A few years ago, I had a bad reaction upon hearing that one of the major instrument manufacturers had decided not to participate at Pittcon. At that time, I was working for a major pharmaceutical company, and our department purchased $1 million+ worth of HPLC, GC, and CDS equipment from just this manufacturer every year. To register my displeasure, I contacted the sales and marketing managers, hoping that they would reconsider. I was told that the decision was based mostly on the return of investment and was difficult to revert since it was made high up in the management chain.
I do understand the difficult decisions that every company must make on how to spend the limited marketing funds to deliver the maximum return on each conference participation - as things have changed significantly when Pittcon was the go-to conference for all new product introductions. Today, there are other competing channels of communications, such as websites, social media, webinars, regional product tours, or virtual conferences that appear to be more cost-effective for new product launches and disseminating sales/marketing information. Nevertheless, skipping Pittcon may not be the best option as there are many more attractive alternative solutions.
I have spoken to many marketing and salespersons and found out that their dissatisfaction falls into several categories.
1. Return on Investment: Not sufficient returns from the high cost of exhibition and travel expenses
2. A less effective show in recent years for generating sales leads with a fewer number of conferees
3. Wanted to make a statement of having Pittcon every other year to reduce the burden of resource allocation every year
It is obviously a complex subject and all these complaints have some degree of truth and validity. Here, I would like to share my personal opinions from the perspective of a long-term conferee.
Most attendees ready to purchase new equipment want to touch the latest instruments and hear about their innovative features. So, missing your favorite vendors on the Pittcon floor is still a major disappointment. To save costs, the manufacturers should consider taking smaller floor space, bringing in less staff and just the core or new products. This alternative is certainly less drastic or objectionable to the attendees or the organizer than skipping the show entirely.
It is probably true that generating sales leads through show inquiries is now less important with modern communication channels. However, one should never underestimate the benefits of face to face communication, meeting new customers and international visitors, reacquainting with ex-colleagues, building up collaborative alliances, or checking out competitive products on the exhibition floor. To me, these are less measurable than sales leads but equally important in building customer rapport or longer-term product strategies.
I know that many international shows are only held every two or three years. For me, one who attended consecutive Pittcon’s for the last twenty years, learning new trends always inspires me to work smarter and better at home. If the conference is held bi-annually, then missing one would mean a gap of almost four years. Finally, with a low registration cost, one is hard-pressed to find a better-organized conference which runs like clockwork by just a few permanent staff and a committee of less than 100 volunteer chemists from the greater Pittsburgh area.
Finally, for major manufacturers, skipping Pittcon is just not a good idea if one considers the potential impacts on your customers and attendees.
Published courtesy of Michael Dong, originally posted on LinkedIn. Dong has over 20 years of working experience in HPLC and pharmaceutical development. He has conducted numerous training courses at national meetings such as Pittcon, ACS, EAS, and HPLC. Michael is a principal consultant at MWD Consulting. He holds a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the City University of New York and a certificate in Biotechnology from U. C. Santa Cruz. Photo courtesy of Pittcon.