Source CEA Digital Dialogue Blog
By Carolyn Slater
on CEA Digital Dialogue Blog
Yesterday I attended the CEA webcast: “If Not Now, When? Why Trade Shows Like CES Are Your Best Marketing Investment in the Best and Worst of Times”. I must admit that even though I work at CEA, it’s been some time since I participated in one of our free webcasts, but this one convinced me to check them out regularly for information and inspiration.
The first presenter, Doug Ducate from the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) began with some startling (at least to me) figures regarding trade shows including:
• Trade shows attract 60 Million attendees a year.
• Two-thirds of trade shows and exhibitions are owned by associations.
• Trade shows have an economic impact of $80 billion.
• When surveyed, 87 percent of buyers rated their trade show
attendance as “extremely useful”.
CEA’s Dan Cole gave an update on what the show floor will be looking like for the January 2010 CES, including the centralization of the show. He had some pretty compelling figures on the money you can save on your travel budget by being in the same place at the same time as the rest of the key players in the consumer electronics industry.
Laurie Kulikosky of CEA’s Member Services department shared some of the benefits and considerable savings that members enjoy, such as major discounts on booth space and access to member lounges and meeting rooms on or near the show floor.
But for me the most compelling part of the webcast was hearing Jake Sigal of Myine Electronics outline how his small start-up company exhibited for the first time last January at CES for under $30k. He even provided his Excel spreadsheet to share his secrets. He reported enjoying great traffic and interest at his small booth within the Silvers Summit tech zone and told how he and his team rented a low-cost condo in Vegas (which he found on CraigsList), rented a van and made bag lunches each day to lower their expenses.
Far from being a “poor us” start-up story, you could hear his excitement at being able to exhibit and compete in an arena like CES right alongside the industry giants. Jake clearly makes the most of his CEA membership – he mentioned getting his products in front of TV audiences across the country presented by Jim Barry, CEA’s Digital Answer Man.
In contrast to the first-time exhibitor, next up was a 24-year-veteran CES exhibitor and very active CEA member/volunteer leader, Skip West of Maxsa. Skip began by telling us of his first experience exhibiting at CES, when it was still in Chicago. Skip echoed Jake’s sentiments on how small businesses can compete and thrive thanks to trade shows and the exposure it helps them garner. Skip also talked about how being part of CEA has presented him with interaction with his peers – especially important for a small business, educational opportunities and having a voice in shaping the industry.
If you’ve ever attended the International CES in Las Vegas, either as an attendee, as a CEA employee, or as an exhibitor, you know that this event is significantly bigger, louder and more exciting than any trade show you’ve ever experienced before. And if you’ve never attended CES, what are you waiting for? Registration opens July 15th. And if you’ve got a CE product or service to show off contact CES staff now to secure your 2010 space.
By the way, CEA members can access recordings and PowerPoints of past webcasts at the Members-only site. CEA members can participate in the live webcasts FREE of charge.
