05-23-2016, 01:50 PM
Hi Stephen,
I'm glad to hear that you went and had a good time! For us the shows are not as valuable as they once were. We've been an exhibitor, and even a sponsor in the past. We supported every Connections show, and then the Experience shows since its inception. However in the last couple of years we've backed off. In the early years the shows were a blast! The turnout was great, and we would sell a few machines. The bottom line is that a show has to bring in some sales to make it a break even for the exhibitor. During the past few years the attendance and the interest in carpet cleaning at these shows has been average at best. Unfortunately the recent shows have not been worth it for us (very little ROI). We pay a couple grand for a booth, marketing material, and setup. We pay another grand to ship all our stuff to and from the show. We provide free samples and giveaways items. Then we pay for hotel, rental car, dining, and other travel expenses. When we look at the few thousand dollars invested, and put it next to the 20 or 30 lukewarm leads that we get from the show, it boils down to a poor use of capital. At this point I'd rather invest those dollars more wisely and find more productive ways to grow our business. That being said, next spring the Experience show will return to Clearwater Beach Florida. That's in our backyard. So we will most likely be at that show. I know we'll lose money at that show too, but it's much easier to justify that show as compared to traveling to Vegas or some other town for a show. I wish the shows were what they used to be, but it seems like the carpet cleaning interest at these shows has declined, and I doubt that it's going to reemerge.
I'm glad to hear that you went and had a good time! For us the shows are not as valuable as they once were. We've been an exhibitor, and even a sponsor in the past. We supported every Connections show, and then the Experience shows since its inception. However in the last couple of years we've backed off. In the early years the shows were a blast! The turnout was great, and we would sell a few machines. The bottom line is that a show has to bring in some sales to make it a break even for the exhibitor. During the past few years the attendance and the interest in carpet cleaning at these shows has been average at best. Unfortunately the recent shows have not been worth it for us (very little ROI). We pay a couple grand for a booth, marketing material, and setup. We pay another grand to ship all our stuff to and from the show. We provide free samples and giveaways items. Then we pay for hotel, rental car, dining, and other travel expenses. When we look at the few thousand dollars invested, and put it next to the 20 or 30 lukewarm leads that we get from the show, it boils down to a poor use of capital. At this point I'd rather invest those dollars more wisely and find more productive ways to grow our business. That being said, next spring the Experience show will return to Clearwater Beach Florida. That's in our backyard. So we will most likely be at that show. I know we'll lose money at that show too, but it's much easier to justify that show as compared to traveling to Vegas or some other town for a show. I wish the shows were what they used to be, but it seems like the carpet cleaning interest at these shows has declined, and I doubt that it's going to reemerge.