A No Show

Decor Expo Atlanta has been canceled for 2009, which was the right decision.  It’s too bad not to have an art and framing industry event in the fall, but there just is not enough demand from buyers or exhibitors.

 

The question is what happens next year and beyond?  The January West Coast Art & Frame show in Las Vegas, already an excellent event, will be more important than ever in 2010.  The industry may be of a size that can only support one trade show a year.  Compared to “the old days,” internet / email marketing and one-to-one selling have displaced trade shows to a significant degree.

I tend sure would not want to be the company starting up a new show (or even trying to revive an old one).  Don’t get me wrong – I think it would be great to have a successful, vibrant show in the late summer / early fall.  But it would require moving mountains to convince enough buyers and exhibitors to show up, and I’d be just as skeptical as the next guy about spending the money and taking the risk.  Meanwhile for now we’ll just look forward to Las Vegas!