our exhibitors and attendees,” agrees NKAB’s Williford. “Clearly everyone wants to see, touch and feel products. I always say people buy from people. Trust and confidence are built through personal relationships. The trade show floor and networking events are where a lot of this happens. We missed the human element big time.”
“So far this year, dozens of in-person conferences and expositions have been held to the tremendous satisfaction of attendees and exhibitors,” says Emerald’s McGraw. “There has been a pent-up demand to return to live, face-to-face meetings where attendees can reconnect with exhibitors and peers, see the latest products first-hand, learn from industry experts, discuss business opportunities and network.”
“All of the events that have been scheduled for the last six months have all had great attendance numbers and the forecast going forward seems to be good as well,” echoes Mike Sandler, VP of client services for Impact XM, which operates events for a number of consumer technology companies. “We conducted research and saw an increase of decision-makers that attended live shows, which exhibited a positive sign in most directions.”
Event operators and exhibitors have obvious reasons for promoting the return of in-person events. The question is, considering health and cost issues, including time away from their businesses, whether attendees see the benefits of attending shows in person.
“Meeting in person is still widely considered the best way to interact with customers, clients, coworkers, etc.,” argues Abt’s Prouty. “It creates a stronger sense of trust and is more effective in building an emotional relationship, which is incredibly important when it comes to both business and personal matters. People will also generally remain more focused while involved in an in-person meeting, which means more meaningful work can get accomplished, and typically in a shorter amount of time.”
“One of the things I believe we all took for granted was the value of those in-person interactions and hallway conversations,” agrees NMG’s Stenson. “It’s often those chance meetings and casual conversations at lunch or between meetings where some of the best and most impactful connections are made.”
As BrandSource’s Baldwin summarizes, “the time away from on-site shows gave us all a renewed appreciation for our in-person events and the difference that actually being there makes.”
See also: CES 2023: On Track To Exceed 2022 By 40%
