EXHIBITIONS
Visitors little changed In one sense, this show has changed little over the last
decade. It is still largely a ‘meet and greet’ show, where time between exhibitor and a visitor is relatively short – often just a few minutes. It is also a show where a high proportion of the activity is concentrated into the first five hours of the first day. For the opening couple of hours the first two or three aisles were crammed. It took longer for the visitor flow to reach the opposite side of the hall but by 2:30pm visitor numbers were definitely dwindling. On Friday, the show opened from 9am to 1pm, starting relatively slow and never approaching the levels of traffic of the first day. Of course, this is Vegas, so a lot of hospitality and networking, much of it probably through the night, goes on off-show. Is that where the serious business is also done? That’s harder to tell. The organisers reported a total of 4,246 registrants for the
2012 Expo, from throughout the USA and thirty-nine foreign countries: just shy of 4% growth on 2011. From this total 1,260 were distributors, with the balance primarily exhibitor personnel and independent representatives. Exhibitor comments suggest
that many visitors are returnees and, while several long-term exhibitors reported good leads, few reckoned to have made many new contacts. This is consistent with previous shows and many exhibitors clearly do expect the majority of contacts to be with existing customers. NIFMSE operates strictly as a trade show – end users are not permitted entry.
A new Machinery World A significant development was Machinery and Tooling World,
a now-defined area that hosted more than twenty companies. Understandably, not all manufacturing technology exhibitors are prepared to bring machines to a one and a half day show. Batching Systems Inc was one, right at the front of the show, which did. General Inspection and Accuvision demonstrated their systems on stand, as did VibrationMaster. The International Fastener Machinery Suppliers Association held its annual general meeting after the show closed on the first day. IFMSA’s Ray and Doug Zirkle have played a significant role in encouraging participation in Machinery and Tooling World, which show organising partner Jim Bannister is keen to see continue to grow.
46 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 78 November 2012
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