13 signs that it's time to leave a trade show

Peter Breuninger

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Jul 20, 2010
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It's not just the low number of visitors, but the ROI. Our total outlay to do the show is north of $25k. Divided by the number of real customers who visit, it doesn't make much sense.

It seems to evolving to quality over quantity at CES for high performance audio. One key new distributor can make the ROI though.

That said, I do think that Munich is the place to be.
 

garylkoh

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Sep 6, 2010
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But that is partly my point. None of the US shows really work as a trade show for high-end audio. It seems to me that (as mentioned above) successful US audio shows are going to be a hybrid of consumer show and trade show, with the shrinking number of dealers working with manufacturers to exhibit gear and attract customers. There could be some "cross-pollenization" of dealers also, as some hear stuff they don't carry but may decide they would like to.

The problem with CES is that it is neither here nor there. US dealers do not seem to be coming, European and Asian distributors seem to prefer to visit Munich, and consumers are discouraged.
 

audioarcher

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May 6, 2012
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The problem with CES is that it is neither here nor there. US dealers do not seem to be coming, European and Asian distributors seem to prefer to visit Munich, and consumers are discouraged.

Sounds like a no go for you. You already go to some of the big foreign shows, so you may as well focus on the other big US shows, and skip CES.
 

asiufy

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Jul 8, 2011
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Since this was my first CES, I was surprised by how hidden it is. It's almost as if it's not part of CES at all.
I had to dig into the immense CES exhibitors catalogue, find a company I knew would be exhibiting, and then ask how to get there.
While all the other halls had plenty of visual signs throughout the Venetian, the hi-end audio had none.
If CES is to improve, the first thing they should do is give it some more emphasis, starting with the catalogue, and with some proper signage.
As for the Levinson room, when I was there, there were just 2 other guys beside me. As I was getting ready to ask some questions and do some listening, one of Mark's acquaintances stopped by, and he dutifully started chatting with him, ignoring the rest of us completely. Nice.
T.H.E. Show was the sorriest "show" I've ever seen, truly second division stuff.


alexandre
 

Bruce B

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Apr 25, 2010
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The last few I've been to I spent most of my time just walking from the Venitian to the Flamingo and then to the Mirage since I had setups at all 3. Even though RMAF was spread to 2 hotels and even Newport is in 2 hotels as well, at least you can get there in a couple of minutes.
 

garylkoh

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Alexandre, sorry that you were ignored at Mark's room, but if the guy who dropped in was a distributor who does significant business (or Mark hoped to do significant business) with, his priority (as would have been mine) goes with the distributor. For CES, manufacturers have to focus on the primary reason they are there for - dealers and distributors. When the show got crowded (in 2007 for example), we would hate it for consumers or individuals to come because it seemed rude to ignore them. This year, I one of my best customers in the US came to the show. Unfortunately, he came in when my Japanese distributors were in the room.
 

asiufy

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Alexandre, sorry that you were ignored at Mark's room, but if the guy who dropped in was a distributor who does significant business (or Mark hoped to do significant business) with, his priority (as would have been mine) goes with the distributor. For CES, manufacturers have to focus on the primary reason they are there for - dealers and distributors. When the show got crowded (in 2007 for example), we would hate it for consumers or individuals to come because it seemed rude to ignore them. This year, I one of my best customers in the US came to the show. Unfortunately, he came in when my Japanese distributors were in the room.

Gary,

I understand it completely, it's just that there are many ways to dismiss someone, or at least, the polite and the impolite way :)
And you're relating different situations. In one, you were already with your distributions. In such case, the customer would be intruding. At some point, I wanted to chat a bit with the MSB guys, but I noticed Vince was talking to a dealer, so I just let him be, and came back later, no problem.
Then on the other case, the room would be packed, so it's simply impossible to cater to everybody. Again, this was not the case in his room.

Anyway, I just wanted to point that even in Mark's room, there weren't that many people, and that THE Show, overall, must've been even worse, as far as results, than CES proper. Oh, and I wanted to see him demonstrate that Mac software of his, but I just couldn't come back to the Flamingo just for that...


alexandre
 

mep

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Apr 20, 2010
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Sounds like CES really sucks for manufacturers and customers and there are now so many shows to choose from, hi-end audio may be better served by skipping CES.
 

Andre Marc

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Sounds like CES really sucks for manufacturers and customers and there are now so many shows to choose from, hi-end audio may be better served by skipping CES.

Mep I believe CES is a press show. Manufacturers go there hoping at this point to get a blurb on the TAS, Stereophile, PFO, or what ever site.

I personally find out about many new products through these reports.

I have also heard from dozens upon dozens of folks that Munich blows away CES at this point.
 

mep

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Apr 20, 2010
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Mep I believe CES is a press show. Manufacturers go there hoping at this point to get a blurb on the TAS, Stereophile, PFO, or what ever site.

I personally find out about many new products through these reports.

I have also heard from dozens upon dozens of folks that Munich blows away CES at this point.

$25K is a lot of money for some "hope" that you will get some press. $25K would pay for some good marketing.
 

mep

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Apr 20, 2010
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Not every manufacturer spends 25 grand, trust me on that.

I'm just speaking about what Gary said and the fact that he said he spent "north" of $25K with no ROI. I almost laughed when Steve said Gary had to keep going because he plays good music! That would make Gary the most expensive non-paid DJ in history.
 

Andre Marc

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I'm just speaking about what Gary said and the fact that he said he spent "north" of $25K with no ROI. I almost laughed when Steve said Gary had to keep going because he plays good music! That would make Gary the most expensive non-paid DJ in history.

That is funny!!!! Gary does not skimp, he really runs a professional operation. You would be surprised how many companies
do CES on the cheap, sharing rooms with multiple vendors, roughing it..I have seen it all.
 

MylesBAstor

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Apr 20, 2010
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Like most businesses, audio companies go to CES to build market presence; established companies attend in order to maintain market presence. You have to be seen to be taken seriously and that costs money. Nor is this type of cred built by advertising in a magazine. Apples and oranges.

For instance back in the good old days, Stereophile holding their own show was seen as maintaining market presence though rarely if ever did the show make money.
 

mep

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I would have thought that Stereophile releasing a magazine every month would have maintained their market presence.
 

MylesBAstor

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I would have thought that Stereophile releasing a magazine every month would have maintained their market presence.

Not in the grand scheme. Listen it's all factored into the cost of doing business. If you are a new company, it becomes part of your start up costs.

But the question is whether CES will remain a viable market for high-end audio. Based on how the show has been on a downward spiral (esp. Since 2007)-- and if CES doesn't step in and change things--the show will be history in five years. I would also guess this is the last year for The Show at The Flamingo.

I think the other thing that CES is running into, not unlike the US Post Office, the fact that companies have many other ways of communicating with each other than face to face. Couple that with high-end audio becoming a world market and the US is no longer the center of the audio world and it seems to spell the end for CES.
 

rbbert

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Dec 12, 2010
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Do you mean CES just for audio? Because I heard (though not from an especially reliable source) that the gaming and personal electronics (e.g. cell phones) areas were quite busy this year?
 

treitz3

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Dec 25, 2011
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Please correct me if I am incorrect in this assumption but I always thought that CES wasn't geared toward high end audio, that it was geared toward companies that wanted to showcase and/or introduce new technological products or inventions.

Tom
 

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