Another solid show, Brian, thanks for bringing it to us and recording it on some of your rare "downtime". I enjoyed the interview with Tom Palmer, he sounds like an engaged business owner with passion for what he does.
On trade shows, failing attendance, and the surge of internet sales and new media eroding the need for person-to-person contact at a trade show. I think the onus is on the association/organization to generate industry support to create value for attendees and prove ROI for the businesses who booth and attend trade shows like the IPCPR.
Event organizers who fail to recognize this will watch their shows diminish until they are gone. The auto-industry figured this out by opening its doors to the public; the Specialty Coffee Association did the same and also expanded their educational, industry, exploratory workshop and training opportunities as well as adding a competition component.
It strikes me that some of these learnings could be translated to the IPCPR to generate noise, energy and foot traffic during the event. It wouldn't be the same event as it always has been, but it might just get the boost it needs to stay relevant and to become something more, like the largest gathering of cigar and pipe smokers in North America, if they build the right programming.
$0.02 in the bucket.
-- Pat
