It is foreseeable for me that 2020 will probably go down in history as the year without trade fairs. But perhaps also as the first year without trade shows. Because whether and how the international industry meetings will return in 2021 is questionable.

A trade show presence requires enormous financial and human resources, but at present, sales losses due to the crisis have to be compensated: According to our latest survey of 150 executives from Swiss SMEs, almost one in four companies (20.7 %) is planning for the coming year with a smaller marketing budget. This is inevitably reflected in the willingness to participate in trade fairs: one third (31 %) of those who have been represented there so far are no longer planning to attend or participate in trade fairs in the coming year. Only 15 percent generally still see a trade show appearance as an important sales tool.

 

Many trade fairs are no longer up to date

My prediction therefore: every fourth trade show will not survive the next two years. Even before Corona, there were discussions about its appropriateness. Visitor numbers have been stagnating for years and are declining in some cases. Also, in times of digitalization, it is neither contemporary nor ecologically and economically sensible to transport complex goods such as machines around the world in order to exhibit them for one or two weeks at a leading trade fair. Added to this is the enormous amount of travel required by exhibitors and visitors, which is out of all proportion to the benefits.

Digitalization offers alternatives in the form of e-sourcing and online marketing: 55.9 percent of the companies surveyed want to rely more on advertising on the web in the coming year. For one in five respondents (19.6 percent), virtual trade shows are an option. The advantages are obvious: Reach and content can be targeted, and leads can be generated easily and flexibly via platforms.

The need for face-to-face meetings, interpersonal exchange and networking - central reasons for many to visit a trade show - will continue to exist after Corona. Beyond the digital space, however, alternatives have long been established. On-site conferences and summits, for example, do not have the usual pressure to generate as many leads or deals as possible, there is no need to transport products halfway around the world, they offer real added value and will be much more in demand.

This crisis is the challenge of our century and demands enormous flexibility, especially from traditional industries, and an openness to try new things when tried and tested channels break down. I am convinced that the digitization of marketing and sales will prove to be a growth driver in the medium term, especially for industrial SMEs - particularly if they export. And in Switzerland, as we know, every second franc is earned abroad.