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8 Key Ingredients for a Great Fabric Display Booth

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Write the play before you design the set. These simple words make a profound difference between an exhibit booth designed to enhance selling versus one that is a monument to ego. Too often, exhibits are designed to satisfy taste rather than provide a positive customer experience. Before worrying about taste and form, think about:

Ideally, how do you want visitors to travel through the exhibit space?
What corporate/product stories need to be told?
Should there be a linear, controlled path or a more free-flowing, non-linear space?
What sales tools are needed—and where—to tell your story and engage visitors?
How will you capture customer impressions and data?
What do you want the visitor to think and feel about your company when leaving the exhibit?

Similar to what the best coaches do on the sidelines at time-outs, create a bubble diagram to block out the selling scenarios you will need in the exhibit:

What and where is the exhibit attraction?
How should visitors enter the exhibit?
Which products need priority placement?
What forms of media (graphics, video, interactive) are needed to support selling?
How should product demos be done and where?
Are privacy areas needed for meetings?
How will personal effects be stored?

Create Show-Stopping Graphics

While fabric display booth designs are increasing in popularity, it is still rather unique to see a tension fabric display at a trade show. The benefits and advantages of tension fabric include fire resistance, portability, vivid color transfer, wrinkle resistance, and you have options of indoor or outdoor use when selecting fabric displays.

Each fabric display offers an attractive way for you to create a professional and impressive appearance. Design a trade show display that best matches your needs, and be prepared to land some sales.

20 x 20 Island Fabric Display Design with Large Graphics for Impact!

Add Counters and Monitors to your Design.

Make Them Stop and Look: Graphics are used to create interest, focus attention and tell visitors about your product or service. In just three to five seconds (statistically, it is 3.8 seconds), your booth graphics should communicate who you are, what you do, and how customers can benefit. Graphics are often the first impression an attendee has of an exhibitor at a tradeshow, so it is important to make the right statement and create a lasting—and positive—impression. Aim to grab attention with full-blown, interesting and vibrant graphics. Make graphic images life-size for the greatest impact. Ensure your graphics can be viewed at a distance of 5 to 15 feet (2 to 5 meters) or more.

Image First: What image do you want to project: Traditional? High-tech? Dependable? Your company’s image will dictate choices in typefaces, artwork, colors, etc. Be sure to stay away from trendy colors, as they may become outdated quickly.

Graphic Hierarchy: The company name should be at the top of your display. It should be large and easy to read or recognize from several aisles away. Secondary graphics should present your “value proposition” and answer why the prospect should enter your exhibit. The third level of graphics should serve as “way-finding” elements, directing visitors to your product/service groupings that have been categorized for easy identification by the prospect. Copy about product features and benefits should be at eye level, to be used as talking points by your exhibit personnel.

Logo and Messaging Placement: Proper logo placement and messaging are paramount to a successful exhibit. The graphics below show reading patterns on web pages, but eye movements hold true for any blocks of text. The red sections represent where readers look the most, followed in order by the yellow, blue, then grey areas. In each example, the F-shape can be made out. Keep this in mind when planning your logo and messaging placement.

Short and Sweet: Use graphic images to communicate what you do. Keep copy short and sweet, like a billboard. Convey the unique benefit(s) you offer customers in as few words as possible. Show how you’re different from other companies, and how people will benefit from doing business with you over a competing company. Test your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) to be sure it works on some of your existing customers or, better yet, on people who do not already know what you do.

Benefits Matter Most: Design your tradeshow display graphics to your target audience. Focus on customer benefits. Visitors are attending shows to get solutions to their needs, and your graphics need to answer the question, “What’s in it for me?” Design images to stimulate your viewers’ imaginations and perhaps help them think beyond the conventional. Avoid designing “down to” or stereotyping particular audiences (e.g., white for doctors, diagrams for engineers). Convey technical information using good design principles and carefully planned graphics. Remember, design your graphics from a “baby eyes” perspective for members of the target audience who may not already know who you are or what you do. If they can fully understand this through your graphic message(s), you’ve created a winning look.

Exhibit Rentals Can be a Smart Choice!

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 23:57:00 GMT

If your budget does not allow you to purchase a new exhibit, renting an exhibit may be a smart choice both financially and logistically. Our industry rule of thumb is that renting an exhibit makes sense when exhibiting just once or twice, since a one-time exhibit rental generally costs approximately one-third of an equivalent new exhibit purchase. Renting a display lets you void the costs and headaches of long-term storage, redesigning the display for multiple shows and refurbishment for ownership of your display. What’s more is that rental exhibits provide flexibility and functionality to suit a wide range of exhibiting needs.

Rental exhibits may be getting a bad wrap for being uninspired, but that doesn’t have to be the story for you. See below the two most common types of rental exhibits that may fit your upcoming exhibit booth rental needs.

Not every rental display is the same. Before you sign on a dotted line, be sure to familiarize yourself with the three types of rental exhibits commonly available – pop-up and portable displays; modular and system displays; and hard-wall exhibit displays. If you find yourself wanting something that is a little less traditional, see some of the out-of-the-box rental exhibit examples below.

Pop-up and Portable Exhibits
The most common sizes for portable and pop-up exhibits are 8-by-8-foot or 8-by-10-foot pop-up trade show displays. If you have a linear booth, such as a 10-by-10-foot or 10-by-20-foot size, this type of rental will make an effective back drop to display your company brand, logo, and a few key graphic messages for your target audience.

Their modest footprint allows pop-ups to be generally the least expensive of all rental options, especially if you are using rollable detachable graphics with Velcro to reuse on different back-wall structures. Most pop-up exhibits will save you money when it comes to labor for installation and dismantle at shows. This is because union rules in most cities allow an exhibitor to set up their own exhibit if it takes 30 minutes or less, is not higher than the standard 8-foot high requirement, and requires no hand tools or ladders to use for assembly. Most all pop-ups meet these criteria.

Pop-ups are lightweight and are often referred to as “portables.” Most pop ups with full graphic panels, lights and a carry case or two can weigh up to 80 lbs. However if you rent in two cases, this is very easy to transport and pack up at the end of the show.

The downside of renting a pop-up display is that due to their lightweight and portable materials, cost effectiveness, they are relatively common and don’t really set you apart from the rest of the pop up exhibitors. You may want to rent a pop-up such as a Nomadic Pop up display that allows you to add 3D elements such as a monitor mount with monitor or stand off graphics to help you really stand out from an ordinary pop-up exhibitor.

Modular Exhibits
Modular exhibits offer exhibitors an opportunity to build just about anything in any size. With adding a few custom touches, you’re only limited by your exhibit provider’s available rental inventory. Modular exhibits can be thought of similar to Legos for adults. These types of display rentals are often constructed from aluminum extrusions or frames, sometimes with honeycomb interiors for added strength and stability, and often laminated or direct printed on Sintra and slid into the framework to create panels.

Modular displays can be used to create pretty much any shape, rectangular kiosks, round towers, meeting rooms, product-display walls, and storage areas, depending on your specific needs. You can add some visual interest easily with truss elements, wall-covering graphics, and customized lighting. These types of rentals are also considered lightweight, saving you money on both shipping and material handling at shows, and if the rental items are not too complex that holds the pieces together, these types of rental displays can also save money when it comes to labor installation and dismantling of your booth rental

If the modular exhibit you select features a complex design and fastenings and requires hand tools for assembly, or takes longer than the allowed 30 minutes to set up, you won’t be able to install it yourself and will need to hire someone for your labor installation and dismantle work.

Some types of hard-wall exhibits are fastened together using wood screws, while others feature a more modern Allen-wrench cam-lock system for joining the panels, which speeds your setup time. These panels are usually available in either black or white laminate at standard heights of 8’ and come in various widths, but for a true custom look, digital photomurals can be printed and mounted on the entire outside surface of the panels. This method results in a smooth, custom look that is a step up from the less expensive modular rentals.

Most exhibit houses offer customized standard 4-by-8-foot panel inventory with other features such as elaborately shaped graphic toppers, custom lighting, additional reinforcement for holding large monitors for video displays and products, and custom laminated panels. Certainly, all these display upgrades come at an additional price, making hard-wall type booths more expensive than their pop-up exhibit and modular exhibit counterparts.

Consider this Before Your Next Show
Before matching and/or mixing traditional rental exhibits with unconventional items, consult the show’s exhibitor services manual for any rules, restrictions, and booth obstructions, and make sure the exhibit items you’re using are made of approved materials by the convention center’s fire marshal. When in doubt, ask the Show Management putting on the show for the fire specifications and/or check with the local fire marshal at the venue where the show will be held.

As you plan your next exhibit booth space, decide what it will take to make a lasting impression: traditional rental exhibit properties, an out-of-the box exhibit booth, or a combination of both. Whatever rental display option you choose, keep your company’s messaging and brand identity in mind to ensure your next rental exhibit is not only marketable but is memorable.

About EXHIB-IT!

EXHIB-IT! is a design and display company that specializes in high quality trade show displays and trade show management services. More information can be found at their official website at http://www.exhib-it.com/.

How to Turn Trade Show Leads Into Clients

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 07:00:00 GMT

We once had a storage client send us their display straight from a show they just finished to go back into storage without needing an exhibit check. Six months later, they asked us to pull their exhibit, set it up for refurbishment work and new graphics to be printed for their next show. As we began to unpack and set up their custom display, we found a fishbowl full of leads from their last show! 80% of companies do not follow up with leads acquired at a trade show.

Follow these steps to ensure a successful post show follow up:

Assign one person to be in charge of leads. This way there is no way to loose or place blame on leads that are not followed up on.
Organize and sort your leads. Sort first by hot, warm or cold lead then by product or service needs.
Make sure all the leads are entered into your contact management system timely. If you don’t have a contact management system, enter them in a spreadsheet so you can track progress and activity.
Select appropriate actions for following up with leads- did you promise to send additional information, to call them, send an email. DO IT!

Pre planning and having information such as flyers, emails, postcards, newsletters, or white papers will make beginning your post show follow up much smoother. Instead of running around trying to get information together for leads, your sales team will have the information right at their finger tips. Offering a piece of information to a prospect will help to build the relationship.

Other helpful tips for post show follow up:

Don’t neglect your day to day business while at show. When you return, you want to be caught up and not overwhelmed with what you missed while at the show.
Follow up with hot leads before the show is even over or better yet set follow up meetings while on the show floor.
Always deliver what you promise when you promise it. If you over commit and under deliver you are damaging your company and may loose potential business, not to mention a negative image and reputation.
Never assume an existing customer will contact you if they have a need.
Track your leads- where you met them, when they convert and what the conversion amount was. This is valuable information for your marketing plan.
Follow up more than once. Don’t get discouraged when a prospect doesn’t immediately return your call or buy something and use different avenues to connect with your prospect-social media, email, direct mail, telephone call.

Ideas for staying in touch all year:

Thank you cards
Birthday cards
Holiday cards- be careful not to offend
Special offers for preferred clients
Client appreciation days

Extra Tip:

Tie in your follow up with your trade show booth display or am experience the prospect had while visiting in your booth space. This way they can instantly identify who you are and you will make a lasting impression!

The 3 Trade Show Zones and WHY You Need to Know Each One!

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 18:44:00 GMT

I’m sure you’ve heard the statistic that you have 3.8 seconds to grab the attention of a show attendee when they are walking the show floor. Add to that the amazing statistic that attendees absorb less than 10% of the information coming at them on the show floor. Suddenly the task of gathering leads at a trade show can seem rather daunting. Before you throw down your pencil and start picking up the phone to cold call, take a look at how we break down the zones in your trade show booth.

The information is valuable and will help you choose which attendees to spend more time with, what questions to ask them, and a couple ways to leave a lasting impression.

Here’s another frightening statistic: Only 20% of companies follow up with trade show leads! Be sure that your company is in that 20%. Tune in next week for post show follow up!

Zone 1- Common Interest

Where: Outside of your booth- In larger island booths this may be inside your booth but close to the aisle.
What people see:
- Recognition- Something in your booth has peaked their interest.
What YOU need to do in this zone:
- Have literature, brochures or a one sheet close to aisles
- Qualifying questions to ask, if you are able to engage the attendee. At this stage, the attendee may or may not allow you to engage them. Always focus your attention on the prospects deeper into your booth.
  - Tell me about your company?
  - What is your role in the company?

Zone 2- Potential Interest

Where: The first couple feet of your booth- hanging out around the perimeter with a quick exit if they feel necessary.
What people see:
- Drawings
- Demonstrations
- Giveaway Items

Something in your booth or about your company has their curiosity and they are willing to pause for a moment to investigate.

What YOU need to do in this zone:
- Have literature easily available
- Have a nice but cost effective giveaway for “warm” prospects
- Qualifying questions to ask:
  - What is your role in the company?
  - What are you hoping to find at the show today?
  - When do you want to proceed with this idea?

Zone 3- Genuine Interest

Where: Inside your booth
What people see:
- One-on-one presentations
- In-booth seminars
What YOU need to do in this zone: Be sure that you recognize people in this zone and make it a priority to speak with them, as these will be your hottest prospects.
- Have literature available, perhaps a disc or USB drive
- Offer a nicer promotional giveaway item
- Qualifying questions to ask:
  - Tell me a little about your situation.
  - What are you hoping to solve by purchasing this product or service?
  - What is your role in the company?
  - Do you have a budget set aside for this product or service?
  - How soon should I contact you to set up an appointment?
  - When is your next open to buy timeline?

How to Increase Traffic at Your Trade Show Booth

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 07:00:00 GMT

People, people, people, people and…. people. That’s what we all want to see inside of our trade show booth at our next show or event. But the question remains - how do we get them there? The show management is going to handle their side of marketing, but you need to do more! You need to pre-market to your prospects, clients and really everyone you know that fits your target audience! But once you are at the show, you will want to know some ways to increase traffic and draw the attendees to YOUR booth.

By properly planning your booth space, you can generate buzz about your company on the show floor and make people come looking for you! The key to these tips is proper marketing and signage. If you implement an idea, make sure you promote it! Here are some great tips to start with:

Charging Station for Phones and Laptops- Who doesn’t have a cell phone these days? By offering a charging station it will not only generate buzz on the show floor but bring people into your booth space.

Offer free wifi- If show management is already offering free wifi, this won’t do you much good, but if exhibitors have to pay for wireless, invest in offering it free to show attendees in your booth. At a show, without wireless, this is really going to make your company stand out and have people talking!

Food- Who doesn’t love food? If you don’t love food, you’re not welcome in my booth. In all seriousness, walking, and working, a show is tiring. Most attendees will welcome a snack.

If you can pull it off, get something that will create aroma like popcorn, cookies or coffee. All these ideas are inexpensive and noses from all over the floor will be sniffing you out!

**Remember that with food you want to have enough staff that your best lead generators are not busy handing out goodies but qualifying prospects.

Demo
In booth Entertainment- Popular in booth entertainment methods that will drive traffic to your booth:

Money blowing machines
Prize wheels
Prize Vaults
Video game contests
Celebrity look a-likes

** Remember whatever you choose should complement your company and the services or products that you are selling. You want to be able to not only entertain attendees, but to engage them and increase your total number of leads. Be aware that in booth entertainment is going to increase all leads, cold and warm, so train your staff well on qualification.

Trade show giveaways- There are two parts to your giveaway strategy - pre show and at show.

Pre show- Market to your loyal customers and hot prospects pre show by personally sending them an invitation to your booth with a giveaway. Let them know when they come by your booth they will get the second half of the giveaway. If the prospect of client is important enough, send them a free ticket for admission or if admission is free a free parking pass.
At show- Create a giveaway that can be worn, or carried, on the show floor. Have show workers walk around the floor and give away a prize to one person per hour that has the giveaway visible. Tweak this to fit your company. The key to this strategy is to make the item visible. I’ve seen it with many items with some of the more popular items being t-shirts, bags, hats and lanyards. It should be something large enough to be visible but not be cumbersome. Make sure the design really stands out!

If you can get the entire show talking about your company, the results and increased awareness are going to pay off in the long term!

You know you need a new trade show display if……

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 18:48:00 GMT

• You’re tearing apart your kid’s science project to borrow their poster board at midnight the night before your show.
• People walk up to your booth and ask who you are or what you do.
• Your booth is the only one without a booth display.
• There is nothing in your booth but, well….. you!
• People aren’t even looking in your booth space.
• Your employees pull straws because they are embarrassed by your lack or presence.
• Your display was purchased in 1905- when your company was founded.
• Your logo has been redesigned….. twice since you last updated your display.
• Your display colors are so bright I need sunglasses to look at it.
• I’m sorry what do you do again?
• There’s so much product in your booth there’s not any room for you.
• Your using the standard table throws from the decorator.
• Duct tape and staples are the main element in your display.
• Your current display is to large/small for your booth space.
• Your customers know exactly who you are because they recognize your display.
• Shipping costs are eating or consuming your budget.

In all seriousness, trade show displays are an important part of your booth and trade show presence. A display communicates who you are to show attendees. Whether you are a small business with a limited budget or a larger company, you can have a professional display that will attract visitors and increase your visibility.

The right kind of trade show display for your needs doesn’t have to break the bank, but keeping your display updated with new information, products or services and ways for your clients to interact with you is the first step in a successful trade show.

At EHIB-IT! we take the time to find out your needs so we can accurately recommend a trade show display that can be easily updated and draw positive attention to your company.

The Impact of Trade Show Display Trends

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Trade show displays have changed over the years and have evolved to fit the current trends to incorporate technology. Some experts believe you can trace trade shows back to medieval European fairs. In the United States we attribute the 1853-54 New York World’s Fair as the first real face-to-face trade show event.

Since that time, trade show displays have evolved from being solely custom displays that were built specifically for an individual show to becoming more lightweight and modular to fit the budget and needs of each customer in today’s marketplace. The display industry has changed and continues to evolve to meet exhibitor’s ongoing changing needs.

Since the debut of the pop up display in 1975 by Nomadic Display, pop up displays have revolutionized the display industry. They are the most common and widely recognizable portable trade show display in the world. No matter where the display world is headed, chances are pop up displays will always be a core integrated part of the display world. You can even design a modular tradeshow booth that has integrated a pop-up display with laminate panels and high tech metal extrusions and not even know a pop-up display exists in the design.

So you may be asking - what is in store for the coming years in the trade show exhibit design?

Making any space smaller
Tension fabric structures
Simplicity- Less is more
Build up
Add a lounge to your booth
Incorporate technology
Incorporate “green” materials

Many companies spend a great amount of effort and time ensuring that their event strategy that includes trade show display booth, printed graphics, booth staffing, trade show marketing, and giveaways are well planned out to maximize lead generation and sales.

Like any other marketing initiative, the marketplace and its receptiveness to marketing and sales approaches change over time. When preparing your company to exhibit in a trade show or event, be sure to pay close attention to industry trends that correlate in the exhibit planning stage. This will make a big difference in a company’s ability to be successful with its trade show display booth for marketing and at show awareness.

Trade shows provide an environment for face-to-face marketing and relationship building but it is important to be aware of shifts in economic and demographic information. Some key trends in the trade show industry are:

More Shows are Being Offered. With globalization, this has opened the doors to new and expanded trade shows around the world with the greatest increases being in China, India and other parts of the Asian market place.
More Competition at Trade Shows. With time being limited, trade shows face competition from an increasing number and variety of association and corporate events that include consumer-driven marketing activities, fundraisers, golf outings, incentive trips, and many events with networking opportunities.
More Consolidation Within the Trade Show Industry. Show organizers are aging or changing their focus. From major show organizers of large tradeshows to small shows, show management firms are selling to larger show management firms or specialists in the event industry.
More Outsourcing Within the Trade Show Industry. When trade show owners and organizers realize they are unable to keep up with the newest technology, rapid growing markets, or paradigm shifts in association demographics and/or industry economics, they increasingly use outside experts to handle most, if not all, of the trade show from planning through implementation.
More Options for Exhibitors. We are seeing many companies opting to decrease their trade show booth space at larger shows and spread their trade show dollars amongst smaller regional and/or local shows. This allows them to spread the word about their company and continue their branding consistently and more often.
More Emphasis Placed on Marketing. Thanks to technology changing rapidly and allowing for more outlets to market–such as e-mail campaigns, blogs, iPods, high tech computer generated hand-written invitations and interactive social media channels. Smart exhibitors understand trade show trends, their changing markets and how best to reach their target markets.

According to the Incomm Center for Trade Show Research and Sales Planning, here are some findings summarized for recent exhibiting trends within the Trade Show Industry.

Time limitations.
Show attendees realize the importance of staying longer when walking a show to get as much accomplished at the trade show as possible. As a result, attendees are doing less browsing and more targeted product evaluation during the show.

If an exhibitor is able to conduct multiple meetings in one day, this is making it easier for the show attendees and is a great benefit. The attendees are then able to use their time efficiently to compare products for making purchasing decisions.

Increase in Buying Teams at Events and Trade Shows.
We are seeing a growing trend of buying teams walking the show floor compared to a single company representative walking the show as done in the past. Within these buying teams, there are a number of decision makers that range from a single organization that strategically visits your display booth space and your competition’s tradeshow display booth. This is done to fully evaluate the benefits of one product or service over another.

After this process is done on the tradeshow floor, these buying teams meet as a group and collectively make follow-up strategies for making decisions for the company they are representing.

Experiential Exhibiting.
You will see more trade show display booth staffers using soft-sell approaches that engage visitors with product and service success stories and solutions rather than aggressively selling products and features to visitors. Research has shown that buyers prefer this type of approach versus the old style of hard selling during the trade show.
Exhibiting Success.
Success from a trade show is not only measured in new leads or sales generated at the show or post show, but in building current customer relationships. Using Pre-show marketing and account management will help draw booth visitors and allow you to set up special meetings with current customers that have the potential to yield incremental sales.
Using Registration Technology.
With many forms of new and high tech registration technology such as smart cards, bar coding, magnetic strips and the NEW ileads software expedite the registration process which save attendees and event sponsors time and effort in getting things done efficiently and timely.

The best advantage of using these types of technology to gather leads is having the ability to better track a prospect’s data and traffic flow, allowing exhibitors to measure quality as well as quantity from exhibiting at a trade show or event.

TSEA White Paper- Shaping the New Exhibition Model

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Trade Show Exhibitors Association, also known as TSEA, held an inaugural Red Diamond Congress event on April 25-27, 2010. The Congress was comprised of leading exhibit marketers, builders, agencies, show producers and various other trade show industry suppliers to discuss the exhibition industry and how to make changes that benefit both the exhibitor and the exhibit industry. Professionals from all branches of the exhibit industry met to openly discuss the largest issues the industry is facing in today’s market. Get ready because change is coming and it’s going to be good!

TSEA released a white paper titled Shaping the New Exhibition Model: Exhibitors advocate for effective change to derive the future of the exhibition industry. (Here is a synopsis.)

Marketing is changing! Of course we all know that the event and trade show industry is far from over. Showing a return on investment (ROI) may be harder to prove and you may need to compete with other marketing funds to show a valuable return on your trade show dollars spent for exhibiting in trade shows. As a way to show investment in trade shows, it is recommended that third party data be provided for trade show attendance and demographics and it not come directly from the show managers.

As a corporate marketer, here is what Red Diamond Congress recommends you do to request independent third party audits:

Request third-party data from all prospective show organizers.
Be sure the audit is EEIAC certified.
Send signed letters to show organizers requesting they begin third-party audits.

Red Diamond Congress concluded that show organizers need to advocate for exhibitors and change convention housing. Some of the recommended changes include:

More flexibility for deposits and individual names for room blocks.
Show housing needs to be evaluated and inspected on a regular basis.
24-hour help line for exhibitors staying at a show’s hotel block.
Allowing exhibitors to share unused room nights with other exhibitors.

Transparency, and the lack of standardization, were the key issues surrounding labor practices. Corporate marketers feel the lack of uniformity makes it hard to budget properly and manage efficiency. Show organizers realize this and are working to create an industry-wide labor standardization. Organizers also realize the costs are reducing the number of products exhibitors are brining to the show floor and the only implication this has is a lesser value to the attendees, which is negative for both exhibitors and show organizers.

Red Diamond is striving to make the following changes to labor practices in order to boost growth for both the exhibition industry and the exhibitors.

Transparency on what fees are included in drayage.
Documentation provided to exhibitors when fees are applied to “special handling.”
Eliminate overtime rates and instead use blended rates.
Use more short-term contracts instead of the long-term contracts already in place.

Exhibitors and show organizers are now working together to change the exhibition industry to benefit all parties involved. The inaugural Red Diamond Congress was only the first step in a long process to read more or become involved read more here.

This will be a great step in helping companies with their budgeting costs for researching trade shows and selecting the right show for the right target audience. Great things await us in the trade show industry!

iLead Apps for iPhones

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Leads… we all want them! We strategize over how to get them and spend endless hours on a trade show floor hoping for just a few well qualified leads. The world of technology is changing; you can do anything from your iphone these days, including capturing lead information at a trade show. The days of writing notes on a business card or scanning a name badge are gone. Also gone are the days when you can’t get adequate information about a lead because you are at a dinner or on a bus.

The new app from Bartizan is revolutionary. Not only is it convenient but also cost effective. Some of the benefits include-
• Green your exhibiting program
• No shipping terminals to and from show
• No on-site techs
• No electrical hook ups

Download the ileads app at the apple store. Use the following information from the Bartizan blog to play with the app. To test and see how easy it is to use, simply launch the App and enter event access code: 1006, click on the event, and then enter test badge number 8188.

How ileads can help increase your sales:

• Capture all standard lead information
• Take a photo to attach to the lead
• Voice or text notes can be attached to the lead
• Portability. All you need is your iphone, ipad or ipod touch
• Instant communication with your office on leads gathered
• Follow up immediately with text, email or phone calls from the show floor
• No bar codes needed
• View lead profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google

A frightening fact is that an average of 79% of all leads obtained from trade shows are not followed up with. When you think of the amount of people just dropping cards into your fish bowl to win a prize- it’s understandable. You don’t want to waste your time and money sending information to people you’re not sure are interested in your products or services. The ileads app can change that! With the ability to quickly capture a lead and add a note, you are able to have a clear picture of leads and how best to follow up with them.

In today’s fast-paced business environment, this new way to collect data makes it easier for the follow-up process while showing off that you are a high tech company that knows how to do business!

To Exhibit or Not to Exhibit in a Trade Show

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 06:00:00 GMT

In doing some tradeshow research this past weekend, I came across The Center for Exhibition Industry Research’s Annual CEIR Index information that showed an unprecedented decline that is four times greater than any other decrease in our recorded history of tradeshows.

Most people felt the sky fell in 2008 and the stars rained down with painful heat in 2009. Well, this is what has been reported in the most recent report issued by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (also known as CEIR). Within the 2010 CEIR Index that has recently been released, it reports that business-to-business trade shows held in 2009 marked the exhibition industry’s second consecutive year of decline. Data is reported over the course of the year and the data indicates shortfalls in four metrics:

1. net square footage
2. revenue
3. attendees
4. exhibitors

These four metrics were used to measure the industry’s overall performance. We are not only seeing a slight dip in attendance or net square footage, but we are seeing the largest year-to-year decline in recorded history.

Looking back at tradeshow history, the recent Great Recession of 2008 and 2009 has been described as the most significant economic downturn since the Great Depression that began in 1929 (as reported by Carrie Freeman Parsons, vice chair of Dallas-based Freeman and 2010 CEIR chairperson). Parsons also reported that “Although the exhibition industry as we know it today did not exist some 80 years ago in the United States, it is hard to imagine that it would have experienced worse declines than those of the past two years.” Prior to this past year 2009, it was the largest single-year decline ever recorded. According to the U.S. Exhibition Industry there was a drop of 3.1 percent in 2008. In 2009, it was worse and plunged 12.5 percent — more than four times worse than 2008.

Now that you have heard all the disturbing growth news from 2008 – third quarter 2009, let’s focus on the positive. Following seven consecutive quarters of decline, the trade show industry managed to have a re-growth in the fourth quarter of 2009. It was not significant enough to offset the decreases experienced in the first nine months of the year, but it is a positive mention.

The outlook for 2010 is cautiously optimistic. In summary, CEIR claims the industry is poised to launch a recovery, but anticipates that overall performance will remain vulnerable by the Great Recession for the bulk of this year. However, expectations are that spending from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will keep increasing in 2010, and as the government responds with additional stimulus packages, several key sectors will be positively impacted. For example, it has been reported that billions of dollars are earmarked for in the sectors of education, renewable energy, construction, infrastructure, and technology.

Additional optimism is offered up in the form of a historical precedence with the Exhibition Industry rebounding well following previous recessions in the past. According to CEIR, “It took approximately three quarters for the exhibition industry to start growing again following the end of the 2001 recession. However, the 2001 recession was significantly shallower and briefer. With economic forecasters predicting slow growth in 2010, the exhibition industry may not see year-over-year growth until the fourth quarter of 2010.”

With the doom and gloom from the past two years and showing history from 2001 and rebound, we can have some faith in the trade show industry. As we continue to look to the future, CEIR offers some insights based on 10 years of accumulated data. According to the data, there are three key trends that are worth watching as potential predictors of what lies ahead –

1. The number of professional attendees at trade shows and exhibitions is a leading indicator of recovery and decline
2. Net square feet (of exhibit space sold) and revenue are parallel lagging indicators
3. Industry sectors (Professional Business Services, Consumer Goods and Retail Trade, and Building, Construction, Home, and Repair) have historically acted as “guideposts” for the overall trade show industry

Since 2000, the tradeshow industry has followed the same pattern as these sectors with regard to year-over-year performance. See here for reported data. http://www.exhibitoronline.com/exhibitormagazine/june10/research-state-of-the-industry.asp

Based on the CEIR Index’s most recent results, it would appear the trade show industry has reached a bottom and should show marginal improvement over the next 12 to 24 months, as stated by Galen Poss, partner at G2 & Associates LLC, a Washington, DC-based opinion- and market-research firm.

With all the above information over the past two years, I still recommend exhibiting in trade shows and here are my personal reasons why:

• Many companies are struggling with time management in downsizing staff but yet still trying to effectively and efficiently deliver the products and services to the customer. We receive hundreds of emails on a given day, along with many of using interactive social media and trying to keep up with communications through various avenues – email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Blogs, social groups, telephone calls, meetings, and the like. Wow! No wonder we are so exhausted!
• It would take much more time to arrange and make the needed telephone calls and meetings than it would to use Social Media and Search Engine Optimization efforts to create awareness for the tradeshow you are exhibiting at. Take the time to invite those attendees to visit you at the show floor and when on the show floor, blog about the show or what you are doing and especially take the video camera and capture some positive moments. This combination can be powerful if done right.
• With the four generations in the work place, I am seeing less and less face-to-face meetings to create a personal relationship. Exhibiting in trade shows allows a company to create relationships quickly and maintain their branding in the presence of the attendees if pre show, at show and post show marketing are done effectively.

Again Face-to-face is still the best way to capture the attention of your audience and what better avenue than a trade show to maintain your presence in the industry you are representing for products or services demonstrated at the show and having the right staff to build those relationships.

Having just released my new book Full Brain Marketing, Chapter 17 discusses in detail how to best prepare for a trade show from show selection to budgeting, selecting the right booth space, working the show, and how to best follow up after the show. See: www.fullbrainmarketing.com or email me personally with any questions you may have regarding tradeshows at djheckes@fullbrainmarketing.com.

I wish you a successful trade show experience.

Tips for Buying a Used Trade Show Display

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 06:00:00 GMT

When looking at trade show displays, it may be tempting to purchase a used trade show display. Entire websites are devoted to selling used trade show displays and you can easily find them on auction sites and even occasionally at garage sales.

Over the years I’ve seen some clients get an exceptional deal from purchasing a used display. However, I’ve also sold replacement displays or even replacement display parts before customer ever had the chance to use their newly purchased used display.

Before you purchase a used trade show display, be sure to review these tips-

1. Warranty- What kind of warranty does the used display offer? Will the warranty carry over to a new owner or does it only stay with the original purchaser? As with any used item, you can’t be too careful with the purchase. Some examples of warranties in the trade show industry are:
• No Questions Asked Lifetime Warranty
• Lifetime Warranty- often against manufacture defects only
• One Year Warranty- Against manufacture defects only
• Many displays imported do not carry any kind of warranty

2. What is Included- Be sure that all items you will need to completely set up the display are included in the purchase price. If you need to purchase replacement items, they could add up quickly and the deal may not be as sweet as it appears.

Depending on the type of display and who will be setting up the display set up instructions are going to come in handy.

3. Graphics- What type of graphics are on the display currently? Chances are you won’t be able to use them! Get a graphics quote before purchasing the display to include the exact graphic specs and recommended graphic prints. A graphics purchase will need to follow immediately after.

Talk with a trade show expert if you don’t like the type of graphics currently on the display as there may be other options that are available.

4. Availability of Replacement Parts- Is the display system you are purchasing currently being offered by a manufacturer? If the display has been discontinued, are replacement parts still available if needed and for how long?

If replacement parts are not available for the display, consider the price you are willing to pay for the display and the condition the display is in before handing over any money.

5. Training- What kind of training is available for setting up and taking down the display? Are set up and take down instructions included? A good exhibit house should train all staff you bring on full set up, take down and proper storage of your display. If you are not receiving any of this information, be leery of what you are purchasing.

Most new displays are sold with step-by-step instructions for proper handling and caring for the display. You will want to keep these instructions with the display, especially if you have multiple team members responsible for the display as they may end up getting lost!

6. Return Policy- Is there a return policy for the used display purchase and, if so, are there restocking fees? This information can be very valuable if you find out you purchased something that is much different than what you expected.

If you are looking at purchasing a used display because of a limited budget, consider also renting a trade show display as another smart option. You can have the same great look without the cost of ownership and the display may suit your company personality and branding better.

Check out EXHIB-IT’s current selection of used trade show displays. Most of our displays come with a No Questions Asked Lifetime Warranty.

Things YOU Should Know Before Purchasing Trade Show Promotional Give away Items.

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Buying promotional items can be overwhelming with all the choices. Here are some tips that will make calling for pricing go a little smoother.

• Quantity- Some items can be purchased with a minimum of 100 items, but remember, the more you buy the less the price per item you will be paying.

• Logo- A one color logo will generally be cheapest. Be sure to know if your logo is a one color or full color and know if you need to match any specific pantone color matches. See here for definition of Pantone color matching. http://www.exhib-it.com/pages/design_faq.html

• File Type- Most companies will need a vector or .eps file for receiving art for production. See if you can get your hands on the right format you’re your promotional product company needs or it could cost you more money.

• Size- Consider the product and the size you have to print. Make sure you have room for your logo and any contact information such as web site and/or telephone number. Put only the necessary information on a small space.

• Imprints and Locations- Most items come standard with one imprint in one location. Multiple prints and locations are available on many items, but generally at an additional cost.

• Production Times- Rush feels are always available and some companies offer select products with a standard turn time of 24 hours, but expect a 15 day production time on most promotional product items plus shipping time. This should keep you safe from rush fees for most companies.

• Hidden Charges- Be sure you find out all costs up front. Most companies charge a set up fee, additional color or print fees (for multiple locations, prints, colors etc.) import fees and duties- if you are working with a company importing their products. Be sure to ask who is responsible for duty fees. Sometimes they are not included in the cost of the items purchased. Shipping charges are generally charged as an additional cost outside the promotional product line item cost.

Trade Show Giveaways and Promotional Items

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 06:00:00 GMT

How often are you walking a trade show to find booth staff endlessly handing out promotional items? Worse yet-how often do you receive giveaways that go straight to your kids’ toy chest or closet?

If you are going to invest in promotional items, make sure they stay in front of your audience, is something your target audience could really use and also helps market your company branding.

Choose the Right Giveaway for Your Industry. First, think of your industry and your target audience-are they business people, stay at home moms, college kids, men, women, seniors? Find a product that your audience will use! Consider where the product will ultimately end up and the cost of the item. If you choose a cheap product that ends up in the trash, is it really better than paying a little more for a giveaway that will remain in use and keep your name in front of your possible target customer?

Green or Eco Friendly Options. One way to increase your greenness at a trade show is by choosing a promotional product that is either made from recycled materials, that is sustainable for the environment or helps to reduce waste.

Examples of Recycled Promotional Products:

Biodegradable Plastic

Recycled Notebooks

Recycled rubber magnets

Giveaways that Reduce Waste:

Reusable drink ware

Travel mugs

Sports bottles

Cloth bags or totes made from new or recycled materials—100 BILLION plastic bags end up in landfills every year!

Sustainable Giveaways:

Seed Packages

Seedlings

Small Plants

Products made from bamboo

USB Flash Drives - Not only are flash drives great and almost everyone uses them, but they also help your company cut costs and reduce the amount of paper consumed. Simply load your company information onto a flash drive instead of handing out that brochure. This may cost a bit more, but for qualified leads, the conversion rates can be much higher!

Pens- When in doubt, choose a pen. Everyone uses a pen at some point or another. Attendees at trade shows may receive many, but they’ll probably keep them all and they tend to hang around for awhile. Pens also fit all budgets, just be sure to purchase a pen that will last.

Reach- Choose an item that will continue to market to hundreds of people after handing it out to your target audience at a trade show. Examples:

Bags
Umbrellas
Magnets
Clothing- Shirts, Hats
Calendars

Quality- Always stay within your budget but be sure to purchase high quality items. The last thing you want is to hand out a promotional item that is a dud, what does that say about your company? There are lots of high quality low cost items available.

Multiple Items- If your budget allows, and it would be appropriate for your company, consider multiple giveaway options such as higher end gifts for qualified or hot leads, cost effective items for those attendees who swipe your giveaways.

Why a trade show booth will help ROI at a show

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Some companies, perhaps yours, are scared off of investing in a trade show booth because of the cost. There are many options you have when it comes to purchasing or using a trade show display but here is why you want one:

Imagine being at a trade show, walking the floor, the people, the noise everyone is competing for your attention they want to talk to YOU. Now imagine you walk up to a booth, there’s a table a couple of people sitting down maybe some products laying out what do you do?

I’ll tell you what I do, I wonder quickly what they do but I’m not going to stop and ask because something shiny in the next booth has caught my eye. A trade show display is important for a variety of reasons here are a few:

• Recognition- People need to be able to instantly see who you are. When walking a show the average attendee passes a booth in 3.8 seconds. You have 3.8 seconds to make an impression, how are you going to grab the attention of an attendee without a trade show display?
• Displays provide the opportunity to add colorful graphics, technology, shelving and so much more into your booth space. Hopefully you have set goals for your trade show experience, take into consideration your goals and think how a display can help you achieve those goals. Do you need to display products? Add technology to increase awareness about a service or product? You can even utilize your display to gather information from attendees.
• Who are you? Some people don’t know you, a trade show display can prominently display your company name and logo. Graphics that are designed correctly can quickly show what it is that you do and what you have to offer. Even if people don’t have an immediate need for your services, do you think you are better off if they have at least seen your name?
• Branding- What do you do? A trade show display can quickly help tell your story. There are often so many people at a trade show that have not been in your office or sometimes even heard of your company (gasp) What do you want their first impression to be?
• Promote a service or product- If you design your graphics around a service or product a display will help promote and draw attention to your products/services.
• Level Playing Field- Trade shows level the playing field between the big guys and the smaller companies. The use of a trade show display can help give the image of a larger company.
• If there is something unique or eye catching about your display it will help to draw attendees to your booth.
• The proper use and layout of a display in your booth can help to create privacy for meetings with existing clients or hot leads.

We feel that trade show displays are an important part of your trade show program because they really help to draw attention to your booth and overall to your company. We consistently see companies that are doing better, and looking better with a trade show display. Image is everything you need to project the correct image to your target audience.

Keep in mind that you do not have to break the bank to have a trade show display that looks great at your next event. Call us at 1-866-239-4424 to discuss what type of trade show display will help your next event be a huge success!

27 Low-Cost Trade Show Tips to Make Your Next Trade Show Successful

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 06:00:00 GMT

There are lots of ways to improve your company’s team performance at trade shows from snazzy new exhibit displays to intensive training or even rewards and incentive programs for top producers. It's difficult to even count the numerous ways, but many of these trade show improvement methods come with hefty price tags.

Don't despair as there are many ways to pump up performance without breaking the company’s bank account. In fact, here are 27 low or no cost ways to improve your next trade show experience. Use these trade show tips to make your next trade show your best success story ever:

1. Be sure to research a trade show before you commit. Does the show attract a large number of people from your target audience? Ask the Show Management for their detailed demographic statistics and review them carefully.

2. Give yourself enough time. Proper planning and preparation for a major trade show can take 12 to 18 months, depending if your planned show is local, regional, national or international.

3. Involve the owner or top management in the planning process. You'll get better results from your team if they know they are being supported from the top for their efforts.

4. Send e-mail reminders to loyal customers and strong prospects before the show. Be sure in doing so, to give them an incentive or reason to stop by your booth to visit you.

5. Define goals and objectives for trade show participation. This is the “why” you are exhibiting and “who” is your target audience. What are the goals and objectives? How do you plan to interact with the attendees? When is the follow up process taking place?

6. Share these goals and objectives with your booth staff. They can't achieve the goals and objectives if they don't know what they are. Communication is key!

7. Plan for security as needed. If you have computers or expensive equipment, you don't want expensive prototypes or demo models to walk away, do you?

8. Brief your team on the common trade show espionage practices and how to defend against them. Yes, this does happen at every show!

9. Send enough booth staff to ensure adequate trade show booth coverage throughout the show. There is nothing worse than having a tired staff waiting for their replacement to arrive!

10. Give each booth staffer a specific and well defined role. This includes job expectations clearly spelled out with results, goals and expectations listed. This allows for a buy-in to the process!

11. Stress the value of friendly greetings. This means a big smile, polite manners, and appropriate body language.

12. Take the time to familiarize your team with the lead collection technology. Be sure to do this before the trade show and if you do not have lead technology, what lead cards are you using to qualify leads?

13. Make sure at least some of the people going to the show are prepared to answer technical questions. There is nothing more frustrating to an attendee is to stop by and ask questions without having someone in the booth to know the answers.

14. Send friendly, personable staff with a genuine enthusiasm for your company, its products and services. These may not be your most senior people. Be sure to make your choices based on effectiveness, not seniority. Sometimes having the owner or CEO there may not be the best choice.

15. Check in with your team throughout the trade show to assess performance, reward positive behaviors, and stop negative trends before they get out of hand. This feedback can make or break the success of exhibiting at the show. React quickly!

16. Establish a dress code for your staffers. A more professional appearance allows for better ambassadors for your company.

17. Don't forget the shoes, hair, and accessories! People notice the details. Manicures are crucial, as your team will be shaking hands with hundreds, perhaps thousands of people during the show.

18. Two words-Breath Mints! If you have a tendency of having bad breath, don’t share this with others. Take breath mints to the show.

19. Practice asking qualifying questions with your booth staffers. This allows them to become comfortable with the various questions that may arise and to be able to react accordingly.

20. Product demonstrations are a great way to draw a crowd. Be sure your team knows how to give an effective, engaging presentation by having them practice before the trade show to become familiar with the products.

21. If you are sponsoring entertainment, a speaker, or other event, make sure your team knows what to do during this time. From working the crowd to collecting leads, there's plenty they should be doing to promote your company's name and image throughout the show.

22. Designate a 'go-to' person to act as a liaison with trade show management. This is one area I see under estimated as you may need information throughout the show. The better your relationship with management is, the better your show experience will be.

23. Be sure to read the Exhibitor's Service Manual. This is either a hard copy manual shipped to you or online manual from the trade show organizers sent to you when you registered! It’s full of valuable information to help ensure a stress-free show.

24. Copy appropriate pages from the Exhibitor Service Manual and pass them along to the relevant staffers. It doesn't help you to know when everything has to be broken down and off the show floor if you're not the person doing that work. Be sure the appropriate people know this information.

25. Order services ahead of time. Making deadlines = big savings.

26. Establish a follow-up protocol for hot leads, promising prospects, and future customers. Use this protocol to turn leads into sales!

27. Say "Thank You" to attendees for stopping by. This should include not only attendees that stop by your booth, but to anyone who fills out survey information or participates in a demonstration, during your follow-up calls or follow-up procedures.

A great resource for valuable trade show information is Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach. (http://thetradeshowcoach.com/)

How does a green trade show display vary from a traditional trade show display?

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Materials- Consider the materials used to create a trade show display. Many fabrics, including Velcro receptive fabrics, can be made with recycled water bottles.

Bamboo, eco glass, LED Lighting, recycled aluminum and low VOC adhesives and laminates are available for trade show booth construction.

Warranty- Trade show displays that carry a warranty are not only beneficial to you as a consumer but can also be considered a green aspect to your trade show program. Displays that carry a lifetime warranty or better are less likely to break and need replacement or repair. Pop up displays manufactured by Nomadic Display have a No Questions asked lifetime warranty with less than a .01% return rate.

Location- Where is the trade show booth made? By choosing a trade show display manufactured in the U.S., you are not only supporting the local economy but also cutting the carbon footprint by transporting displays manufactured across the world.

Recycling Program- Ask your local exhibit house about a display recycling program.

By choosing a green trade show display does not mean that you have to sacrifice on quality, function or look of the display. The trade show event industry is taking initiatives to adopt green exhibiting guidelines. By purchasing a green display as your next trade show display you are ahead of the curve.

Green Trade Show Booth Materials

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Many people don’t realize what green options are available for trade show displays. Below you will see a guide to help you find green options for trade show displays.

Flooring- Anyone working a trade show knows the benefits of flooring in your trade show booth. There are Rollable bamboo flooring and eco friendly carpeting made available made from recycled carpet padding.

LED Lighting is available in flood and spot lighting. LED lighting uses up to 15% less energy than traditional halogen lighting. It provides clean white light that helps to enhance graphic colors.

Aluminum extrusion can be made with up to 77% recycled aluminum without affecting the integrity of the aluminum. Recycled aluminum reduces waste and takes 12 times less energy to produce than 100% new aluminum.

Eco Glass is made from 100% recycled plastics to take the place of acrylic. You can use it with printed graphics or without for a frosted acrylic look.

Fabrics can be made from 80 – 100% recycled water bottles to reduce the amount of plastic being dumped into landfills. These fabrics can be used on banner stands, truss displays and pop up fabric displays.

Bamboo is used to replace particle board for cabinets, shelving and modular panel displays. It can also replace aluminum banner stand hardware and literature stands.

Be sure to ask us more questions about green trade show display options that are available and take your next steps to a greener trade show program. You do not have to sacrifice your company branding or overall look or break the budget to incorporate a green display in your trade show program.

Outdoor Banner Flags

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Outdoor banner flags can be used for a variety of events or just outside your place of business to attract attention. I can’t tell you how many times people have walked into our showroom and said “I saw your banners and wanted to see what you do” or “I saw your banners and wanted to get some pricing.”

Thinks you should know when purchasing an outdoor banner flag:

Double sided visibility-Banner flags have what we call a bleed through, which means the graphic print will be visible from the front and back of the banner. Keep this in mind when designing the art. Keep the artwork simple as the backside of the graphic will appear backwards from the reverse side.
Double-sided graphic option-If you don’t like the idea of a backwards graphic on your banner, ask about a double sided graphic print. This is where two separate graphics are sewn together with a blocker material in the center, allowing each graphic to be a separate and visible graphic from each side as designed. The art does not bleed through and is visible from each side as clean and clear art.
Get the right hardware-Ground stakes and hard surface stands are available. Most companies also offer weights for the hard surface stands. Consider investing in multiple hardware options so you can get maximum use out of your banners both indoors on a surface stand and outdoors with a ground stake or surface stand.
Get the right size-Always look around. Consider where you are going to place the banner. Are there obstructions in the way? Drive the area and be sure you invest in a banner tall enough to give you the visibility you desire.
Heights range anywhere from 5’ to 18’. You will be paying more for a taller banner, but it may be well worth the additional cost just for the added visibility.

Keep in mind:

Although these flags are designed for outdoor use, most can withstand winds up to at least 30 MPH and some up to 65 MPH, and are resistant to fading and weathering. The better you take care of your graphics, the longer your display will last.

Take Full Advantage of Your Trade Show

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Most companies have been affected by the economy in some way, Americans are working hard and we are pulling through, as we have done in the past. It is encouraging to see small businesses working hard and thriving during this time. How has this affected the trade show industry and should you still exhibit? What are ways to still have a presence at a trade show and save some money without sacrificing your branding?

First off, you should still exhibit, though show attendance may be down and the floor may be a little slower this year. Consider this:

Quality of Leads and Connections- Companies do not have the time or money to send employees to a trade show simply to send them. The people they send have a job to do and are qualified to do it.
Strong Presence- It is important for your clients and prospects to be confident in your ability to provide them with the same service and quality product they are used to.
Attract New Customers- With some competitors missing from the show floor, you have the opportunity to visit with more people and spend quality time with them. If your competitors are not missing from the floor do you want to be?

Some things to consider when exhibiting:

Do your research. Make sure the show’s audience is also your target market. If you are considering a new show, ask important questions about marketing and find out what other companies will be exhibiting. What past experience does the show management have?
Do your own marketing before the show. Increase your sales opportunities by personally inviting hot leads or current clients to your booth.
Downsize if necessary. If you have been a regular attendee at a trade show, your sudden disappearance may worry your clients or prospects. Instead of dropping out of a show, consider a smaller booth space and becoming a speaker at the show.
Consider trade shows that you may not normally attend. By thinking outside of the box, you may find a show that fits your demographic, but without all the competition.

For example, a realtor may exhibit at a bridal fair; many couples who are getting married are also looking at purchasing a home.

Be sure to have enough staff. Trade shows are a great opportunity to do a little competitive intelligence research. See what your competitors are up to and what products are new. The last thing you want to happen is have your booth understaffed while competitive research is being done.
Customer feedback is invaluable. Take full advantage of the trade show attendees and survey them! Some companies pay thousands of dollars for customer feedback by taking a simple survey at your trade show to find out information on your current branding, the newest product you offer, and customer service. When you are willing, there is always the opportunity to grow.
Have fun! Play games with fellow booth staff to keep a good attitude. Of course, drink lots of water and have snacks on hand (don’t eat in your booth!). The better your attitude, the more sales leads you will generate. Not many people get leads sitting in the booth with their arms crossed.
The Man from Mars, or my 3 year old grandson, should be able to look at your booth quickly and see who you are and what you do in 3.8 seconds! At the minimum, invest in a banner with your company name and logo. Look at renting a trade show display, as both options are affordable and will pay off at the show.

Trade Show Staff Selection

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 06:00:00 GMT

In preparation for selecting the right staff, be sure to follow these eight guidelines.

1. Select people who want to be there
The key ingredient for anyone to be motivated to work a show is simple: he or she needs to want to be there. All too often employees are told by management to “just show up” to work a particular show. However, given a choice, they would often prefer not to. Offer incentives for staff members to work the trade show.

2. Realize everyone is an ambassador
Remember that everyone representing the company is an ambassador. By being helpful, courteous, and having a professional demeanor, they can strengthen the company’s image and gain new customers.
Choose a team carefully based on excellent knowledge of the company’s products and services and the many customers and prospects who are expected to visit the show.

3. Encourage personal goals
Each staff member should have at least one personal goal he or she wants to achieve. This increases accountability, changes unproductive habits, increases productivity, and also builds
motivation. At pre show meetings, staff should be encouraged to share their goals with other staff members. Encourage contests for
quality leads collected. At post show or debriefing meetings, they should report on their achievements.

4. Get top management support
When top management are supportive of the company’s trade show activities and demonstrate their feelings by attending the show, helping in the booth space, taking part in training sessions
and pre and post show activities, their enthusiasm is contagious.

5. Keep the team informed
A critical element of motivational success is letting the team know what is expected of them at the show and then providing any training necessary for them to do their job effectively. Successful people aren’t born…they’re trained.

6. Create a positive, fun, and reinforcing environment
It is management’s responsibility to create a positive, fun, and reinforcing environment and to realize that it takes more than an incentive to succeed. Rewards and personal recognition provide an effective way of encouraging higher levels of performance.

7. Know the staff
Managers need to know their individual staff members and what motivates them. Studies show that more people are motivated by personal recognition than by money. The power of recognition and appreciation can create a more positive, productive, and enjoyable environment while working a show.

8. Review performance
Each day, conduct debriefing sessions to review performance. Team members should be encouraged to give and receive feedback from colleagues to look for ways to improve performance each day. Managers need to remember that individual achievements are
worth group recognition.

10 Things to Consider before Exhibiting Outdoors

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Who can deny that spring is coming? It looks like the cold weather is finally behind us. I hope that brings as much excitement for you as it does me. With the warmer weather, we will be spending more time outside and many of us will be taking advantage of the outdoor marketing opportunities for business marketing.

While outdoor events are fun, it’s important to set goals and make the event profitable. Of course the best way to do that is to BE SEEN. It is important to choose the right display for weather conditions.

I was at a ribbon cutting for a hotel and they placed their indoor retractable banner stands behind the speaker for branding. When the winds came up, the banner stands fell over and the graphics ripped. The banners remained inside and unseen for the remainder of the event. Don’t let this be you!

Check out our 10 tips for outdoor displays:

Avoid the temptation of using your indoor banners outdoors. Outdoor banner stands often have heavier bases, large feet and a fabric or vinyl graphic material that allows for some wind to pass through the graphic.
When using a table covering outdoors, be sure it is machine washable. Things just end up dirtier outside!
Leave the standard trade show booth at home! With a height of 8’ they tend to fall over in the wind. Instead look at an outdoor tent or gazebo. Both offer multiple graphic opportunities for any budget. Your local exhibit company may even rent them!
Tents and gazebos also offer shade, which is a huge bonus for your prospects!
If you already own banner flags that are in front of your office consider a hard surface stand that allows portability and indoor and outdoor use.
Always consider purchasing weights or sandbag accessories for many outdoor banners and displays, especially if you live in an unpredictable weather or windy area.
Consider how frequently and what length of time your graphics will be exposed to the sun. Ask about graphic materials that are resistant to fading and printed with UV inks.
Sidewalk signs or A-frame signs can be used to direct traffic to your booth or location at an event indoors or outdoors.
When having graphics printed for an outdoor event, consider the size of the event. Outdoor events may be more spread out than a trade show or conference environment and you may want to design a larger printed
We recommend bringing displays inside during rain or stormy weather, unless you have purchased a display with graphic prints that are water resistant at a minimum.
Always check and know how much wind your display can withstand. You do not want to be surprised when using it outdoors for the first time and it falls over or gets damaged.

Avoid the Temptation- Don’t Sit!

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:20:00 GMT

You’ve heard it a thousand times, “don’t sit behind the table provided by the show decorator.” In case you need a friendly reminder this is why:

The table creates a barrier between you and your prospect. You want to CONNECT with your prospects.
By sitting, you may be sending the message, don’t bother me. BE APPROACHABLE, most people aren’t going to come up to you if they feel they are interrupting you.
By standing, you can quickly react and engage a prospect that is lingering outside your booth, ENGAGE and QUALIFY the prospect.

That being said, anyone who has worked a trade show knows how hard it is to resist the temptation to sit down, especially if your booth does not have any carpeting or other trade show flooring. If you just can’t resist the temptation consider bar height portable directors chairs . *Bonus: you can add your logo for additional branding recognition.

By sitting, or better yet, leaning against a bar height chair you look approachable while giving your feet and back a rest. There is something to be said for being able to look a prospect in the eye rather than looking up at them.

When purchasing trade show chairs keep in mind:

Height- Look Approachable
Branding-Make sure to choose a chair that matches the rest of the items in your booth
Shipping Cases- Protect your investment with heavy duty shipping cases

Why Have a Logo Table Throw Cover?

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 06:00:00 GMT

You may be asking yourself why do you need a table covering for a table if the trade show organizer usually provides one? Or better yet, if you have already decided to purchase a table covering, you may be wondering how to choose the right one. We’ll explain why a table throw is a vital part of your exhibit display and how to walk away with a throw that looks as great as your company image!

Why do I need to purchase a printed table cover with my logo on it?

• Visibility and Recognition
If you don’t have a display in your booth area, a trade show table throw is essential for recognition at your trade show or event. One of the first places people will look for identification is the table. Don’t miss the opportunity to be seen. If people don’t know who you are or cannot instantly recognize you, they are unlikely to stop.
• Repeat Use
Printed table covers can be used over and over at more than just trade shows; they can be used at hotels, school functions, lobbies, conferences, showrooms, job fairs and various marketing events. A table throw ensures you will never have to worry about a beat up looking table again.

What to look for in a table cover:
• Flame Retardant
• Machine Washable
• Wrinkle Resistant

How do I decide what type of table throw will best fit my needs?
There are many ways to print or apply a logo to a table throw. The best option will depend on what your logo looks like and what your needs are. Here is a list of questions that you will likely be asked when shopping for a printed table cover.

• Table Size, do you need a 4’ 6’ or 8’ throw cover?
*Hint: If you exhibit on multiple size tables, see if there is a convertible option which is something fairly new in our industry. This option will allow one throw to fit multiple size standard height tables.

• Full Size or Economy; also known as 3 or 4 sided table covering.
*Hint: A smaller table throw is great if you are sitting behind the table, but it leaves the back of the table exposed. If you’re like us and stash stuff under the table – potential customers can see the mess, which doesn’t look professional. YIKES! Smaller economy throws also tend to slide forward easier than the full or 4 sided throws. We say if your budget allows for the full throw, it’s worth the investment. Average price difference is about $40.

• Print Method
*Hint: Be ready to provide an image of your logo; vector files are always best if you have one handy. The best print method for your table throw will be determined when we know how many colors and how detailed your logo is.

Types of Print Methods:
• Dye Sub or Dye Lux- Full color print capable of printing photographs.
• Vinyl or Perma Logo Lettering- Ideal for one or two color table throws but limited to matching exact corporate pantone colors (a color assigned to your corporate identity branding for printing).

Budgeting Guidelines to Consider While Planning for a Trade Show

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 06:00:00 GMT

The following are budgeting guidelines to consider while planning for a trade show:
• Stand Space: 20 to 30 percent
• Display Space: 40 to 60 percent
• Show Services: 5 to 15 percent
• Marketing and Promotions: 5 to 10 percent
• Other: 5 to 10 percent
• Booth Space
• Display Space
• Design and Construction
- Graphics
- Refurbishing
- Products for Display
- Literature Holders
- Tool Kit
- Lighting Fixtures
- Tables
- Chairs
- Rubbish Bins
- Floral Arrangements
- Audio-visual Equipment
• Show Services
- Set-up and Breakdown
- Electricity
- Telephone/Fax
- Cleaning
- Photograph
- Security
- Overnight Services
- Shipping
- Storage
- Insurance
• Advertising and Promotion
- Preshow Promotion
- On-site Promotion
- Postshow Promotion
- Direct Mail
- Public Relations Activities
- Premium Incentives
- Special Show Literature
- Telemarketing Activity
• Other
- Travel Expenses
- Hotel Accommodations
- Subsistence
- Uniform
- Guest Entertainment
- Receptions
- Sales Meetings
- Speaker Meetings
- Presenters/Live Talent
- Training Expenses
- Meeting Room
- Food/Drink
- Gifts
- Other

TOTAL *All of the above costs.
Exhibiting at conferences, events and trade shows involves many different expenditures. Because of the numerous components involved, it is easy to overlook an area and have unexpected expenses.

Use this checklist to manage the estimated exhibition costs.

• Six to Twelve Months in Advance
- Plan your budget
- Select the show
- Book the space

• Four Months in Advance
- Determine show objectives and investigate and evaluate show audience
- Create a marketing message
- Obtain an exhibitor manual and read it carefully
- Source your exhibition display structure

• Three Months in Advance
- Establish your work schedule
- Make travel plans/book hotel rooms
- Set up any needed outside suppliers
- Plan printed materials

• Six to Eight Weeks in Advance
- Check on production of display material
- Order product samples, literature, and other materials from within your company
- Confirm pre-event advertising and press releases
- Order the necessary show services

• Three to Four Weeks in Advance
- Write and mail customer invitation letters and finalize VIP guest events
- Confirm shipping information and provide to suppliers
- Prepare training materials for staff at the show

• One to Two Weeks in Advance
- Collect supplies, tickets, and service orders sent to the show in advance
- Bring credit cards for payment on site

• At Show–Before Opening
- Travel to the site and pick up badges
- Confirm arrival of display, equipment, and literature, and supervise set-up
- Conduct pre show briefing and outline goals to those staffing the stand

Creative Ways to Stretch a Company’s Shoestring Budget

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 17:26:00 GMT

Here are some practical, easy, and creative ways to stretch a company’s shoestring budget.
Proper planning
Proper planning is the most important cost-cutting tip for exhibitors. Planning ahead saves on expensive last-minute surcharges. Establish a list of key dates and activities for each event or trade show. Push due dates back a month or so to make it easier to meet the time deadlines.

Promotional production
Produce all preshow mailings at the same time to save on printing expenses rather than printing several times throughout the year. One great idea is to plan all promotional flyers at the same time that are themed, yet may have different text or promotions. This will allow a company to “stack print” at the same time and save costs on printed materials.

Buying a display
Consider the best type of display stand for the company’s needs. Look into a display or exhibit that packs compactly to save on storage and is lightweight to save on shipping costs. A display or
exhibit that is portable to transport by car, courier, or as airline baggage, can be quickly and easily set up to save costs and can be designed to adapt easily to different spaces by adding or removing components.

Display graphics
Design and produce the graphics ahead of time to avoid overtime or rush charges. Have someone proofread the copy to avoid changes with additional charges.

Packing supplies
Create a “show box” containing handy items that are often not available at the show site. Include a stapler, tape, Velcro®, scissors, Swiss army knife, pens, paper, business cards, pamphlets, brochures, extension cords, and extra light bulbs. Remember to restock the
box after each show.

Literature
Take only enough literature to distribute to highly qualified leads. Offer to send prospective customers literature so it is on their desk when they return from the show. This saves on drayage (handling charges at the trade show), production costs, and cuts down on waste. Even better, have flash drives with a brochure saved on it to be eco-friendly with the environment and give this away at the show to interested prospective customers. This also saves time and
money on preparing a letter to send the literature and the postage.

Transportation
When purchasing a display, investigate how it will be shipped. Lightweight durable systems save on shipping and drayage (show handling fees). Keep an accurate record of actual weight, contents, and number of containers. Specify the weight on each bill of lading when shipping to the show. Consolidate materials in one shipping container or shrink-wrap individual items onto one pallet. Don’t scrimp on shipping containers that may damage your graphics because reprinting damaged graphics can be expensive.

Travel
Investigate reduced rates or special deals with the airlines for ten or more traveling to and from the same city. Book early and ask hotels for any specials or corporate rates. Explore Saturday night stay-over rates, as an extra night at the hotel may be less than the extra airfare. Use airport shuttles instead of taxis.

Show Services
Pre-order show services at least thirty days prior to the show – electrical, phones, cleaning services, and so on. The late fees for fewer than thirty days or even floor prices are often 20 to 30 percent higher. Be sure to order more wattage than needed so you don’t risk an electrical breakdown and then have to pay a higher floor price at the show.

Setting up
Schedule set-up times during straight time and avoid weekends and overtime hours as much as possible, as it can cost up to twice as much. When feasible, use your own personnel to set up your display. You will need to check the regulations specified by the exhibition hall to do this.

Step 5 of The “Five Step Shuffle”

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Step 5 – Create a Short List of Shows That Meet Your Expectations
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Analyze all the information collected in the first four steps and make decisions as to whether exhibiting at each show on this list is justified. Create a spreadsheet for comparison data. In making these critical decisions, the analysis should be based on the following:

Should your company exhibit? Does the quality of the attendees meet your company’s marketing objectives and justify your company exhibiting in the show?
If the answer is yes, what level of investment is justified to reach the potential attendee and compete effectively with other exhibitors?
What strategy and objectives should be entertained for each event?

What’s the size of the potential audience?
This is the most important information for determining whether or not to exhibit. Use this formula to calculate the potential audience, and if there is a drop in attendance – this will show with lower figures.
Net attendance
X % which is your target audience
X % interested in your products
= Size of potential audience

How is traffic density?
More and more shows are providing metrics of their audience quality (such as buying influence or volume of planned purchases).

Net attendance
X average hours viewing exhibits
X 10
÷ total net square feet of space
X total show hours
= Traffic density

A great tool for measuring booth space information and traffic is at www.CEIR.org. This site has a tool called ROI Tool Kit and it is free! In order to use this free tool, you have to create a username and password; you can sign up as an exhibitor or on behalf of a client and put in key statistics. This tool will help develop goals and track performance against those goals. Budgeting is another area of concern for exhibitors. How do exhibitors know the costs associated with shows? Exhibiting involves many different expenditures. Because of the numerous components involved, it is easy to overlook an area and have unexpected expenses. Use the checklist below to manage estimated exhibition costs.

Establish a realistic budget
There are many different expenses involved in exhibiting. When putting a trade show budget together, consider the following: the exhibition space; the display (estimate 60 percent for structure and accessories and 40 percent for graphics); show services including shipping, setup, and dismantling and utilities; transportation; pre show, at-show, and post show advertising; promotions and special events; and personnel expenses including.

Step 4 of The “Five Step Shuffle”

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 16:38:00 GMT

Step 4 – Analyze the Master List

While taking participation in any related trade show, companies should think about the impact of a trade show on their business. They should analyze the benefits of trade show participation and their total investment. Cost – Benefit Analysis is a major factor, which should be considered before planning for any trade show.

Traditionally, trade shows are very helpful for any company to increase their market reach as well as creating business leads, but the most important thing is to select the right trade show at the right time.

Create a list of all popular trade shows in your industry and make a competitive analysis for these shows to know which one is the best trade show to participate in for your company.

For analysis of trade shows, you need to know the number of total participating exhibitors in the trade show and total number of target attendees who visited the show. The other important factor to know is the number of participating countries (if this is important for your business growth). This will help you to know the popularity of that trade show.

Scrutinize each show on the master list and start voting the weaker contenders off the island. An important step is to talk to the show management organizers. This can be a difficult step in that they may not have the kind of data needed or they are reluctant to share the information.
Begin by asking the show management organizers for basic demographic information, such as:

Total attendance
What was the total number of attendees at the last show? How was this data compiled and how accurate is it?

Net attendance
This weeds out spouses, children, students, and exhibitors. Ask if this figure is audited and the information is verified by an outside agency if possible. If not, take it with a grain of salt, as net attendance information may be subjective rather than objective measurable information. Also ask to see figures for the past three or four years to determine if the show is growing or declining.

Number of exhibitors
Ask how many exhibit booths were sold each year to determine if the show is declining in growth or increasing in growth each year. If declining, find out why. Is it due to lack of advertising by the show management or possibly a venue that is hard to get to?

Total net (not gross) square footage
Get the cost of exhibit space used by all exhibitors combined, which you can use to calculate traffic density in Step 5.

Cost per square foot
Ask about hours and dates for speeches, banquets, and educational programs, which typically draw prospects off the trade show floor. This is vital information, as exhibitors may be paying too much if the show floor traffic is low because there is an ongoing conference taking place that will reduce show floor traffic.

Hours and dates for speeches, banquets, and educational programs that typically draw prospects off the trade show floor.
This enables you to gain more exposure and branding for your company. If done well, you could be perceived as an expert in your field.

Step 3 of The “Five Step Shuffle”

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:09:00 GMT

Step 3 – Create a Master List of Shows

Creating a list of show opportunities is just the beginning. Without the background established in Steps 1 and 2, the chances of selecting the right shows are almost as good as winning the lottery without buying a lottery ticket. The mission of this step is to develop the master of all lists – a compilation of all possible shows and events that might meet the company’s marketing objectives. This list will serve as the basis for further investigation. There are many sources,

both direct and indirect, to help in this compilation of data. Start this search by accumulating whatever show directories you can get your hands on. One great resource for doing this is the Trade Show Week Web site, as it allows you to research shows by international, national, regional, or state, and by year, industry category, and key word. (http://directory.tradeshowweek.com/directory/index.asp)

Here are some key things to consider when gathering a collection of show details:
Show name for Consideration
Industry
Show Objectives
Key Prospect Types
Show Website
Show Dates
Show Location
Saleserson Territory (if applicable)
Show Booth Size (the size your business is considering)
Show Package Costs (the show package your company is considering)
Notes (from your research about the trade show)
Hyperlink to Show Prospectus

If your company’s primary goal is to further industry recognition by branding and building your image within the industry, look for shows that offer a great deal of advertising opportunities at reasonable costs. Consider sponsoring a network event, contributing to event kits or having your company name printed on the event’s hotel key cards as these are all great ways of getting your company’s name noticed.

It is also a good idea to personally call the event producers directly about media opportunities. Sometimes you can get special insider tips by doing this. Remember, poor show selection, unqualified leads, or not attracting key prospects to the show booth all creates lost budget dollars, little to no sales, wasted sales team productivity and unmet sales goals and objectives from the show.

Step 2 of The “Five Step Shuffle”

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 15:55:00 GMT

Step 2 – Seek Feedback From Current and Prospective Customers

The next step is to find out which shows the ideal buyers attend, what value they place on those shows and, most importantly, their true interest in your category of products and/or services. Once the prospective customers have been identified, find an independent list of prospects that fit that profile.

This list can come from your own in-house customer relations database and/or outside list database sources. The final list should include prospects as well as existing customers. This allows you to learn from your potential audience their interest level in the products and/or services being offered and their feelings about particular shows.

If the time and funds permit, try sending a formal survey to several hundred respondents per market from this database. At minimum, conduct informal interviews by phone with several dozen customers. Do not limit your research to current customers or to “show goers” alone as you will want opinions from a cross-section of your targeted potential audience.

From the survey, here is what you need to learn:

The level of interest in your products. Ask respondents what they know about your company and its products or services. Then, ask about their level of interest in the specific products and services offered at the show in general. If there is a high level of interest in your product or service, there is a higher likelihood that attendees will stop by your visit your trade booth exhibit. This information will assist you in developing and refining objectives for the trade show and strategies for achieving those objectives.

The feelings of the respondents about particular shows. Be sure to ask attendees what shows they attend, what shows they are aware of but do not attend, and why they do not attend. What shows do they consider most important? Not only will this help you acquire information about shows you’re considering, but you may learn of new events with better payoff for your time and money.

The feelings of the respondents about trade shows in general. What role do shows play in the decision of marketing tools that influence them: direct mail, sales calls, ads in trade magazines, electronic newsletters, social media marketing, etc.?

If you have questions about the value of a specific show that your company has traditionally attended, try conducting a survey of past attendees to evaluate their awareness of your company and its products or services. You can also find out the effectiveness of your exhibit and the decision-making level of the prospects. This may lead you to discover that many attendees who visited your booth were already loyal customers who simply wanted to chat awhile and visit with their buddies in sales. If this is the case, you may want to reconsider the value of that particular show for lead generation.

Step 1 of The “Five Step Shuffle”

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Once the decision to exhibit is based upon real show objectives, it is time to talk about show selection. This is also referred to as the “five-step shuffle” in selecting the shows that will help meet identified goals. This blog covers Step 1 of the Five Step Shuffle.

Step 1 – Research the Company’s Marketing and Sales Objectives.
The first step is to acquire a thorough understanding of the company’s markets, products, and/or services, along with its marketing strategy, objectives, and goals. This provides a solid foundation against which to evaluate the thousands of trade shows and events available to exhibitors. The most important part of this step is to interview the marketing, product

management and sales personnel. Target these internal groups for input by asking questions about the ideal customer profile, the geographical areas covered, the type of buying or decision-making process involved, along with the strengths and weaknesses of the competition.
Here is a list of some of the objectives to consider before selecting your next trade show:

Do you want to -
1. Generate sales leads from your target market?
2. Have opportunities to "up sell" to your current customers?
3. Enter into a new market?
4. Introduce a new product or service?
5. Educate prospects about your product or service?
6. Build awareness of your company, your credentials and/or capabilities?
7. Gather information about your competitors?
8. Get press or publicity?
9. Identify and interact with potential new customers?
10. Meet with key and/or multiple decision makers of your customers?
11. Have an opportunity to speak at a conference?
12. Identify and recruit possible business alliance partners?
13. Identify and recruit new employees?
14. Show that you support your industry?
15. Conduct market research (surveys, industry trends, etc.)?

Once you have determined your company’s primary objectives for a trade show marketing opportunity, you should then put your attention and focus on ways you can specifically measure the outcome of each objective.

Planning Your Trade Show

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:06:00 GMT

Did you know that exhibiting at shows and events started back at The Great International Exhibition of 1851? This was the first International Trade Fair. The U.S. hosted a “rash” of world and state fairs from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s. Entrepreneurs and businessmen developed their own specialized trade shows. Exhibiting locally manufactured goods in a temporary local or regional marketplace gained increasing popularity and trade associations added exhibits to convention programs

Knowing this history may help us all understand that exhibiting at shows and events is still a great way for face-to-face marketing to generate new leads, maintain existing customers and keep your brand exposed in the environment.

Exhibiting Trends will impact your trade show display booth and knowing there are time limitations by attendees makes us really focus on the pre-show marketing to prepare for the show. There has been an increase in buying teams at events compared to a single company representative.

How are you grabbing the attention of your audience while exhibiting at a trade show>? Are you experiential exhibiting? Do you focus your attention on building current customer relationships? If not, this is the time. There are fewer attendees at trade shows, BUT those attendees are more focused and looking to buy from the right company.

While preparing for your trade show budget, see how the exhibit dollar is spent on the national average:

It is important to know what are fixed costs (show related costs to the Trade Show) and what are variable costs (discretionary costs that you can control) for the exhibitor. One third of the dollars spent is on the exhibitor space which is nonnegotiable and is required to pay to be in the trade show. Services are also nonnegotiable – you have to pay I&D (installation and dismantle if over a certain size display). Travel and Entertainment are variable expenses. Depending on the number of people you are sending to the show, hospitality, etc. are also included in the variable expenses. Many companies can cut costs here. They tend to zero in on exhibit design and try to find ways to stretch their dollar. Exhibit design is only 11.1% of the overall average cost. This is where your Exhibit House has an opportunity with portable modular products to help customers stretch their investment in a display. *They may purchase a new display but if purchasing a portable and/or modular display, this is a much better investment due to the ease of set up, ability to reconfigure, lightweight, which in turn saves on transportation, drayage etc.

What are exhibitors looking for if they decide to invest in exhibiting at a trade show? Be prepared for customers to get value out of their investment. Now more people are involved in purchasing decisions. This means the sales person has more people to educate that stop by their booth. There is a demand for metrics and measure performance – there are still a number of companies that do not measure their performance at shows. This should not come to a surprise if a company decides to cut their budget for shows unless they can learn to measure and show results.

Knowing all of the above costs, it is imperative that exhibitors pre-plan their promotions for exhibiting at a show. You only have 3.8 seconds to catch the attention of prospects when you invest in a trade show. EXHIB-IT! always looks to your future. If your needs today are modest, we will recommend ideas that allow growth as your needs evolve, while preserving your initial investment.

Part of the pre-show promotion should include:

Determine how trade shows can strengthen your present marketing strategy. Do you want to: Increase existing products/services in existing markets? Introduce new products/services into existing markets? Introduce existing products/services into new markets? Introduce new products/services into new markets?

Here are some great reasons to Exhibit at Trade Shows, Conferences or Events!
• Introduce new products. Trade shows are successful vehicles for introducing new product lines. These trade shows also give you the opportunity to pre-sell your product line. In addition, trade shows allow you to feature the company's premiere product or unveil seasonal offerings to consumers or distributors.

• Make contact with distributors. Trade shows are successful vehicles for introducing new product lines. These trade shows also give you the opportunity to pre-sell your product line. In addition, trade shows allow you to feature the company's premiere product or unveil seasonal offerings to consumers or distributors.

• Build relationships. Trade shows build the way for future relationships. At the show, you may see current customers, sales representatives, distributors or members of the media. Current customers will be happy to see you and may introduce you to someone who could do business with you. If your product is interesting enough, you may catch the attention of a reporter who wants to do an article about you or your company.

• Generation of mass amount of Leads. The average sales person makes client field visits to 2.7 prospects per day. Based on 5 days per week 50 weeks per year = 675 face to face meetings Compare Example 2,500 attendees divided by 2 trade show days - 13 show hours = 203 prospects per hour= 3.39 prospects per minute.

• Lower Advertising Costs. There is no other type of Advertising were prospects pay money and take time out of there busy days to listen to sales pitches.

• Cost of closing a sale is cheaper. The Trade Show Bureau claims that the average total cost of closing a sale in the field is $1,080, while the cost of closing a sale to a qualified trade show prospect is $419.

• Levels the Playing Field. Trade shows help level the playing field for smaller firms, since booth space is generally inexpensive ($22.32 per square foot on average, with the typical small booth covering 100 square feet), and even small companies can usually afford attractive displays.

After you determine all of these pre-show objectives, discuss strategies with your staff. Schedule a pre-Show Briefing to go over the details of the show. Quantify what is a qualified lead and set a goal of how many leads to obtain from each show. Have a booth overview planned to be sure all things are scheduled to be sent to the show. Develop a staff schedule ahead of time so all are in the know of expectations at the show. It is important to understand the staff’s strengths and their skill lever for working the show.

Don’t just rely on Show Management though. Hopefully they have done a great job of promoting the show for their attendees, but what about the focus for marketing to your target market? Send out invitations to invite those in your database or near the show area to come visit you at the show. Have you sent out a Press Release if it is a large show or if you have a new product or service? If not, be sure to do this as it will build your brand. If you can, use viral marketing and create web announcements, newsletters, and put the show information on your web site to cross promote for the show.

For today’s tradeshow needs, be sure to set up social media avenues and consider live videos on site to post on YouTube.com and link back to your web site. Building a brand is important through exhibiting at trade shows in addition to the combination of traditional, digital and social media marketing for your business to be successful in today’s competitive intelligence environment.

What is the best way to go about looking for new products and ideas during a trade show? Be sure to preview the show book ahead of time and see who is offering new products and services. Do the products and services being offered tie into anything you are in the market for? IN today’s marketplace, time is of essence. If you need to find a new product and the show offers a floor plan with named exhibitors and the updated floor plan shows the who, what, when and where aspects of each company, do your homework. Research out the exhibitors who are marketing products or services you need.

When walking a trade show, also pre-select the booths you want to visit and allow that time to go view each display booth. Have they marketed their products and services in a way that makes you want to enter their booth? If not, pass them by and go to the next exhibiting company pre-selected on your list. It is all about the brand and image and what the company backs up their brand and image with. Be wise and don’t be fooled by the company that tells a good story, but does not walk that same story. Look for the companies that talk and talk the brand. They have a corporate persona that attracts you into their booth.

Preshow Marketing for Trade Shows

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 15:36:00 GMT

Determine how trade shows can strengthen your present marketing strategy. Do you want to: Increase existing products and/or services in existing markets? Introduce new products and/or services into existing markets? Introduce existing products and/or services into new markets? Introduce new products and/or services into new markets? Once all of this has been determined, you are on the right road to a successful trade show.

Introduce New Products
Trade shows are successful vehicles for introducing new products and provide the opportunity to pre-sell products. In addition, trade shows allow a company to feature a premiere product or unveil seasonal offerings to consumers or distributors.

Make Contact with Distributors
If you do not sell directly to the public, invite distributors to the show and unveil a new product line for the distributors to best represent you. What a great way to gain exposure in a short amount of time and feature offerings.

Build Relationships
Trade shows build the way for future relationships. At the show, you may see current customers, sales representatives, distributors, or members of the media. Current customers will be happy to see your company exhibiting and may introduce you to someone who could do business with you. If the product being displayed or demonstrated is interesting enough, it may catch the attention of a reporter who wants to do an article about the product and your company, especially if there is something new to offer that is original and unique in today’s marketplace.

Generation of a Mass Amount of Leads
The average salesperson makes customer field visits to 2.7 prospects per day. Based on five days per week fifty weeks per year that equals 675 face-to-face meetings. Compare this to an example of twenty-five hundred attendees visiting the booth space at a show, divided by two trade show days, totaling thirteen show hours, and that equals 192 prospects per hour or 3.20 prospects per minute. The ability to visit with this many prospective customers per day seems unreal in a normal meeting environment, but the trade show atmosphere allows exhibiting companies to use their competitive edge in a hyper competitive environment to make this time valuable in lead generation. No other type of advertising has prospects pay money and takes time out of their busy days to listen to sales pitches.

Cost of Closing a Sale is Cheaper
CEIR found in a 2009-2010 study, “The Cost Effectiveness of Exhibition Participation,” that the average cost to identify a prospect and close a sale while exhibiting in trade shows, is $2,188.40. That’s about 42 percent less than the $3,102.10 average cost to get and close a sale when not using trade shows as a means for exhibiting and demonstrating products and services. The results also indicate that leads generated at trade shows are often of greater quality than those generated by the use of other methods.

You may be asking why so much less? Not only are trade shows a great place to meet and talk with a large number of qualified prospective customers in a short amount of time, but they also are a great venue for quickly advancing the sales cycle. When prospective customers walk a show, they tend to be more qualified buyers because they actually paid their own way to come see all the product choices at the show. The booth staffers are able to ask qualifying questions and present only what matters to the attendees. Moreover, booth staffers have a well-branded trade show exhibit to back up their presentations, complete with visual aids to tell a story with more impact.

Therefore, leads from trade shows do not need as much follow-up to close, keeping overall sales costs down even after the trade show ends. Keep this compelling value of trade shows in mind as you evaluate the marketing choices. Visit www.ceir.org for more statistical information. Another study performed by Meetings and Conventions (M&C ) in their June 2010 News line edition that stated trade shows are an even more cost-effective forum to identify leads and close sales than CEIR had reported. M&C discovered a calculation error that inflated the reported cost of identifying prospects and closing sales at trade shows by 5.4 percent and noted that “the results stay in the two-to-three ratio that CEIR has been publishing.” (www.mcmag.com)

Level the Playing Field
Trade shows help level the playing field for smaller firms, since booth space is generally inexpensive ($22.32 per square foot on average, with the typical small booth covering one hundred square feet), and even small companies can usually afford attractive displays. In past years, trade shows were based on the larger companies exhibiting. Smaller companies exhibiting felt intimidated or overwhelmed beside such large companies. In today’s market, this is no longer true because smaller companies are on the rise and can exhibit with as much of an impact as the larger companies. Larger businesses have been cutting back on costs and trade shows are seeing a decline in the purchase of larger exhibiting spaces, which has leveled the playing field for generating leads.

100 Reasons to Exhibit at a Trade Show

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 20:44:00 GMT

There are over one hundred reasons to exhibit in a trade show. Does your company fit into any of these reasons to exhibit?

1. Sell products and/or services.
2. Gather qualified leads for post-show company follow-up.
3. Introduce new products to a new or existing market.
4. Demonstrate new products to a new or existing market.
5. Demonstrate new uses of existing products.

6. Give your customers an opportunity to meet experts.
7. Give a CEO an opportunity to meet your CEO.
8. Meet buyers face-to-face.
9. Open new markets.
10. See buyers not usually accessible to sales personnel.
11. Find the decision makers.
12. Understand your prospect’s decision-making process.
13. Support the decision influencers.
14. Make competitive comparisons.
15. Gather competitive intelligence.
16. Solve customers’ problems.
17. Obtain feedback on new products.
18. Obtain feedback on existing products.
19. Conduct market research.
20. Find distributors, representatives, and agents.
21. Educate distributors, representatives, and agents.
22. Find personnel to grow your company.
23. Educate personnel about your company.
24. Develop leads for distributors, representatives, and agents.
25. Establish a new company image and brand.
26. Reinforce company’s overall image and brand.
27. Create or build a qualified customer database.
28. Support your industry.
29. Highlight new products, services, and initiatives to the media.
30. Reinforce brand awareness.
31. Launch new brand campaigns.
32. Distribute product samples.
33. Handle customer complaints.
34. Reinforce your marketing strategy.
35. Distribute product and/or service information.
36. Conduct a sales meeting.
37. Provide networking opportunities.
38. Introduce a new promotion.
39. Introduce a new service to a new market or existing market.
40. Educate your customers.
41. Introduce new techniques.
42. Reposition your company in a market place.
43. Change the perception of your company in a marketplace.
44. Expose new employees to the industry.
45. Learn new industry trends.
46. Network with colleagues.
47. Network with industry professionals.
48. Showcase new products and/or services.
49. Establish business relationships with international buyers.
50. Introduce your CEO to the media.
51. Support distributors, representatives, and agents.
52. Demonstrate commitment to a marketplace.
53. Demonstrate commitment to distributors, representatives, agents.
54. Test international buying practices.
55. Influence customer perceptions and attitudes.
56. Create high ROI opportunities.
57. Uncover technology transfer opportunities.
58. Find new business opportunities.
59. Uncover joint venture opportunities.
60. Unveil licensing opportunities.
61. Find new business location possibilities.
62. Determine the effectiveness of marketing and promotion campaigns.
63. Host special industry hospitality events.
64. Have company experts showcased at seminars and workshops.
65. Conduct market research for future product developments.
66. Introduce new production methods.
67. Use direct influence on decision makers.
68. Use booth space as a platform for blogging or live video presentations.
69. Entertain special customers.
70. Distribute promotional tools.
71. Influence industry trends.
72. Have a portable showroom at the trade show.
73. Showcase multiple uses for products and/or services.
74. Interact with a highly targeted audience.
75. Build sales force morale.
76. Give a prospect an opportunity to experience a product and/or service.
77. Open doors for future potential sales.
78. Achieve immediate sales.
79. Present live product demonstrations.
80. Introduce support services.
81. Offer behind-the-scenes personnel a chance to meet customers.
82. Create a three-dimensional sales presentation.
83. Introduce community awareness initiatives.
84. Support current community awareness initiatives.
85. Find other exhibiting opportunities.
86. Attend or present at educational sessions.
87. Meet with industry experts.
88. Develop new marketing techniques.
89. Demonstrate non-portable equipment.
90. Overcome unfavorable publicity.
91. Publicize company associations with community or industry groups.
92. Explain the effects of corporate changes\93. Bring senior management closer to customers.
94. Shorten the buying cycle.
95. Train new personnel.
96. Generate excitement for new products and/or services.
97. Increase corporate profitability.
98. Enhance word-of-mouth markets.
99. Round out the corporate marketing mix.
100. Reach out to customers and communities.

Now that one or more of the above reasons have been established, the first and foremost thing to do is define your objectives for wanting to exhibit at a trade show.

What kind of business are you in? Do you sell software? Do you sell cars? Do you manage a luxury hotel? None of that really matters. When you exhibit at a trade show, you become a card-carrying member of the IDEA industry.

The History of Face-to-Face Marketing

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Face-to-face marketing started with trade shows back in 1851 with the first international trade fair. The United States hosted a “rash” of world and state fairs from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. The World’s Columbian Exposition (also called the Chicago World’s Fair), was held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of Christopher Columbus‘s “discovery” of the New World. Chicago beat out New York City, Washington, D.C., and St. Louis, Missouri, for the honor of hosting this world’s fair.

The exposition covered more than six hundred acres, featuring nearly two hundred new buildings of European architecture, canals, and lagoons, and people and cultures from around the world Over twenty-seven million people (about half the U.S. population at that time) attended the exposition over the six months it was open. Its scale and grandeur far exceeded the other world’s fairs of the time, and became a symbol of then-emerging American exceptionalism. Entrepreneurs and businesspeople developed their own specialized trade shows after this successful world’s fair. Exhibiting locally manufactured goods in a temporary local or regional marketplace gained increasing popularity over the years.
Trade associations added exhibits to convention programs, and that is how it all began. With exhibiting trends come time limitations by attendees. Traditionally, booth spaces for inline 10x10 and 10x20 sizes are still the most popular sizes and spaces that most new exhibitors gravitate toward, as it is cost effective to start off at one of these sizes. However, it is important to know where you will be exhibiting in each of the trade shows, because each destination has different trade show management rules. For example, most trade show inline booth spaces of this size have restrictions of eight feet in height along the back side of the booth space and ten feet in depth, allowing the back wall area to come forward no more than four feet high from the back wall. If there are exhibiting items that obstruct the view from a neighboring exhibitor, you may be asked to take down such an item or items. However, other shows outside the United States or specialized jewelry shows have restrictions that are more relaxed.

This is why each exhibitor should read the show rules before deciding what to design and build for the exhibit space. Trade show resources are a great way to keep up with the latest exhibiting trends, technology, and information.

Some great resources are:
Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) www.ceir.org
Exhibit Designers & Producers Association (EDPA) www.edpa.com
Exhibitor Magazine www.exhibitoronline.com
Exhibit City News www.exhibitcitynews.com
Exhibit and Events www.exhibit-event.com
International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE) www.iaee.com
Trade Show Expo www.trade-show-expo.com
Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA) www.tsea.org
Tradeshow Week www.tradeshowweek.com

According to CEIR research reports, attendance is still strong at shows.

Eighty-two percent of exhibition attendees have buying influence
Thirty-three percent of attendees do not attend any other exhibition
Thirty-three percent have not attended the same event the previous year
Seventy-seven percent of attendees represent a new prospect for exhibiting companies

How the Exhibit Dollar is Spent

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 16:23:00 GMT

There is a continued demand for value in today’s exhibiting environment. Major purchases now pass through four to five key decision makers, not just one decision maker as in the past. This means the salesperson at the exhibit booth space has more people to educate. Exhibitors are demanding metrics and want to measure performance if they are spending valuable trade show dollars to exhibit.
Many companies are asking what are fixed and what are variable expenses for the exhibitor?

According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) study performed in 2009 (www.ceir.org), a portion of the overall dollars spent show approximately one-third spent on exhibitor space (30.7%) , which is nonnegotiable and has to be paid to be able to exhibit in the show. Trade show services (20.1%) are also nonnegotiable – you have to pay installation and dismantle charges to the show services (also known as I&D) at larger shows and most medium-size shows. This is especially true if you cannot walk in and walk out in thirty minutes with one portable case on wheels with the entire exhibit content for your booth space.

Travel and entertainment are variable expenses (15.1%) and are dependent on the number of people sent to the show, hospitality, and so on. Many companies can cut costs here. Exhibiting companies tend to zero in on exhibit design and try to find ways to stretch their dollar. Exhibit design (11.1%) is one of the lesser costs when planning for your overall show cost. There are opportunities with portable and modular products to help stretch the exhibitor’s investment in a display. The other factors to consider are Shipping (10.7%), Promotion (7.4%) and Other, also known as miscellaneous expenses (4.9%) when planning you’re your next trade show. All of these factors go into planning and great trade show experience for your company. Knowing how and where your money is spent when at a trade show will help you to focus your resources to get the best results.

A Motivated Staff Guarantees Fantastic Trade Show Results

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Staffing your company’s display at a show is hard work and staying motivated can often be a real challenge. What are you doing to ensure you have the right staff selected to work at the show? Here are some ideas for you.

1. Select people who want to be there
The key ingredient for anyone to be motivated to work a show is simple: they need to want to be there. All too often employees are told by management to "just show up" to work a particular show. However, given a choice, they would often prefer not to. Let the employee know what role they play in the overall success of the show in lead generation, presentations or just being part of the overall team.

2. Leave negative attitudes behind
Sales people frequently feel that working a display stand interferes with their normal selling routine. When employees have a negative attitude about being at a show, their body language lets everyone around know they feel "this is a futile and unimportant exercise." Remember, 82% of what we say is interpreted by our body language more than what the spoken word is.

3. Realize everyone is an ambassador
Remember that everyone representing your company is an ambassador. By being helpful, courteous and having a professional demeanor, they can strengthen the company’s image and gain new customers. Choose your team carefully based on its excellent knowledge of the company’s products and services and the many customers and prospects whom you expect to visit the stand.

4. Encourage personal goals
Each staff member should have at least one personal goal they want to achieve. This increases accountability, changes unproductive habits, increases productivity and also builds motivation. At pre-show meetings, staff should be encouraged to share their goals with other staff members. Encourage contests for quality leads collected. At post-show or debriefing meetings, they should report on their achievements and be sure to have a metrics plan in place.

5. Get top management support
When top management are supportive of the company’s trade show activities and demonstrate their feelings by attending the show, helping in the booth space, taking part in training sessions and pre-and post-show activities, their enthusiasm is contagious.

6. Keep the team informed
A critical element of motivational success is letting the team know what is expected of them at the show and then providing any training necessary for them to do their job effectively. Successful people aren’t born…they’re trained. Not having the proper training can cause your company to lose a potentially valuable sale.

7. Create a positive, fun and reinforcing environment
It is management’s responsibility to create a positive, fun and reinforcing environment and to realize that it takes more than an incentive to succeed. Rewards and personal recognition provide an effective way of encouraging higher levels of performance. It does not have to cost a lot, but it is the thought and the recognition that maters.

8. Know your staff
Managers need to know their individual staff members and what motivates them. Studies show that more people are motivated by personal recognition than by money. The power of recognition and appreciation can create a more positive, productive and enjoyable environment while working a show. Determine what motivates your staff personally.

9. Team spirit
Everyone should be working together as a team, helping each other out whenever and wherever necessary. If there are a large number of staffers, split them up into teams with technical people working alongside sales people. As a team they need to have time prior to the show to get acquainted, develop a level of trust and get to know and understand each other’s strengths.

10. Review performance
Each day, conduct debriefing sessions to review performance. Team members should be encouraged to give and receive feedback from colleagues to look for ways to improve performance each day. Managers need to remember that individual achievements are worth group recognition and be sure this feedback ties into your overall pre-show strategic goals set in the beginning.

Increase Conversion of Leads-to-Customers

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Are you not seeing anything really converting into new customers even though you are gathering a loyal audience through Facebook Fans, Twitter followers, and an ever increasing stream of website and blog visits. This is a comment I hear often within the business communities.

What more can be done since you already blog, engage in social media and regularly create new content for your audience?

A common challenge for many businesses is knowing how to push inbound leads further down the sales funnel as they attempt to work out how to improve their return on investment (ROI) from online marketing channels

.

Before giving up, evaluate the following:

• Have you integrated your marketing and sales process to confirm that sales are picking up on qualified leads at the right time and maximizing a lead conversion process?
• Are you following up on initial leads with lead nurturing campaigns that offer additional valuable content with deliverables for your target customer?
• Do you offer personalized content to leads in your sales funnel according to the target customer’s position in the buying cycle?
• Are you creating a unique experience with each target customer to create the “Wow” experience discussed in one of my previous blogs posted?

If you cannot answer “yes” to each question, then you’ve identified a potential weak link in your lead conversion and follow up process. Continue reading to learn how you can create a lead conversion process really work for your business.

1. Use Nurturing Campaigns to Keep Your Leads Engaged.

No matter what stage of the buying cycle your potential customer is at, you should cultivate a relationship of trust with every lead so that when your target customer is ready to buy, your name is the top of mind that pops up.
Develop a lead nurturing program that has compelling calls-to-action with updated and relevant content flowing through your blogs, e-newsletters, and social media channels to create value for your followers without hard selling. Each interaction with your target customer should be useful, engaging and a valuable experience “for them.”

2. Evaluate and Grade Your Leads.

Many companies measure the quantity of leads without gauging the quality of leads. A qualified lead, for example, would be someone who visits your website every week, interacts with you in Facebook, re-tweets your Twitter updates, and that has an RSS Feed to your blog is more likely to convert into a paying customer than someone who has just filled out an online lead generation form or watched a webinar.
Implement a scalable lead generation method that communicates through written content that is relevant to your target audience for generating leads and that also matches the level of their engagement with your website.

3. Cultivate Your Unripe Leads.

Leads that have not converted for months are easy to ignore. They often get passed on to the sales team for a slower follow up approach. However, doing this has some risks. You may be contacting these undeveloped leads before they’ve developed enough for a sales call or missing out on opportunity to shift them down the sales funnel. Sometimes it takes time to nurture and develop these types of leads, but perseverance can pay off.
Consider an unqualified lead as if it was an unripe apple – it needs time and attention to grow. Once this type of lead has been cultivated under your care, the fruit is yours to pick. Don’t let your ‘unripe’ leads dry and wither – place them on a special campaign where you nurture them until they ripen into loyal customers.

The "A B C's” of Lead Management

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Gathering and evaluating leads does not require a rocket scientist but it does require is a strategy. As you gather leads, assess each lead into one of 3 categories to develop a strong lead generation campaign.

• "A" leads are prospective customers that are ready to buy or sell now.
• "B" leads are prospective customers that plan to buy or sell in the next month or two.
• "C" leads are prospective customers that may buy or sell in the next three to six months.

After you have assessed your leads, now it is time to develop an action plan for each type of lead and nurture each lead differently. Don’t focus too much on the "A" leads that you overlook the "B" and "C" leads. The B and C leads are also your future business. They are similar to a "drip" e-mail and/or social media system that automatically sends helpful e-mails to your lead customer every week or two. Be sure the emails have relevant information to help fit their criteria - and remember to get permission before adding leads to your e-mail list.

With so much technology available to us in the business world, be sure to embrace technology.

In today’s marketplace, most people are overwhelmed with time management. Look for and develop a strong Customer Relations Management System for lead management that is systemized and find the technology that is savvy to your industry for a follow up process to implement. Remember – you should continue to be a people business.

Next, determine if your follow up App or software will give future customers the experience you've spelled out in your overall lead generation plan. Technology can help you manage leads but converting them requires a much more face-to-face and ear-to-ear job!

Build Customer Relationships and Customer Loyalty.

It is no secret why top sales team members exceed their numbers. It is because they embrace the basics.

Sales teams focus on the fundamentals - day in, day out and “they listen” and get back to people quickly. They do their homework and respond professionally to what they heard. Yes, while this is very basic, it is vital. With all the emails, social media, and Apps out there these days, it's easy to lose site of the fundamentals. Take a good look to be sure you are giving that personal service.

Hold this basic information near and dear and you will have laid the foundation for a stellar sales lead conversion process.

A proven and effective way to convert leads to appointments is simple – make a simple phone call if your target audience is over the age of 45 or a quick email or social media follow up if your target audience is under the age of 45. When in doubt, always remember, a human voice talking to another human voice always wins! It is also important to know your target audience.

Do you have a CRM (Customer Relations Management) Database that you can quickly identify your target audience profile information? Here are some suggestions for what information is important for your CRM Database information–

• Best method for communication: phone call, email, face to face appointments, social media platforms, etc.
• Target Audience Information: What generation does your prospective customer come from and what is his or her individual personality and job function? (Example: Is he or she a traditionalist, a baby boomer, a Gen X, Gen Y or Gen Z and are any of them a decision maker, a researcher, assistant to the decision maker, etc.?)
• All of the above Information is important for relationship building and for creating the “Wow” experience to convert leads into loyal customers.

8 Tips for Controlling Trade Show Display Costs

Tue, 29 May 2012 06:00:00 GMT

We are often asked how to keep control of trade show exhibit costs without diluting a company’s exhibit image impact. Listed below are 8 suggestions to help keep trade show display costs in line.

1. Plan Well in Advance.
This is where we see many companies spend extra money. Strategically aligning your needs with costs necessitates a well thought out plan. Doing this will eliminate unnecessary rush charges from not scheduling sufficient lead time for the trade show display’s graphic design and production timeline requirements.

2. Invest in a Lightweight Portable Trade Show Exhibit.
A lightweight portable exhibit reduces ownership operating costs for freight, handling and storage. Choose a trade show display that sets up and packs easily and is simple to install and dismantle. A custom modular or custom portable trade show exhibit has the similar look of a custom exhibit, while reducing overall operating costs by 50% to 90%.

3. Consider Renting a Trade Show Booth.
Renting a trade show booth is perfect for the company that is planning a one time or occasional trade show appearance or if you have a simultaneous trade show in another part of the country that conflicts with your overlapping exhibit schedule. If you plan to exhibit more than three times in a given year, it does not make economic sense to rent a trade show display. When looking at rental options, be sure to rent a display booth that will fit into the size of your purchased exhibit space. Renting a display will save you on trade show booth construction costs and also the expense to store your display after the trade show is over.

4. Upgrade Your Current Trade Show Display.
If you choose not to rent a display booth, you can upgrade your current display booth by updating graphics, re-laminating panels, and redesigning structural elements. This can be a cost-effective way to exhibit rather than starting from scratch.

5. Consider a Used Trade Show Booth.
If you do not already have an existing trade show exhibit booth, you can find pre-owned used trade show exhibits at greatly reduced costs. Many trade show exhibit houses offer top quality pre-owned trade show exhibits that are well maintained and easily adaptable to new signage. This drastically saves in exhibit design time and construction costs. You also have many options on design, price, size and choice similar to trade show booth rentals for a variety of style and component options. Add your own customized graphics to the used trade show display purchase and be at your next show in rapid time.

6. Pre-Plan Your Set up Time at Shows.
Early trade show booth assembly helps you avoid last minute glitches that run up the tab. Avoid costly weekend and overtime labor costs on the trade show floor by planning your install and dismantle times on a week day and between the standard work hours for the show.

7. Become Familiar with Trade Show Services.
Becoming familiar with what trade show services are offered at your trade shows will help you save time and costs. Frequently, you may require supplemental assistance for trade show services at the trade show exhibit hall. Become familiar with the show hand book for support services such as carpeting, installation and dismantling, drayage, furniture, lighting, phones and security. If you plan in advance, you can save money while avoiding numerous pitfalls.

8. Pack a Show Bag.
Packing a show bag for each trade show with emergency repair materials and replacement items will save you overcharges at the show. Also keep a backup supply of items that may need to be replenished at the trade show. This may include duct tape, light bulbs, paper, pens, power cords, scissors, tools, and Velcro.
Keeping trade show exhibit costs under control requires experience. If your exhibit display team has limited knowledge, learn from the wealth of knowledge available from the staff of a reputable trade show exhibit house.

10 Effective Ways to Cut Show Costs

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:00:00 GMT

This step is second of the most critical steps you can do for your overall trade show strategy. Selecting the right trade show to attend can make a big difference to your success level, in addition to qualifying leads and sales versus spending money, time and energy with no return on your investment.

1. Proper planning
Proper planning is the most important cost-cutting tip. Planning ahead saves on expensive last minute charges. Establish a list of key dates and activities. Push due dates back a month so that you always meet your deadlines. Be sure to ask about our Budget Checklist to help you save time and money on planning for your show.

Tool Kit
Order all the products, supplies, and services that you need in advance. Most contractors will give you a small discount for pre-payment or early bird orders. By ordering early, you not only save money but you can also avoid delays, costly errors and compromises.
General Supplies:
• Marker
• Personal Schedule
• Pens
• Calendar
• Tape
• Lead/Registration forms
• Note Pad
• Inquiry/Sales lead box
• Set up tools
• Brochures and press(if necessary)releases/kits
• First aid kit
• Giveaways and promotional items
• Individual Supplies
• Order forms and Business cards
• Contracts
• Travel tickets
• Office letterhead
• Appointment book note paper
• Hotel and car
• Envelopes, confirmation numbers office/express mail
• Credit cards/cash
• Staplers, staples
• Staple remover
• Contact telephone list
• Scissors
• Client list
• Name badge
• Paperclips
• Onsite Payment Method
• Cleaning Supplies

2. Promotional production
Produce all of your pre-show mailings at the same time to save on printing expenses rather than printing several times throughout the year. This is often referred to as “stacked” printing.

3. Buying a display
Consider the best type of trade show exhibit for your needs. Look into one that packs compactly to save on storage, is lightweight to save on shipping, portable to transport by car, courier or as airline baggage, can be quickly and easily set-up to save costs, adapts easily to different spaces by adding or removing components without having to purchase multiple designed exhibits. Owning an exhibit that is modular and meets your growing needs is the most cost-effective exhibit on the market.

4. Display graphics
Design and produce your graphics ahead of time to avoid overtime or rush charges. Allow enough time to preview your graphics early and not rush direct to the show. Have someone proofread your copy to avoid change charges.

5. Packing
Create a "show box" containing handy items that are often not available at the show site. Include a stapler, tape, Velcro, scissors, Swiss army knife, pens, paper, extension cords, and extra light bulbs. Remember to re-stock the box after each show.

6. Literature
Take only enough literature to distribute to highly qualified leads. Offer to send prospects literature so it is on their desk when they return from the show. This saves on drayage, production costs, and cuts down on waste. It also saves you costs in having show literature that may end up in the show trash cans.

7. Transportation
When buying a display, investigate how you will ship it. Lightweight durable systems save on shipping and drayage. Keep an accurate record of actual weight, contents and number of containers. Specify the weight on your bill of lading. Consolidate materials in one tub or shrink wrap individual items onto one pallet. Don’t scrimp on shipping containers. Re-doing damaged graphics can be expensive.

8. Travel
Investigate reduced rates or special deals with the airlines for ten people or more traveling to and from the same city. Book early and ask hotels for any specials or corporate rates. Explore Saturday night stay-over rates, an extra night at the hotel may be less than the extra airfare. Use airport shuttles instead of taxis.

9. Show services
Pre-order show services at least 10-30 days prior to the show–electrical, phones, cleaning services, etc. It is best to order 30+ days before the show to save on costs and if you wait until set up date of the show, the floor price is often 10-20% higher. Order more wattage than needed so you don’t risk an electrical breakdown and then have to pay a higher floor price.

10. Setting up Schedule
Set up during straight time hours and avoid weekends and overtime hours as much as possible as it can cost up to twice as much. When possible, use your own personnel to set up your trade show display if the show regulations allow. You will need to check the regulations specified by the exhibition hall.

Top 10 Tips for Selecting the Right Trade Shows

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:00:00 GMT

This step is one of the most critical steps you can do for your overall trade show strategy. Selecting the right trade show to attend can make a big difference to your success level, in addition to qualifying leads and sales versus spending money, time and energy with no return on your investment.

1. Ask Questions
The first questions you should be asking are "who do you want to reach at the show?" and "what do you want to have happen?"

2. Identify shows
There are two groups of shows you should be evaluating: the shows you are presently attending, and the shows you want to consider for future participation. Who is your target market and which shows do they attend?

3. Match your objectives
Selecting the right shows means matching your show exhibiting objectives with the right target audiences, the right timing to meet buyers’ purchasing patterns and the ability to show and demonstrate your products/services.

4. Do your homework
When evaluating a show’s potential, gather as much information as possible to include show statistics/demographics and review lists of previous show participants. Verify the information provided by show management. Speak to past exhibitors and attendees to measure the success of the show.

5. Visit the Show
Whenever possible, personally visit the show prior to exhibiting to assess its value and talk to the exhibitors in the show. Evaluate the supporting events and/or educational seminars around the show.

6. Consider location
When evaluating a show's potential, take geographical location into consideration. Usually 40-60% of attendees come from a 200-mile radius of the show location. Consider your distribution area and target audience and does this meet your attendee target geographical data?

7. Consider timing
What other events are scheduled for the same time as the show and will they impact attendance? Are there multiple events going on the same time period?

8. Evaluate opportunities
What other marketing possibilities could the show offer? Are there opportunities for sponsorship, showcasing new offerings or participation in the educational seminars?

9. Play it safe
Be cautious about participating in a first time show. Promotional material may be extremely persuasive, but a show without prior history is a risky venture and can cost you more money than anticipated.

10. Choose your space wisely
Every trade show is unique and there are many variables affecting direction, volume and quality of traffic past your display. Be familiar with the floor plan and how your trade show booth fits. Ask us about how to be in the “V” of the floor plan and how traffic usually flows at shows. Consider how close you want to be to the main attractions, industry leaders, competitors, restrooms, food stations, entrances, exits, escalators/elevators/lifts, windows or seminar sites. Avoid obstructing columns, low ceilings, dead-end aisles, loading docks and freight doors, dark/poorly lit spaces, ceiling water pipes, late set-up areas or "black spots" on the floor plan.

Now that you are at the Trade Show – What’s Next?

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 07:00:00 GMT

During The Show:
Both you and your exhibitor booth space need to look and feel accessible and welcoming.

Here are some ways to ensure that will happen:
• Stand as much as you can in your booth space. If you need to sit, try and sit off to the side in a counter height chair but not behind your table.

• Stay fully present to what is going on in the trade show environment. This means no reading or having long conversations with your neighboring exhibitors or friends. This also means no eating, chewing gum or talking on your cell phone within the booth space as it gives off an unprofessional image.

• Think of some qualifying questions in advance that will stimulate conversation with attendees. Ask open ended questions that require more than a yes or no answer.

• Listen more than you talk! Don’t go into your sales presentation and give a lot of information until you know what they know. Find out what the attendee knows about your product or service, then have a dialogue ready. This is not the time to lecture but to listen and build a relationship.

• Show attendees, especially women, want to do business with others they feel a connection to. Concentrate on what you have to offer them – not what you can get from them. Speak to their hearts and their heads.

• Keep things light. Keep your energy up. Have Fun!

• Be generous and be willing to help the other exhibitors have a successful show. There is enough business for everyone and if you come from a spirit of cooperation rather than competition – everyone will win. Get to know the other exhibitors and what they are offering so you can become a resource to the attendees.

• Stay positive and away from gossip and whining.

• Keep your booth space neat. It’s easy for your exhibitor space to start getting cluttered after you’ve been there a while. Remember, this space is a reflection of your company and your office.

• Make sure your booth is staffed at all times or you may lose potential opportunity. If you need a break and don’t have anyone with you, befriend a neighboring exhibitor to help you out for a few minutes and stand in your booth while you take a break. Be sure you are not gone too long as some one may stop by and ask for important information that the stand in staffer may not be able to answer.

• Be familiar with the layout of the Event or Show and any programs going on so you can act as a resource for the attendees.

• Plan to attend at least one talk or workshop if they are offered at the event or show. Support your fellow exhibitors and learn something new!

• If there is a Networking Reception, be sure to attend to build relationships.

• Do not break your booth down early towards the end of the event or show. Sometimes this is the time attendees like to last minute shop and you may lose out on opportunity.

After The Show
Over the past 20+ years, I have seen many exhibiting companies spend a lot of time, money and energy on an event or trade show and then throw it all away because they didn’t follow up! This is a crucial step you do not want to overlook.

•Follow up with all of your new lead contacts within one week after the show or sooner. We contact people by email within two days after the event or show and thank them for coming by and visiting with us in our booth space and also thank them for signing up for our email list. We also tell the attendees what they will be receiving from us going forward.

• If attendees ordered product from you during the show, put your orders in right away and notify them of the timeline for delivery.

• If you told any of the attendees you would send them something…do it! How you handle post show interaction will tell the new lead contacts how you do business.

• Networking and sales is a process. Do not judge the event or show prematurely based on sales or contacts. Now is the time to nurture those contacts you made and turn them into valuable relationships to build business. Be patient.

The 4 Rules for Trade Show Exhibit Success

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 07:00:00 GMT

Whether you are a seasoned trade show exhibitor or a novice or whether you know the basic trade show exhibiting rules by heart or are learning them for the first time, these four Rules for Trade Show Exhibit Success will help make your trade show exhibit experience a success.

These four steps are reasonable and they work. If you follow the guidelines, you will succeed at your next trade show. Whether you purchase a portable trade show exhibit, a custom modular trade show exhibit, a custom trade show display, or a trade show booth rental, here they are.

Rule 1 for Trade Show Exhibit Success
Know why you are exhibiting at a conference, event or trade show.
Ask this question first. Is your trade show display the unveiling site of your most significant new product or service? Do you have a cutting edge industry innovation? Do you need to announce a major change in strategy for your company due to a recent growth, merger or acquisition? Or is it that you want to make sure that your company is noticed and included in your industry’s key trade show so as not to be left out of the competition? Once you are clear on why you are exhibiting and what your trade show objectives and goals are, make sure your trade show exhibit design and message reinforce your overall marketing objectives. Set smart goals that are attainable, share the goals with your trade show exhibit team, and set up metric systems to measure your results and validate your objectives.

Rule 2 for Trade Show Exhibit Success
Know who your audience is at the conference, event or trade show.
Recruit informed trade show exhibit staff that are competent and are able to connect with and educate your trade show booth customer prospects for relationship building and lead generation. Be sure to have your most qualified trade show exhibit team available to meet with key prospects in your booth space. At the trade show booth, give an educational presentation that will lead your prospects to the right company representative team member for additional information. Match up your exhibit booth staffers well with the positions of those who visit your trade show display. For example, if your target attendees are engineers that visit your booth, engage them with your engineer booth staff members. Also, prepare your trade show exhibit staff on how to engage, identify and qualify important trade show leads and how to politely disengage with those who are not qualified business prospects

Rule 3 for Trade Show Exhibit Success
Know how to attract key attendees to your trade show booth.
There are many helpful ways to attract trade show attendees to your trade show display. In addition to email alerts and pre-mailers, you can build on-site traffic to your trade show booth with a dramatic, attention-getting hanging sign for immediate attention or use social media avenues to give attendees a reason to stop by your booth during the show. When entering the trade show exhibit hall, the first thing trade show prospect attendees do is look up. Your overhead sign can be a signal for attraction with a unique design, shape and/or movement. Gobo lights that travel across a tension fabric can also provide changing colors and captivating interest. There are many new technologies that can bring high drama to your trade show booth such as your interactive Website on a large screen, holographics, robotics, 3D video/laser image displays suspended above, and water screen projections. Take advantage of your trade show exhibit provider’s expertise on graphics, portability, modularity, and cost management. Use tension fabrics, colored metal, layered graphics or woods, that use fewer shipping containers, have an up to date design trend look, and save on operating costs.

Rule 4 for Trade Show Exhibit Success
Know how to qualify leads and then how to follow up on your qualified leads for maximum ROI.
Be sure your trade show booth staffers are well trained in how to accurately qualify and measure the return on your trade show exhibit investment. Check out the many software packages that allow you to identify multiple choice questions in advance that will determine how viable a client prospect is for your company. Identify buyers, while filtering out those who are not qualified, and then measure the results. Rank your lead generated prospects as highly qualified (hot prospect), somewhat qualified (warm prospect), or poorly qualified (cool prospect). Have your sales force follow up on highly qualified hot leads within 1-2 days after the show. Measure the results of these leads in stages for both the number and dollar amount of proposals made to actual monies received from sales. After the trade show is over, be sure to follow up immediately on those highly qualified prospects. Then, when your highly qualified prospects are contacted, move on to the next level of somewhat qualified prospects within 3-4 days after the show. Be sure to have in place a well-planned marketing strategy to close sales with these lead generated prospects.

About EXHIB-IT! Trade Show Marketing Experts
Since 2000, EXHIB-IT! Trade Show Marketing Experts has provided turnkey, one-stop modular and custom event and trade show solutions for clients all over the world. We are well known for highly unique custom modular designed exhibits in addition to portable trade show booths. We specialize in exceeding our client expectations, exemplified by a nearly perfect (98%) overall customer satisfaction rating for design, marketing, production and trade show management services. We welcome the opportunity to work with you to utilize our expertise to guarantee your success, whether with trade shows or any other type of event.

6 Things to Know as a First Time Exhibit Buyer

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:00:00 GMT

1. Define Your Exhibit Marketing Strategy
2. Plan Ahead so You Can Save Money and Make Smarter Decisions
3. Don’t Let the Exhibit Buying Experience be Intimidating
4. Be Prepared for Sticker Shock as Exhibits Can be Expensive
5. Where to Buy
6. Put Everything in Writing

• Define Your Exhibit Marketing Strategy
Your exhibit marketing objectives, goals and strategy should include your purpose for exhibit marketing needs. This should be a first step before you are influenced by budget parameters. Your exhibit strategy should be consistent with your overall marketing strategy. Creating an exhibit marketing strategy will help reveal what type of exhibit or exhibits are best matched for your company. If your company plans to attend numerous back-to-back shows using a 10 x 10 booth space, then you may want to evaluate portable or modular exhibits as they allow more flexibility as your needs change. If your company exhibits at a number of smaller inline booth spaces along with a few major shows, then you’ll want to consider portable/modular or hybrid modular exhibits. If your strategy is to make a huge impact at a major industry show, then you’ll want to evaluate portable exhibit, modular exhibit, hybrid exhibit, and custom modular exhibits.

•Plan Ahead so You Can Save Money and Make Smarter Decisions
Allowing time to plan ahead will save you stress and money. Most importantly, planning ahead helps you avoid making quick decisions that may not be the right decisions for long term. Some exhibit companies offer a discount for longer lead times. This allows them to use their resources and their staff more efficiently, especially during the busy trade show seasons. Planning ahead also provides enough time to correct possible errors and make last minute improvements (which are not uncommon) regardless of your careful planning.

•Don’t Let the Exhibit Buying Experience be Intimidating.
To keep things simple, let’s assume that exhibit marketing is a new experience for you. You don’t need a marketing degree to be successful at exhibit marketing. However, it does help to get advice from exhibit marketing experts so you make the right choices. When buying your first exhibit, it can raise more questions than answers as there are different types of exhibits on the market and many different types of exhibiting. To make the right choice for your exhibit purchase, you will need to determine how you plan to use the exhibit display, the brand and image you want to project, and a budget you have to work with.

Chances are you will start your Internet Search and Local Search. There are many exhibit companies that have been around for decades but knowing which ones will understand trade shows, conferences, and be able to match an exhibit design with your company’s overall needs can be quite intimidating. Originally, exhibits were mostly custom-crafted and quite heavy. Then, as the exhibit industry changed and companies needed displays that were much more diversified, exhibit systems evolved as an alternative to the high cost of custom craftsmanship. On the market today, there are multiple exhibit categories. Exhibit systems, which includes portable, modular, and hybrid exhibits, are evolving towards custom-crafted exhibits, and custom-crafted exhibits are evolving towards exhibit systems.

All these choices have apparent advantages and exhibit companies work hard to carve out distinct niches along the portable, modular and custom spectrum. The exhibit (or exhibits) that best fit your company’s exhibit marketing strategy will fit in somewhere along this spectrum. This is where an exhibit consultant can be very useful in helping you make the right purchase decision for your company. Ultimately, an trade show exhibit consultant wants to help you maximize your exhibit marketing potential so you will continue to use them as your needs change and develop a long-lasting relationship for your exhibit and graphic needs.

•Be Prepared for Sticker Shock as Exhibits Can be Expensive
Be prepared for sticker shock. Many first time buyers are shocked by the price of even a 10 ft. portable or modular exhibit.
On average, a leading portable exhibit design will cost you between $20 to $150 per-square-foot (psf), a leading modular exhibit design between $50 up to $300 psf, and a custom exhibit from a leading custom house between $100 and $300 psf. The more customized the exhibit system, the closer the price will be to a custom exhibit price.

•Where to Buy
Where to buy depends on your marketing objectives and goals. Do you need a large custom exhibit booth? Or do you need a portable, modular, or hybrid exhibit trade show booth? If you plan to exhibit more than once or twice a year, chances are you’ll work closely with an experienced trade show exhibit consultant for several years. Shop around and base your buying decision on more than just price. Sometimes price seems better up front but the back end fees will cost you in the long run. Trade Show exhibit consultants have years of experience about design, graphics, marketing, and trade show tactics. Their overall industry knowledge will help you avoid the pitfalls that most inexperienced trade show marketers make. This will help you avoid the expensive pitfalls. Working with a knowledgeable trade show exhibit consultant will save you money over time.

Most exhibit companies have websites and many allow you to order exhibits on their website with a credit card. Up front consultation and an initial black and white design are traditionally free. Lead times for portable, modular and hybrid exhibit systems range from a few days to a month, but rarely exceed five weeks unless the project is large and/or complex with a lot of custom features. Custom exhibit lead times range from a month to two months, depending on the complexity of the exhibit, the time of year, and other production jobs already in-house.

•Put Everything in Writing
Once you’ve determined the exhibit, graphics or service, request a quote from a professional exhibit consultant. In the case of designing an exhibit that best fits your company image, that is not a kit design, you might work through several design modifications and quotes until the exhibit design suits you perfectly. This process is generally free. When you’re ready to buy, insist that everything is put in writing and never depend on a conversation alone as it may lead to misunderstandings in deliverables. Most exhibit trade show exhibit companies know this and will provide you with a detailed written quote and will take the time to review it with you.
For more information about trade show exhibits or trade show marketing, give us a call or send us an email. We welcome the opportunity to assist you with your next event.