Expo Draws Mixed Reviews
Dec. 19, 2001
By Tim Conway
Staff Writer
ooth location seemed to be the deciding factor between a hot trade show and a lukewarm event for exhibitors at the 2001 International Pool & Spa Expo, held Nov. 26-30 at the Phoenix Civic Plaza and Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix.
The expo drew 10,305 people, including 560 companies. Last year’s expo in Orlando drew approximately 18,000 exhibitors and attendees.
The one-two punch of a slumping economy and hesitancy to travel caused many exhibitors to lower expectations for the 2001 show. But a decline in the number of people didn’t necessarily mean a less productive expo. Many exhibitors noted that the attendees who did make the trip were there to do business.
“It’s been a great show for us,” said Dave Murray, president of Spectrum Aquatics, a Missoula, Mont.-based manufacturer. “The show itself has been slow, but it’s just a better quality of customer. All of the leads we’ve gotten have been quality.”
While overall attendance was down from years past, the number of companies represented at the expo was about on par with previous shows, said Rick McConnell, show director at Washington, D.C.-based Hanley-Wood, LLC, which also owns Pool & Spa News.
One reason for diminished attendance is that companies are looking to save money by sending fewer representatives, according to Frank Fotia, president of builder Caldwell Pools Inc., in Myrtle Beach, S.C. For previous shows, Fotia’s company would often send as many as 10 employees, but this year his company had only two representatives.
“I think for the vendors, you have less people but more decision-makers,” Fotia said. “You shouldn’t judge a show by the attendance; you should judge it by the results of the show.”
The quality of the attendees was evident to many exhibitors.
“I’ve been doing this for 12 shows and you can tell the people who are just going around kicking the tires,” said exhibitor Tom Dankel, vice president of Aquamatic Cover Systems, based in Gilroy, Calif. “The number of people looking to make hard decisions has been favorable.”
Many exhibitors located in Bank One Ballpark felt they weren’t on a level playing field with peers in the Civic Center — and it wasn’t just the perceived lack of foot traffic. One day before the show opened, a forklift backed over an exposed water valve and flooded a section of the ballpark. Exhibitors and attendees complained that the plywood floor between the carpeting and the field was warped and made walking difficult, and that the enclosed ballpark wasn’t properly heated.
“I think this year, the difference is the two venues,” said Stephen Leung, vice president of sales for manufacturer Prime Time Toys Unlimited, based in Mundelein, Ill. “To us, [being in the ballpark] is not desirable.”
Given the limited space available at the Civic Plaza, splitting the show between two venues was the only choice, other than having hundreds of booths set up outside in the elements, McConnell said.
To help create more traffic in the ballpark, on-site registration was held there. The ballpark also was the site of the welcome party and shuttle bus pickup and drop-off.
“Anytime you take the show and put it in two locations, you’re going to have logistical problems,” McConnell said. “Overall, I feel good about the show. We’re dealing with some different dynamics in the economy and people’s willingness to travel. I think we met people’s expectations coming into the show.”
Rebecca Robledo, Bob Dumas, Alan Naditz and Shannon Harman contributed to this article.
