Trade Show Display Advice

A unique way to boost sales traffic to your trade show display booth is to hire a magician. The increased traffic will generate more leads for you and it can boost your sales potential! It can also help your marketing and sales team  stay energized. Our friend, Magic by Randy specializes in delivering your company’s message in a fun and memorable way. Check out his video below to see how magic can add an extra spark to your display!

My booth is not at my space. Where’s the booth? There are two answers to this question!

Answer: When exhibit goes into direct show site there is a target time that it has to be delivered. That only means the freight company has to sign in by that time and be there it does not mean it will be at your booth space. Sometime it can take all day to get your booth to your space. Best suggestion is always try to ship to advanced warehouse. That usually guarantee’s your exhibit will be at your booth space the first AM of the set up.

If you shipped it to advanced and it’s missing: Then find out first if the decorator has documentation that it did indeed arrive. If so then you should walk the show floor. Sometimes the exhibit is misplaced in another booth space. Sometimes the wrong booth number is on the label. If the decorator says they never received it then you need to go back to your trucking company and get the POD from then along with hopefully the trailer they unloaded it in.

At the advanced warehouse all the trade show exhibits are stored in trailers most of the time. So they are assigned a trailer number. Also sometimes they assigned your trade show booth to be in one trailer but it actually was put on another one so it is temporarily lost but will be found once they unload all of the trailers. Best thing to do is stay calm and have your paperwork available to aid in the process. To view our show management offerings – click here!

By: Barry Siskind

A dilemma many exhibitors face is how much information to include in their trade show display. For small exhibitors with one or two product offerings the answer can be difficult. For larger exhibitors with a multitude of products and services which might also include several departments, the answer can become a nightmare. There is often so much to tell and the exhibitor wants to make sure the visitors get the right message. The solution starts by taking a step back and looking at the trade show display from the visitor’s perspective.

Show visitors begin with the best of intentions. They have walked the show and seen dozens of exhibitors displaying a myriad of products. If there is a technical program at the conference or event, they will have also sat through a number of seminars and workshops. These visitors are only human. There is only so much information the human mind can absorb. So, the lesson to be learned is that creating a trade show display that tells too much is self-defeating. The last thing these attendees want is more information.

Another consideration is that in many cases, visitors already know the details about your product or service. They learned about it on the internet. They visited your web-site, read reviews in trade magazines and heard from their community through social media. Once again a trade show display that attempts to tell people what they already know is futile.

The solution is to ensure that the attraction efficiency is maximized when you are creating your trade show display. This means that a good trade show display will grab your visitor’s interest quickly without adding to the confusion they may already be experiencing.

This simple lesson may be easier stated than implemented. The trick is to look at the world of marketing.  We are inundated with marketing messages everywhere: billboards, radio, television, newspapers, magazines, the back of ticket stubs, across the outside (and sometimes inside) of subways and buses, elevator doors, the computer you are using at this very moment, sidewalks, movie theatres, you name it. It seems that there isn’t a blank space that hasn’t been touched by a marketer. Your visitors have experienced the same. Marketing clutter is unavoidable.

So, the most productive method of creating an attractive display is through simplicity. It’s not a matter of what more you can say, but how you can say it with less. This starts with a clear focus for your trade show display and two crucial criteria – what is the message and who is it designed for?

What is the message?

If I were to ask you to identify your brand message in one or two sentences and you hesitated, that should be a clear clue that homework is needed. Trade show industry guru Bob Dallmeyer says, “If you can’t write your idea on the back of a business card, it’s not an idea.” How true this statement is.

What about those exhibitors with multiple products or those who share the costs of the trade show display with their departments. How do you handle the conflicts in messaging? The answer highlights the need to create one overall message rather than trying to broadcast many. Then once you have the attendee’s attention, you can direct them to specific areas in your trade show display where their needs will be met.

Who is the message designed for?

Assuming that everyone who is attending the event is interested in your message or will buy your product is a fallacy. Albeit there may be some situations in well targeted regional shows where you are looking to reach a very specific market. But in most cases trying to reach the entire audience may not be productive. The solution is to ask, which candidate will respond most favorable to my message (or product offering)? Create a profile ahead of time of who this person is then when you are designing your display keep the profile in mind.

Next time you are developing a trade show display let simplicity guide your decisions. You will find you results significantly better.

Do I have to use show labor to set up my exhibit?

Answer: No, you do not. Sometimes they make it sound really difficult to use an outside company but you can. You need to fill out the EAC form that is supplied in your show packet and send it in on time. You also need to send a copy of the EAC form filled out to your I&D company and they will send in their certificate of insurance and that is all. There are a few convention centers that only allow an outside company or the customer to supervise and there are also some convention centers that will allow you to set your exhibit up as long as you do not have to use tools or a ladder. Read the show packet or ask us to do! Click here for more information on our show services offers.

By: Barry Siskind

E-advertising is often measured as a Cost Per Impression (CPI) or Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM). This is not a new technique, traditional marketers have been using something similar for ages. Whether you advertise on television, radio, magazines, newspapers or billboards you will often look to CPI as your justification for the cost.

For example if you know that your advertisement will be seen by one million people and you are quoted a CPM of $ 10.00 your total advertising cost will be $ 10,000. The CPI then divides this number by 1,000 so that a $10.00 CPM equates to a $ .01 CPI.

At a trade show we have a similar method of measurement called Visitor Intensity (VI). This measures the number of visitors you can expect over the life of the show. The calculation is simple enough, take the number of square feet of your exhibit and multiply it by the number of show hours and divide that by the cost. For example if you took 200 square feet for a trade show that was 18 hours long and your costs were $12,000, your Visitor Intensity ratio would be $3.33.

On first glance you might conclude that the intensity cost is higher than the CPI you are used to paying for – this can be explained easily when you look closely at your audience

1. Targeted audience

While the audience at an exhibition might be smaller than what you might expect in other marketing forms, the focus of that audience is greater. Exhibitions are highly targeted affairs focused on a theme or an industry. The people who attend have to have a pretty compelling interest before they make the decision to invest a day or two walking the show.

2. Quality of the audience

There is some truth to the observation that audiences at exhibitions are smaller than they were years ago. But, the good news is that those who choose to walk the exhibit halls are of higher quality. They directly affect the buying decision, they are prepared to make quicker decisions and they are further along in the selling cycle than the people you meet when you make a cold call.

3. Ability to meet face to face

In a face-to-face environment, visitors have a chance to ask questions that relate to your product or service. They also have a chance to assess you and your staff to develop a feeling of comfort in their ultimate decision.

There are few additional benefits to using “intensity” to measure.

1. Benchmark

Exhibitions are dynamic; attending the same show year after year doing the exact same thing is a mistake. There is a strong need to ensure your exhibition plans are in a constant state of improvement. But, what improvements should you make and how will you measure their impact? The answer is through the establishment of benchmarks. Change is best measured when you have something to measure it against and one of these benchmarks is your Visitor Intensity.

2. Show selection

When it comes to selection you need to ensure that your criteria are based in rationality. Choosing a show because everyone is there or you are concerned about your absence being conspicuous, may be based in some truth but  needs to be rationalized. One of the methods of selecting the shows you want to attend is to use Visitor Intensity as your barometer.

3. Setting performance standards

Once you have some history with Visitor Intensity, you will have a good scale for which to base your exhibition expectations. Your goals for new shows should ensure that you are constantly meeting these standards. This is also  helpful for your booth staff as well as it empowers them to proactively look for methods of helping your exhibit meet or surpass its goals.

Think of Visitor Intensity as an excellent tool to add to your show planning arsenal. When you compare Visitor Intensity to cost per impression just make sure you are comparing apples to apples.

By: Barry Siskind

Are you happy with your trade show efforts? I am not asking if you are satisfied with your results but rather if your efforts bring you satisfaction. Exhibiting takes a lot of time, requires a tremendous amount of energy and puts you under a considerable amount of pressure to perform. Exhibiting requires a herculean effort to be the best you can when you are meeting clients face-to-face. Are you happy doing what you do?

There is more to happiness than an occasional smile and a good belly laugh. We live in a culture that continually bombards us with the promise of instant happiness. If we drink the right beer, take the right pill, drive the right car, or land a new account, happiness can be ours. Yet, how many of us are truly happy?

Many people have grown cynical and see no reason to be happy. They may be in a bad relationship, disappointed with the cards that life has dealt them, concerned about the environment, or unhappy with their political leaders … the list is endless.

Then there are those who grumble that they feel stuck in a daily routine that has grown as predictable as the punch line to a bad joke.

Happiness is not universal. You can be happy at work and yet remain an unhappy person. We don’t have to look far to see examples of unhappiness; it’s everywhere we turn.

Happiness makes your work more satisfying; it is the underlying element to a healthy life. Sometimes early passions form the direction of your life and work from the get-go, while, in other cases, you may need to go through a process of self-discovery to get in touch with your happiness.

Finding happiness does not mean you have to quit your job or abandon your daily routine. On the contrary, it often doesn’t require such drastic action. Often, you can find happiness by taking small steps.

According to University of Illinois psychologist Ed Diener, editor of the Journal of Happiness Studies, “There is no one key to happiness, but there are several important elements.”

1. Family and Friends.

The wider and deeper the relationships you have with those around you the better. Research suggests that friendship can ward off germs. Our brain controls many of the mechanisms in our body that are responsible for disease. Just as stress can trigger ill health, it is thought that friendship and happiness can have a protective effect.

2. Marriage.

Marriage is also important. According to research, the positive effects of marriage add an average of seven years to the life of a man and four years to a woman.

3. A sense of meaning.

A belief in something bigger from religion, spirituality, or a philosophy of life can contribute to happiness.

4. Goals.

Having goals that you are working toward and that you also find enjoyable embedded in your short and long-term plans is an element of happiness.

5. Meaningful work.

Spending a third to half of your life doing something you feel good about. This means knowing that you are making a difference as well as having an opportunity to display your competencies.

What the psychologists seem to agree on is that when you do something thinking it will make you happy it seldom works. Why? Because we are very bad at predicting the future. So the trick is to lead a well balanced life and rather than pursuing happiness find ways of living happy every day.

We all know how difficult it is to find a balance when trade events interfere with your daily routine. The trick is to think about how you can continue to do what you do and at the same time mitigate the effect of everyday business pressures. You will be happy you did.

Once you have made the commitment to market your products and /or services through trade shows you need to make sure that you are getting the most for your investment. Trade shows can be an effective means of advertising and generating sales, but unless you develop a plan to carry out your trade show, it may not be as beneficial to your organization as it could be. Here are some tips to make sure you are getting the most out of participating in trade show events:

Before the show:

1. Determine the image you want to portray at the trade show event.

Just like creating a business plan you need a plan when participating in trade shows. Talk with your marketing/advertising personnel to make sure that the themes you have in print advertising and literature are the same ones you want to portray at the trade show event. Keep the focus the same (usually big ticket items or the primary product/ service you are offering) and make sure your messages can be conveyed easily to a new prospect. Most people walking by your booth look at it for five seconds and determine if it is of interest to them – make sure you get the prospects you want to stop at your booth.

2. Determine how you are going to utilize your show space.

The bigger the space you have the more area you have to show your products and services. Some people just want to hand out literature and start with a skirted table. Others have either an 8’ or 10’ display with some shelves and graphics to display their products and services. Still others go custom with larger spaces that allow them to have several “areas’ within their trade show exhibit booth to showcase different products and/or services.  How you utilize the space is dependent on the message and image you want to convey to the potential prospect. So for example, if you want to convey the message that you are the number one company in this market – your space better be large and bold.

3. Understand the exhibitor manual guide to the show

The exhibitors guide can help you understand how to conduct yourself at trade shows and what you can and can not do with your booth space.  It should also provide you with a list of companies participating (who could be prospects as well) along with a floor plan and a schedule of when the show floor is opened.  Try to get your booth space in the corners, entrance ways, or anywhere near high traffic areas. You want to see a steady flow of traffic by your exhibit booth.

4. Have a meeting well in advance to the show to prepare.

In order to make your trade show participation runs effectively you need to make sure that you communicate your plans. Make sure the right sales people are available to work the booth, determine what you will hand out to the prospects, get a display purchased or rented, and make sure you have the booth area decorated to match your advertising theme and image.

5. Set objectives and measure the results

Once your plans have been set you need to establish how the results are to be measured. It can be as simple as “one closed sale” to collecting 50 “A” leads.  Make sure you identify what an “A” lead is and if possible document that information at the show. Determine who and how you are going to follow-up on all leads. Are you sending out literature, contacting all leads, or a combination of the two?  Whatever it is, make sure you determine how you are going to measure the success of the participating in any particular trade show event.

During the show:

6. Quickly qualify potential customers

As prospects come to your booth be prepared to ask them some qualifying questions that will help you quickly determine if the person is a good candidate for your products and/or services. Once you determine if they are a good candidate make sure to collect their contact information either through a business card or lead retrieval system and then document on that card information about your conversation for future reference. Do not try and collect everyone’s business card, focus on the ones that are interested in what you have to offer and fit the criteria of a strong prospective customer.

7. Don’t just hand out the literature to anyone

Most literature at trade shows is never read. It is sometimes more prudent to provide a one page flyer or to offer to send the literature via email or mail. Even better to ask if you can hand-deliver the prospect a brochure after the show and have a meeting to discuss the information in more detail. Regardless, limit the amount of literature you hand out at shows.

8. Create a “trade-show demo”

Instead of standing around asking the prospect sales type questions, it would be more beneficial to create a “trade show demo”. The demo could be a rehearsed list of your products major features and benefits that can be communicated to a prospect in less then five minutes. Make sure everyone at your booth can recite this demo for any prospect.

After the show:

9. Follow-up on the qualified leads you obtained.

Call each qualified prospect (as identified in the beginning of this process) and arrange a follow-up call or meeting. You need to make sure you call them within a week of the show while you are fresh in their minds.

10. Conduct a post show evaluation

With everyone’s input that worked the show, find out how you can improve on your company’s participation in future trade shows. Did your booth attract the right audience? Was your booth strategically placed?  Did you ask the right questions and obtain qualified leads? Should you participate in this show again in the future – or look for new shows with a different target market? How did you compare against your major competition?
Using these simple tips can help you better market your products and/or services through any trade show event.  Good luck!  Contact us if you are interested in learning more at www.thetradeshownetwork.com

By: Karin Roberts

Background. This client came to us because they had decided to exhibit at a new trade show event and therefore requested a new custom exhibit design and event strategy that would help drive increased brand awareness and capture the attention of the architectural community. The goal of participating in this event was to clearly articulate the company’s message as the number one supplier of all glass.

The Solution. After conducting some research on the target market and some of the competitors in this space – “Where glass becomes architecture. We turn ordinary glass into extraordinary buildings” became the new high powered message used in both the custom exhibit strategy and the event strategy. For the custom exhibit, we decided to use a more artistic display featuring bright eye-catching visuals and imagery which would appeal to this audiences taste and would entice them to see what this client had to offer. A light show was added to the booth that highlighted glass used in commercial building contracts. A dynamic exhibit that clearly articulates messages and captivates interest certainly was effective at increasing overall brand awareness. However, the client needed to take additional steps to secure quality leads. As an incentive to draw attendees to the booth, an event strategy was implemented and it was recommended that the client offer a drawing to win a new Tablet PC. To enter the drawing the attendee needed to complete a survey card which asked a few key questions designed to qualify the prospect. The client obtained 255 leads from the top 1000 architectural firms, which was far above their pre-show objective of 50 firms.

The Results. The results of this integrated program were phenomenal. The booth traffic was enormous and was predominantly due to the exhibit itself, graphics, and the draw or a giveaway. The client obtained 255 leads which was a 325% improvement from their last show. These leads were entered into a database and contacted by sales representatives and literature was sent out as a follow-up measure. The client stated that based on the survey card results, the exhibit itself attracted 21% of the target audience.

What was learned. It is extremely important to conduct an analysis of your target market at each show you attend. Every market has different pain points and issues that will attract them to your exhibit – you just need to determine what they are – and create them within your booth space. They say if you build it they will come, I do not agree. But if you build it with market intelligence your chances of a qualified lead coming into your exhibit space is greatly enhanced. Try it. You will like it.

By: Barry Siskind

I have been walking trade shows for nearly a quarter of a century and I still get excited each time I do. It’s the energy and the glitz and glamour of show biz that keeps me coming back for more. It’s especially interesting to watch a show during set up, sometimes from the vantage point of a balcony of mezzanine. Beneath me I see the organized chaos of hundreds of people scurrying around, forklift trucks lifting wooden boxes and empty spaces being converted into showpieces – each piece of the jigsaw puzzle magically coming together.

Try watching the show you are exhibiting at take form. See if you aren’t as impressed as I am. But, we don’t have to keep this excitement our little secret, my guess is that lots of your customers might really enjoy seeing the sights and sounds of a trade show even if they can’t attend. You can share the experience through the technology of social media.

I read an article in Exhibitor Magazine which reported that the Freedman Decorating Company of Dallas, Texas used Twitter to bring visitors to their booth. That sounds easy enough. They had a significant following on Twitter so by offering a $5.00 Starbucks coupon and an opportunity to hear about their latest offerings, their pre-show promotion took on a whole new look.

But, you have the power to take your show promotion even further. For example the technology giant Intel Corporation posted images and videos on YouTube and Flicker for people around the globe who could not attend one of their major international conferences. These absentee customers could see new products, hear speeches and share in the experience of a show.

It’s pretty easy to explore the world of You Tube. Visit www.youTube.com and enter trade shows. When I did it I was quite impressed. I found one video that received 1,940,425 views and another with 1,276,956. While this may be beyond most company’s realistic expectations you can still achieve a viewership. With a bit more searching I found a video posted by Auto Page, an automotive solutions retailer, who shot a video at their show in Las Vegas and received 5, 019 views and Freeline Skates who manufactures skate, surf and snow boards, exhibiting at in San Diego received 981 views.

Think about it. Freeline Skates was able to attract 981 people who spent 2:38 minutes watching a video about their products. That’s not bad.

So, if you are looking to beef up your show promotion efforts with a minimum of costs keep social media in mind.

Here are a couple of things to consider:

• Take serious steps to developing a social media site on Twitter, LinkedIn, Flicker or Facebook to encourage the people you want to follow you with interesting and timely information. You can also use social media to invite guests to your display.

• Videos don’t have to be broadcast quality. You can take it on your  iphone. An interview with a customer at your booth, a tour of your trade show exhibit booth or a walk around the show may do the trick.

• Video don’t have to be lengthy. The most popular videos on YouTube were those in the 2 – 4 minute range.

• Focus on the experience. Keep away from the tendency to reiterate information your customers can already see on your web-site and focus more on the experience they are missing at the show.

• There is no limit to the number of videos you can post. You can do a comparison of your display this year to the one you had last year to let your customers know that you really listened to their feedback. Perhaps you can do a mini version of an in-booth presentation or take a time-lapse video of your booth under construction.

Promoting your attendance at a trade show is crucial, but the methods have changed largely because of the demographic shift in your customer base. Years ago sending out a thousand e-mails might have done the trick, but not today.  The Generation X’s and Millennials who are technology savvy, demand information in bit size chunks. Keep these tips in mind when you promote your next show.

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By: Barry Siskind

One of my favorite places to buy books is Amazon.com. If you are one of millions of book buyers like me, you are familiar with the typical Amazon.com listing. Their history is noteworthy. Amazon started selling books on the internet in 1995. Over the past decade they have grown to the point that they sell more books, DVD’s, CD’s M3P’s software, videogames, electronics, apparel, furniture and toys on-line than anyone – anywhere in the world. Why? Because they have a formula that works.

Picture an Amazon.com listings and think of it as above and below the line.

Above the line you find the title, price, shipping dates, inventory levels, number of pages, publisher, language, ISBN number, and the details about what’s inside the book. There’s no fault here. Everything you need to know is clearly spelled out. But that’s not why people buy books particularly if it is an author they hadn’t heard about before. They need more than details which bring the discussion to those things that are below the line. These include information about the author, citations, customer rated reviews and a section called, “What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this page?” Above the line points the purchaser to the details and below the line reveals the experience. Which do you think is more important?

This same analogy applies to an exhibit program. What do your signs and graphics say? Are they filled with information about products and services? What about your literature? Is it teeming with enough information to sink a supertanker? And what about your trade show booth staff? Do they fill hours at the show telling people all about the features and benefits of your products and services?

If you answered yes to any of these then it’s time to stand back and re-think your approach.

It all comes down to understanding the difference between remembering and knowing. Remembering, which is prone to error, requires a deep mental level of processing information that is often referred to as the “episodic memory.”  Knowing on the other hand triggers a familiarity which interestingly enough is often without the details of a specific product or service. This is referred to as the “semantic memory.”

The lesson to learn is that knowing lasts longer and has a more powerful impact on decision making than remembering.  When I decide what to buy on Amazon.com, I often refer to the items below the line. This is because to have an  experience on-line, the best I can do is find out what other people feel.

But in a show environment we have the advantage of face-to-face contact. Our customers have an opportunity to touch, hold, smell, taste and hear our products and services through one or more of their senses. It’s when we harness the power of presenting below the line that we create a lasting impact.

Here are few quick pointers:

1. Your front line booth staff should be passionate about the product and services they represent.
2. They should leave the customer with a positive feeling about doing business with your company.
3. Signs and graphics should focus on experience rather than details.
4. Literature should utilize lifestyle photos.
5. It’s little stuff that makes the greatest impact.

This last point focuses attention on an important quirk of human nature. People who expect a certain level of service become very critical when it slips even one iota. When dealing with the public you and your staff should constantly try to provide extras that go above the standard. It’s these little things that often solidify the knowing part of memory.

Whether you are in your showroom or at a trade show, leave your customers  with a positive experience and you will remain top of mind when it comes time to place an order.