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Last year was a good year for exhibitors selling to convenience-store owners, while claustrophobics needed an extra dose of Xanax to make it through events in the IT world.

Conducted by Exhibit Surveys Inc., an industry-research and metrics firm, the 2005 Trade Show Trends Report analyzed 73 shows in the high-tech, retail, medical, and manufacturing/ industrial sectors.

While those who market to the Kwik-E-Marts of the world had reason to celebrate, other categories experienced slight erosion in key indicators compared to 2004’s results. One important example: The performance rating for exhibit efficiency (the percentage of face-to-face staff-visitor interactions that take place from the total potential audience that enters an exhibit) dropped four percentage points to 42 percent.

Why the decline? It could be that visitors are stretched thin: While they spent an average 2.4 days at shows in 2005, their average hours spent visiting exhibits hit a five-year low of 7.8 hours. The lost time may be going to off-floor events, to educational sessions — or to simply staying on top of e-mail and voicemail from the home office.

Whatever the rival draw, the competition for visitors’ time has never been more fierce. These figures may help you make your case for staff training, for pre-show promotion, or for quiet meeting space within your exhibit. It can make the difference between connecting with or missing a busy — and valuable — prospect.

Click here for a complete list of the 73 shows analyzed by Exhibit Surveys Inc. By Ian K. Sequeira with Emily McAuliffe

Net Buying Influences
Net buying influences (NBI) is a measurement of how many attendees have the power to recommend or purchase products at a show. And with an average 84 percent NBI across all industries (holding steady from 2004), that means only about 16 percent of the aisle strollers are there primarily for the schwag.

 

All Shows 84%
High Tech 86%
Retail 87%
Medical 78%
Manufacturing/Industrial 84%

 

  

Total Buying Plans
While visitors still boast decision-making power, they watch expenditures with a bit more zeal. Total buying plans — the percentage of attendees who plan to buy within 12 months of a show — slipped slightly in 2005 to 53 percent, down 2 percent from 2004. High-tech buyers are a bright spot, up 3 points in 2005.

 

All Shows 53%
High Tech 58%
Retail 55%
Medical 54%
Manufacturing/Industrial 45%
 

Time Crunch
The competition for already-limited show-floor time just grew even more fierce. While attendees’ average number of days spent visiting exhibits has remained fairly steady in recent years (2.4 days in 2005), the average number of hours spent visiting exhibits declined in 2005 to 7.8 hours, down from 8.6 in 2004. Retail exhibitors, however, benefit from attendees’ passion for shopping: These visitors spend a full two hours more visiting exhibits than the average. However, health professionals are stretched as thin at trade shows as in their daily practices.

 

Sector Days Hours
All Shows 2.4 7.8
High Tech 2.3 9.0
Retail 2.4 9.8
Medical 2.6 6.1
Manufacturing/Industrial 2.1 7.8

 

  

Total Buying Plans
Booth workers were apparently as busy as the attendees they tried to attract in 2005. When asked to rate the performance of exhibit staff, 65 percent of attendees rated them as “excellent” or “very good,” down 4 percentage points from 2004 — but still comfortably ahead of 2002’s low point of 58 percent. Exhibit staff at medical shows are the benchmark: 77 percent of visitors found them “excellent” or “very good.”

Excellent 28%
Very Good 37%
Good 25%
Fair 8%
Poor 2%
     

Traffic Density
While it’s not good news for germophobes, exhibitors benefited from a slight uptick in overall traffic density in 2005. Shows averaged 2.3 visitors per 100 square feet, up from 2.2 in 2004 (excluding aisle space). And where do visitors literally rub the most shoulders? In the high-tech sector, which elbows in at 3.1.

 

All Shows 2.3
High Tech 3.1
Retail 1.4
Medical 1.6
Manufacturing/Industrial 1.9

 

  


New Faces from
Faraway Places
Nearly one-third of the surveyed attendees were visiting their first trade show, on par with 2004. And 70 percent traveled more than 400 miles to attend. Who saw the most new faces? Exhibitors in the manufacturing/industrial sector, where 42 percent of visitors were attending for the first time.


How Much for a Good Impression?
How much did exhibitors spend, on average, per attendee who entered their exhibits?


1. $113
2. $121
3. $106
4. $97


Answer: $106, down 8.6 percent from 2004 when they spent an average $116.

 

 

How much did exhibitors spend, on average, per attendee with whom a face-to-face conversation took place in their exhibits?


1. $194
2. $213
3. $189
4. $224


Answer: $213, up $18 or 9.2 percent from 2004’s average, $195.

 

About the Research
The Trade Show Trends report is issued annually by Exhibit Surveys Inc. of Red Bank, NJ. The 2005 results are based on audience surveys conducted at 73 shows. Each survey was administered by mail or online shortly after the show. In most cases, exhibit personnel are excluded from the sample. Response rates typically range from 10 to 40 percent.


Ian K. Sequeira is the vice president at Exhibit Surveys Inc., in Red Bank, NJ.

 

 

Top Trade Shows of 2005

Shows with the Highest Net Buying Influence  
National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) 98%
National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) 97%
Sapphire Boston

97%
InfoComm 96%
American Dental Association (ADA) 96%
EXHIBITOR SHOW 92%
Special Libraries Association (SLA) 92%
Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN)
92%
International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) Worldwide Food Expo
 91%
Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference (CLEO/QELS) 90%
Association of Public-Safety Communications (APCO International) 90%


Shows with the Highest Total Buying Plans
 
National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS)
 82%
Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
 81%
American Dental Association (ADA)

77%
InfoComm
 74%
American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA)
 74%
American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS)
 73%
National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)
 72%
Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC)
 71%
Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN)
 68%
Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)
 68%


Shows with the Highest Traffic Density
(Attendees per 100 square feet)
 
Linux World: San Francisco
 4.5
Linux World: Boston
 4.2
Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)

4.1
NetWorld + Interop
 3.7
International Builders Show (NAHB)
 3.4
National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)
 3.3
Kitchen/Bath Industry Show (K/BIS)
 3.3
ISA EXPO
 3.3
Embedded Systems Boston
 3.2
Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN)
 3.1
CTIA Wireless 3.1

 

 

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