Anyone who's looking to understand the power of trade shows to help companies achieve their business objectives should consult its "2016 Changing Environment of Exhibitions" study, according to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), which last week published the series' final two installments.
All told, the study includes 10 fact sheets articulating the power of exhibitions from the perspective of exhibitors. The final two are titled "Use of Exhibitions and Exhibitor Sales Channels" and "Exhibitor Profile - Overall Compared to Power Users."
The first, "Use of Exhibitions and Exhibitor Sales Channels," profiles exhibition company sales channel practices such as which are primary, how long each channel has been used, and plans looking out to the next several years. Its conclusion: No matter what sales channels a company uses, trade shows are an important piece of the sales puzzle.
"This fact sheet shows that regardless of sales channel used by exhibiting companies, the exhibition channel continues to prove it is an important conduit for driving business growth," said CEIR President and CEO Brian Casey.
The second of CEIR's final "Changing Environment" fact sheets, "Exhibitor Profile - Overall Compared to Power Users," compares the similarities and differences between the general population of exhibitors and those who are "power users" of them (i.e., companies that exhibit at 20 or more trade shows annually, are participating in more exhibitions today compared to the past several years, or plan to increase the number of exhibitions in the next several years).
"This last fact sheet offers an excellent overview of power users of the exhibition channel -- key profile statistics on who they are and what motivates them to exhibit," said Jeff Provost, executive director of the Exhibit Designers + Producers Association (EDPA), which sponsored the study. "It documents that the exhibition channel drives business for these companies; though not all power users are motivated to achieve the same goals. This report identifies those unique motivations."
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