Management
Switching to truly
agile tradeshow management
Matthias Tesi Baur on how to prepare for changing tradeshow formats – Part One
iscussions about
the future change
in tradeshow
formats have
been taking place for years. But
it has never been clear when
this change would happen…
until now. The time for change
is here!
Shows such as Cebit,
Baselworld and IAA have shown
that there is growing customer
appetite for new formats. These
examples are also proof that
when audiences demand a
new show format, change can
happen extremely quickly,
sometimes in less than one
show cycle.
This calls for a totally new
management style and a
switch from an approach that
focuses on simply tweaking
successful formats, to truly agile
show management. We need
managers who are prepared to
continually reinvent tradeshows
to ensure they match the fast-
changing business landscape
and demands of our target
audiences.
So, why are tradeshow
formats changing?
The obvious answer would
be the influence the digital era.
But, when we drill down to find
more comprehensive examples
of the impact of digitisation, the
answer isn’t so clear. People
usually point to the role of
digital tools, yet we’ve seen that
digital matchmaking may not be
all that fulfilling, and that digital
buyer and seller platforms don’t
effectively replace the face-to-
face interaction and momentum
that tradeshows can provide.
Digitisation may not, therefore,
44
Issue 1 2020
Although not
all digital tools
directly influence
and change our
industry, the
user behaviours
that many of
these tools are
built around are
triggering this
change.
be the main catalyst for the
change and growth rates we’ve
witnessed over the last 15 years.
What aren’t we seeing? Why
do flagship tradeshows fall like
old trees in the storm? Why
has our management style not
been agile enough? One answer
might be that, although not all
digital tools directly influence
and change our industry, the
user behaviours that many of
these tools are built around are
changing.
The business world is
different to what it was even
five years ago. In the past,
we kept our private and
professional lives separate and
browsing social media sites such
as Facebook was discouraged.
This same attitude of not
cross-pollinating the personal
and the professional filtered
into how we approached
tradeshows. Business took
over for days or even weeks,
and friends and family took a
backseat.
Now the lines between our
private and business lives have
become blurred. People can
(and do!) carry out business,
check their Instagram account,
schedule meetings or get an
alert about their friend’s dinner
party at any hour.
Tradeshows that don’t cater
to these new behaviours by
providing high-speed Wi-Fi and
breakout zones to accommodate
our online and offline activities
will inevitably be less favoured
by our customers than
tradeshows that do.
What needs to change?
First and foremost, we need
to train our teams in agile
management. Statements such
as “my trade show is different”
or “I know my exhibitors inside
out” should have no place in
strategy meetings, as they can
prohibit change and be a barrier
to deep customer-centred
strategies.
Instead, we should be asking
ourselves: what do we need to
understand better? How have
customer expectations changed
in the last six months?
In many cases, current
strategies are based on
anecdotal knowledge gained
over several years. Subjective
opinions should not be
dominant or used as the basis
of a strategy. To be able to react
in an agile way to customer
demands, show teams need to
develop deep customer data
strategies, methodologies to
source this data and analytical
tools to interpret and transform
it into something meaningful
and useful.
To fill the gaps in our
knowledge, show teams should
be asking the right types
of questions: which show
segments are growing? Which
adjacent industry sectors not
represented on the show floor
are outperforming the growth of
the show? Which Net Promoter
Scores are divided by days,
segments, seniority or age group,
and how do we analyse these
factors? How much time do
exhibitors spend at booths, at
show features or at registration?
What is the average organic
upsell rate for stands? These are
just some examples of the types
of data your show team should
study.
In Part Two of this article I will
consider how “old” show formats
should be changed and how we
can manage this change.
MBB-Consulting Group is a
consultancy specialised in the
international exhibitions, events,
services and e-business sector.
More information: www.mbb-
media.com
Below: Matthias Tesi Baur
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk