Trade Shows - here to stay or historical oddity?

Trade shows are back.

Kirk & Kirk have exhibited at four physical shows this year, 100% Optical in #London , @TheLoftEyewearShow in #newyork , MIDO in #Milan and SILMO Paris .

So do exhibitions still represent an effective route to market?

During the first year of the Pandemic, when trade shows were closed, we saw a 42% increase in sales in and a dramatic decrease in costs. Shows had been the most expensive line on our #P +L and buyers sought out innovative ways to discover new products like #zoom or visits at distance.

For retailers, the cost of bringing your team half way around the world, or even half way across the country, can be significant so losing those costs and still unearthing exciting #eyewear was a no-brainer.

Nobody is pretending that this year's event circuit has been a dramatic return to pre-pandemic levels. There are visibly fewer exhibitors and fewer visitors at the #tradefairs but people are writing business and #FOMO is a serious issue. If all of our competitors are showing, how does it look if we are not there?

All of the shows in which we have taken part this year have been profitable to varying degrees but the biggest bonus has been the sense of community and the opportunity to share the challenges and opportunities with our peers, the friends with whom we have built trusted relationships over the years. There is a comfort and security to be found which is important. It can be lonely out there!

As an independent brand, I can't help feeling that we all missed a huge opportunity during the lockdowns to galvanise our smart, entrepreneurial, colleagues and competitors. Despite the online shows like #MyVisionShow and forums like #LuxuryEyewearForum providing the opportunity to find strength in our independence, it just did not happen. Perhaps the re-incarnation of trade shows will remind people how much we need each other and therein lies the strength of the shows, as much as the sales that we all cherish.

The trade shows will need to evolve. They will need to provide clear value for money if they are not to lose ground. Perhaps the digital world will shake things up and next week we see the launch of the #TheOpticalMetaverse which will surely influence the way that we trade and communicate.

I think back fondly to the days of #SidneyandPercyKirk who launched #KirkBrothers back in 1919 and believed firmly that if they could make London a centre of #optical excellence through promoting the whole industry rather than simply focusing on their own business, it would benefit everyone. They helped what we would now consider 'competitors' to set up optical factories and, for a while, London was a thriving optical hub.

Perhaps some of those old-fashioned values are the missing ingredient as we stride forthright into our digital future. There is not, in my opinion, one single route to success but let's not lose sight of the tools that have helped us in the past as we look for new ways to carve out our future.

See you next #Silmo

Jason Kirk is founder and CEO of Kirk & Kirk. For more information contact [email protected]