Dale A. Maurer, director of sales and mar- keting for the Waterfront Place Hotel and Morgantown Event Center, agrees that there is nothing like a face-to-face meet- ings. “It is an opportunity to get so much more information from the client.”
“The body language, facial expressions and eye contact all provide information that an email cannot,” he continues. “The
attendee also has the opportunity to eval- uate the exhibitor and determine if they are someone with whom they would like to do business. It is a two way street.”
“I think it’s the personal aspect of trade shows that people find most appealing,” says Steve Knight, project director for AIBTM, which is part of the meeting and event portfolio of Reed Travel Exhibitions.
In its first year, AIBTM is a large scale exhi- bition that will bring together the global meetings and events industry in the city of Baltimore, Maryland on June 21-23, 2011.
Knight, further states, “This is a very social business based on contacts and personal relationships. I don’t think the social nature of the hospitality industry has faded at
all, and trade shows really embrace that.”
Trade shows are the ultimate face-to-face marketplace, he adds, noting that these shows bring buyers and sellers together in a way that helps them to forge stronger relationships.
According to Kevin Richards, national director, trade shows and franchise groups for the Pennsylvania Convention Center, trade shows are all about buyers, branding and networking.
“The face-to-face interaction between exhibitors and attendees is the best way to generate new business, and at the same time build your brand,” says Richards.
Years ago, when the Internet first started to be used regularly for conducting business and communicating with clients, some thought the new technology might spell the end for trade shows. However, Richards notes, “People want to be able to see and touch the product, and trade shows allow them to do that in a way the Internet simply cannot.”
“It will always be necessary to hold trade shows,” he adds. “Even the newest tech- nologies need a direct person-to-person forum for promoting their products to their target audience.”
For Attendees
People go to trade shows because they want to exchange information, get new ideas, and identify solutions to problems they may be facing. From an attendee standpoint, Lutsko asserts that it is better to learn about a new product or uncover solutions for problems through an inter- active, face-to-face discussion. “You simply can't replicate that experience by reading a brochure or even watching an online
32 May June 2011
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