Each year, members of our industry head off to the Direct Marketing Association's annual conference with a different set of expectations.
In the late 1990s and 2000, many DMers were riding high on a healthy economy and the dot-com craze. Their goals for the show were likely pretty high — perhaps they were launching a business and were keen on lining up clients and vendors for it. Or maybe they were just excited about collecting a bunch of freebies in the exhibit hall, since so much stuff was being handed out gratis in those days.
In 2001, the mood was understandably reserved. Expectations were for a low-key conference — if it proceeded without incident and everyone arrived and got home safely, all would be relieved.
Last year, people were more cautiously optimistic. Marketers hoped that the economy would turn around soon and things would pick up. People weren't as edgy about getting on a plane and traveling cross country, but the purse strings were still pretty tight.
This year, DMers going to Orlando from certain parts of the country will be happy if the lights stay on and the air conditioning keeps working. But what are marketers' expectations for this year's show? What do they hope to achieve at the conference? And more importantly in these budget-conscious times, how will they judge the ROI on their travel expenditure? The bean counters will definitely want to see a better return from this trip to the Sunshine State than a bag of fresh oranges and a pair of mouse ears.
As a reporter, my goals for the show are a bit different than those of many of our readers. Sure, I want to network and catch up with friends in the industry. But instead of attending sessions with an eye toward how I can improve my own business's cost-effectiveness, I'm looking for ideas I can turn into articles that will help our readers improve their companies' fortunes.
I informally polled several colleagues by e-mail for their thoughts. One agency head said that annual was the best place to meet old friends, old clients and new contacts. “I've never attended an annual conference where I've walked away with less than two new clients,” he said. “It's pure ROI for me.”
Another agency president said he would be attending to network and keep on top of industry trends. “I hope to take away ideas I can implement for clients and find a great party or two,” he said.
And the show will prove economical, too. “I think several people owe me meals, so it should be inexpensive as well,” he joked.
He judges the ROI by the number of people he meets, the relevant ideas he gleans and the number of new clients he works with that he met at the show.
A customer relationship management expert said he wouldn't be making the trip to this year's show. “The primary reason is cost, both monetary and the time away from the office,” he said.
When he does attend, however, his primary goal is — you guessed it — establishing new business contacts and opportunities. And yes, there is some good news for exhibitors. “A secondary goal is learning about new products, ideas and vendors,” he added.
The CRM pro said his financial analysis of the show is a “soft ROI. I don't expect immediate financial returns, but if I leave a conference with three or four meaningful contacts — that is, a need or interest in each other's services and a commitment to talk after the conference — then I'm happy with the expenditure.”
One value of attending conferences that can't be measured with a calculator is seeing colleagues face to face. “The last few years have been hard on all of us,” he said. “Just getting together and meeting with people that you haven't seen or spoken to in a while can be very rewarding.”
What about you? Why did you attend — or stay home from — this year's annual conference? What did you get out of the show, and was attending worth the expense? E-mail the answers to bethdirect@aol.com and the results will be featured in a future issue.
BETH NEGUS VIVEIROS (bethdirect@aol.com) is executive editor of Direct.
