What makes a trade show successful? It's a puzzling equation. Timing, location, marketing, product, audience, and expectations, are only some of the variables that need to be factored in. Then there are the unknown values--unexpected meetings, product discoveries, or new client contacts-that make a few moments of any show the most valuable investment of your business year. It's a tough business, and to a certain extent, the success (or lack there of) of any particular company at a trade show is out of the show management's hands. The individual displays, marketing and communication efforts, onsite sales, take-away materials, and messages are all responsibilities of the participating exhibitors. But what show management can and should do is get the right audience in the door for their market, and that audience is based on whom they target and with what message.

It's an equation that the new-ish Las Vegas Market is still figuring out. Spread out over three venues--the permanent showrooms at the World Market Center, the stands in the tents on the grounds of the Market Center, and exhibitors on two floors of the Las Vegas Convention Center--show management did a good job with signage and transportation. But there were complaints: Traffic at the Convention Center emptied out early because all of the big special events were at the Market Center; those in tents complained of inadequate air-conditioning for 115 degree heat; attendees complained because the seminars at the Market Center were held in a single tiny room that was first-come, first-seated with no room for overflow audiences. Some, but not all of these issues will be addressed when additional buildings open at the Market Center. However, even if the developers realize their plans for seven buildings full of showrooms, there most likely will still be offsite venues, assuming the market continues to grow.

Part of this grumbling may be due to the rather scattered nature of the Las Vegas Market, not just in terms of locations but also in focus. Included were several "shows-within-a-show," perhaps modeled on successful European presentations, but not pulled off with quite the same élan. These included a gift and accessory show; a futon and specialty sleep show; the Design Gallery, a juried exhibit area; Interiors Lifestyle USA, featuring a mix of companies from Heimtextil and Ambiente; a trend presentation by Koeln Messe to promote IMM, its international furniture show; a presentation highlighting the best in classic and contemporary Italian design; a special section for Brazilian design companies; and several other themed sectors. Some of the presentations were quite strong, some were a mix, and still others felt incomplete.

It seemed that exhibitor and attendee experience varied greatly by sector (and by expectations). For example, designers and specifiers looking for rugs found a tremendous range of resources, traditional to contemporary, handmade custom to mass-market manufactured. Indeed the high-end rug vendors were among those most pleased with the show, with several predicting that Las Vegas may replace Atlanta as the premier rug market. Those hoping the gift and accessory set-up in Las Vegas would be a compelling replacement for the sadly diminished San Francisco International Gift Fair were disappointed, citing limited selection as a reason not to return.

In spite of these complaints, its obvious Las Vegas is a vital and growing market. Easy access from all parts of the country and even internationally meant there were designers and buyers in attendance from not only the West Coast, but a truly national mix, along with a strong contingent from Central and South America. While not everyone found what they were looking for--upper-end products were generally in short supply--we made some great discoveries, heard some interesting business stories, and came face-to-face with several companies we've been following for some time.

This is part of the wonderful serendipity of trade shows, traveling halfway across the country to find a great new resource that you realize is practically in your own backyard. Or taking a "wrong turn" down a hallway and walking into an oasis of creative design. Or hearing from savvy home-fashion business professionals about the direction they feel the markets and the industry is heading. These are the experiences, for both the attendee and the exhibitor, that make the drudgery of today's airline travel, the expense and the time invested, all worth it. And the buzz coming from the aisles and stands in Las Vegas indicates that many more people found it worth it than not. FFI