An Exhibitor Evaluation of the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo

Transcription

1 An Exhibitor Evaluation of the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo Mary ZumBrunnen Graduate Assistant Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan Murari Suvedi Professor Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan

2 Introduction In 2001, Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) Fruit and Vegetable Area of Expertise (AoE) teams recognized the need to jointly organize a major educational program to support Michigan s agricultural industry growth and profitability by combining the vegetable and horticulture conventions. As a result, the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo was created to provide a forum for mass communication and numerous educational programs to farmers and agribusiness operators. The Expo also provides the MSUE Fruit and Vegetable AoE teams with a better understanding of the Great Lakes region farmer/marketer needs and concerns. Spreading technology, research, tools and concepts through an intensive three day communication process, the Great Lakes Fruit Vegetable and Farm Market Expo trade show special events helps create and sustain knowledge networks and empowers Michigan and Great Lakes region agribusiness. The trade show is helping turn the Great Lakes region economic engine by creating a forum for exhibitors to meet and create new demands while enhancing efficiency and effectiveness by reaching and serving new and existing customers. Also, increasing communication with current and potential business partners (Muske et al., 2004) the Expo provides a more even playing field in which small businesses may compete with larger firms. The 2005 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo was held during December 6-8 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Major elements of the Expo included a trade show, educational programs provided by MSUE, special events, and a chance to visit with growers, farm marketers and industry associates from the Great Lakes region and beyond. Growing Healthy Crops and Healthy Profits was the educational program theme. Altogether, 287 exhibitors registered ranging from magazine to nursery operators. This study was conducted to solicit opinions and views of exhibitors to help ensure that future Expo trade show special events are efficient and serviceable with positive impacts on Great Lakes region agribusiness. The Fruit and Vegetable AoE Teams asked MSU s Center for Evaluative Studies to help evaluate the Expo trade show. Specifically, the objectives of this evaluative study are: To ascertain Great Lakes region exhibitors profiles. To determine Great Lakes region exhibitors current and previous Expo attendance and its economic effects. To ascertain perceptions of exhibitors on Expo special events, facilities and services, and identify areas for improvement. Methodology This study used a self-administered survey for data collection. A double-sided one-page instrument was developed by the MSU Center for Evaluative Studies. It included both closed and open-ended questions. Expo exhibitors were asked to indicate their previous and current Expo attendance, rate Expo 2

3 attributes, facilities and services and provide suggestions for improvement. Exhibitors rated the importance of Expo attributes, facilities and services on a 1 to 5 Likert-like scale, with 1 representing Poor and five representing Excellent. Open-ended questions solicited response to the most helpful MSUE educational sessions, ways the Expo previously helped exhibitors and areas for improvement. To determine Michigan and Great Lakes region exhibitor profiles, exhibit questions and travel, lodging and pricing questions were asked. The instrument was reviewed by Fruit and Vegetable AoE team members to ensure usability and reliability. The population of this study was comprised of 287 trade show exhibitors from Michigan and the Great Lakes region. On the third day of the Expo the trade show manager introduced the exhibitors about the evaluative study and asked them to complete and return the selfadministered survey. Upon completion exhibitors dropped the survey off at the registration table. Qualitative and quantitative analysis were used to analyze the data. Quantitative responses were coded and entered into a Statistical Package for the Social Science software version 12.0 database. Responses were analyzed using frequency and descriptive statistic testing. Qualitative responses were analyzed through data entry in Microsoft Word 2003 and theme notation. Exhibitor profile Findings The Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo 2005 Exhibitor survey was filled out by about one-fifth (18.1%, N=52) of exhibitors. Exhibitors represented such companies as Lendell Manufacturing, Adams County Nursery Inc. and Growing Magazine. Respondents checked all that applied when describing their exhibits. The most frequent mention was farm equipment (28.8%, n=15), farm market products (19.2%, n=10) and seed, equipment, fertilizer or plants (9.6%, n=5). Other responses included drying sponges, flexible packaging and trade magazines. Figure 1 shows the frequency of exhibit mention. The trade show fees were found to be fair by the majority (87.8%, n=43) of respondents. Exhibitors traveled from five to 2,640 miles with an average of 523 miles to attend the show. The average amount spent by respondents and/or their staff on travel, food, lodging or other for the Expo was about $1,663 ranging from $70 to $15,000. 3

4 Figure 1: Type of Exhibitors (N = 52) Percentage Farm equipment Farm market products Seed, chemical, fertilizer and/or plants Ag services Industrial equipment Agency or organization Consumer products Automotive equipment Other The majority (89.4%, n=44) of respondents had exhibited in previous Expos. When asked what ways the Expo has helped Exhibitors in the past, respondents checked all that applied. The most frequently mentioned areas were Advertisement (53.8%, n=28), Direct marketing of products (53.8%, n=28) and Interaction with other exhibitors (42.3%, n=22). Other responses included contact future sales and time to see all my donors. Table 2 shows the frequency of mention for ways the Expo has helped exhibitors in the past. The majority of exhibitors (89.2%, n=33) who previously attended the horticulture and vegetable shows indicated they have benefited from their combinations in such ways as increased exposure and efficiency. Table 1: Ways the Expo has helped past exhibitors Past Expo help n % Advertisement Direct marketing of products Interaction with other exhibitors Receive technical training Other *Percent exceeds 100 due to multiple responses. 4

5 Over three-quarters (76.9%, n = 40) of respondents said they or their staff had not attended educational sessions this year. Those who attended indicated multiple sessions as being the most helpful ranging from the asparagus and apple cider sessions to safety school and farm marketing information. Expo Attribute Ratings Exhibitor respondents were also asked to rate the Expo s attributes such as the number of trade show attendees, special events and overall quality on a one to five scale 1 being Poor and 5 being Excellent. Findings in Table 2 show that the ratings fall between Okay and Good with educational programs rated on average the highest with a mean of 4.3 (SD.74). The special events were rated the lowest with an average of 3.7 (SD.92). Table 2: Exhibitor rating of Expo attributes Attributes n Excellent Good Okay Somewhat Poor (%) Poor Mean * (SD) (%) (%) (%) (%) Number of attendees (9.3) Trade show (.75) Education Program (.74) Special events (.92) Overall Expo quality (.60) * Mean based on a 1-5 scale, with 1 being Poor and 5 being Excellent. Expo facility ratings Exhibitors were also asked to rate the Expo facilities and services on a one to five scale with one representing Poor and five representing Excellent. Most facilities and services were rated as Good. The show site was rated the highest with an average of 4.5 (SD.61) and the food services were rated the lowest with an average of 2.9 (SD 1.1) as shown in Table 3. 5

6 Table 3: Exhibitor rating of Expo facilities and services Facilities n Excellent Good Okay Somewhat Poor Poor Mean * (SD) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) Public parking (1.2) Restrooms (.60) Loading/unloading (.93) procedures Show site (.61) Show layout (.67) Exhibitor parking (1.2) Food service (1.1) Electrical service (.89) Security (.74) Communication (.87) systems Show promotion/quality (.63) * Mean based on a 1-5 scale, with 1 being Poor and 5 being Excellent. Expo Improvement Respondents were asked for suggestions to make the Expo a more effective place for exhibitors to display their products. Answers included timing changes such as increased time between sessions and switching session times to increase exposure. One respondent suggested, lessen the exhibit hours and meetings so growers will spend more time in the hall. Another suggested, hold special events on the trade show floor to draw people in. Also, exhibitors responded with suggestions for improved accommodations such as have a hospitality room for the exhibitors to get a coffee or snack or even lunch for a reasonable fee and provide a shuttle from the front door at the Amway Hotel to the convention center for the handicapped. Conclusion The 2005 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo trade show was a success. Not only were Great Lakes agribusiness communications, education and awareness increased in and between over 200 exhibitors, but new clients, interest and commerce was generated with over the 2,000 Expo participants who registered. Most of 2005 s exhibitors were returning due to similar past successes. The Expo attributes such as educational programs, special events and overall quality were rated highly as Good as were the facilities and services such as parking, promotion and layout. Areas for improvement include exhibitor suggestions for increased trade show traffic and improved transportation and accommodations. 6

7 References Great Lakes Fruit Vegetable And Farm Market Expo. (2005). GLExpo, Available at: Michigan State University Extension. (2005). MSUE, Available at: Muske, Glenn., Stanforth, Nancy., and Woods, Michael. (2004). Micro Business Use of Technology and Extension s Role. Journal of Extension, volume 42, number 1. Available at: Abstract This evaluative study was conducted to assess the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo trade show and facilities. The goal of this study was to ascertain exhibitor feelings about Expo attributes, facilities and services. Further, this study attempted to understand exhibitor attendance and its impacts. Findings indicated that most exhibitors were returning because of previous positive experiences. Expo exhibitors were also generally satisfied with Expo attributes, facilities and services. Suggestions for improvement included event enhancement through decreasing educational session and special event hours and holding special events on the trade show floor to attract more clientele. 7