Association Shows/Expos: Are they Relevant Versus the Internet Presence

[Uncle Sam]

The recent issue of SSCWN had a synopsis of the Care Car World Expo 2007 in which the ICA President acknowledged the DECLINE in attendance at the Expo. As an exhibitor I am well aware of the high costs to exhibit and had a ?gut feeling? there was a decline in attendance. There is no way I can justify going to all of the Association shows available. I also went back into the archives of the AutoCareForum to look at posts about Association Shows/Expos from 2001 through 2007. The ?venting? about these shows did not change much over these years. Since 2001 Company Websites and the AutoCareForum (and others) have become established as a viable alternative to shows for staying up-to-date and at a much lower dollar cost. The one thing these websites can not do: provide the personal touch, networking, and the opportunity to ?kick the tires?. That may be the only reason for a show?s existence!

Analysis of the existing show interests:
1. Association Interests
? Shows create revenue to support their programs and staff
? Provide one of the reasons for their existence
2. Hotel/Convention space Interests
? Need a minimum number of Room/nights to set the price of the convention space used.
? Hotels want people to gamble/eat/spend money at the hotel.
3. Exhibitors Interests
? The need to have eyeballs for sales leads and to network with existing customers.
? Allow operators to ?kick the tires?.
? Want to promote new equipment designs and new features on exiting equipment.
? Last but important is that you have to show or rumors start immediately that you are ?out of business? whether true or not. I?m not sure that is still viable with the internet presence.
4. Attendee/operator Interests
? The need to network with other operators/friends
? To see new equipment and exchange ideas.
? To attend educational seminars to learn new ways of operating.
? To save money with ?show pricing? on products
5. Ways used by Associations to increase attendance:
? Providing food/receptions/entertainment during the shows
? Educational seminars on various industry interests
? Expanded participation which includes detailers, the lube/oil business
? Gambling and other attractions in the convention city
Cont?d

 

[Uncle Sam]

The Competition: Company Websites and AutoCareForum (and others)
? Company websites present video clips, pictures, power point presentations, pricing, and engineering specs
? Advertising for manufacturers, value added sellers, and distributors
? Education with the forum offerings: instant questions and answers to problems that change constantly

The Problems:
1. Too many shows trying to find a way to survive. Show dates too close
2. The number of attendees is declining, the number of leads is less, and the costs are getting higher each year for exhibitors
3. Attendees do not stay in the host hotel to satisfy the number of room/nights needed to tie up the convention space.
4. Operators will not attend shows that are held during their busy seasons

Suggested Solutions: Four (4) shows per year
? World Show , March/April, Las Vegas (ICA)
? East, June, Atlantic City, Orlando, or ??
? Mid-West, September, Dallas, St Louis or ??
? West, October, Las Vegas, Seattle/Tacoma
? Sorry, guys and gals, winter time is not a good time to exhibit because of weather, busy season, and travel problems
? All Associations must find a way to support and participate in the revenue from shows
? Find one show management company to run all these shows
? Use the Wal-Mart model to price the registration and exhibitor fees
Lower the cost of attending

As you can readily see the internet presence can do almost everything a show can do, only cheaper and faster. The only benefit of a show presence (as stated above) is personal contact, networking, and the opportunity to ?kick the tires.? Those benefits are only worth so many dollars to any of us exhibitors who attend the existing shows.

So Forum members, let?s have a critical discussion of this subject and maybe a better solution can be found. There are ?political? problems between Associations to solve, but nothing should be cast in concrete.

Uncle Sam

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I agree that there are too many shows. I like your suggestion of four. I had never been to a regional show before going to the ICA show in Vegas. Had I been to a regional show first I may well have never flown across the country to go to the Vegas ICA show. The only regional show I've attended had so little equipment on display that I couldn't have imagined traveling any distance to see it. I only went because it was less than an hour away and I had several friends (that I met here) that I wanted to hang out with. There was just no comparison at all.

Another point you brought up was that maybe the host hotel was not getting enough bookings from attendees. I think the fact that the Las Vegas convention center and the Hilton are not on the strip may be a hindrance to the amount of bookings. I think the strip is such a cool place and just can't imagine not being able to walk out the door of my motel and be right in the middle of everything. I'm such a party animal and just gotta have that. Also, I haven't seen any pricing of rooms at the Hilton that got me excited enough to move off strip. I'm hoping that future Vegas shows will be closer to the strip.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I.B..

After the ICA show in Orlando next year the ICA show returns to Las Vegas for the foreseeable future. I think the Sands Convention Center is the location and this is on the Strip. I sure hope this works out and that the powers that be listen to what we say about the shows.

Uncle Sam

 

[phred113]

Regional shows are great for meeting folks and they are much less expensive than the 'big' show, although badly attended. I am not in favor of 1 organization. The history of the ICA is full of nepotism, entrenchment (Trantham, anyone?) that 1 org will limit and aversely control the free assembly of companies.

The shows are very expensive to attend for exhibitors as Uncle Sam and IB have said. The smaller, lower point total exhibitors are relegated to the fringe areas and do not experience much traffic. I am for a divided show floor with islands and rows alternating. For example a row of no more than 10 x 20's dividing the 20 x 20, 30, 40, 50's, that all seem to cluster in the center. I have suggested this to ICA and they 'will look into it'.

I have seen the contracts and sponsorship costs for various aspects of being an exhibitor and they are quite high. The folks that should be sponsoring this industry, like CAT, do not spend a dime beyond exhibit fees. No other company's products are used so widely and gives back so little to this industry. Just a thought. (off my soapbox)

The location that works best is Vegas, but I hate going there. I am interested to see how Orlando works out. I have been to 2 trade shows this year in Orlando and the facility is fine. but everyone said attendance was down from other locations. I just think there is a trend to not go to shows for the reasons Uncle Sam has mentioned.

I have enjoyed going to all the shows for the networking and contacts. I do not know how to replace that via broadband. People will want to get together. What format will this take? Maybe smaller shows - smaller floorspace and limits on booth sizes - is the answer. Lower cost of exhibit and attendance will increase turnout as we may be heading for some lean times, economically.

 

[rph9168]

One of the many criticisms I have of the current show set up is that the cost of the show has to be absorbed by companies somewhere which usually means either increased pricing or reduction in personnel which adversely affects service. It seems like a "Catch 22" situation as far as how and where the shows are staged. Exhibitors feel they have to attend or else either be criticized for not supporting the association or create rumors of their demise.

I can remember during the Trantham years when they held two national shows a year. Now I wonder if there is a need for a show every year. Why not every other year? I think regional shows could be scaled back to tabletops or 10 X 10 booths only as well.

Has anyone even seen what they charge non members to attend the ICA Show? It bothers me that companies pay a lot of money to exhibit and expose themselves to potential customers who in turn must pay to attend the show for the privilege of looking at what is available. Even members get hit pretty hard to attend the show.

I am beginning to question the value of the association itself. Some times I think the association exists for itself. I have not seen the percentage of wash operators that belong to the association currently but it used to be around 15% or less. Maybe if membership fees and show expenses were a little more reasonable more would join and the association would be more representative of the industry as a whole.

For years operators have asked for some type of national car wash marketing to help bolster the industry. All we see are some research and studies done that mean little or nothing to the motoring public. How about a national campaign that encourages professional car washing like the unions (look for the union label) or special interest groups put on.

Unfortunately I could go on and on but I think I have already gone beyond the spirit of this post.

 

[Uncle Sam]

phred113,

I, too, do not want any of the associations to run all four shows. I was not very clear in my post. I would want an independent for-profit company to manage the shows. If we don't like how they do , we can get another one.

Uncle Sam

 

[Uncle Sam]

rph9168,

I can remember when it cost very little or nothing to enter the show floor. That was not very many years ago. That alone would goose attendance to a more respectable level.

Uncle Sam

 

[soapy]

I think trade shows will remain vialble because of the big ticket nature of items that get purchased. Car dealers thought they could sell cars on the internet and have people buy without seeing the car. This has not turned out very well for them. The internet is great for info but a trade show lets you compare and see actual equipment. A trade show is still the best venue for buying big ticket items.
Much has been made about attendance going down at the trade show compared to a few years ago. What I never hear about is how this industry is becoming consolidated with companies now owning many more washes as a group than before. Look at recent surveys and you will see that there is a big proliferation of multi site operators. IN general they are the ones more likely to attend a trade show. When they attend a trade show they have much more buying capability. 10 years ago I had one wash now I have 4. Shouldn't I be counted as 4?
The WCA show will be held on the strip next year at Bally's. The booth space sales are way ahead of last year so I think that looks good for a good WCA show next year.
The WCA has 4 board meetings every year and holds them in various cities in the western states. We provide a free member dinner and encourage local suppliers to provide table top displays. We also bring in local people to give talks on local issues. This gives suppliers a inexpensive way of making contacts.

 

[rph9168]

I don't see the Internet as a viable option as well. Those ICA sponsored Internet shows were a farce.

I do think that shows are necessary. I think that the number and size could be reduced without sacrificing anything. Shows exist so those that run association can make money. I have nothing against that except the manufacturers and members should have much more say in how the shows are run. The shows are also supposed to exist for manufacturers to exhibit their products and for operators to be able to see all that is available to them in one place. Costs have risen to make this less viable for both parties and more profitable for those that run the associations. Some of the regional shows have become so big that the cost to attend them for operators and manufacturers alike almost equals the annual ICA Show.

In the past many manufacturers and operators banded together to eliminate one of the two annual ICA shows that used to be held. Maybe it is time for manufacturers and operators to get together again to regain control in regards to shows and how and when they are run.

 

[Sequoia]

Jim,

Your comments are true about trade shows in general, not just in the car wash business. In virtually every industry the same observations can be made.

When evaluating the worthiness of exhibiting at a show, I would evaluate the quality of the attendees and business prospects, not the quantity. In previous years, in another industry, we had show promoters hand out free attendee passes on local college campuses and similar facilities. Attendance was off the charts but wading through the hordes to find a viable business prospect made working the show very difficult. But traffic was great!

Personally, I will attend 1 or 2 shows per year, enjoy a mini-vacation while doing it and meet and greet lots of vendors while kicking the tires on their equipment. Just like with the vendor I bought from you. Had I not seen it at the show, I probably still would not have bought anything yet. So the face-to-face does speed up the sales process.

We didn't like the high economic costs and staff workload of doing the shows, but we found if we were choosy about which ones to exhibit at and worked them hard they were a very effective marketing tool for us.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Soapy,

I think you have a valid point with the consolidation of the industry and this number is important to everyone. I have seen the number of registrations decline while the number exhibitors are growing. This is good for the ICA & WCA, but not so good for exhibitors unless we can get information about the quality of the people we are talking to about our products. Every attendee should be treated with respect and interest, but the larger operators obviously have the cash flow to purchase products more readily. I looked at the list of show registrations which was sent to me by WCA staff and found nothing that indicated the number of wash sites that a person represented. I sorted these registrants by primary category & alphabetically; here is what I came up with for WCA 2007 show. Total attendance: 1837+ or- In 2003 this number was 1904 + or -

Convenience Store-- 8
Conveyor, other operations?304; 64 of these were self service 2nd
Detail?31
Fast Lube?14
In Bays?31
Manufacturers?46
Distributors, Service Providers, Suppliers?1129
Self Service?276; (in 2003 this number was 367)
The Express Wash model may be included in the Conveyor??

If you add the Self Service people and the Conveyor people who also ran Self Serves, (276 + 64) then I have a total prospective customer list of 340 people. That is what I look for in going to a show. Meanwhile the total exhibitor registrants come in at 1175. Some of these will be potential customers but not very many.

If many are multiple site owners like you, Soapy, maybe the potential sales would be upwards of 1100 possible wash sites. That is a whole different outlook for me than 340. So maybe the next WCA show there could be a ?qualifier? added that asks how many wash sites a registrant operates.

rph9168,

I like the comments in your post and appreciate the sentiment. Exhibitors do need to take charge, but the only ones with enough clout are the ones who rent big spaces. We have heard nothing from them!

Cont'd

 

[Uncle Sam]

Sequoia,

I do appreciate your comments and the perspective you bring from another industry that has show experience. Your idea of ?quality viable business prospects? is one I can really appreciate. Soapy alluded to the same situation with the idea that many prospects have multiple sites and are quality prospects. We just need to get that information to exhibitors. I also understand the necessity to have some personal contact with operators at shows that allows operators to ?kick the tires?.

I think all the posters comments are helpful to exhibitors, operators, and the show staff at all Associations. I sure would like to hear more comments (I was a little disappointed) from exhibitors and operators so we can make this part of the industry run a little smoother and better for all who participate.

Uncle Sam

 

[soapy]

Jim, I have already started the ball rolling on getting information on the total number of washes represented by the attendees at the WCA car wash convention. It may take the staff some time to assemble this and we may have to add this to the questionaire next year.

 

[rph9168]

I think with costs continuing to rise and attendance continuing to decline we will see some of the larger exhibitors beginning to either downsize or begin to question the number of shows. It is all about profitability and when the costs are analyzed in regards to benefits and sales it simply does not make economic sense to participate in activities that do not generate enough sales to make it worth the expense. Some have already cut back on advertising in general and I think you may see some reflection of this for show attendance.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Soapy,

Thanks for your input. It should be very interesting to see the numbers after this question is implemented.

I'm coming to the conclusion that I will pick and choose very carefully which shows I attend just for the personal touch and allow attendees to "kick the tires" in a particular geographical area. I will use my website and AutoCareForum (these are 24/7) to advertise and take care of the technical and nitty-gritty stuff.

Uncle Sam

 

[Uncle Sam]

rph9168,

You are certainly correct in your assessment of the cut backs in space at shows and advertising. At the WCA last October I noticed that both Gin San and D & H seem to have cut back on the amount of space that they occupied.

I hope that some kind of resolution on the number of shows will make its way into Association thinking and that consolidating shows will take place just like the consolidating of wash ownership is taking place per Soapy.

Thanks for your input.

Uncle Sam

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

Analysis of the existing show interests:
4. Attendee/operator Interests
? The need to network with other operators/friends
? To see new equipment and exchange ideas.
? To attend educational seminars to learn new ways of operating.
? To save money with ?show pricing? on products

I attend the ICA show about once every third year or so.
May I add a couple reasons:

• To compare products (physically) side by side. This year I want to see/touch in-bay credit card acceptors.
• My eyes see things and my ears hear things that dont show up on the net. For example, I often learn as much by overhearing conversations on the show floor as I do by asking questions, and by seeing things that prompt ideas.
• I have yet to come back from a show without at least one good idea.
• I personally need to meet vendors. I dont deal with people I dont trust and respect, and meeting them is the only way for me to get a feel for that.
• The show simply energizes me, fuels my enthusiasm for ss car washing.

Frankly, I've always felt that the show is run by the ICA to make $. Most of the other industry trade shows I attend are run by private companies.

btw, outstanding topic, long overdue for open discussion (imo). I should have figured it would be raised by someone like you Jim. (thats a compliment.)

 

[rph9168]

The ICA Show (and the association itself) is run by a private company - Smith Bucklin. I doubt that the ICA or any large organization could put one on without hiring someone to do it for them.

The ICA Board does select the company that runs the association so it has the ability to make changes. Members elect the Board so ultimately the membership has the power for change. The reality is that any change would require electing Board members willing to make changes. That is how Gus Trantham was replaced. It is not a simple process. It takes time and people willing to devote their energy for change.

 

[soapy]

I have always been told that in general the regional associations are member driven while the ICA is more vendor driven. The management team for the ICA is very professional and part of a very large group that manages many organizations. Regional associations usually have smaller management companies that are more likely to answer directly to its members.