Social Media: The Essential Trade Show Marketing Tool

If your trade show marketing hasn’t changed recently, now is the time to do it. Technology has opened up networks of communication that allow us to stay in constant contact with virtually everyone, including customers, manufacturers, clients, and prospects. If you are not active on social media networks, you are out of touch with a huge segment of the population. Don’t be left out; use social media marketing to the best of advantage, specifically when promoting your company’s upcoming trade show event. Full article.

Ask Questions at Tradeshows to Build Awareness

The ROI from exhibiting or sponsoring a tradeshow is increasingly being questioned by marketing and business executives. And for good reason – Compare the number of leads generated from a $50,000 tradeshow stand versus a similar investment in web-based marketing alternatives (e.g. Google Pay-Per-Click). Justifying an exhibit or sponsorship has grown even more challenging in the wake of the macro-economic recession that plagued the world throughout 2008-2009. From my perspective, the benefit of exhibiting at tradeshows has always been less about generating leads and more about building brand awareness, solidifying customer relationships and accelerating deal cycles. Full article.

How to nail the five-minute pitch

The Basic Pitch Outline
Following is a sample outline that I have seen many successful startup presentations follow. Believe it or not, you can fit all of this into five minutes or less – especially if you use short video clips, images, graphics, and minimal text. You should mostly speak to each of the points below, using graphics to reinforce your spoken words.

• Headline (your vision)
• Company Purpose (short and sweet)
• Problem (customer pain)
• Solution (value prop to customer – great to add real customer stories)
• Why Now (history and evolution)
• Market Size (who are your target customers)
• Competition (honest list)
• Product (description and road map)
• Business Model (revenue, pricing etc.)
• Customer Acquisition plan (marketing and sales)
• Team (founders & management)

At pitch events, you have just five minutes to stand out from the other presenting companies. Take advantage of your short window of fame by telling a memorable story with passion. The best company pitchmen aren’t salespeople. They’re great storytellers. Article.

Sustainable and Virtual Trade Shows Arriving on the Scene

As EcoGreenHotel examines the world of tradeshows and conventions, it appears sustainability options have finally arrived to the forefront. US Green Building Council LEED certified convention centers are springing up in cities of all sizes around the world. From centers in Santa Fe, Spokane, Pittsburg, Raleigh, and Virginia City to LEED silver centers in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Portland to the first Platinum center in Vancouver, British Columbia that sports its enormous 6-acre living green-roof, the largest non-industrial of its kind in North America. Even master planned sustainable cities such as Korea’s Songdo International Business District and Qatar’s Masdar City know sustainability is the way to the future. More.

TradeshowLogistics Announces Operational Cost Analysis Service for Show Organizers

From Exhibitor News Network:

5/20/2010 - TradeshowLogistics, a creator of show management solutions, now provides its show floor-focused TL Operational Cost Analysis on an àla carte basis. This service delivers full transparency through an itemized show floor service and equipment budget on a live spreadsheet. Show organizers see actual costs without markups or cost shifting—including the cost of show management’s own services (traditionally provided by the general contractor at no or reduced cost) that are funded through exhibitors’ drayage rates.

Armed with this information, show organizers can take control over their show floor economy while still employing the contractors of their choice. For the first time, show organizers:
• Participate in setting the rates for equipment and services provided to exhibitors.
• Decide how much cost is acceptable to shift onto the shoulders of exhibitors.
• Know the financial value of the trade show to all appointed contractors.
• Experiment with a variety of cost models and markups. More.

Six Advantages to Virtual Trade Shows

A virtual trade show is a cross between a webcast meeting and a video game. And it’s the next big trend in trade shows. Although a mere 1% of all trade shows are now held online industry experts expect that by 2015 more than 25% of trade shows will be conducted in virtual environments. That’s a market you can’t afford to ignore.

Like online meetings a virtual trade show can be simple or breathtakingly realistic. The simplest assemble a series of pages each one a virtual booth for an exhibitor plus instant messaging so exhibitors and attendees can talk in real time. The more complex are complete environments like high-level video games or such online worlds as Second Life. In these each participant controls an avatar. VOIP voice over internet protocol can allow you to talk to attendees and you can easily email brochures or allow attendees to download them.

But why bother when face-to-face meetings are so much more satisfying and real? Because virtual trade shows offer some solid advantages.

1. Triumph Over Tighter Budgets Continue

Web Meets Live: The New Trade Show Marketing Frontier

The Internet has turned the whole concept of trade show marketing on its head. Exhibitors are no longer restricted to a 40 x 40 foot section of carpeted cement and attendees may be seated on a comfy rental sofa or their desks back at the office. The virtual and the physical space has become one infinite stretch of real estate and exhibitors have access to unlimited options for pre-, at-, and post-show marketing. The challenge for exhibit marketers is to blend the two worlds seamlessly together. More.

Sustainable and Virtual Trade Shows Arriving on the Scene

Now, more than ever, green practices are being adopted by convention centers, surrounding hotels, event planners, vendors and contractors to dramatically reduce costs and their environmental impact. It truly does become a domino effect. We receive more and more inquiries about Energy Efficiency Services as more hotels strive to become green to meet local event requirements. These are tremendous achievements and very exciting times for cities aiming to attract the growing market of sustainable tradeshows.

For example, WasteExpo is North America’s largest solid waste and recycling tradeshow serving both the private and public sectors. The show boasts “green” initiatives such as: extensive use of electronic media to eliminate paper, energy saving lighting, green cleaners, carpet made from recycled materials, and of course robust recycling and energy efficiency features. Full article.

How to Video - Trade Show Internet

Check out this 1 minute video on the new Trade Show Internet solution for trade show managers, conference hosts, meeting planners and exhibitors. SmartSource Rentals has partnered with Trade Show Internet (TSI) to provide a rental solution that provides reliable Internet connectivity in a turn-key package at a fraction of the cost charged by in-house providers. Video.

Benefits of Trade Show Traffic Builders, Lead Generators & Presenters

How many times have you walked the show floor and seen a magician, a caricature artist, or a unique talent being performed within a trade show booth? Did you... Full article.

Who Really Is To Blame For The High Freight Costs At Mccormick Place?

/EINPresswire.com/ Chicago, IL - May 7, 2010 — The current topic in Chicago being covered by the media is the fact that several large shows are leaving McCormick Place for other cities. Show Biz USA is very proud of the proposed changes that the MPEA Board plans to institute at McCormick Place and Navy Pier. However, these Union labor changes do NOT benefit the exhibitor, as it relates to freight handling, but only the General Contractor producing the show. The General Contractor reaps the benefit of the reduced costs and crew size, but the exhibitor’s freight charges remain the same. The General Contractor does not pass this savings along to the exhibitor.

Show Biz USA has come up with a solution to bring these shows back to McCormick Place and Navy Pier by greatly reducing the exhibitor’s freight bill, which is better than 50% of their final bill. As outlined in our plan, the exhibitor would realize a TREMENDOUS savings in their freight costs. EXAMPLE: A trailer load of freight charged to the exhibitor by the General Contractor to unload their freight and deliver it to their booth is anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000, round trip. The actual Teamster Union labor cost to the General Contractor is $750, for a 3-man crew and forklift, round trip. As you can see, the price difference is astounding! We estimate the savings to the exhibitor would range anywhere from 35% to 50% of what they are currently paying. Remember..the savings is based on hundred weight charges…not hourly charges. The Unions are a very small cost by comparison to what is being charged by the General Contractor. More.

Six Best Practices For Creating An Online Interactive Exhibitor Listing That Gets Results

From Midcourse Corrections:

We all know that measuring ROI from tradeshow participation is like painting a moving car. Buyers are at various stages: awareness, consideration, preference and purchase. Often, it takes multiple touches to move buyers closer to purchase. Face-to-face interactions tend to either accelerate or better qualify the buyer’s stage.

Back in the good old days (three – five years ago), buyers primarily evaluated products by walking the tradeshow floor and kicking tires. Today, they do advanced online research and have a more targeted approach to tackling the show floor. They want to use their time as efficiently as possible.

Likewise, exhibitors need proof to justify their investment to participate in your tradeshow. One way to deliver that proof is to arm them with analytics. And analytics from interactive online exhibit listings are extremely powerful, often delivered in real time. More.

Trade Up Your Tradeshow Model

from ASAE:

Looking for the next big thing in tradeshows? It may be closer than you think. Associations that have found success with new and different tradeshow models share what they’re doing and how it works for them.

Have you taken your tradeshow's temperature lately? Take a look at your expo floor. Would you say business is red hot, tepid, or cooling fast?

"With the economic changes going on for the past few years, so many associations are suffering, and they have to care for the annual meeting because it's such an important part of their health," says John Parke, CMP, president and CEO of Leadership Synergies, LLC, which assists associations in sales performance and process improvement. "The annual meeting, especially the tradeshow, has to work. And many are scrambling to make sure it works."

While some may be scrambling, other associations are soaring, with new tradeshow formats that fit their audiences and their organizations. Some have made slow changes; others have drastically transformed their shows. And some have years of experience with the "new" formats that other associations are just now discovering. Full Article.

Online Directory of Conferences and Tradeshows

AllConferences.com is an online, searchable directory of meetings, conferences and tradeshows.

What Questions Do Your Customers Ask at Your Tradeshow Booth?

by Tim Patterson

Do your customers ask questions at your tradeshow booth?

Are they curious about things like flavor, color, delivery time, production values, technical details or design elements?

Do they want to know MORE?

Of course they do! That’s what customers do. They’re curious. They give feedback. And often it comes in the form of a question.

At your next tradeshow make a point of writing down questions that your booth visitors ask about your product, service or company. This can be beneficial for a number of reasons. More.

100 Trade Show Lead Generation Ideas

For most exhibitors, lead generation is their #1 reason for exhibiting at trade shows. Exhibit marketers want leads to replenish their sales pipeline, bring in new and repeat customers, and generate sales revenue.

So to help stoke the lead generation fires, here are 100 ideas to get you more leads at your upcoming trade shows, divvied up among 5 main areas: Link.

Convention exhibitor 'bill of rights' in the works, Daley proposes privatization of McCormick Center

The Sun-Times reported Thursday that state lawmakers are drafting a ‘bill of rights’ for exhibitors at McCormick Place to convince them to keep their business in Chicago, and allowing McCormick to refinance its debt, reducing its annual costs by $40 million.

The refinancing will allow McCormick to reduce its rent charges to exhibitors, and the bill of rights could possibly include allowing exhibitors to hire their own electricians and bring in their own food. Food and electricians are two high-cost items at McCormick that has gained a lot of publicity in the past year. More.