BROOKFIELD, WI, November 06, 2008
/24-7PressRelease/ -- 3rd Quarter TSAI (Trade Show Activity Indicator) Reveals a Flight to Quality Trend in Future Tradeshows and Events -- Customer Face-to-Face Interaction More Valued in Challenging Business Climate
Healthy figures suggest that participation in events is still a vital part of the marketing strategy for business, though businesses are proceeding cautiously.
he TSNN Q3 TSAI reports a significant increase in the amount of research by professionals across a wide range of industries who seek the most cost-effective solutions with tightening budgets. The figures, based on TSNN traffic, show a 53% increase in the number of unique visitors, a 41% increase in the number of overall visits, a 13.5% increase in the number of pages and a 20% increase in the number of hits compared to Q3 2007 numbers.
"Marketing and sales professionals are under greater pressure to deliver with tighter budgets in a market that is getting smaller across all verticals," said RD Whitney, CEO of Caroo Media USA, the parent company of TSNN, "Therefore, interest in our industry continues to grow because smart decision makers recognize that you can combine branding, outreach and business development by investing in industry events that get you in front of targeted and captive audiences."
TSNN affiliate CVBHotRates.com, the other half of the TSAI formula, showed a 168% increase in visits and a 31% increase in Potential Meeting Room Nights in Q3 2008. The number of Meeting Planner Leads (or Requests for Proposals) showed a slight decrease of less than .01%, which shows that event planners are reacting carefully to market conditions.
"The sharp increase in online research on trade shows could be telling us that there is deeper scrutiny being applied for each dollar of trade show spending," says Whitney. "This could signal a future flight to quality in the industry. Trade shows that deliver value and the right buyer/seller mix will be rewarded with growth. Events that fall asleep at the switch and don't appeal will feel the pinch of this scrutiny."
Either way, the message from the TSAI trends is clear: professionals recognize that tradeshows are an extremely efficient way to get visibility with customers and drum up business in every market condition. Face-to-face events continue to be an essential investment and an important component of the marketing mix -- just expect more selectivity from the stakeholders according to TSNN.
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