For major brands, yes. It sure makes it hard for little brands to get noticed, however, when the tradeshows go away. My dad has been in the bicycle business since the early 70s and I used to go to Interbike (the big tradeshow) with him. I remember when Timbuk2, the bag company, made its debut there. They were tiny but did something nobody had ever done before: the owner brought his seamstresses to the show and they sewed custom bags on-demand right there at the show. Everybody wanted one and they were minor status symbols at the show that year. That was a huge turning point for them and they got very popular after that.

This kind of exposure just wouldn't happen in the social media age, where everybody is trying bold, non-scalable antics to get attention, but it might work at a tradeshow--if they still exist.