Serving/servicing the trade fair industry in CENTRAL EUROPE Trends incl. audit The CENTREX way Budva, November 7, 2008

Trends in trade fair services in CE Who are in need of services from us? Both, exhibitors and visitors Comfort services Business services Are they ready to pay for it???? Usually not (except for traditional stand design and construction services) CE – much less willingness to pay (historic approach – information was free and services were not acknowledged as values given)

Visitor services Comfort – travel, accommodation, advance information – this is available greatly now through Internet Comfortable reach – quality of roads, entry, on-site services, catering – lots of question marks Business – advance info about markets, trends, financial and taxation – also – good preparedness possible via Internet Catalogue – if exhibitors want that Lowered expectation for „unexpected, unknown, unforeseen” new partner meetings!!! – it is a fading miracle of trade fairs But: is it expected that the organiser cares for arranged meetings between exhibitors and visitors? Or even between visitors and visitors? Role of business media Opportunities have – on-line registered visitors, questionnaires, match-making Question again: are they ready to pay for it? – very little market demand yet

Exhibitor services Technical – it is OK Completely equal to foreign practice – same companies use same stand concepts, technical level, same stand construction people Demand same technical facilities from organiser/venue – this sometimes a problem Hotel, travel, entertainment – no difference to West Business visitors, business meetings – depending on market! Smaller markets, heavier influence of globalisation on visitor numbers and capacity.

Business demands need Information and (see) the Results Information about who do they meet? – realistic info is needed – correct data, audited visitor statistics We must help them to develop their own methods of measuring the Return on Investment

Audited information Auditing is a Tool for increasing Competitivity

What exhibitions are good for Making long term & short term business (sales) between exhibitors and visitors, exhibitors and exhibitors Promoting products/companies (marketing communication, PR) Self-education (professional development) Pleasant experience (feel the feeling)

(we have same interest as the exhibitors!) Whom do we serve? Visitors / buyers (we have same interest as the exhibitors!)

Why do we need statistics? We need measurements / tools Base for measuring trends, changes, directions (external, internal management tools as well)

What do we measure? Exhibitors’ investment (size) Area of interest / motivatedness aroused (no. of exhibitors) Interest of / motivatedness of visitors (capacity of buying, origin etc.)

Do we have competitors? YES

What is the field of competition/fight? Fight for visitors’ attention – who can get it and get inside of vision & motivatedness Visitors budget (only partly) Fight for exhibitors budgets (and readiness to spend) and conscience WHY!!!

Who are the competitors? Other tools, like … Printed press, electronic media, shopping malls, DM, POS etc. Those who reach (or target) our target audience! (Remember: VISITORS) Only partly other exhibitions (consider overlapping of visitors and their actual interests)

Do they measure? The serious ones measure Readerships (at visitors) Advertising space sold cm² or minutes (exhibitors) Viewers, surfers (hits, etc) And trying to sound competitive – so they audit their figures

So do we need audit? We need to audit our trade fairs to show our competitivity, and our competitive edge So we have similarly concepted base for comparing features and building claims - arguments

So what do we measure? Visitors, their origin (and if the organisers are willing, other qualitative features) Rented/contracted exhibition space (net ²) Special show area – full impression for visitors) Number of exhibitors (willing to make business) and origin (international catchment) Number of represented companies (full business interest area)

Anglosaxon approach Visitors, visitors, visitors They know they are the ultimate buyers Visit to the fair, registration, check on visitor database, post-show check Clearly not a financial type of audit

Advantage for exhibition industry Not only marketing communication but and mostly, emphasizedly part of sales process It is possible, and recommended to measure the return on marketing investment (ROI) (exhibition participation) And is is not so with many other media and marketing tools

CENTREX – what we do Why are we a special case International across the border operation Internationally comparable, unified system Understanding similarities from recent past And we understand what the competition is about Not a fiscal, financial audit (more a consultation what are the possible sales and marketing arguments that can be established)

… and more We go beyond visitor audit (unlike Anglosaxons) – reason: we think we need to present our exhibitors also measurement tools about their competitors’ marketing efforts A financial audit is the interest of owners Our statistical audit is the interest of management – a measurement of performance and market competitivity

….. and more Beyond statistics: organise platforms, forums (CEEEF), surveys (e.g. first international visitor survey) banking on our similar challenges & interdependence 18 members in 6 countries – about 70 p.c. of the market We are a distinguised member of UFI personally – a member of UFI’s marketing committee, education committee and statistics & transparency committee

Thank you for kind attention CENTREX International Exhibition Statistics Union 1101 Budapest, Albertirsai út 10, Hungary Tel/Fax: +36-1-2636368 info@centrexstat.org www.centrexstat.org www.ceeef.org