The Personal Communications Industry Association hasn’t released the official number of those who attended PCS ’98 two weeks ago in Orlando, Fla. It wants to take its time to ensure that it releases the most accurate number possible. I would take my time, too, if I knew attendance was well below expectations.
PCIA was anticipating 30,000 attendees. Many people who attended the show, including myself, believe actual attendance was significantly less. And many vendors were less than thrilled with the traffic at their booths, sending people home on Wednesday even though the show floor didn’t close until Friday. PCIA admits attendance was less than spectacular, especially Friday, blaming the situation on Hurricane Georges, which wasn’t expected to affect Orlando’s weather.
“It was a disappointing situation, but it was out of our control,” said PCIA spokeswoman Brenda Maxfield. “Anyone is at risk during hurricane season.”
PCIA says it’s already ahead of schedule compared with last year in booking exhibitors for the 1999 show. Vendors had the option to sign up for PCS ’99 last week, but many won’t make the final decision until months after the show. The buzz on the show floor indicated quite a few vendors were seriously considering not exhibiting next year.
Which brings up an interesting question: How long will a need exist for two major trade shows every year? Next year could give us the answer and tell us if weather conditions were really to blame for poor attendance. Vendors won’t put up with paying for expensive booth space for long if they aren’t getting good sales leads.
The poor trade-show attendance could indicate how busy carriers are today with building out footprints, creating marketing strategies and dealing with the hundreds of other issues on their plates. One exhibitor said carriers in the past have sent herds of employees to trade shows, but sent only key employees to this show.
But all wasn’t bad. Vendors seemed happy with the attendance from Latin American carriers. PCIA hosted a day-long conference called PCS Latin America that drew a large Latin American crowd. The region is a hot bed right now for wireless growth, infrastructure buildout and investment.
Back to the negative …
Show attendees who used AT&T Wireless Services Inc.’s service were frustrated with the endless busy signals they encountered when trying to make a phone call. The carrier had set up additional COWS around the convention center but then pulled them south to help with possible emergency communications for hurricane disaster relief. You’d think AT&T would have some extra COWS laying around. It is hurricane season you know.
