As a small business owner specializing in trade show booths and events I have had to answer the question that has become quite common over the last few years. “Why is there significant price difference between your pop-up display and the one I just found on the Internet? The standard answer which most in this industry used was “Quality”. And it is the one of correct answer but does the consumer believe it? Many do but just as many believe it’s a ploy on our end to close the sale. Let’s explore what I believe to be the significant differences between these types of sales, and how the Internet has benefited the consumer by us lowering our prices to compete while assuring a higher level of quality, design, and service.

Quality

There is no question that low priced trade show displays pales in comparison in the quality department. Many don’t find this out until after they buy. Mostly it’s the materials being used. For example in most low end pop-up displays use low grade aluminum frames. At Skyline for example we have aluminum, fiberglass, and graphite frames. This gives us the ability to sell against our own product.

Visualize it this way. Tennis rackets were once wooden, and then they progressed to aluminum, then to fiberglass, and eventually to graphite. Bottom line it’s a stronger lighter material that takes the pounding of the trade show world more efficiently. So the quality of the frame itself is different. But where the consumer sees another significant difference is in the quality of graphics. Many times these prints are made for the “one-time” usage and when you begin to transport these exhibits graphics have a tendency to suffer.

Service

Basically, if you buy on the Internet you are now responsible for the design, logistics, and install and dismantle of your exhibit. Basically you become the fulfillment house. There is no consultant on the other end of the line. They are order takers. They will quote and ship and that’s about it. In a consultant sale you get the same level of service as if you were buying a large exhibit. The representative realizes on our end that this is the entrance into a relationship with a client that they can help grow over the years. Also with our products you get lifetime guarantees. Internet offers no guarantee or very limited in their time and scope.

Design

Most consultant based distributors have a full complement of designers and production artist for you use. These designers are constantly retrained on new designs an concepts that are using the best of the new products available to the consumer. Most importantly they specialize in trade show exhibit and design. The Internet based sale will have you do all the lay out and the conceptual design while providing you only grids.

Relationship

Trade Show consultants understand your industry. Current trends, new products, shipping, storage, installation and dismantle, and most importantly, we are experts in design and spatial concepts to help assure your success at the shows and events that you attend. And even if you don’t need these types of services on the lower end of the product spectrum it’s critically important to establish relationships with consultants that can help you across the wide spectrum of activities that you company attends over time. The best consultants realize that the first sale is the gateway into a long term relationship and they are the business extension of your organization. Our job is to make you look good. That includes far more than just the product.

Conclusion

There is still a perception that there is a significant premium to go with a consultant product sales versus an Internet sale. As business owners, we have met your demand for a lower priced product, while keeping a high level of service and quality. Our goal is your goal of long term success.

Thank you Chuck and Sky Bay For the Great Information

Set Goals For The Event

One of the first things that a company should do when planning for their Chicago trade show exhibits is to set goals for the events. Defining what it is they are trying to accomplish will help businesses make important decisions in the booth design. The audience is an important factor that should be considered when creating goals. Is the exhibit focused only on a small market within the attendees at the event, or is the company trying to reach as many attendees as possible? The audience will help to determine the most effective design for Chicago trade show booths.

Define Your Overall Chicago Trade Show Booths’ Budget

Knowing the overall budget available for Chicago trade show booths is also an important factor when choosing a booth design. Companies that have smaller budgets will need booths that fit within that limitation. There are some great methods for stretching the dollars within a budget to obtain the best return on investment. Knowing some effective money-saving strategies will help a company to invest a few more dollars into their Chicago trade show displays. One such tip would be to reduce the number of free giveaways handed out and focus on putting energy into having quality interactions with visitors. The professionals at Tradetec Skyline are equipped with a number of tried and tested ideas to save more money as well.

Determine The Most Effective Communication Method

The next important aspect of Chicago trade show booths is how a company will be communicating their message to attendees. Often, companies invest a lot of money into the development of quality video productions to display, only to arrive at the venue and realize that the environment is washing out the video. The experienced professionals at Tradetec Skyline are aware of the various environments for Chicago trade show exhibits. They can help companies identify the best displays for the environment. Using their services will help to ensure the success of the event with a high-quality design.

Tradetec Skyline Offers Buying Or Rental Options For Chicago Trade Show Booths

An important question that comes up when deciding on a booth design is whether to buy or rent Chicago trade show displays. There are many important factors to consider when making this decision. The freedom of renting allows a company to change their display from event to event to ensure the best design for each location. While many think that the cost of renting Chicago trade show booths over time is expensive, when a business factors in additional costs such as shipping from location to location and maintenance if something goes wrong, the cost is much more manageable. Tradetec Skyline can help to identify the best solution for businesses based upon their individual situations. Contact Tradetec Skyline today to ensure success at Chicago trade show exhibits.

Want to improve your trade show marketing?  Put it to the test.

In direct mail you can test the list, the format, and the offer.  In print ads, you can test the headline, the ad size, and the placement.  In internet advertising you test the pay per click ad, the ad bid, and the landing page.  But what can you test in trade show marketing?

You would be surprised at the amount of productive experimentation you can do to refine and improve your trade show marketing.  Here are 6 things you can test:

1. Trade Show Selection
This may seem obvious, but you really can choose which shows you keep and which you stop exhibiting at.  Last month I met an exhibitor that has for years tracked the sales they get from every show they exhibit at, and only keeps exhibiting at a show if the profits they get from the sales generated are greater than the cost to exhibit at that show.  He focused on shows outside his industry that were in the vertical markets of his best clients.  That’s a great item you can test.

2. Booth staffers
Sounds odd to test people rather than a headline or an offer, until you realize that your staff is the headline, offer, and more, rolled up into one.  So track how many qualified leads each of your booth staffers bring per hour they staff your booth.  (You track that by having them write their initials on each lead card they fill out.)  You’ll be surprised at what a range of results you get.  Then strive to keep the top performers for future shows.  (I am assuming that you’ve already given each booth staffer equal training.)

3. Engaging lines
While veteran booth staffers have their favorite engaging lines, there is no guarantee they will always work.  If you exhibit at different vertical market shows, or have a different promotion in your booth, you should encourage your staffers to try various opening lines to engage booth staffers.  Huddle with the staff after an hour or two into the show to see which ones are working best, and then ask your booth staffers to all use the winners.

4. Promotions
You can test different promotions at different shows, or even different promotions at the same show.  We’ve gone to a show with two different at-show promotions, one fun and one more professional, and tried both simultaneously.  After an hour, we stopped using the fun promotion that had been a major hit at a previous show.  The more professional promotion did better because it was better tailored for the second show’s specific vertical market.  You can also test whether you get more bang for your buck with pre-show or at-show promotions.

5. Exhibit design
Just as you can try a different message in an ad, you can also try a different image or main benefit statement on your trade show exhibit graphics.  If you exhibit at lots of shows, it’s a justifiable expense to get two mural graphic to see which gets the most leads.  You just have to count the leads during the times you have the different graphics up.  You best off switching the graphics for complete show days, or even entire shows.  But be aware of an variance in the traffic level in the exhibit hall during those two time periods to make it a fair test.   Hint for your test:  Try exhibit graphics that fewer, but bigger elements, and that emphasize client benefits.

6. Trade show marketing strategies
When you’re ready to tackle the big stuff, go for testing your trade show marketing strategies.   Do you get more from a show when you target the entire audience equally, or just try to get appointments with a select few top prospects and existing customers?  Do you bring lots of products and set up a temporary store in your booth, or do you just bring your best sellers and communicate your main company benefits with big, bold graphics?  Do you spread your budget among 30 shows equally, or concentrate on your best 10 with a bigger exhibit and a more integrated program of pre- and at-show promotions with fully trained booth staffers?

One of the premises of A/B split and multi-variate testing is that you can isolate specific elements to precisely track their effect in the response rate.  However, with trade shows, it’s difficult to isolate test elements well enough to get a highly accurate test. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try testing at all. While you may not be able to track results to the 3rd decimal point, you should be able to recognize clear-cut winners when they emerge.

These 6 items are worthwhile elements to test.  When you get clear winners you can noticeably, if not dramatically improve your trade show ROI.  If you have ideas on other elements, go for it!  And if you’ve reaped the benefits of testing parts of your trade show program, feel free to share with us in the comments section below.

Mirage® pop-up trade show displays give you an classic curved look and big, seamless graphics. Mirage is easy to set up, ship, and transport.

The most durable pop-up frames available. Period.

The Mirage family of frames are the most durable in the industry. If impacted, they bounce back back without damage — unlike any other pop-up trade show booth. All Mirage frames share the same graphics, panels and accessories and all frames and channels have a lifetime warranty.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_Iq18oEjE0

Mirage Classic: Fiberglass composite frame with manual connectors Mirage Advantage: Fiberglass composite self-locking frame Mirage Plus: Carbon composite self-locking frame Is Mirage’s composite frame more durable than aluminum?

Skyline Genuine Graphics get you noticed! SkyTruss carries massive fabric banners and ceilings that add impact, not bulk or weight.

Get strength and structure without unrealistic operating costs.
SkyTruss, like all Skyline products, packs down efficiently to maximize your trade show ROI.

Frame Folds Down
SkyTruss frame sections – even curves – fold nearly flat to save space and lower operating costs.

Connector Cubes
Universal cubes connect SkyTruss sections and other Skyline systems to give you unlimited design possibilities and utmost functionality.

Fabric Graphics
Add impact and mass without adding weight! Lightweight fabric graphics are vibrant, durable and can be produced at any size.

Layered Graphics For Impact
Give your marketing message interest and depth by layering sheer and opaque fabric graphics.

Flat Screen Support
Engage and inform. Presentation kiosks feature flat screen support and integral wire management.

Counters/Workstations
Adds work surface and valuable storage space to your trade show display. Counters are available with locking access doors and come in many finishes and colors to complement any exhibit.

1. Accessory Pole
Allows you to add graphics and accessories. Features integral wire management from top to floor. Available in various positions.

2. Fabric or Stand-off Graphics
Communicate your message in style with hanging fabric graphic or solid profile-cut graphic.

3. Flat Screen Mount
Great for presentations or interactive demonstrations.

4. Literature Holder
Keeps literature organized and accessible.

5. Lead Management System
Stores and protects your valuable leads! Includes built-in lead slot and internal catch bag.

6. Lockable Doors
Optional doors lock to keep leads, equipment or valuables secure during your event.

Skyline’s LED Lights bring big production values to  exhibits with any size budget, for large exhibitors to small exhibitors. Offering 16.7 million colors of light output, multiple levels of control flexibility, and a universal control scheme for easy expansion these lights will add excitement and highlight any exhibit.  Universal connectors allow for easy installation.

The Skyline LED Components will give your trade show exhibit an entire new and exciting look.

The Obey10 Controller will allow you to produce  light shows and can be used to create precise colors.  You can controls up to 8 lights independently.

The ColorDASH Par will put your trade show message in the spotlight in brilliant color, bringing attention to your trade show booth from all areas of the exhibit hall.

The ColorDASH Batten will help illuminate a large area with vibrant color was, bringing your exhibit to life.

Skyline’s custom modular solutions are flexible and versatile, adjusting to various venue’s and programs.  With a complete line of accessories, you can customize your trade show stand with literature racks, information placards and presentation systems.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg2cV2f-Wfs

Having a follow through plan for your events is key to making that event a success.  Business cards and electronic scanners make information gathering easier than it’s ever been before.  Many attendees still opt to hand out business cards.  Why not capitalize on this as an exhibitor, knowing that your competitors are apparently not following up either?

Lead tracking and lead follow up are essential when it comes to a successful trade show and therefore successful lead tracking – all begins with a good plan and can be much easier to maintain with online event management.    It’s critical to have a follow-up plan laid out before each show, to direct at-show and immediately following the trade show.

Even if you took care during the show to qualify leads as “A” leads (hot – ready to buy), “B” leads (expresses a future buying interest) and “C” leads (poor prospects, like students or spouses), a little post-show re qualification could be well worth your while.  Tracking is easy with online trade show management, we have a team of experts on board that can walk you through the setup and help answer your questions when it comes to trade show program.

We compare this cost with the customer’s overall company’s insurance policy.

Most companies if not all…do not have separate insurance coverage for the storage and transport of their trade show displays.  If a customer makes a claim for damages they would have to do it through their policy and pay a very high deductible first which could be as high as $100K.
Tradetec charges a flat rate per show unless it’s over 10,000 lbs then there is a $1K deductible.

The insurance is called Bailey when it is stored in our warehouses.
The other type of insurance is called  in-transit or trip transit, these are 2 separate insurance policies and would be treated that way if/when a claim is made.

Without insuring your exhibit properties, if something happens currently the customer would get 50% coverage on the depreciated value of the exhibit from the logistics/trucking company.
Where if they have the in-transit insurance they get 100% coverage.

Most companies do not budget for replacement costs and damage, reports have shown that it is very seldom that drayage damage claims are proven and paid.

Having a safety net when it comes to your trade show display properties can save alot of aggravation in the long run as well as save on costs done due to damage.