Selective Focus: Trade Show Fever

Selective Focus: Trade Show Fever

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Having been to a few trade shows in my time, both industry-only and consumer oriented, I was heartened to hear of PMA’s recently announced consumer-oriented The Big Photo Show. Big papa CES is industry-only, and PMA must play by the landlord’s Vegas rules, although it must be said that photokina has been doing the trade/consumer attendee mix for a very long time without horrid consequences.

But PMA is standing on its own on this one and says it will run this consumer show in LA this spring where, and I quote, “Exhibitors will have the opportunity to present and demonstrate their products and services to the most valuable customers in the imaging industry—those whose purchases are driven by an unbridled enthusiasm for photography and videography.”

Unbridled though the customers may be, I have to wonder if the as-yet-unnamed exhibitors will share this enthusiasm and support the show. Keep in mind that I am all for such shows, and certainly support PMA in their efforts, but I have seen too many attempts at such events die on western shores, and particularly in the cavernous LA Convention Center. So I hope that my tale here might find an ear in the halls of PMA’s offices. 

I am writing this after the PhotoPlus Expo (PPE) in NYC in late October, which practiced the age-old politician’s trick of putting a fairly small show into an even smaller room. Even though there were considerably fewer exhibitors (though some displays were dominant) and the usual complaints from exhibitors about the Javits Center’s labor hassles, the crowds turned out in droves.

During the first two days there was rarely a lull in the surge, thanks to a continuous array of speakers at the booths, seminars in other parts of the hall, and discount selling by vendors on the floor. Traditionally, the sales took place on the last day of the show, with exhibitors trying to save on drayage, I suppose. At smaller booths, however, I saw lots of iPads with those little charge cubes attached, and retailers filling orders for major name-brand cameras, lenses, etc., at their long booths. There was even a direct bus shuttle over to B&H, which sits not four blocks from the Jacob Javits Convention Center halls.

PPE is billed as a pro show, but there was little to discourage anyone with an interest in photography and imaging from attending—from students to avid amateurs to camera club members who traveled en masse. Many vendors offered free passes to the exhibit floor, although seminars required a per-session buy or a Gold Pass, which allowed buyers to roam freely among many of the talks. Those talks were more often than not sponsored by the exhibitors, with a few roundtables of veterans of the trade and a couple of  “how I won the war” speeches and digital projection shows.

This formula will be matched at the next two imaging shows in early 2013, the PPA and WPPI annuals, the latter being run by the same folks who run PPE—a product of Nielsen buying PDN (Photo District News) and their show and then Rangefinder and their show lock, stock and barrel. Having attended both Imaging USA (the PPA [Professional Photographers of America] moniker) and WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) in the last two years, I feel they are excellent examples of how end-user imaging shows should be run. They have many, many lecture and demo tracks, a policy of not running seminars in direct conflict with show floor hours, a very diverse group of speakers addressing a very focused set of craft and business issues, the ability to attract a very enthusiastic and dedicated group of attendees and exhibitors, and enough social events to help make even the most introverted attendee feel like they’re part of the party.

In short, the shows rely on building community as essential to their success. True, the PPA has a much longer tradition, with WPPI being a more recent construct, but PPA went through a period not long back where it seemed like the old ship was going down, only to make a good, strong comeback in recent years. Part of that reinvigoration was the attraction of a younger crowd, in both attendees and admin, and the realization that when another show is nipping at your heels, it’s time to either shape up or ship out. PPA did the former, I’m happy to report.

Given that PMA represents the manufacturers and distributors, and not necessarily the consumer, in its orientation, there’s a different chemistry involved. First off, both the Nielsen shows and PPA have a natural consumer constituency, built by magazines (yes, those things) and now reinforced by websites and social media and a track record of affiliations and relationships within the industry and with the end user. Neither show has particularly courted the trade press nor is a launch pad for new products; although PhotoPlus Expo pretends to be, but this year it was mostly a rehash of photokina announcements that occurred a month prior.

While both are most certainly consumer shows, they mask, if you will, the product push with a veneer of panache and education and inspiration. They offer more than just the product—they show how to use it and how their “stars” use it to become who they are, and how you can become a star if you use it, too. (At photokina, images are the star, along with the photographers who make them, with exhibits all in and around the show, plus demos by well-known photogs at show booths and on the streets of the city of Cologne.)

PMA does its duty when it comes to helping the retailer sell, which is on evidence at the pre-PMA@CES DIMA conference seminars and other meetings held in and around PMA@CES. But to my mind, having a show that will draw consumers takes more than a “build it and they will come” mentality. It takes prior engagement with the end-user community, building a program that will draw their interest and, perhaps most of all, having exhibitors kick in with their fair share of talent and enthusiasm. While your average photographer might not have instant name recognition of WPPI or Imaging USA, there’s zero recognition of either PMA or, although time will tell, The Big Photo Show. I applaud the organization for getting into the consumer end of things, but I just don’t want another disappointment either.

I also despair somewhat in the choice of the LA Convention Center. Its convention hall has always been an odd spot for a show. You get lost there, and the city’s commitment (they run it) to the space seems all over the map. Checking the LA Times archives, there have been apparent proposals for privatization, for tearing down part of it to build a new NFL stadium, for revitalization of the neighborhood, and for having the folks who run it go after the “really big shows” rather than a local trade show, which its sounds like The Big Photo Show might be, at least at the start.

Granted, the cliché is that anyone who lives in LA drives everywhere anyway, but why a first attempt at a show like this needs to be in a convention center is beyond me. Even WPPI is in a hotel, and that’s where PPE started too. So, piece of advice #1: drop the convention center and find a nice, cozy place for the show, perhaps a hotel that’s near public transportation and has some ballrooms to spare.

As far as name recognition is concerned, everyone’s got to start somewhere, and that comes from building a constituency through media, both traditional and social. True, every show like this is ultimately local, but ranging far and wide, especially in a spread-out scene like LA, means marshaling all the resources you can to get the word out. That has to be built starting right now. So, piece of advice #2: find ways to reach into a constituency that has never heard of you and build relationships with media and bloggers and anyone else you think might be able to get the word out. PMA can offer a lot, but it’s never been cozy with the consumer, and cozy is what’s needed here.

Third, start building that exhibitor list, and not just for the sake of filling the hall but to fully exploit the talents and energy of those industry partners. It takes time to plan a speaking schedule and to have folks make commitments, and having a show in May means you should be booking right now. If you’re not, spare us the false hopes that this will happen and be meaningful for the industry.

Finally, take a lesson from the pro shows that have stood the test of time, and make it an event that becomes a destination, not just another lineup of booths and drapery. Think of what the consumer (including prosumers and enthusiasts and students and more) might be after these days, and focus your energy on that. Invite the press to become involved, and corral as many social media types and environments as possible.

Yes, the West Coast does not have a big consumer photo show, and that’s a good void to fill, but there may be a very good reason for this.

We all want this to succeed. We all understand why giving end users a feeling for the excitement of our industry is important. But we also have seen these shows come and go, and we hope The Big Photo Show will be the West Coast exception, and not follow the rule.

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