Trade-Showed-Out
By Marty
Shindler
It happens every year around this time. The notices start
arriving for a myriad of trade shows, from those directly related to the
LF industry to those only peripherally related to my professional interests.
Even before the season starts, I know Ill be "trade-showed-out"
by the end of the season. But every year I go through it anyway. Why?
Mainly because its fun, although its sometimes hard to remember
that when youve been plodding up one aisle and down the next in
an enormous convention center for hours on end.
The difficult part is deciding which shows to go to:
which are marginally useful and which are a waste of time. Differentiating
among them is often impossible.
With the digital revolution in full swing, more shows
are technology related. It was not so long ago that SMPTE, NAB, CES, Comdex,
Siggraph, and a couple of others covered the gamut. Now we have Computer
Telephony, ICE, DCC, Post LA, MacWorld, IBC, BKSTS, E3, GDC, ITS, TiLE,
Animation Expo, Infocomm, ITEA, and more. (Maybe I should offer a prize
to anyone who could identify all the players in this alphabet soup.)
That does not count others that are not so technocentric,
such as NATPE, IAAPA, AFM, Midem, Cannes, Urban Land Institute, Urban
Entertainment Development, American Association of Museums, etc.
Still others are duplicated in multiple locations, such
as ShoWest, ShowEast, Show Biz Expo West, Show Biz Expo New York, etc.
Then there are the seasonal ones with Summer, Winter, Fall, or Spring
after their names.
Continuing education is an important component of the
season. Many organizations run some very interesting seminars with high-profile
guest speakers that are outside of the formal trade show atmosphere. Variety,
Red Herring, Upside, and other magazines come to mind. But how many
can one person attend?
It can be tricky when the show is in your home town (as
so many of them are for me, here in L.A.). On the one hand, its
great to be able to stay at home, save on airfare, and drop in for a quick
look while doing other business in the area. On the other hand, its
easy to succumb to the temptation of spending too much time at a show
just "because its there" when you should be doing more
important work.
I often wonder how they all stay in business. Who really
attends them? The majority of people seem to be like me, going with free
exhibit passes to check out the new technology and network. Who besides
exhibitors pays to attend? How many shows will still be around next year
or the year after?
Several years ago, while I was with Cinesite, the business
head of a trade publication asked me if I would take a meeting with a
representative of his parent companys trade show division. They
were thinking about creating a new digital entertainment show in L.A.
and wanted my opinion (and probably a commitment to purchase floor space)
on its potential. I warned him that I thought the industry was saturated
with conferences and that most people felt trade-showed-out. (It was perhaps
the first time I used that term.) If they were going to start a new show,
I suggested, it had better be different, not another cookie-cutter show.
I asked if he still wanted the meeting. He said yes,
and I repeated those opinions in the meeting. They scheduled the show
and appeared surprised when response was less than lukewarm. There was
no second show.
Some people feel that two shows dedicated to LF
ISTC/GSTA and LFCA may be one show too many for the size of our
industry. Many also believe that if the former had been open to non-15/70
LF formats, the latter might not exist. However, attendance at both has
been growing and will almost certainly continue as the rest of the LF
industry grows.
My Tricks of the Trade Show
Here are a few tips I have picked up over the years to
make trade shows more enjoyable and less stressful. If you have some of
your own, send them to me and Ill share them with readers in a future
column.
When you respond to a trade show invitation, spell your
name wrong or put in a slightly different title. Then watch how often
that spelling or title resurfaces in the following years. Youll
be amazed as you see how often your name is sold by one show to another.
Tired of lugging bags full of promotional literature
around the show, then bringing them back to the office, never again to
see the light of day? Im looking at a bag right now that should
probably just be dumped in the recycle bin. My advice? Dont pick
up this stuff to begin with!
Ive decided that when I really want an exhibitors
material I will either give the trade show rep my card, and ask him/her
to mail me their current literature (letting them pay the freight, and
saving my weary arms) or Ill just visit their web site after the
show. Arriving in the mail, it probably stands a better chance of being
read than being in a pile of other stuff brought back from the show. In
fact, I often discourage clients and others from giving out too much information
at the show for that very reason.
While at the show, make time to check your e-mail and
phone messages, and return the important telephone calls.
And when you return, try to avoid giving your co-workers
the impression that you were partying the whole time (even if you were).
If you had not already thought about being trade-showed-out,
you probably are now. And the season is just beginning. Maybe I should
write the definitive guide for the trade-showed-out. Or better yet, Ill
start a conference and trade show on the subject!
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