Thursday, April 30, 2009

Lead Retrieval: Going to Great Lengths

Tradeshow Week has an interesting article on Lead Retrieval:

Historically, the conventional wisdom in the tradeshow business has been that, while exhibiting companies talk a good game when it comes to ROI, few follow up on leads they get from the showfloor the way they should.
So, one might wonder, in the midst of a serious economic downturn, with heightened pressure to make sales, if exhibitors finally have gotten the message on how to take advantage of their leads.
According to several lead management experts, the answer might be no.
Link.

Trade Show Exhibitors Have Many Display Options.

For everything, there is a season. This is also true in the trade show industry. You may be a first time exhibitor or a seasoned pro. You may have additional trade shows you want to attend that occur simultaneously or you may want to just test the waters before you leap into a new trade show arena. The choice is yours. The good news is that there are plenty of options you can choose from. More.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Winning Ideas for Trade Show Display Success

According to a survey by market research firm Exhibit Surveys Inc., trade shows are critical to marketing-oriented companies. Trade shows attract decision-makers, influence purchasing decisions, provide a point of contact for new customers, and make a lasting impression. Think of your trade show display as the grand launch of your most valued new product or business service. Give customer prospects your best look and greet them with your most competent sales staff.

Here are the tips on how to succeed at your next trade show: Link.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

TSEA Red Diamond/Exhibitors’ Choice Awards

The Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA) Foundation will present the Red Diamond and Exhibitors’ Choice Awards at the Inaugural Exhibit Industry Education Foundation Gala on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 in conjunction with TS2 2009 in Chicago.

The Exhibitors’ Choice Awards will allow exhibitors to nominate and vote for their preferred shows and vendors. TSEA is asking exhibitors to submit nominations in any or all categories.
Nomination forms can be found at tsea.org and should be submitted to
reddiamondawards@tsea.org by Friday, May 15, 2009. Voting for the top five nominated companies and shows will take place on tsea.org from May 20 - June 15, 2009. The following is a list of categories:

Favorite Convention Center
Favorite Exhibit House
Favorite General Contractor
Favorite Installation and Dismantling Company
Favorite Transportation/Freight Company
Favorite of the Rest
Favorite Show Manager
Favorite Show of 2009
Favorite Show - 50,000 sq. ft and under
Favorite Show - 50,00 - 100,000 sq. ft
Favorite Show - 100,000+ sq. ft


In addition to the current honors, Distinguished Service, President’s and Chairman’s which are presented at the TS2 opening ceremonies, TSEA will also present the Red Diamond Awards at the Gala. These awards will recognize outstanding Active and Allied TSEA members and include:

Exhibit Manager of the Year
Allied Member of the Year
Perfect Partner of the Year
Michael Seymour Chapter Leader of the Year
Tom Bowman Green Award
Master’s Award
Emerging Leader Award


For the Red Diamond Awards, TSEA is asking members to submit nominations in any or all categories. Nomination forms can be found at tsea.org and should be submitted to reddiamondawards@tsea.org by Friday, June 5, 2009.

“The money we raise at this event will help fund TSEA’s new e-Learning Center, our expanded education program and research such as the Exhibit Industry Carbon Project,” said Margit B. Weisgal, CME, President and CEO of TSEA. “We’re excited to present new ways to recognize industry members and increase our ability to provide endowments.”

An announcement regarding venue and ticket information for the Foundation Gala will be sent May 1, and will also be available on the TSEA web site at www.tsea.org.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Bill of Rights for Exhibitors

Rogers Company Issues Bill of Rights for Exhibitors

4/23/2009 - The Rogers Company has issued an Exhibitor Bill of Rights setting expectations for companies exhibiting at trade shows and advocating for greater transparency in the industry. This document, loosely patterned on the Bill of Rights for US citizens, outlines 10 essential areas that marketers need to defend when exhibiting, including the right to know pricing upfront, the right not to be double billed, and the right to have a voice even as a small company. Link.

On The Road


Traveling to trade shows has it's challenges. Here are a couple of articles that should be helpful The first one is about Avoiding Germs on the Road, and the other is Healthy Eating Tips for Business Travelers. Both are from Peter Greenberg's Blog.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

5 Tips for Avoiding Hotel Scams

Walking” is a practice that’s as old as the hotel industry. When a resort is overbooked, it typically sends a guest to a comparable property, covering the cost of transportation, a phone call and accommodations. But somewhere along the way — probably at the start of the current recession — the word “comparable” was conveniently dropped, and hotels quietly began sending guests to lesser properties. More

Friday, April 17, 2009

Put Down that Exhibitor Guide

At mega-shows – those with thousands of exhibitors – the exhibitor guide is as thick as a big-city phone book. Multiply that by tens of thousands of exhibitors at the top U.S.-based tradeshows, and the amount of paper that can be wasted is mind-boggling.

“A piece of paper is a white flag of inefficiency,” said Corbin Ball, president of Corbin Ball Associates. “There are different ways of promoting, but they don’t use paper.”

Besides just tossing the exhibitor guide and offering an electronic version instead, Ball, a meetings technology consultant, had several suggestions for eliminating paper from tradeshows, thereby shrinking the carbon footprint of the event and saving printing and paper costs:

  • blogs, podcasts and viral techniques to market the event
  • on-demand printing stations
  • mobile phones for polling and networking
  • virtual site inspections
  • electronic signatures and digital signatures
More.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

CEIR Needs Your Input

As an exhibition industry professional, you know that the exhibition industry is evolving and continually changing. To gauge the extent that digital marketing affects exhibition success, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) is partnering with George P. Johnson Experience Marketing to launch the industry’s first research study on the topic, Digital + Exhibit Marketing Insights 2009.

This study aims to highlight best practices and explore the awareness of digital marketing and virtual event tools and tactics, how they are being used, measurement methodologies and most importantly, the impact digital marketing has on ROI.

Given your considerable experience and active participation as an event marketing or marketing professional, you have been invited to participate. We know your time is valuable and so this online survey has been designed to take only 15 minutes.

In thanks for your participation, respondents who are able to complete the survey will receive a free advance copy of the Digital + Exhibit Marketing Insights 2009 report this May.

Simply click on the link to get started.
http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/d159g3c9be

Link.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Trade Show Exhibit Advice

From The Trade Show Network Marketing Group:

1. Exhibit Space

Rather than pulling out of a show, consider taking a smaller space.
Some companies are pulling out of shows to an attempt to lower their expenses. The problem with this approach is that in many cases these companies do not really know which shows produce results and which don’t. Chopping shows from can be tantamount to “throwing the baby out with the bath water.” A better solution is to pare back the amount of exhibit space during these challenging times and measure the results. Once the company knows clearly which shows produce positive results then the decision about which to drop not only becomes easier to justify it makes sense.

2. Working with the Show Manager

Now more than ever, it is important to strengthen your relationship with show management. Prior to making any radical changes to the exhibit program, companies should talk to the one person who has an incredible wealth of knowledge – the show manager.

Traditionally there is a wall between show management and exhibitors with no attempt to cross over to see what’s on the other site. The show manager is busy juggling the needs of many exhibitors and the exhibitor looks at the show management’s advice with skepticism. The truth of this myth is that show management has a long term view of their shows. Nothing pleases them more than exhibitors who add value to their shows and are happy with the experience.
Show mangers have also raised the bar on their professionalism through some of the certification programs offered by the industry. Ignoring this potential wealth of knowledge means that exhibitors simply miss important opportunities.

3. Negotiate Costs

Show managers generally will not cut the cost of exhibit space and suppliers generally do not adjust the price for specific services. But both agreed that they would be open to discussing the entire exhibit expenditure and helping the exhibitor put together a package of services that make economic sense. The panelists expressed a willingness to sit down and talk with the exhibitor’s and develop win-win solutions.

4. Maintain the company image

While it may be necessary to make some cutbacks, of equal importance is the assurance that the integrity of your presence has not been compromised. In this economy the last thing any company wants is to show cracks in their well-being. Poorly conceived exhibition plans can quickly back-fire leaving the impression with your clients that your stability is not what you profess it to be.

5. Turning the economic downturn into oppo
rtunities

Since one third of exhibitors might be cutting back or maintaining the same level of commitment, there is an opportunity during the current economic slowdown for those who stay in the game. While some exhibitors may choose to have less space, it’s what they do with the space that is crucial. Those companies who give proper attention to their exhibitory, ensure that their physical appearance attracts the right people and gives the right message and have booth staff who are up for the challenge will come through this economic downturn well ahead of the competition.
Link.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Did you get the ROI you wanted from that tradeshow?

So, here is the scenario. You have just finished a seminar, trade show or some sort of event. You have a stack of names. Sales picks out the hot ones and calls them. Your telesales places a call out to the others. Maybe telesales calls them twice. After that they sit. Six months later, sales complains show was worthless. The conversion rate from lead to pipeline to revenue stinks. If you have a series of these the marketing budget gets cut and spent hiring more sales personnel. Sound familiar?

The core problem lies in the lack of a systematic process in managing leads. Lead generation activities (tradeshows, seminars, webinars, web advertising), are seen as an event with singular follow-up. What the good sales people know is it takes at least 6 touches to turn a response into a lead. (Note: I refuse to call a response a lead until it hits the pipeline with a defined opportunity. If you have to call it something else, call it a suspect.) Most marketing plans follow an event with one outbound call and one email. This is not enough. They also treat all responses the same. This does not take into account that customers are all in different buying patterns. Some are gathering information, others are anticipating a project, another has a project, but their budget is cut. Then there are the 1% that actually has a budget and plan. The key is to have a marketing plan that ties into their buying process. How do you do this?
More.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

CEIR Reports on Cost Effectiveness of Exhibitions


New 'Cost to Close a Sale' Figures Identified

DALLAS, 9 April 2009 - The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) announces the release of SM 38 The Cost Effectiveness of Exhibition Participation: Part II, a follow-up to SM 37 The Cost Effectiveness of Exhibition Participation: Part I released in February.

Companies are under more pressure than ever before to measure ROI, determine value from event participation and justify exhibition dollars. The data produced for Part I and II of this study support the evidence that it is much more cost effective to close a sale when a customer is first identified at an exhibition versus non-exhibition means. For example, exhibitions save companies an average of $795 per new customer when closing a sale and, moreover, companies can save 79 percent by making a first face-to-face contact with a potential customer at an exhibition.
More.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Tradeshow Blues

Welcome Back to Tradeshow Blues. Link

Put a lounge in your exhibit

Apparently many exhibitors at Exhibitor Show 2009 were of like minds when designing their island displays - that the attendees would be tired from walking up and down the “strip” in Las Vegas and would need to relax!

Imagine the popularity of the “lounges” incorporated into the light and airy spaces. Conversation areas adorned with comfortable, stylish couches and chairs beckoned to weary attendees.

Many of the areas were busy most of the time, with attendees talking to booth personnel in comfort.

Photos.

Report on Exhibitor 2009

  • Industry service providers were serious about driving new opportunities.
  • Event planners were intent on finding ways to get more out of there spend - not always lower prices- but better results.
  • CTSM program attendees seeemed to participate at a higher level than in the past.
  • Some of the splash and festivities were less prevalent, but replaced by a seriousness of purpose.
  • Link.

3 Tips for Turning Your Tradeshow Contacts into Customers

Have you spent all day at a convention or fair pitching your products and services to a plethora of people with the hopes of hooking in new clients? At the end of the day, your feet and back hurt, you have the mental fortitude of a zombie, but your hopes are high that you’ve made some solid contacts. Yet, over the next several weeks the expected uptick in sales never materializes.

Your investment of time and money were high, but your return of new customers and sales were low. You question whether the convention was a gathering of time wasters and trinket collectors or if there was something in your pitch that put people off. Here are a couple of methods for converting those contacts into customers.

Link.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

What’s the Real Cost?

Determining Your Exhibit and Trade Show Budget

What You Should Know about Exhibit Budgeting:
  • How to differentiate between normal marketing expenses and exhibit marketing expenses
  • The exhibit is the largest initial expense, but your ongoing exhibit marketing will easily surpass that initial cost
  • Create a budget and maintain an accurate Return on Investment (ROI) on your exhibit marketing
  • Include the Exhibit Costs, online expenses, and Show Services when developing your budget
More.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Facilities Usage Fee


One association is charging attendees, exhibitors, speakers and even students a $250 fee if they are not staying in the host hotel. Link.


Have you seen this? Do you think this will become the norm?

BizBash’s L.A. Expo Moves to L.A. Mart

Largest Event Professionals Gathering in California Makes Move to Reduce Exhibitor Costs

Los Angeles—March 31, 2009—David Adler, C.E.O. and founder of BizBash, the trade media for the event and meeting industry, announced today that his company has struck a two-city deal with Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. to host BizBash’s one-day Los Angeles trade show at the Los Angeles Merchandise Mart on June 11, 2009, and its one-day Chicago show at the Chicago Merchandise Mart on August 20, 2009. The L.A. show was previously held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

According to Adler, "With the economy in a downturn, our goal is to do everything possible to lower the costs for exhibitors. While we love the Los Angeles Convention Center, the location of last year’s show, many of our exhibitors are small businesses who will benefit greatly from being at the Merchandise Mart."

Now in its third year, the BizBash Expo is a must-attend show for anyone who plans or executes everything from parties and galas to consumer and B2B trade shows, press conferences, premieres, and even social-network gatherings. The June 11, 2009, expo is expected to draw between 1,500 and 2,000 top event and meeting planners and suppliers from all over the western United States.

"We are planning an exceptional event," said Richard Aaron, BizBash president and show director. "In choosing the Mart, we are saving exhibitors an average of $2,000 in additional show expenses such as electricity, carpeting, and drayage. In today’s economic environment, that’s an enormous savings."

The show is a prime opportunity for exhibitors and planners to come together and celebrate events.


Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Games in a Trade Show Booth

It is important when you are planning your next exhibit to not lose sight of what you are trying to accomplish. Entertaining your visitors is not your exhibiting objective. Entertainment through games and contests is simply a technique for attracting attention it will not, on their own, generate quality leads or make sales.

So, what makes a good game or contest? Link.