TSMI's Trade Show Marketing Report

Another Once-Mighty Show Implodes? Game Over for E3?

Seems the scuttlebutt on E3 is that exhibitors are pulling out, and that the show is going to condense to a no-exhibit-floor meeting-room-only affair, attracting only serious buyers.

Which, as is noted in this opinion, is probably bad news for smaller game makers. 

For the record, E3 sold out its exhibits for 2006 - 540,000 sf in five halls of the LA Convention Center.

Things happen quickly, don't they?

Of course, this also begs the question, what will the E3 Girls do next?

UPDATE:  Tim took the time to Digg this news - which turned up comments suggesting the original Next-Generation report might be a crock.  Anyway, E3 has posted dates for next year, but no indication of having a regular show or a smaller one - although we'll note that in 2006 the combined conference/show went four days, not three.  There's nothing on organizer ESA's site regarding this - but this might be a good time for them to speak up. 

UPDATE #2:  OK, it's true.  E3 is going smaller - perhaps because the big four (Nintendo, Microsoft, Electronic Arts and Sony)  acted together or independently and warned show management they would not be back.  Rather than face the embarrassment of a Comdex/PC Expo/Internet World death spiral, ESA did its own preemptive strike.

What's it mean for other large shows?  Maybe not a thing right now.  Many non-tech events haven't experienced the disintermediation/market disruption that the tech shows have.  Plus, there's an age/generational factor. 

The large majority of SEMA, National Hardware Show and MAGIC attendees don't blog, don't have MySpace pages, don't visit Gizmodo and don't play WoW.

But when attendees at those shows begin doing those things, you'll see dramatic change in those events, too.  And very quickly.

As Scoble notes, CES may be next.  Or not.

Probably not.

And Yet Another "Why Didn't I Think of That Niche?" Event - Online Dating

Here's the grabber:  "The money and power is in the hands of the social networking sites right now."

Speaking of which, Ross officially launched his SocialText Enterprise Wiki last week, called SocialText Open.

And Mary Hodder officially launced Dabble, being billed as the "Flickr for consumer-generated video" (somebody recently said YouTube was valued at $18 billion).

Makes me wish I was 25 again.

Not really.

Exhibitors to Competing Globalcomm & USTelecom Shows: "Get Your Acts Together"

The big Supercomm telecommunications event famously split into two shows last year, one run by the Telecommunications Industry of America association, the other by United States Telecom Association. 

Now it seems as if a cadre exhibitors at the two shows are working on a joint effort to  try and get those two shows back together again.

This came to us from Phil Harvey at Light Reading.

A group of equipment vendors is starting to pressure the United States Telecom Association (USTelecom) and Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) to consider reconciling on the divorce that broke up the industry's largest tradeshow, Supercomm.

What's at stake? Several vendors are threatening to pull their exhibit dollars from TelecomNext in 2007 unless USTelecom and TIA can find a way to work together. TelecomNext, held annually in Las Vegas, is USTelecom's show, and Globalcomm, held in Chicago, is the TIA's effort.

The draft of a remarkable letter has surfaced that brings the issue to a boil -- and if the vendors listed in the letter stay true to the expressed sentiment, it could have a huge impact on both the TelecomNext and Globalcomm shows in the future.  More...

Hey show managers... listen to your customers.

Here's the Problem, Seth... Too Many Designers Aren't Great

Seth Godin put up a post today titled, "How to live happily with a great designer," that by now is probably on the desktop of every graphic designer with internet access.

Problem is, Seth's post only applies to a small percentage of them - the ones who are actually GREAT designers.

This attitude of, "we know better than you," that permeates far too many not-great ad agencies and not-great designers is problematic.  If you want my respect, then be the business partner I'm paying you to be.  Listen when I give you the strategy and not come back to me with some leftover idea that Client 1058 didn't sign off on.

Trust me, I can smell it in your smugness.

My employers and clients have won awards on projects where I've done client-side creative direction.  But it's doubtful those projects would've received notice had I let the agency have its way.

Btw, those awards are in a drawer.  It wasn't the awards that mattered.  Never is.  It was that the campaigns worked. 

So if you're talking to me, I don't give a damn about awards.  Yes, many clients say that.  I mean it.  Show me the designs and campaigns that made millions in profits or launched an unassailable brand. 

And tell me why what you did worked when someone else could've done a faster and cheaper campaign with supporting facts.  If you're honest, I might believe.  And hire you.

Missing the Target?

Glad the week of guest blogging at Mimegasite is over with.  That was a lot more work than I'd planned.  There are probably more words in that one week of posts than in a garden-variety Seth Godin e-book.  (Which only means that Seth is a much better editor than I).

While Kevin Holland noted the "meatiness" of the posts, there's still much more to say. 

But truthfully, I'm quite ambivalent about saying more.

If you don't sub to Mimegasite, here are the links:

Monday:  You First
Tuesday:  Who's the Attendee?  Who's the Exhibitor?  Who's Creating the Content?
Wednesday:  Easiest Path to Attendance?  Events People Want
Thursday:  The American Idolization of Events
Friday:  Aligning Your Marketing with Your Markets, The Final Episode

Happy reading.  It might take awhile.  So why not curl up with a nice cup of press pot Brazil Santa Ines...

Aside to David and Sue... didn't mean to actually guilt anyone into commenting, but thanks!  That 'poor me the victim' stuff always works ;-)

Guest Blogging Next Week

I'll be over at the MiGurus section of Mimegasite (a name that still sounds to me like an obscure vitamin you find at GNC or an alternative Australian vegetable spread).

The theme for the week will be "Aligning Marketing with Markets."  What I'm hoping to do is show how marketing for most shows is not working for under-30s, why this is happening, and what to do about it without losing core buying groups of over-30s.

As it's only Thursday and the first piece isn't running until Monday, I have no idea exactly what I'll be talking about.  Guess I'll start thinking about it after Italy v. France.

Meantime, those of you in Chicago, DC, LA, Portland (OR) and Vancouver (and of course Pittsburgh if you really hurry) - if you have a chance to visit a coffeehouse that's serving Hacienda la Esmeralda Jaramillo Gesha, by all means, buy a cup. Even if it costs you $5 or more.  It's worth it.  You've never had coffee this good.

For the Record - TypePad's Spotlight, July 1 = Aldo Coffee

Just wanted to remind anyone who's interested in doing a blog for their event that there's one person out there who actually has had success doing blogs for non-tech businesses...

July 1 Featured Blog.

So don't settle for the b.s. that so-called "blog experts" are going to throw at you. 

-Blogging to market a product or service (other than blogging) is hard work.

-Blogging is time consuming.

-Blogging requires passion, energy, authenticity and transparency.

If you're not up to all that, don't bother starting a blog.  But if you are, by all means drop a line and I'd be happy to talk with you, even if it's for free advice.