A great technical conference and location are most important, readers say.

Trade show talk always dominates industry chatter, especially following the slew of events last fall. Are there too many? Too few? Is the ideal time the spring? The fall? Do engineers prefer a great location or proximity to home? Should IPC Printed Circuits Expo and PCB Design West take place every year, or on an alternating schedule?

In December we asked readers to weigh in. The survey was conducted Dec. 7-14, 2007. A total of 1,400 North American readers of Printed Circuit Design & Fab or Circuits Assembly were randomly selected and invited by email to participate. A total of 78 valid (completed) responses were received, a 5.6% response rate (see sidebar, facing page).

Of the respondents, about 33% were PWB design or layout personnel, while 32.1% were fabrication or assembly engineers (including test engineers) or managers. More than half – 53.8% – the respondents work for OEMs, with slightly more than 10% each employed by EMS firms, fabricators or design service bureaus. More than three-quarters said they’d attended at least one show in the past 12 months.

Of those who had attended shows, some 56.9% said their primary reason was the technical conference. Another 23.6% indicated their intent was to see new products, and 12.5% went to network.

Asked to rate the importance of several factors known to influence attendance, the technical program stood out, with 64.1% of respondents indicating it was very important or extremely important. Another 42.3% said location looms large in their decision-making, and 47.4% said cost is a huge factor. Time away from work is a factor, but probably not as paramount as some have speculated. The same can be said for the exhibitors. The show producer has only marginal sway.

In response to perhaps the most hotly debated question – Does North America need a major industry trade show to be held every year? – 76.9% responded in the affirmative.

The overwhelming reason designers attend shows was clear: the technical conference, with some 77% calling it the primary reason, while networking ranked very low. About 62% said the location rated location as a significant factor in the decision to attend, while 64% said cost was significant to extremely significant. Perhaps surprisingly, time away from work was not a significant factor. By a slim margin, designers would prefer to travel a long distance to a site, provided they could see a majority of leading suppliers. Still, they singled out the technical conference and location as the two most important factors in the decision to go. (Note: More than 70% of the designer respondents work for OEMs. The frequency at which respondents indicated they attend shows was very similar to that of the broader population.)

Engineers (either PWB and assembly) showed certain differences compared with their designer cousins. Asked about their primary reasons for attending, 46% of respondents opted for “attend the technical conference” and 46% said “see new products.” Also, they feel time away from work is an issue, and the exhibitors and show location are important. Two-thirds of engineers responding agreed there should be a major North American show every year.

Of the factors that would make them more likely to attend a North American trade show, engineers ranked location first (83.3%), followed by the technical conference (75%). Access to a pool of leading exhibitors (66.7%) outranked the presence of their own key suppliers (50%). Hospitality suites and the fear of missing “something special” are non-factors, the group indicated.

Because of a coding error, responses to a question on the distance attendees traveled to shows were discarded.

All in all, it’s clear that from our subscribers’ perspective, a show with a great technical program in, say, Las Vegas stands a better chance of succeeding than a vendor-only show in Las Cruces. And while their European counterparts appear to love the grandeur of Productronica, Americans place less emphasis on the pomp and more on the circumstance. PCD&F

The Survey at a Glance

What is your primary job function?

PWB design/layout: 33.3%
PWB fab/PCB assembly/test engineer/manager: 32.1%
Sales/marketing: 12.8%
CEO/COO/President/GM: 7.7%
QA/QC: 6.4%
Other: 7.7%

How many trade shows have you attended in the past 12 months?

0: 23.1%
1: 46.2%
2: 16.7%
3 or more: 14.1%

If you attended a trade show in the past 12 months, what was your primary reason for attending?

Attend technical conference: 56.9%
See new products: 23.6%
Networking: 12.5%
Other: 6.9%

On a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being not important and 7 being extremely important, how important a factor in your decision to attend is the:

Location of the trade show?
6-7: 42.3%
3-5: 48.6%
1-2: 8.9%

Cost?
6-7: 47.4%
3-5: 42.3%
1-2: 10.2%

Time away from work?
7-7: 23.1%
5-5: 60.2%
1-2: 16.6%

Given the choice, would you prefer:

Traveling a long distance to a large trade show at which the majority of leading suppliers exhibit?
53.8%

Traveling a short distance to a small trade show at which a handful of leading suppliers exhibit?
46.2%

Regarding the number of industry trade shows held in North America each year, are there:

Just the right amount? 38.5%
Too few? 30.8%
Too many? 30.8%

Does North America need a major trade industry show to be held every year?

Yes: 76.9%
No: 23.1%

What factors would make you more likely to attend a North American trade show?*

Technical conference: 74.4%
Location: 61.5%
Presence of a large number of leading exhibitors: 60.3%
Presence of my key suppliers: 47.4%
Hospitality suites/evening activities: 15.4%
Fear that I would “miss something” special: 5.1%

*Multiple responses accepted.

Mike Buetow is editor-in-chief of Circuits Assembly; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .