Show Scoop

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Permalink Reply by Will Sampson on July 22, 2009 at 9:35am

Show attendance by both exhibitors and attendees was significantly lower this year. I don't have any official numbers yet, but you didn't need much help to see that traffic was slower. The first and last days were very slow. Thursday was pretty good and Friday was OK. But despite the slow traffic, I didn't hear many complaints from exhibitors. Let's face it: Who is going to come to Las Vegas in 115-degree heat and deal with all the travel hassles and costs in this economy unless they are interested in buying something? So, the percentage of real decision makers and real buyers among attendees was dramatically higher. Similarly there was lots of interest in education programs, but lower attendance. We had fewer than 30 people attend our program on "Should You Automate." But virtually all of the 30 were very engaged in what Gero Sassenberg, Rick Thaler and I had to say, and we went overtime taking additional questions.

As for new products, there seemed to be more announcements and innovations for the small shop market. Some standouts I noted were Rockler's Bench Cookies (an innovative hold-down device we will soon test), Grizzly's new sliding table saws, ShopBot's I-Phone app that is a controller for the ShopBot CNC and their six-tool tool changer, and an interesting self-centering assembly tool called a Drawer Dog that makes installing partitions in cabinets easier. Two new affordable CNC machines offered by Laguna Tools were their first entry into the CNC market. Karl Forth and I will be posting more observations in the days ahead.

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Permalink Reply by Kyle Kelley on July 23, 2009 at 11:54pm

Hey Will,

As a first time attendee, I was in awe! Had a fantastic time just wandering through the maze of machinery. Spent a few bucks, too. Seemed like the exibitors were kind of hit and miss with their customer service. Did you see this, too?

I really enjoyed the seminars as well. I attended the "Should You Automate" and absorbed like a sponge. Was it just me or did the hour and a half go by in an instant. We even talked for a bit afterwards. I was the guy who decided, for now, that my version of automation will be outsourcing.

Take Care,

Kyle Kelley (new CMA Member)

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Permalink Reply by Will Sampson on July 24, 2009 at 8:37am

Kyle,

What a great observation! For those of us who go to show after show, we can't help but compare to previous events, noting if the attendance is up or down as a key point. But that overlooks the fundamental truth of how much value these shows provide to shops, as you have now discovered. Big or small, trade shows still present a valuable opportunity to explore new ways to improve your business. Glad you got some value out of our seminar. Outsourcing and joining the CMA are both great first steps.

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Permalink Reply by Susan Kearns on July 22, 2009 at 10:41am

Thanks, Will! I'll watch for more posts from you and Karl.

Regards!

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