Are Exhibitions In Decline?

With the development of the internet and the impact of the world economy, are exhibitions going into decline?

We have seen two big players in the exhibition industry www.exhibitions.co.uk join forces with www.tsnn.co.uk to create a central partnership; however is this to try and dominate the declining exhibition industry here in the UK?

We have seen two shows canceled this year (Interbuild 2011 and SED 2011) which is down to the UK recession. 

This arguably has more to do with the construction sector declining as opposed to the exhibition industry as a whole, however many shows spanning a range of industry sectors have seen visitor number drop in recent years (manufacturing (sub con), M&E (Mac) as companies opt for keeping staff at their desks.

It is expensive sending staff out for a days 'jolly' to network, chat to friends and accumulate expenses and as such many businesses have decided not to visit shows as much now that more can be done via the web and on e-mail.

For exhibitors, with falling foot flow, they find it hard to justify the expense of renting the floor space, paying for a stand to be designed, paying for models, food, hotels, drinks, transport and all the other costs surrounding events and exhibitions.

While exhibitions are a valuable place for companies to meet, sell and promote themselves, they are still very expensive compared with other marketing service options which can be a lot more cost effective.

In these difficult economic times, it is good to compare marketing prices and weigh up if exhibitions really are the best marketing option or whether there are more cost effective options available.