Competition is Good - Same Weekend is Bad
I read on the Expo Magazine website (great podcast for tradeshow organizers by the way) that the The American Fly Fishing Trade Association is launching The Fly Fishing Expo at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, placing it in direct competition with an existing consumer event, The Fly Fishing Show scheduled for the same weekend - also in Denver.
This is just plain silly.
Competition is great in every industry as it makes everyone up their game to the next level in order to grow. I don’t always like it when it happens to me, of course, but deep down I know it will make our events even better for the exhibitors and attendees. But when you try to compete with an existing show in order to kill it by launching it on the same weekend, everyone in the industry loses - exhibitors, attendees and the show organizers. By forcing both exhibitors and attendees to make a choice about which event to go to, you simply fragment your own industry. You also significantly decrease the chances your own event will succeed because you will immediately shrink your pool of potential sponsors and exhibitors who will decide to just “walk your show this year” and see how it is. In fact, you make it a slam dunk to do so because they’ll probably just “pop over” to check out your new show when they have a break from their booth at the competitor’s expo.
Granted, I know nothing about the fly fishing industry and perhaps the Association feels they can pull this off. But at what cost? Do you really want your members to have to decide every year which show to support? The attendees don’t care who wins - they just want to go see great fishing gear. By launching it on the same weekend, you are effectively putting your exhibitors and attendees in the middle of your personal battle and forcing them to choose sides. Not good.
As Gordon Gecko once said in the movie Wall Street, “Showdowns bore me Larry. Nobody wins.” I’ve quoted the movie Wall Street several times -probably because I know every line. But Gordon Gecko would have been a great tradeshow organizer.
August 1st, 2007 at 2:47 am |
It is silly idea I totally agree.
But I need to ask you what is your opinion of same industry event but more specialized in small sector within the same industry to be in the same week same place after/before the bigger well known Expo. The idea is to attract the companies that already will be in town for the big show, do you think it is good idea?
August 1st, 2007 at 6:50 am |
It’s definitely still piggy-backing on the dollars spent by the larger company.
I think the question you need to ask yourself is that if your event is not worthy enough of attracting the attendees or exhibitors on it’s own, why is that?