Attention to Detail

Are the lights the right color? Are the monitors paired correctly? Is that graphic hung right?

It is the devil--details are, that it. It's getting close to show time and it seems time and motion slow down while the clock is spinning. The first day of set up with the major structure going up went quickly. Now, all of the detail work, seems to slow things down. A few details to consider:

• Graphics--are they mounted in the right locations and correct?
• Carpet--seams straight? Cuts from previous shows hidden?
• Booth structure--chips covered? Panel seams aligned?
• Other parts--fabric steamed and without wrinkles?
• Reception counter--stocked with pens, paper, staples, mints?
• Staff support--do you know where the rest rooms are? Meeting spaces?
• Other booths--competitor's, partner's booth locations relative to your location?

There are tons of other things to add to this list. Let's start with this today. More later.

TTSG

Report from the Field: NACStech 2010, Surviving the Verticalization of Trade Shows?

From the one-day set to the shrinking number of exhibitors, this is NACStech 2010. This show really is a good slice of the technology pie from C-Stores, but for some reason, lacks the high-end support it needs to be sustained.

I hope that changes.

The future of trade shows, in my opinion, is in being vertical. At one time, healthcare had broad-based, horizontal shows like AHA (American Hospital Association). Now the focus (as the industry itself has shifted) to many verticals: healthcare construction, devices, medications, treatments, management and so on.

Why can't convenience and grocery be treated the same way?

Sure, from an exhibit supplier standpoint, this isn't really what works with the model. We all want large exhibits to build, ship, dray and set up. Truth is, the exhibit industry customer wants to see more prospects, suspects and existing clients by spending their dollars in a clearly focused fashion.

Do more smaller shows better and reach more clients? What a concept!

Why not C-Stores?

TTSG

Putting Together an Exhibit from Stray Pieces, Part III

We have the basic structure and a plan. Now we need to wrap the pieces up so they look good.

One of the challenges is the design of the graphic panels and how they interact with the hardware they have to fit around. The design of the graphic features some photos and a brand-driven colorful design element. A catch phrase has also found its way into the design.

We engaged FSD in Denver to produce the fabric graphics and Zachry Associates of North Texas to do the design. Careful measurement and coordination is key, along with buy-in from the client on brand direction. The interim sheathing of the booth structure was done electronically to simulate what the finished product would look like.

The next step will be to marry the finished graphic to the frame before it is packed and shipped to show site. Given that we have only one work day to assemble this exhibit and install the technical demos, we know we have to stage all the pieces and parts correctly before they arrive on show site.

One of the critical challenges was fitting the monitors for the demos onto the structure so that they didn't obviously interfere with the graphic design.

Tune in next week as this "loaves and fishes" exercise continues.

TTSG

The Effective Booth Captain

The just-completed NACS show was a great exercise in being prepared and having measurable results at the end of it. My client, Retalix, did all of the things you need to do to make sure that the staff is prepared and knows what's going on before, during and at the conclusion of a show.

One of the critical pieces of preparing a booth staff for a show is the pre-show meetings, including the opening day standup meeting. Doug Fick, the VP of Sales for Retalix' Convenience Store business segment, gave one of the best, most complete captain's speeches I've ever heard. In his Sunday morning speech, Doug hit on the important things he wanted his staff to know:

• What to do when a client approaches.
• Who to refer prospects to in the booth.
• How to collect and qualify leads.
• Which key customers would be visiting the booth during the show, when to expect them and to whom to refer them.

Doug spelled all this out to the staff as they stood around him. It was conversational in tone, professional and imparted useful information to the team. What's more, and beyond the staff training part of the show, Doug knows what to do with the leads and how to classify and distribute them at the show's conclusion. On the last day of the show, Doug was able to tell me who the key players were who visited the booth, could target and quantify the potential business from the show and was moving on to changing leads into business after the show. To Retalix' credit, they have a central customer/prospect database and use it to further classify, qualify and track the progress of a sale. I wish more people who use trade shows would use the tools that Doug and people like him use and implement to get the results that they truly want. The result of all this was a lead count and collection of gathered data that met the expectations of the sales team and executives and can be tracked.

Lesson learned: prepare your staff and the results will follow.

TTSG

*Thanks to Doug Fick, Herman Beckley, Tal Spirer, Darren Vader and the whole Retalix team

Hanging a sign

They look so great and graceful (well, mostly) hanging in the air over the show floor. But somebody had to get hanging signs up there. Usually, it's up to you to get the job done.

Hanging your completed sign has a few steps:

• Put in the order for the riggers well in advance of the show.
• Assemble the sign.
• Spot the location above the booth where the sign is to hang.
• Attach the aircraft cables
• Hoist the sign.
• Make sure it is turned the way you want it.

Obviously, this is all done in cooperation with your rigging contractor. By putting the order in well in advance, you take advantage of any discounts. When you arrive at the show, check in at the service desk and, if you can predict it, let them know when you'll be ready for the riggers to come.

A typical rigging team is made up of two or three men: one on the ground and two in the basket (either on a forklift or a gooseneck crane, depending on the height of the sign.

Most promoters either have the sign at 20 or 24 feet to the top of the sign.

In most halls (like here in Chicago), the riggers open and assemble the sign. In some non-union environments, you or your I&D team can assemble the sign and wait for the riggers.

Spotting the location above the booth. Do this with the lead rigger. At NACS, they had the coolest laser device. We found the center of the booth and pointed the laser from that spot to the ceiling. This confirmed the location (a particular beam) where the sign will be hung from.

Part of assembly is to attach the cables. These aircraft-rated cables and attachments are usually specified by the hall or the city, so follow the lead of the riggers.

The cables are rated by size and the weight they can bear. The cables provided by the sign maker usually work, but in some cities (LA comes to mind), sometimes a heavier-rated cable has to be substituted.

There are several attach points (either 3 or 4 points on the top of the sign) from which the sign hangs. The number and location help the sign hang straight.

Make sure, as they are hoisting it, be sure the logo faces the correct direction (in this case the front of the hall). This signpost will help draw attendees and targeted visitors to your booth at the show.


Lesson learned: Again, plan and come prepared and your task will come off on time, within budget and look the part you've asked it to play.

TTSG

The NACS Show

I'm traveling on Wednesday to a show that is significant in American marketing and the trade show world: the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). I've never been to this show, so this should be a treat and an experience.

The exhibition is held in conjunction with the NACS conference and educational sessions. The conference is aimed at the owners of and suppliers to convenience stores and deals with their issues which include everything from food marketing to cigarette theft to beer and lottery sales. This organization has been around since 1961 and is really a big part of the petroleum industry. It is nothing to sneeze at or take lightly: with almost 150,000 C-stores in the U.S. doing $570 billion in business ($400 million of it in petroleum sales), they are a significant part of our retail economy.

This show features over 1,400 exhibitors in two halls of McCormick Place in Chicago. The show stays put every year (like the National Restaurant Show) and features suppliers of everything from gum and candy to food and automotive products and energy drinks. Like AWMA (which I attended in the spring) this is a variation on the "cigarettes and candy" show theme.

My client is Retalix, a provider to the industry of point-of-sale (POS) hardware and software and related systems. I'll be reporting from the show over the next week on issues as I encounter them and plan to put each one into a lesson-type format.

Thanks for staying tuned. We should learn a lot from the show floor.

TTSG