6/30/2009
HEADLINES
PERSPECTIVE: Participation at 2009 Fastener Events Drops

From association meetings to trade shows and conferences, the global economic recession has taken its toll on fastener events so far in 2009.

At one association meeting even the incoming president’s company chose not to send him to the spring meeting.

At another fastener association meeting, a majority of attendees were officers, board members and former board members. Most of the rank and file stayed at work in their offices.

“How can I go to a resort meeting when we are cutting back on everything else to avoid laying off people?” asked one stay-at-home distributor.

One association executive expressed relief that they met their hotel room guarantee for the spring meeting.

Fastener trade shows also reported low numbers, but were buffeted by low expectations.

• The biennial Fastener Tech 09 dropped from 165 booths in 2007 to 127 booked this year, but there were cancellations even in the final month for the June 8-10, 2009, event in Chicago.

“The show was ‘decent,’ but activity was expected to be muted because of the recession,” an exhibitor at almost every fastener show said of Fastener Tech 09.

Fastener Tech had sought to provide an industry wide event featuring educational programs in addition to the trade show. But almost no conference registrations led to cancellation of most of the seminars.

Show organizers have announced registration total “more than 1,900,” with 300 as exhibitor personnel and 250 registered but not attending. The announcement does not give a breakdown of manufacturers, distributors and other categories.

The registration numbers include the International Robots & Vision Motion Control and Sensors Expo, which also had trade shows in the Rosemont’s Stephens Convention Center.

In 2007 show organizers reported audited attendance of 1,218 and total registration of 1,611.

What did go right for Fastener Tech 09 was that after low participation at spring fastener association events, numerous exhibitors’ had scaled back staffing and expectations in anticipation of less attendance at Fastener Tech 09. That meant the remaining staff was busier instead of more sales people in standing in booths waiting for customers.

In addition, instead of adding lounges to fill open areas of the original floor plan, MWFA executive director Nancy Rich reduced the number of aisles. That gave the trade show a busier feel with attendees divided among fewer aisles.

Fastener show participants could visit the Robots and Sensors trade shows and returned telling tales about the working robots on display.

One exhibitor commented that the Robotics and Sensors traffic “had next to nothing in common with our line of specific products so I spent much of the day exchanging ‘small talk’ with non-prospects.”

Another said the Robotics attendees may have been “more appearance than substance,” but nevertheless helped Fastener Tech 09 feel busy.

One exhibitor singled out the “good attendance” at Tuesday’s networking reception with buffet dinner.

“The show was much better than expected,” said a machinery exhibitor who demonstrated a machine at Fastener Tech 09. “I had great exposure with my customers and I think I’ll get business from it. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Overall it was OK,” another exhibitor reflected.

• “Yes, you could roll a bowling ball down the aisles,” show management of the International Fastener & Precision Formed Parts Manufacturing Exposition noted in its post-show news release.

Show organizers generally focus on something to paint a positive picture of an event, but IFE management gained respect from several exhibitors with its post-show candor.

“They showed they understand the problem,” responded one exhibitor.

“We’re not going to sugar coat this,” IFE’s Ray Zirkle acknowledged. “We knew we were operating within a tough economy and in spite of exhibit sales being off substantially, we did more – and spent more – on our attendance promotion efforts this year than we did for our successful event in 2007.”

Zirkle is executive director of the International Fastener Machinery & Suppliers Association, which organizes and sponsors IFE.

The final marketing was targeted at potential attendees within driving distance of the show at Cleveland’s I-X Center, Zirkle noted.

Even a wide variety of free IFE conference programs had scant attendance.

IFE 09 totaled 57 exhibitors, down from 100 in 2007.

A few exhibitors did report selling machinery off the show floor.

IFMSA chairman Ray Sullivan said the show was “a reflection of the current state of affairs in the automotive industry – the largest segment of the fastener market.” Sullivan’s Cinco Industries did sell a machine to an aerospace fastener manufacturer.

• The National Industrial Fastener Show/East was cancelled for 2009. Show management blamed the economy for what they termed “postponement” of what would have been the 29th annual show.

NIFS/East was already struggling before the recession. The number of booths at the 2008 show had dropped 34.7% from 2007 and distributor registration fell 16.2%. In the past decade, only the 2002 show with 162 booths was smaller than 2008 at 164 booths.

The December 2008 NIFS cancellation announcement was made days after several exhibitors said they told NIFS they weren’t returning for the May 2009 trade show in Columbus, OH.

NIFS management is marketing a May 26, 2010, East show in Columbus.

• There was one success story. With the cancellation of the 2009 NIFS/East show, leaders of the North Coast Fastener Association saw an opportunity and created “A Night of Networking” with 33 suppliers hosting 230 people in Cleveland. ©2009 GlobalFastenerNews.com