Survey Results Prove Product Show’s Success

Anyone who attended the 2016 Product Show knows it was another home run for the Chapter. But that’s not enough for the Product Show Committee. In order to ensure that we continue to deliver the best possible Show for exhibitors and attendees, the committee surveyed both groups and the overall results confirmed that the Show continues to be a resounding success. If you’re an exhibitor planning for the 2017 Product Show, you’ll want to access the full report HERE for information about the 2016 attendees, including what they’re interested in and why they attended, plus insight into how your peers view the Show.

We asked the respondents how we could improve the Show and while the most common comment was “it’s an excellent event as is – leave it alone,” there were a several suggestions that we are exploring. First, as the Show grows (an additional 400+ in 2016 over the previous year), making sure that there is enough free food and beverages is proving to be a challenge. But we know how important this is to everyone, and we have implemented several changes to eliminate or reduce waiting lines and ensure we don’t run out of the most popular items.

We are also painfully aware that the increasing popularity of the Show raises the issue of overcrowding for attendees and the exhibitors alike and the survey confirmed this. Many respondents from both groups observed that the Show is getting too big for Gillette. Although we are committed to the current venue through 2022, our long term plan is to seek a more suitable venue where all exhibitors can comfortably reside together in one location, where educational sessions can be isolated from the Show floor, and where we can expand from one to two days to allow everyone time to see the entire Show. The trick is to do this while keeping the Show affordable for our loyal exhibitors. Short term, we are exploring revised layout options at Gillette to increase the number of booths available and create more space in the aisles.

One item that a small minority has requested repeatedly is the addition of chairs. Unfortunately, table-top shows like ours are not conducive to the addition of chairs without further obstructing traffic flow in the aisles. But since so many asked, we are looking at layout improvements and perhaps a premium table option that would allow for the addition of chairs at select locations.

The decision to open exhibitor registration for the upcoming Show at last year’s Show was a huge hit with exhibitors, most of whom elected to reserve their current spot for 2017. This reinforces the value our exhibitors place on the Show and we thank them for their continued confidence and show of support. Needless to say, if you’re hoping to exhibit in 2017 and haven’t yet reserved your spot, don’t delay. You can get access to tables and advertising opportunities at http://productshow.ispeboston.org/reserve-space/.

All in all, thanks to you, the 2016 Show was successful on all counts and is deemed by all to be the best show of its kind. If you responded to our survey, thank you for your time and support and we look forward to seeing you at the 2017 Product Show.

For a complete report of the survey results, visit http://productshow.ispeboston.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Product-Show-2016-Attendee-and-Exhibitor-Report.pdf