Trade Show InsightsNews, tips & tools to expand your knowledge of exhibiting

A few days ago I came across this blog post by a reporter at Computerworld about his experience at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). My favorite line is, “What I most remember from CES were fairly random things, the kind of interactions that are the result of sheer serendipity.” He goes on to tell several stories about people he met (many of them off the show floor) with fascinating products or experiences to share.

While there are a lot of things worth copying about the success of the Consumer Electronics Show, there’s one area where they lag far behind other expos.

It seems that among the hundreds of media mentions at last week’s event, there were several (including Inc. Magazine and the Huffington Post) who zeroed in on the fact that a number of CES exhibits still feature what’s commonly known as “booth babes.” This antiquated practice started decades ago in male-dominated industries as a way to draw men into the exhibit. But there are a number of problems with this strategy today, as pointed out in a video by the BBC.

The 2012 convention and trade show season is off to a flying start, with positive reviews coming in from both the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the Professional Convention Management Association’s (PCMA) Convening Leaders.

News from CES:

While final attendance numbers haven’t been released yet, this year’s CES was announced as record-setting with more than 3,100 companies covering 1.861 million net square feet of exhibit space. That’s slightly larger than the 2008 show (1.857 million net square feet), which indicates that the industry is returning to pre-recession numbers. For more details from CES, visit their news feed.

In case you weren’t able to make it to Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show this week, here’s a way you can keep up with what’s happening. CES has created a great dashboard that archives all their social media feeds, including Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr. So take a look at what you’re missing as well as get some ideas for what you can create for your own upcoming shows.

While January is isn’t filled with lots of trade shows, there are several benchmark ones across the country. Whether or not they have anything to do with your line of business, it’s worth paying attention because they often set the tone for attendance at other shows throughout the year.

So here’s your “must-watch” list for January:

PPAI Expo
Jan. 4-6 in Las Vegas (est. 20,000 attendees)
http://expo.ppai.org/
PPAI Expo on Facebook
Follow PPAI Expo on Twitter 

North American International Auto Show
Jan. 9-22 in Detroit (est. 735,000 attendees)
www.naias.com/
NAIAS on Facebook
Follow NAIAS on Twitter