This Week's Herman Trend Alert Talent Production and Attraction in 2015

The Herman Trend Alert September 4, 2002 Convention Attendance Shifting Designs Have you noticed that there are fewer people on exhibit hall floors at conventions lately? Not surprisingly, with the big numbers of mergers and acquisitions, there's a smaller base of buyers and sellers. According to Skip Cox, President of Exhibit Surveys in Red Bank, New Jersey and Wayne Jacobs of Jacobs, Jenner & Kent in Baltimore, there's been a 30% decrease in traffic density on show floors. US companies that sent employees to an average of 4.8 events in 1995 now allow an average of only 1.6. Due to the combination of fewer attendees and higher exhibit costs, many companies believe their return on exhibition investment has evaporated. This belief moves them to "invest" in fewer trade shows. It's an unstoppable downward spiral. While people may spend less time in exhibit halls, they are participating in more educational sessions. Top executives give two principal reasons for going to conferences: Networking and staying on the leading edge. The Cox and Jacobs study found that networking was the deciding factor in whether people would choose to attend a show. Savvy planners are responding with longer breaks between sessions for networking time. Expect to see increased networking opportunities specifically designed for attendees to interact with each other when the exhibit hall is not open and no educational sessions are held. It is paradoxical that the way to take care of exhibitors is to offer attendees more time away from them. The secret will be to add more floor hours to benefit exhibitors as well. In fact, some associations have already taken the latter step. Another interesting development is that attendees feel less compulsion to go to an event every time it is held. This fact has led to what is called "attendance churn," when companies send different attendees each year. This phenomenon results in greater difficulty attracting the highly prized "power buyer." Some exhibitors have already chosen to put more of their limited sales and marketing dollars into private events, spending less on elaborate exhibits that have not yielded an appropriate ROI. We expect that trend to continue. © Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." IS YOUR EMPLOYER AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE®? Our effective, onsite seminars, workshops, and consulting can help you get there. We offer 1-, 2-, 3-hour, and full-day programs to help you communicate what it takes to become an Employer of Choice® and inspire your folks to get it done. In the future, being an Employer of Choice® will not be optional. Call Carol at 336-210-3547 to arrange a no-obligation conference call. Email info@EmployerOfChoice.com for more information. Or order the electronic version of the Employer of Choice book on your desktop for only $17.80 @ http://hermangroup.com/store/books_all.html#2. EMPLOYERS AND JOBSEEKERS: MARK YOUR CALENDARS Advertise at or attend VetJobs Virtual Career Fairs. VetJobs, the top veterans' job board, and PSI, the premier diversity job fair producer, are teaming up to launch these VeteransCONNECT events. Early employer registration is now open with employer loading by February 15th. Candidate loading begins March 1st. They anticipate 25-30 employers and have an attendee goal of 2,000 skilled jobseekers. Promoted extensively, early registration for this event begins is open NOW. To register or request additional information, please contact VetJobs at 877-838-5627 or e-mail info@vetjobs.com; they will forward an electronic flyer right away. Employers: Mention the Herman Trend Alert to receive a Bonus. CALCULATE THE HIGH COST OF YOUR EMPLOYEE TURNOVER With our Bliss-Gately tool, you can calculate the many hard and soft costs, down to the last penny. Great for justifying your investments in retention! At only $249/computer or $999 for a 6-site license, it is a real bargain! Visit http://www.hermangroup.com/store/software.html to order yours today! Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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