THE LONGEST RUNNING SHOW IN THE VIDEO INDUSTRY
IS STILL GOING STRONG
The recently held Video Buyers Group Show was a very successful two-day event. This annual show, that began in 1985 and is the longest running show in the video industry, is held exclusively for independent video retailers and Tanning Entertainment Centers.
DAY I
Once again the meeting rooms were filled with independent retailers all looking for information and sharing ideas on ways to compete and prosper in an ever-changing industry.
Some of the subjects covered at this year’s show included; how to compete with vending, how to maximize the 28-day holdback for Netflix and Redbox by Warner, Fox and Universal, Buy-Sell-Trade for video games, new business models for video retailers such as subscription and previously viewed to the max, Blu-ray and how to make it pay, and staying connected with customers in a digital world.
DAY II
In the afternoon a vendor fair was held that was truly unique. This vendor fair is kind of like speed dating. We have a specific number of vendors that fit perfectly for the amount of time we allocate for our vendor fair. Attendees are divided into small groups. Each group has 5 minutes with each vendor. When the music starts to play, each group moves to the next vendor. This goes on for the afternoon. Both vendors and attendees really like this format and it’s a great way to gather a lot of information in a short period of time.
“We must be doing something right,” Ted Engen stated. “This annual event continues to bring together some of the best independent retailers in the business for the specific reason of gathering information and sharing ideas. They keep coming so we keep putting this event on. This year once again they showed up and it became obvious that these retailers are in this business for the long term despite what some are saying. It is and always has been very exciting watching these retailers prepare for whatever might be thrown at them. This year was very upbeat as so many retailers believe they really have opportunities now that they haven’t seen for sometime. All I can say is these retailers are going to be aggressive and will take advantage of every niche they can find.”
There really was a lot of information presented and shared. The round table discussions, more this year than in the past few years, covered a lot of different subjects. Each round table discussion group had one person designated to take notes. After scanning these notes we wish we could have been involved in every one of these discussions. There is much to go through, analyze and put into a summary to publish in an upcoming issue of Vid News and on our website. It will take some time to get it all done but rest assured it will be done. |
