Friday, April 11, 1997
Trade Show
Sideshow
by
GrapeWiz
It seems as if there is a trade show for every conceivable business or interest, from computers to boats to plumbing.
Often informative, sometimes entertaining, and always exhausting, I have attended or worked at my fair share of them over the years, including enough food shows that I sometimes can’t look at another french fry or frozen pizza. I consider wine industry shows to be one of the perks of my job. One has an opportunity to taste hundreds of fine wines, which is great fun if you are fortunate enough to have a designated driver.
Trade shows can be a lucrative business for the event organizers. Typically, hefty registration fees are collected from both exhibitors and attendees.
Thus, I was surprised when, one morning, a flyer dropped out of my copy of Investor's Business Daily advertising The Money Show and offering free registration for subscribers -- a comparable $900 value! The ads said there would be an investment expo and workshop sessions presented by a long roster of financial “experts.” Seemingly, everyone who is anyone in the financial world would be there. Only Elaine Garzarelli was conspicuously absent from the lineup.
I wondered, how could the organizers of this event offer so many high-profile speakers, and free registration, and still hope to make a profit? All of these financial gooroos must charge whopping fees to share their investment insights, right?
When I called to register, I asked this very question of the very pleasant, helpful woman who assisted me. ( I did not literally refer to the speakers as “gooroos.”) Actually, she told me it is these very speakers who underwrite the cost of putting on the show. She went on to explain that expo exhibitors pay for the privilege of being held out as experts, having the opportunity to promote themselves, and to have a place to invite their clients and potential clients to listen to them speak. Yes, the writers of all those $500 newsletters, portfolio managers, and investment advisors actually pay for an audience to listen to their wisdom!
Now don’t get me wrong. Upcoming Money Shows are slated for Las Vegas, Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle. If one is coming to a neighborhood near you, it’s really a great resource and well worth the time and effort to attend. If you can separate the wheat from the chaff, there is much to be learned, even from the “Wise.” Amidst the crystal ball forecasts and snake-oil salesmen touting various investment products, I got to hear Al Berkeley, president of the Nasdaq Stock Market, give a truly useful talk about the Nasdaq and the individual investor.
I also collected a souvenir canvas bag full of literature which I have yet to find the time to read. And when I incredulously asked a vendor of investment books why he didn’t have any copies of The Motley Fool Investment Guide on display, he told me that he’d already sold all the copies he’d brought with him. (Way to go, Tom & Dave!)
If you do go to The Money Show, or another event like it, remember this: some of the so-called experts have paid handsomely for the chance to bestow their advice on you, and possibly sell you something. Be sure to thank them for making the show possible.
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