M&A strategist Denzil Rankine told attendees of UFI's European Conference in April the compound annual growth rate of the "core product of exhibitions"—namely, floor space—is limping along at a mere 2%.
Inflation will eat that—and more—for breakfast.
When you consider how complacent most concrete-peddling association show organizers are, the best you can say is they're "whistling past the graveyard."
The idiom has two meanings, one positive, one negative.
"Whistling past the graveyard" can mean you're displaying nonchalance in the face of danger.
Or it can mean you're clueless.
Whichever's the case, associations need to find new revenue streams to shore up concrete sales.
They can't just hope shows will return to vitality by themselves, the economy will boom, or that "Millennials will attend when they get jobs."
