For exhibition organizers and venues looking to attract US exhibitors & trade shows, given at the UFI Asia-Pacific Conference March 2, 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

1. Opportunities
for
Asia
in
the
US
Presented
by
Stephanie
Selesnick,
CEM
President,
International
Trade
Information,
Inc.
March
2,
2018,
UFI
Asia
Pacific
Conference,
Kuala
Lumpur,
Malaysia
@StephSelesnick
/
Stephanie@intltradeinfo.com
www.InternationalTradeInformation.com

2. Introduction
• About
Me
• The
US
Exhibition
Market
• General
Tips
• Tips
for
Organizers
to
Recruit
Pavilions
&
Exhibitors
• Tips
for
Venues
to
Recruit
Shows
• Conclusion

3. The
US
Exhibition
Market
• Over
9400
trade
shows
(b2b)
annually
(2015)
• Largest
exhibition
is
CES®
with
2.5
million
square
feet
and
175,000
trade
visitors
(capped)
• Venues
are
over
90%
publicly
owned
&
receive
tax
dollars
(%
of
hotel
taxes/city
taxes)

4. The
US
Market
-­‐
Expos
• 65%
NGO’s,
35%
For
Profit
– Some
say
it’s
60/40
or
70/30
– NGO’s
are
primarily
National,
not
International
• Very
Domestic
–
internal
market
is
huge
• Expos
do
not
require
government
permission
or
licenses

5. US
Politics

6. Latest
US
Expo
Census
Figures
• NSM
–
8.17
million
square
meters
in
North
America*
• Attendees
–
32.5
million
• Exhibitors
–
1.3
million
• Revenues
–
$10.2
billion
*UFI
World
Map
of
Venues
2017

7. The
US
Market
-­‐
Venues
• Most
(over
90%)
of
Convention
Centers
are
owned
by
Cities
– Not
fairgrounds,
usually
good
mixture
of
meeting
space
&
exhibit
floor
– Receive
a
portion
of
hotel
(city)
taxes
– Loss
leaders
(changing,
but
still…)

8. US
Venues
• 394
venues
in
North
America,
with
326
Convention
Centers
in
the
US
(19.7%
of
venues
with
200,00+
sq.
m
inside
space)
• 3
of
the
top
10
are
in
Las
Vegas
• Largest
venue:
McCormick
Place
in
Chicago,
Illinois
at
2.6
million
square
feet
(#10
in
the
world)
*UFI
World
Map
of
Venues
2017

9. US
Market
-­‐
Venues
• The
number
of
hotel
rooms
booked
decides
priorities
and
allocation
of
exhibit
and
meeting
space
• Very
few
produce
their
own
exhibitions
or
subsidize/
partner
with
clients
• Largest:
Las
Vegas,
Chicago,
Orlando,
Atlanta,
New
Orleans,
Louisville,
Houston

10. Factors
Against
Going
Offshore
Most
don’t
need
to
go
offshore,
but
look
to
attract
exhibitors
and
buyers
to
the
US
People
&
companies
are
nervous
about
going
abroad
Concerns:
intellectual
property
theft,
language
barriers,
safety,
risk
adverse

11. Marketing
to
the
US
• Numbers
are
not
enough
– You
are
selling
a
market
– What
are
you
offering
besides
real
estate?
• No
WeChat;
LinkedIn,
Twitter,
Instagram,
FB
instead
• Quick
response
times
are
a
must!

12. Features
Tell,
but
Benefits
Sell
Image
Via
Web
Monk

13. Turn
these
features
into
benefits
1. We
have
30,000
visitors
at
our
show
2. There
are
5
million
people
in
our
city

14. General
Tips
• Why
should
they
come
to
your
country?
(WIIFM)
• Education
on
your
market
• What
are
the
growth
industries?
– Buyers
–
how
many
are
qualified
and
where
are
they
located?
– Will
they
travel
to
a
show?
How
far?

15. General
Tips!
Steps
to
entry
…
– What
are
the
steps
a
show
or
company
needs
to
take
to
enter
a
new
market?
– Do
they
have
to
establish
an
office
and
all
that
entails?
Is
it
hard
to
do?
What’s
the
cost?
– How
does
distribution
in
your
country/region
work?

16. Tips
for
Organizers
• Very
few
international
sales
agencies
• Who
organizes
Pavilions?
– Other
Shows
– Associations
• Limited
or
no
subsidies
• Relationships!
– SISO,
IAEE
and
Consultants
are
the
best
opportunities
to
meet
organizers
– Hand
Shake
Deals
Image
via
Kallman
Worldwide

17. Tips
for
Venues
Do
Your
Market
Research!
• What
industries
have
no
major
international
shows
in
your
venue/country/
region?
• What
is
product
distribution
like
for
industries?
• Do
organizers
have
to
establish
an
office
and
all
that
entails?
• Is
it
hard
to
do?
What’s
the
cost?
• What
are
the
government
rules
and
restrictions?
• Prices
–
is
there
a
first
time
show
discount?

18. Tips
for
Venues
What
does
your
venue
offer
that
the
competition
does
not?

19. Tips
for
Venues
• Smaller
sales
universe
than
you
would
think
or
expect
• Decision
to
go
abroad
is
driven
by
exhibitors,
US
market
maturity
and
the
potential
in
your
country’s
market
• How
many
potential
local
exhibitors
are
there?

20. Conclusion
• US
market
is
huge
and
very
domestic
• Marketing
is
more
than
numbers
• Pavilions
for
SME’s
• Venues
–
why
your
country
and
your
venue?

21. Final
Thought
You
cannot
keep
doing
what
you
have
been
doing
to
attract
new
business
from
the
U.S.
Think
outside
the
box
to
get
US
risk-­‐adverse
companies
&
expos
to
come
to
your
show,
venue
and/or
country.

22. Opportunities
for
Asia
in
the
US
Stephanie
Selesnick,
President
ITI
@StephSelesnick
stephanie@intltradeinfo.com
Linkedin.com/in/StephanieSelesnick