Dear DTA Member:

For over a year DTA has spent considerable time and effort analyzing issues surrounding dental trade shows - including the relevance of dental shows since the advent of the internet and the increasing number of shows annually in the US. Recognizing trade participation at the multiple shows, nationally, regionally and locally, impacts each of our members' sales and marketing budgets, DTA leadership has requested a white paper on trade shows be prepared that would consider three major themes - consolidation, metrics and design (if DTA were to design a trade show and had a blank piece of paper, what would be its features and attributes). The need to define and move forward with each of these topics is crucial if our industry is to make progress in our continued discussions with the sponsors of the existing dental shows in the US. Timing is critical since the costs of exhibiting at trade shows, like other things, have continued to increase and, from the prospective of those spending time in the exhibit hall, floor attendance is shrinking. This is due, in part, to the fact that today there are many alternatives available to doctors and staff for things like CE, on-line purchases and there has been an onslaught of boutique type programs for skills training offered in resort settings. Our goal is to have the paper completed shortly after this year's Annual Meeting.

Related to these issues is the work done by the DTA's Task Force on Trade Shows. The Task Force recently completed its work. The charge of the Task Force was to determine whether it was feasible for DTA to sponsor its own trade show. In order to answer this question the Task Force retained Advanstar (publisher of DPR and other journals) to conduct a survey on various issues relating to trade shows. Each DTA member received a copy of the final survey and responses after our Annual Meeting at Lake Tahoe. One of many significant insights we gained from the survey was the number one reason doctors visit the exhibit floor is to learn about new products/equipment, while the mean time the doctor spends on the exhibit floor is only 2.6 hours. This number confirmed what instinctively we have known as an industry for several years - the existing trade show model is not drawing dental professionals to the exhibit hall floor. Moreover, the survey confirmed younger dentists were not going to the major dental meetings.

Understanding and verifying the results of the survey was completed in the late fall of 2006. The Task Force then made its recommendation to the DTA Board of Directors in February 2007. The Task Force determined it was feasible for DTA to sponsor its own trade show. After receiving this recommendation, the Board charged the Exhibits Committee to work with a small designated group of Board Members to determine whether to take the next step and contract with a partner to launch a DTA sponsored trade show. The Board needed more information to perform its due diligence - what would the show look like, how would it be different from existing shows and how would it attract dentists currently not attending dental trade shows? The Board made clear it did not want just another show. Several companies from both within and outside of the dental industry were contacted to determine whether they would have any interest in co-sponsoring a trade show with the DTA. Ultimately a proposal was received from Advanstar. The Advanstar proposal was considered by the Committee and a Special Meeting of the Board of Directors of the DTA was held shortly before the March 2007 IDS Meeting to discuss the Advanstar proposal and decide whether to move forward at this time. A conference call meeting was held and after much discussion the Board was equally divided, deadlocked, and therefore decided not to move forward with a DTA "event". This was clearly a difficult issue for DTA. It was not an easy decision for anyone involved including the Task Force and the Board.

What Advanstar had outlined in its proposal to the Exhibits Committee and the Board was what would be best described as a dental event; a products showcase where everything transpired on or around the exhibit floor. Advanstar came to DTA with a commitment from Mandalay Bay for weekend dates in May 2008. (56% of those responding to the survey had Las Vegas as their first choice for a dental show). When we reported to Advanstar that the Board was deadlocked and DTA could not move forward at this time, Advanstar decided to sponsor the event on its own. That said, Advanstar has made it clear that the door will remain open for DTA to be part of this event. In the past month, a number of members have been privately approached by Advanstar to exhibit at this event. I have been told all DTA members are welcome to exhibit if they so choose. Information about the event is available from Advanstar at (847) 441-3719. The goal is to create an event like the IDS, where doctors attend to see products and learn about new advances in the industry. It is up to each individual member to determine whether they want to exhibit at the Advanstar event in Las Vegas. I also wanted to make it clear to our members that Advanstar is entitled to use the results of the survey. We both share the data that was derived from the survey. If you have any questions about any of these issues, please feel free to call me, Gary Price or Fred Freedman.

Respectfully,

Vickie Waitsman, Chairman
DTA Board of Directors

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