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The Show Must Go On!

When I first started attending our association’s annual conference and expo back in the 1980s, I wanted to meet with as many vendors as possible, talk to everyone, get samples and understand the manufacturing process. I was thirsting for knowledge, and the exhibit hall was, quite simply, the best place to get it.

Our show had hundreds of exhibitors showing their samples and providing us with a wealth of information we could use to improve our product offerings. In short, we sold products, and this was the place to find those products. Sure, the conference portion of the show had strong education and the networking was helpful. But the primary purpose of my visit was to meet with vendors.

Times have certainly changed. No longer do I need to gather samples. Nor do I need to understand the manufacturing process. I can easily find products I am looking for on the web, and one of my favorites is PSDA’s Sources listserve.

But I still need to come to PSDA trade shows. Today it’s for a different reason. I come to get answers to my questions and find solutions for my customers. I come for new ideas and to learn new ways to sell and market my organization. In short, I come to learn how to run my business.

“Running our businesses—that’s why we come.” I heard this statement over and over from attendees at the recent Small Distributor Summit (SDS) in Nashville. SDS and the CEO Summit have emerged in recent years as “must attend” events. Both meetings, with record numbers this year, have had meteoric rises in popularity. Part of their magic is certainly their size (small and intimate), but attendees go to these meetings for one reason: to find out how to run their businesses.
The value of meeting with peers in a non-competitive environment is immeasurable. One SDS attendee told me how fellow members mentored him during the past year with such success that he has doubled his sales. Another told me how he avoided potentially terrible decisions about his business by talking to another member who “has been down that road before.”

Interestingly, SDS featured an exhibit hall for a select group of vendors prior to the opening reception. Table tops were busy and the hall was buzzing with activity. The exhibitors said it was the best show they had this year, and that the attendees were interested and engaged. The tabletop show was not the primary reason attendees came to this meeting, yet the meeting environment fostered a great show environment.

“We need to bottle this excitement and enthusiasm,” said Peter Colaianni, CAE, PSDA’s Executive Vice President. “We’re definitely on to something with SDS and the CEO Summit. We need to apply this formula for success to all of our events, including FOCUS and Print Solutions.”

Colaianni believes that our future national conferences and expositions must reflect what is happening at our smaller meetings. “If we promise and provide a compelling value for attendees that will help them run their businesses now and into the future,” he said, “we’ll be successful. We’re doing this for the 2008 Print Solutions Conference & Expo and it’s going to be a very worthwhile event.”

The vendor exhibit halls are useful and important to our vendor partners, but the traditional formula for trade show success must change for today’s attendee. There are more shows than ever vying for the attention of PSDA members.And exhibitors are under more pressure than ever to prove ROI at all of the events they participate in.Today’s attendee is looking for specialized education and an opportunity to meet with vendors with unique solutions. To be successful today, shows must provide more than product knowledge.

Changes are underway. Last year’s Print Solution’ Expo featured a new concept: the Green Pavilion was populated by environmentally friendly manufacturers. This year, Print Solutions will have a “Commercial Print Pavilion,” which will be populated by numerous first-time exhibitors from the commercial print sector of our industry. Information sessions will be given on the show floor. And exhibitors are being asked to provide solutions, instead of just products.

The exposition portion of our national conference must continue to evolve with the needs of the membership. What will future shows look like? It’s hard to predict, but it’s safe to say that they will follow what seems to be working at the Small Distributor Summit and CEO Summit. PSDA’s FOCUS has adapted its educational offering by adding industry speaker Rick Farrell, and we’ve introduced mini “sales tutorials” at all the remaining FOCUS shows. These new features add considerable educational value to FOCUS.

PSDA is changing. There is no doubt about that. But members expect real value if they are going to leave their offices and travel to a meeting. The SDS meeting and CEO Summit have given PSDA’s leadership a good idea of what members want. It’s the task of PSDA and your Board of Directors to bring this value proposition to all PSDA events, including its trade shows. We think we’re on course to do just that.

We are past the point of saying we’re in a mature industry. A new industry is emerging and it’s up to us to define it. It’s up to the PSDA to promote it and support it. PSDA is doing its part. What’s your next move?