I’m often asked about the future of the exposition business.  And I'm sure if you're a marketing manager, you get the same question from the boss.  It's typically phrased as “with the internet, teleconferencing, and all advanced communications available today, do people really still have to show up in person to make decisions and buy?”

 

So here's what you tell the boss: The answer is no, they don’t, and they never really had to. However, in-person is still the best way to do anything. 

 

For techies who may disagree, it’s interesting to get the perspective of the most famous techie of all times, the late and great Steve Jobs.This photograph is not a spaceship. It is Jobs’ vision for the new Apple campus. As opposed to many international companies that take great pride in having management teams throughout the world, Jobs wanted all 12,000 of his non-manufacturing employees in one place. 

 

Why? Because he was a big advocate of face-to-face interaction. As he told his biographer, “Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions.  You run into someone, you ask what they’re doing, you say ‘Wow’ and soon you’re cooking up all sorts of ideas.” 

 

It’s also no secret that the Apple store is always the most packed one at the mall. People want to see, touch, talk, and be among people like themselves. It’s why shows have always been, and will continue to be, important.

 

David J Zimmerman

Southern Shows Inc.