SHOW NEWS: Many Exhibitors Happy With Morning Attendance at NIFS / East

John Wolz

�Multiple exhibitors reported the morning of the National Industrial Fastener Show / East was “good” to “great,” but by afternoon it was so “dead” that some started dismantling an hour and a half before the end of the eight-hour show.
Distributor registration for 2004 dropped for the eighth time out of the last nine years. Total registration and the number of booths for the 24th annual show were down from 2003.
Exhibitors also said they found the distribution-oriented show in Orlando, FL, to be a “regional” event and the official numbers reflected their impressions. Just shy of a majority of registered distributors were from Florida and more than 60% came from eight Southeastern states.
In addition to the slow afternoon, exhibitors complained of “national prices” for booths at a show that drew only a “regional audience.”
“I had a great, great show in Orlando,” reported one exhibitor who collected 36 business cards at his booth during the morning.
He said a key was in reducing overhead by staffing just one booth with one person.
“The cocktail party was well attended with very little food, which is good because I don”t need distractions.”
Another exhibitor liked the show-sponsored reception vs. the [individual company-sponsored] Las Vegas reception. He misses the networking in the hotel bar when the show was in Columbus, OH.
Orlando was “good for us. Very active until about 2 p.m.”
“The show was good for us,” a nationally known exhibitor declared. He wasn”t expecting a national show and found it a good opportunity for inside salespeople to meet with Southeastern customers.
“Orlando was great from 9:30 to 11:30, but at noon most of the customers were on their way home,” another exhibitor found. “We should have gotten a refund.”
One exhibitor rated the 2004 Orlando show as “bad,” but added it was “a little better than last year because we had one very important meeting set up with a distributor that was worth some of the cost.”
NIFS/East remains a “regional show at national prices. I am not even sure you would call it regional more local than anything.”
Promoters Pleased
“We are pleased and gratified with the number of positive comments received from attendees and exhibitors alike,” show general partners Jim Bannister and Mike McGuire wrote in a post-show news release.
The show promoters tried to boost attendance by lowering the admission fee and providing free passes for exhibitors to give to customers.
Several exhibitors mentioned that the low point came about 3:30 p.m. when multiple exhibitors started dismantling booths. Show management used the microphone to admonish them that attendees could be injured. That set off snickers and complaints about the lack of afternoon business. “We could have shot off cannons and not hit a potential customer in the aisles,” declared one exhibitor.
Another exhibitor said he hustled around the aisles and counted only one distributor in the hall at the time.
Suggestion Box
Many exhibitors groused this spring about having to go to as many as five industry events in nine weeks. Three the Chicago Fastener Show, Southwestern Fastener Show and the National Fastener Distributors Association annual spring meeting all took place within 10 days in April. And NIFS/East was less than two weeks later.
One suggested that the “association of associations” the Fastener Industry Coalition mediate dates so there is not more than one trade show per season.
Another suggested that the two largest spring regional shows Chicago and Southwestern alternate years instead of being within four days. “Both could be stronger shows then,” one exhibitor at the two shows said.
One company which exhibits at almost every show rated a non-show as the most effective. “Best of all was easily NFDA good crowd, most decision-makers. Really glad we avoided Orlando missed nothing. [The 2005 NIFS/East in] Baltimore will be a disaster once again.”
” One exhibitor suggested that shows should include its marketing program and promises in booth contracts. “If they are confident they have a good plan to get distributors to the show, why not brag about it in the contract? Right now the contracts are one-way streets. Exhibitors should start demanding to know what the marketing plan is before writing a check.”
One exhibitor said he has begun having distributors monitor promotions from all shows and suggested other exhibitors ask customers to see how hard each show is trying.
“If distributors only get one bulk mail flier, is show management really working to get them there? We can all watch to see if a show buys advertising in distributor association newsletters, Distributors Link and other magazines.”
” NIFS/EAST was by far the most expensive of the spring shows. “It could be moved to a hotel with lower costs all around space, furniture and drayage,” suggested one veteran NIFS exhibitor.
“East is very costly” on a per distributor basis another exhibitor found. In addition to the $1,295 cost of the basic booth, that exhibitor paid an additional $789.31 for furniture and drayage. “I don”t mind paying for the booth but all the extras is another [issue].”
According to that exhibitor”s booth and hotel costs, NIFS/West was $2.88 per registered distributor for booth, furniture and hotel, but NIFS/East was $6.65. Flights and other costs are not included.
“Do we ask to see their financials? asked one exhibitor complaining about the cost of Orlando. “How much does the hall cost?”
” Several exhibitors suggested that NIFS hold one annual show and alternate between east and west locations. “With two shows, neither the West nor East are the “grand industry wide event” Columbus once was.” At 580 booths last year NIFS/West in Las Vegas was smaller than the 653 booths Columbus once had.
Though NIFS had a total of 789 booths between the last East and West shows, one exhibitor speculated that total profit for the two shows was probably less than the fewer booths at just one show. “They stick whopping costs on the industry with two shows,” complained one exhibitor. “We pay twice for booths, for staff time and travel and shipping and everything else.”
“They could lower our costs and increase their profits by giving us one grand show once a year,” he suggested.
” An exhibitor who likes regional shows, criticized associations for not getting distributor members to the shows. “As much as I like the other vendors and all the bonding, it is all about business. Distributor associations need to find out why members do not attend and they need to get them there.”
“Nada to the Cause”
Several industry leaders expressed emotions ranging from amusement to disgust about a letter from NIFS management responding to complaints that the show has donated “not a penny” to industry causes.
“They claimed their contribution to the Fastener Quality Act process was conducting a seminar in Columbus,” one industry leader complained. “By their own count 800 attended. Look it up they charged $20 per person for the workshop. Taxpayers paid for the government speakers. The IFI and NFDA provided industry speakers.”
One fastener organization leader involved in the FQA battle calculated that the workshop provided “$16,000 to the show owners and nada to the cause.”
“It was sad really that even in their own defense they could not cite even one check they have ever written for an industry cause. Not a penny.”
Show management also touted its offer of “complimentary” booths to fastener associations. One association insider noted that show management attempted to portray the offer as a donation, but “the reality is that when they require our endorsement it becomes a barter agreement not a gift and thus could be subject to IRS taxation. If they think our endorsement is worth something, then they aren”t offering associations anything “free.” If they don”t think our endorsement is worth anything, why do they require it and use it?”
“Those unsold booths cost them virtually zero,” another noted. “If we accept the barter then we are saying our endorsement is worth virtually zero. Associations need to think about what they are giving their name to and how much it is worth.”
In addition to a booth, should associations ask for scholarship fund donations in exchange for endorsement? one asked. \ �2004 FastenerNews.com