What do you want to know about Trade Shows and Conferences?

To All,

SMTnet has many new services and content planned for 1999. We welcome any input that you may have for ideas that would make your SMTnet experience better.

One project in the works is to greatly expand our coverage of Trade Shows and Conferences. SMTnet wants to be your one stop for show and conference information. We want to list all shows and conferences worldwide that have to do with electronics manufacturing in our calendar. Each show listed will include a minimum amount of information in the listing page, with additional link(s) to its own web site.

We would appreciate letting us know the following:

1. Which are the shows you have interest in, either as an attendee or as an exhibitor; 2. As a potential attendee, what do you need to know about each show? This includes information about the show itself and the city it is in, transportation, hotels, etc. 3. As a potential exhibitor, what do you need to know about each show? This includes information about the show itself and the city it is in, transportation, hotels, etc. 4. Would you be interested in viewing a live session of a conference or a live Show booth via the Internet?

Please feel free to post your response here or e-mail me at cjia@smtnet.com, or call 207-780-0887. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Cunli Jia Director of Product Development

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Cunli:

Knowledge of upcoming shows is interesting to all of us. Including the major papers that will be presented, Vendors exhibiting, what to expect to see at the particular show, and website locations for vendors and show would be helpful.

1. Which are the shows you have interest in, either as an attendee or as an exhibitor; Just a few that we already look into doing.

Nepcon IPC/SMEMA IMAPS and regional IMAPS shows ATI HTI and CSP Shows Regional SMT shows

2. As a potential attendee, what do you need to know about each show? This includes information about the show itself and the city it is in, transportation, hotels, etc.

All of the above is important. Would be good to include airlines offering special fares to the show locations.

3. As a potential exhibitor, what do you need to know about each show? This includes information about the show itself and the city it is in, transportation, hotels, etc.

Most exhibitors would like to know the true number of attendees. This should be the responsiblitiy of the show presentor, but normally they inflat or at least I feel they inflat the actual number of people that are attending the shows. Buying one of their mailing list will include 60 - 70% exhibitors (it seems that high). SMTNet might consider putting generating a mailing list of interested people.

Not sure how you would run it, but guess it could be done as a list that people desire to be placed on and then either given to exhibitors the advertize or sold to exhibitors. Seems it would be a nice way to keep people informed, but might over-load their eamil box.

This would provide exhibitors to prepare and eamil information on what they will be exhibiting, what's new, provide a means to send information to people that are not going to the show, etc.

The biggest problem with trade shows is the cost and the exhibitors failing to do their homework prior to the show.

Five P's comes into play here Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. In the past, when I was an exhibitor, I normally failed at preparing myself and my people for the shos. The end result is spending tons of money and getting little in return.

4. Would you be interested in viewing a live session of a conference or a live Show booth via the Internet?

This is certainly leading edge stuff. I have looked at other live viewings of trade shows, and did not feel they were interesting. It is tough to pull off, but if you can it would be interesting.

Just my thoughts.

Wayne

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