An Exhibitor’s View of the Recent CCWE Show in Las Vegas

[Uncle Sam]

We received an email on May 21 from the ICA signed by Eric Wulf, CEO, reporting the “numbers” pertinent to the recent show.

Total attendance: 5512
Percentage “buyers”: 68%
Total car wash sites represented: 5924
Total Exhibitors: 305
Total Exhibit Space sold : 125,050 sq ft

It went on to say that the total attendance was lower than 2009 (due almost entirely to fewer booth personnel and distributors, DUUHHH), but the total wash sites represented increased from 2009. The rest of the email was devoted to “spinning about how great a job the show staff did for exhibitors and attendees” with educational webinars and the excellent results that exhibitors had who used the strategies recommended by ICA consultants.

There was a recent thread on the forum answered by attendees who gave their first hand impressions of the show. Most of the replies were not very positive about the show, and, as an exhibitor, I had to agree with most of the assessments. I think those assessments indicate that there are many things that can be improved.

The total attendance (5512) has been declining for 4-5 years or more; not a good trend for exhibitors. We like to see more people come to the show so we can have a chance to “educate” them about our products. Individual exhibitors do most of the education for operators, not seminars or consultants.

Percentage of “Buyers”: I’m not sure that means anything other than most of the attendees had some “authority to make purchasing decisions”. OK!! A husband/wife, a father/son/daughter, a family of 3 or 4, or partners in a wash operation includes someone who has the “authority to make purchasing decisions”. That alone gets you to around 50% being “Buyers”.

Total car wash sites represented (5924): Thanks to Randy there is a report that there are 57,522 car wash establishments in the U.S. That means that only a little more than 10% of the total wash sites in the U.S. were represented at the show. To me that means we have a great deal of room to grow!! And grow we must to remain viable.

The total number of exhibitors and the total number of square feet sold is irrelevant to me. I do know that I have cut down on the space I buy and other exhibitors have also. Booth staffs have been cut because there are not enough attendees to educate or talk to during a 3 day show.
Cont'd

 

[Uncle Sam]

The ICA Board and the Staff have to understand that exhibitors have many more advertising avenues than the traditional trade magazines and publications they had a few years ago. The internet with company web-sites, Forums, email blasts, Google, and Blogs are available now at almost zero costs. But there is only one place that an operator can network with other operators, see new equipment and ideas up close and be educated in its use, have a little fun and entertainment, and that is at a convention and Expos where ever they may be held. So let’s make some changes to increase attendance and get some pizzazz back into the CCWE. These ideas have been suggested over and over again on this Forum, but let’s try again.

1. The Expo badge fee should be $25 per individual operator for all 3 days of the show.
2. A family badge for husband/wife/kids, father/son or daughter, or partners in a wash should be $40 for all 3 days. (Partners are almost like family or the partnership will not work) Corporate officers and staff are “families” by my definition.
3. Any exhibitor should receive a minimum of 10 free badges to give to customers or potential customers so they can come to the show and see the exhibitor’s equipment first hand and be educated. Those with bigger booths should receive more based upon square footage.

Since I remember when you could get into the show free and we had 10-12 thousand attending, this is a price structure to get attendance growing again, but still keep out the “looky-lou’s” whose only purpose is to pick up free stuff given out at exhibitor’s booths. If the numbers start growing again, then the number of exhibitors and the amount of booth space sold will take care of itself.

If anyone wants to comment on this report or these ideas, have at it. No one and no idea presented is perfect, but something good can come from many different points of view.

Uncle Sam

 

[Bill Manke]

I think you said it perfectly. I go to these shows to see the product and to speak to eveyone about the product. Why even go if product isn't being shown. The prices to attend were way to high. And I heard the booth prices make it very hard for some to justify displaying their product

 

[captain cw]

Could not agree more. I always call around looking for show passes from manufactures of stuff I've bought. I don't want to pay the crazy admission prices. I go to try to make my washes more effective.

 

[rph9168]

A lot of good ideas here. As has already been mentioned, the ICA needs to re-evaluate their thinking instead of "spinning" what is obviously a very negative trend regarding attendance at the Show. I, too remember when attendance at the Show was 12,000 plus. Free passes were available from many sources. The floor space was filled with large booths and people to help operators understand what they had to offer. The atmosphere was much different than the last several shows.

To the list already given I would add several other suggestions. With all the tourism in Las Vegas, surely the ICA could find a way to offer some reasonable travel and lodging options for attendees. All the hotels and casinos offer coupon books with discounts, why not put one together for attendees?

I guess that one of my pet peeves is the lack of focus of the Show. Most operators attend to get ideas on how to improve their business. What is offered is mainly the "same old same old" types of seminars that repeat much of the same information every year. Instead of an expensive keynote speaker, how about bringing in experts in the field of marketing and business development. It's nice to hear from professionals within the industry but much of that information is available on-line or through manufacturers.

Let's face facts. The Show is dieing a slow death. It's time to revive the patient with a new approach.

 

[Waxman]

I was a little turned off by the obvious sales plug of a particular brand of carwash equipment at the end of an 'educational' session.

I understand economics but had never experienced this during such a session at an ICA show.