BtoB Media Business - January 2008 - (Page 18)

Events Questioning Doug Ducate EVENTS Hazel Hays Award recipient on the future of exhibitions and the double-breasted suit D They’re using the medium to find out what oug Ducate is a plainspoken guy their clients are doing today, what they’re who has been around the events in- going to need. MB: What does that mean for show orgadustry longer than most. The president-CEO of the Center for Exhibition Indus- nizers? Does it put emphasis on the conference try Research—perhaps the industry’s No. 1 portion of the show? Ducate: It does. It puts more emphasis advocate—has been in the business for more than 35 years. Last month, the Exhibit De- on all the other aspects: press conferences, signers & Producers Association honored his technical meetings, networking activities. It’s a constant mill of business and, contributions with its Hazel Hays Q&A as a result, many of the traditional Award, adding a fifth major indussocial aspects tend to be dimintry award to his collection. Media ished. Things like award presentaBusiness caught up with Ducate to tions and speeches and state of the talk about an industry that has outindustry addresses or membership grown more than wooden exhibit reports have become much less sigstructures and formal attire. MB: What are some of the more nificant, in favor of quality time to DOUG talk to one another. significant shifts you’ve seen in DUCATE MB: International attendance is the industry? President-CEO, on the rise. What’s behind those Ducate: If you look at the travel Center for Exhibition numbers? data since 2001, the one industry Industry Ducate: We see the rise because sector that has never recovered is Research it took a pretty good dip after 2001 the individual traveling salesperson. The reliance on electronic and tele- and 2002. Some of the increases that we’re phone communication has meant that exhi- seeing are getting us back to where we bitions have become a last bastion of face-to- would have been. Part of it is some of the face marketing. It’s changed the role [of an things organizers are doing, like co-locaevent]. The No. 1 reason to exhibit used to tions. Certainly the easing of travel issues. be to bring a new product to market. Today, [The industry is] still challenged, particularmany companies with a new product don’t ly by visa issues. MB: Are you seeing results yet from the wait for an exhibition. Successful companies are there to have conversations with their slate of changes approved last year? Ducate: It’s one of those mixed bags. clients, not just to sell them something. BY CHARLOTTE WOOLARD [Officials] can report some excellent numbers on wait times on an average. The focus from the organizers’ side is to say, “Let’s not talk about the global average; let’s talk about the countries that are most important to us.” That’s China, India, Brazil. It is taking too long, and it is costing us. I don’t question statistics from a global perspective, but that doesn’t solve my problem in China. MB: Show producers are going after emerging global markets. How is that developing? Ducate: [The global market] is expanding rapidly. That’s going to be a huge competition. You’ve got the industrialized world looking at this giant growing economy, saying “How do we convince them to buy American” instead of whatever it may be. It’s a competition for exporting. We’re going to continue to see lots of energy and events being produced as these developing economies strengthen and get more capital to invest. MB: What are you researching right now? Ducate: Our new major undertaking has been a project on attracting the X and Y generations to exhibitions. We recognize that they have a different outlook. We’ve got a whole new challenge on the organizer side. We need to reach out and make sure that the X and Y generations and the Millenials put the same premium on face-to-face that their parents did. You’ve got to be willing to change your business model. Let me give you one tiny example of where that’s already worked in most cases. Dress code. We’ve gone from business to business casual. What’s the next step? MB: Jeans and a T-shirt? Ducate: Bingo! SHOW SPOTLIGHT Software Developers West 2007 Owner/producer: CMP Technology What: Annual conference and trade show for the software development industry Where: Santa Clara (Calif.) Convention Center Date 2008: March 3-7 Date 2007: March 19-23 2007 floor space: Approximately 9,000 sq. ft. 2006 floor space: Approximately 7,500 sq. ft. No. of attendees, 2007: 3,000 No. of attendees, 2006: 2,700 No. of exhibitors, 2007: 64 No. of exhibitors, 2006: 51 Producer comment: “The show is all about very high-quality content,” said Izora Garcia De Lillard, conference director. “This was the most comprehensive curriculum ever put together for the show.” Exhibitor comment: “Attendees know they’re going to get practical course work,” said Erin Curtis, director of product marketing at software developer Electric Cloud. “You get people who are there to learn. As an exhibitor, that makes them more receptive to us at the booth.” Breakdown: This conference-focused event marked its 20-year anniversary with the expansion of its already robust educational arm, drawing increased numbers of exhibitors and attendees to the show. More than 70% of attendees said they attend only this event, organizers said. —C.W. 18 | Media Business | January 2008 | mediabusinessonline.com http://mediabusinessonline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BtoB Media Business - January 2008

BtoB Media Business - January 2008
Contents
Upfront
Industry Snapshot
Cover Story
Sales & Marketing
M & A
Events
Online
Production
Circulation
People
Benchmarks
Endnote

BtoB Media Business - January 2008

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