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