Trade Show Executive to Expand Data Offerings and Launch a New Event

Oceanside, CA – Trade Show Executive (TSE) will launch a new event, directory and report that will expand the data available to show organizers and fill the void left by the closure of Tradeshow Week, which was announced April 16.

In 2011, TSE will release a new directory of the 500 largest and most important trade shows in the nation. It will also launch Fast Track, an event honoring the fastest-growing shows and the organizers who defied the rough economy and made their events flourish. TSE is also in discussions with the Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA) to create a comprehensive annual report of labor rates, rules and union jurisdictions in the 50 top trade show cities.

“These launches and new initiatives will provide a level of continuity in the wake of Tradeshow Week’s departure and will also expand the knowledge base that currently exists in the trade show industry,” said Darlene Gudea, president of Trade Show Executive Media Group and publisher & editor of TSE.

Trade Show Executive 500
Trade Show Executive’s new directory of the nation’s 500 largest trade shows marks an important step forward in the history of the metrics that are vital to the exposition industry. “The Trade Show Executive 500 directory will become the trade show industry’s version of the Fortune 500,” Gudea said.

“For nearly 40 years, the show industry has relied on a small sample of 150 to 200 shows to track trends,” Gudea said. “The size and needs of the industry have changed. We felt it was time to expand to 500 shows and provide wider and deeper analysis by region and industry sector.” The analysis will also identify important benchmarks and new opportunities.

The directory will include the ownership and management of each show, profiles of exhibitors and attendees, space rates and other key features. The information will be indexed alphabetically and by management, industry sector, city, service contractor, registration firm and month.

Trade Show Executive’s ‘Fast Track’
TSE is currently in discussions with several cities interested in hosting the inaugural Fast Track in February 2011. Diane Bjorklund, vice president of events for TSE, said Fast Track would mark a seamless transition from the long-running Tradeshow Week Fastest 50 event. It will also provide a top-notch bookend to TSE’s popular Gold 100 Awards & Summit, which is held in September and honors the 100 largest trade shows in the U.S. “We will use the TSE Dashboard of Month Trade Show Metrics to identify the events that are growing the most rapidly,” she said. “In the past, these shows have been identified in our magazine and online news coverage. We felt it was time to organize an event to celebrate their success.” More.

YouTube Trade Show Promos

Trade Show Promos (and an example of how to use YouTube):

Wheel of Promos
Flashing Super Ball
Creative Candy
Sonic Rocks

There are many more. Look at the panel on the right side of the page.

16 Ways To Beat Boredom At Trade Show Exhibits

Disclaimer: Marketing at shows is serious business involving financial investment in the opportunity to secure new leads. One must behave professionally when working a show. However, if you are too serious (or bored) you might not be capable of engaging visitors, so it’s also important to have fun even when you’re working such long hours. The following tips should help you stay entertained and have a good time. Who knows, you just might secure more leads in the process! More.

Understanding Body Language at Trade Show Exhibits

To the educated observer, body language gives helpful clues about a person's mood and attitude. This can be useful in many situations, and is especially helpful at trade show stands. Exhibitors can interpret attendees' body language to determine how they might feel about different products and services at trade show stands, and exhibitors themselves need to be conscious of signals they might be sending off with their own body language. Being aware of all of these will result in a better trade exhibit experience.

General Body Language Rules

Most people know that crossed arms can indicate that a person is disinterested or not listening, but what about other signals? Generally, body language cues are fairly easy to interpret. However, one must remember that body language can be subjective; while gestures may typically indicate certain emotions, they are not true for every case.

Facial gestures can be quite telling at trade show exhibits. Rubbing the eyes is seen as deceitful and may indicate the person is lying and wishes to avoid eye contact. Hands or fingers covering the mouth may also indicate dishonesty.

How To Read The Body Language Of Attendees Continue

Toxins & Trade Shows: What Can We Do Better?

Written by Ken Newman on 17 April 2010

Hey Newman, We exhibit at about four trade shows a year, and I’ve yet to do one that didn’t give me a headache. And I mean that literally. Is it the noise? Dehydration? I know you’re not a doctor, but what do you think? –Ann in San Francisco

As part of our ongoing dialogue with the green marketing experts at The Good Mix, we’d like to turn our attention this week to the incredible toxicity of trade show carpeting. You can smell it when you walk onto the trade show floor. Some people have allergic reactions. It emanates from the backing materials and carpets themselves. Breathing in the fumes for three days is bad enough for trade show attendees — and for those of us who make a living on trade show floors it’s an even bigger issue. Inhaling VOC (volatile organic compounds) can absolutely give you a headache. But far more seriously, those VOC’s have been linked to asthma and cancer. And when that carpeting ends up in landfills, it becomes an environmental problem that affects us all. Trade shows should be about the fun of dynamic presentations and the excitement of new products; it should be about the “atmosphere” of the event … not the actual atmosphere. More.

Thanks to Sue Pelletier for the pointer.

7 Ways to Use Surveys at Tradeshow

By Tim Patterson:

When exhibiting at a tradeshow, you’re there to make sales, brand your business, brand your product, schmooze with industry partners, scout out competitors and okay, do a little partying (perhaps).

Are you using the time to do some specific research by using surveys? No? Too bad, it’s a great way to uncover useful information that you may not find elsewhere at ten times the price.

Since you’re already there at the tradeshow, you might as well take advantage of the opportunity. Here are seven ways you can use surveys at tradeshows to bring home more than just some sales and the memory of a great after-hours party. Full Article.

Measuring the Non-Monetary Value of your Exhibition Program

By: Barry Siskind

Looking at the return on your exhibit investment often has to do with monetary gains. But what if you are among the many exhibitors whose objective has nothing to do with sales?

Are these exhibitors doomed to a life of never knowing whether their exhibit program is yielding value? The answer is “no”. Corporate and not-for-profit exhibitors can enjoy a non-monetary value of their exhibition program if they know where to look.

The 2009 Center for Exhibition Industry Research study called “The Cost Effectiveness of Exhibition Participation reported that over two thirds of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the following three statements:

• Exhibitions increase corporate and/or brand recognition,

• Exhibitions assist in gaining/retaining market share,

• Fewer sales calls are needed with an exhibition lead because the decision maker was able to meet with staff at the exhibition.
• More
  

5 Secrets to Closing more Orders at Trade Shows

Closing usually isn’t something you do — it’s something you prepare for and allow to happen. With that being said, here are a few things you can do to finish the sale and keep your margins intact:

1. Take one last pause. After you complete your presentation, ask once more if your prospect has any questions. They may or may not, but looking for them now shows that you are tuned into their needs, rather than just making a sales pitch, and can save you from a tougher objection later.

2. Ask for the order. Once things have been cleared up, all that’s left to do is ask for the order. Entire programs have been arranged around the tendency of salespeople to avoid asking for the order, so I’m not going to dwell on the point here, except to say that you have to ask your customer to buy. Do it once, twice, or as many times as it takes to make a sale or determine that your time would be better spent elsewhere. More.

TSEA Announces Red Diamond Congress Twitter Stream

Follow the discussions and decisions from TSEA’s Red Diamond Congress at #tseacongress

Chicago, IL – April 19, 2010 –The Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA)’s inaugural Red Diamond Congress in Orlando, FL, April 25-27, will bring together senior level exhibit and event professionals to help define the future of face-to-face marketing. The Congress is an opportunity for exhibitors to step up and speak. Because of the anticipated impact of this event, TSEA plans to integrate the social media application Twitter in the conference proceedings to allow external industry participants to receive updates and make their voices heard.

The two-day conference will produce preliminary measures on remedying the exhibition industry from an exhibitor perspective so face-to-face events will continue to be an important part of the overall marketing mix. The Congress will focus on three key areas:
1) Convention housing practices;
2) Independent third-party audits of trade show attendance; and
3) Labor practices.

To participate in these discussions, TSEA will be using the hashtag #tseacongress. You can also get conference updates by following @tseahq, visiting www.tsea.org, or joining the “Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA)” Linkedin group.

A Twitter Stream Screen will be placed in the conference rooms and incorporated into the Red Diamond Congress programming.

Below is a schedule of the conversations scheduled to take place on #tseacongress:

Monday, April 26, 2010 [Eastern Time]
9:00 a.m. Industry Trends
10:25 a.m. Labor Practices
12:10 p.m. Strategic Presentation
1:40 p.m. Independent Third-Party Audits
3:20 p.m. Housing Practices

Tuesday, April 27, 2010
9:00 a.m. “Walk a mile in the organizers’ shoes”
10:30 a.m. Panel discussion/Open forum: Next Steps

For more information, please call +1 312 842-TSEA (8732).

Trade Show Tricks to Maximize B2B Marketing ROI

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What Your Expo Booth Says About You

As a tradeshow industry veteran and marketing professional, I have attended expos and events of every type and size over the years. I can tell you that if the only impression that I got of a company was their booth, their personnel, and how the booth was set up, I can guarantee I won’t be doing business with many of them.

I’ve classified some don’t-let-this-happen-to-you booths as follows:

* The Booth Speaks for Itself – The company has invested some dollars in purchasing the booth space and may even have an elaborate backwall display. Only component missing is booth personnel. They’re off checking out the rest of the floor (particularly the free food booths), meeting with friends, etc. They’re hoping the booth will speak for itself. Message: Everything else is more important than meeting with or recruiting customers.

* The Minimalist – Booth contains the expo-provided draped table, two chairs, and the paper sign indicating the booth number. Brochures and business cards (sometimes only business cards) are left on the table. Booth personnel wonder why no one is stopping by. Message: Customers are not worth our time or investment. More.

Tradeshow Week Closed Down

Reed Business Information is shutting down 23 publications, according to a press release on the RBI Website. Tradeshow Week, the highly-respected source of news and information for trade show professionals for almost 40 years, is among the casualties in a decision to close down 23 publications for which RBI was unable to find buyers. Link

Know Your 5 or Social Media Might Eat You Alive

From Fast Company:

With millions of people participating and interacting in social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, businesses and organizations of all sizes are trying to tap this audience. For bigger businesses with multi-million dollar marketing budgets, rolling the dice on a social media strategy is a no-brainer. But for smaller businesses with precious time and resources to dedicate, any media campaign needs to provide a return on investment in order to be pursued.

Small businesses and organizations need to know who and how to target their customers and prospects using both social media and other marketing efforts. For the who part, here are five types of people out there you should think about and people who:

Know and Trust You. These are your Raving Fans, to borrow the title of Ken Blanchard's book. They are the people who spread your name through word of mouth marketing, refer you on social networks, give you great ratings and reviews, and know what you're all about. More

RFID tracks attendees at RFID Live event in Orlando

Event organizers can provide exhibitors with real-time data or end-of-day performance reports, generating new fee streams while making a powerful business case for high cost corporate sponsorships and exhibitor packages. In addition, the solution allows event organizers to provide onsite security at a reduced cost.

Exhibitors can elect to pay for access to unprecedented event data such as the number and corporate affiliation of their booth visitors, the times of day or portions of their booths that were busiest and booth dwell times. Lead capture reports are generated with scores, which provide sales personnel with quantifiable data so they can determine the prospects with whom to follow up with highest priority. Full article.

3M Uses Social Media to Help Build Community

How can a mega-business like 3M have meaningful, consistent interaction with its customers all over the country? How can they help establish community and camaraderie among this passionate, talented group of people? Today's social media venues, such as Facebook and Twitter, make it easier than ever before.

3M Graphics Market Center recently launched a Facebook page and Twitter feed as a way to engage with its customers. According to Heidi Anderson, marketing communications supervisor for 3M Graphics, "We wanted to create a forum where our customers could get tips, share ideas and interact with one another. And if they have a question, Facebook enables us to respond quickly." More

Trade Shows Are Not a Waste!

According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (the trade association for trade shows), industry spends more than $60 billion annually on trade show participation, more than the expenditures for magazines, radio and outdoor billboards combined! And, trade shows are more cost-effective than direct selling when it comes to reaching new customers.

But, despite the abundance of opportunities that trade shows provide, many executives complain that their trade show expenditures offer little return for the investment of money and time. Here are several reasons why companies fail to get the most from their trade show investment:

Lack Of Clear Goals And Objectives: Perhaps the single biggest reason for trade show failure is the lack of clear goals and objectives supporting the decision to exhibit. More often than not, the only justification that most executives can offer for their participation in a given show is “because our competition is there” or “people will wonder if we’ve gone out of business if we’re not there.” Those are pretty flimsy reasons for investments that routinely top $10,000 per show. More.

How Are Your Embracing Social Media for Your Exhibits?

Social media opportunities are everywhere!! They are now an integral component of our business lives. Some companies have embraced this new wave with gusto, while others have only put their toe in the waters of social media. Almost all of us are using an aspect or tool that is a part of this new landscape.

How are you using social media in your participation at a trade show?

• Twitter to draw traffic to your booth?
• Tweet-ups to meet folks?
• Facebook and LinkedIn to garner attention for your product/service?
• More.
  

Engage 365

A new place to network and learn about using social media for events. They offer webinars, chats and interesting articles. Engage 365

From the Conference Room to Starbucks

Long gone are the days when every business presentation was required to occur in a conference room. With the advent of the iPad, business people can bring presentations anywhere — to Starbucks, out to lunch, at a tradeshow, on a train, etc., as the 3G-enabled iPad offers constant connectivity!

The device has an amazing display and is able to visually present business data and graphics. The same presentations that have long looked great on your conference room wall now look just as good on a table top! More.

Trade Show Exhibit Themes: Orbit Into Another World

Trade show exhibitors often ask why they should create a distinctive theme for their trade show display booth. There are at least three good reasons. Themes set you apart from your competition, stimulate excitement and momentum for your staff, and dramatically increase traffic to your trade show display. Full article.

The Right Staff: Who’s Face-to-Face with your Clients?

1. Choose the best brand representatives (regardless of location or position).

These are the “people persons”. They can think quickly on their feet. They also have great communication skills, excellent sales and product knowledge, mixed in with warm and engaging personalities. They do exist and you might find them anywhere in your firm. Search them out and don’t be afraid to stray from the norm. More.

Post Trade Show Checklist

Realize that trade shows are costly for many reasons: you have a booth cost ranging from anywhere from $1k to $50k, plus a huge multiplier of flying two to ten staff members to the event. In my corporate life, the average cost of event staff at an event was $730 per person, per day (flight, food, lodging, salary.) If you have 5 people attending a day event, you have four days of cost accounting for travel time: equaling another $15k

If we consider the amount of preparation time needed for the team to strategize on the trade show beforehand, we could easily rack up another $5k to $25k in cost.

So we have to maximize this cost. There has to be a return. We have to keep in mind that “in the end” , trades hows and events do not end. They merely act as catalysts for in-person relationships and professional follow-through. Article.

Face to Face Still Matters

Did you know...

• A visitor will spend an average of 8.3 hours over 2.3 days visiting exhibits on the show floor.
• 5-20% of new customer acquisition is the result of trade show participation.
• 77% of attendees at events are potential new customers for exhibiting companies.
• 82% of attendees at events have buying authority.

I, like most, am a big proponent of social networking and I am jazzed about the potential impact on the event industry. However, I don't hear much dialogue about the onsite experience anymore. Isn't this the main event? Link.