'Tradeshows Must Adapt Now to Meet Changing Needs of Exhibitors and Attendees' Proclaims Industry Leader and Futurist Francis J. Friedman in New White Paper.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 2, 2003

"Producers of tradeshows and associations staging large meetings must adapt now to meet the changing needs of their exhibitors and attendees alike," said industry leader and futurist Francis J. Friedman in "A View to the Future of the Tradeshow Industry, a White Paper on the Trends and Challenges 2003-2010," delivered recently at the Exhibition and Convention Executive (ECE) Forum in Washington, D.C.

Friedman, the founding principal of Time & Place Strategies, Inc., which serves the worldwide tradeshow, meetings/events and association communities, said he believes "a constant in tradeshows has always been change to meet the ever-evolving needs of buyers and sellers.

"The 21st Century dawned with darkness on the economy and the tradeshow industry," he said. "Adding to the dilemma is that many industries have reduced buyers through consolidation, and technology - including 'supply chain' and Internet technologies - have forever changed how and when buyers and sellers trade information and conduct transactions with each other. Tradeshow organizers and associations must act quickly to redesign their 'value proposition' and business model to meet the needs of this increasingly competitive buyer-seller marketplace.

Significant in Friedman's thesis is that tradeshows and associations are really in what he called "the attendee business. Sales of booths and sponsorships may bring in money," he said, "but if the exhibitors and organizers don't work together to attract quality attendees, you may not be around next year."

Friedman said he saw "a number of icebergs" ahead in this decade for exhibitors and tradeshow organizers.

"The movement to advanced CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and Supply Chain technologies portend significant challenges to both the for-profit and association organizers. "In addition," he said, "if for-profit and association tradeshows are to continue to be viable and valuable to all concerned, an aggressive, multi-faceted and multi-tiered marketing program aimed at delivering attendees empowered to make buying decisions must be created and implemented," he said, noting that "the challenges to existing tradeshow models will grow increasingly more aggressive as the decade unfolds."

Friedman also recommended that tradeshow and association organizers recognize that professional purchasing practices are becoming more of a computerized "system." These systems, he said, "offer a 'closed loop' between buyer and seller, and often take place off of the tradeshow floor.

"Where and how tradeshow and association organizers fit into a systems environment in the future, and how quickly they step-up to meet the challenges of modifying the large company/small company make-up of their events, will go a long way toward determining the industry's immediate future," Friedman said.

Francis J. Friedman is president of Time & Place Strategies, a New York City-based management consulting firm which serves the tradeshow, meetings/events and association communities. Time & Place offers business-building and strategic planning evaluation and programs, specializing in turn-arounds, mergers and acquisitions, and solving difficult problems. Friedman and his company have earned an industry-wide reputation for helping clients expand market share, grow revenues, and increase profits and retained earnings.

Note to Press: Copies of "A View to the Future of the Tradeshow Industry, a White Paper on the Trends and Challenges 2003-2010," are available to press, and Francis Friedman is available for media interviews at [phone], and be reached [e-mail]