 Bethesda, MDTrade show and convention organizers spent, on average, $18 to $79 to acquire an attendee in 2005, with smaller events showing higher increases in their per-attendee attraction expenditures, according to the fourth annual AttendTrend survey organizers conducted by Frost Miller Group and Jacobs Jenner & Kent.
According to the survey, on average, organizers of shows under 25,000 net square feet (NSF) spent $30 to acquire an attendee in 2005, a seven percent increase over 2004; shows up to 50,000 NSF spent $18, a 12.5 percent increase; shows up to 100,000 NSF, a three percent increase; shows up to 250,000 NSF, spent $79, a one percent increase; shows over 250,000 NSF, $51, a two percent increase.
There are some economies of scale, and in the smaller show categories, you have to invest more per attendee, said Bob James, managing director, Frost Miller Group. What you are seeing is that larger shows are offering more value added, an attendees are deciding to go to the larger shows, as opposed to the larger show and a smaller regional show.
The study also indicates that a trade show rebound is in full force, with 61 percent of respondents stating that their attendance grew in 2005while only 6 percent reporting their attendance shrunk. By contrast, in 2003, only 43 percent stated attendance had grown and 26 percent reported attendance declines. We went from a crisis period right after 911, which impacted travel, and at the same time there was a recession, said James. Then we had a period of recovery, and we are reaching the end of a stabilization period so we are seeing growth again.
The biggest challenge in terms of attendee marketing revealed by the report is attracting first time attendees. Rated on a scale of one-to-five, increasing first-time attendees, rated 3.41, the highest of all categories. The bottom line appears to be that meeting planners have to re-tool efforts to attract younger audiences.
The short- and long-term health of exhibitions depends on how effective organizers can become in promoting their events to the Generation X and Y professionals who are replacing the Baby Boomers, said Wayne Jacobs, president, Jacobs Jenner & Kent. As the study shows, organizers are facing up to this realityand its something that keeps them up at night.
For more information on the report and on Frost Miller Group, visit www.frostmiller.com. |
