First of
all: I am really proud of the research we (my company and partners) just concluded.
It is a study under Gen X and Y visitors of trade shows and exhibitions. We
wanted to know what makes them tick. What do exhibitions and trade fairs mean
to them?
I have to
say, even though we all belong to one generation or another and can predict some of the answers, the results were pretty amazing. We matched the answers
with overall generational trends and studies, and this gave some interesting points
of view. If you want to check out the research, you can do so here: Gen X & Y research
So what is
my point in this post?
Well…as I was reading through the results of the study, one thing really
struck me.
A thing that I wasn’t aware of or did not think about before. A simple
thing, really. Just the word: exhibition.
What does it say? What does it mean to you? What image or feeling, which sentiment
comes to mind?
 |
| An exhibition or an event? Searching on images gives an idea. |
As it
turned out:
Gen Y sees
a possibly outdated product. Just in the
label “ exhibition” or “trade fair”.
Hm. Do they
have a point? Truth is, no matter how
much we engage in renewing and reinventing the product, the overall word has
stayed the same. We added hybrid components, apps, interactive features, show-and-tells,
talks, peer-to-peer sessions, experiences, surprises, communities, a whole new
live look, feel and world……but still call it an exhibition. Or a trade fair.
The content might have changed, the label did not.
As a result our potential Gen Y visitors have
an old idea about a new product. Wow, that IS something to think about.
So I am
wondering…should we include the terminology in our reinvention package? Add a
new vocabulary to reflect the new meeting architecture and exhibition design?
Anyway,
food for thought . Should we give "trade fairs" and "exhibitions" a new image, a new interpretation? Or do we need to come up with new brands to make
sure that generations to come will find excitement and learning in events that
we used to call trade fairs?
What are the words that sum up an exhibition?
I bet we can come up with more than a thousand!
