Who Attended 2009 PMA, and Why?

Who Attended 2009 PMA, and Why?

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PMA attendees of all shapes and sizes come to the show for all kinds of reasons—to see new product, listen to speakers, to test a machine that’s piqued their interest, and/or even to meet up with industry buddies. Attendance was fairly light on day one, thanks in part to the economy and the raging snowstorm that blind-sided the east coast. But the low numbers may have also been due to the fact that there weren’t any real blockbuster products or new technologies to draw bigger crowds.

Mark Gustavson, Director, Marketing and Communication, for distributor Wynit, like many on the floor, had no comment when it came to discussing the economy. But as far as product was concerned, he said he did see a couple of interesting pro-based products such as the digital LED camera/video lights (instead of flash). "But everything else [shown at the exhibit] is sort of an extension of what’s going on. I haven’t seen a lot of innovation, though I’ve seen a lot of repackaging of items," stated Gustavson. "I think a lot of people are defending the goal line, solidifying relationships with their present customers and making sure they’re not losing ground."

Interfit Photographic, LTD, which specializes in lighting equipment for pro studios, had two diverse market segments in mind for its product. Company spokesperson Tracy Rice, stated, "We’re in the show to demonstrate our new video and lighting equipment. [PMA] is a good facility for us to demonstrate our products not only to the end user but also to the distributors." Interfit’s strategies for the coming year include "making a great product with great value."

No Worries for Some Pros

Advertising/commercial photographer Mario Massens of Massens Photography in San Diego and Las Vegas, came to the show to visit many of the vendors he uses online to see what new products they might have. "[PMA] is not just for retailers," stated Massens. "There’s stuff here for photographers and for anybody in the photo business.

The economy is not an issue for me because there are a lot of vertical markets I’m tapping into such as the manufacturers and companies here in Las Vegas. And everybody needs to advertise, especially in this economy."  Massens also noted that many wedding photographers he knows are seeing an increase in business as more people are getting married for the tax benefits. "They’re charging a little less," he says, "but they’re getting more work."

Speaking of wedding photographers, there was a proliferation of wedding album manufacturers and distributors at this year’s show. According to Art Leather’s Sales Manager, Barry C. Ricketts, the company’s strategy for the upcoming year is to try to offer the marketplace and the professional photographer different avenues to sell to their customers. "Our main focus this year is to offer more products and marketing tools to the professional photographer that will send the consumer back to them."

Thanks to digital photography, many pros have lost business because everybody and their brother can now take a decent photo, noted Ricketts. "At a wedding, etc., everybody has a digital camera. But what are they doing with those prints? From our customer surveys, we know they’re not going back to the professional photographer for the final product; they’re going elsewhere. We’re giving [pros] solutions to drive that business back to them."

Women Rule
Beau Gallimore and George Bulard of Genesee Photo Systems, Stillwater, OK, came to PMA to attend the seminars, not the trade show. "The Marketing for Women seminar is what I really came for," stated Gallimore. "It was absolutely intriguing and Michelle Miller did a phenomenal presentation. According to Miller," noted Gallimore, "eighty-seven cents of every dollar spent is either spent or influenced by women, and that was just a phenomenal statistic. So we’re looking at ways that we can develop that market more fully."

Gallimore said he learned a lot about how women shop a store, how they accessorize, and why it’s important to establish relationships with female customers. "A woman’s brain processes so much more information than a man’s," noted Gallimore, "and she has a greater peripheral capacity to take in information. By the time she’s already walked in the door she’s noticed if there are cracks in the sidewalk, fingerprints on the glass, how wide the parking spaces are, and then some. Before she’s even walked into your business, she’s already establishing whether she’s going to do business with you or not. It’s not just about the product or the end result. It’s, ‘What am I as the retailer doing to connect with them; to meet their needs.’

"We have to re-evaluate everything from our parking lot to our advertising," admitted Gallimore. "It’s a paradigm shift. We need to connect with the individual needs, wants and desires of these customers? We have to spend more time developing those positive relationships with our female clients. It’s not about just making the sale," concluded Gallimore, "it’s about building that relationship, interacting with that customer, and transmitting the values that we care about honesty and integrity."

Of course, PMA and Picture Business have been talking about "Jennifer" and soccer moms for years now. It’s nice to see the information is starting to make an impression on some retailers.

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