Tradeshows Rely on Online Advertising, Partnership Marketing

July 18, 2007

This article is included in these additional categories:

B2B | Out-of-Home | Trade Shows & Events

Online registration and online housing information are the most popular functions used by tradeshow attendees – as well as exhibitors – through the websites of event producers, according to preliminary results from a recent “Tradeshow Industry Outlook” study.

Reviewing interactive floor plans is the third most-utilized website function for attendees, as it is for exhibitors, who also tend to benefit from electronic lead follow-up services offered by producers’ websites – the main difference between attendees’ and exhibitors’ use of such websites.

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The study was conducted by The Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO), the Jordan Edmiston Group, Inc. (JEGI) and Tradeshow Week, writes JEGI’s “Client Briefing” newsletter.

Some findings of the study:

  • Show producers most commonly use online advertising (77%) and partnership marketing (75%) to generate leads, followed by online-subscription products (e.g., newsletters), with 58%, paid search via major search engines (37%), and paid search via vertical search engines (26%).
  • The Tradeshow Week 200 (TSW 200), which ranks the top 200 U.S. events by net square footage sold, grew 2.6% in net square feet, 1.4% in number of exhibiting companies and 3.1% in attendance in 2006.
  • On average, TSW 200 shows took up about 340,000 net square feet and more than 1,000 exhibitors and some 22,500 attendees.

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  • Nielsen Business Media and Reed Exhibitions are the leading TSW 200 show owners, accounting for the most net square feet with over 4.2 million and nearly 3.9 million, respectively.
  • The two also produced the largest number of TSW 200 shows in 2006: 11 and 10, respectively.
  • Almost 80% of exhibitors are confident (highly or moderately) that their tradeshow return on investment (ROI) and return on objectives (ROO) will improve this year.
  • In 2007, exhibitors say the majority of their corporate exhibitor budgets will be distributed as follows: 32% on exhibit space; 15% on show services; 14% on exhibit freight shipping; and 13% on exhibit design and production (13%).

About the data: “Tradeshow Industry Outlook” provides an analysis of key industry statistics for the first half of 2007, as well as an overview of trends impacting exhibition organizers and corporate exhibitors. The report includes preliminary results from a survey conducted by The Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO), JEGI and Tradeshow Week on show producers’ use of the web to extend relationships with exhibitors, sponsors and attendees.

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