Tradeshows are feeling the pinch of the economy more than most marketing venues. The banking space has been especially impacted, as regulators scrutinize spending and budgets at U.S. financial institutions.
Big banking shows, such as BAI's annual Retail Delivery Conference & Expo, have felt the effects.
Debbie Bianucci, BAI's chief executive, says she expects a 20-percent dip in exhibitor attendance for the November RD Expo. To date, 163 exhibitors have signed on for the show. But Bianucci expects to have 200 exhibitors signed by the close of October. And about 1,700 attendees, beyond the exhibit staff, also are expected to attend.
The tone of this year's show, however, will be markedly different.
Germany-based Wincor Nixdorf AG and North Canton, Ohio-based Diebold Inc. — historically among some of the largest exhibitors on the RD show floor — have confirmed they will not exhibit this year. Both companies have been mainstays at RD for the last decade.
NCR Corp., which has not registered for exhibit floor space, would not comment on its plans for the event. GRG Banking Equipment Co. Ltd., which in recent years has seen the RD event as imperative to its efforts to make inroads with U.S. FIs, also will skip this year's show.
Long Beach, Miss.-based Triton Systems of Delaware Inc. announced early on that it had decided not to attend. Instead, both Triton and Diebold say they will have stronger presences at this month's ATM, Debit & Prepaid Forum in Las Vegas. The investment in RD, the two companies say, has not paid off in recent years.
But other companies still see viability in RD. Nautilus Hyosung, KAL and Cardtronics all have signed for the November expo, where each will maintain its usual large booth.
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Randal Lawrence, spokesman for Coppell, Texas-based Nautilus Hyosung America Inc., says the company still considers RD the best avenue for getting its products in front of bank decision makers.
The Monimax 7600DR will be the featured ATM at the Nautilus Hyosung booth, Lawrence says.
"The key message we'd like to bring to BAI this year is that of the ‘power of choice,'" Lawrence said. "We will be exhibiting a full line-up of financial ATMs, including walk-up/through-the-wall, many standalone lobby models and a drive-up model featuring an industry-first tilting screen feature, which provides maximum customer convenience."
About 40 new exhibitors also have signed up this year, which Bianucci says reflects the show's continued strength in the market and the industry. Among some of the new show entrants are Heartland Payment Systems and ACAL, an ATM security company.
But the downtrodden economy has stunted participation from more entrepreneurial or start-up companies.
"I think as we go into 2010 and as banks become more innovative in how they build income, I think there will be some innovation that takes hold," Bianucci said. "And it may be 2011 before you see that. It just depends on how quickly things recover."
The face-to-face contact that takes place on the exhibit floor remains relevant, Bianucci says, but it's becoming a smaller piece of the overall show experience.
"Companies are looking for more creative and intimate ways to connect with the leaders they're trying to reach," she said. "It does not mean that the exhibit hall is a dinosaur; it is still very important for many companies. But it's not the dominant method anymore."
Bianucci says those kinds of market changes are pushing RD to evolve. And as RD remains the "big" banking show, BAI strives to make it more effective.
"This is the largest (banking show), and we expect it to remain a dominant show," she said. "We've tried to evolve the conference to meet the needs of the industry; we are trying to do more of over the course of the next couple of years to expand beyond the four days in November, to offering something that's ongoing all year through interactive media."
And BAI is starting that effort with November's event. RD attendees should show up with their BlackBerrys and iPhones in-hand, as most of this year's sessions will have an interactive component, Bianucci says.
"For years we would bring in a bank executive who would come in and talk about his or her bank. This year we have a group of CEOs who are interacting together," she said. "For the first time, they will be interacting on stage, with questions that will be texted in from the audience. The idea is to be interactive and collaborative."
