by MJ Legault

Trade shows used to be a place where orders were written, new accounts were found, connections were made and brands were launched.  With the challenging economy, the importance of showrooms and the consolidation of brands, we’ve started to wonder if there’s still a place for tradeshows? Why do some tradeshows appear to be thriving while others are dying? I thought I’d explore answering these questions, and in the process try to get to the bottom of what makes a good show and what makes one…well…suck ass.

I started my quest with a look at those that are doing well (not surprisingly, those were the ones that got back to my request for information, so analyzing them is easier).

Outdoor Retailer

This grandaddy of North American shows attracts approximately 40,000 attendees on a semi-annual basis for its Winter and Summer Market shows in Salt Lake City. Brands big and small gather for the most comprehensive showcase of outdoor companies. Outdoor Retailer continues to attract national and international dealers in every category—specialty, specialty chain, general sporting goods, military, resort, mail order, big box and mass merchant retailers—and their numbers reflect this.

I attended the OR Summer Market this year and though I was a bit bored by SLC’s nightlife, I was blown away by the event, the vibe, and the mix of attendees. You know it’s a thriving event when you go out for your run at 7am and you find yourself surrounded by 15,000 other runners (not quite something I’d ever experienced at SIA). And while they may not have been out for a morning run, action sport brands were clearly making their way into the show. Those brands are seeing the opportunity that the outdoor dealers offer and the extension of their products into this sphere is obviously starting to make sense to them.

So what are the results when you pull together a relevant show with an expanding market of participants? Attendance numbers over the last 5 years for OR have seen a remarkable increase in both seasons:

• OR Winter Market  went from 16,936 attendees in 2010 to an impressive 20,002 in 2011.
• OR Summer Market jumped from 21,465 in 2010 to 25,494 in 2011.

When I asked Kenji Haroutunian, the show’s Vice President how he explains the Show’s growth, he said “there are a number of elements including managed B2B + B2C value for exhibitors, continual innovation at the hardgoods core as well as in apparel, footwear and lastly, fully merchandised product presentations that speak to today’s retailer who is not horizontally oriented anymore (shoe stores, shirt stores, accessories stores are now Lifestyle stores).”

He also said that Outdoor Retailer is fortunate to serve a market that is both innovation driven, and depicts a desirable lifestyle to the public…  In addition we are moving the show to a new platform that delivers more value to attending retail buyers, as well as design professionals and media; this new platform features new trade show tools, business education, and targeted networking opportunities powered by applied technology.  The events world is fast-evolving, and we plan on delivering a cutting edge event that will inspire and inform our audience show after show.

The KNOWSHOW

For our non-Canadian friends, the KNOWSHOW is positioned as Canada’s premier lifestyle show. When the KNOWSHOW started a few years back, it seemed to be in direct response to the NSIA show which, at the time, really was starting to tank.

I asked Perry Pugh, the show’s general manager about their start. He said, ”We started the KNOWSHOW to give retailers and brands that focused on action sport and lifestyle fashion brands a market that was better suited to their needs.  With the geographical realities of Canada, trade shows are not going anywhere and we set out to make these necessary situations a positive thing for everyone to look forward to.”

Each of their last four shows drew more than 800 buyers representing approximately 400 stores. The attendance is rounded out with more than 400 Industry reps, managers and marketers and sponsored athletes and over 100 registered media members representing the fashion and action sports blogging community.

According to Pugh, “our focus is to grow our show so that Canada’s best retailers can find brands and categories that will enable them to succeed, while continuing to provide a friendly and relaxed atmosphere for all of the stakeholders in our industry to meet and grow our business in a positive way”.

NSIA

I have some strong personal opinions on NSIA and will try to keep them in check. Basically, I think the show went from being a national must-attend event to being a completely irrelevant show with no soul. There, I said it. In recent years, the NSIA has re-invented its show and has seen some success. The demo at Mont Tremblant was well attended and the brands we spoke to felt that it was a great opportunity to connect with their East Coast retailers (especially those who are outside the city centers).  The NSIA continues to struggle to find a reason for being. Unlike OR and the Know Show, The NSIA is an association-based show and at times it feels like the show tends to suit the needs of those on the board, and not especially interested in changing their processes to modernize the experience.

ASR

As we know, ASR events have been indefinitely suspended. According to their press release, “Recent consolidation among major brands and even meaningful changes in the retail environment has significantly altered the landscape.  Given the competition among key brands and the consolidation among retail shops, it appears for now, to be mostly a market share battle for floor space. This dynamic, combined with tight credit markets, has been hard on the new, smaller or up-and-coming brands as well as many independent surf, skate and boutique retailers. We expect this consolidated and competitive situation to continue to characterize the action sports industry in California for some time to come. Given these fundamental changes, it has proven to be increasingly difficult for the ASR shows in San Diego to serve the new needs of the action sports marketplace. Therefore, we are indefinitely suspending these events.”

So what do these successful and not-so-successful case studies tell us? Here’s my take:

• Those shows expanding their appeal to new audiences are finding more success
• You don’t have to be in Vegas to be successful
• Engage media as partners
• Utilize technology and new marketing platforms to provide value to show attendees
• Re-evaluate the business education component of your show. If only 10 people show up to the free seminars, perhaps you don’t have your pulse on what people are needing or wanting to hear.
• Don’t forget to create real and facilitated networking opportunities. Technology needs to play a role in these.
• Aim to inform and inspire.

In the next issue of this blog post, we’ll look at Interbike, SIA, ISPO and Bread & Butter. We’d love some feedback on these shows and any if you feel tradeshows are still a must and why.

Merci.