I have just finished my annual trek to the Society of Automotive Engieers (SAE) Congress and Exposition. This is the largest conference and show to come to Detroit each year. More than 50,000 people come to take part in seminars and view the latest and greatest developments in automotive technology.

This year, I was given an assignment by one of my clients. I was to survey both attendees and exhibitors to determine if an significant changes have occurred in their attitude the past few years which might alter the objectives and/or techniques used by exhibitors.

Exhibitors who want to maximize results from shows will undertake this type of study to ensure they remain in touch with the audience they are trying to reach.

In the past, many firms felt it was only necessary to sell the chief engineer, and perhaps the purchasing agent, to consummate any business. For a long period of time this was true. However, I found a somewhat different scenario as I talked with attendees. I found a much larger percentage of engineers present and a very small number of purchasing people.

I also found that the audience was younger than in past years. Many of these younger engineers felt that they played a viable role in influencing purchasing process. Both findings indicate a change from past shows.

As many firms are reorganizing and downsizing, they are utilizing teams to accomplish multi-faceted tasks that were formerly perceived as individual functions that were sometimes executed without regard to other related factors.

The team approach requires that more persons are brought into the "loop" in order to cover all the required steps in making a decision. This means more people need information that may influence the buying process.

Some exhibitors had seen this trend coming in the last few years and were prepared to take advantage of this opportunity to expose their technology to a new breed of decision makers. Others, unfortunately, hadn't gotten the message and were still using the old tools to sell new prospects. It didn't work very well.

Those exhibitors who had done their homework were prepared with booth staffs that were knowledgeable about a complete range of products and how each was an integral part of the final system. There were more engineers and less sales people in the booths. There was an attempt to make the younger attendees feel more important. In the past, many junior persons were treated as assistants or ignored altogether. Exhibits were updated to convey a message that the exhibitor was on the cutting edge and a leader in their particular niche of the market.

Many exhibitors used entertainment as a "hook" to attract this new breed. Many used magicians, sports personalities and celebrity impersonators from popular television shows to capture the attention of their guests. I was impressed at the creativity used to weave the sponsor's message into the presentations by these entertainers. Most made the best of a great situation... a captive audience.

My experience showed me that those marketers who are willing to change their presentation techniques will succeed in getting thier message to a changing audience. Those companies who are slow and reluctant to change will gradually lose their audience, and eventually their business.

Are you keeping up with your audience?