Use QR Codes so You Don't Get Thrown Away After Tradeshows

In this article, you'll learn...

• Three ways to incorporate QR codes at tradeshows
• Five important things to consider before using QR codes

Click here for full article from Marketing Profs.

Video: Exhibitor Training

From the SEMA Exhibitor Education Summit. Learn how to: Save big bucks on Show costs, such as material handling, electrical and related Show expenses; Use social media to expand your marketing reach; Properly plan and budget to add value to your Show experience; Explore promotional opportunities through sponsorships; Use proven strategies to get buyers to your booth; Work one-on-one with Show experts to reduce your expenses and maximize your ROI.

Video 1hour, 20 minutes

Four Event Marketing Predictions for 2012

In this article, you'll learn...

• Which technologies and tactics will emerge for event marketing in 2012
• How event marketers can boost tradeshow success using new trends

Read more from Marketing Profs

How to Calculate Your Costs

From Exhibitor Magazine.

In a perfect world, exhibit managers would sit down once or twice a year to plan their trade show budgets. Show budgeting is often a frantic, data-starved, number-crunching binge launched after a visit from management.

This article has the statistics, formulas and guidelines you need to accurately estimate expenses for your next trade show.

Exhibitors Favor Attendance Quality Above All Else

The quality of attendees is by far the most important factor to exhibitors when deciding whether to exhibit at a trade show or exhibition, according to a new study by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research.

The study found that 84 percent of marketing executives surveyed cited attendance quality as the most prevalent factor driving the decision to exhibit. “Results to this study indicate that an exhibition’s reputation for delivering quality attendance is the most influential factor in persuading a company to exhibit,” stated CEIR Research Director Nancy Drapeau. “In a business climate where resources are scarce, exhibition organizers are wise to allocate some of these resources to audience acquisition and retention efforts,” she added. “Bringing the right audience to exhibitors and the right content to attendees that keeps them coming back positions an event for stability and growth.” Continue Reading from Association Meetings

How to Make a Trade Show Profitable

If you’re going to spend thousands of dollars for a trade show booth, get your money’s worth.

By Vanessa Merit Nornberg | Nov 23, 2011

This week I spent time filling out the application to attend the largest trade show in my industry. The small booth costs $3,995, just for the raw space. Add to that the airfare, lodging, meals, and costs of having sales reps in the booth instead of in the office, as well as the time and labor before the show getting displays ready, and I spend close to $10,000 to get us there. While that’s a good bit of money, I know it is worth spending, because my team will typically do three to five times that in sales on the trade show floor, and that’s not counting additional business after the show.

However, there are a lot of companies that exhibit at this show which don’t do as well as we do—yet they have paid the same money, and often times, a lot more, to be there. When they return home, I imagine they lament that it was not a good show for them and worry about how they are going to recoup their expenses. This moment of hindsight comes too late.

Here’s how I recommend you make a trade show profitable—ahead of time: Continue Reading from Inc.

Section 179 Tax Incentive for Exhibitors Ends December 31

Thinking about upgrading or purchasing a display for your upcoming trade show season? Do you have some marketing funds that need to be used before the end of the year? Want to stretch your exhibiting budget and get more display for the money? The time has never been better for investing in your company with a new display, thanks to the Section 179 Tax Incentive. Continue Reading from Exhibitor News Network.