As delegate profiles change, so should the industry, says MBB Media’s Matthias Tesi Baur
In a town hall meeting in 1999, just a week or two after I joined Messe Frankfurt, Dr. Michael Peter – a board member of the company at this time – gave a business update that still resonates. His forecast outlined the coming changes in the exhibition world and how organisers will have to do more to satisfy exhibitors and visitors.
He compared an exhibition with a ‘Tanz-Nachmittag’ (dancing afternoon) where the boys are too shy to ask the girls for a dance. The event organiser, he says, should help the shy boys.
I was contemplating this speech when working on the content strategies of different trade shows to improve their customer satisfaction rate. When discussing the statistics at an UFI event with industry peers, we noted that the average age of a visitor at trade shows seems to be getting older and older.
That might be good news for the show, with the seniority and purchasing power increasing in line with an older visitor community. However, it might be simply the fact that the show, with an aging visitor community, is losing contact to the next generation of decision makers. So, we need to decide whether entirely new content features at shows can make the ‘trade show’ product attractive for a young target group.
Last issue I described that matchmaking can be much more than just matching a visitor to an exhibitor. It can be a process of understanding and responding to the needs of our target groups in between two shows.
The same applies to many other content features: why should this digital generation still find an old fashioned organised trade show attractive? “Show content can improve the overall show experience of visitors in many regions. Visitors who attend panel discussion and seminars tend to have a better overall experience than visitors who can’t attend such features,” says CEO of Fusion Phil Redwood.
The industry has already had successful shows that use content features in their USP. Food Matters Life launched a show format, which is based on features such as panel discussions, education forums and trend discussions. The show invested in getting the right experts on the show floor to offer a better experience to visitors and exhibitors.
Other formats such as the Festival of Marketing bring classical B2B elements together with festivals type formats, which demonstrate that education, business and entertainment are elements that go together for the upcoming generation of decision makers.
Other examples are open seminar theatres, panel discussions, product tours or the use of social media onsite. Content can come in many different forms and it does not always require a huge investment.
Coming back to Peters’ point, I think each show concept should consider a content strategy and content should become a vital part of the strategy process. Whether that is entertainment, education, match making or social media content will depend on the show and the target group. Not investigating the demands of the upcoming target group and not offering the right content and features at the show will carry the risk of losing contact to young show visitors.
