Trade shows must offer real value
James Aaron Cooke, Senior Editor -- Logistics Management, 5/1/2003
As I've traveled to logistics and transportation industry events over the past couple of years, I've noticed a disturbing trend. Logistics managers are showing up in ever-smaller numbers at the many—some would say too many—conferences and trade shows that cater to this industry.
Although the soft economy and the war against terrorism surely are factors behind this decline in attendance, turnout at most industry events actually started to fall off long before the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001.
No doubt the fallout from those events has accelerated this trend. Business executives in all walks of life, not just logistics, are taking a more cautious line and are traveling only when it's vital to the success of their businesses.
In our field, though, there's another reason for falling participation in educational events: As corporations continue to downsize logistics staffs, managers are being required to spend more time on day-to-day operations and less time on participation in high-level forums devoted to the problems of tomorrow. There simply are too many daily exigencies preventing logistics managers from leaving their desks.
For a logistics executive to travel to a trade show or conference these days, that event has to offer a compelling reason to attend. No longer can a trade show simply offer up a hall full of exhibits. No longer can a conference offer seminars that are thinly disguised infomercials for a transportation service, materials handling product, or software application. No longer can an industry event be simply a veiled excuse for a golf or tennis outing.
Now more than ever, conference and show organizers must put on gatherings that offer measurable value to attendees. Conference programs must offer a rich trove of information that can't be found elsewhere.
To attract logistics managers today, events must also bring together respected practitioners—people who are willing to share their knowledge, and who will provide a don't-miss opportunity for face-to-face networking with key colleagues. Logistics managers, in short, have to feel that what they'll see and hear at an event is too important to be missed.
I would also suggest that trade shows and conferences provide more in the way of training for attendees. Many small and medium-sized companies might be willing to spring for airfare and conference fees if employees could receive hands-on training in specific areas, such as the new federal security regulations. Full-day or half-day training sessions, including specific advice that managers could bring back to their jobs, might bring in time-pressed logistics executives.
Some groups are trying to boost attendance by holding joint meetings. For instance, the National Industrial Transportation League has begun holding simultaneous meetings with the Intermodal Association of North America and the Transportation Intermediaries Association. The three groups will also jointly sponsor November's TransComp 2003 trade show. In the future, more industry groups with similar agendas should consider teaming up to make their meetings one-stop events for companies sharing common interests.
Even if the economy should bounce back in the near future, trade shows and conferences will still face a tough challenge. It's a new era for business travel, and conference and trade show organizers will have to work harder to make a compelling case if they want more logistics managers to give up what little time they have to attend such events. And if attendance doesn't pick up, then some shows and conferences will at best merge with other events, and at worse will fall by the wayside.
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