Technically Speaking: Why Attend Powder Coating 2013?

If you are on the fence about exhibiting or attending Powder Coating 2013 in St. Louis this October, maybe these trade show trends and know-how will help you take the leap. It is important to know that faceto- face interaction is a critical tool to get your sales message to prospects and current customers. What better place to get this face-to-face contact than at a trade show?

As a trade association and host of our own industry trade show, PCI® has heard a lot of feedback on trade show participation. As an exhibitor, all it takes is one contact, one deal, one sale to pay for an entire exhibit, personnel travel and expenses. If you don’t attend, you may miss out on the opportunity to gain a new customer, which can potentially lead to more sales.

Trade shows have changed throughout the years. There was a time when booth traffic was flowing and you didn’t have to do much to get people to visit your booth. Now, exhibitors must make their presence known and determine strategies of how to get attendees to their booth. Exhibitors invest thousands of dollars to be at each of these shows and shouldn’t just cross their fingers and hope things will work out.

With the Great Recession, trade shows have had some difficult years. According to surveys conducted by Exhibit Surveys Inc. and reported in Exhibitor Magazine, however, the exhibition industry bounced back heartily in 2012.

Traffic density, the average number of attendees per square foot of exhibition space, was up across the board in 2012. According to the report, when that metric dropped during the Great Recession, some theorized that it created a concentrated audience of more qualified attendees. They believed the tire kickers were staying home, but the real buyers were still making the trip to their industries’ respective shows. But as traffic density is inching back up again, audience quality appears to be improving right along with it.

According to the survey results, traffic density is just one of three key metrics that is demonstrating an overall uptick in audience quality. The data also shows that 84 percent of trade show attendees in 2012 had the power to recommend or make final purchasing decisions. That is up 3 percent compared to 2011 averages.

Perhaps more importantly, 49 percent came to 2012 shows with real purchasing intent. While those statistics represent just 3- and 2-percent increases, respectively, they compare favorably to long-term industry averages. This means we may have finally returned to some semblance of business as usual. In fact, according to the report, 2012’s allshow average for Net Buying Influence tied the 10-year high not seen since 2006.

For the attendee, trade shows offer valuable experience, knowledge, and more. Attendees can gain knowledge and exposure to new trends, products and resources as well as stimulate new ideas and creative ways to support business. Where attendees might gain this knowledge is endless—competition at the show, general experience at the show and even participation at the show will make an impact. There are opportunities to meet other retailers and vendors to lean on, learn from and possibly gain business from. Attendees can learn what the competition is up to. Participation in educational seminars, networking events and surveys that only take place at trade shows will expose attendees to new people, new business and new ways of thinking for business success. And what better place to get answers right away, whether from a vendor or a retailer, since trade shows allow for immediate communication and easy, accessible outlets of exposure for both vendors and retailers. Finally, have fun. That’s right, have fun. Nothing gives a business owner more energy than a good time while working to keep them motivated to want to work more!

Whether you are a potential exhibitor or attendee, it is important to note that Powder Coating 2013 has put forth great attention and effort to ensure this year’s show is the best yet. Take the leap and meet us in St. Louis!

Visit www.powdercoatingshow.com for more information.