"Lets be serious about OPTICAL TRADE EXHIBITIONS"

[Chris Ryser]

I am having second, third, fourth and fifth thoughts about attending trade shows in the future. Most of the times I have been an exhibitor both in the US and Canada , but at the Las Vegas show a few weeks back I just went as an observer.

Oh boy, I have seen so many of the smaller exhibitors frustrated to have to spend all the money to exhibit with very little or no return. Sure the large companies took all the limelight and crowd attendance on their booth with live entertainment of all sorts. But did they actually do any business worth the effort?

Vision Expo seems to slow down all over, the OLA show this year has a total of around 80 exhibitors (which is a heavy down trend)

Internationally the German Optica has been cancelled i heard. Milan is still booming. This weekend is the SILMO in Paris and we will hear reports by Monday.

Yesterday and today I am attending as an exhibitor at the Vision 2002 in Montreal. Yesterdays attendance was awful and even one of the usually most crowded booth's of Luxottica there was no action whatsover.Today might not be any better.

I would like to see some input from Optiboard members on this subject. I would like to hear what is making the retail optician and optometrist, or the optical technician tick at these trade shows. Could become some interesting discussion..................

[John R]

Well the last show UK side "Optrafair" was a wash out with attendance figures so low that if you went back a couple of years they got more in one day than the whole 3 days..... What did they blame 9-11...Like we all fly all the time in the UK not....
We have attended twice and the amount of new customers we have picked up is just not worth the outlay...
They are saying that bookings for stands are up this year, but many of the bigges like Sola arnt going they have sussed its a waste of money which can be put to better use pushing your products other ways.
Personally i have never attended one of theses do's but may just this year, for a look around and to see if any of us UK optiboarders can meet up.
I think most vistors go just to put faces to voices. Very few have any actual buying power.

[Chris Ryser]

Thanks John R

Your comments are appreciated and you made a good point

Be attending the local show today and will report tomorrow early

[Refractingoptician.com]

optical shows

I don't know about the United States, but in Canada, I wonder if a lot of people go to shows for the sole purpose of obtaining continuing education credits. If this is the case, then they are there because they have to be , not necessarily because they want to see exhibitors. If they are there for credits and they are not self employed, what influence would they be in making decisions to purchase from exhibitors ? A chain store employee is not likely to be your best target market.

[kjw1231]

More companies scaling back...

I was apart of displaying, setting up and "selling" at the trade shows. The company that I worked for went from a 40x40 to a 10x20. We spent mega dollars to get the booth there, people there, and promotions, with little or no return. We attended all the Expos, OLA, AAO and SECO. Over the years we noticed a decline in attendance. More importantly most people were there just looking, very few buyers. even the big guns have started to scale back.

The bad thing at Vegas is that there is too much to do. People will generally visit who they "have" to see and skip the others. I can't say that I don't blame them.

My feeling is that a company is better off at a local show. I went to a local OD CEC meeting and had more sales and positive leads than at any other show. Most local shows do focus soley on CEC credits.

I am looking to put together a CEC event, which will feature FREE CEC credits. These are well attended, as most agree that they will find the time to attend a FREE event.

Overall, shows are being domianted by the big guns, squeezing out the little guys, but eventually, little attendance will alter the shows.

[Steve Machol]

My previous employer, Sola Optical, started scaling back it's participation in trade shows several years ago. This trend seems to be continuing with many companies.

[Excel-Lentes]

Hi,

As a retail optician, I usually try to go to Vision Expo at least once a year. During the year we analyze what shortcomings we have (in product) and make a list. At the show we look for vendors we have never seen before and try to fill-in the areas we are lacking:
Ex. High end designers/ Medicaid plastics/ sports eyewear, etc..

We are not that pumped up to see our current vendors unless they are introducing a new product that interests us. Vendors usually will extend show specials after the show is over so we try to spend more time seeing things that are new to us. If we see something that will work for us we will stock up at the show, in fact, one vendor we found last year we have done a huge volume with over this past year.

I realize many folks get their CE's at trade shows. I prefer to get my continuing education locally at the Connecticut Opticians Association's Super Sunday which is usually held before Vision Expo. That takes the stress out of making appointments, rushing off to classes, etc.... I prefer a more relaxed environment for learning. At the trade shows there are too many distractions.

I hope the scaling down of vendors at these trade shows will stop or at least level off. I heard people talking about this from the Expo West in Las Vegas.

-BW

[sarahr]

John R said:
Well the last show UK side "Optrafair" was a wash out with attendance figures so low that if you went back a couple of years they got more in one day than the whole 3 days..... What did they blame 9-11...Like we all fly all the time in the UK not.....

John, you know I'm not one to be picky(!!):p but wasn't the Optrafair drop in figures due to the Foot and Mouth crisis?I'm sure I can remember worrying about whether to go or not and waiting for new cases in my area.Wasn't it March ? Apologies if I'm wrong but the travelling thing WAS understandably badly affected.
As a visitor rather than exhibitor,I found Optrafair incredibly informative and a smashing social get together, I have certainly opened new accounts as a result with a couple of businesses.i'll be there next year for sure.

[chip anderson]

Actually with a good compter program, and a good on line display couldn't everything your rep does for you be done without him at lower cost, including shipping to and from for actual hands on inspection of the line?

Frame cost would go down and time sent doing whatever one does with the rep could be drasticly reduced.

Chip

Shoot, with this we could go back to lab distribution and reduce stock, cost, time and back orders. Not to mention having to deal with some of the individuals that process orders at the manufacturer.

[Pete Hanlin]

My feeling is that a company is better off at a local show.
Well, I'm typing from the Ft. Lauderdale POF show, and I couldn't agree more with this statement. It looks like they have about 350 Opticians and about 50 ODs here (along with about 100 exhibitors). I have watched more actual business being conducted here than I see at the typical Expo.

I would suggest, however, that part of the whole "Expo" thing probably happens behind the scenes. If you close (or make progress towards) a huge deal at an Expo (or SECO, or whatever), its probably worth the outlay. That said, Expo East was REALLY down last year- I'm sure it has something to do with the economy as well.

[Cindy Hamlin]

I third the local shows! It is more intimate and you are dealing with your local rep in most cases. We attend several for recruiting purposes and I stop and check the frames they are selling. The reps are friendly and seem to have more time to speak to you. The crowds are smaller and you don't have to fight your way through.

[John R]

Re: "Lets be serious about OPTICAL TRADE EXHIBITIONS"

Chris Ryser said:
I have seen so many of the smaller exhibitors frustrated to have to spend all the money to exhibit with very little or no return.

Maybe you could be better off getting together and either get a larger stand to share or cram as much as possible into a small one. At least you would be able to reduce the costs to each person.

[John R]

sarahr said:
John, you know I'm not one to be picky(!!):p but wasn't the Optrafair drop in figures due to the Foot and Mouth crisis?

Pick all you like Sarah :p You could be right. The reason dosent really matter that much. Some one can always find a excuse, its the fact that the figures down thats the problem. It will be interesting to see how the attendance figures turn out this year.
I still think too many go just for a look and have no buying power at all.

[John Tickner]

Intangible benefit ?

Could it not be the case that whilst the trade fairs do not generate a large volume of sales at the time, their purpose is to show off products and be a kind of PR experience that will result in sales at a later date?

Whilst this is relatively unimportant for smaller items eg frames, in terms of larger items of equipment I think it is very important.

[Chris Ryser]

Response to comments

Gary,
Well made point, also in the US they need coninous education......

Kjw1231
Loook at my report on local show of yesterday coming up today....

Sarahr
The "Foot and Mouth Desease" was actually the "Mad Cow Desease" which you would not catch in an exhibition hall.

Chip Anderson
The cost of a booth 10x10 at a local show is usually the same as at Vision Expo for example. $ 2500.00. If you take a double booth it's double the stated amount and so forth............

Pete Hanlin
Local shows are not any different. Bigger deals at shows are just bigger cost. (a Luxottica stand at Vison Expo East was estimated to have cost them a total of $ 350,000 out of which there was about $ 250,00 in space rental) Not bad for 3 day bash.

Today I will post my view on a local show a recent as the last 2 days.

Cindy Hamlin
As local shows cost the same, what is the value exhibiting to a fraction of visitors?

John R.
Getting together a bunch of companies for one large booth is a good idea, but it will not work,,,,,,, sense of competition, mistrust, and on and on..........