WCA Report

[Uncle Sam]

The WCA show in Las Vegas last week was OK for ShurVend, but the traffic was not what we wanted to see. Down 10% or more from last year is what we have heard from officials. The down trend in attendance at this show for the past 3-4 years has those of us who exhibit very concerned. And it not just this show. We are just not getting the trafiic that we need to continue to pay the costs of exhibiting.

There was a meeting of many exhibitors on Wednesday morning of the show and there are some very unhappy exhibitors whose concerns are about all the car wash shows. There will probably be some changes made in the future by the larger exhibitors that will change the way all the shows are run. ShurVend is one of many smaller exhibitors that don't have much influence on how the shows are run, so we'll just have to see how the big exhibitors decide to play this show scenario out.

Thanks to all those who did attend the WCA show and came by our booth. We enjoyed seeing and talking to you about inproving our product. We will see how all this plays out over the next few years.

Uncle Sam

 

[soapy]

I have not seen the final numbers for the show. Still waiting for last days sign ups. I talked to at least 20 vendors and asked them how the show was for them. Honestly you are the only one I talked to that was not happy with attendance. The economy being what it is I was happy with the numbers that showed up. I talked to 2 vendors who told me that they sell more at the WCA show than any other including the ICA show. The WCA will keep trying to improve the show every year just as every other regional organization tries.
This was a tough year for many carwashes. Travel expenses are one of the easiest things to cut in a down year.

 

[rph9168]

The local and national car wash associations need to take a hard look at their trade shows. I know they depend on the revenue shows generate to fund their operation but if they continue to do business as they have in the past the shows won't generate enough revenue to pay the bills. The attendance at the SECWA Show this month was extremely low. I doubt that many exhibitors generated enough business to warrant a return next year or at least cut way back on space or their presence at the show. Even this year I noticed many potential exhibitors just walking the aisles trying to meet attendees instead of having a booth.

The reality is that with the combination of too many shows (ICA and regional shows, C-Store shows like NACS and regional c-store shows, national and regional petroleum shows and shows from other related industries) and the negative effects of the economy and other factors on car washing in general, vendors cannot afford to attend them all, especially with declining attendance and fewer buyers. Hopefully the "powers that be" will accept that reality and make some changes in the way they do business like operators and manufacturers have already been forced to do. (con't)

 

[rph9168]

(Con't)Let's face it. There should be a national show every other year and regional shows on the off years. Many industries have already done this.

Cost of actually attending the show must be reduced. It seems ridiculous that vendors have to spend a lot of money to exhibit while attendees have to pay quite a bit to just "shop" at the show. It is almost like making customers pay to enter a shopping mall. Why not reduce (or even eliminate for members) the cost to the view the exhibits on the show floor and charge for seminars?

Maybe some of the show "freebies" like lunches or dinners could also be a pay as you go proposition to lower overall costs.

Associations may need to cut back on their operating expenses like the rest of the businesses in the car wash industry. Either association dues must become more realistic or there must be some real value of being a member like free attendance at shows or assistance or information for business related expenses like marketing, insurance, or information on successful operating practices.

If car wash associations don't look at changing the way they conduct their business they may face extinction much like many of the struggling businesses in our industry.

 

[Axxlrod]

I attended the full WCA show, and I was amazed at how empty the seminars were compared to the previous years. Maybe it was the change in venue that made it seem more empty? I don't think so though. I actually expected the trade show floors to be emptier than they were. I really didn't like the show being split into two separate rooms. Maybe next year at MGM will be different; Bally's is a dump.

 

[soapy]

Next year the trade show will be in one room at the MGM. The full service side of education was about the same attendance as last year . We did see less attendees on SS side of education seminars. The boot camp featured 9 venues instead of 6 like before so they seemed more sparse. One of our speakers gave a lecture on getting into the SS carwash business. I guess not many people are looking to build a new wash this year. I am sure we will add a open forum time to be used by operators next year. Many operators wanted to see this added.

 

[rph9168]

Most of what you stated seem to be minor fixes or More of the same.

Are you going to anything to improve actual attendance? Reduce or eliminate entrance fees? Offer first time attendees a break? Get reasonable packages for hotels, travel and show?

How will you attract and keep exhibitors? Lower rates? Some type of package deal on floor space and accommodations? Discounts for past attendance?

The problem is real and maybe your show has not seen as great a decline as other regionals but it is coming if you don't change the way things are now.

I am not trying to be a "doomsayer" but the reality is that it is becoming more and more difficult for manufacturers to justify their either the amount of or even their actual participation in a show. Many operators are having the same questions about justifying show attendance. I have been attending these shows for almost thirty years and have seen little or no change in the way they are operated. Something must be done to encourage participation by exhibitors and attendees or their decline will be inevitable.

Just one man's opinion.

 

[soapy]

Please keep all the new ideas coming for trade shows. All may not be implemented but we might find a few that can be included. Here are some reasons trade shows are like they are. For the WCA in Vegas we are a small convention by their standards. We do not get to tell them when we want to have the convention or dictate price to them. In past years it has been difficult to even get a spot locked in. We do shop around trying to get the best hotel we can and at the best rates. Convention business is driven by how many hotel rooms they can sell. The more rooms the cheaper the rate. We try to get the hotel to give us the best rate possible but these rates have to be locked in years in advance.
THis year I think we saved the vendors a lot of money over the previous years show. Our trade show was only 2 days and not 3. This should have saved all the vendors at least 1 night of hotel costs. We also included more meals for the vendors so they had less out of pocket expense there. Our trade show floor space has not gone up in 5 years even though it is costing us more every year.
We have both vendors and car wash owners on the board trying to plan every year and balance the needs and wants of each. I want any ideas you have for next years show since we are just starting to plan it.
A new management company is also starting this year with the WCA. They host several trade shows a year and should have a few ideas that will also help.

 

[Uncle Sam]

rph,

I couldn't agree with you more in both of your posts. Show planning has got to change to a more friendly attitude toward the exhibitor and the attendee. I did not sign up this year for next year's WCA show, but am going to wait to see if some changes are made. I watched the signup board for some of the big vendors and saw that Sonny's only took 6 booths for next year which is very small for them. Many, like me, did not sign up at all; that is 2 booths to zero! The sad part of this is that the cost of a booth after the show sign up time increases in cost if you wait to sign up later. At least ICA offered a 20% discount if you signed up at the 2008 show for 2009.

The "free food" silliness is such a political ploy that it should not be believed. In actuality those free lunches cost the association $50 per plate!! I can do a whole lot better on my own. The worst thing about the "free food" is that the traffic gets shut down while this is going on. If they want to do free food, then do it after show hours. For my money they can forget any "free food, receptions, raffles, etc" and every person can pay for what they want. Then the booth costs and the attendee fees to get into the show can be lowered to encourage operators to come. We need to reverse the downward trend of the past 5 years.

So we shall how this all turns out, but there is a rebellion by exhibitors and operators against the "staus quo" of how all the shows are run. I hope someone is listening!! And will take some action. My web site is looking better and cheaper all the time.

Uncle Sam

 

[rph9168]

The same thing happened at the SECWA Show as with the WCA. Some of the smaller exhibitors did not book for next year and will wait to see what happens next year. I talked to most of the larger exhibitors and without exception they all said they were either going to downsize their participation or possibly not even attend. The handwriting is on the wall for these shows - change or become extinct.

I appreciate Soapy's attitude and hope it leads to change. As far as recommendations I agree with Uncle Sam. Any changes that make it easier and less expensive to exhibit and for attendees to come to the show and view the exhibits. I also agree that the distractions of food, raffles, and seminars during exhibit hours need to go. Nothing irritates exhibitors more than to see the traffic on the floor decrease because of a seminar or food. We all know there is no "free lunch" so someone is footing the bill - either the exhibitors with higher booth fees or the manufacturer that sponsors it. Seminars are fine but should not be held during show hours and be self sufficient - reduce the cost of attending the show and charge for each seminar.

I still believe there are too many shows. Eventually I feel they will have to make the ICA Show every other year with the regionals on off years.

 

[soapy]

I agree on the raffles that they do draw the people away from the booths. I will see what I can do about that. Maybe I can introduce a mystery time raffle where it is just announced over the PA system all over the show floor and give the people who won 10 minutes to pickup the prize. It would be random so it would not pull people away from the exhibits. The reason we have the food on the floor is because most vendors have told us that if people have to leave the trade show floor to get a drink or to get food they probably will not come back after having to walk out to eat somewhere off site. Most have told us that they like keeping the people on the trade show floor. We do give a discount to the people that sign up for booth space during the show for the next show. Also if you do this you are rewarded for your long time support by building points that will move you up in the order to pick booth space. People who sign up at the last minute can not expect to get the better spots, they have to take what is left. This is only fair to the vendors who do prebuy their spots and plan ahead.
We do not have any education classes going on when the trade show floor is open. The WCA has done this for years just to make sure we are not drawing customers away from the vendors.
Bill is the only vendor ( I call him this because of his website) that hosts a dinner every year at the WCA show. I am surprised that other vendors don't make an effort to invite their known customers in for a little off hours get together. I know at the ICA several vendors do this and it builds good will to their customers. THis is the first forum dinner I can ever remember having to miss. I look forward to them every year. I also try to help Bill out with some of the costs since I think this website is such a valuable service.

 

[MEP001]

It would make more sense to me that food vendors should pay to enter and sell their wares. The association would make a bit of money, those who wish to eat could pay, vendors could hand out food certificates for attending a seminar and could reimburse the food vendors for whatever gets redeemed.

 

[rph9168]

How about refunding an attendee's entrance fee if they make a qualifying purchase at the show - or- including admission to the show in annual dues?

I understand giving booth preference in the form of points to long time, large exhibitors. How about booth discounts for long time exhibitors big and small?

Why does the show always have to be in Las Vegas? You said it is often difficult to book space there. I can remember having it in Tahoe. Room rates and travel to Vegas used to be great but are not so anymore. I know the "entertainment" available might attract some but it also might decrease time spent at the show.

Propose the every other year idea to the ICA. I am sure that many others (mainly manufacturers) have already done so. The ICA could offer each regional association a space for their local vendors at their show and the regionals might do the same for the ICA. This way each would have some representation every year but there would be only one show for vendors and attendees to go to. I know both the ICA and regionals might not like this but I have to believe they know something has to be done since attendance is shrinking at both of their shows.

Maybe a little more cooperation instead of competition between the ICA and Regionals would help.

 

[soapy]

I checked fight cost to Lake Tahoe vs. Vegas for me. TO Vegas it is $118.00 round trip to Lake Tahoe it is $324. Why is the ICA going to Vegas for the next 10 years? Because they always get the best attendance there. I can not speak for the ICA so I can't address anything about them.

 

[JMMUSTANG]

For me the number one reason I do not go to the shows every year is the cost to get in.
I think the shows should not charge to get into the floor exhibits.
They can charge for the morning meetings or because the cost of association membership is high enough as it is maybe they can offer free admission for those that are car wash association members.
Maybe they would get more people to sign up for membership if they could get into the shows and meetings free. I think it would be worth it to try it for one year and really promote it to get people to sign up for association memberships.
My son and I needed to go to Orlando for just one day to look at a few companies. The cost was not worth it though.
It was more than our hotel room for one night.
Thanks to Jim at Shurvend and Bill we were able to get in free.
We did not go there to see Jim's machines but because he got us in we went over to thank him. Guess what, we ended up buying the large vendor.
I also think that more people would come to the shows if they were scheduled at a time of year that is slower in the car wash industry.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Soapy,

No one is asking that there be no food/drinks available during the show time.
There should be hotel catering or a private vendor to supply food and drink for the attendees as they wish to buy or rest in the areas we have had available. No one has to leave the Expo area to eat including the exhibitors. This is the way the ICA operates and we have no problems. If some company wants to provide drinks or ??? during the show, that can work also.

Thanks for all the feedback on this thread and I sincerely hope that the planners for next years show will take these ideas as constructive and get this operation turned around.

Uncle Sam

 

[Kevin James]

I?ve never been to a car wash convention and I doubt if I ever will go. I do go to the convention for our primary business and I can tell you that it?s a hell of a lot more expensive to go to the NACS convention than it is to go the ICA or the WCA convention, $425 for a member and $625 for non-members. A Day pass is a bargain at $225.00 s day for members, non-members $325.00. I don?t know what you guys are complaining about the car wash conventions are a pretty good deal. There is no such thing as a free lunch, it would be nice if it was free but it?ll never happen, someone has to pay for it. Going to these conventions is a business expense. If you don?t feel that you?re not getting the bang for the buck that you think you should be getting then don?t go. I?m sure that your space can be filled by another company or vendor. I also think the associations should raise the membership dues to include the cost of getting into the convention. It might increase the number of people who join the associations. The associations also need to come up with some added benefits to join there association. What benefit is there to join the car wash associations?

 

[pitzerwm]

The hotel is the only ones that can/will be providing food or drinks, that's part of the deal. Look what it cost to even have food at your booth. I agree that the $50 "free" lunch is unnecessary, but there is a new outfit running the WCA now, so we will see what happens.

 

[rph9168]

I agree that the $50 "free" lunch is unnecessary, but there is a new outfit running the WCA now, so we will see what happens.

Unless there is some cooperation or coordination with the ICA (Smith-Bucklin) I can't see anything really changing all that much in regards to the number of shows. As far as the actual WCA Show it will be interesting to see what changes are made. I think most know the problems relating to cost and attendance. Maybe a fresh outlook will be good.