Re: Avid says No to NAB 2008

I can sympathize with companies that feel strapped by expos.

Back when we did our own expo, Creative COW West in 2003, we had over 40 companies as I recall on our expo floor. We had the usual Platinum, Gold and Silver sponsors. We had booths and brought a couple of thousand people to the Westin Hotel's conference and expo center in Los Angeles.

It was fun but it was VERY expensive. Fortunately, we didn't lose money or we'd have been out of business, quick.

But it taught me the other side of conferences and expos and why they are so expensive.

It also taught me that I am not sure that I'd really ever want to do it again.

I can understand why NAB wants every nickel on the table but I can also understand why companies like Avid are getting sick of the drill -- and drill is a pretty accurate description.

Some people say that Avid is bowing out because they are in trouble. This kind of short-sighted argument really bores me and bore me quick.

Why?

These people ignore the fact that in the restructuring of Avid that recently happened, they brought in the man who ran their most successful video division, Graham Sharp of Avid Europe (a man with a strong record of doing things against the grain and having it work profitably, very profitably). Graham has always played his gut instincts and he has proven his instincts to be quite accute.

Graham was the head of Avid's European offices and he spent years ignoring IBC. Instead, he took the money and got toe-to-toe with those who wanted to know more about Avid and who wanted to get real answers from Avid -- not the kind that come on a 1-800- line where some know-nothing tells you "Yeah, our system does that." Or the kind of answers you get from a 10 minute demo on the battlefloor of NAB. Graham is an expert guerrilla marketer with the track record to prove it.

As I said, he also has a long history of hating tradeshows. He's a strong advocate of roadshows and targeted mini-conferences that take Avid's message directly to the best prospects -- and he knows how to find him.

Huge tradeshows are dying. Just look at demise of Showbiz Expo, the NY DV Show, the LA DV Show and others that are now dead and gone. Even DV Expo, Siggraph, NAB and others continue to spiral downward -- some with actual attendee number losses and fewer and fewer supporting vendors, etc. Other shows lose by the quality of the attendees dropping to the point where many companies that I talk to are saying that they get questions today that almost make them want to break out laughing -- or crying, and just go home.

Me, I will stand by my words and say that I believe that over the next few years, these shows will become less and less important and their attendees and exhibitors will dwindle.

Avid is not the first and they surely won't be the last. But, to date, they are indeed the biggest fish that has leaped from the pond and strode off looking for their own better way to market.

Me, I wish them luck and think that the day has come for companies to recognize the fact that the market has changed -- REALLY changed.

It isn't 1980 anymore. Business models change...

Best regards,

Ron Lindeboom
creativecow.net
Sign up for your free subscription to Creative COW Magazine
Join my LinkedIn network