There is a very interesting discussion going on in the TSEA LinkedIn group born of a post on electronic exhibit manuals. If you are a show organizer and don’t belong to this group I think you should. You’re going to learn a lot about how exhibitors really feel about certain things.
I won’t get into detail…you can join the group and read all about it. But the gist of the conversation is that exhibitors think show organizers are charging way too much money for services. Now granted there are only a few voices on there (I wish there were more organizers participating) but let’s face it…our exhibitors often do feel this way. After all, we’re charging $100 for a potted plant for three days and $75 to vacuum a 10 x 10 booth.
What is important here is that exhibitors and show organizers are not doing a good job of communicating. Some of the people on the discussion seemed to think that the organizer negotiates the union labor rates for their show. They think the only reason they have to order food from a specific or “exclusive” vendor is so that we can make as much money as possible by not allowing them to bring in food from outside.
But then I get frustrated when exhibitors call for transparency and when we break the costs down they say we are nickle and dime-ing them.
Show organizers listened to the exhibitors complaints and got things changed dramatically in Chicago. I think we’re going to see similar changes in venues across the country because of that. Sure there are some shady deals going on in back rooms between organizers and their vendors. We’re all not perfect but those shady deals are not the norm. Most of us want to do everything we can to make sure our exhibitors have the best ROI possible. If we don’t we’ll be out of business fast.
But it’s also frustrating when we hear all these complaints about pricing and know that 80 percent of leads from the show are not followed up on. At an industry conference recently I heard one exhibitor ask, when talking about this 80 percent issue, why don’t we as show organizers then help them follow-up on the leads. Isn’t that a service we should provide if we know our exhibitors aren’t doing it?
Sure and then right after that I’ll grab the toilet paper and help wipe….oh…never mind.
Instead of finger pointing I’d love to hear in the comments some examples of services that show’s offer their exhibitors that exhibitors find helpful. Or services that exhibitors would like the shows to offer. Let’s keep the lines of communication open.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve been on both sides of the exhibiting arena. So I realize how expensive it is whether you organize or exhibit.
Problem is that exhibitors don’t realize how much goes on behind the scenes and in preparation for a show. They tend to think of it in terms of the microcosm of the show dates. Fact is, preparation begins months, if not years, in advance. As well, the myriad of related issues, such as parking and signage, drive up costs, too. All of these costs are significant and must be monetized, in addition to the costs for use of facilities.
Exhibitors must realize that being at a show is an investment. If they are not capitalizing on the opportunities that a tradeshow brings them, then even the best produced show can’t help.
Thanks, Traci, for another great article!
Thank you for your comment Heidi. After 15 years of working with Exhibitors I thought I knew what all went into planning a show. Now that I’m producing events I see how quickly the costs add up.
It’s frustrating that exhibitors think only of the physical space costs. What they don’t add in are the marketing costs incurred to bring people to the show…their potential customers. Also the costs to feed all those people and make their stay more comfortable and productive with cyber cafe’s a lounges to rest up. All this is a very integral part of the event experience that keeps attendees coming back to visit with the exhibitors.
Everyone needs to keep costs to a minimum. And depending on the event, the size of your presence, etc., some costs can get out of control quickly. But lets call a spade a spade here. If your company is having trouble paying for the $100 plant or the $75 vacuuming, it is likely that your company simply can’t afford to be at the show to begin with, and the marketing dollars would be put to better use in some other way. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of, in fact, recognizing it is something that should be commended.
Everyone’s got it… OVERHEAD.
*Graphic Designers charge $150/hr? really? Yes!
*Vacuuming at $75 for 3 minutes? Yes. it’s either that or a $40 chicken sandwich.
*$400 internet? admittedly, even I’ve bemoaned this.
The money has to come from somewhere, I understand and agree.
As a friend of mine says, “Pool or Pond, whatever”
However, why not have a package deal and call it a day?
Package 1 Booth space, vacuuming, garbage can and Internet = $XXXX.00
“Package” 2 Booth space only no frills. $XYXY.00
The irony is that even exhibitors do this to their own clients. They have to pay for the phone lines, building, receptionist etc. We all get it… just don’t forget it when it happens to you.
By the way, what do you think the cost is to print ONE hard bound book? $10?
nope.
Thanks for the comments Tony.
Can I get the name of your graphic designer????
If only exhibitors knew how much the venues were charging the show for internet access! And I love packaged booth deals but I have to tell you. We did this for our Health and Fitness Expo and no one wanted to pay extra…but they all wondered why they didn’t get those things anyway. They opted for the “booth space only” option then suddenly when they arrived they said they thought it was all included.
Love the book analogy too.
Sorry Jamie…thought I responded to this. On one hand I agree with you and I could also argue against as well. For some companies that $100 plant would almost pay for a night at the hotel for one of your booth staffers. If your budget is that tight skip the plant, skip the vacuuming and work without the internet access…I’d rather see you exhibiting than not being there.