Most marketing pros are painfully aware of the beating that trade shows have taken as a result of the recessionary economy over the last several months.  Even the strongest events have experienced declines in the number of exhibitors and attendees as many companies cut back on travel and trade show-related budgets.

And as a result of this decline, some naysayers are once again asserting the demise of trade shows and pointing to the Internet as the savior of all our meeting-related needs. Despite the fact that many of these naysayers are purveyors of online meeting technologies, I agree  that webinars, Webex, and other online tools can be very valuable meeting solutions.  However, they will never replace the need to feel and touch a product or experience firsthand how it can meet your specific needs.

Equally important, a trade show is the only place where you can visit with several suppliers in a few hours time and compare their products side-by-side.  It would cost buyers thousands of dollars and many hours to visit these various suppliers at their locations to see the equipment in operation.

We do several trade shows a year for both our corporate and trade show management clients and many companies constantly tell us trade shows are their best marketing tool for generating new business. While it is true that most companies nowadays have a major web presence and conduct meetings via the web, the smart ones don’t eliminate the best trade shows from their marketing mix when times get tough.

The Wall Street Journal and several other respected media have recently run articles about the importance of participating in trade shows during a recession. In fact, an article with the same title as this blog recently appeared in the November IAEE Executive Briefing.

Perhaps the best reason I have ever heard for participating in trades shows came from an attendee with a Fortune 500 company who told me “When I’m making a large purchase that has major implications for my company, I want to look my business partner in the eye when I shake their hand to close the deal.”  As we all know, you can’t shake hands in cyberspace.