Here it comes again....trade show protests....

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Scott Mahnken on April 20, 2011 at 8:44am

All,

In 2008 I submited the article Trade Shows a Shifting Paradigm which was published in the Nov 2008 Proofs.  Certainly the downward spiral continues.

We need one central document that we can all sign showing that it's time for a change.  If the numbers reach a tipping point and certain companies / key contacts join the cause, maybe the message will be heard.
Until then let's all be prepared to chat with one another and share stories about family - sports and Charlie Sheen.

What I miss most is how fast the day goes when a trade show floor is busy.....now when I attend a show it seems that the first 90 minutes is a wash as we all stand and wait for the dentists to appear.  Soon the conversation turns to CE and how the classes are taking the doctors away from the trade show floor.

One solution is obvious - don't allow classes to conflict with exhibits!  There's nothing wrong with offering CE from 7am 10am and then opening the show floor from 10am - 4pm and offering CE from 4pm - 6pm and maybe allow Gordon to do a 1 hour lunch event.  Do I get a vote = Yes?

Shorter hours - a more concentrated flow of traffic - no battling for the DDS time - just one big happy family.

Then you woke up!

See you at the next show; I'll be the one surfing my iPhone as I wait and wait.....and wait...for DDS to arrive.........

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Permalink Reply by Richard McManus, DMD on April 20, 2011 at 12:30pm

I agree. The dentists attend almost exclusively for the CE credits not to see you on the exhibit floor. If you feel you are being taken advantages of they you should just walk away. There was a time however when your industry wanted to be part of these shows and over the past 35 years the exhibit floor has at times seemed more like a carnival manned by representatives still awash in last night’s liquor.
At the beginning of each course at Yankee Dental there is a message read to visit the exhibits yet the attendance or the sales generated at these meetings seem to be continuingly disappointing to your community.
I see a huge opportunity here in the northeast. No one likes the dates of the Yankee meeting but apparently the ADA has cemented these date for Yankee so we all freeze.
How about a May industry sponsored CE event in Foxwoods Casino in Conn.? Warm weather –you run the show- golf –casino – CE - and you’re exhibits on your terms. This NE event would blow Yankee away.
There’s the idea. Don’t just complain, DO SOMETHING.

Dick McManus, DMD.

 

And of course us dentists close our offices and pay for our employees to attends too so we lose income to attend these meetings and work hard and make family sacrifices so you'll have to understand when I take exception to the "bend over" comment made by the an author unwilling to sign his/her name. Coward!

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Permalink Reply by Dental Sales Rep on April 21, 2011 at 11:34am

In defense of trade shows and I know this is not popular..... Manufacturers have also not helped themselves.

 

Why?  Well, when is a special really a special?  When you can only get it at the dental meeting!  Is anyone giving the dentist a reason to come to their booth? 

 

Would meeting only specials help, they used to.  Just a thought.

 

Bill

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Permalink Reply by Troy Steinbach on December 5, 2011 at 12:00pm

I agree with you on this point. Manufacturers used to offer dentists phenomenal deals at the shows, which was the driving force to get them on the exhibition floor. We had doctors buying a years worth of supplies at the booth. Now they are only offered the quarterly special, which they can get any time, so why bother going to the hall?

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Permalink Reply by Marc Daichman on April 21, 2011 at 8:48pm

Just so happens,that after 20 + years of exhibiting at the Greater NY Meeting, we finally decided to NOT exhibit this year(2011), besides the bad timing (+ nyc PACKED with tourists the weekend after Thanksgiving,with hotel rates at all time highs) of right after Thanksgiving weekend, we will take our few thousand and spend it where we get a better ROI;

 

Our dental lab does well when we invest in smaller meetings,tons of continuing ed events, have had great success through a particular telemarketing firm (Marketreach in Hightstown,NJ) and dozens of other marketing (low cost) activities.

 

However, after not going to the NJDA's annual convention in Atlantic City for 15+ years, we ARE taking a table there for the very fair price of $750 and mostly for the reason they moved the convention from Atlantic City to the Ocean Spa in West Long Branch (June 24 & 25).

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Permalink Reply by Dental Sales Rep on April 22, 2011 at 6:08pm

Marc,

 

I am curious.  These smaller meetings or continuing ed events..... do you have the opportunity to speak or present your product or do you just have a booth.?

 

It seems to me that regardless of the size of the meeting your company needs to be represented during CE time.  A KOL speaking or at least mentioning your product or service is one of the few ways to really stand out in the industry.

 

Bill

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Marc Daichman on April 23, 2011 at 1:50pm

YES! You are of course 100% correct,that when a speaker refers to you and/or your products/services it is definitely a huge plus; Of course, objectivity must always be a concern as my priority of issuing continuing ed credits comes way before any type of subjectivity on behalf of the speaker.

 

However, in my own seminars or even tons of study groups we support, I am allowed in most cases to get up and speak for a couple minutes on upcoming events, acknowledging the sponsoring organization, and introducing the vendors while also giving the vendrs the option to speak for a couple minutes so everyone knows who they are & how they can help.

Also key is to have a break, even in a short evening seminar, so vendors have the opportunity to meet the Drs.

So, to answer your question, at 99% of these smaller events, we do have the opportunity to speak which is very valuable.

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Permalink Reply by Gerry on April 28, 2011 at 3:47pm

SERIOUSLY, with this guy's letter we all think were gonna see change in the trade show business.  These associations have to be a bit more flexible with their fees to Vendors as well as for attendees, in California I can say that 60% or more of dentist aren't members of the CDA because their fees are to high, but that doesn't mean they don't want to attend the CDA, to begin with we the Vendors are the reason there is even a CDA or CDG or GNYDM for the dental professional, I personally would'nt mind to spend the current booth space fees just as long as they dedicated 1 full exhibitor day with no CE classes at a low 1 day entrance fee to the Dental professional for that day.  Secondly if any of you go or have been to any International meeting lately, there is a huge attendance of people from all over the world, when the main international meetings here like the Chicago midwinter the Greater New York and the ADA keep reporting record low addentance numbers, its not that the dental world refuses to come to the USA and visit our meetings, if any of you have gone abroad you might hear that there is a huge desire to visit our American trade shows, the problem I see is that our government is making it pretty much impossible for anyone to come to the good old USA and do business anymore without getting a blood test, while other governments are receiving them with open arms.  I think we need to stop living in fear of the rest of the world instead embrace it and go back to our old ways of doing business less the Sept 11 fears.  Just my opinion

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