Competitive Edge
Successful exhibitors know that the competition for the attendee’s limited time on the exhibit floor is
fierce. To get their fair share of booth traffic they do not just rent space, show up and hope people find
them. They use targeted pre-show marketing to get “in the mind” and “on the agenda” of the right
attendees before the show opens.
Consider these exhibition industry facts:

1. The average tradeshow attendee will visit approximately 31 exhibitors.
2. 76% of attendees arrive with an agenda of exhibitors they plan to visit.
3. As many as 3 out of 4 exhibit visits are preplanned.
4. Less than 20% of exhibitors utilize targeted pre-show marketing campaigns.

So how do you get on the attendees “must see” list? It’s easier than you think.

Here are four steps to help you fill your booth with qualified, interested buyers:
Step 1. Invest 15% or more of your total show budget toward pre-show marketing.
The average exhibitor allocates just 6% of their show budget toward pre-show marketing. Don’t do what
the average is doing, most aren’t getting results. Of all the things you will spend money on, pre-show
marketing is one of the most important. Don’t skimp in this critical area. It’s often the difference between a busy exhibit and standing around watching people pass by in the aisles.

Step 2. Identify who you want to visit your exhibit and build target visitor lists.
Start in-house with your sales team and your distribution channels. Build a list of customers and current prospects you would like to visit your exhibit. Include anyone who has inquired about your products or services over the last 12 months. Ask yourself “What types of companies and what job functions/titles do we want to visit our exhibit?”

Step 3. Give attendees a compelling reason to visit your exhibit.
Don’t just pitch products and services – focus on solving problems, creating opportunities and delivering meaningful value from a visit to your exhibit. Analyze your company, products and services carefully. What is your value proposition? What problems do you solve? What opportunities do you create? What do you do better than your competition?

Use powerful visual images and captivate attendee’s interest with provocative benefit and solution
focused headlines like: “Improve patient satisfaction by 20%.” Everyone is interested in solving
problems, reducing costs, improving results and getting more value. Tell them specifically how you can
help and they will come running to your exhibit.

Step 4. Use a combination of media to execute an integrated pre-show marketing campaign.
An effective pre-show marketing campaign integrates multiple media to touch prospective visitors at least three times before the show opens. Start with mass media like print advertising and publicity in industry trade publications and show publications like the official show directory. Then, add one-to-one media like mailing personal letters of invitation, postcards and formal invitations. Be sure to include a VIP ticket for exhibit hall admission. Put the finishing touch on your program with more personal media like email, fax and personal phone calls. To increase response offer a reward for responding like entry into a contest or better yet invite them to your booth to pick-up a free gift.
All it takes is targeted preshow marketing.

Jefferson Davis, president of Competitive Edge is known as the “Tradeshow Turnaround Artist”.

Now’s the time to turn off the autopilot and grab a hold of the wheel, while the 2010 fall trade show busy season is winding down, and it’s still fresh in your mind.   And not only is it a good time to look back, it’s also a good time to look forward, as you are preparing your 2011 trade show marketing budget as well.

Take advantage of this crossroads to really look at your trade show marketing program.  Set aside an hour, a morning, or a day to look at these 5 things:

1.  Your 2010 trade show results

If you haven’t already measured the results from your trade show program, get to it.  Compare your results to the objectives you set at the beginning of the year.  Get your list of trade show leads, and  compare them to your recent sales to see which leads closed.  If you don’t have a sophisticated enough database to do that, get some help from your finance or sales department.  If all else fails, call all the leads yourself, asked them what happened, and total up the results.  Find out number of sales and dollars sold.  If you have a longer selling cycle, see how many leads are deemed active leads that have generated follow-up meetings.  If your goals were more about brand awareness, ask if they remember meeting with your company at the show, and if they are more likely to do business with you because of their interaction there.  If you had other objectives, see if you met them.

2.  Your 2011 trade show objectives

If you have a list for 2010, put it on the board and see if the list needs tinkering.  Check to see that your objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and to be met in a specific period of time.   There are lots of reasons to exhibit at trade shows, but limit your objectives to the top 3 to 5, so you can focus your activities and have a better chance at measuring your success.  If you didn’t have 2010 pre-set objectives, get with your management and agree upon why you will exhibit at trade shows in 2011.

3.  Your 2011 trade show schedule

Once you have your 2010 results understood, figure out which shows were winners and losers.  Depending on your objectives, winner shows provided good ROI, a successful product launch, increased brand awareness, and productive interactions with existing clients, partners, and vendors.   Loser shows had too little traffic, and the traffic there was not high enough quality or a good fit with your target audience.  Keep and perhaps expand booth space in the winners.  Trim space or perhaps cut shows that were losers.   And of course, filter that list to keep the shows that will best help you achieve your 2011 trade show objectives.  And you may be adding other shows to the list that look promising, too.

4.  Your trade show strategy

What are you doing right and wrong at trade shows?  Write down the top 5 things you do well, and the 5 things you most need to improve.   Think back to the moments of frustration and insight you had during the course of the year on how you could improve your trade shows, and turn those insights into a plan.  Have you tried setting appointments before the show?  Using high-end promotions targeted to your top prospects?  Reducing your ongoing exhibiting costs with portable trade show displays and modular trade show exhibits?  Selecting shows based on your key vertical markets, not your industry shows?  Training all booth staffers, not just the newbies?  Starting a more thorough lead follow-up program?  These are just suggestions for you and your team to consider.

5.  Your trade show budget

Do you usually start with the budget number?  If so, it may seem backwards to save your budgeting for last, but after you’ve documented your 2010 results and figured out how you want to improve upon your performance in 2011, now you can take a better story to management to justify investing in the trade show marketing program you believe in.   Prepare your ideas into a good report and presentation.  Remember, your management wants to grow their business, increase their brand awareness, and build relationships with their clients.  Prove to them that you’ve got a trade show marketing plan to do just that, and they’ll give you more funds to achieve it.

So, while we’d all like to relax a bit after the Fall busy season, use the time instead for an invigorating re-examination of your trade show program.   All too soon you’ll be too busy again, or else someone else will tell you how much money you have to spend.  Now’s the time to research, brainstorm, and plan for a better next year.

Chicago Trade Show Displays Result Analysis Forces Follow Through

An important aspect of analyzing results means that the business must follow through on the leads that were generated from the Chicago trade show exhibits. The majority of leads that are generated from an event are never followed up on by most businesses. This means that there are numerous potential clients that are never contacted. A company that is committed to putting together a quality analysis of the results must also commit to following up on all leads to ensure the accuracy. Otherwise the business is throwing away potential clients and value from Chicago trade show exhibits. Once follow up is complete the business will be able to determine accurate conversion rates and cost per conversion numbers.

Requires Definition Prior To Chicago Trade Show Booths

An extremely beneficial aspect of proper results analysis is that the criteria should be developed before the event. This means that the staff will know going in what they are trying to accomplish. Providing focus for the staff will reduce unneeded aspects of Chicago trade show exhibits that do not promote the end goal. Additionally the staff will be able to direct conversations in order to achieve the results for which a company is looking. It is important to develop qualification standards to filter potential clients that will truly benefit from the products and services that were at Chicago trade shows

Accountability For Chicago Trade Show Exhibits

There are several ways that measuring results will provide accountability for booth staff at Chicago trade show exhibits. First, prior to the event staff are informed of what will be expected of them. This will help them to hold themselves accountable for what is expected. During the event, a team can hold meetings each night reviewing the objectives, discussing the success so far, and ways to improve the next day. Then following Chicago trade show exhibits, businesses can make decisions as to which booth staff is proving to be the most effective at the event. From there, they can request improvement, learn what things successful staff members are doing and make staff cuts if necessary for future Chicago trade show exhibits.

Hiring Experience Chicago Trade Show Exhibits Professionals Will Improve Results

Ultimately, hiring experienced professionals to assist with Chicago trade show displays will improve results. Tradetec Skyline has been assisting businesses with the various aspects of their Chicago trade show booths for years. Their team is qualified to make recommendations that will help businesses make better decisions when it comes to Chicago trade show exhibits. To learn more about the products and services available from Tradetec Skyline visit their website at www.ttskyline.com or call 630-629-9317.

• Your in box is full of emails, your voice mail is overflowing and you need to check on your current projects.
• You assume that all the people you met at the trade show will call you because you gave them a brochure and they are certain to remember you.

No doubt, you will have some catch up to do after the trade show but the key to success is to prioritize your post trade show activities. First, follow-up with all urgent issues immediately. Second, deal with issues that have come up with existing clients while you were away. Lastly, put all non-critical functions aside and start your trade show follow-up. Follow-Up – Immediately!

Call the most serious prospects first. You should follow-up with all your leads within 48 hours of the show by email or phone. Email all qualified booth attendees who provided contact information. In addition to following up with leads obtained at your trade show, one of the most important post show activities is to conduct a post show analysis. By answering some basic questions you will identify things that will help you when planning future events. Some of the key questions to ask are:

• What worked?
• What didn’t work?
• Was the booth functional?
• Was the booth in the right location?
• Was this the right trade show four our organization?
• Did I meet the right people?
• What did I learn from others?
• What did I learn about the competition?

At some point you will be able to call the effect of the trade show complete and measure your results against your initial objectives. If you kept good records of this activity, you should now be able to evaluate the effects of this particular show.