HeliExpo 2010 ideas: video

This past weekend I was in Houston for the annual HeliExpo trade show. Over the next few posts I'll feature a few trends and ideas I saw there.

Video presentations.

The biggest and most prominent use of video was at the Eurocopter exhibit. These flat-panel, touchscreen units were intriguing and informative. At first glance, they appear to be flat and self contained. However, upon closer examination, there is a projector hidden near the tailcone of the helicopter staged near the plex station.

In the same booth, the overhead screens worked well and used both live and created content. There were at least three large 9-foot by 12-foot panels accepting projected images. During live events in the booth, the images were broadcast on the screen. A superior audio system supported these screens. At other times the content varied but were generally overview-type images of products, people and their helicopters at work, music-video style.

BF Goodrich was a bit more traditional, but used video in clean package. The images seemed to alternate from video to doubling as computer workstations. The green plex surrounds made the image space fit into the theme and look of the rest of the booth.

Over at Universal Avionics, this 2x4 set of monitors had some great transitions. John Hamby, the marketing manager from their Tucson, AZ, headquarters, told me he originated the content. Still images alternated with video and major areas of interest and content were separated by animated transitions of a jet flying across the multi-screen field.

Good ideas to emulate or build upon.

TTSG

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TTSG

Tradeoffs

When trying to work within your budget, always consider every item:

• Do I really need an internet connection?
• How many days do I need someone on site to support me?
• Do I have to set (or tear down) the exhibit on Saturday, Sunday or after hours (can I do this on straight time?)?
• Can I reduce my shipment to lower drayage and shipping costs?
• Is renting a booth cheaper than buying one?
• Do I really need to continue to go to this show (that's a whole other topic).

Look at the list and be prepared to cut or make trades.

TTSG

On-site support

After all of the prep work to get a show (or program) together, it can't fall apart in execution.

Being on show site is the best move you can make to ensure success. Recently, due to cost constraints, a client was asked if they had to choose between an internet connection and a few extra days of on-site support, they'd chose the on-site. While there may be a workaround for the on-line access for most industries, there are few options of not having an on-site, dedicated professional watching out for things at the show, in the booth and for the staff. For example, here is a short list of things that NOT to burden the rest of your staff with:

• Badge updates
• Set up and tear down supervision
• Service bill collection
• Hotel room changes
• Directing execs and guests to the booth and receptions
• Coordinating receptions
• Ensuring lead collection
• Catalogue description
• Local transportation
• Competitive data collection
• Subcontractor coordination
• In-booth staff meetings
• On-site graphic and exhibit corrections, repairs
• Space selection for next year

This is just a simple slice of what can be had for the price of travel, per diem and a daily rate. Usually a pretty good ROI.

TTSG

Working toward face to face

The recent wave of social media tools lend themselves directly to the trade show experience.

The fact is, social networking leads to face-to-face networking.

Face-to-face networking happens in the trade show selling environment. Savvy trade show marketers will link the two types of media to enlarge their sphere of influence and increase sales. Reaching out to the customer starts with a conversation.

That conversation can be electronic in nature so that when you actually do meet face to face, you know more about each other and the cycle can be shorter.

TTSG

Having a plan and philosophy

A client just shared with me her internal trade show program plan. Great stuff and shows vision.

While it has the requisite charts and graphs showing costs and shows and timelines, it also includes direction, how vendors are managed and a long-term expectation of where the program is headed.

This helps as a directional tool, but also in succession planning.

So, think ahead and write such a document. In subsequent posts, we'll share examples.

TTSG

Knowing more about your client's business

In order for us, as a trade show suppliers, to provide the best solution for our clients, we MUST know their business.

That is, will the exhibit we provide work with the goals the client has set for the show and their company? If we think we are just filling a space we are wrong. From what the exhibit looks like to how it flows to how the staff is trained (let's start with these three), if it doesn't reflect the company brand or how the product is sold or what the messages are that need to be conveyed, it won't work. Period. And we will have wasted our client's precious budget.

Sure, we'll sell them the first time. But when it doesn't work, they won't be back. Simple as that.

So, we need to do our homework and understand the whole of the problem. Maybe they don't need to even go to a particular show. We need to be real with the client and with ourselves.

TTSG