Creditors, Vendor Clients in Short Supply at Trade Shows

It has been a few weeks since I wrote my last Blog but for good reason. October is a very busy month for industry trade shows and I was fortunate to participate in two separate events over consecutive weeks. The first was the ACA Texas held in San Antonio and the second was SourceMedia’s Card Collections conference in Phoenix.

I am glad that I participated in both events. The ACA Texas really knows how to put on a first class event for its members from the venue and speakers to the food and spirits. I can see why a core group of its members attend each year. The folks at Source Media also work hard to put together a first class event. The Marriott Desert Ridge is a perfect location for attendees who wanted to meet with their clients and vendors since there are no theme parks or casinos to lure people away.

These are two vastly different conferences hosted by professionals who genuinely care about their success, but I am afraid they both suffer from the exact same problems: lack of vendor traffic and lack of participation by credit grantors. As is typically the lay out for any industry conference large or small, there is a separate exhibitor room where vendors strut their stuff by renting space. Both exhibitor rooms had very little traffic and vendors were vocal about their dissatisfaction.

Lack of credit grantor participation is nothing new and I don’t blame them for not attending sessions or networking events. Did you ever walk around a trade show with a person in charge of placements or debt sales from a large issuer? If the answer is yes, you know exactly what I am referring to. If not, picture Hanna Montana in a room filled with 10 and 11 year olds. Get the picture?

If you attended either conference, let us know what you thought. If enough people voice their concerns there may be fundamental changes that benefit everyone. I am sure those responsible for putting on the events are listening.