Friday, November 27, 2009

The Hottest Trends in Trade Show Exhibits

Like car and clothing manufacturers, businesses are constantly getting creative with their trade show exhibits in order to stand out from the crowd and keep up with consumer demands. And like all good things, when these creative ideas work, more people start to incorporate them into their trade show exhibits. This has caused some fantastic trends to surface going into the new season. Here are three of them that are hot right now: Continue.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

From Tradeshow Week:

Results of the Tradeshow Week Annual Corporate Exhibitors Survey indicating 48 percent of all exhibitors think the cost of show services has gone up more than 5 percent, while about the same number (47 percent) are unhappy with their tradeshow performance, put a coda on a week when two Tradeshow Week 200 shows departed Chicago because of exhibitor complaints about excessive costs.

“I wouldn't call this a cost revolt,” said TSW Vice President of Research and Consulting Michael Hughes, “but exhibitors are being a little more vocal about it.”

While one could make the case corporate exhibitors were somewhat less pessimistic about some issues than they were last year, on other issues they were increasingly dissatisfied.

Specifically, they were more and more disturbed by high exhibiting costs. Full Article.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Show Me The Money: Maximizing Tradeshow ROI

From Hot. By Susan Friedman:

Follow Up Begins Before the Show

Research tells us that over 80% of leads gathered at tradeshows are never followed up. That’s a phenomenal number, especially when each lead has the potential to generate profit for your company.

Why do so many leads fall by the wayside?

It’s because show leads have a reputation for having no substance theyre either just cold business cards or similar basic information imprinted on a company lead card. There’s nothing there to give already busy professionals a reason to follow up.

Even if the salespeople do follow up, there’s only so much they can learn from a business card or bare bone information. For salespeople to view leads as being worthwhile for follow-up, they need quality information.

For this reason, it is vital that before the show you spend time going over the lead collecting process. Clarify exactly what types of information should be recorded on lead cards. Explain the importance of the information you are gathering. Make sure everyone knows exactly how to operate the card readers and use the printouts and lead cards.

Everyone working the show should know exactly what results you want to achieve at the various tradeshows you attend. Each show should have its own set of specific, clear, quantifiable, realistic goals. These goals should be in line with your companys overall marketing objectives.

These goals give staffers something to strive for, but they also serve as benchmarks to evaluate and measure team and individual performance. Full Article.

Friday, November 20, 2009

You Want Me to Pay What?!

From PlannerWire:

In today’s economic climate, it might seem like everything is more expensive than it used to be. In some cases, the costs remain the same, but companies have less to spend. In some other cases, the costs really are going up, and companies cannot always afford the increase. Either way, expense factors have driven many companies to re-examine their marketing efforts, and exhibiting at trade shows has fallen in the crosshairs. For some, long-lamented exhibiting expenses have recently proven to be the last straw, and many industry professionals continue to wonder… Full Article.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Changes sought after 2nd trade show leaves McCormick Place

Note: It has been reported that a third major show (from the National Restaurant Association) is also considering leaving Chicago.

The loss of a second trade show that meant big business for Chicago is putting quick and powerful pressure on McCormick Place, the city's showcase convention center, to combat the impression that the Second City costs too much to visit.

The plastics industry trade show on Tuesday said it is moving to Orlando, Fla., for 2012 and 2015 after nearly four decades in Chicago. The announcement follows a decision by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society last week to move its 2012 annual meeting to Las Vegas. Both shows cited the high cost of doing business in Chicago.

The plastic show's decision to leave is "a very serious loss," Mayor Richard Daley said, calling on unions and others working at the convention center to change fee structures and onerous work rules so Chicago can better compete for major shows.

A lot is riding in the balance. Some 45.6 million visitors spent an estimated $11.8 billion in Chicago last year, generating $656 million in tax revenue, according to the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. Business and convention visitors contributed close to half that spending.

A task force of officials from McPier, the convention bureau, the unions that work at McCormick Place, the restaurant industry and the city's hotels will convene Wednesday to attempt to devise ways to make Chicago more competitive.

Plastics show officials said they expect their move to yield up to $20 million in savings for exhibitors and attendees, with more than half coming from savings in travel-related costs, including hotel, restaurant meals and parking. More.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

EXHIBITORS GAIN BY SHOWS’ RELOCATION

Chicago, IL – November 15, 2009 The Plastics Industry Trade Association (SPI) announced today that NPE - The Intl. Plastics Showcase will move from Chicago's McCormick Place, where it has been since 1971 to Orlando, FL at the Orange County Convention Center in 2012. Last week, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) chose Las Vegas, NV for their 2012 show. This caused the city of Chicago and McCormick Place to lose two large exhibitions in the last few days. Both cited high costs for exhibitors in Chicago as the primary justification for their relocation.

Exhibitors have been bearing the brunt of increasing and, often, outrageous labor rates for far too long, held hostage to single source providers with no competitive options to act as checks and balances. The Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA) understands the business choice made by HIMSS and SPI to choose other venues. In this world of electronic communication and instant gratification, trade shows are still wildly popular, a medium like no other, providing a unique opportunity for face-to-face interaction with customers. When marketers have to cut participation - not for strategic reasons but simply because the rising costs make them impractical or impossible - the whole industry loses.

Chicago is a great city for exhibitors because of its ability to generate attendance and host meetings. McCormick Place is a world-class exhibition facility and the choice of HIMSS and SPI leaving for other locations should not be a reflection on either McCormick Place or the city but on labor rates that give both a bad reputation. We hope the loss of these shows will motivate leaders in Chicago’s exhibition industry to adjust the cost of doing business so that they can compete on a level playing field with cities like Orlando and Las Vegas for shows. TSEA members enjoy the experience of exhibiting in all three cities because of the variety of attendees and experiences each bring. They want Chicago to remain part of their event rotation

Bravo to HMISS and SPI for finally taking a stand on behalf of exhibitors. There is long way to go until they are afforded the respect they deserve.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

How much to tip at hotels, and when: A primer for guests

From USA Today: Hotel Check-In: (note: there is a good chart at the end of this article)

A third of the country doesn't know to tip 15% to 20% at a restaurant, so it's understandable that many people are unsure what to tip in a hotel.

To try to eliminate uncertainty, USA TODAY asked etiquette and hospitality experts and hotel companies for advice on what to tip at hotels in the USA. Their responses aren't consistent in every instance, but there's a consensus for some common tipping situations:


•Valet parking staff. Don't tip a hotel staff member who opens a guest's car door at the hotel entrance or parks the car in a valet lot. The valet who retrieves the car from the parking lot should be given $2 to $5.


•Bellmen. The common tip is $1 to $2 per bag. More can be given if the bags are heavy or the bellman provides other services.


•Maids. They should receive $1 to $5 daily. "The tip should be paid daily to ensure it goes to the person that took care of your room," says etiquette expert Patricia Rossi.


•Concierges. No tip is needed for directions, restaurant recommendations or answers to simple questions. A $10 to $50 tip is recommended for a concierge who obtains hard-to-get event tickets or a table at a popular premier restaurant.
Despite such suggestions, hotel guests "should expect great service, and there is no obligation to tip," says Vivian Deuschl, a vice president for luxury hotel chain The Ritz-Carlton.
More

Monday, November 16, 2009

Google poised to become your phone company

From CNN Tech:

Google is set to become your new phone company, perhaps reducing your phone bill to zilch in the process.

Seriously. Google has bought Gizmo5, an online phone company that is akin to Skype but based on open protocols and with a lot fewer users. TechCrunch, which broke the news on Monday, reported that Google spent $30 million on the company.

Google announced the Gizmo acquisition on Thursday afternoon Pacific Time. Gizmo5's founder Michael Robertson, a brash serial entrepreneur, will become an Adviser to Google Voice.

It's a potent recipe -- take Gizmo5's open standards-based online calling system. Add to it the new ability to route calls on Google's massive network of cheap fiber. Toss in Google Voice's free phone number, which will ring your mobile phone, your home phone and your Gizmo5 client on your laptop. MORE

Friday, November 13, 2009

10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Exhibiting at TradeShows.

From Skyline Trade Show Tips:

1. You won’t succeed at trade shows if you just show up. A trade show first-timer may think that because they’ve paid a couple of grand to rent a 10 x 10 space for a few days, they automatically will reap the whirlwind of leads and sales from the show’s attendees. If only. Surprise: you’ve actually only paid for access to this great audience of buyers. Now you have to do your part, such as train your staffers, create a promotion that attracts qualified prospects, and design your trade show display to entice the right visitors to your booth.

2. Trade shows are not as glamorous as they looked from the outside. To the uninitiated, this is what trade show marketing looks like from the ouside: Flying around the country to sunny or metropolitan locations, staying in top-tier hotels and meals on the company dime, and access to top-level company execs. But seen from the inside, trade shows are not so glamorous. Trade shows themselves are very hard work with a lot of stressful moments before, during, and after exhibit hours. There are so many details to master, and so many vendors you are depending on. You can sweat more during exhibit set-up than a month of work outs. And while travel can be exciting, it gets old fast when you are repeatedly away from home and your family.
More.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

10 Tipss to Use Social Media to Close More Biz at Your Tradeshows

From the Tradeshow Guy Blog:

1. Tweet out contests and promos for people to come to your booth. Keep a count of how many people stop by and ask about the freebie as a result of the prize. When tweeting at or about a specific show, ALWAYS use the show’s hashtag.

2. Create a hashtag for your company at the show. For instance, if your company was Keen Shoes, you could include the hastags #Keen and #ORSM09 – after the show count how many times those hashtags were retweeted.


3. Create a minisite or blog dedicated to your appearance at a specific show, or targeted exclusively towards your tradeshow marketing efforts. Offer white papers, e-books and special reports exclusive to the site; perhaps related (or not) to your tradeshow appearance. Drive traffic there through social media, email and other sources. Web traffic and download metrics are easily trackable through Google analytics and basic web stats. Folks that download the white papers and reports are now in your marketing/sales funnel.
More.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Exhibitions and the Under-40 Crowd: New Research

From Association Meetings:

How do young professionals view meetings and exhibitions, and what can meeting professionals do to attract them? Those were the central questions explored in a study by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, called “The Power of Exhibitions in the 21st Century: Identify, Discover, and Embrace Change from the Point of View of Young Professionals.”

A key finding of the study is that about 87 percent of professionals under 40 plan to attend at least one exhibition in the next two years. But to keep them coming back for more, the report says, organizers need to know what they like, what they don’t like, and what makes them tick.

Generational DifferencesThe report differentiates between Generation X attendees (ages 28 to 39) and the younger Millennials (ages 18 to 27). For example, Generation X is considered the “Family First Generation” and the toughest sell when it comes to exhibitions. “They do not want to become workaholics whose work hours intrude into their personal lives, especially their time with their children,” the report states.


Millennial attendees, on the other hand, tend to be more like Baby Boomers (ages 40 to 63), driven in their careers and passionate about their contributions to society. “Exhibitions represent a good vehicle to exercise that passion,” the report states. While Millennials can be more easily won over than Gen Xers, their tendency toward instant gratification means they could also be lost if not satisfied. Full Article.

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Friday, November 6, 2009

Exhibitor Social Networks

Written for show managers:

If getting the majority of your exhibitors to participate in an exhibitor training session is a Herculean effort, try giving them their own social network instead. IPC, the Association Connecting Electronics Industries, did just that for its IPC APEX Expo and IPC Midwest shows.

Branded for each event, the sites are chock full of important information, like exhibitor training Webinars, ROI toolkits, money-saving tips, checklists, deadline reminders, documents and forms, service offers and other special deals, and hotel and travel details. Exhibitors can visit the network at their convenience to read blog posts, get quick answers to questions, find out when an important deadline is coming up or connect with other exhibitors to troubleshoot common problems. More.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

TSEA Launches Hosted-Buyer Event

The Trade Show Exhibitors Association has become the latest industry association to introduce a hosted-buyers meeting, announcing the launch of its new event, Face-to-Face Connections.

The event, which will be held January 6 to 8, 2010, at the Embassy Suites Dallas-Market Center, gives TSEA members an opportunity to meet in 30-minute private meetings with vendors who provide products and services to the exhibitions industry. The meetings will take place in hotel suites, not on the exhibit floor. TSEA will pay for the guests’ expenses—including airfare, hotel rooms, and meals. For a flat fee, the sellers will get a hotel suite in which to set up shop and meet with the buyers.

“The idea actually came from our members, who are exhibitors at trade shows,” says Dave Brull, director of marketing and membership at TSEA. “At industry trade shows, they typically do not walk the floor because they spend so much time on the trade show floor in day-to-day life. Their first two priorities are education and networking. So they needed another way to be able to meet with the suppliers in the industry.” Also, since they travel 100 to 200 days a year, they wanted something “short and concise that really gets down to business.”

TSEA is not the only industry association to introduce what is often called a hosted-buyer meeting. In recent months,
IMEX, Reed Travel Exhibitions, and Meeting Professionals International have introduced hosted-buyer meetings. More.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Is this just in Chicago?

This is an excerpt of an article about Chicago. Do you agree? What other cities have similar costs? Please post in Comments below:

It's no better in Chicago. Daley now is fighting to keep a huge national plastics industry convention from fleeing Chicago, its 40-year home. The show brought in $95.3 million last June, but it appears the exhibitors are fed up with the extravagant costs they must pay to riggers, tradesmen and other organized workers at McCormick Place. As the trade publication Plastics News reported, Daley met Wednesday in his office with convention officials to plead with them to stay.

The problem? As trade show exhibitor Tim Hanrahan explained in the publication, it cost $345 to get four cases of Pepsi to his booth. "The invoice breaks down to $254 for the four cases of Pepsi, a 21 percent service charge, and a 10.25 percent Illinois state sales tax, a 3 percent Chicago soft drink tax, a tax on the service charge and a food and beverage tax. Government taxes totaled $38.06, which is more than the legitimate retail price of the soft drinks," he said. "I could go on. A $640 TV stand rental is another good example," he said. "But you get the point."

Hanrahan gets the point, but do we? For the sake of a special interest -- organized labor in this case -- the body politic seems willing to drive away business that brings dollars into town.
Full Article.