In the 1970s, there were riots, terrorist attacks at the Munich Olympics, revolutions, flairs, disco, the breakup of the Beatles, Elvis Presley’s death, Ted Bundy being caught, Margaret Thatcher becoming Britain’s first female Prime Minister, Watergate, the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, and so much more. In this article, you will learn about the History of Trade Shows: 1970s.
Also Read: History of Trade Shows in the1960s
The Supreme Court upheld Roe v. Wade in 1973 (which was later overturned in 2022). Equal Pay laws were put into place around the world because of a strike by women machinists at the Ford Dagenham plant in 1968. They wanted to be paid the same as skilled workers, no matter what gender they were.
This led to more women entering the business world as well as winning on tennis courts when Billy Jean King and Bobby Riggs had a match titled the “Battle of the Sexes” which King won in straight sets. It is still the most-watched tennis match ever, with 50 million viewers in the US and another 90 million worldwide.
Economic recessions hit Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US, and later also included Portugal, Rhodesia, and South Africa. They were fueled by the oil embargo by OPEC because these countries supported the Yom Kippur War. The price of oil rose 300% before the embargo ended in March 1974.
This had a big effect on the economies of both Europe and the United States, which hurt trade shows, exhibitions, and fairs a lot.
The one area that saw innovation was the car industry and the Green Revolution.
With petrol prices being so expensive, the large gas-guzzling vehicles of the 50s and 60s were soon replaced with smaller cars that included the hatchback as consumers looked for economical options. Japanese vehicles such as the Toyota Corolla, Datsun, and Honda Civic, as well as European vehicles such as the VW Beetle, Fiat Brava, and Renault 8, found success in the US market.
This wrought iron Beetle with a running engine was specially built and was first displayed at the Motor Show Show 71 at the National Arena in Mexico City.
The Green Revolution, or Third Agricultural Revolution, resulted in a marked increase in agricultural production because of high-yielding varieties, improved technology, agrochemicals, fertilisers, and improved cultivation and mechanisation. The California Farm Equipment Show and International Exposition, in their third year in 1972, saw the first foreign exhibitors. Throughout the decade, the show was so popular that it outgrew its venue more than once, with many exhibitors not being able to show.
But the results of the Green Revolution changed the world, and the work undertaken by agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug was revolutionary. It is estimated that millions would have starved across the globe were it not for his work on creating high-yield wheat and rice. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his contribution to mankind.
Japan, on the other hand, saw a booming economy, becoming the second-largest economy in the world. This was assisted by Expo 70, which was held in Osaka. It was held on 15 March to 13 September 1970 with the theme “Progress and Harmony for Mankind”.
An interesting aspect of the Fair was the forest-restoration project that formed part of Forest 70 Expo, which ran within Expo 70.
The West German pavilion included the world’s first spherical concert hall, the centrepiece of the theme “gardens of music”, which included a broad sweeping lawn leading up the sprouting concert hall.
The USA pavilion was popular as it displayed a moon rock from the Apollo 12 mission.
The Canadians showed the first IMAX movie taken of Canada from coast to coast from a low-flying plane.
A few other innovations launched at Expo 70 included early mobile phones, local area networking (LAN), and conveyor belt sushi.
We haven’t discussed the Bureau International des Expositions, the English translation of the International Bureau of Expositions, as yet. This is an intergovernmental organisation that was established in November 1928 to govern the conventions relating to international exhibitions, the World Fairs, with the following goals:
Currently, 170 member countries adhere to the BIE Convention rules.
There are two types of exhibitions that the BIE regulates. They are:
World Expos, of which there are two classes, 1st Category and 2nd Category.
Specialised Expos of which the International Association of Horticultural Producers has been recognised since 1960, as well as the Milan Triennial Exhibition of Decorative Arts and Modern Architecture, on the grounds of historical precedence.
World Expos occur every five years, and their duration can be up to 6 months. Governments of countries, international organisations, corporations and civil society are allowed to participate in World Expos. The themes must address a universal challenge that faces humanity.
Much like the Olympics, the World Fairs are built over very large areas ranging from 400 hectares for the Montreal Expos in 1067 to Osaka’s 330 hectares. Not only are purpose-built pavilions designed by renowned architects, but they also support infrastructures such as transport which has in the past included monorails, cable cars, boats, and cars.
The cost of hosting a World Expo is on the same scale as hosting the Olympics, where the Specialised Expos are on a smaller scale and more affordable to organise.
Keeping up with technology in the 1970s could have been a full-time job with the 1977 CES Show, where Atari VCS was launched.
The Winter CES of 1979, held in Las Vegas, was the first time Bill Gates appeared when he introduced the first BASIC compiler for Apple. Texas Instruments displayed their TI-99/4 model.
The Summer CES hosted in Chicago in 1979 not only featured technology but also included merchandising, retail advertising, store layout, retail sales, management, etc. It acknowledged that technology needs to reach its market it needs to understand marketing, sales, and how to best display its products.
In London, Earls Court and Olympia have been two very popular trade show destinations. A few specialist shows included the Royal Smithfield Show, International Watch, Jewellery and Silver Trades Fair, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) National Exhibition, the Royal Tournament, MAB ’79: International Menswear Fair, Caravan Camping Holiday Show and Ski Show to name a few.
The Fair Trade movement gained momentum in the Netherlands in 1973, where the first fairly traded coffee from farmer co-ops in Guatemala was imported.
Many specialists show either started or consolidated their niche in the 70s. Two of these are the Word of Concrete and Kinder und Jugend.
The World of Concrete held its first expo with only 77 presenters. Today, it’s one of the leading trade shows for the commercial construction industry. Today it has 1500 exhibitors and over 60,000 visitors attending.
Kind und Jugend began in the 1960s and was still relevant in the 1970s, and continues to run even today.
What makes these and other shows stand out is the organisation structure. Some Shows were sold to venues such as Kind und Jugend which is owned by Koelnmesse which is not only a Cologne convention centre but also provides other peripheral services to the sector such as stand building, event management etc., on behalf of economic development organisations, state and federal ministries at trade fairs across the globe. In 2018 they organised 318 events across the world.
The World of Concrete is owned by Informa. Informa’s niche has been the development of construction-themed events that include, amongst others, Tile Expo, and the International Roofing Expo within the B2B market.
Some expos have a short shelf life due to the world changing and adapting. One example is the International Exhibition of Groceries and High Class Provisions. It didn’t survive beyond the 1970s.
Trade shows were impacted as a result of the global economy being negatively impacted by the OPEC embargo and the subsequent ripple effects for the entire decade.
However, what is interesting is the earlier point made, namely specialisation and consolidation. Will this trend continue into the 80s?
