I received a circular email today from an exhibition organiser with whom I am subscribed and whose events I have been attending for a few years now. The narrative within was very interesting to say the least, apparently the thousands of investors not yet affected by the credit crunch will be attending & looking to buy property. Oh really?

Having attended the latest ‘round’ of exhibitions the first thing I have noticed is that the numbers are down. Not just that, but the quality appears to have been understandably poorer than before. I gauge this not so much from the agents themselves but from their reaction when they find out I am present as a trade visitor! This time last year for example I attended exhibition X representing my then employer seeking to pitch business. I would be greeted with a smile; cards exchanged, wished well, invited to call back but most importantly asked politely if we could speak another time as they were keener to attract the members of the public passing by. Fair enough, I don’t blame them.

Last month I went to the same exhibition representing Discover And Invest, a different company but with the same expectations for my interactions with agents. Aside from my initial observations that it was considerably smaller than the last time I attended, or even that you could count the number of developers exhibiting on Captain Hook’s bad hand, it was the looks of disappointment I found myself facing. I would approach the stand, they would smile, I would announce myself as trade, and they would heave a forlorn sigh.

Of course, I took no offence and actually managed to hold longer conversations due to the lack of people seeking to speak with them; but the fact remains that the difficult times the property industry is currently encountering has now filtered through to the perceived happy hunting grounds themselves – the exhibition halls.

Marketing slogans are expected and welcome, but I am of the opinion that if an industry professional such as myself can notice the decline in both attendances and quality over a period of time then what of the seasoned investor? Could they perhaps have noticed this also? I think so, en-masse I would say. So there are thousands of investors not yet affected by the credit crunch? It’s a bold statement, although completely transparent.