Now, I’m not calling anyone “dumb,” so lower your kitchen knives and baseball bats. What I am saying is that people do really dumb stuff at trade shows. Consistently dumb stuff. Anyone who participates in trade shows could write a book on what they’ve seen over the years. Pre-show marketing and post-show leads could cover several hundred pages.
It’s human nature. We ignore the familiar. After a while, the pile of messy papers doesn’t exist and the big coffee stain is invisible. Then, someone comments on it, and we can’t not look at it. Until it disappears — again.
Trade show exhibits are no different and maybe even worse. Do you remember your first show with a brand new display?
Most of us are creatures of habit. Why change if it’s working? I’ve learned over the years that trade show marketing tends to follow the same, well-traveled road for most companies. Same shows. Similar booths. Little change to the exhibit staffing. Common frustrations year after year.
Making the Perfect Pitch . . . Low and Inside
Presenting to senior executives can be a challenge, even to seasoned professionals. When it comes to pitching your company, your services, and your design, you have to be perfect since you rarely get more than one chance.
The slideshow below, 5 Tips to Presenting to Executives, is informative and entertaining. It’s by Bruce Gabrielle author of Speaking PowerPoint: the New Language of Business. Give it a quick look, then go back and study it carefully. You’ll be glad you did.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Kudos to our friends at Optima for their recent videos. They’ve upped the ante on how to script and produce a professional educational video. Here’s a terrific one to share with your customer if they purchased a silicone edge graphic display. Force them to watch it. It will save you a 9 a.m. call from the show floor that the SEG graphic(s) doesn’t fit. It does.
Free Exhibitor Webinar on Nov. 6
I’ve heard you say many times, “Is there a trade show webinar available to my customers that is Professional, Brandable, and Free?” Why yes my dimple-faced sweet dumpling, there is. Marlys Arnold, the Trade Show Image Specialist, will be offering her “Countdown to Tradeshow Success” webinar on Nov. 6.
BONUS: Marlys will create a branded webpage for you to promote the webinar to your clients. Just contact her at marnold@imagespecialist.com.