52nd ICCA Congress

International Congress and Convention Association.

Twitter: #ICCA13

IAEE Trends in the Exhibition Industry

Marsha Flanagan, M.Ed.Vice President of LearningIAEE

The industry continues to rise to the challenge of re-inventing the exhibition experience.

New era of learning and engagement

Understanding trends empowers you to make better informed decisions.

Why is this important?

Top 10 Exhibitions Industry Trends

Maximize Attendance, Exhibitors and Revenue

1. Generations Gap2. Big Data3. Technology4. Social Media Marketing5. Year-Round Communities

6. Experiential Trade Shows7. Non- Attendee Engagement8 Internationalism9. Exhibitors…Education and ROI10. Private Exhibitions and Events

A Near Future Look at the Exhibition Industry

Economic Trends

Key Trends Takeaways

Economic Trends1The CEIR Index

25%

-0.5%

CEIR Census 2010

# of Events

Average Size

CEIR Index

Exhibitors and attendees are investors and consumers

Exhibitors: Invest in time, space, design, decoration and talent

Attendees: Consume content, entertainment and hospitality

CEIR Index

Business cycles exist in the industry reflecting the dynamics of markets served

Understanding business cycles is key to good planning

Exhibition cycles can be forecasted

2 Key Trends

Attendee Common Needs and Wants

14

Attendee Common Needs

Shop69%

Learn66%

Most Urgent Shopping Needs

Show me what’s NEW!

• New technology 5.54• New product intros 5.33

Let me interact w/ new products

• Interact with new products 5.31

I want to talk • Talk w/ industry experts 5.51• Questions answered ‘on the spot’ 5.26

Help me process

• Idea generation, 5.24• Solutions to problems, 5.12• Brand comparison, 5.14• Info for upcoming purchase, 5.07

Scale of 1 to 7 where 1=Very unimportant and 7=Very Important

Importance in Purchase ProcessPre-purchase

• Awareness building 81%

• Evaluate & compare 75%

• Narrowing choices 63%

Post-purchase

• Maintaining relationship 63%

Percentage=attendees assigning ‘Very Important’ or ‘Extremely Important to in-person face-to-face interaction at exhibitions

Most Urgent Learning Needs

Industry trend insights – what’s hot?

• Industry insights 5.51

I want to connect F2F! • Professional networking 5.30

I want to excel in my job • Better job performance 5.30

I want to grow personally • Personal development 5.18

Scale of 1 to 7 where 1=Very unimportant and 7=Very Important

Interaction on Exhibit Floor

62% of Deciders

Most Popular F2F Settings at Exhibits

Theater Style Presentation with Some Entertainment

Theater Style Presentation without Entertainment

Small Group Demonstration with Exhibit Personnel

Provide Product or Service Information

One-on-One Demonstration with Exhibit Personnel

Face-to-Face Conversation with Exhibit Personnel

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

10%

10%

17%

19%

69%

76%

% of Attendees, N=9,215

Most Important Factors When Deciding to Attend for First Time

• Value for money 5.37• Reputation of event 5.33• Quality of speakers 5.24

Convince me you’re worth the

attending

• Network with other colleagues 5.17F2F

Opportunities?

• Info for current decisions/issues 5.14• Focused on industry sector 5.08

Relates to my industry & current

needs?

• Current technology update 5.04• Broad range of products/services 4.98• Unique demos, 4.88

Satisfy my shopping needs?

• Convenient location 4.93

Good location?

Scouts:Unique Demos, Info for Current Issues/Decisions, and Technology Update

Popular Resources Relied UponWhen Deciding to Attend

• Email from colleague 69%• Word of mouth 67%• Personal invite from exhibitor 58%

Personal Sources

• Industry publications 63%• Industry association membership 61%• Exhibitor email 57%

Known/Trusted Sources

• Exhibition organizer email 61%• Exhibition organizer website 60%• Exhibition organizer direct mail 52%

Exhibition Organizer

• Internet search 53%Digital

Social media is NOT top

ranked, 31 % or subscribed text,

29%

Integrated Marketing Campaign

Direct Mail

Email

Advertising (print and electronic)

Public Relations

Social Media

Partners in Promotion

Internet/SEO

Events

Event Marketers

Key Strategic Elements of Event Planning and Management

Event Strategy: Alignment w/

Business Objectives

Event Selection and Investment

Optimize Tactical Drivers of ROI/ROO

Lead Gen and Follow-up

Measure: Assess and Improve

Exhibit Surveys, Inc.

2013 Marketing Budgets Increasing/Event Budgets Decreasing

25

Source: BtoB Magazine’s 2010 to 2013 Outlook surveys.

2010 2011 2012 2013

Total Marketing Budget:

Increasing 39% 52% 41% 49%

Decreasing 13% 7% 11% 10%

Event Budgets:

Increasing 35% 44% 47% 41%

Decreasing 20% 11% 12% 15%

10%

6%

Strongest Competition for Budget from Online Marketing

26

Source: BtoB Magazine’s 2010 to 2013 Outlook surveys.

2010 2011 2012 2013

Increasing Online Budgets

73% 78% 74% 67%

Average Online Budget % 31% 35% 26% 31%

6%

Marketing Priorities of Marketers

27

Source: BtoB Magazine’s 2010 to 2013 Outlook surveys.

2010 2011 2012 2013

Demand Generation / Customer Acquisition

61% 69% 75% 69%

Brand Awareness 15% 19% 15% 18%

Customer Retention 16% 13% 10% 13%

8%3%3%

Organizers Must Prove Value

• Lead generation /fill funnel of opportunities

• Accelerate the sales process

Position exhibitions to align with marketer’s

top priority of demand gen and customer

acquisition

• Meet exhibitor needs – profile and qualityProve/substantiate quality of audience

• Hosted buyer• Access to buyers

Facilitate exhibitor meetings

• Registration company• Obtain full report to analyze effectiveness

Track lead activity

Provide information to exhibitors

Content Marketing

Definition: All marketing formats that involve the creation of sharing content for the purpose of engaging current and potential customers

Premise: delivery of high quality, relevant and valuable information

Benefits: retain attention / improve brand loyalty

72% of b2b marketers use content marketing strategy*

*Source: BtoB Magazine’s 2013 Outlook survey. **Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_marketing

Most Effective Content Marketing Tactics for Users

White Papers

Research Reports

eNewsletters

Videos

Blogs

Webinars/Webcasts

Case Studies

In-Person Events

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

57%

57%

58%

58%

59%

61%

64%

67%

Believe It's Effective

30

Source: 2013 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends, Content Marketing Institute..

EventsRank 1st in effectiveness

3 Takeaways

What do your colleagues think?

Takeaways

Networking is important for both attendees and exhibitors

Highlight / educate on industry trends Excel in job Personal growth

Product demonstrations Conversations with exhibitors – especially industry

experts

33

Organizer must demonstrate value in terms relevant to exhibitor CMO’s

Organizer must learn to become more consultative in their approach

Organizer must deliver more (better) tools and data to help exhibitors demonstrate strategic value of exhibitions versus low cost online options

Takeaway

34

Takeaway

• Competition for marketing budget increasing– Other event channels– Other marketing channels – Exhibiting in fewer shows

• Tradeshow and event mix strategies more sophisticated for major exhibitors

35

Takeaway

Exhibitors are being challenged internally Cost reduction - the “new normal” (procurement

more involved) Marketing strategies changing – demand

generation top priority

37

AttendeesValued Information

Personal InteractionCME

OrganizerROI

Organizational Goals

SuppliersROI

SponsorsROOROI

Event Ecosystem Growth Dependent Upon Delivering Value to all Constituents

(courtesy of Exhibit Surveys, Inc.)

Value to Exhibitors• qualified audience• exhibitor experience

Value to Organizer• revenue• attendance draw

Value to Attendees• highly valued content• networking opportunities• right mix of exhibitors• attendee experience

Value to Organizer• meet organizational goals• exhibitor satisfaction

Value to Exhibitors• Engage with exhibitors• Deliver ROO/ROI

Value to Attendees• Highly valued information• 1 to 1 engagement

52nd ICCA Congress

International Congress and Convention Association.

Twitter: #ICCA13

Thank You!mflanagan@iaee.com