Views from the trade show floors: Part two

In part two of our trade show feature, we find out more about the targets being set and met at recent shows, as well as some of the pleasant surprises that only in-person events can conjure

By TVBEurope Staff

Published: May 31, 2022 Updated: June 3, 2022

In part two of our trade show feature, we find out more about the targets being set and met at recent shows, as well as some of the pleasant surprises that only in-person events can conjure

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Describe the show(s) from a business perspective; what targets did you set and were you able to meet/exceed them? Any surprises along the way (chance meetings that led to business/leads/prospects)? Craig Bury, CTO, Three Media

Our objectives for this year were different to previous years, especially given that the show was on a much smaller scale, and we did not have our own booth this time around. Usually, we have meetings booked throughout the show, where we would talk to current clients, broadcasters and service providers but 2022 has seen a significant reduction in numbers of this type of attendee, both visiting and exhibiting.

One of the primary aims was to re-establish contacts and to meet with select vendors that we knew would be in attendance. Secondary to that, our focus was on picking up new clients through our consultancy services and XEN:Pipeline product as well as push some of the new technologies we have been working on over the past couple of years. With registrations down the show floor was less busy, so it was much easier to get around.

The newly opened Las Vegas Convention Center Loop system was a welcome addition to quickly get from the North/Central halls across to the new West hall. I came away from the show having met my objectives and then some.

The crowds were back for ISE 2022 in Barcelona James Kirby, senior market analyst, pro audio, Futuresource Consulting

Speaking for the professional audio team at Futuresource, ISE this year demonstrated big change for us. We've been working in the pro audio sector now for about six years, but the support we've provided to both clients and contacts over the past few years has not gone unnoticed. We always said we'd be here through thick and thin', but I think going the extra mile during the pandemic made us a lot of new friends. It was great to see the result of this in both our conversations and the breadth of companies we spoke with; both long-standing clients and new contacts.

One thing that did surprise us, and maybe meant we didn't speak with everyone we should have, was just how in-depth our conversations were. We definitely had to spend more time with individual clients at the show than in previous years, but that was a good thing and much needed after the two-year hiatus.

Laura Cabarcos, senior account director, Bubble Agency

There was much uncertainty around the return of trade shows, and from a business perspective, Bubble has invested a lot of time and effort planning for the right strategy for their return.

The cancellation of IBC in December 2021 acted as a catalyst in our decision to invest resources in NAB, being Bubble's first big international show on the agenda. Here we hosted Bubble House, which was very well attended both by clients and industry professionals (from press to analysts and industry bodies). This was our way to celebrate the official return to shows and the enthusiasm for it exceeded our expectations.

Margaret Travis, global head of marketing and communications, Iron Mountain Entertainment Services

Coming back to in-person trade shows after two full years, with a brand that is still relatively new to the UK and European market (although we've been serving the market for 40 years), our business goal was to get a foothold of awareness for our brand and our experts in tape restoration, digitisation, and digital preservation; and based on the heavy traffic to our stand and quality conversations we had there, we feel we were able to do that in a very targeted way at the show that might not be possible with online-only. The leads we were able to generate from the stand were fantastic, but for this first show out, they were icing on the cake rather than the main course.

Hans-Juergen Desor, CEO, iWedia

There was much uncertainty around the return of trade shows and from a business perspective we've invested a lot of time and effort planning for the right strategy for their return. For NAB, being the first show on the agenda, we opted for a smaller presence, with a suite at the Westgate and it was later for Convergence India Expo that we confirmed shows were back in full bloom and opted for a stand. We can now successfully confirm that both business decisions were the right strategy to follow and so far every show has met our expectations. It has been great to reconnect with customers, partners, press and analysts.

Daniel Haikin, chief marketing officer, Cooke Optics

Exhibitions are expensive on a per person basis, clearly. But one needs to consider the depth of experience they facilitate, not just the customer numbers. For Cooke, we make products which are chosen on the basis of highly nuanced subjective characteristics so face-to-face contact is really essential to that culture.

Cees van Versendaal, COO, MwareTV

MwareTV exhibits at trade shows around the world with a focus on meeting with new prospects to talk to about our turnkey multi-tenant cloud middleware TV platform. We also connect with current customers and in some cases we sign deals with ongoing potential customers, which was actually the case at NAB. Only time will tell if the new leads generated will turn into a success story for all parties, but so far it's looking very promising with some great post show conversations.

Alexandra Jakins IDS inside sales executive, Dens

LINK:	https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/views-from-the-show-floors-part-two...
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