Back to Trade Shows

When trade shows resume, will attendees return as well? It’s hard to know for sure, says Eric Herman, but as he points out, it’s very likely that the industry is about to find out. The first big test looks to be the upcoming International Pool | Spa | Patio & Deck EXPO set for Dallas in November, where organizers are betting on pent-up demand to overcome reluctance to attend in-person events.

By Eric Herman

For the past 18-plus months, we’ve had cause to wonder about the long-term fate of in-person trade shows. Last year when the EXPO went virtual and drew a somewhat tepid response it was easy to dismiss the online avatar event as a pandemic-driven aberration. The entire world was being forced to adapt and trade shows were no different. The same thing happened last January when The Pool and Spa Show in Atlantic City also went all-digital, and likewise garnered thin participation.

Now as the country stumbles toward regaining normalcy, we’re about to find out whether or not the industry is ready to resume large-scale, in-person events. Set for Dallas, Nov. 13-15, the EXPO, owned and operated by trade show giant, Informa, with key support from the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, organizers are betting on the white-hot Texas market to provide drive-in attendance to fill show floor aisles and seminar rooms.

Watershape University is on the EXPO educational roster with a ledger of offerings aimed at providing value to those who want to elevate their professional game, along with an impressive schedule of programs organizers hope will help drive attendance.

Show organizers are confident the show will be a success.  I believe, however that there is no question that what happens this year in Dallas could impact shows going forward.

From a trade show perspective, the questions are almost existential in scope. Will attendees show up? Will exhibitors perceive value for their investment? Has online buying and marketing supplanted in-person transactions and information exchange? Is there pent-up demand that will drive hugely successful events? Will the forced hiatus from live events have a silver lining reigniting interest in trade shows? Will the ongoing pandemic stymie enthusiasm, or will it be a non-factor, or something between?

At this point, no one really knows. We do know the industry is experiencing unprecedented demand, while at the same time facing material and labor shortages. Combined with the madness of the COVID era, there is no question that this is a time like no other. How that impacts live events going forward is anyone’s guess.

For my part, I desperately miss the in-person interaction, and the opportunity to experience the industry’s collective presence. I’ve had a lot of great experiences at our industry’s trade shows over my many years in the business, and have felt the absence without them.

Of course, no one wants to see our shows become COVID spreader events, so those of us planning on attending are counting on organizers to take the steps necessary to protect attendees and exhibitors.

As is true of so many things in our lives that have been dramatically altered over the past year and a half, we are contending with the “new normal” – a phrase that is undeniably true and also annoyingly cliché. Add it all up, and this year’s international show will be one like no other, if for no other reason than the very viability of industry trade shows might be hanging in the balance.

Hope to see you in Dallas.