Whilst seismic changes in the world’s economic landscape continue to cause exhibitors and visitors alike to dither longer over the financial and tangible benefits that tradeshows can offer, each must be mindful that taking too long to make up their minds could see them miss potentially lucrative opportunities of meeting new customers wandering the show aisles. Equally, some tradeshow organisers must be chewing their fingernails wondering how many people will actually turn up.
It must be a tough job whipping up enough interest to make these tradeshows viable and get the necessary footfall through the door; the show marketing and communications teams do a great job in evangelising these events to all and sundry. More effort and patience is probably needed around this time of the year when half the manufacturing industry is probably still lying on a sunbed somewhere!
Still, tradeshow organisers continue to pursue the growing appeal of technologies like composites and additive manufacturing. In September, some of us will be packing a comfortable pair of shoes to march around the aisles of not only the three events mentioned above, but also CAMX Florida, Composites Europe, Stuttgart and DSEI in London too. Meanwhile, October sees the return of Airtec Munich, whilst the year ends with a bang in November with the ninth outing of the UK’s Aero Engineering show.
As progressive rock dinosaurs, Emerson, Lake & Palmer once intoned to an audience that probably never fully understood what ‘Karn Evil 9’ actually meant, “Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends.” Or as this issue of Aerospace Manufacturing amply demonstrates, ‘the shows that never end’!
Mike Richardson, editor
