Scrutinising the competition

A company's own exhibition appearance must always bear comparison with that of its competitors. The latter's exhibition concept and appearance are therefore of huge interest to exhibitors.

Business is picking up, as exhibitors are also noticing in their day-to-day business. None of the companies interviewed for the first panel of the year has to contend with shrinking order books. On the contrary, business is booming for 64% of all panellists and demand is up on the previous year. By far the greater part of exhibitors feels in good hands with German exhibition companies. Yet slightly more than 30% have the feeling that Germany is selling itself short as a country in which to hold exhibitions. Similarly, the dispute that continues to rage in the exhibition world on excess capacities and surplus space in Germany is not a pressing issue for the majority of exhibitors. However, on this topic, as with the debate on values, a third of exhibitors show interest in a subject on which the exhibition companies themselves constantly train the media spotlight.
Far more important to the corporate community than the debate on the image of exhibitions and the amount of space is its own performance relative to competitors at the same trade show. All exhibitors are paying more attention to their rivals product presentations. Equally important are booth sizes and architecture and competitors hall placements. Rival stand personnel's appearance and advisory competence, as well as special events at competitors stands, are likewise meticulously scrutinized.The surprising thing is that less than half the exhibiting companies consider it particularly important to compare the promotional material and information their rivals hand out for customers to take home. Yet these are the reminders to visitors after the show of a particular exhibitor's specific product or service offering.

m+a report Nr.1 / 2006 vom 13.02.2006
m+a report vom 13. Februar 2006