SHOW NEWS: NIFS/East Exhibitors Ask for Better Numbers and Better Afternoon

John Wolz

Distributor registration for the 2007 National Industrial Fastener Show/East fell 26.9%, while booths were up 19.5%. Exhibit staff registration outnumbered distributors by a 3-to-2 margin.
Show management announced there were 373 distributors registered for the May 23 trade show in College Park, GA. Last year there were 510. The record is 1,753 in 1995.
Overall registration dropped 15.6% to 1,224 this year.
The numbers led one veteran exhibitor to suggest that show management announce specific “up or down” numbers at the advance registration deadline so exhibitors could adjust staffing and shipping of brochures and materials.
The 27th annual NIFS/East drew 205 exhibiting companies totaling 221 booths. Last year there were 185 booths total in Columbus, OH; 223 booths in Baltimore in 2005; 209 in Orlando in 2004 and 260 in Orlando in 2003. The NIFS record is 653 in Columbus in 1998.
Seventy of the exhibitors were either new or hadn”t exhibited in two years, while 53 did not return from 2006.
Show management issued several announcements in the months leading up to the show with such numbers as booth sales “running 46% ahead of same time in 2006” in January; “On Fast Track to Complete Sell Out” in February; “Strong gain in numbers” on April 13; and “Advance Registration Ahead by 15%” on April 19.
In its post-show news release show management announced, “We had good attendance at the various conference programs on Tuesday and a number of larger distributors took advantage of the show to hold buyer”s meetings.”

While numerous exhibitors rated the morning as useful, words for the afternoon included “bust,” “boring,” and “brutal.”
“After a brief busy time in the morning, the rest of the show was a bust,” one veteran exhibitor complained.
“Three or more people in each booth looking at each other all afternoon got boring.”
“Brutal afternoon for exhibitors. Should be a tabletop show; very regional.”
“The booth traffic was not adequate and my leads are quite minor,” one exhibitor reflected. “On a very positive note, I did make three contacts with existing large customers.”
“It was basically a three-hour show, dead by noon. I made a few good contacts with larger, national and regional distributors. The local Southeastern distributors did not account for much.”
“We had a good show,” declared one supplier. “One day was just right.”
“The show itself was quite professional but on the small side.”
One described NIFS/East as “similar to any of the regional shows, just more expensive.”
“The first three hours were very busy and very productive.”
“Overall the show was good. While the traffic was light, it did provide time to talk with customers. We have a couple of new opportunities that if they work out will make have made the show worthwhile.”
“It is not a “national” show but a decent “regional””
“The show was just okay. The attendance was light. I did see some people to make it worthwhile.”
“The show was more of “local” than “national”, but booth rent was charged as if it was a national show.”
“The opening party was a good networking opportunity.”
“Of the people who visited our booth we met with approximately a dozen new leads. Another group of visitors we met with were inactive customers wishing to renew a distribution relationship.”
“I”m not sure that it was cost effective, but I thought our presence was necessary.”
One national sales manager who did not exhibit this year instead found walking the show this year successful. “I also left at 12:30 p.m. as I had walked the whole show and saw who I needed to see.”
An exhibitor summed up NIFS/East: “By 2 p.m. we could have packed up.”
New Location
It was the first time NIFS/East was held at the Georgia International Convention Center, just west of Atlanta”s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Some exhibitors complained about the suburban location. “Having the show at the airport convention center we could have been anywhere,” one veteran exhibitor observed. “There was no sense of place.”
There was “no decent place for lunch at the convention center or nearby so it seemed that most people walked the show from 9 to 1 and that was it.” observed a nationwide supplier.
One exhibitor complained that the host hotel was a shuttle ride away and “sold out too fast.” The second hotel “was a long walk from the host hotel.”
Suggestion Box
“Is there such a thing as booth rental pricing based on volume?” asked an exhibitor from nearly every NIFS event. “Are there rebates available?”
It is not the first time that an exhibitor has suggested booth price based on distributor attendance. “We are paid to deliver quality fasteners, not partially-filled cartons. Booth prices should be based on qualified buyers in the aisles.”
One exhibitor suggested show management could cut exhibitor costs by holding conferences from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and a tabletop show from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A table with two chairs could cost $750 instead of a booth costing $1,445 to $1,495 plus furnishings and carpet, he calculated.
Others suggested NIFS expand its marketing to rebuild the East show. One distributor who has registered for recent NIFS shows never received a brochure. There were no paid ads in Distributors Link or Fastener Technology International magazines or fastener association newsletters.
“If they want me back next year they have to present a marketing plan to draw a full day of traffic. Free admission at noon? A free afternoon coffee break with snacks at 2 p.m.?”
“Again, one national show held in Vegas in November,” an exhibitor repeated a suggestion after past East shows. “The East just does not have the “oomph” anymore. I have talked with numerous people who want a better return on both their dollar and their time.”
“Columbus every other year and maybe not do a spring show in 2009,” asked another.
Not a Penny
This was NIFS” 37th distribution-oriented show and industry leaders again said they know of no donation checks NIFS has ever written for any industry cause.
NIFS/East should have been profitable. “Depending on how they do their accounting, they should start making a profit between 100 and 150 booths,” one trade show expert projected. The 36 additional booths this year increased NIFS” revenue more than $50,000. In addition, standard booth prices were raised $50.
One new suggestion was that NIFS subsidize the Industrial Fastener Institute”s six-figure Berry Amendment lobbying efforts, which benefit much of the industry.
Show Numbers
According to show management there were 109 manufacturers registered this year, compared with 153 in 2006; 64 reps (58 manufacturer reps and 39 independent sales reps in 2006); 23 importers (29); and 41 others (96).
Combined with distributors the 610 attendee registration total was 31.1% below the 2006 total of 885.
The 614 exhibit staff accounted for just over half of the 1,224 total registration. Overall registration was 1,450 in 2006.
Actual attendance is not known as NIFS figures include advance and onsite registration. NIFS management does not use a verified attendance system and the show is not audited by an independent trade show quality assurance system. Show management does provide a list of registrants to exhibitors.
One industry leader pointed out that if individual exhibitors could afford to rent the show”s new lead retrieval system, then “surely show management could negotiate using the same equipment at the entry door,” especially since the system is supplied by show manager Susan Hurley”s son.
The next NIFS/West will be November 12-14, 2007, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The 28th annual NIFS/East is scheduled May 20-21, 2008, in Columbus, OH. For NIFS information contact show manager Susan Hurley. Tel: 614 895-1279 E-mail: susan@fastenershows.com Web: fastenershows.com \ �2007 FastenerNews.com