I have recently received an invitation to exhibit in this event in Toronto.
Looks like relevant audience for VMS company to be in front of, but I'd appreciate if IPVM community can help evaluate this marketing opportunity. We only have experience with ISC WEST.
Thank you in advance,
Katherine
Hi Katherine,
How many people do they claim to be attending?
I attended one once (in NYC) and it had maybe 100 to 200 total people, all day. I am not sure if that was good or bad compared to normal. However, those events are typically small local affairs.
Also, does the $900 get you a speaker slot or just a table top setup? Do they give you contact information for the attendees?
In general, $900 for a small event is not horrific, but it's not cheap. It would be impacted by the other factors I mention above.
Hi John, thank you for the reply, this helps. I'll receive more info about the composition of the attending crowd and other stats tomorrow and will share it within this discussion.
I have recently received an invitation to exhibit in this event in Toronto.
*Everybody* received an invite to that. I swear there is this secondary business in this industry of just doing "events" and duping people into paying lots of money to get in front of a limited audience of people who are only there for a free (bad) lunch and some vendor give-aways.
Now Katherine does not feel special :)
Clearly there is some value to some manufacturers as some go to these events over and over. Axis, for example, is a mainstay...
To me, the decision would be based on what my interest is in the Toronto market is and how low my existing customer / dealer base was. If expanding into Toronto was a priority, then it could be worth it. Alternatively, if you need to fly someone out for this event and pay the thousand bucks, not sure of the value.
If you've got a sales person, or manufacturers rep, close to the area, then $900 isn't total highway robbery to get in front of a few dozen people for a day. One or two "average" sales and the fee would be covered. But from my experience at things like this, if it's at all out of the way, or your have ANY other options for spending your time, it's not a loss to skip it.
below is some additional info from the organizers, still not too much clarity. We've decided to go and check it out but not exhibit/speak.
--this is the first event in Canada although identical events are organized in USA, UK and various countries throughout Central and Latin America.
The events are boutique niche events, very focused with no tyre kickers. Average attendance in UK is aroud the 60 – 80 peaking at 150, in USA have been similar and in Latin America much higher around the 120 – 150 mark peaking at 200--
Also in reply to your questions, John: 900USD includes the table top setup and a speaking opportunity (20 min presentation). the attendee information would have become available if we exhibited i guess, this was not confirmed.
Katherine,
Thanks for the feedback. Those numbers are in line with our experience.
I would question the 'boutique niche' label, from what I've seen this does not exactly attract the high end of the market. You certainly will get some but I think the typical attendee is a small integrator / installer or a junior person who can't afford or does not want to spend for the bigger shows.
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