Expo Next keynote: Trade show value lies in new products, new vendors

Britton Jones

June 25, 2012 - At Expo Next, ABM Events Council chair and keynote speaker Britton Jones said that trade show attendees want to find new products and to connect with vendors -- as efficiently as possible. Jones, the president and CEO of Business Journals Inc., said that maximizing the effective use of an attendees time would help ensure the success of trade shows in the future.

“Time is the most valuable asset we all have,” said Jones, as reported by Folio:. “Maximizing the value of time will be critical to the next generation of shows.”

The EXPO Next event, held last week in Baltimore, was the first in a projected annual series of shows for trade show and event producers.

Other ideas for success Jones shared at the keynote address:

• Do not use the same badge for co-located events. “One badge for all shows is not the greatest strategy to maximize revenue,” he said.
• Put displays of trendy products at the front of the main hall. “We’re continually evolving the look and presentation with elegantly staged vignettes for product discovery,” Jones said.
• Change your show from year to year. “If you keep doing the same things, you better stop,” Jones urged. “As soon as you keep producing the same show over and over again you are in decline. It’s something we’ve really taken to heart, and we make sure the show never looks the same twice.”

For event data from ABM's Managing Profits report that were distributed at Expo Next, download this pdf.

By Michael Moran Alterio