Columbus Distributor Numbers Drop for 6th Consecutive Year; Overall Show Registration Down 29.9%

John Wolz

The National Industrial Fastener Show & Conference announced 2001 overall registration totaled 2,269, down from 3,240 in 2000.
Distributor registration dropped 21% from last year to 715. It was the sixth consecutive year that distributor numbers waned from the peak of 1,753 in 1995.
o The total number of advance and onsite registered attendees fell 19% from 1,570 last year to 1,271 for 2001. In addition to distributors, the attendee number includes 184 non-exhibiting manufacturers, 129 manufacturer�s reps, 73 independent sales reps, 20 importers, 15 forming / cold header, 13 media and 122 miscellaneous / other.
o The total number of occupied booths dropped 41% from 475 in 2000 to 282 this year.
General partner Jim Bannister said show management is “quite pleased with this year�s attendance under the current circumstances” and added that the 2001 show “may have out-performed a slumping industry.”
The numbers include advance and onsite registrations. Show management does not use a verified system to determine actual attendance so the results may or may not vary significantly. The show is not audited by an independent trade show quality assurance program.
Despite the lower numbers several exhibitors at the 21st annual Columbus show told FIN that Tuesday morning was a successful business session. With a less hectic pace than the National Industrial Fastener Show/West and with wider aisles than in Las Vegas and without the competing entertainment, Columbus exhibitors said they were able to talk with the distributors without distraction.
A previous News Flash headline reporting attendance was down 62% was based on Bannister�s public address announcement an hour before the close of the show, that attendance was about 1,225. Bannister has since said the final overall registration figure is 2,269, which is 29.9% below last year. The overall total includes 998 exhibitor personnel.
The 29.9% drop from 2000 to 2001 comes after numbers fell 33.9% from 1999 to 2000.
The next Columbus show is scheduled for one day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, 2002. �2001 FastenerNews.com