After Day 1 of the 2010 Exhibitor's Show, I am again reminded just how lucky we are to have some of the personalities we have in this industry.
I would say "characters", but I want to be fair and balanced here. they all have character, but are certainly not caricatures.
"Trade Show" Bob Milam, "Booth Mom" Candy Adams, Jerry Gerson, Elaine Cohen, Mark Bendickson, the Nagles of Czarnowski, the Freemans, Ray Andrews and dozens of others. These people all have contributed and continue to contribute to the trade show and events industry. These people and many others have helped found exhibit companies, created everyday concepts we take for granted and taught us how to make things work on the show floor and with our marketing plans.
The good news, both for the industry and those coming after us, is that they are sharing their knowledge.
I sat in several sessions yesterday. All three classes were required for the CTSM program and were filled: 120 to 140 people in each. And nearly 60% of these attendees have less than 3 years of experience as trade shows and events people for their companies.
Think about that for a second.
Business leaders think enough of trade shows and events as a marketing tool to (1) hire someone to manage them and (2) send them for training out of the office for several days. Must be some business out there.
Thanks to the veterans and to those who want to learn.
TTSG
Showing posts with label Exhibitor Magazine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exhibitor Magazine. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Thursday, December 18, 2008
An open letter to Steve Jobs about trade shows
Dear Steve,
In yesterday's release about MacWorld 2009, did you really say "Trade shows do not deliver the same return on investment that they did in the past."? I realize the real news in the release was about you not being the keynote at this event, but, come on, that isn't really the kind of message you, an advocate of effective brand selling, wants to deliver in this economy, now is it?
I can understand if MacWorld has run its course as a B2B trade show or a platform for you and Apple. I can also understand if the sales cycle of Apple has gotten to the point that shows don't fit your marketing mix. But to write off shows with a general sweep of the hand as not driving sales well and being a "once-a-year shot" is unfair to an entire industry.
Even without the stats from our friends at CEIR or Exhibitor Magazine , trade shows still are the best return on investment when it comes to face-to-face selling. The basic math says you can meet more customers/prospects/suspects for the price of a single air fare and expenses in one place than you can with one-on-one sales calls. Plus you get the benefit of featuring your brand in a showcase where business leaders and leading buyers are in one place where you are side by side with your partners and competitiors. And let's not forget that face-to-face selling closes sales faster than multiple e-mails, phone calls and text messages. You are better off standing next to your client than you are watching them on a screen. The live experience just can't be replaced.
So, please, don't write off an entire show or industry just because it doesn't fit your specific needs. Of course your products are best sold through your stores or on line. But where else can you be the face of a whole industry, a thought leader? Where else can you encounter people and start conversations that might not otherwise have been possible?
I realize shows are expensive and ROI is important, particularly in this economy. However, there is also ROO (return on objective) and the almost immeasureable brand impact that must also be considered.
Thanks for reading, Steve. Happy holidays and best wishes to you and your family and good health to you. I appreciate all you've done for your industry, technology, entertainment and America. Be thinking about your friends in the trade show industry and what we could really be doing together in 2009 and beyond.
The Trade Show Guy (TTSG)
In yesterday's release about MacWorld 2009, did you really say "Trade shows do not deliver the same return on investment that they did in the past."? I realize the real news in the release was about you not being the keynote at this event, but, come on, that isn't really the kind of message you, an advocate of effective brand selling, wants to deliver in this economy, now is it?
I can understand if MacWorld has run its course as a B2B trade show or a platform for you and Apple. I can also understand if the sales cycle of Apple has gotten to the point that shows don't fit your marketing mix. But to write off shows with a general sweep of the hand as not driving sales well and being a "once-a-year shot" is unfair to an entire industry.
Even without the stats from our friends at CEIR or Exhibitor Magazine , trade shows still are the best return on investment when it comes to face-to-face selling. The basic math says you can meet more customers/prospects/suspects for the price of a single air fare and expenses in one place than you can with one-on-one sales calls. Plus you get the benefit of featuring your brand in a showcase where business leaders and leading buyers are in one place where you are side by side with your partners and competitiors. And let's not forget that face-to-face selling closes sales faster than multiple e-mails, phone calls and text messages. You are better off standing next to your client than you are watching them on a screen. The live experience just can't be replaced.
So, please, don't write off an entire show or industry just because it doesn't fit your specific needs. Of course your products are best sold through your stores or on line. But where else can you be the face of a whole industry, a thought leader? Where else can you encounter people and start conversations that might not otherwise have been possible?
I realize shows are expensive and ROI is important, particularly in this economy. However, there is also ROO (return on objective) and the almost immeasureable brand impact that must also be considered.
Thanks for reading, Steve. Happy holidays and best wishes to you and your family and good health to you. I appreciate all you've done for your industry, technology, entertainment and America. Be thinking about your friends in the trade show industry and what we could really be doing together in 2009 and beyond.
The Trade Show Guy (TTSG)
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Choosing an exhibit house
I was reminded of this process and experience recently when a business acquaintance told me he had to make some changes to his program. Whether it's cost-, geography- or personality-driven, sometimes a change has to be made.
Moving your exhibit properties is a big deal--or not Others in the industry have written exhaustively (and well) about this topic, among them Candy Adams and others on the staff of Exhibitor Magazine. This not meant to be an end-all or be-all, rather a starting place. Remember these three points when considering a new exhibit company:
1. Do you like them?
2. Are they convenient?
3. Can they do what you ask?
Do you like them? My chamber of commerce friends all live by the axiom, "people do business with people they like". It's true. If you don't want to meet the account executive or any of teh staff, why bother? That interpersonal relationship will drive just about everything else. It's like everything else in life: it's all about timing and chemistry. This also includes do you like the quality and type of their work.
Are they convenient? This doesn't necessarily mean that they have to be around the corner, but access is important. When I sold exhibits, one of the biggest obstacles to engaging a new client was where you were located in relation to where their program was managed. However, access and convenience can also mean where your properties are in relation to where you major shows are, the cost of storage and transportation in Texas versus California versus New Jersey, or the proximity of other vendors (graphics, van lines) to the main location. It also means do they have FTP sites, can you see photos of your properties or manage them from on-line, and other access measures.
Can they do what you ask? If you need a rental property at the last minute in a city you're not familiar with, can they come through? How many passes of a graphic revision does it take to get to production ready? Do they understand your properties well enough that if you call and ask about the "graphic that fits into the light box of the 20x20 we used at the NACS show" they will know which graphic you are talking about? Are they consistent about delivering what you ask regularly, on time and within your budget parameters? Do they ask and then confirm what it is you want before doing it and then sending you a bill anyway? This really goes back to point one.
If you do decide to change exhibit companies, always, always do it with professionalism and class. Don't burn the bridge because you never know when you will encounter these folks again. Be sure to settle up your bills, ask for and get what is yours and make a clean break.
Lesson learned: doing business with people you respect and like for a cost you can afford will always result in the product you need and want.
TTSG
Moving your exhibit properties is a big deal--or not Others in the industry have written exhaustively (and well) about this topic, among them Candy Adams and others on the staff of Exhibitor Magazine. This not meant to be an end-all or be-all, rather a starting place. Remember these three points when considering a new exhibit company:
1. Do you like them?
2. Are they convenient?
3. Can they do what you ask?
Do you like them? My chamber of commerce friends all live by the axiom, "people do business with people they like". It's true. If you don't want to meet the account executive or any of teh staff, why bother? That interpersonal relationship will drive just about everything else. It's like everything else in life: it's all about timing and chemistry. This also includes do you like the quality and type of their work.
Are they convenient? This doesn't necessarily mean that they have to be around the corner, but access is important. When I sold exhibits, one of the biggest obstacles to engaging a new client was where you were located in relation to where their program was managed. However, access and convenience can also mean where your properties are in relation to where you major shows are, the cost of storage and transportation in Texas versus California versus New Jersey, or the proximity of other vendors (graphics, van lines) to the main location. It also means do they have FTP sites, can you see photos of your properties or manage them from on-line, and other access measures.
Can they do what you ask? If you need a rental property at the last minute in a city you're not familiar with, can they come through? How many passes of a graphic revision does it take to get to production ready? Do they understand your properties well enough that if you call and ask about the "graphic that fits into the light box of the 20x20 we used at the NACS show" they will know which graphic you are talking about? Are they consistent about delivering what you ask regularly, on time and within your budget parameters? Do they ask and then confirm what it is you want before doing it and then sending you a bill anyway? This really goes back to point one.
If you do decide to change exhibit companies, always, always do it with professionalism and class. Don't burn the bridge because you never know when you will encounter these folks again. Be sure to settle up your bills, ask for and get what is yours and make a clean break.
Lesson learned: doing business with people you respect and like for a cost you can afford will always result in the product you need and want.
TTSG
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