The Postmortem

It really isn't as final as it sounds. But it is one of the final things you do after you return from a show.

You need to look back and assess the show so you have some lessons learned for future shows.

The basic elements of a postmortem to consider are:

1. Call a meeting of key participants in the process: the marketing manager, the sales manager, the key tech guy, possibly your exhibit supplier.
2. Make it a one-hour meeting.
3. Plan on reporting performance (expenses versus plan, lead count, key events)
4. Before the meeting (which should be within a week of the ending of the show; no more than two weeks), set an agenda and ask some key questions, including:

• What worked?
• What didn't?
• Would you go again?
• Did you meet any key customers?

Roll this up at the end of the meeting with action items (if any) for the participants.

Apply the lessons to the next show on the schedule or the next year's show.

TTSG

Report from the Field, Farnborough 2010: To Chalet or Not To Chalet

Our colleague, Peggy Keene of Esterline Corporation, was at this year's Farnborough Air Show in the UK this past two weeks. She filed this report for us to paint a picture of what is happening on the international trade show scene:

In more than 25 years' work experience, I've never seen more austere times. Nobody wants to look like they're spending money frivolously at trade shows. In fact, no one wants to look like they're spending money at all.

At the Farnborough International Air Show, held every other July outside London, can companies convey a prosperous image, but not too prosperous? Farnborough, along with the Paris Air Show, has the reputation as the most prestigious aerospace event in the world. Billionaires jetted in on their private 747s. Heads of state toured the exhibits. The new Boeing 787 performed tricks for the ogling crowds. This year's bomb scare emptied my stand. If it happens in aerospace, it happens at Farnborough. But can companies justify the expense of a chalet along the flightline? How can they translate this six-figure expense into sales orders?

The simple answer is that they can't. It's can be a matter of habit and tradition, and they play a big role at this show. Some quotes from colleagues to help paint the picture:

• "We've always had a chalet--if we don't this year, customers will think we're not doing well."
• "My CEO looks at the show as a combination of work and pleasure. He'd never go if he had to do stand duty!"
• "We're pursuing one foreign government contract. If we can get the minister of defense to our chalet, we can clinch the deal--he needs to see we're for real."

On the other side, one major manufacturer pulled out of the show completely. I'd guess they spent $600K to 800K in years past. I was told that their new CEO, the third in five years, "doesn't believe in trade shows". Hmmmm. I used to work for this company, and they're currently getting their rears kicked by their largest competitor. Wonder if this CEO will be around for the long haul?

One of my suppliers has traditionally had a chalet, but opted out this year. Instead, they chose to hold a luncheon at a prestigious hotel overlooking the runway. Sounds smart these days, right?

Well, I walked about 15 minutes in heels and the heat to the hotel, and nobody seemed to know what room the luncheon was in. I was eventually escorted into a lovely reception, given a flute of Veuve-Cliquot, and then told I was in the wrong place. OK, I had made it to the luncheon, and my supplier's video presentation didn't work. We've all been there, and I really felt for them. The sales team did a good job ad-libbing, and said they'd present the video after we ate. Great. Unfortunately, the food didn't show up either.

By now I've been away from my stand for two hours, haven't learned much, and I'm tired of nibbling bread and making small talk. I excuse myself and shove a Power Bar into my mouth as I hurry back to the stand. Should this company have kept their chalet? It won't prevent me from doing future business with them, as I understand their desire to cut back, but I was a little cranky.

There are no easy answers in this economy--every company has to make their own decision. Making connections at chalets can be special--they combine social and business, and that's especially important outside the serious-minded U.S.

Already, my company is making plans for the Paris Air Show next June. The organizers tell me the chalets are being booked at a healthy rate. That's good for business. I wonder if my supplier will book one this time?

Thanks, PK, for a great, up-to-the-minute report. Always good to hear from the field.

TTSG

Location, location, location

Do you know where your exhibit is placed in the hall of your next trade show?

As the real estate folks always say: location, location, location.

Where you are in the hall impacts just about everything concerning the set up and configuration of your booth:

• Whether you can have a hanging sign (if you have an island booth)
• How you will place elements and demos within the space
• When you can move in
• How you might conduct business in the booth

Consider the following when you look at a floor plan:

• Traffic flow: which way are people turning and walking when they come in the hall?
• Where are your competitors?
• Are you near food or otehr services (rest rooms)?
• How high is the ceiling?
• Where are you in relation to the dock doors and entrances?
• Who is in the booths around you?

Hanging signs are determined by ceiling height and other considerations. If you are planning one, be sure and understand the rules.

The choice to place and conduct elements is based upon lots of things: which side of the booth has the most traffic? Is there a slow side of the booth? What does the structure allow for?

Targeted move-ins are based on where an exhibitor is on the floor. For example, if your booth is number 1685 and booths 1400-1800 move in on Sunday at 8 am, that's when your truck should arrive and when you should schedule labor.

Depending on traffic and competitor location, where will you place a demo or graphic? Who will you have in your booth at what time during the show? What do you want your your competitors to see (or not)?

Lots to consider.

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

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

The Trade Show Experience

This past weekend, I was contacted by a former colleague of mine from Honeywell. He reminded me of a conversation we had had a number of years ago about the value of trade shows.

He wrote that over the years he has learned that a trade show was "a place where we could interact with customers and sell them on the benefits of products." My correspondent continued about "how everything tied together to accomplish that objective...."

What my friend was talking about was the trade show experience. No matter how many brochures we rain down on prospects and customers, no matter how many phone calls or web clicks we share with them, it really doesn't come together until you meet face to face. And the whole of the marketing experience must be consistent and on message.

My colleague also took it a step further by saying his career has morphed "from being this technical guy who knew everything about round thermostats to becoming a generalist who could create marketing platforms and strategies that were transferable to other products and companies."

That's another benefit of trade shows: they are the cauldron of business in that everything comes together on the trade show floor: marketing strategy, sales activity, competitive interaction and analysis. Employees benefit from being in this fire as it warms them up to the possibilities of the company, the product or offering and themselves. Another friend in marketing for a software firm routinely promotes his trade show managers into product marketing because they "know the way."

Being visionary isn't always about selling the most product. Sometimes it's nurturing not only the selling environment but the sellers.

TTSG

A colleague reports: Why Exhibit at Trade Shows?

Our colleague, Linda Musgrove, AKA the Trade Show Teacher, posted a recent video on YouTube. In it she outlines the top reasons to attend trade shows:

• Reach prospects. It's the best way to reach more prospects for fewer dollars
• Face-to-face interaction. You can learn more from people in less time meeting them in person.
• Showing off products and services. Your suspects/prospects/clients and touch and feel your products without having to visit a site or factory or have a sales person call.
• Gathering leads. Hey, you get to collect more leads in a shorter time.
• Develop relationships. More time with people means you know them better.
• Scoping out the competition. The show floor is great for this: see your competitors and their presentation within a short distance of your own.
• Media exposure. The trade media and popular press will be at the show and you can get their attention.
• Market research. Learn more about your market and industry in a shorter amount of time, See new products, get real-time opinions from clients or prospects (or industry insiders)

Thanks, Linda, for this good information.

TTSG

Linda Musgrove is The Trade Show Teacher, www.tsteacher.com

At the right show?

Recently a colleague related a story about a client's confusion over a show.

There are a number of shows in several industries that have similar names. In this example, the client thought they were going to the Dubai Air Show, when in fact, they had booked space at the Dubai Airports Show. The former is a defense and aerospace show on a par with the Paris and Farnborough Air Shows. The latter is an equipment and services show for the commercial or civil airport markets.

Fortunately for the client, his trade show service provider was able to flex with the situation and save the day. Appropriate graphics and booth properties were substituted in a 6-hour span and the on-site sales guy was pacified and able to sell in the space.

However, it is important to make sure that, either as a client or an advisor, that the right show for the right audience is chosen before you pay for space.

TTSG

Report from the field: NECC Show

Our colleague, Micheal Edgren VP of Marketing at Renaissance Learning, just returned from the National Educational Computing Conference with this report.

“NECC has been on an upswing for years now. There was a time when shows like FETC (Florida Educational Technology Conference) were a national draw for educators interested in technology, but the attention has clearly moved to NECC. Reported attendance was 12,850. Although this is down 4% from 2008 attendance they’ve done significantly better than other educational conferences. Some, like IRA (International Reading Association) had horrendous years due mostly to the necessary belt-tightening on the part of our public school systems.”

“NECC was held in Washington, D.C.this year just before the 4th of July. You might think that there was something special in their thinking, but this show is always held just before the 4th. It is remarkable how successful they are considering that the vast majority of educators are on vacation or working second jobs at this time."

"The exhibit floor of NECC is everything an exhibitor might hope it would be. Attendees are hungry to learn what’s new. They are serious minded and willing to spend quality time to learn. About 2/3 of all exhibitors seem to understand how to engage these educators, while the remaining third just don't seem to get it. The best create highly interactive and engaging presentations that more often than not involve a hands-on experience. Entertainment can work but only to the extent that it is backed by solid information. Something we learned last year when we started each presentation with a 3-minute very physical comedy sketch that mixed The Matrix with Back to the Future and half a dozen other sci-fi fantasy films."

“This year, we (Renaissance Learning) scrapped the entertainment and did just as well without it. Exhibitors that don’t seem to get it often have conventional overbuilt structures that are foreboding, overdress their employees (suits and ties don’t get visited, polos and t-shirts with friendly sayings do, particularly if there is a chance that the visitor might score said t-shirt), or overstaff their booths.”

"It is a terrific show, very well run, and gets better each year. ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) that runs the show is to be congratulated. Here’s hoping education budgets improve and we can see 15,000 or more in Denver next year.”"

Thanks, Mike, for a very complete report. It's great to hear from exhibitors that get it and know how to use shows to their full advantage.

TTSG

Report from HCEA

Our colleague Corbin Ball was at the HCEA show this past week and filed a report for us.

HCEA stands for the Health Care Exhibitor's Association (www.hcea.org). This annual event is a conference between health care industry people who exhibit at trade shows and events and the suppliers of the exhibit industry.

Corbin reports:

"It was a quick in-and-out for me so I did not get the full feel. I don't have the attendance figures, but it seem about the same as past years (around 700 people). The exhibit (floor) also seemed about the same size as in past years. I did not see anything new on the floor in terms of event technology, however. Twitter is just starting to catch on at HCEA with Freeman using it to bring people by their booth. All in all, it was a good time."

Steady attendance, continued discussions, low-key introductions of technologies. Steady is good.

TTSG

Thanks to Corbin Ball, CMP, CSP, technology speaker and consultant from Bellingham, WA (www.corbinball.com)

Then again,.....(more swine flu news)

The E-3 show seems to be pushing on despite the flu.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/29/despite-swine-flu-fears-e3-progressing-as-planned/

It's a case-by-case basis and should be judged by those who are local and can tell best what the local health situation is.

TTSG

thanks to Joystiq

Don't just do things to drive revenue

An open letter to exhibit service companies:

I heard a story today from one of your customers. They had a simple request to have some advice (verbal and/or written) given to them. And all you could do was try and manipulate the situation so that you could make a sale. Send your guy to do the installation was what you suggested.

Hmmm...could maybe you have found a way to make them feel good about the work that was being to done to their exhibit which you built? that could have paid dividends in the long run. But, no, you had to find a way to get them to pay cash for something that should be a good will effort that will pay off (bigger, usually) in the future.

OK, exhibit producers, designers, service providers: I realize that this is about making money. But do you want to make a little bit now or more over the long haul?

Lesson Learned: be polite to your clients, find the best solution for them and be sure and say thank you.

TTSG

Risk

Risk. At times I don't understand the word or concept. Truth is, we all need to take more of it.

When it comes to your program, look for the new, the different, the innovative. Don't be afraid to do fewer shows better or leave a show that you go to "just because we've always gone."

Try a new graphic. Or use a different staffing strategy. Implement an effective lead gathering approach. Push back on management when they don't understand a concept and want to change it because it's "different."

Explore new markets. Heck, explore markets in this economy. Make nothing out of bounds.

Lesson Learned: if you haven't done it, consider it; once you've considered it, do it; once you've done it, evaluate it.

TTSG

Cost-cutting ideas

Let's ring in the new year with some ideas on how to save and make your exhibit marketing dollar (peso, euro, lira, drachma) go further.

There are several ways you can make your investments and expenditures go further. Here are three ideas:

1. Streamline current processes.
2. Review your freight plans.
3. Standardize configurations.

Streamline current processes. Take a look how you are spending your money. Are you asking your vendors to do things you could be doing? Is there something that's being duplicated for each show that could be done once in the year? One of our clients, when she came on board as TSM discovered that her predecessor had had the exhibit company buying exhibit space and marking it up! Do you have a similar example?

Review your freight plans. Do you have several shows in a row using the same properties in close geographic proximity? That is, is that 20x20 at the January show in Las Vegas going to be used within 2 weeks again at a show in LA when the shipment originates at your warehouse in Dallas? By planning ahead on configuration, routing and packing, you can save freight (no back and forth) and pull and prep charges by your exhibit house.
Standardize configurations. Do you use the same properties for all of your configurations? Is the 20x20 configuration different each time? Does it have to be? Or can it use the same properties (cabinets, headers, walls) each time? Is the 20x20 the core of the 20x30 and 30x30? By using the same properties for each configuration, you standardize the pull and prep costs and the shipment size.

Lesson Learned: a simple review taking a few hours could yield a savings of many dollars over a year's time.

Happy New Year!

TTSG

Trade shows, networking and LinkedIn

What do these three things have in common? They are all about making positive, direct contact with people.

While I am, and probably always will be, the advocate for face-to-face contact (the first two), the third item is growing in both popularity and effectiveness. But I have learned, as with the other two, these methods work best when they are a part of a larger campaign.

Let's skip right to LinkedIn: I learned a valuable lesson just yesterday on it's power and usefulness. For those of you not familiar, it is, in quick summary, the social media choice for B2B types, a Facebook for business people. Within in it, you post a profile and make connections. With those connections you can ask for and make recommendations and introductions. And here is where it gets complicated for some.

Making a recommendation or introduction is a priviledge. As a connection pointed out to me, we are the guardians of our relationships and play a role of "trusted advisor". In other words, don't go willy-nilly connecting or recommending people you just met. This isn't an electronic bar scene where one is out to score, but rather an extension of the trade show floor where you either start a conversation (or relationship) or take another step in the process. Don't abuse what you have been trusted with.

Lesson Learned: place value on the relationships you have and are developing and respect, not abuse, those that have entrusted you.

TTSG

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)

Booth attractions: Using celebrities...in whatever form

Having a "draw" at your exhibit is an important part of the lead-gathering process. Whether it's a serious presentation or a live-action dance team or entertainer, it's all about the lead--and the attention on the show floor.

The Buzz.

At the recent NACS show in Chicago, having a celebrity or key figure seemed to be the way to go. With MM/Mars and other NASCAR sponsors in the hall, they leaned on their relationship with their sponsored driver. Now, I've never met Kyle Busch in person, but I understand this cutout is near life size. Visitors to the booth shot photos of (and with) the cardboard Kyle and, with the other icons in the both (the MM characters, either in walkaround suits or plastic replicas), drew attention to the brand.

Other celebs and public figures made the scene, too. Once exhibitor built their whole exhibit around the election. The candy company did a mock vote with candy flavors and themed the entire booth and interaction at their exhibit around the election and the two major party candidates. No word on who won this vote, but the cutouts were proportional and a good attention-getter for a small (10x10) exhibitor. I imagine they did pres-show mailings and post-show followup using the theme.

Still others used live action icons. The jerky company brought out Bigfoot, both in carboard and costumed form. You could get a still photo with the real guy or you could pose with the cutout. Videos from their TV ad campaign played in the booth.

Chiquita Bananas did wonders with a small island booth. Simple display racks of fresh bananas in a structure keyed to their brand and colors was the backdrop. An actress/model, dressed as the 1960s TV ad icon worked in the booth, posing for photos with visitors and stocking fruit. The model was also well-versed and armed with the verbal messages that the Chiquita people wanted conveyed to their C-store audience. that's pervasive branding.

Still others relied on our memories and sense of fun. The Icee Bear, Myley Cyrus and the Blues Brothers all made appearances. Even the Chester's Chicken Rooster was walking the aisles. Free food samples and interactive characters brought attention to a myraid of brands in a busy space. But it seemed to work for them. And many of them did it right--integrating brand and message in a fun, memorable way. But always, always tie it to the gathering of leads and follow up.

Lesson Learned: integrate your brand message in a fun, memorable way and the prospect will remember you.

TTSG

Squeezing a memory out of a show

Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails....chances are somebody has made them into a foam stress item at one point in the trade show world. In an effort to reach out to trade show and event attendees, many exhibiting companies are resorting to the old squeeze play. OK, so I've overdone the analogies. The truth is the world of foam stress balls has grown beyond stress balls. And some of the participants are using the little foam guys in an integrated fashion and to great advantage.

At the recent NACS show I saw a variety of things in this category: foam giraffes, cars, sumo wrestlers, gasoline storage tanks (really), footballs and wrist bands. Anything that you could want in a foam shape, you could have to take home. In fact, one of my colleagues said he's been collecting these things are several years and has hundreds of them.

The best example of an integrated use of a foam figure was Quantum Services. While most exhibitors come up with a foam thingee at the last minute or as a gag, Rachel Bernhardt and the crew at Quantum build their exhibit marketing image around the giraffe icon.

Quantum (www.quantum-services.com) provides audit services to the convenience store industry. Their booth graphics rely on the giraffe icon and they've tied advance show mailings to an offer of a free giraffe when they arrive at the show. They've also used the spotted long-neck fellow in other media to attract attention. It's more than just a squeeze toy: it's a memory and a conversation starter.

Lesson Learned: use foam squeezers in an integrated way to attract attention, start conversations and be a reminder later.

TTSG

*thanks to Rachell Bernhardt and Quantum Services

Sir, your fly is, er, down

Every once in a while you see a small exhibitor with a fresh idea of how to gather a crowd and get attention. At NACS this year, I met the guys from PestWest Environmental.

While they only had a 10x10 booth, they were close to the front of the hall. The company's roots are in lighting and lamps which, ultimately, led them to pest attraction and control (elimination). They had a popup backdrop with their logo and a draped table with samples of product and literature. Pretty typical small exhibit stuff. But their differentiator and conversation starter was the blow-up fly on a stick. Jerry and James used this prop effectively by standing in the aisle (hey, remember the easement approach to space?) and getting attention. It started a lot of conversations. And once they engaged a propsect, they had their messages down succinctly. Worked with me.

The point of all this is simple things and ideas work. Remember why you are there and think about what gets your prospects' attention and ear. Then, once you've "hooked" them, get to the point fast and clearly.

Lesson learned: simple ideas and visuals work.

TTSG

Special thanks to Jerry Hatch and James Shaffer from Pest West (www.pestwest.com or www.lampcompactor.com)

Sign, sign everywhere a sign

With apologies to Bill Engvall and The Five Man Electrical Band, this entry is all about signs--the hanging variety used at trade shows.

The NACS show was a great example of companies using hanging structures as a part of their dimensional marketing strategy. Many use them as signposts so that visitors looking for them can find their booth from across the hall. Others use them as an extension of the booth itself--whether that be a physical extension of the structure or a graphical look that ties to the booth.

They can also be used to convey a message--verbal or visual. Perhaps it's the logo of the company, an extension of the booth message or look, or perhaps it's a symbol from a related or overarching campaign. Any and all of these approaches are justified when it comes to the highest signage in (or above) your space.

If you have an iconic product, then you have a real advantage. Heinz Ketchup and Goetze's Candies are examples of those who hung signs representative of their product. You have to be careful with scale (the size of sign in relation to the booth and the height limit), or your sign could get lost in the air. Keep in mind that at some shows the height limit can vary by the type of sign you have or from where it originates.

Hanging signs versus signs supported by the booth structure may be subject to different height limits. In most cases, height limits are measured to the top of the sign and are either at 16, 20, or 24 feet from the floor.

But above all (pun intended), keep the integrity of your icon--the same rules that apply to it in print or as a 3-D logo in the booth at eye level are to be enforced. Be sure the colors are true to the PMS colors specified for other uses. That can be tough when ink or dye colors change or look different under different types of light or from when they are applied to fabric or surfaces of sign material. Ask your vendor as they should have the experience to advise you of the challenges of the translation.

We'll discuss this again in a future entry with more examples.

Lesson learned: variety is the spice of trade show life in the hall.

TTSG