Learning Through Osmosis – Young Blood’s First Tradeshow
Windows up and Radio off, I made my way towards Waltham, MA this past Wednesday morning. Silently I attempted to prepare myself for my first trade show. This was my first opportunity to represent my company face-to-face with potential and current customers. Having never been to a show, I was unsure what to expect. Although anxious, there was no fear – just uninformed anticipation for a long day ahead.
It was instantly clear that although competitive, most vendors shared a sense of camaraderie, and were open to talking with me and answering my questions. Most of the attendees have been in the industry for over 20 years. In fact, the industry as a whole seems to be comprised of mostly 40+ industry professionals. It was apparent that I was the youngest exhibitor. In fact, I was the only exhibitor asked for ID at the complementary bar during the evening reception.
Small, but efficient and well balanced, the show was in my opinion a great success and well worth the effort to attend. Attendees flew in from all parts of the country. There were also individuals from Canada, Sweden, Israel, Singapore, Italy and Africa.
The workshops provided were very helpful, and have inspired me to set a future speaking role as a personal goal. I obviously would not be able to give a technical seminar, but hopefully through my work on this blog, I will be able to position myself as a leader in bringing social media marketing to this industry.
I highly recommend that you set your calendar for the next PCB East conference. The whole program is put on by UP Media, and there are a few additional shows occurring around the country in the next few months. Click here to see a list of those shows. The UP Media team did a fabulous job and it was a pleasure to meet all of them. I look forward to crossing paths with them in the future.
Trade shows and conferences are an excellent opportunity to connect with your public and your colleagues.
Thirty years ago conferences were the venues for most major industry deals, but it was more of a manufacturer to reseller environment; OEMs weren’t even invited.
With the inception of NEPCON the OEM was given an opportunity to join the conversation. Manufacturers of build-to-print products and capital equipment had an opportunity to show their stuff to guys at OEMs who wouldn’t even return their phone calls out in the real world.
New relationships were given a chance and shows like NEPCON flourished for a while filling mega conference facilities like the Jacob Javitz and McCormick Conference and Event Center.
And then the dot com bubble burst in 2001. More devastating than the previous recession, little did we know this signaled the end of excess in the domestic electronics business.
Cutbacks and domestic attrition eroded industry confidence and budgets, and attendance at these events declined, as companies could no longer justify the cost of travel associated with attendance. Trade shows that were once East Coast/West Coast struggled to draw attendees from outside their local region, resulting in a decline in exhibitor interest. Exhibitor ROI, once a no-brainer, wasn’t such a slam dunk anymore.
Eventually the whole trade show industry had to reassess their strategy, and organizations like SMTA and IPC, trusted voices in the PCB world, lent their organizational reputations and membership to conferences like PCB East and PCB West as a way of providing the forum that you found when you attended PCB East.
I’m still not convinced that the value of these conferences is being maximized by either the exhibitors or the attendees, but it’s always been reinvigorating to talk to new people, reconnect with old friends, and learn a thing or two in the process.
You could construct a training program for salespeople built around the preparation and execution of a solid trade show strategy, because like you, most attendees still walk through those doors with no idea what to expect, which makes it difficult to know if the show was a success or just a great time.
Trade Show is a best way to improve business and contact public by conference. Nice post.
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