Trade Show Displays

Make Your Next Trade Show a Big Hit.

When you attend trade shows, do the trade show displays you use really make a difference? Absolutely. Many corporations don't get nearly the benefits from attending these events as they should, simply because of the fact that they failed to showcase their business to the best of their ability.

Put yourself in the shoes of the visitors. Are you going to pay much attention to exhibits that are blah, bland and generally boring? Probably not. You will no doubt notice the companies who make a bold statement about their brand and the services they offer. Graphics, designs, and details are crucial if you want a successful presence.

People do notice details. Your racks, details, and every aspect of your exhibit should carry through with your unique brand. You want your brand to be unmistakable and magnetic, but you also want the integrity and professionalism of your company to be very evident. More.

20 Dumb Things Exhibitors Do

Show up understaffed.

Neglect to train your staff.

Show up with nothing more than a booth and some people – and no plan.

Forget to update the graphics to reflect new products or services.

Fail to keep the booth as clean as possible.

Ignore visitors.

Stand in your booth with your arms folded (body language says – ‘stay away’).

Wait until the last minute to call your graphic production company with a change of graphic plans.

Wait until the last minute to do anything – exhibit planning and execution usually takes more time than you think.

Being indecisive and letting time slip by and being forced to make quick decisions that may not be the best for the company. More.

What is a Professional Trade Show Presenter?

A Professional Trade Show Presenter is an individual who is hired to give scripted or unscripted presentations or product demonstrations in an exhibitor’s booth at a trade show. The Presenter is the exhibitor’s “Company Spokesperson,” a representative of the company, and oftentimes the first impression of the company. An exhibitor has made a wise selection when the Presenter accurately portrays the “image” of the company, and is mistaken for a company employee. More.

What is Your Marketing Personality?

How would your clients and prospects describe your marketing personality?

Every small business person has a number of qualities and characteristics that make up their unique marketing personality. Are you conscious of what kind of marketing identity you’re projecting… in other words, how people see you?

This really came to my attention in observing behaviors at a recent Home, Lawn & Garden Show in Kansas City. I spent some time supporting my friend and business partner’s booth at the trade show. More.

It's a Different Game for Trade Show Exhibitors Overseas

By Dick Wheeler:

Question: Is it better for an American trade show exhibitor to rent a trade show booth abroad if the exhibit hall is in Europe or Asia rather than ship a trade show exhibit from the U.S.?
Answer: Yes. It makes better sense logistically and economically to rent a trade show display in a foreign country where it will be exhibited. Why? For starters, the savings on round trip international shipping and handling charges are substantial.

Also, it turns out that each country has a distinct set of trade show requirements due to the unique characteristics of that nation’s business styles. For instance, with storage space at a premium in Japan, it is common for the custom trade show booth to appear in only one trade show. In Japan, the trade show booth is often destroyed after the trade show, thereby eliminating the need for storage space. When exhibiting in other countries, this “build and burn” trade show booth concept is common because the exhibitor is often unwilling to store a trade show exhibit or have it shipped back to their country. Consequently, lesser grade materials are used on the one-time trade show display since the trade show booth will not be used again. More.

5 Ways to NOT Waste Money When Exhibiting at a Trade Show

1. Always negotiate everything.
When you first contact the show organizer, they will quote you various prices for different-sized booths. For instance, the smallest one available may be a 10×10 (10 feet deep and 10 feet long) than 10×20 (10 feet deep and 20 feet long), etc. Consider these prices to be an opening bid. When it comes to costs and fees at a tradeshow, almost everything is negotiable, especially in an economy like this one.

If you have a new business and this is going to be your first time exhibiting, let them know that you are just starting out. Remember, if you exhibit and have a successful show, you will probably be back the following year. They know this and it is in their best interest to get you in the door the first time. So make sure you haggle.

2. Forget the candy, pens, bags, USB drives and other promotional swag.
A lot of people feel they need to have something to give away at a show to “draw people in.” I don’t believe in this theory of promotion. Having these items will usually just attract the wrong crowd. Make sure people are taking things for the right reason. For example, if you have a piece of software you want to distribute, you might have considered handing out a USB drive containing a trial or demo. But people will take them for the drive with no intention of trying out your product. Handing out a CD with the software is a much cheaper option, and helps to ensure that the people who bother to take it will try it out.

Supplying an entire show’s worth of attendees with free pens or gifts for their kids isn’t why you are there exhibiting. Save your money. More.

Top 10 Annoying Things Tradeshow Attendees Do

Thousands of people come to tradeshows. Most are pretty nice. Many are a joy to meet and greet and do business with.

Then there are the annoying ones. Worse than Uncle Marvin at a family reunion. Harder to put up with than sand in your beach barbecue.

So what are the most annoying behaviors at tradeshows? We scratched our collective heads – then asked some of our online friends. And we came up with the following obviously incomplete list. More.

5 Ways to Measure Your Exhibiting Success

When is a trade show over? When the last attendee has left the building? When the display is crated for storage? No. The answer is that it’s never really truly over. However, a critical part of winding down is your wrap-up meeting, or debriefing session where you summarize and evaluate how well you did at the event.

Your post-show report should cover the following five areas:

1. Track the quantifiables. How many people came to the booth? What percentage were qualified? How many current customers did you see? How did the actual budget and attendance numbers stack up against pre-show projections?

2. Get attendees’ feedback. Have attendees fill out an in-booth survey, or email them an online survey getting their reactions to all aspects of your display from staffers’ attitude to product image.

More.

The ABC's of Lead Retrieval and Follow-Up

From Tradeshow Week:

Candy Adams, a consultant also known as the Booth Mom, said there are three ways that exhibiting companies put themselves at a disadvantage before a show: not marketing to people they really wanted to market to before a show, not planning the entire lead process at one time, and not training staff on the value of leads. More

Marketech Study Reveals Real Impact of PhRMA Code Changes on Convention Marketing

WESTBORO, Mass. - (Business Wire) Recent changes to the PhRMA Code of Ethics has had a minimal impact on visitation to exhibits at medical meetings, according to findings from a new research study conducted by Marketech. Study highlights were presented in a Marketech white paper – “What’s the Real Impact of PhRMA Code Changes on Convention Marketing” – distributed to attendees at the Healthcare Convention Exhibitors Association (HCEA) Annual Meeting in Tampa, Fla., this week.

The Marketech study was conducted in two phases to assess the impact of Code changes before and after they took effect. Among many findings, the research showed that of 550 study participants interviewed, more than 85 percent indicated changes in the PhRMA code have not impacted their visitation to exhibits at medical conventions. Based on these results, it is reasonable to presume the impact on exhibit visitation will also be minimal once changes to the AdvaMed Code of Ethics take effect. More.

Are Unqualified Leads Balancing Your Event’s Bottom Line?

In any economy, quality will always be king. Are you responsible for assuring and providing quality at your event? Do you have access to the tools that can provide quality to your exhibitors and attendees? Are you risking the success of your event’s ‘bottom line’ by providing “the way it’s been done” lead management? More.

(This post is directed to trade show managers, but has relevance for exhibitors).

4 Rules for Trade Show Exhibit Success

From Event Secrets:

Whether you are a seasoned trade show exhibitor or a neophyte, whether you know the basic trade show exhibit rules by heart or are learning them for the first time, by following four essential trade show display fundamentals you will be better able to make your trade show exhibit experience a success.

The steps are logical and they work. If you follow the guidelines you will succeed at your next trade show whether you select a custom trade show exhibit, a custom modular trade show display, or a trade show booth rental. Here they are:

Trade Show Rule Number 1. Know why you are exhibiting at a trade show

Ask the question –is your trade show display the launch site of your most significant new product or business service? Do you have a cutting edge industry breakthrough? Do you need to herald a major change in strategy for your company due to a merger or acquisition? Or do you merely want to make sure that your company is noticed and included in your industry’s key networking 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 are, make sure your trade show exhibit reinforces your overall marketing objectives. Set goals that are attainable, share them with your trade show exhibit team, and set up systems to measure your results and validate your objectives. More.

Freeman White Paper Offers Tips for Event Marketers

Freeman, a provider of services for face-to-face marketing events, has released a new white paper explaining “En[gauge]ment by Freeman,” a process for helping customers build a resilient, strategic approach to marketing that is measurable and that meets marketplace demands.

The white paper argues that, with proven marketing tactics, it is possible to engage customers in a customized face-to-face marketing experience while gauging the success of that experience before, during and after the event, ensuring that marketing objectives are met in a solid, measurable manner.

“In a world saturated with voices, images, messages and instructions coming from every imaginable source, customers are bombarded with more information today than ever before. Marketers are being instructed to do more with less, to break through the clutter with fewer resources,” said Toby Purdy, Freeman executive vice president of marketing. Link.

TSEA Advocates for Trade Show Housing Policy Changes

6/11/2009 - The Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA) announced today a formal position statement urging show organizers that changes should be made to many trade shows’ housing guidelines and rules. Exhibitions are setting rules that put pressure on exhibiting companies to stay in show housing or otherwise face penalties and fines. These rules are placing additional burdens on exhibitors that increase the difficulty with which exhibitors justify their continued participation in the convention.

“TSEA has had a high level of concern from its members and the exhibition industry as a whole with reference to the subject of convention housing,“ said Margit Weisgal, CME, President and CEO of TSEA, “and show management, meeting organizers, hotels, housing bureaus and ‘housing brokers’ need to realize that they are partners in the success of their exhibitors and not a hurdle they need to overcome.”

“It is becoming apparent that most attendees and exhibitors want to find the most budget-friendly place to stay while at a show. When you demand that exhibitors stay at a high-priced hotel with no alternative options, the increase to their housing costs squeezes the budget for the show. They may have to cut back on the number of booth personnel, promotion, size of the booth, sponsorships or other tools that will enable them to generate new revenue and exposure and would actually help show organizers’ bottom line. This practice needs to come to an end.”

TSEA also opposes any housing policy that burdens exhibitors more than other attendees, i.e., attrition policies, which require deposit payments from exhibitors, especially when such deposits are greater than what other attendees are asked to pay. Certain shows have no housing requirements for attendees but do require exhibitors to stay in the trade show’s headquarters hotel and pay in full for all rooms and taxes three months in advance of the show for all their personal.

While TSEA recognizes the need for show management to have a system to ensure housing requirements are fulfilled, TSEA recommends a workable system of guarantees for exhibitors (e.g., credit cards, letters of credit). This position is in agreement with PCMA’s Housing Best Practices, which states in part: “Determine a mutually acceptable system for guaranteeing sub-blocks, such as the acceptance of exhibitors' credit cards or letters of credit rather than deposits from groups.”

A member of TSEA, from a healthcare company, recently comment that: “The money that is being waste on hotel blocks is taking away from the customer experience on our tradeshows. Housing blocks have always been an issue at certain shows where full room and tax or large deposits are required. This cannot continue. Show management needs to realize that this is not just an issue for exhibitors during economically down times but an appalling policy that offends their clients at all times.”

TSEA’s position additionally opposes housing policies that tie into exhibition issues. TSEA opposes, for example, policies such as penalizing exhibitors for poor room pickup by reducing exhibit hall priority points, and limiting an exhibitor's room allocation on the basis of the exhibitor’s booth space. The exhibitor representative and the housing manager should work together to develop a mutually satisfactory room allotment for the exhibitor.

To view the full position statement please visit: www.tsea.org.

Tips for a Successful Exhibit Installation & Dismantle

The trade show floor can be like operating in a foreign country – with the various unions, terminology, and hazards. However, if you follow a few basic tips, you can successfully and economically navigate the Installation and Dismantle waters of your next show. Link.

Word of mouth for trade show exhibitors

Trade shows are unique opportunities where you’re given just a few minutes with a lot of strangers to make an impact. Try these techniques to get them talking about you during and long after the event:

1. Take the conversation online
2. Send something after the show
3. Share photos online

Link

What Trade Show Booths Say About Your Company

Truth is, trade show booths can turn potential clients on to your business or completely off. First impressions are lasting, so you want to be certain your display is sending out a good message. Link.

Ben Stein's Commentary about Meetings

EXCELLENT video from CBS News. Link.

Doug Ducate on Trade Shows vs Other Marketing Venues

YouTube Video of Doug Ducate. Link.

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:

Pick the Right Shows - Select the trade shows that your targeted market prospects and competitors attend. Check out trade show directories on the Web. Get statistics for show attendance and a profile of attendees. Talk to former exhibitors about their trade show experience at the shows you select.

Plan Ahead -Determine the space size and dimensions of your trade show booth. Reserve a good location early for your booth by studying the floor plan. Avoid dead-end aisles, freight doors, poorly lit corners, obtrusive columns. Attendees usually turn right when they first enter the trade show exhibit hall and they look up so be sure to make your booth visible with dramatic overhead signage. Once you nail down your trade show booth number on the show management map, be aware of any booth rules and regulations that apply such as height limitations and any obstructions on show floor before planning your booth design. More.

Association Shows Give Exhibitors Incentives

From Tradeshow Week:

In the current economic downturn, exhibiting companies have the dual challenges of trying to save money and getting the most out of their participation in tradeshows – a problem that two association shows decided to address head-on by developing economic stimulus plans for their exhibitors.

The Graphic Arts Show's quadrennial Print, which will be held Sept. 11-16 at Chicago's McCormick Place, and The Society for the Plastics Industry's triennial NPE – The Intl. Plastics Showcase, scheduled June 22-26, also at McCormick Place, will have savings and incentives plans available for exhibitors.

According to Christopher Price, vice president of GAS, which manages Print, his company has rolled out a two-option plan for exhibitors at the show, with total savings of about $3 million or an average of as much as $165,000 per exhibitor, depending on its size, that will allow them to have either unlimited machinery material handling, primarily for companies with large machinery and booth space, or limited material handling for machinery and non-machinery.

The plan was formulated in a period of several months in response to exhibitors' comments that they may have had to downsize their booth space and bring less equipment, “which is the kiss of death for a show,” Price said. More.

Complimentary Webinar on How to Exhibit in a Different Economy

Complimentary and informative webinar from TSNN and Susan Friedmann.

All trade show professionals and exhibitors are invited to attend an exciting and free webinar on how to exhibit in a different economy with industry expert, Susan Friedmann: The Tradeshow Coach.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at 1:00 P.M. EDT / 12 Noon CDT / 10:00 A.M. PDT

Register Here: www.attendeeinteractive.com/tsnnwebinar

Subject: How to Exhibit in a Different Economy:
17 Strategies to Leverage Your Success (That Work)

Cutting back on exhibit marketing in a tough economy can cripple your business. To survive a tough economy you want the best tools to boost exposure without increasing dollars spent. In this fast-moving, high-content webinar, you'll discover how to take your exhibit marketing program to a brand new level of expertise. More

Access Exhibitor and Session Info on Your Smartphone!

ChirpE is a mobile portal that gives you instant access to the your itinerary and event buzz. Create your agenda through your computer or your Smartphone, and it will remain synched with your profile on the InfoComm 09 website in real-time. Link.

Exhibitors Speak Out

Why exhibitors leave events and how to sell them on new ones.

By Margit B. Weisgal

Your exhibitors are savvier than you think. Even those small guys, the ones in the 10’ x 10’ or 10’ x 20’ spaces, know value when they see it. They’re watching everything you do, from how you promote to who you bring to the show. As one organizer wisely remarked, “It’s not about the number of exhibitors; it’s about the number of quality people we put in front of them.” That’s all well and good, but the novices can’t necessarily differentiate between quality and quantity. It’s up to you to help them recognize the difference.

Back when I produced my first tradeshow in 1981, I had never attended a tradeshow, let alone exhibited at one. That event, in today’s vernacular, could be called a user event, although it had all the characteristics of a tradeshow. We invited our vendors to exhibit, and I hand-addressed 700 invitations to our client and prospect base. As a result of this first venture, our business grew 40 percent in the year that followed.

What stood out for me from that first event were the reactions of those invited to exhibit. We decided that if we were going to do this, it would be first class all the way. We appreciated our vendors’ participation because they were the ones who would really make this venture work. We provided thank-you baskets in their rooms at check-in and, though it was only a one-day show, when it was over we took everyone out for dinner. The feedback we got stunned us. These exhibitors—old pros who did lots of these events—couldn’t do enough for us simply because we treated them well. More.

Tradeshow Graphics, the Fabric of Your Exhibit

Graphics are one of the most important elements of any tradeshow exhibit. They set the tone of your exhibit, and determine how your company will be perceived. You want to select graphics that will not only reinforce your company’s brand image, but effectively communicate to your audience what your company or product can do for them as well.

One of the best ways to captivate your audience’s attention is to use appealing graphics. You can use graphics to create interest and depth within your exhibit, which makes it more visually stimulating. To really amplify your message your tradeshow graphics should have excellent color, clarity, and detail. These three crucial elements are easily achieved when high-end quality graphics are used.

Innovations in tradeshow graphics continue to provide better mediums for displaying quality graphics. Fabric has been introduced as a great alternative to traditional exhibit graphics. For instance, today the older styles of inkjet-laminated panels are being replaced with more durable fabric graphics. Many exhibitors are making the switch to fabric graphics because they offer a number of benefits to the user, and they eliminate the possibility of glare or scratched finishes. A softer more elegant look can be achieved with fabric graphics, which makes them more appealing for interior displays.

Although the practice of using fabric graphics is still relatively new, there are a couple of ways to have your images printed. Images can be created through a dye sublimation process or a direct printing process.

With a dye sublimation process, the ink is permanently bonded to polyester fibers with a heat transfer. Photographic images look more realistic with this form of printing because the colors are not laid down as individual dots as they are with inkjet printers. However, there is a downside to this process since it can only be used on polyester fabrics. More.

Good Time To Be A Business Traveler

This may actually be a good time to be a business traveler.

Industry experts and travelers say service has improved in many ways, prices are down, and the experience, in general, is often better than it has been in a long while.

“In a sense, it is easier and cheaper to be a business traveler these days,” said Henry H. Harteveldt, a travel analyst for Forrester Research. “There is an approximately 20 percent decline in the number of people traveling for business. Airlines are putting coach and premium-class service on domestic and international flights on sale. It’s easier to snag upgrades. And business travelers are generally able to get rooms at hotels they want at a decent price point.” Link.

Social marketing is everywhere

Everyone wants to be connected, find old friends, join groups, tell the world their stories (even those we don’t want to see)—and it’s not just the kids. Even grandmothers and grandfathers are participating in this phenomenon. A mentor of mine from college—who will be 80 this year—is Facebooking all the time!

Which is why I don’t understand the trade show industry’s hesitation to making this application a primary event marketing tool. The objections I hear include: “Our market just won’t get it.”“The attendees coming to our show aren’t that technically savvy.”“It took these guys long enough to register for the event online!”

But we live in a different world with a new perspective, and things are changing at a rapid pace. More.

Trade Show Marketing Inspiration from the Convention Floor

One of the most valuable sources of trade show marketing ideas comes directly from the exhibit floor. There is no better opportunity to observe the promotional tactics that work. In fact, your experience while exploring the floor is a key indicator of what your own audience will respond to. Incorporating the ideas that attracted your attention into your own trade show exhibits is a great way to leverage proven tactics.

Below, we'll take a tour through some of the most effectivetrade show marketing strategies being implemented across convention floors. These are strategies that are already being used by successful exhibitors, some of whom may be your direct competitors. More.