Trading More for Less
Dental distributors and manufacturers must make sense of the vast number of trade shows offered each year
By Laura Thill
Sure, you’ve all heard the expression, "less is more." But, can dental distributors and manufacturers make do with one trade show each year? Actually, they can, according to Gary Price, CEO, Dental Trade Alliance (Arlington, Va.). Currently, there are 167 annual dental meetings and shows each year, according to the Dental Trade Alliance’s (DTA) 2007 Position Paper on Dental Meetings. That’s one show for every 1,200 practicing dentists.
"Ideally, there would be one dental meeting [each year]," says Price. But, the dental community may not be ready for such a drastic change, he adds. "Realistically, there could be a large meeting in four or five geographic regions. Frankly, the issue is not so much the number of shows as it is the quality of shows. And, quality equals buying customers on the trade show floor."
Indeed, attending fewer shows each year could free up distributors and manufacturers to invest more in their exhibit and "wow" potential dental customers. It’s not cheap to attend trade shows. In fact, the biggest change in trade shows in the last five years is cost, according to Price. "The cost of exhibiting in some cities borders on absurd," he points out. "The organizations that sponsor meetings generally have no clue as to how expenses have risen. The cost of a booth is a drop in a very large bucket, which includes travel, drayage and the cost of pulling [reps] from their territories.
"Have you bought an airline ticket lately," he continues. "And, it’s more expensive to move your stuff from the dock to the [exhibit] floor than it is to ship it across the country."
Lori Paulson, VP of Marketing and Dental programs, National Distribution & Contracting, Inc. (Nashville, Tenn.), agrees that travel costs can impede show attendance. "The cost of travel could have a catastrophic impact on trade shows this next year," she says, citing escalating airfare. "It [even] costs extra to bring a bag of golf clubs or an extra suitcase." In addition, the number of flights between cities has been reduced, making it even more difficult to attend trade shows, she adds. "People today are looking for accessible [destinations]. They [want to avoid] layovers, if possible. When it’s difficult to get in and out of cities, they tend to leave trade shows early. We as an industry have to get smarter. What are we trying to accomplish?"
As long as the multitude of trade shows exists, however, exhibitors face some difficult choices. "All of us have a desire to support the associations [sponsoring] the shows," says Eric Shirley, vice president of sales, dental, Midmark (Versailles, Ohio). "It’s very difficult to opt out of shows. I don’t want to tell [a particular] dental association that we won’t support them. That’s not the message we want to send." The problem is, every state has a meeting or two, plus various dental specialties have their shows, he adds. "And, our distributors have regional and local meetings, which we also would like to attend. If the American Dental Association could coordinate distributor shows in [each] state, manufacturers like us would be happy to increase our investment in a fewer number of shows," he continues. "We could beef up our booth and [offer] more impact. I think less is more for everyone – even exhibitors."
What’s the draw?
The most efficient way to counter the rising expense of attending and exhibiting at trade shows is to boost attendance by dentists, notes Price. Dental meetings that attract fewer than 5,000 dentists are less likely to be successful, he points out. Ironically, "our research shows that younger dentists do not find dental meetings as relevant as their older counterparts," he says. For one, they, too, are affected by the high cost of airfare and fuel prices. Furthermore, dentists today have less need to attend trade shows compared to dentists 10 years ago. "Younger doctors use the Internet to do research and earn CE credits," says Price. "Unfortunately, many dental meetings look the same and offer similar educational shows. And, dentists can purchase show specials online, anytime."
"The reality is, consumers today spend less time shopping," adds Paulson. "They do their research on the Internet, then go in, get what they want and leave." Whether they are purchasing a car or dental equipment, the same principle applies, she explains. "[So], we are seeing dental meetings shortened from four or five days to three or four days. This is good. In fact, I think they [can] be even shorter. If no one is at a show the last day, there’s a reason. It’s too long."
In addition, people today are more interested in balancing work and personal life, she points out. "No one today wants to give up weekends, [especially not] younger dentists," she says. "We are spending huge amounts on these shows, and there may not be [many] customers there on a Sunday."
Making it count
With so many shows taking place, exhibitors must work harder than ever to make them productive for them and their customers. Even when dentists are in attendance, they often aren’t walking the floor and visiting exhibits, according to Price. In fact, sometimes exhibitors must compete for their attention with events surrounding the trade show. "Dentists take advantage of entertainment and leisure activities [at trade shows and meetings] while not scheduling very much time to visit the show floor," he says. "Most often, the program events conflict with exhibit hours, and dentists make a choice to pass on the exhibit hall.
"Candidly, all of us have to do more to make the exhibition more exciting to attendees, so that it becomes their first or second priority at a meeting," he adds. That’s something that Midmark has always tried to do, says Shirley. "We try hard to present something new or different at every trade show [we attend] and make every show an event."
If they plan right, exhibitors are likely to experience a more successful trade show, notes Price. "Planning is key," he says. "Be proactive. Contact local dentists and invite them to your booth. Advertise the meeting, send out reminder cards or work with your local distributor reps."
And why not, says Paulson. Consumers receive fliers in the newspaper when the big holiday shopping days approach, she points out. "Maybe this is what we need to do in the dental industry: Give dentists enough information so they have their shopping list in hand [when they attend a show]."
"Most companies have four reasons for exhibiting at a show: sales, reinforcing brand recognition, new product introduction and to support the society sponsoring the show," says Price. "[They should] make sure new products and technologies are being demonstrated [at their booth]. Staff should be motivated and prepared to highlight new product benefits and engage all dental office professionals. [They should] plan a debriefing session immediately following each meeting to determine what is working best and what changes [should be considered] for the next meeting."
Future of trade shows
It may not be easy for distributors and manufacturers to pare down the number of shows they attend, but they may have no choice in the matter. "Attendees and the trade are facing a tough time in the current economy," says Price. "[They] will vote with their pocketbooks on which meetings to support. This fall, the DTA is expected to offer exhibitors a new report card for rating the value of upcoming trade shows.
"The current model of trade shows will change," he continues. "As costs continue to rise, meetings with superior content, amenities, entertainment, education and ‘wow’ factor will have an advantage over the competition. Consolidation is likely to occur, because the current commitment by the trade to 167 shows is not sustainable." [FI]
For more information about the DTA Position Paper on Dental Meetings and Exhibitions, visit their Web site at www.dentaltradealliance.org.
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