Letter to
the Editor—
Excellent
editorial in your January 22 issue ("Trade shows relevant, whatever
economy does"). And thank you for this latest validation for the power
of trade shows — especially gratifying, having come from the perspective
of an e-Commerce magazine.
Far too
often, the fantastic choices we have in media today are covered like a
horse race, as if some day a single tactic will nose out all others and
take 100% share. Win, place, and show. One channel, one box. Everyone
squeezed onto the same gray highway, between the lines, no lane changes.
Remind me again whose clients will thank their agencies for that?
There is no
doubt that speed, access, and dialogue options have changed radically
thanks to technology. As a consequence, we've seen competition increase
in many areas, performance suffer in others. But has everything changed,
as some have argued (undoubtedly before they checked their year-end
investment summaries)? Or is it simply that the fit and mix need to be
reassessed?
Your column
rightly underscores the fact that trade shows remain unshaken in their
unique value proposition among marketing media. Face-to-face
interactions create the heart of loyalty. Physical displays substantiate
supplier strengths. Accountability. Serendipity. Relevant people who are
there, now, to hear you when you shout; nowhere to hide for the folks
whose promises last year weren't kept!
Call it a
symbiosis if you will, but I am still heartened by your comment that
even the "dot-com executives" get it, asking "your opinion of the best
shows to attend or sponsor." If the Internet expands marketing reach for
all, then trade shows are the necessary, consequent manifestation of
those growing marketplaces, making commerce real. Everyone truly wins:
That is e-Marketing 2001.
Dell Deaton
Proteus TradeShow Marketing
