ICA convention registration fees

[Ric]

I've been an ICA member for 24 years. It used to be that you could go to the convention and enter the expo floor for free. The one day fee for checking out the exhibits has crept up over the years. I got my ICA registration packet in the mail recently, it is now $109! I sent an email to ICA to confirm this. Their reply...one day expo floor is $109.
I want to take my wife and 2 (adult) kids to the show for one day. That's $436. And they wonder why attendance has fallen off .

 

[Whale of a Wash]

I am with you- that is a big chunk of quarters for us self serve guys. Plus airfare to Orlando is pretty high. I think our wallets will be pretty thin after disney also.
I think i'd like to try either the SE or SW show the next time for a change. I wanted to go to the K-rite expo but couldn't this year- Free admission and food sounded pretty good. We should evaluate these conventions more with our dollars. For what this convention will cost me , I would be half way there to a new shur-vend, It wasn't that long ago that we didn't think twice about going to a convention as the cost of everything was more reasonable.
John

 

[Greg Pack]

In the past there have been vendors that have given out passes. It's worth asking your distributor if he has any.

IMO, Disney is great place to visit, not just for the family experience. There are many observations that can be made there. To see how well such a large business can be operated is impressive. Watching them handle throughput, the cleanliness of the place, etc. is inspirational. Plus, I think Randy is gonna ride the teacups with me.

San Antonio was great. I know it is convienient for you guys out west, but I'm not looking forward to Vegas every year starting next year. I'm not a gamble, show, or hooker guy so Vegas just ain't my thing. I will be less likely to attend every year.

 

[mac]

The shows do seem to be getting out of hand. Yeah, it's expensive for the people to put on a display, but why ding the attendees so much? The guys putting on the booths pay for it, so it seems the ICA is getting way into the profit arena. The ICA has also greatly limited the free tickets the exhibitors get also. Badges? We don't need no stinkin badges!

 

[mac]

Just a quick afterthought. With the cost of admission so high, and the printing and scanning capabilities of home computers so good, it seems there might be a good opportunity for someone to scan their pass, then print up a bunch, and sell them outside for $50.

 

[Sequoia]

Fees for exhibits

I had to re-read the original post a few times because I could not believe it. This is one of the worst business decisions I've witnessed in a long time.

Trade shows I am familiar with are funded largely by exhibitors, and to a lesser degree by delegates. In another industry, we paid fees between $1,000 and $3,200 for a modest booth space. Big booths cost way more. Then you get dinged for carpet, electric, union labor, etc. Add your staff costs for salary, travel, and related marketing costs, and it is a significant expense. Our total cost for the national show often exceeded $20,000 for a 10x20 booth.

Now, business owners are not stupid regarding expenditures, So the ONLY REASON you are willing to do this is to meet prospective clients at the exhibit booth-- and the more quality clients, the better.

In the original post, I read that ICA is putting monetary roadblocks up which will lower attendance at the exhibits-- i.e. an extra fee to get in. Structurally, this is trade show suicide. By reducing floor traffic via a fee, you devalue the experience for the vendor/company who has largely funded the thing to begin with. All the vendor's costs to exhibit remain the same, but their opportunities lessen due to fewer folks being able to get in.

When the inevitable happens, which is declining vendor attendance, what will ICA do-- raise delegate fees even further to "compensate" for lower revenues? If they realize their structure is .... absurd .... what will they do then? Abolish the fees and "sock it to" the exhibitors even further to make up for their "lost" revenues?

As an exhibitor, I would never patronize a show if the association taking my money was putting barriers in front of the prospects who otherwise might want to visit with me. It's just the wrong approach.

 

[pitzerwm]

It has been talked about before, where anyone could come in and you ended up with a lot of people wasting your time in your booth. You want people that are seriously looking for your product. You can see that it is a delicate dance. Every show that I go to have fees to get in. Even the Adult Entertainment show was $75. The CES is $200, Comdex 15 years ago was $75.

 

[Axxlrod]

Seem every price goes up every year... except the price of a car wash that is. Too bad.

 

[Sequoia]

I don't object to a fee to attend the exhibits if that's all you are going to do.

Maybe I missed something here. I presumed that the fee being described was over and above the conference registration fee. It would make no sense to me to tack the exhibit fee on top of the conference registration fee-- perhaps I misunderstood the original post.

 

[pitzerwm]

Duane, apparently you did, there is an Exhibit only pass, that is what they are talking about.

 

[MEP001]

Even the Adult Entertainment show was $75.

Sure that wasn't a cover-charge?

 

[Axxlrod]

I thought about going to the Modern Car Care Expo next week in Vegas, since I'm not going to go to Orlando next month. But they want $150 registration fee for the expo, which is also shared with the self-storage show. I'm sure these events cost some $ to put on, but seems its getting out of hand.

 

[pitzerwm]

Yes, MEP, lap dances were extra.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I went to the ICA website to check on the costs for a pass to the exhibit floor as posted above. Ric, I think whoever emailed you the answer to the $109 cost was incorrect. The website says "pass to the exhibit floor" which should mean the pass is good for all 3 days of the show, not just one day. As part of that $109 fee they throw in the "State of the Industry, etc meeting which probably includes a meal and for which non-ICA members pay $25. So I guess one could say that passes to the show itself costs $84 or $28 per day.

As an exhibitor I don't like to see those kind of fees charged to prospective customers when I spend many $$$$ just hoping I can get these people to come to the show and my booth to "kick the tires". I can see a nominal fee just to keep the "looky-lou's" from cluttering up the place, but $109 (or $84) is on the high side to me. As exhibitors we have some "free passes" that we can give prospective customers to mitigate some of these costs, but it should be more reasonable for all operators in this industry. I can remember when exhibit floor passes were free as has been mentioned above.

All Associations should take serious note of these discussions if they want to continue to use their shows as "fund raisers". With the advent of "private company Expo's" appearing with free admission (and free food thrown in) the choices are going to get very competitive for both operators and for exhibitors. There is something about "Free" that always sells well!!!

Uncle Sam

 

[Ric]

Here is a copy of the reply from the ICA to my question which I emailed to them:

Dear Ric,

I'm happy to answer your question.

Unfortunately there is not a one-day registration package. Each person wishing to attend the tradeshow must register for the Member Basic Registration package.

I can offer you $10 off each registration package- just enter in the code 7G4R on Step 1 of the registration process.

Please let me know if I can help you with anything else.

Thank you,
Sarah

 

[Uncle Sam]

Ric,

I checked again on the ICA website and it seems the Basic Membership Pass to the show floor is the same as our Exhibitor "Guest Pass". The ICA seems to have "codes" for every kind of situation that calls for some kind of discount. It is all very confusing.

Thanks for the email posting. Don't like all this confusion, but we're not in charge.

Uncle Sam

 

[pitzerwm]

It was pointed out to me that at the WCA show that the pass included the $40 lunch and $40 breakfast. Now we all know that usually you pay $40 for either one, but that is what they pay the Hilton. So until you actually see the books, its not easy to see what it really cost to put these shows on. You have heard many times the customer tell you that a buck to wash their car is a rip off.

 

[Ric]

I have no problem paying a fee to enter and view the trade show floor for one day. An entrance fee also keeps out the rif raf. I just feel that $109 for a one day pass to the trade show floor is a bit to much.
The ICA states the one of the benefits of membership is the annual convention. They fail to mention how much it will cost you to attend. That's in addition to your membership dues which have increased over the past few years. For those reasons I "reluctantly" sent in my annual ICA dues for the 24th consecutive year. I hate to say it, but I'm slowly losing faith and respect for the ICA which I've supported for all these years.
The ICA shows have seen a downturn in attendance in the past few years. I think the regional shows may factor in. These shows have increased in quality, are reasonably priced and in some cases more geographically suited (rather than Vegas year after year) for many attendees.
I know the vendors are paying big bucks to display at the ICA shows and I think in return the ICA should make it reasonable for the attendees to have access to these vendors. Isn't that the whole idea? I know if I were a vendor I would expect the ICA to make it reasonable and easy (it is confusing as a previous poster mentioned) for potential buyers to see my stuff.