Exploring your trade show options

Do big industry trade shows have a future?

There are many reasons why B-to-B companies might be growing tired of their industry-specific trade shows:

–Travel is both expensive and an increasingly huge hassle

–It’s hard to figure out if/how the thousands of dollars you spent on a booth and materials and a cocktail reception actually will make its way back into your pocket as revenue.

–As attendee groups face their own budget squeezes, aren’t trade shows just a bunch of partners catching up with each other–or worse, a bunch of competitors looking over one another’s shoulders?

–The attendees you are seeing may not even be the real influencers and decision-makers at their companies.

Meanwhile, there are a growing number of alternatives to spending a big chunk of your marketing budget on a supposedly must-attend trade show:

–You could exhibit through a virtual trade show, a less expensive, less painful option than moving mountains to get everyone and everything you need halfway across the country.

–In many industries smaller conferences might deliver a better bang for your buck, with a more focused group of high-level attendees.

–You could hold your own private and focused conference for customers and prospects.

–Road shows. Mobile tours–yes, with a big, branded bus and everything–are a topic we’ll cover in the next Chief Business Marketer newsletter.

–During an economic downturn, it might be a lot cheaper to meet with your customers and prospects via video conference or Telepresence (video conferencing’s high-def sibling).

There’s a lot at stake for big trade shows to continue to succeed, so maybe they aren’t done just yet. But, if you’re feeling a bit lost and lacking an adequate ROI, it might be time to start exploring your options.