The start of 2021 has seen a considerable level of discussion within the industry regarding how our trade show landscape might look this year.

Understandably trade show organisers are the most keen to get the calendar up and running again. Exhibitors, you'd imagine, will want to meet their customers and dealers in a face-to-face setting when they can - but certainly not until everyone feels comfortable in doing so. Whilst at the same time, there's a school of thought that perhaps the show scene had become a tad overcrowded recently, and this enforced break might act as a resetting of the dial.

I think many of us last year probably saw 2021 as the year when things got back to some sort of normal. The way the year has kicked off however, those thoughts may be proving to be a tad ambitious.

So as happened throughout 2020, events are getting called off with a degree of regularity, with some organisers choosing to find alternate methods to stage their gatherings.

We've heard conflicting reports about how successful virtual shows have proven during this pandemic. Getting punters to sit at their laptop screens, attending presentations or visiting virtual stands doesn't really seem to have ever caught fire. Perhaps if the sales reps giving the talks all had the faces of confused cats it might help?!

However, this week I've spoken to a show organiser who has tangible evidence in cold, hard sales, that if you put on something attractive that customers are genuinely interested in and is of benefit to them, they will log on in their droves.

A show with a difference

Graham Parker, sales director at Ernest Doe, has run the Doe Show at their base in Ulting, Essex, for the past 20 years. He told me yesterday when it got to October last year it became clear that there would be no way they'd be able to run a physical event in February. "So we started from the beginning of November planning for the show with a difference and it all came about from there," he said.

As you might have read today, the 61st Doe Show, is already the third most successful show in their history sales-wise - and when they finally count up all the auction results, it could well prove to be their best of all time. An incredible achievement by anybody's reckoning.

To make sure that what they put on was an attractive proposition to their customer base, Ernest Doe populated their micro-site with videos all starring their own staff. I asked Graham what was the thinking behind this and whether staff were keen to be in front of camera?

"I wanted the video aspects of the show to be our own people, rather than just taking generic bits from the internet," he said. "I wanted them to be the stars.

"Some weren’t too happy to start with, but we got into a routine. The crucial aspect was that customers could watch and recognise staff members that they knew – which is exactly what I wanted. It was important to make it a really personal thing."

An example of the Doe Show's micro-site, populated by videos starring their own staff

To make sure that their efforts were then seen by enough customers it was important that the show was promoted in the right way. Graham told me they doubled their marketing budget to aid this - a hefty cost. He also singled out their marketing manager, Hayley Hill, as being a marvel with getting the organisation spot on.

So whilst there were clearly significant costs involved, they were much less than running a normal show - which was reflected in the show's profitability. "The end result, we’re over the moon with," said Graham.

Due to the success with the online edition, the question presents itself, would Doe consider repeating the format - or is the intention to get people back on site?

"We want people back, pressing the flesh," Graham told me. "I’m still really keen to have a physical Doe Show next year, where people can come along and meet the manufacturers and meet us. It’s our shop window for the year. It allows people to see what we can do and all the brands we represent. So without a doubt we intend to go back to a physical show. However, I think there might be an element of auction to it - but we still have to make a final decision on that."

Doe appear to have struck on a format that was just what their customers were looking for right now. It certainly sounds like the auction element was especially well received. On top of this they made good new machinery sales too - and where they picked up enquiries for equipment purchases from customers outside their trading area, they passed these leads back to the manufacturers, who in turn could pass on to their local dealers.

"I’m very pleased to be the first dealers who have done something like this," Graham said to me yesterday, "because I do think others may follow and do something similar."

I asked him whether he thought something similar, but on a smaller scale, might perhaps work for other dealers who may not be able to exhibit at their local county show this summer?

"I'm not so sure that would have enough attraction," was his honest answer. "We had 1300 lots in our auction and it did attract an awful lot of people from all over. If you’re doing something on much smaller scale, I don’t think that brings the appeal really."

What Doe presented this year was the right format, at the right time, for the right audience.

Could other shows replicate its success? Perhaps ones with a strong sales component might be able. Online events where visitors are just browsing virtual displays don't really appear to be cutting it for audiences, as they simply cannot replicate that live, in-person atmosphere. 

Will we get back to in-person events this year is the million dollar question? Do visitors and exhibitors even want to get back to those any time soon is also a key question? Please feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts.