ad:tech 08 - the first step in a wider format change for trade shows?
September 26th, 2008 by Lloyd Gofton
The annual pilgrimage to ad:tech has come and gone for another year, and it seems there was a definite change in the air this year. Not so much to the exhibitors, most of the usual suspects were there, in fact what was more noticeable were the ones that weren’t.
The main change though, was in the opportunities for education and networking. The speaker slots were packed, the specific networking points full (the main one sponsored by Orange) and the omnipresent Google University well attended. This is a key point that the organisers have picked up on.
Some might say that all of these have been available at previous events, and you would be right, but at this year’s event education and networking was certainly more of a focal point. Anyone attending ad:tech, and the many other digitally-focuses shows, will have seen a dramatic fall off in attendees willing or looking to purchase. The simple reality is; many people go to shows to meet up with contacts, snoop on competitors and generally try to get a feel for what’s happening in the market. Not as many attend to buy, or research a purchase.
Although most exhibitors that i spoke to said it had been a successful show in terms of leads, I think we’ve seen a change to the format of trade shows that will only continue to evolve. The focus of ad:tech 08, as Paul Sinclair, event director said in his opening notes: ‘has developed inline with visitor’s thirst for knowledge’, and it must be said a thirst for networking.
So what’s next for ad:tech? Well considering much of the business and many of the best stories, and probably leads, come out in the bars surrounding Olympia following the close of the show, perhaps a day of drinking is in order, and as anyone who attended will know, some of the stands are not far away from that already.
Tags: ad:tech, review, trade shows
