Going to STAFDA just a few weeks after the Vegas Show is interesting. Both are great shows, they are just different in many ways. Your big booth names at STAFDA are Bosch, Milwaukee, Dewalt and companies like that. Those companies do not even attend Vegas. Yet, there is some amount of crossover and you do see some familiar faces at STAFDA that you just visited at Vegas.
Some background about STAFDA that is worth noting:
People who attend the STAFDA show are STAFDA “members” and they pay a yearly fee to be a member.
The STAFDA show entry fee is something like $199/person
The STAFDA show moves from year to year and is not always in the same location
STAFDA has a three hour long opening “bash” and is usually held in a unique, interesting location (this year it was at the NASCAR Museum).
STAFDA has a series of meetings and big name speakers as well as a very well respected economist. These sessions are very well attended.
The three hour opening bash is really well attended. I would have to guess that almost everyone attending STAFDA shows up at the opening bash and stays at least a couple hours. And, because it runs from 6:30 to 9:30 and it is at a really cool place, that is where everyone hangs out for the evening. During that first day there are also a series of training or informational sessions.
The second day starts with several STAFDA sponsored presentations and is followed by a keynote speaker, this year it was Joe Gibbs. Then at noon the exhibition hall opens and the trade show continues until 6:00. During the evening, many of the larger STAFDA exhibitors host parties in the surrounding area. On the final day there is the presentation by STAFDA’s economist (who many say is very, very good) and then the trade show opens again after that.
It certainly was an interesting, well run show. I know a lot more people at the Vegas show than I do at STAFDA but there is enough overlap that it is still familiar territory. I did have a productive time at STAFDA. I’m not sure there are a lot of lessons that one show could teach the other. I’m not sure I could say to the STAFDA people, “you really should adopt this because it works so well in Vegas”. Likewise, Vegas runs just fine even if it is quite a bit different from STAFDA.
The challenge I see for any trade show is keeping as many distributor customers at the exhibit hall or at show sponsored activities so that the exhibitors get the maximum opportunity to interact with them. When an exhibitor pays for a booth and sends their staff to work the booth, that is a large commitment of time and money. Optimally, the exhibitor/supplier gets a lot of face time with customers and prospects and has the opportunity for a more than just a few in depth meetings with important customers or partners.
As great as the Vegas show is for me, I always find myself wishing I had more time to talk to more individuals. The time just flies by and then there is a pretty big drop off on Friday, probably because people have partied on Thursday night or they are trying to catch flights in order to spend the weekend at home. I do wish there was a way to keep more attendees in the show area in order to increase the total effectiveness of the show. I noticed at STAFDA that there were periods where the aisles were slower, just like at the Vegas show. I would be curious to hear feedback from others who might have attended both shows. In the end, they both offer a lot of value and need to be worked by both suppliers and distributors to get maximum benefit. Still, any insights or suggestions that might improve either show would be beneficial to everyone including those who run the shows.
Never having attended a STAFDA show I can not contribute to the discussion but wanted to take a moment to just say “Thanks for sharing”. I think every show director can learn by attending other shows.