Recently I attended a charity
event with a social mixer. Several introductions later,I was conversing with a CEO about trade shows.
He grumbled about drayage, shipping, and labor. I sympathized. Then he shifted to ROI.His company’s trade show ROI was terrible. Not surprisingly, his company didn’t have clear trade show objectives or a pre-show or post-show strategy.
It Got Me Thinking
Are we asking our clients the wrong questions?
Perhaps we shouldn’t be asking exhibitors about their trade show goals or objectives. Instead, we should encourage them to share everything they don’t want to happen. In other words, ask them to describe their trade show hell. We know the list will be LONG and DETAILED, and include topics like terrible booth traffic, the wrong prospects, worthless lead management. Or disengaged staff, ugly graphics, insufficient storage, or simply a boring booth.
Suddenly, your boring 5–10-minute conversation about goals becomes an intense (and entertaining) 30-minute session about their trade show nightmares. Guess what… They’ve told you what they don’t want. Nowguide them toward the solutions they need. I suspect they’ll be more receptive. And the conversation will be a lot more fun!
I challenge you to test this technique. What do you have to lose? You just might turn a disengaged trade show marketer into a dynamic trade show marketing cheerleader. Sans the pom poms.
Classic Exhibits has been designing and building solutions since 1993. We’ve been honored as an Exhibitor Magazine Find-It Top 40 Exhibit Producers and an Event Marketer Fab 50 Exhibit Builders multiple times. Along with numerous Portable Modular Awards.
With over 200 Distributor Partners throughout North America, there’s a Classic representative close by to assist with any rental project. Contact us today whether you need an inline rental display, a double-deck island exhibit, or a contemporary kiosk rental. At Classic, we’re not just different. We’re better.
Most marketing professionals will hint at it. Others will whine and grumble about trade shows. Then there are those who are honest. They don’t understand trade show marketing. That’s not surprising. It’s rarely taught in college on either the undergraduate or graduate level. At best, it’s mentioned in passing in a textbook. I know. After earning an MBA, I went to work for an exhibit builder. On Day 1, I was clueless. Many years later, I’m still learning.
I’d love to say that trade show marketing is marketing but that’s not entirely true. It’s different in the same way that event marketing is different. Face-to-face engagements are less structured, more unpredictable, and frankly, messier than other forms of marketing. And, depending on the company and their goals, it can be difficult to measure the results.
3D Structures vs. 2D Screens
Marketing has traditionally been 2D: print and television, brochures, websites, etc. It’s also been static and somewhat controllable. Trade show marketing or face-to-face marketing is as much about human interaction as the message or the branding. It’s about creating conversations before, during, and after the show.
Then there’s the booth design. It’s outside most marketers’ comfort zone, especially the first two, three, or four times. The dollars involved make it even scarier. It’s easy to panic when the costs exceed six digits for even a modest island exhibit. Fortunately, great exhibit houses have amazing exhibit designers who have years of experience asking the right questions and guiding marketers to the best possible solution to meet their trade show objectives.
Variable Measurements
Unlike print, television, or web ads, there are no standards or no reliable sources for subscriptions, ratings, or clicks at trade shows. Counting leads works, but it’s a crude measurement. More experienced exhibitors track pre-show promotions, leads, and sales through the entire sales channel, but they are the exception.
That doesn’t mean there are no quantitative measurements. Lead tracking software has become very sophisticated as a tool during and after the show, which makes gathering data, exporting it, and tracking leads much easier. But like all measurements, it’s easy to set goals. The hard part is being disciplined about entering the data and then reviewing it during and after the show. For example, here’s a typical conversation one week after a trade show.
Sales Manager: “I see from the show leads that you chatted with Bill Burrows from XYZ company. That’s GREAT! We’ve been trying to get their business for years. What did you discuss?”
Salesperson: “Does the lead indicate the day and time I spoke to Bill? XYZ? Do they make sprockets? I think we talked about supply chain challenges for them and opportunities for vendors but I don’t recall the details.”
Competitors
Trade shows are truly a competitive sport when it comes to marketing. It’s the one time you and your competitors are all in the same room, all vying for the attention of the same audience. You see what they’re doing… and vice versa.
It pays to be alert throughout the show. What products or services are your competitors promoting? What’s the traffic like in their booth? Do you have any shared customers? If so, what can they tell you about your competitors. And it’s not just during show hours. You would be surprised how “relaxed” some competitors become during social events and mixers. The best information at a trade show often comes from conversations off the show floor.
Uncontrollable Variables
No one likes unpredictability when it comes to their marketing campaign and implementation. Yet, despite one’s best efforts, trade shows can be chaotic. Freight doesn’t arrive on time. Items are broken. Flights are cancelled. An exhibitor on the far side of the exhibit hall is giving away beer and sandwiches. The exhibitor nearest you has their music so loud you can’t talk to potential clients without shouting.
It should go without saying that you can minimize surprises with advanced planning. Staging the booth to check for damage or missing parts. Leaving a day early or staggering flights. Shipping the booth to the advanced warehouse. But most importantly, communicating with potential clients at the show WELL in ADVANCE.
Unfamiliarity/Knowledge
Most medium-sized companies participate in two to five trade shows per year. Some as few as one. That makes it challenging to become an expert quickly. Plus, each show may not only have a different audience, but also different rules, layout, and resources. Too often, when the internal “expert” understands how to maximize the company’s trade show efforts, that person is assigned to other responsibilities. Then someone new has to start fresh.
Sales and Marketing
Before, during, and after a trade show, sales and marketing must be dance partners. You’re a team. Face-to-face marketing requires sales skills and marketing expertise perfectly choreographed.
No matter how much sales and marketing claim to play nice, there’s always a wall at most companies. It’s that wall that dooms most exhibitors from fully benefiting from their trade show program. Successful exhibitors do two things well. They include everyone in the planning and they set clear, specific, and achievable goals. There should be no surprises and no excuses at every stage, especially once the show closes and everyone heads home.
Trade show marketing almost never leads to sales before the show. At the show, it creates opportunities. After the show is when the rubber meets the road and sales are closed.
How to Become a Trade Show Marketing Expert
Go to trade shows as often as possible as an attendee. Ask questions and listen to what works and what doesn’t. Plus, be willing to take classes at industry events about trade show marketing, even if your goal isn’t to become a trade show certified manager.
Rely on your local trade show professional. If they only know how to sell you a display, but not how to succeed at trade show marketing, then find someone else.
Tap into industry consultants. These folks know how to avoid the potholes and the meandering paths so often taken by trade show exhibitors. You can find them in LinkedIn, Google, or by simply asking your local vendor.
Plan to succeed. Create a comprehensive plan that targets pre-show, show, and post-show marketing and put specific goals in place for each one.
Based in Portland, Oregon, Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, and custom-hybrid exhibit solutions. Classic Exhibits products are represented by an extensive distributor network in North America and in select International markets. For more information, contact us at 866-652-2100 or www.classicexhibits.com.
Trade Show Marketing isn’t complicated. It can be reduced to three simple rules. Everything else is a business decision. Here’s the difference: Buying a 10 ft. portable vs. 20 ft. custom island — that’s a business decision. Staying at the Hilton vs. the Quality Inn — that’s a business decision. Getting a professional presenter for the booth — that’s a marketing decision.
Confused? Here’s ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW about trade show marketing to be successful.
Rule #1. Problem and Solution.
Your message must state a problem and a solution, either explicitly or implicitly. Attendees are there to find solutions. They may not know they have a problem until you provide the solution. When Chrysler introduced the minivan back in the 80’s, their marketing focused on showing families that their vehicle was either too big or too small. In an attempt to be clever or creative, we forget we’re selling something. Selling is all about identifying needs and pains… and then providing the right solution.
Rule #2. Get Noticed.
It’s called a “show” for a reason. You spent money to be seen at the show. BE SEEN! Does that mean dressing in a clown suit and standing in a booth made of balloons? No, unless that’s your culture (or you are selling balloons). Most companies approach trade show exhibits and graphics like they’re buying a mid-priced sedan: “I’d like a Honda Accord in silver.” Take a chance. You want to be different. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be practical and contain everything you need to showcase your product or service. Even Melba Toast doesn’t have to be Melba Toast at a trade show.
Does your product lend itself to a professional presenter? That’s one way to get noticed.
Pre-show marketing. There’s no better way of getting seen than by developing a pre-show campaign that drives attendees to your booth. In today’s Internet-driven, social media-focused market, getting someone’s attention before the show is as important, if not more important, than being seen at the show.
Rule #3. The Right People.
If you bring ten people to the show, at least six are the wrong ones. Why?
They don’t know the products and services
They don’t have charismatic people skills
They are not personally invested in the show results
They did not participte in the pre- or post-show planning.
Two out of four doesn’t cut it. A trade show isn’t a vacation. It’s a strategic investment.
You’ll often hear that 80% of trade show leads are wasted. I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know that bringing the right employees to the show solves that problem. The right employees won’t let a lead sit on someone’s desk or be forgotten on a jump drive. They’re relentless about post-show follow-up because they understand how much time, effort, and money went into planning and participating in the trade show.
Want to be a trades how star? Focus on these three rules. Everything else, while important to your bottom line, your ego, or your HR Department, is just a business decision.
Based in Portland, Oregon, Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, and custom-hybrid exhibit solutions. Classic Exhibits products are represented by an extensive distributor network in North America and in select International markets. For more information, contact us at 866-652-2100 or www.classicexhibits.com
Here’s a truth most marketing professionals don’t want to admit. They don’t understand Trade Show Marketing. They may be superstars on the web, in print, and every other part of their job, but their exhibition program is a mess. So they blame trade shows. You already know this, and you’ve heard all their excuses.
So, how do you fix it? The resumption of trade shows has brought an influx of new marketing folkswho are eager for information and success. In addition, experienced marketing professionals are now hands-on again because of budget cuts or staffing issues. Guess what… You’re the expert they need — someone who has the resources to train them without bruising their fragile egos.
Professional Trade Show Tips
Start by tapping into Trade Show Tipsin Exhibit Design Search which has almost 100 trade show articles. You can build a My Gallery that includes designs, photos, and articles. Then send them ONE LINK with all those resources. Voila! You become their “go to” person about trade show marketing.
Trade Show Tips is available on all versions ofEDS: Classic’s, unbranded, and branded.
Trade shows are back, and exhibitors are talking about new graphics, giveaways, and Las Vegas. I love the renewed excitement for trade shows… and to some extent, loath it. I get to hear exhibitors grumble about the cost of a display, poor leads, drayage, and their ROI. And, no matter how much we coach them, there’s always a few marketing managers who just don’t get it. They buy cheap, basic displays, don’t do any pre-show marketing, bring the wrong staff, and then take a cavalier approach to show leads. Their results suck, and they wonder why.
It’s not an age thing. Baby boomers are no better than Millennials, Gen X’ers or Gen Y’ers. So, let’s draw a comparison to other advertising. Would most marketers make these advertising choices?
Magazine Ad:
1. So… the black and white ad is cheaper? Yes, I realize this is a glossy color publication, but B&W ads are “artistic,” and I can run two for the price of one. 2. Thanks for the publication’s circulation numbers and demographics. No need to explain. I’ll review it later in my “reading” room. 3. My unemployed second cousin is designing the ad with a pirated copy of Illustrator. I’m paying him in pizza and PBR. 4. The sales team doesn’t need to see the ad. It’s their job to sell whatever we tell them to sell. 5. That B&W ad didn’t work. I’m not going to advertise there again. Stupid magazine!
Television Commercial:
1. “Video Production for Commercials” [Google Search]. That first one looks just fine. 2. Concept storyboard? Nah! Creativity should be spontaneous! 3. Those 2-4 am slots are cheap. I can run the spots 6 times an hour. 4. Neilsen ratings? That’s for amateurs who don’t trust their “gut.” 5. That television commercial didn’t work. I’m not advertising with them again. Stupid TV station.
Online Banner Ads and PPC:
1. My admin assistant manages our banner ads and PPC. Ruthie — Don’t you handle that? 2. Of course, we have a Google Analytics account. I have the password around here somewhere. 3. $2.50 a click? No brainer. Here’s my credit card. How much could that possibly cost? 4. You saw my banner ad on what site? For what? Oh that’s bad. That’s really bad. 5. That online advertising and PPC didn’t work. I’ve canceled my accounts. Stupid Internet.
Social Media:
1. Blogging? Love it. I’ll post every day for the next year! Starting tomorrow. 2. Who doesn’t love cats and kittens? Let me share. 3. Aren’t LinkedIn and Facebook basically the same? I post the same stuff on both. 4. 75 Tweets today. Where did the day go? 5. That social media didn’t work. What a colossal waste of time. Stupid Social Media.
You get my point. Trade show marketing should be treated with the same intensity, analysis, and professionalism as every other form of marketing. For many companies, it can represent up to 40% of their annual marketing budget; yet, they often see it as a distraction, not an opportunity. If you don’t have time to become an expert, hire an expert. There are many trade show consultants who have devoted their careers to ensure their clients succeed at face-to-face marketing.
Stupid? Not if trade show marketing is done right.
Based in Portland, Oregon, Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, and custom-hybrid exhibit solutions. Classic Exhibits products are represented by an extensive distributor network in North America and in select International markets. For more information, contact us at 866-652-2100 or www.classicexhibits.com.
