In the past week, I’ve probably lost two exhibitors because I wouldn’t make a speaking spot quid pro quo for taking a booth at the show. It’s a very difficult decision, especially for a small company like ours, because every penny in revenue counts. But my belief is that if we take the stand now, even if it causes us pain short-term, it will increase the value of the event for our attendees, for our exhibitors, and eventually for the company when we sell in twenty years.

When attendees say they only come to an event for the networking, and attend the conference only sporadically or not at all, that’s a problem. When exhibitors say they only speak at tradeshows because a booth doesn’t give them a return, that’s a problem.

The conference content should be a major reason for an attendee to come to the Expo. A booth should return enough value for an exhibitor that it’s worth doing even without speaking in the conference. That’s the way it is suppose to work and if it’s not then we are doing some wrong and changes need to be made to make it so.

In some sense this is a philosophical decision - I don’t want to be in a business where I am stuck producing lousy content that I don’t feel good about promoting and selling to my attendees. But I also believe it’s a good business decision that 10 years from now I know I’ll look back on and be glad I made it. But right now, it’s costing us dollars and it makes me nervous.

Quoting one of my favorite movies, Wall Street: “You can’t get a little pregnant, son”