You hear it every day: trade shows and conferences are dying. No one wants to travel, they are expensive to put on, people buy differently.
Really?
Seems the folks gathered in Las Vegas for this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) didn’t get that message. Or for the Mac event coming up in California later this month. Or the Builder’s Show. Or…wait, I think you all get the point.
While attendance numbers are down, the audiences at these shows (and putting on these shows) are sharpened. Where else can you see more people in less time and handle and try out the latest gear/software/ideas in one place?
The number of blogs dedicated to CES, the print and electronic (TV, web, radio) time devoted to this event is extraordinary. Now, granted, it is happening at a dead time of year (football season is essentially over), it is in Vegas, and the world is electronic and loves gadgets. But that is just the point: this show and many like it demand face-to-face interaction and interaction with products, services and between buyers and sellers.
So, again, what’s dying or is already dead?
TTSG
