The 2010s saw a significant shift in how trade shows were organised and attended. One of the biggest changes was the growing use of technology, both in how tradeshows were advertised and in how attendees and exhibitors talked to each other. Discover the history of trade shows in the 2010s by reading this article.
Read Also: History of the Trade Shows in the 2000s
Many natural disasters occurred during this decade, including mega-storms, hurricane Sandy in 2012, and others, including the first category 5 hurricane, Michael, which hit the United States in 2018. Terrorism acts at the Boston Marathon, London Bridge, Barcelona, and many others continued to spread the fear and hatred that Osama bin Laden and the Taliban unleashed on 9/11. President Obama confirmed that US soldiers had killed Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2011, in Pakistan.
When it comes to marketing tradeshows, social media and online advertising have become important tools. This allowed organisers to reach a wider audience and target specific demographics more effectively. The use of virtual reality and augmented reality technology also let people try out the products and services of exhibitors and interact with them before the show even started.
It was the decade of terrible mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and the music festival in Las Vegas, amongst others.
#MeToo was a movement against sexual abuse that started with Harvey Weinstein but had effects on many other people as well.
A sports team broke a drought of 108 years. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2016 for the first time since 1908.
At Expo 2010, several other firsts were also broken.
Over 73 million people visited Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, making it the most visited Expo to date. It also set a record for the most visitors in a day, with over 1 million. However, most of the visitors were Chinese. It was the most expensive Expo in the largest area ever and included the most participants of any world fair registered with the BIE. It was also one of the few that made a profit.
The theme was “Better City, Better Life.“
The location was spread out over the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, with 246 countries and corporations participating over the 6 months it ran.
China invented fireworks, which were a big part of the opening ceremony. There was also a laser show, the biggest LED screen, and dancing water fountains.
The China Pavillion had a distinctive red roof that represented traditional dougong which has a historical significance dating back more than 2,000 years.
The General Motors pavilion focused on green energy with their Chinese partner, SAIC. Following previous examples, they buried a time capsule to be opened in 2020.
In the speech at the closing ceremony, China’s Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao, said:
“Only when the ideas behind the accomplishments of civilizations are shared can they become treasures for all of humanity and be carried on forever.”
The 2010 invention of Apple’s iPad would slowly change and impact the event sector. It has made shows more interactive by making it easy for attendees to access games, surveys, and a lot more.
As Samsung and others created their versions of the iPad, tablets became more cost-effective and made it so much easier for delegates to interact with exhibitors.
Audi of America Inc. at all their car shows in 2011 is a case in point. They used a series of displays to allow delegates to interact with their preferred model of car in an animated video, and they all drove manoeuvrability by using the tilt function of an iPad. If delegates wanted to go a step further, they could book test drives at their local dealers using the app on the iPad.
“We decided to use the iPads because Audi wanted to enhance attendees’ experiences at an auto show,” says Andrea Santilli, Audi marketing event specialist. “We wanted to give a good introduction to our brand and all the vehicles, but also offer more detailed information to attendees who were more familiar with Audi. iPads are a great tool to do that with. It’s one of those things – if you don’t have it, you’re behind. In order to stay ahead of the curve, you definitely need a tablet.“
One sector that has really benefited from the interactivity of tablets has been dentistry. No one likes the dentist, so how do you make your product more attractive without doing demonstrations with a drill noise or scary procedures?
Philips Consumer Lifestyle’s Sonicare brand used tablets to demonstrate a laser procedure. Delegate feedback was extremely positive, with one delegate remarking that “the procedure didn’t seem so scary.” At another show that same year, they used side-by-side comparison videos of their product against a competitor, which also garnered more positive responses than expected.
Two other inventions that would impact events and spawn new ones were Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality Headsets. Their use has extended beyond entertainment into the military, education, and drug addiction therapy.
During this decade, drones became more affordable and accessible, providing event organisers with a unique perspective on their events, which is especially useful for outdoor event photography.
In 2013, in Hannover, the Industry 4.0 trade fair took place to address the new digital innovations as well as the impact of the Internet of Things (IoT) as we became more connected.
Embedded World began in 2003 to cover all things technology related to tracking, electronic systems, embedded systems, the IoT, and distributed intelligence. This is an example of how adding new technology to an existing show keeps it relevant and makes it last longer.
Shanghai saw another first in 2015 with the opening of the only World Expo Museum. It was made by the Bureau of International Expositions in cooperation with the city of Shanghai. It aims to “comprehensively demonstrate the themes of World Expos” as well as “provide characteristics highlighting design and creativity and a centre for international academic exchanges.”
Lead management moved from delegates leaving their business cards in bowls to software on tablets where exhibition staff captured contact information and sent emails instantly of brochures, etc., and set up the chain of cyclical emails and newsletters with relevant attachments.
For consumer-focused shows, payment options have always been tricky. Cash requires extra security provided by the organisers at increased costs. Credit card machines were expensive and difficult to get for a start-up or occasional users.
A little square changed everything.
The square attached to mobile phones made it much easier for payments to be processed instantly with payment gateways such as PayPal and Stripe.
Social media, YouTube, would not be the same without the selfie stick. Time magazine called it the invention of the year in 2014. Can you really imagine not seeing delegates roaming around shows without their selfie sticks, keeping their followers up to date with their opinions and lives?
Software for the events sector also evolved during this time. Software solutions to manage the trade show event, exhibitors, guests, booth layout, registration, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems interacted (not as easy today with API keys), but with a little extra work to undertake bulk emailing.
The change was driven by increasing costs for exhibitors at events. Not only does the structure itself cost money, but so does moving it, storing it, and getting people to put it together.
Stands for many exhibitions were made with plywood, laminates, and different kinds of signs. However, almost all the exhibition stands were not used again and, in many cases, were not recycled. It was time for a change.
Read Also: Stand Builders in Australia
We see the “custom modular” or “custom hybrid” come into being. This is where some components are purpose-built but are easily transportable from show to show. And other components are mounted on metal frames, like walls, etc. or fabric printed with signage that can be stretched between shell scheme struts and folded up and transported, as well as interchangeable depending on desired messaging.
Throughout this decade, technology has profoundly altered all aspects of the event industry. It set the stage for the next evolution, which the pandemic accelerated.
We’ve discussed a number of event cities, but one we haven’t covered yet is Barcelona. Fira de Barcelona is the 4th largest exhibition centre in the world, with a floor space of 365,000 m2. It hosts over 150 events with nearly 3 million visitors annually.
One of the annual shows is the Mobile World Congress, organised by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association, which is the largest trade show for the mobile phone industry with over 100,000 visitors. It also runs the GLOMO Awards. The awards “celebrate innovations and achievements from individuals and organisations across the mobile ecosystem.”
So much new technology was introduced in this decade, and the previous one has impacted every corner of the globe.
What would WhatsApp and the many other apps that help delegates communicate be without mobile phones?
The 2010s have been an exciting decade for exhibitions. We’ve seen a wide variety of exhibits that explore different topics, from the history of art to the latest developments in technology. We have had a unique chance to learn about the history of trade shows in the 2010s and interact with different cultures and ideas from all over the world through exhibitions. They are also great venues for networking and connecting with like-minded people who share similar interests or passions as you do. It’s been amazing to see how far exhibition design has come over the past decade, providing visitors with interactive experiences that truly bring their stories to life!
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