No Big Difference in Exhibition Basic Structuree

“We have just started to organize shows in the US， this year we will do a total of 6 shows with the first two in Chicago and Houston already delivered up to August.” Lewis Shomer， Chairman， Abilities Expo tells the reporter. In Chicago， the exhibitor base was about 65% of pre-pandemic with about 78% of visitors from 2019， the companys last Chicago show. In Houston the exhibitor base was about the same as Chicago 65%， attendance was closer to 60%. Moreover， the company will be organizing the next 4 shows in Phoenix， New York， Los Angeles and Dallas in the rest of the year. In 2022 will add Miami to the schedule as well as Toronto.

Various regulation rules varies across the country

Concerning the advantages and challenges of the US exhibition industry， Shomer tells the reporter that the Federal， State and local governments are dictating the rules for gatherings in large spaces， so depending on where the show is being held， the challenges will be different. For instance， in some states masks are mandatory， in some other states masks are voluntary. Depending on the venue and the regulations， organizers will need to be flexible to meet the local and current guidelines. The good thing is， “We are allowed to have large groups indoors and the numbers are not （yet） regulated， although social distancing inside is suggested.” Shomer says. Under the pandemic， there are particular challenges for the development of the exhibition industry. “The US does not really support the exhibition industry and lawmakers in most cases dont know that the industry exists.” Shomer observes， on the other hand， in Cities and States， where the convention facilities belong to the State or City they are much more aware of the economic impact.

The customers side also pose some challenges. So far the requirements for Covid have had little effect on organizing the shows， however the organizers get lots of last minute cancellations from both exhibitors and attendees because they do not want to travel or be inside with many individuals. “We have prepared for everything by purchasing masks， gloves， thermometers， disinfectant stations，？etc， but they have hardly been used. We find a lower number of people taking or using the Show Guide， relying on our web site for information.” Shomer says. Right now， there is little difference between organizing today versus 2019.

Specific advantages and challenges for China and US exhibitions

Shomer has been in China to speak at exhibition communication events. Comparing the differences of the exhibition industry in the North America and the Chinese exhibition industry， he thinks that in China， the government embraces shows as economic drivers， in the US the Federal elected officials hardly know about the industry and the support for the industry is limited. Further， a major difference is in venues. There are many privately run exhibition centers in the US as opposed to China. Facilities that are getting older rely on maintenance whereas in China， people build new facilities. In the US， there are only three cities that have more than 100，000 meters of exhibit space， in China there are probably 20 cities with 100，000 meters of exhibition space. In the US facilities are used above 80% in China the usage is more like 10%.

Shomer shares about his plans as organizers to cooperate with China. He has looked at bringing his show to China， but has never been able to find the right partners.” The exhibition subject is also an issue.” He says，“In China our show is difficult to organize as we deal with the disability community and its supported by regulations through the American with Disabilities Act （ADA）.” In China， people with disabilities tend to be second class citizens without the same independence or rights as those in the US have. “We did one show in Singapore 10 years ago and it was not successful.” He adds.

Organizers just want to get back to prepandemic experiences

Looking into industry trends， Shomer says， six months ago they were preparing to offer digital products complimenting the live products， but exhibitors did not want to spend money on a non-live audience preferring face to face to virtual or hybrid. He does believe that there will be a digital component of the shows in the future but it will not be simultaneous and will be driven by content， not by products and services.

”Preparing for the future is difficult， especially with new variant Covid strains， so that is a difficult question. “Shomer concludes.“My opinion is that organizers just want to get back to normal and will try to add to their 2019 experiences.” Shomer observes. There will not be much new as in dynamic changes to the basic structure， but will see additional features and benefits as a way of complimenting the existing Face to Face model.