I don't mean to labor over this topic.  I know there are some people that enjoyed and benefited from the 2006 Powder and Bulk Solids show (PBS) in May of this year.  That's the show located in Rosemount, IL that is a fraction of the size it used to be a decade ago.

I believe there are actually good trade shows, those that can generate a reasonable cost per lead and provide a venue for increasing brand recognition, while giving attendees something worth making the trip.  I believe that for mature businesses the PBS in Rosemount has outlived its usefulness (as it currently exists) and the new owners should look at making some changes to improve attendance and reduce exhibitor cost per lead numbers.  Perhaps they will, or will they?  Take a look at the 2008 show website. Click here.  Doesn't look any different to me yet.  They don't even give any data from the 2006 show to promote how great it was. 

Want to take a guess at the 2006 attendance?  I asked and got a rough number.  It's less than 4500.  Now, let's compare that to some other shows that exist for the powder and bulk solids processing area.  Recently in June of this year there was another trade show held in the Chicago area.  This was the National Plastics Expo.  NPE 2006 was very well attended with about 64,000, up 2% from the previous NPE 2003.  Our experience with NPE produced leads that were a fraction of the cost of those produced at the PBS and the NPE leads were, generally speaking thus far, much better with orders already booked as a result of the show totaling a dollar value multiple times the expense of the show.

The Future

So what will change for 2008 at the PBS?  Well I think we might get a glimpse at the Southeast Regional Powder Show coming up in April 2007 where Cannon Communications, who focuses only on manufacturing events, will be combining PackExpo, Plastec, PBS and a couple of other manufacturing shows all together to increase the attendance significantly.  Wow, this might just be worth it in 07 and 08.  I guess we'll see.  I think we'll take a more conservative approach to both of these shows and keep our costs down, while treating them like the regional shows they truly have become.

One final note.  Regarding Cannon Communications?  The fact that I could ask about the attendance numbers and actually get a straight answer is a great step forward.  Never happened before.  It seemed like the attendance numbers were a secret, and in fact I think they were because the numbers had been declining steadily for years and Reed never really was able to fix it.  Here's an early hurray for the new owners, who I hope will continue to improve these shows for both attendees and exhibitors!  We'll see.

Here's our show schedule for upcoming 2007!  Click here.  You can add us in the Southeast Regional Powder Show too.

Joe Lewis
Vice President - Marketing & Sales
Monitor Technologies LLC
www.monitortech.com
www.flexar.info

MORE LEADS!  That's what we wanted.

Summary

Well, it's finally over.  The 2006 International Powder & Bulk Solids conference and exhibition is history.  I, for one, am very happy, that it's over.  Once again we have apparently seen a continued decline in attendance and display at the show.  Most exhibitors I spoke with were disappointed and some claim they will NOT be back.  However, to be fair, there are some that were happy with the results. 

Foot traffic, or attendance, seemed very light throughout the exhibition except for those areas where the aisles were small.  Some attendees were seeking out solutions and we are thankful for those because they will likely give us the return on our investment that we need to justify returning to the show in 2008.

Will New Ownership Make a Difference?

In the morning on Wednesday, the second day of the show, it was announced that this trade show and PBS magazine were sold by Reed to Cannon Communications.  Perhaps the new owner will make some changes, refocus and emphasize the show, reduce the cost of exhibiting and make this a successful event once again.  I am hopeful.

Parting Comments

To everyone that attended the show.... thank you!  I hope you found everything you were looking for. 

To the new owners, Cannon Communications, please consider the following:
    - The show is too expensive for exhibitors
    - The show is poorly attended
    - Attendees can see what's new by using their computers, anytime, quickly, without taking time from their daily work routines
    - Who wants to fight the Chicago traffic again?  O'Hare traffic?  Consider a change in venue.
    - Lower the cost of exhibiting.  Oh, I said that already?  I hope they get the message.

To my fellow exhibitors - it was a pleasure to see you all there again.  Let's hope for improvements in 2008.  Please make your comments and feelings known to the new owners.

Joe Lewis
jlewis@monitortech.com

Wednesday I'm delivering a talk on the new web at the very venue where, exactly 10 years ago, K-Tron introduced our first website. It's hard to believe crowds gathered in our booth to see the Powder Show's first-ever demonstration of a website. It wasn't even live. I ran the demo from a CD because there was no broadband available then.

We've come a long way on the Internet in ten years; farther and faster than I think anyone imagined. I'll be joined by two of the early adopters the web: Joe Taylor, the founder of Powder and Bulk Dot Com and Joe Marinelli of "Ask Joe!" fame. We will be sharing our experiences on how to make effective business use of Internet media, whether it's called Web 1.0 or 2.0.

I just returned from dinner with Joe Taylor and his daughter, Diana. Though I've known Joe for years, and we've traded many emails and phone calls, this was our first chance to meet. Meeting people, of course, is one of the main reasons we still go to trade shows and attend presentations at conferences. This in part answers the question posed by Joe Lewis in his post, "Are Trade Shows Really Necessary?" An amazing amount of good work gets done today through online communication, but I don't think we will ever lose the desire, or the need, to meet in the flesh. If you're at the Powder Show, I'd like to meet you at our seminar. We'll be in the conference center on Wednesday, May 10, from 9 to 10:15am.

Don Dunnington
Moderator

I'll be doing a presentation at the 2006 Powder Show on the “new web” tools, such as RSS and blogs, and how it all fits in with the "old web" (if you can call 10 years "old"). Joining me in the discussion are two pioneers from the "old web," Joe Taylor and Joe Marinelli. We will be sharing our experiences on how to make effective business use of Internet media, new and old.

If you are a visitor to the Powder and Bulk Dot Com website, you’re likely familiar with both Joes.

Joe Taylor is the founder of Powder and Bulk Dot Com and Water and Wastewater Dot Com. He is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology with a BEE and a minor in Mining Engineering.

Joe Marinelli is the resident materials handling guru for "Ask Joe!," the monthly help column on Powder and Bulk Dot Com. His firm, Solids Handling Technologies, provides consulting services to process industries. Formerly with Jenike & Johanson, Solids Flow and Peabody TecTank, Marinelli is considered an expert on materials handling and is a long-time leader in hosting an online help forum for processors.

Our conference session is set for Wed., May 10, 2006, from 9 to 10:15am. If you have a question you'd like answered at this session, you can email me or leave a comment here. If you have other questions or comments about the Powder Show, be sure to leave a comment for the Powder Show's Scott Temple here.

Don Dunnington

Looking forward from Atlanta to Rosemont.... as it seems the summer is flying by, I wanted to take an opportunity to update the industry on the business we call "Trade Shows".  We launched our first regional SouthEast Powder event this past May at the Cobb Galleria Centre.

Returning to the Southeast, after a five year absence, the SouthEast Powder Show used a "grass-roots" marketing effort and a "community" theme to deliver over 1,100 attendees to the two-day event. We will be implementing a similar "grass-roots" marketing plan to help assure a successful event in Rosemont at the International Powder & Bulk Solids Exhibition next May 9-11.

As some of you know, Reed Exhibitions has formed an "Exhibitor Advisory" for the Powder & Bulk Solid Events.  This Advisory Board is intended to serve as a forum for building partnerships with Reed, strenghening the event for exhibitors and attendees, conducting market research, brainstorming and addressing broad based concerns regarding the direction of the Powder Events.

I'd like to assure all the readers of the Powder and Bulk Weblog.... that the Powder Events serve YOUR Industry.  We need your feedback and input to provide a successful  vehicle for you to do business.  To that end, I have a few requests:

1.  I am in the midst of selecting a keynote speaker for the International Powder Event. Please email me directly with suggestions.

2.  I need to hear from our exhibitors and attendees on improvements you'd like to see at the International Powder & Bulk Solids Event next May, to stay on top of the industry changes and deliver value....I need your help.

Please do not hesitate to contact me directly at stemple@reedexpo.com  or 203-840-5396.

Thanks for your assistance,
Scott C. Temple
Vice President
International Powder & Bulk Solid Event