The Art of the Quick Phone Call

1. You can start informally with banter - If I’m calling somebody I know a bit I usually try to start with a little friendly banter. If I know they like a sports team that might be a good start. If I saw their company in the press, heard that they saw somebody at an event that I know, they live in a town where a storm just rolled through – whatever. I think trying to humanize the call from the outset is good. When you jump straight into “sales pitch mode” it feels a bit strange.

Two things to watch for: 1) if you’re trying banter to build rapport but not “feeling it” then quickly shift to business. Some people just aren’t “chit chatters” and prefer to get on with things. I find that kinda boring, but I know some people are just wired that way. 2) some callers take this banter too far It starts to border on disrespectful of the person’s time or wasteful of your 15 minutes. Don’t be that person. Link from Both sides of the Table

Is Your Trade Show Exhibit a Good Investment?

Many marketing executives can’t completely answer this question. They basically repeat what was done in previous years with slight variations in execution. Taking a moment to analyze your trade show goals and results can help you find new ways to acquire more customers and make your trade show investment really pay off.

Trade shows are expensive but they can also be one of the best sales and marketing investments your company makes. Trade show exhibits provide unparalleled opportunities to forge stronger customer relationships, win-back old customers and acquire new, high-value customers. But you should expect this effort to deliver more. Full Article.

EXHIBITOR Magazine Releases Findings from its 2010 Marketing Technology Survey

11/24/2010 - Technology has taken over our world, but how is that tech takeover impacting the exhibit and event industry? To find out, EXHIBITOR fielded the 2010 Marketing Technology Survey. According to the results, exhibit- and event-related technologies can help marketers build brand awareness, improve client relationships, increase sales leads, and encourage trade show and event attendees to linger longer. Full article.

50 Free Apps We're Most Thankful For

As we prepare to give thanks for our delicious Thanksgiving meals (and impending food comas), let's not forget to pay tribute to the wonderful developers who bring us our favorite free apps. More from Lifehacker.

The Seven Deadly Sins Of Poor Boothmanship

How many times have you seen booth staffers make it tough for attendees to engage with them by standing in closed circles with their colleagues, talking on their cell phones, eating in the corner of the booth, or being otherwise engaged in anything but attending to the needs of show attendees? Full article.

CEIR Research Indicates Booth Personnel and Product Demonstrations Grow in Exhibit Booth Recall Effectiveness

DALLAS, 16 November 2010 - Today, research released by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) provides insights into the recall factors of attendees being able to remember a particular exhibit on the show floor. The study is an update to a report Most Memorable Exhibits: An Analysis of the Factors Affecting Exhibit Recall, published in 2000.

Memorability is important to an exhibitor because studies have shown that it can influence purchasing decisions that are initiated at a later time, and it builds long-term brand awareness equities as well. Serious buyers also appear to depend on booth recall as a valuable information base. The size of the booth, as might be expected, continues to be an automatic recall factor for several reasons: Continue.

18 Hidden Rules of Trade Shows

Trade shows also are governed by hidden, yet immutable rules. You may have already run up against them without realizing it, or discovered them through arduous experience. Since forewarned is forearmed, here are 18 hidden rules of trade shows:

1. The more words you put on your trade show display, the fewer times they will be read.
2. The larger the crowd of people already in your booth, the more other people will want to visit your booth.
3. The person who complains the most about the value of trade shows is usually the one who knows (and tries) the least.
4. The more fun trade show attendees have in your booth during the show, the more serious business you will do after the show.
5. More from Skyline Trade Show Tips
   

Hybrid Events: The Live/Virtual Combo

Want to get the most out of your virtual and live events? Don't treat them as completely separate entities. "The virtual world is all about enhancement, never replacement," Continue

Tricks of the trade(show) to boost ROI

Face-to-face encounters with other human beings are easily avoided with all the new technology we have at our fingertips. Given how easy it is these days to keep up with business acquaintances and colleagues by e-mail and social media, the traditional methods of engaging with professionals in your industry have taken a back seat. However, tradeshows, once the most direct way that companies engaged with and targeted new customers, are still an important part of any marketing strategy and should not be overlooked. More.

Tradeshow Exhibitor Checklist

Checklist from The Results Academy.

The Relevance of Tradeshows in the Digital Age

Gone are the days of swag and stunts to get you into the booth. These days, booths are so small it really only takes two or three people to fill them. You used to walk through intriguingly lit mini-caverns with massive desks of lights and flying faders and music moving around like a poltergeist. Now booths are just a place to hang a flat screen running a power point presentation and for staff to hang out when they’re not refilling the brochure stand. Well, it’s not quite that bad—there was plenty of gear on display, which is different than saying plenty of gear on hand. Historically, one of the key differences between attending a tradeshow and reading tradeshow news is that when you attend you get to experience the gear. . More.

The Breadcrumb Approach: Keys for a Crowded Trade Show Booth

Heidi Miller, professional trade show spokesperson and narrator, shares the four keys to gathering a crowd into your booth for your trade show presentation or demonstration. Video.

Create your Own Word Cloud

This is a Word Cloud that was generated for this blog. To create your own Word Cloud, go here.

Promotional Hand Sanitizers A Great Tradeshow Giveaway

One of the most effective and useful promo item to give out is promotional hand sanitizers. It is a product that everyone needs, and everyone uses. More.

Kimberly-Clark Takes Tradeshow Sustainability to New Level

Trade shows continue to thrive for their ability to bring people together and make valuable connections. Long a primary driver of business travel, some shows in the world can account for a sizable amount of carbon emissions. So when a company steps up to reduce their trade show participation’s environmental footprint, it’s a big deal. More.

Are You "Cell’ing" Yourself Short?

Cell phones have changed our world. With few exceptions, we can now talk to anyone we like whenever we’d like. The staccato symphony of ring tones accompanies us through our days: from the morning commute to the crowded restaurant at lunchtime, during meetings and even during the quick stop at the grocery store when the day is done. We’re always connected, always reachable. It’s a marvel.

It’s a marvel that can destroy your tradeshow performance. Continue

Going Green

Being green at a trade show exhibit is no longer as difficult as it used to be. There are many eco-friendly alternatives that allow companies who wish to cut down on their carbon footprint to do so. Here are a few different ways for exhibitors to use more Earth-friendly elements in their booths.

Earth-Friendly Trade Show Display Materials

Use recycled materials in your trade show exhibit. Get rid of the usual display materials and use bamboo, aluminum, or recycled fabrics instead. Not only will they be more eco-friendly, but they will allow for a more portable display. Bamboo is incredibly strong and will stand up to the wear and tear that a trade show display usually goes through. Additionally, it grows fast and is plentiful, which means it is a renewable material. If you utilize a bamboo trade show display and add in elements of aluminum or bonded metal, your display will truly stand out among the crowd as being unique and green. Nowadays it is even possible to find a bamboo display that holds literature, which organizes the booth and keeps it clutter-free. More.

Reverse Tradeshows: The Value of One-on-One

Most meeting planners and meeting facilities have attended a trade show in the extent of their career. The “typical” trade show organized by industry, allows companies to exhibit their latest product or service. In the case of meeting and conference planners, they’ll visit 50 – 100+ supplier booths. The “typical” trade show is seeing a change in interest as the industry moves to virtual exhibits and one-on-one interactions. More from The National Conference Center Blog.

23 Ways to Integrate Facebook and Twitter with Traditional Advertising

Integrated Media Marketing is when you effectively integrate social media with traditional marketing. Here are 23 ideas for integrating Facebook and Twitter in PR, direct selling, customer services, advertising and sales promotions.

1. Add Facebook Widget /plugins to website or blog
2. Show Twitter stream on website
3. Use buttons in footer, contact page and sidebar of website
4. Add Share/Like/Tweet buttons on products and content on website
5. Include links on your business cards
6. Include info in email signature file
7. Add Facebook /Twitter to voice mail messages (office and cellphone)
8. More from Beyond Social Media Marketing
   

What a Trade Show is Really About.

What do you want out of a trade show and what are you willing to put into the process? Trade shows are tried and true face to face marketing platforms. There was talk about trade shows “dying” because of social media and younger generations entering the workforce. Nothing can replace good old fashioned face-to-face marketing. Social media can enhance, but not replace it.

So what is a trade show REALLY about? The question remains, what do you want from it? Do you want to promote a new product or service, increase brand awareness, treat current clients to some customer appreciation, meet new clients, gain information on what your prospective clients want, or spy on the competition? Maybe you want a little of everything! A trade show can be all of the above and more. Continue reading from TSN

How One Association is Connecting Attendees with Exhibitors with Twitter

The International Studies Association has put together a Twitter List of their exhibitors. This list will allow attendees to follow exhibitors as they showcase their events, promotions and products on their Twitter feeds. You do not need to be a member of Twitter to view the list. Link to Article.

A New Mobile App for the Event World

by Joyce McKee at Let's Talk Tradeshows:

Here is a mobile app that can do many things that will aid attendees and show management alike. Some of the features are: Floor Map, Exhibitor Directory, Event Calendar, Speaker Bios, Local Visitors Guide and News/Announcements. Link to Article. Link to App.

How can I save money on my Rental Car rates?

Shopping the Internet can be the quickest and best way to compare many Rental Car rates.

If you are planning on purchasing extra items such as a damage waiver or insurance, you should also comparison shop those rates.

Make sure their mileage policy is favorable to you so you can avoid extra charges.

Airport fees can be quite large so you might see if it is worth it to use an off-airport facility. However, if the off-airport company picks you up at the airport, you'll probably still have to pay some of the fee.

You can check their national reservation centers and their local offices; one may be offering a better deal than the other. ASK, if this is the best rate they have available. More. (Check the rest of the site for other travel tips).

Unqualified booth visitors and time wasters

This article from the Hill Group, gives tips on dealing with the following types of booth visitors:

• Unqualified visitors and time wasters
• Unqualified visitors
• Booth beggars
• Competitive Intelligence Gatherers
• Know-it-alls
• Exceedingly social