Think About Tone Before You Start Designing Your Trade Show Stand In Chicago

It is absolutely crucial that you have a detailed plan for your tone before you begin designing a single trade show stand. Chicago companies often neglect to do this, leading to problems with their trade show exhibits in Chicago later on. The mood is created by subtle (and occasionally not so subtle) tweaks in a variety of areas. Individually, they may not do much for the Chicago trade show exhibits, but when combined they create an overall impressions that would be impossible if they were absent. Unless you think ahead and create a plan that you can follow, it will be difficult to create these small tweaks with success. For example, if you want to have a new, exciting tone, you may need new materials and sleek designs. If you don’t plan ahead and identify what message you want to present, you may miss out on crucial design elements that could be contributing to your tone.

Model Your Message On The Feeling And Tone Of Your Company

The best trade show exhibits in Chicago tend to share one common factor: they align perfectly with the messaging and tone within the company. It’s never wise to make your stand lighthearted or funny when your corporate culture emphasizes serious work. Likewise, a formal booth won’t attract the right visitors for a fun, youthful company. In addition, you need to think about what visitors are expecting from your tone. Many companies are recognized for certain attributes, and the wise designer will always reflect those characteristics in a trade show stand. Chicago companies without a widely known corporate reputation need to be aware that as they define the mood at their trade show exhibits in Chicago, they are also defining their own persona by association. People expect your trade show stand in Chicago to be similar to your company; they also assume your company will be like your trade show stand. Use this assumption to your advantage.

A Good Tone Isn’t Too Specific

Unlike your marketing message, the tone you set for your Chicago trade show exhibits should not be highly specific. No display will evoke the same response from all attendees, but you want to be recognized for what you company represents. You can hope that most people will respond by feeling like your product is new and exciting. To do this you need to be sure that your stand is well built with years of innovation behind it. You can’t get this result by simply by tweaking small parts of your trade show stand in Chicago.

Good tones focus more on evoking a feeling from your visitors. The feeling should be described in one word, perhaps two. If it’s a sentence, you’ve come up with something too long that will need to be shortened in order to be effective. Consider these questions: what do you want visitors to feel when they walk into your trade show exhibits? Chicago booths can range from exciting (when a new product is being promoted) to reliable (when overcoming a recent production problem). Is your company fun loving? Quirky? Serious and experienced professionals ready to serve? All of the above? A good trade show stand in Chicago will communicate all of these different factors and more.

Once Your Tone Is Set, Start Designing Your Chicago Trade Show Exhibits

After you know what you want visitors to feel, you’re ready to start making that reality. It will always be impossible to achieve the perfect tone. There are many variables that you cannot control, including an unexpectedly varied crowd. However, if you take your time and design your trade show exhibits in Chicago from the ground up, you can expect as much success as possible in communicating your mood to visitors and reaping the rewards.

Don’t Be Afraid To Try Out New Configurations For Your Chicago Trade Show Display

Standing out is a great way to capture attention and interest at a trade show. Whether you’re designing a new trade show or moving your existing elements, like pop up displays or banner stands, around, don’t be afraid to try out new configurations. You might end up with a Chicago trade show display that’s completely different any other display on the exhibition floor, and that’s exactly what you want when you’re trying to stand out in a crowd.

Getting Rid Of Mental Blocks Regarding Banner Stands In Chicago

Too often, people have preconceived ideas of what works and what doesn’t. They get stuck in a rut and can’t imagine their banner stands in Chicago working any other way so they don’t even try. Instead, be aware of these blocks and try to move beyond them during the design process. This will enable you to try out new configurations or techniques as you put together and design your pop up displays and banner stands in Chicago. Getting expert advice from a booth design pro can help.

See What Works By Visiting Other Pop Up Displays In Chicago

How can you know what’s working if you don’t check out what other companies are doing? Visiting other pop up displays in Chicago will give you the chance to see how others are incorporating cutting edge technology into their designs. It doesn’t matter if the other company has anything to do with your business – in fact, it’s better if they’re in a totally different industry. You’ll be able to solely focus on the pop up displays in Chicago, without worrying about the products they’re trying to sell. Checking out other pop up displays can help you expose yourself to new ideas and reset your expectations about what pop up displays in Chicago should look like.

Don’t Get Complacent

A Chicago trade show display can change as trends evolve and the technology advances. Constant evolution is now more important than ever. It can be challenging to keep up with the changes, but in the end, it’s important to portray an updated and professional image. If your Chicago trade show display needs an update, consider how these steps can help.

Why Give Things Away For Free At Trade Show Exhibits?

Initially, the idea of giving away something for free might seem counterintuitive. After all, isn’t your business looking to make money? In the short term, you’re certainly going to invest a bit of money on the items given away. There are two main things that make freebies such a good value in the longer term. First, if you give them away at your trade show displays, you should always get contact information from everyone who takes one. That contact information will become invaluable, as you use it to turn those prospects into qualified leads.

In addition, you’ll also benefit by reinforcing your brand. Particularly if you choose to give away items that are highly useful like pens or paperweights, people will continue to make use of them long after the trade show display has been taken down. They will become a constant reminder of your company, making it much more likely that your company will be the first choice should that recipient ever need your product.

Choosing The Ideal Gift For Your Trade Show Display

There are many different factors that should come into play when you choose your giveaway. These are some of the most important to consider:

How big is your budget? As with all aspects of trade show displays, budget matters. You have to be aware of what you can spend, and be careful not to go over that amount. However, you also need to ensure that your items will get the job done. A cheap giveaway item can often be penny wise, yet pound foolish.

Giveaways (and trade show exhibits) should always match your company image. Don’t give away something trivial, useless, or humorous unless it reinforces the image you want people to have of your company.

The more unique the item, the better. People get tons of pens and other cheap, yet useful items during any given convention. In order to make your company stand out, you need to have something that is more unique and more interesting than everyone else. There are many options that can fit this description, and they’re available without breaking your budget.

Make Sure Your Trade Show Display Gives Gifts In A Productive Manner

Giving out items randomly and indiscriminately isn’t going to obtain the biggest benefit for your company. Remember that the goal of giveaways is to promote your trade show exhibits in the short term, and your company and product in the longer term. If possible, you should never give out items without receiving some kind of contact information in return. Similarly, if you have different items to give away, don’t just distribute them at random. Make a careful choice about who gets what. Don’t have piles of freebies just sitting around – that only diminishes their value. People should feel that receiving a freebie is something special, or the overall value of that freebie is diminished.

When done well, freebies can be a big benefit at trade show displays and for the company. There are many different types of giveaways available, so don’t settle for something that isn’t right for your situation. Follow these tips, and you’ll find the freebie and distribution style that is right for your business.

Big Gifts Draw Big Crowds To Trade Show Displays

The major difference between big gifts and small freebies is the type of person that each will draw. With small freebies, you’re not likely to attract new traffic. Small freebies are something that people pick up once they’re already looking around. Large giveaways are something that you can advertise. They become a feature of your trade show displays, something that actually entices people to come visit. Plus, they’re a great way to generate big crowds around your pop up displays no matter whether you’re established in your industry or not. They generate a lot of hype, and they do it fast.

Big Gifts Shouldn’t Be Big In Size

Giving away something physically big is one of the most common mistakes made at portable displays. While a big item may be physically commanding, it’s nothing but a hassle for the person or people who win it. Remember, many people will actually be travelling to the convention, not locals who come to see trade show displays. How are they going to get something large home? Most of them didn’t even check luggage on the airplane. They have very limited space.

Instead, focus on small gifts that are valuable or have particular meaning. iPods, iPads, and other similar small electronics make a wonderful gift. If your company has a national presence or offers small products, you can give away your very own items or gift certificates. Whatever you do choose to give away, make sure it’s something that can be easily transported and used by an individual no matter where they’re coming from.

Managing The Actual Giveaway At Your Pop Up Displays

You have a big item set to be given away. You’ve decided how you’re going to promote it. Only one question remains: how do you actually want to determine who receives it? There are many different options.

Send out tickets ahead of time. This is probably the simplest option, although it doesn’t tend to have a lot of visual drama at the convention. These tickets are sent out to people that you know will attend the convention. They’re also the people most likely to become customers, so you’re effectively giving the best prizes to your most promising leads. The major advantage of this strategy is that your leads will walk right past all the other trade show displays as they come to claim their prize.

Host contests at your pop up displays. There are many different contests that you can hold, from scheduled drawings to spinning a wheel or offering scratch cards. As with the ticket method, only one person will win the grand prize. However, this type of giveaway opens the field to anyone, regardless of whether your company has contacted them before. Simply advertise that you’ll be running the contest at a certain time, and people will flock to your portable displays. As people crowd around, you’ll get even more visitors because people will want to see what all the fuss is about.

Give away big ticket items to the most qualified leads. This is perhaps the quietest method of giving away your big items, and in fact has almost no bearing on most trade show displays visitors at all. It helps cement relationships with your most promising leads, but you miss out on many of the benefits of competition and tickets.

Whatever distribution method you choose, having big ticket items available to your visitors is a good idea. It will help attract attention to your trade show displays, and the giveaway times will attract large crowds that are very good for brand recognition. Give away your own merchandise, or a carefully selected gift; whatever your choice is, with proper preparation your trade show displays and company are sure to profit.

Creating Fun Chicago Trade Show Displays

Today’s booths are interactive, interesting and so much more than they were in years past. By incorporating some fun and not taking the design process too seriously, you can represent your company in a positive manner. Many companies are worried about projecting a stiff, corporate image, but people want to do business with a company with personality. Of course, it’s a good idea to tailor your company’s message to the situation. For instance, if you’re presenting to a group of formal executives, limit, but don’t eliminate the elements of fun.

Do Trade Show Booths In Chicago Really Need To Be Fun?

Do you remember the last trade show you went to? Do any booths stick out in your mind? Probably not! You probably remember oceans of trade show booths in Chicago. After a few hours they probably all blended together.

Instead of becoming one in the crowd, give visitors to your trade show exhibits in Chicago something to remember. Use activities and games that reinforce your company’s message to stay fresh in visitor’s minds. Games don’t have to be complicated or involved to work. Something as simple as a game to help determine how your product fills a client’s need helps them remember you, but it also gets your product into their hands.

Show, Don’t Tell

Why is it important to get your products into visitors’ hands at your trade show exhibits in Chicago? Many people find that just watching someone else handle a product or work a computer program is an ineffective way to learn. If they’re able to explore and handle something themselves, they’ll enjoy and remember the experience.

Giving visitors a fun game to play can also help foot traffic roll into your Chicago trade show displays. Word travels fast at these conventions and a fun and exciting booth will have visitors flocking to see what your booth has to offer. To take advantage of this foot traffic, make sure your prize or giveaway ties in directly with your company’s identity. Ideally, this can be a gift certificate for your products or services, or even a free product.

Adding fun into your Chicago trade show displays means that your visitors will have a more memorable experience. Visitors will come by with greater frequency, increasing leads and eventually sales. It’s all made possible by adding in a little fun.

First, Consolidate Your Current Chicago Trade Show Booth

If you have a Chicago trade show booth at present, you will want to use it as a reference for designing your new table top displays. Chicago companies that have a successful exhibit can use it to see what has worked for their company in the past, and distill it down to its most pure form. A larger Chicago trade show booth can tolerate a lot more extraneous information than small pop up displays; Chicago companies trying to adjust to that can help themselves by seeking the most salient elements of their existing large unit and then transferring them over.

Second, Start With The Basics

After determining the basic elements that drive your present Chicago trade show booth, you are ready to enter the actual design phase for your new table top displays. Chicago companies without an existing stand will need to do more careful planning before this step, as they have no current unit for reference. If you don’t have a reference point, you’ll need to spend a lot of time thinking about what your company really wants to present. What is the core message you want to convey with these table top displays in Chicago? What information is absolutely vital to include on these pop up displays in Chicago? For example, if you are announcing the release of a new product, that announcement needs to be prominent on your table top displays in Chicago. The difference between a full-sized Chicago trade show booth and pop up displays in Chicago is that the booth might then list some of the specs of the new product while the smaller unit won’t have room. That’s the kind of basic focus required to create compelling table top displays in Chicago.

Third, Make Room For Empty Space

Do not fill every bit of your unit with text and images. The brain needs blank space in order to successfully process, and an overstuffed booth quickly leads to mental exhaustion. In addition, the fewer words and photos you have, the easier it is for people to understand what you want to emphasize. Generally speaking, the strongest messages come in the smallest packages. Pop up displays in Chicago require more baseline visual interest to become compelling, so having white space is particularly key. The white space need not be white in color; it is simply a space with no visual interest, meaning no words to read or pictures to look at.

Fourth, Fill All Information Gaps With Literature

You will make up for the small space on your table top displays in Chicago with a whole lot of literature. People will want to know more, but you don’t want to overwhelm them. Make the literature readily available, and they can take it or not as they choose. When choosing what to put down on paper, always opt for more information rather than less. People who are reviewing later are more likely to feel comfortable with a slightly longer read.

Pop up displays in Chicago don’t have to mean small, cramped, and ineffective. Taking these steps will help you create a noticeable unit even at a relatively small size.

Ten Trade Show Exhibit Best Practices

•Pick an offbeat show. Sometimes an unrelated show to your target market can be the best exposure opportunity. Nordic Track had huge success not at fitness shows, but at dental trade shows. Choose unrelated shows, and stand out, making sure the demographics are correct.

•Avoid trade show company hype. Companies running the show may over-hype their event. Talk to the businesses who have attended several trade shows. Use this information to guide your trade show exhibit attendance decision.

•Never exhibit at a new trade show. New trade shows are untested venues. Small businesses have limited time and money to experiment on unknowns. Save your cash for the regular, proven shows in your industry.

•Focus on quality. Invest in shows that reach the key decision-makers of your target market.

•Create a buzz. Months prior to the trade show, spend time informing existing clients and your market of the upcoming show. Use the show as a platform for a new product or service launch.

•Be an attendee-not an exhibitor. If the budget is tight this year, don’t spend on trade show exhibits. Capitalize on the trade show by being a speaker or a panel expert. This will add credibility to your business and attract potential leads.

•Partner with the trade show`s management team. Good trade show organizers will want your business to have success and come back next year. Contact the management team for help with developing an appealing booth, staff scheduling, and marketing campaigning prior to the show kick-off.

•Train your trade show team. Trade shows are unlike other sales environments. Limited time and attention of attendees requires quick qualifying, and lead generating tactics. Make sure your staff is prepared and has a clear goal for each day.

•Call them while they’re hot. Sales staff frequently make the mistake of contacting trade show leads, months after the show. Make sure your sales staff have extra time and incentive to follow-up with all leads within weeks of your trade show exhibit.

•Make your business newsworthy. Entrepreneur, Joseph Cossman, was a master of promotion. To create a buzz around his new toy spud gun at a big toy show, Cossman, ordered hundred’s of pounds of potatoes and invited the local orphanage to come and play. The Spud Gun was the hit of the show. Use drama and flair to have your small business stand above the competition.

Trade shows still continue to be big business for all businesses. According to The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), business-to-business spending for trade shows is third to advertising and promotion. In a world of websites, emails, and voice mails, trade shows offer one of the true opportunities to build relationships with face to face contact. Something every business can use a little more of.

From Darrell Zahorsky

CHICAGO – McCormick Place officials unveiled Phase II reforms Oct. 21 for the convention center complex aimed at benefiting customers and keeping Chicago’s convention industry competitive.

The reforms are designed to cut costs for customers and provide greater flexibility in doing business at America’s largest convention center. These are the latest round of reforms to be announced and are part of a series of changes that will be phased in as a result of the historic legislation passed by the Illinois General Assembly in May.

“These are substantive changes that allow us to radically reform and improve how we conduct our convention business in Chicago,” said Jim Reilly, Trustee of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), which owns and operates McCormick Place. “Our present and future customers will undoubtedly be the biggest beneficiaries of these reforms in terms of cost-savings and more flexibility.”

The Phase II reforms were unveiled by McCormick Place General Manager David Causton.

New Customer Initiatives include:

· Free Wi-Fi is now available throughout the convention center, including all common hallways, exhibit halls, and meeting rooms. McCormick Place is the largest American convention center to provide this amenity.

· The parking rate will be reduced from $19 to $14 in Lot B (the surface lot) effective immediately.

· Completion of the refinancing of MPEA’s debt will provide greater financial stability for the convention center, while funding an expansion of the on-site Hyatt Regency McCormick Place Hotel.

· Hotel expansion is moving forward and MPEA has engaged TVS Design to assist in preparing the design and development documents. Anticipated completion date for the hotel expansion is December 2014.

· There is a new competitive model for obtaining electrical services where companies may now compete to provide electrical services, as long as they are approved by MPEA. If a show chooses McCormick Place to provide electrical services, the facility must provide those services at cost.

· A 23-member Advisory Council has been created to oversee and advise the implementation of reforms; the Council includes show organizers, exhibitors, labor, service and exhibitor contractors and MPEA and CCTB management.

· Exhibitors can bring food into McCormick Place from the outside for consumption by employees.

“These Phase II reforms will provide even greater cost savings for our show organizers, exhibitors and attendees,” Causton said. “We received much positive feedback about our Phase I reforms and anticipate that our existing and prospective customers will welcome this next round of reforms as well.”

According to the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau, the McCormick Place reforms have already resulted in nearly a dozen trade shows either re-committing to host shows in Chicago or committing to bring business to Chicago for the first time. Collectively, those commitments represent more than $1.6 billion in estimated direct expenditures for Chicago during the next decade.

1. The sprint to get your leads fulfilled in the minutes, hours, and days after the show, and
2. The marathon to keep following up your leads for the weeks, months, and even years after the show.

Let’s look what you need to do to win both the sprint and the marathon.

1.  The Sprint of Trade Show Lead Fulfillment

To win the sprint, quickly send out your fulfillment packets, and get the lead information into the hands of the right sales person.  Here’s how:

Get Lead Fulfillment Packets Out Fast (But Not Too Fast)

You can speed up the delivery of your lead fulfillment packets in these 6 ways:

1. Have your fulfillment packet planned and ready before the show starts.  That includes a written cover letter, and enough printed brochures (especially for new products launched at the show), envelopes and postage on hand for the anticipated lead count.
2. Pre-assign one or more people to transfer the lead information quickly into a computerized contact management system.  How you do this depends on how you record leads at the show.  If you just gather business cards, you need to either type or scan them into your database.  Same thing if you use lead cards, although you should then have more qualifying data that takes more time to type.
3. If you use an electronic lead retrieval from the show, after the show you should get a data file that you can import into your CRM database to speed up data entry.
4. Hire a temp if it’s just you and you won’t have time to type all the leads yourself – it’s so worth it!
5. If you are using lead cards or gathering business cards (most exhibitors don’t data-enter their leads at the show), bring pre-addressed overnight packages (one for each show day) and send back the day’s leads to the person who will type them in.
6. Really want to go faster?  Email your fulfillment letter right from your trade show display, and attach pdf files of the product literature with it.  But that may be too fast, as your prospect is likely letting emails pile up while at the show, and will be going back to a big pile of snail mail right after the show.  You may be better off timing your fulfillment packet to arrive about half a week after the show has ended.  But you can still send thank you emails right from the show, to demonstrate your speed of service.

Motivate Your Field Sales With Complete Leads

However, fast lead fulfillment will be wasted if you just toss the leads over the transom.  You’re not just providing a name and address; you’re sharing a story.  Give the details that help sales people to be motivated and equipped to follow up.

Let your sales people know which show you took the lead at, when and where the show was, and what your company was showing.  Also provide the lead quality level, which products they showed interest in, and how interested they were.  Include any comments attendees made, about their pains, their needs, their preferences, and their buying plans.  Let your sales people know what promises the booth staffer made (literature to send, discounts offered, a meeting request) – and if you’ve already fulfilled the promises, or if it’s up to the sales person.

Why the extra effort?  To show respect to the trade show lead – you’ll honor your promises to them, and they won’t have to repeat themselves again.  Plus, after meeting around 20 other exhibitors at the show, they may not even remember what they said to you.  Most of all, the complete story will entice your field sales to make repeated follow up calls – much more than just a name and phone number will.

2.  The Marathon of Trade Show Lead Follow-Up

Now that your prospect has received their fulfillment packets, and the sales people have the leads, it’s time to pace yourself for the ensuing marathon.

Keep In Touch With Prospects…And Their Assigned Sales People

Lead follow-up depends on organization and a good team.  Try these 3 ideas:

1. Schedule sales follow up based on lead quality. At the show, rank your leads according to A/B/C quality, and then after the show you can stagger your personal follow up by the level of lead quality.  Your sales people should first follow up on “A” leads right after the show, and keep trying to reach them until they’ve been able to set a date for a follow-up meeting, presentation, or price quote.  When the initial blitz of “A” leads is done, then follow up on “B” leads, although not as frequently.  And when you’ve called all the “B” leads and set them in motion, then it’s time to call on the “C” leads.
2. But not all follow up happens with a sales person on the phone.  Integrate your trade show leads into your ongoing marketing communications campaigns, be it newsletters, seminars, open houses, direct mail drops, and more.  Better yet, add them to a drip campaign that sends customized messages based on what you learned about them at the show, such as their industry, company size, or specific needs.
3. Schedule dates on your calendar to regularly check in with field sales on the progress of leads.  Have they been developing deeper relationships with the prospects you met at the show?  Ask them which leads they had meetings with, sent proposals and price quotes, or made sales to.  And if they bought, what did they buy, and how much did they spend?  With complete data like this, you can then calculate your trade show ROI (Return on Investment).  Want those meetings to mean more?  Invite the highest-level person you can to attend these meetings, someone who understands the potential value of trade shows – if the leads are followed up.  If you are really fortunate, you’ll have a sales manager who is tracking this every day, ensuring that the sales force is in regular personal contact with your trade show leads.

Trade show lead follow-up is more difficult than preparing for a trade show, because there is no deadline like the show date to keep everyone focused.  But if you approach follow-up with the mindset that it’s both a short and long-distance race, you’ll have a better chance of winning more business from your trade show leads.

Tradetec Skyline Chicago, a leader in trade show display design and management of custom modular exhibits and trade show services, announced today that Nghia Nguyen has joined their team as a Senior Account Executive. Nghia (pronounced Knee-A) will be working out of the Tradetec Skyline Lombard office where he will be assisting many Illinois companies with their trade show needs.

Skyline Displays Dealer Tradetec Skyline Chicago has hired Nghia Nguyen as a Senior Account Executive. Nghia brings to Tradetec; experience, enthusiasm and knowledge of the trade show industry, she will be assisting their clients out of the Lombard office and is settling in and introducing herself to clients and prospects. Meet Nghia live with new technology at: http://budurl.com/NghiaNguyen
“We are thrilled to have Nghia among our team of executives. Her enthusiasm and excitement about the trade show industry and the values in exhibiting will help clients in all aspects of their marketing needs. Nghia is settling in nicely at Tradetec and has reached out to clients with our new video technology.”

From trade show displays to tension fabric structures, Nghia brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Tradetec organization. Her extensive background in production processes of custom trade show exhibits has allowed her to deliver a wide range of solutions for industry leaders such as Samsung, Toshiba Medical, NASA, and the PGA.

Nghia has this to say about her recent hire; “I am extremely excited to be part of a reputable, service oriented trade show display company that is committed to providing world class marketing and event solutions. And if it wasn’t enough to be surrounded by experienced industry professionals, Tradetec Skyline was ranked among INC. 5000 winners as one of the fastest growing private companies in America, two years in a row!” (To view this article, please click on the following link: http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2009/company-profile.html?id=200937060 )

“Additionally, from the moment you walk into the facility, the environment is captivating and the people are bursting in excitement with new concepts and ideas. My goal is to give my customers the best possible solutions to add visibility and presence as well as maximize their profit margin on the tradeshow floor. Tradetec Skyline gives me the competitive advantage to provide fresh concepts and deliver unique solutions that make this possible.”

Troy Trice General Manager of Tradetec Skyline added; “We are thrilled to have Nghia among our team of executives. Her enthusiasm and excitement about the trade show industry and the values in exhibiting will help clients in all aspects of their marketing needs. Nghia is settling in nicely at Tradetec and has reached out to clients with our new video technology.”

Tradetec Skyline is a turn-key trade show event management company that provides a complete online exhibit management system. Specializing in custom modular, reconfigurable exhibit solutions not found elsewhere in the marketplace. In their 11 years of business, Tradetec has completed close to 20,000 projects for more than 2,000 primarily Chicago land based companies. Tradetec Skyline has been nominated to Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America for the second consecutive year.