Bleak future ahead for trade shows and exhibitions

The future of trade shows looks uncertain as advancements in technology and Covid-led changes in human behaviour force firms to rethink their participation in expos.

The pandemic – or at least governments’ reaction to it – has forced people to change their behaviours, including avoiding large gatherings, which are the bread and butter of shows.

In the face of the new realities, several organisers of leading tradeshows have in recent months cancelled, postponed or reimagined their exhibitions as online-only events.

Messe München South Africa, organisers of bauma Conexpo Africa, last month cancelled the show that was to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from October 13 to 16, 2021.

According to the company, the decision was made after discussions with industry stakeholders amid ongoing bans and restrictions on travel to and from South Africa.

“Due to the challenges the industry is facing, and uncertainty in the market around the Covid-19 pandemic and associated travel restrictions, the bauma Conexpo Africa advisory board concluded that we could not guarantee the stature and the usual return on investment of this show in 2021,” Messe München South Africa CEO Suzette Scheepers said.

World’s largest trade show

Messe München has also postponed Bauma Munich 2022 – the world’s largest trade show that is held every three years in Munich, Germany. New dates for the show that was to take from April 4 to 10 are 24-30 October, 2022.

READ: Volvo CE pulls out of Bauma 2022 as Bautec show shuts down

The show organiser said that, while booking levels were high for the initial dates in April 2022, the decision to postpone the event was made following discussions with customers.

The company said there was “a growing recognition that the April date involved too many uncertainties in view of the global pandemic”.

Earlier in the year, Messe Berlin, the organisers of Bautec – the international trade fair for building and construction technology – terminated the event citing declining revenues.

Declining revenue

Held every two years in Berlin, Germany, the next Bautec was scheduled to take place on February 22-25, 2022. However, revenues generated by the event have drastically declined forcing the organisers to permanently cancel the trade show.

Several high-profile exhibitioners including Volvo CE and JCB have stated that they will not attend Bauma 2022 citing changing customer behaviour and the ability to connect with customers and dealers online.

While Volvo CE has not ruled out attending Bauma or other trade shows in the future, JCB has stated that it is “very unlikely” that it will be attending future exhibitions.

“What the pandemic has taught us is how to do business differently and even pre-pandemic we were reviewing whether we attended these trade shows or not because marketing and promotion of products was happening in a different way,” JCB boss Graeme Macdonald said.

Hybrid events

Messe München CEO, Klaus Dittrich recently said the future of trade shows – after Covid – lies in the ability to create hybrid events, with a mixture of virtual and physical activity.

“Digital encounters are not a hundred percent substitute for face-to-face exchanges. In my view, the foreseeable future of trade shows will therefore be characterised by hybrid events, a mixture of online and face-to-face events,” Dittrich said.

Indeed, technology is expected to touch virtually every aspect of a trade show of the future – with tools such as 3D simulations transforming the way brands interact with attendees.

Dittrich, however, believes that although customers are warming up to an increased offering of digital platforms, they will still rely on face-to-face trade shows in the future.

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