Those of you still getting the feeds from this site are well aware that I spend no time here anymore.
As I did a post tonight for a new application, I figured I'd do a quick ego search on this blog just to see where we ranked.
Surprisingly (to me), this blog is still #1 on Google for "trade show blog". And #3 for "tradeshow blog". And I've posted a mere 12 times in 2007. 13 including this one.
How come nobody else has even tried, save for Tim Bourquin? It's going on four years since I started this. And more than a year since I basically "retired".
Every other industry you can think of is rife with blogs. Why not this one? Is it that we're unable to be transparent? Unwilling to share? Too overworked to bother? Or only in it for the money and not because we really care to evangelize and be a community?
What do y'all think is the reason?
Mike,
You do have #1 on the string "tradeshow blog". Then again, the post you commented on is already nine months old and the ranking positions were accurate at the time of publication.
Even today, if you spell trade show with a space, your blog is #2.
My point remains - I'm not even really trying, yet the length of time this blog has existed gives it a continuing advantage. Why so few others pick up on this and us it for their own tradeshow consulting purposes still baffles me.
Posted by: Rich | July 18, 2008 at 09:36 PM
Actually I've started a blog called trade show scoop that discusses products and services within the trade show industry. When I checked last I was rated #1 for trade show blog and #10 for trade show news on Google. My blog needs more work but can't seem to find the time.
Posted by: Mike Gandy | July 18, 2008 at 03:54 PM
Trade Show Exhibitors Association has a new blog site, TSEA connect. Exhibitors and event planners can blog, share ideas, post white papers, etc for free as Active members of the association. The education on the site is extremely helpful to all levels of exhibitors and event planners.
Posted by: Christina | April 16, 2008 at 04:14 PM
Trade Show Truss at Midland Display is the simplest easiest truss display to set up we've seen in our 25+ years of experience in the trade show display and graphics business. Midland Display, producer/distributor of tradeshow displays and exhibits for over 25 years, is now offering as part of its extensive exhibit line-up the new Trussworks steel trade show truss kits. The Trussworks truss kit is a dynamic “next generation” convention truss structure. Quick and easy to assemble, Trussworks truss kits like the Marin have been designed and manufactured to the highest quality for reliable use time after time.
Posted by: B Albright | April 11, 2008 at 11:32 AM
Did you try selling the blog? I just came back from the Direct Marketing Association B2B conference in Orlando and there were quite a few marketers there talking about buying blogs when the authors had tired of them. Obviously, has all sorts of issues but it is kind of interesting way to acquire new leads.
Julie
Posted by: Julie | March 05, 2008 at 09:05 PM
so where do I go? I plan to rejoin the circuit after 10 years. Would like to know, where the good shows are, so that I won't waste any time. Any good ideas? I sell watches and specialty jewelry.
Posted by: Karl Pongs | February 25, 2008 at 05:43 PM
That's not to say "trade show blogs" is not a valuable keyword, there are just more people looking for a keyword like "Trade Show Displays" and that makes it more competitive and therefore harder to show up.
Posted by: Curt Gutierrez | February 21, 2008 at 11:12 PM
The keyword phrase "Trade Show Blogs" is not a very competitive phrase and that's why you still rank.
Posted by: Curt Gutierrez | February 21, 2008 at 11:01 PM
Sometimes the most obvious answer is the one we dont look at right away. Maybe us trade show professionals just dont have anything to say! Actually I dont really think this is the problem BUT I do think that the industry in general is not attracting the kind of people that think it is a good idea to share information in a public format. Weird since alot of what we all do is very visible and public.
I have an idea and I would love to hear some feedback from anyone...... the idea is a social networking site for tradeshow and exposition professionals, something like MyExpoSpace.com. Is this the worst idea you ever heard of? Do you think social networking will evolve into smaller and smaller niches? Or is there already something like this out there I have not seen yet?
Posted by: Michael Nolan | November 08, 2007 at 04:43 PM
Check out www.tradeshowconsultants.com
Posted by: Peter LoCascio | October 20, 2007 at 03:59 PM
Tradeshow week recently started up a few, and I just today learned about IAEE's stable of bloggers who for the most part fit the criteria. But no, I don't know of others who are marketing to tradeshow organizers who have started something up on their own. Weird. Meeting planning is starting to get a little traction in the blog world, but again, not much from those whose clients are meeting planners.
Posted by: Sue Pelletier | October 08, 2007 at 06:48 PM
Tim,
I understand that point, but I'm thinking more along the lines of folks like me or Skyler who are marketing services to trade show organizers. You'd think there would be more people like us using blogs for marketing themselves. Seems crazy so few do.
Hell, my little coffeehouse has a blog, a MySpace page and a Facebook group all of which I manage on my own - it's not like it's a full time job. Heck, we even Twitter, albeit only once a week. With all the marketing blogs out there, it's just surprising nobody is talking trade shows on any of them.
Posted by: Rich | October 05, 2007 at 01:59 PM
Excellent point. It seems in this area the trade show industry is well behind the curve. We recently started www.chicagoexhibiting.com for this reason.
Posted by: Skyler Cook | October 05, 2007 at 11:46 AM
Good point Rich. I looked an TradeshowStartup.com doesn't even have keyword meta tags - fixing that right now!
As to why there aren't more blogs - good question. I think that most people who are tradeshow organizers don't think of themselves as a community of tradeshow organizers - but rather part of the community of the industries the shows serve themselves.
Whenever a reporter calls me, they always ask how I use my blog to promote my shows. But that's not what my blog does. It's for other event organizers and there's really nothing in it for me other than building a name for myself in the industry.
If event owners do start a blog, it's typically focused on the industry their show serves rather than for other event owners.
Posted by: Tim Bourquin | October 05, 2007 at 11:06 AM