What Economic Downturn?

Last month, the Natl. Business Travel Assn. and Destination Marketing Assn. Intl. shows both broke attendance records. Following suit, Meeting Professional Intl.'s World Education Congress also posted record-breaking numbers with close to 4,400 registered attendees. MPI President and CEO Bruce MacMillan said, "It's just phenomenal. We couldn't be more excited." The uncertain economy was a factor in the higher numbers, he added. "People want to get together and look for a solution," MacMillan said. "There's wisdom and crowds." He also credited Las Vegas as a great draw and, in particular, the work of the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority and Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. Bill Hornbuckle, Mandalay's president and COO, told the MPI crowd, "You came in such numbers. Gosh, golly, gee, thanks!"

This is the uncertainty that is going on in the economy. Some companies are taking it to the market, capitalizing on the retrenchment of their competition and seeing great results. If there are any comments about the economy that tradeshow, sales or marketing coordinators wish to share, please feel free to do so. One very large client of ours recently discussed a $200,000 purchase and then after having their budget decreased dropped it to $90,000. On the surface this may be cause for concern, but I look at it and say that this company was confident enough in face-to-face marketing to spend almost $100K on exhibits. Once again mixed signals in the economy. We are finding great opportunities and also finding hesitation as well. Fall is usually a very good indicator of what the Christmas buying season is going to be like. As marketing goes, so goes the rest of the economy. We, like most marketing companies are at least 6 months ahead of the economy and at this point we are cautiously optimistic about hitting our targets for 2008.

Vegas Bitten By Credit Crisis Bug

Economy delays Echelon project; earnings dip for casinos, GES

By Rachel Wimberly -- Tradeshow Week, 8/11/2008

It was only a matter of time before the subprime mortgage meltdown that began last year and eventually snowballed into a full-blown economic crisis reached the bright lights and endless nights of Las Vegas.

In its Aug. 4 second-quarter earnings conference call, Boyd Gaming announced it was halting construction on its Echelon project "due to the difficult environment in today's capital markets, as well as weak market conditions."

The planned $4.8 billion, 87-acre project that would include 750,000 square feet of convention and meeting space and 5,000 hotel rooms, will be delayed at least nine months to a year, according to the company.

"The current economic climate is unprecedented in recent years," said Keith Smith, Boyd Gaming president and CEO. "While we remain enthusiastic about the long-term prospects about the Las Vegas market and Echelon, this is the right decision for our company at this time."

Boyd's earnings news wasn't any better. Second-quarter revenues for its Las Vegas properties dipped 9.9 percent to $460.8 million, compared with $511.4 million during the same period in 2007. Earnings also decreased to $21.6 million from $22.9 million, more than a 6-percent drop, compared with the same period last year.

The numbers may have been down, but investors rewarded Boyd's decision to delay the Echelon project; its stock price surged more than 20 percent to end the day at $12.01 a share.

Boyd isn't the only company struggling in the current economic conditions. Viad, GES Exposition Services' parent company, though it beat Wall Street expectations, still had a second-quarter earnings decline of 30 percent to $12.2 million, down from $18.2 million during the same period last year.

Revenue, on the other hand, increased 0.5 percent to $277.2 million from $275.7 million, compared with the same period in 2007.

Besides unstable overall economic conditions, GES also has to contend with the fickle nature of the tradeshow industry. "One of the reasons we would be down year-to-year (is shows) in higher-profit geographies were in lower-profit geographies," said Kevin Rabbitt, GES president and CEO. "Not all geographies are the same in profitability."

He was referring to some cities where labor costs are higher than in others. Rabbitt declined to name any specific shows in high-cost cities that may have impacted profits in the last quarter. In addition to those higher-profit geographies, also missing from the GES second-quarter show calendar was the No. 14-ranked TSW 200 Natl. Assn. of Broadcasters' NAB, which was serviced by Freeman after doing business with GES for several years.

Rabbitt said the third quarter looked better. "We expect it to be a very large quarter," he added.

Rabbitt said he expected GES' third-quarter revenue to be between $195 million and $210 million, compared with $151 million in the same period last year. Operating income should be approximately $7.85 million, compared with a loss of $2 million last year, he added.

Still, there are some storm clouds on the horizon. According to Rabbitt, the retail-consumer-gift sector is having a tough time right now, which could have an impact on GES.

In the third quarter, GES has three TSW 200 shows – all in the top 20 – in this troubled sector: The WSA Show, which was held July 28-31 at the Las Vegas Convention Center; MAGIC Marketplace, Aug. 25-27 at three Las Vegas venues; and the ASD/AMD Trade Show, Aug. 10-13, also spread across numerous Sin City venues.

On the other hand, Rabbitt said, other sectors, such as government and technology, are thriving. Luckily, GES has a few of those shows coming up in the third quarter as well, including the biennial Intl. Manufacturing Technology Show Sept. 8-13 at Chicago's McCormick Place and the MinExpo Intl. Sept. 22-24 at the LVCC, a new show for the company.

Paul B. Dykstra, Viad president and CEO, said, "The tradeshow industry is proving to be quite resilient, despite a softer economy. While we have some pockets of weakness, the overall tradeshow industry continued to grow during the second quarter."

Back in Las Vegas, casino behemoth Las Vegas Sands also took a hit in the second quarter. Even though overall revenue skyrocketed more than 81 percent to $1.11 billion from $612.9 million, compared with the same period last year, the company still had a net loss of $8.8 million, compared with a net gain of $33.4 million in the same period last year.

The company's Las Vegas hotel revenue did see an uptick of 52.6 percent to $142.4 million, compared with $93.3 million in the same period last year. According to the company, the increase was principally because of the opening of The Palazzo earlier this year, a 3,000-room resort adjacent to the Las Vegas Sands MegaCenter.

But with the good, comes the bad. The company blamed some of its losses in the second quarter on costs related to The Palazzo opening.

Regardless, William P. Weidner, Las Vegas Sands president and COO, predicted a brighter future: "As the Venetian and Palazzo complex continues this maturation process, we believe it is uniquely positioned to deliver strong growth and industry-leading returns in the Las Vegas market for years to come."

Another Las Vegas Strip denizen, Wynn Resorts, fared better in the second quarter, but not much. Second-quarter revenue increased to $825 million, compared with $687 million in the same period in 2007, and net income tripled to $272 million from $89.6 million in the same period last year.

But the story behind the numbers was more troubling. According to the company, the increases mainly were attributed to the Wynn Macau located off mainland China, while casino revenues in Las Vegas fell to $120.7 million, compared with $159.4 million in the same period in 2007.

Big Shows, Good; Small Shows, Not So Much

Michael Hart -- Tradeshow Week, 6/24/2008 3:36:00 PM

Big, well-established health care shows are doing just fine, but small to medium-sized shows appear to be suffering as a result of the broader economic slowdown.

That was the gist of the Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Assn.'s state-of-the-industry report released by the association's marketing research and communications manager, Frank Skinner, during the HCEA Annual Meeting & Exhibition.

"The economy does not affect the bellwether meetings," Skinner said. "But the smaller ones might not weather the slowdown too well."

According to Skinner's research, all medical meetings experienced a relatively flat attendance growth rate in 2007 of 0.8 percent. However, meetings that traditionally have at least 4,000 attendees grew by 5 percent from 2006 to 2007.

Meanwhile, medium-sized meetings, with 2,000 to 3,999 attendees, saw decreases in attendance of an average 4.4 percent, and smaller meetings, those with fewer than 2,000 attendees, dropped by an average 5 percent.

Skinner speculated that health care professionals, primarily because of escalating travel costs, are being more selective about the meetings they attend, opting for the larger national events rather than the smaller regional or state gatherings.

The HCEA state-of-the-industry report is based on information reported by almost 1,600 meeting annually for the past 11 years.
Skinner also noted that, while the average health care tradeshow floor is growing, the number of exhibiting companies is shrinking.

During the past five years, the average health care show, as tracked by HCEA, has grown 10.4 percent to just fewer than 65,000 net square feet. However, the number of exhibitors has shrunk during the same five-year period 4.3 percent to just under 150 per show.

"It's the exhibit arms race," Skinner said. "There may be fewer exhibitors, but they're all purchasing more space."

The report also revealed that San Diego is winning the race to attract the most health care shows. In 2007, it hosted 88 of them.

"Basically, San Diego hosted a new medical meeting every four days," Skinner said.

Orlando was a close second with 83 meetings, followed by Washington, D.C., with 71, and Chicago, with 63.

Canadian Oil Show Runs Out of GasExhibitors riled by scarce attendance at Rig Expo in Alberta

By Rachel Wimberly -- Tradeshow Week, 6/16/2008

Marshal Mills said it wasn't too long after the doors opened on the first day of the Rig Expo that he knew something was wrong.

The vice president of Midland, Texas-based D-Jax Corp. was one of the 60 exhibitors who had signed on for the launch of the show geared toward the oil field industry, scheduled May 28-29 at the Capri Centre in Red Deer, Alberta.

"They were charging admission to get in, which was a flag," Mills said. "I've never been to an oil show that charged admission."

To top it off, the admission was pretty steep: $120 or $20 with a can of food.

The second flag was an even bigger one.

"Most of the time when a tradeshow opens, there's people waiting to get in," Mills said. "No one was there. All the exhibitors were walking around doing nothing. What do we do? Play Tiddlywinks?"

Things went downhill from there. By the end of the first day, according to Mills, fewer than 30 attendees had shown up, and the show manager, Paul Pearson, president of Pro Tech Intl., was nowhere to be found.

"I've never seen anything like it," said Bud Rich, salesperson for British Columbia-based T.A. Structures. "The first day of the show rolls around, and there weren't a lot of people coming in. It wasn't advertised really well."

When attendees still failed to appear on the second day of the show, both Rich and Mills said they cut their losses and packed up by mid-afternoon.

"Word had started to spread that (the show) was a bit of a scam," Rich added.

Pearson, on the other hand, insisted that not only was the show legitimate, but also that he had advertised it heavily. He blamed the low attendance on "incredibly bad timing."

He said he did his research and, though he knew there was a big show scheduled just two weeks later in Edmonton, Alberta, a 90-minute drive away (the biennial Global Petroleum Show, typically No. 1 on the TSW Canadian 50), there wasn't one located in the Red Deer area.

"I thought a rig expo dedicated to the drilling industry was something Alberta could use," Pearson said. "As the show got closer, I purchased full-page ads in the local newspaper in Red Deer and did editorials in three or four of its sister publications."

One thing he said he couldn't control was the weather. Alberta experienced an unusually wet spring, and the oil fields were all but shut down, what Pearson said he thought was a perfect time to hold a show for people with time on their hands. But two days before the show opened, the sun came out for the first time in months, he added, and everyone went back to work.

"I noticed that one major exhibitor that was supposed to be setting up a 200-foot rig beforehand wasn't there," Pearson said. "I called him, and they said they wouldn't be able to bring the rig. I said, 'You have to, I've sold booth space around it.' The general manager told me, 'It's been raining here for two months, and we need the rig to go drilling.' They make $50,000 a day for that rig."

Pearson said that, like his exhibitors, he knew the show was in trouble early on. Opposed to the 50-plus shows Pearson said he had managed in the past, this one didn't have a line of people waiting to get in on the first day. "Twenty-two people came in the next three to four hours," he added. "It was a disaster. We thought there would be 3,000 to 4,000 people."

He admitted that, with the show such a failure, exhibitors came looking for him. "There was a lot of pressure from exhibitors, so I went to my room," Pearson said. "I have a heart condition, and I took my medicine."

When he checked his phone messages later, he added, "there was a lot of cussing and swearing, and 20 people had called." Worried about his safety, Pearson said he called his family to pick him up and take him home.

Once Pearson left the premises, exhibitors went to Tim Pasutto, general manager of the Capri Centre, with their complaints. "They were looking for someone to talk to," Pasutto said. "Unfortunately, (Pearson) wasn't there to address their concerns, and he should've been."

Why exactly the show failed, he added, would be speculation on his part, but he did support Pearson's claim that everyone in the oil industry was most likely out working in the fields. "The timing probably couldn't have been worse for him," Pasutto said.

In the meantime, exhibitors such as Rich and Mills have been left in the dark as far as any reimbursement of their booth fees. "You could've fired a cannon down the hallway and not hit anyone at times," Rich said.

Mills, who paid $2,500 for his 10'x10' booth, added, "We are looking into getting the booth fee back, but supposedly this guy said he has no money."

Pearson said he made $127,000 from booth sales, all of which went to overhead before the show even started. "When the show opened, we were a little bit in the hole," he added.

Pearson said he planned to pay back booth fees to some, but not all, exhibitors. "We rented the building, we advertised the show, we did everything we could," he added. "You pay your money and take your chances."

Attendance is down; square footage, exhibitors barely budge

By Candice Yang -- Tradeshow Week, 5/26/2008

Tradeshows in the first quarter of 2008 registered slight growth in net square footage and number of exhibitors, while attendance took a small hit.

According to the Tradeshow Week Quarterly Report of Tradeshow Statistics, the first quarter concluded with a 0.3-percent gain in number of exhibiting companies, mirroring 2007's first-quarter growth in that index. Also falling in line with the first quarter of 2007, the 1.2-percent decline in number of attendees landed very close to the 1.6-percent decrease in the same period last year.

The only notable difference between the first quarter of 2007 and 2008 was net square footage, which registered a minute increase of 0.5 percent, compared with 2.8-percent growth in 2007.

The results are mixed when the collective statistics are broken out according to sectors or regions.

Shows held in Las Vegas were not exempt from losses, exhibiting decreases in all three indexes. Net square footage on shows there was down 2.6 percent, number of exhibitors dipped 2.7 percent and attendance waned 1.8 percent.

The medical sector managed to come through the first quarter unscathed though, as healthy growth was exhibited in all indexes: a 3.4-percent increase in net square footage, 2.7 percent more exhibiting companies and a robust 5.2-percent rise in attendance.

TSW Associate Publisher and Director of Research Services Michael Hughes noted similarities between the current economic slowdown and the one that took place in the early 1990s. During both periods, there was overall lower growth in net square footage and number of exhibiting companies, accompanied by the dip in attendance.

"Today, as then, the economy experienced a housing and banking crisis," Hughes said. "In 1991, tradeshow growth was essentially flat."

However, he added, if the pattern continues to play itself out in coming quarters, it will ultimately be good news for the exhibition industry.

Hughes explained: "Usually, it is a sign of a slowdown when net square footage grows more than attendance. But when the economy picks up, attendance will bounce back quickly. By the fourth quarter of 1991, attendance was growing again by 3.1 percent."

There were other shows outside the medical sector that escaped the less-than-encouraging trend. Despite the rocky state of the economy, Industrial Fire, Safety and Security's numbers enjoyed a steep climb between 2007 and 2008. To a certain extent, its relatively small showfloor provided the advantage of scale: Adding nearly 16,000 net square feet was enough to make a big difference. The show grew 80.3 percent, from 20,300 net square feet to 36,600 net sq. ft. The number of exhibitors went from 128 companies to 207, a 61.7-percent increase, and attendance rose 90.5 percent, from 998 attendees in 2007 to 1,901 attendees in 2008.

"It's just a growing industry," Senior Conference Manager Laura Liptak said of the industrial security sector. "(There are) incidences which need to be discussed and lessons learned that folks in the industry want to discuss in order to better themselves at their jobs."

Larger shows managed to grow their showfloors as well. The Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo Intl.'s net square footage shot up from 202,924 net sq. ft. to 311,900 net sq. ft., a 53.7-percent increase.

Bob Kendall, owner of Cole Publishing, the show's manager, attributed the growth largely to a change of venue.

"When we moved (from Nashville, Tenn., to Louisville, Ky.), we now had available space, so there was a pent-up demand (from) exhibitors," Kendall said. "So the growth of the show was really based on the move to a hall that could accommodate more of the equipment."

The ability to move more exhibitors onto the showfloor played a major part in increasing the show's number of exhibitors 25.4 percent, from 448 companies in 2007 to 562 companies this year. However, unlike IFSS, attendance remained fairly stagnant, with a 0.5-percent decline. The 2008 Pumper and Cleaner show hosted 11,415 attendees, compared with 2007's 11,467 attendees.

The most consistently weak performance of the first quarter was in the gift show sector, which collectively dropped 3.3 percent in both net square footage and exhibitors. Attendance decreased even further still, by 5.1 percent.

The New York Intl. Gift Fair was somewhat of an exception, going down only in attendance – albeit a steep decline of 10 percent (36,000 attendees in 2008, compared with 40,000 last year). Net square footage for the show remained steady with 0.2-percent growth while the number of exhibiting companies increased 6.5 percent.

Dorothy Belshaw, senior vice president and director of the NYIGF, cited increased caution on the part of suppliers and attendees, as well as continuing consolidation on the retail side of the gift business for the attendance drop. But, she remained optimistic.

"I think one of the positive things that comes out of an economic downturn is ... a renewed level of creativity," Belshaw said. "We see both retailers and suppliers looking to diversify their lines."

That creativity that comes with rising from the ashes of an economic downturn is not necessarily restricted to the show's customers either. With fewer representatives being sent to the show by a growing number of more cautious retailers, the NYIGF adjusted some of its marketing tactics in response to the shrinking attendee base.

"We typically promoted the show as a broad-based cross-category gift show," Belshaw said. "Recently, what we have tried to do instead is to take segments, ... and where we have critical mass in a particular vertical segment, we can promote that to buyers that may not otherwise think to attend a gift fair."

She added, "(We) have to think smarter about the way that we promote our shows and the way they're perceived, not only in our core gift industry, but also in other related industries. That's how we've been able to augment our attendance instead of having much deeper losses than we have had."

The Power of Sponsorships – Maximizing your return from event marketing

TSEA (Trade Show Exhibitors Association) is pleased to announce their third educational meeting for members and potential members to be held on May 15^th, 2008 from 8:30am to 11:00am at the International Centre, 6900 Airport Road, Ontario Room - Hall 1 Entrance

 

The speaker is Dwayne McKillop a Senior Partner with Understanding Your Business Inc. www.uyb.ca, a well known professional event sponsorship agency. Dwayne's team has represented, produced and sold for thousands of event properties worldwide including consumer and tradeshows and professional sport events such as the Olympics and FIFA World Cup.

Dwayne began his career in the event industry with the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the world's largest producers of boat shows. After three seasons, Dwayne moved to dmg world media, to work on the development of an internal sponsorship and sales program as the VP of Sales. After 9 years, Dwayne once again challenged himself by joining Exposoft Solutions as the Chief Operating Officer.

 

Dwayne is a sought after presenter who speaks at many conferences and conventions throughout the year and has worked on events all around the world.

The agenda is as follows:

 

8:30am – 9:00 - Coffee and Networking

9:00 - Presentation

10:00 - Questions and Answers

10:30 – 11:00 - Networking

 

In one hour Dwayne will focus on key issues that are important to exhibitors considering adding sponsorship to their exhibit marketing strategy

 

• What is the value of adding sponsorship to your exhibit marketing

• How to equate the sponsorship offerings to your exhibiting objectives

• How to negotiating a sponsorship package

• Key steps to implement a sponsorship program

• How to measure ROI of the sponsorship program

Please forward this email to your colleagues. There is no charge for this session

RSVP:

 

Barbara Siskind, Marketing Director

International Training and Management Company

barbara@siskindtraining.com or call 416-783-5200

 

If you'd like to learn more about TSEA please visit their website at www.tsea.org.

 

A special thank you to the International Centre for providing us with the room

Leadership Shift at Vancouver CCFormer PavCo exec plans to market venue to European groups

By Stephanie Corbin -- Tradeshow Week, 4/28/2008

A leadership change may mean more European association tradeshows and conventions could be heading to the Vancouver (B.C.) Convention & Exhibition Centre in the future.

In January, Warren Buckley returned as CEO of venue operator PavCo, which manages the VCEC and other venues in British Columbia. Buckley spent more than 18 years with PavCo before moving to the Suntec Singapore Intl. Convention & Exhibition Centre in 2002.

He said one of the first actions he's taking now that he is back with PavCo is rolling out a new marketing focus directed toward attracting European show and convention organizers to Vancouver.

The shift comes after the recent departure of former VCEC President Barbara Maple. Buckley said Maple's departure was due to "organizational changes" the convention center is undertaking.

"Vancouver has had a history of attracting (European associations)," he added. "I think it's just time to go after that more aggressively."

The convention center is expected to complete its current expansion next March, in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The venue will grow to 388,000 square feet of exhibit space, from 108,000 sq. ft., and add an additional 61,000 sq. ft. of meeting space for a total of 86,000 sq. ft.

Naomi Wagschal, president of the Canadian Assn. of Exposition Management and business manager of meetings and exhibitions for The College of Family Physicians of Canada, said the new marketing strategy isn't surprising.

"As our convention centers expand ... they're going to be looking at the global market and not just North America," she added.

And with the stringent visa restrictions the United States currently has in place, Wagschal said it's easier for international attendees and exhibitors to travel from other countries to Canada.

Buckley said by June he hopes to have a sales representative in Brussels or London to sell the center in the European market.

"We're meeting with some of the German messes and halls over there (to see what they're looking for)," he added.

Until now, the convention center had been mostly marketed to the U.S., Buckley said, where about 70 percent of the current international business comes from.

That's because most of the large association business attracted to the destination is from the U.S., said Richard Yore, director of sales, meetings and conventions with Tourism Vancouver. "I'm not quite sure the mix would shift," he added of the new marketing strategy.

Yore said most international associations don't have meeting planners, which are common in U.S. associations. For the city to bid for the overseas association shows and meetings, the destination needs to have a local host who volunteers to help organize the event, he added.

"The main focus for us is working with our local community," Yore said.

Cliff Wallace, president of UFI, the Global Assn. of the Exhibition Industry, said the Vancouver center's entry to the international exhibition market would be a positive move.

"Vancouver would be a welcomed addition to UFI's membership – joining Toronto as our other UFI member – and will most definitely benefit from UFI's extraordinary global network of the key decision makers in the industry," Wallace said. "I know Warren is very forward-thinking, and I can imagine him working with Toronto to draw more international attention to both markets and Canada."

Buckley said his experience in Singapore will help with the VCEC's new marketing focus.

In Singapore, the center partnered with the German messes and "most of our international conventions came out of Europe," he added.

 

The Portables Team vist Euroshop

By David Woods

DÜSSELDORF, Germany —EuroShop 2008, or in its proper form The Global Retail Trade Fair & Visual Marketing Show: 1.1 Million square feet of net floor space, 1900 exhibitors in 15 Halls and 104,000 trade visitors from 90 counties.

EuroShop 2008 offered a comprehensive overview of all the key trends in each of the four segments: EuroConcept (store fitting, store furnishing, architecture & design, lighting, refrigeration units and systems), EuroSales (visual marketing, sales promotion, POS marketing), EurCIS (information and security technology) and EuroExpo (exhibition stand construction, design, events).The Messe (Exhibition Center) is built adjacent to the Rhine.

Our mission was to take in the overall atmosphere, feel and latest trends. Our main interests were to see the exhibit architecture and substrates, as well the spatial solutions to the exhibits. I have a belief which probably stems from my first Euroshop in 1987 that Germany is the centre of the world when it comes to the Trade Show Industry and that Euroshop sets the trends for the rest of the world.

One of the most interesting observations were the wall shapes using concealed aluminum profiles with dye sublimated or solid colour tension fabric, and rear-lit graphics (single or double-sided) creating dynamic exhibit architecture at a fraction of the cost of conventional “custom” exhibits. Plus the cost of ownership is reduced by means of less cubic volume and weight.

These exhibit design solutions stood out on the show floor attracting the attendee to walk into a warm and friendly exhibitor environment.
With the creative lighting, graphics and floor treatments these exhibit styles deserve the award for The Stars of Europshop 2008.

See you at the next EuroShop February 26 - March 2, 2011

17 Surefire Ways to Exhibiting Success

I just heard about this audio conference being put on by Susan Friedman on March 26^th, 2008 from 1:30 to 2:30pm EST that I think may be worthwhile to participate in. The cost of the Audio only conference is $199.00 and it can be accessed through the following URL http://www.thecompetitiveadvantage.net/audio/Audio454.asp . I have not heard this particular presentation by Susan but I have heard her speak many times in the past and her presentations are excellent and packed with lots of relevant and useful information.

Here is a brief description of the event:

"In this fast-moving, dynamic 60-minute audio conference, you'll learn how to put an end to lousy tradeshow results once and for all. You'll discover time-tested exhibiting secrets that give you a cutting-edge competitive advantage and dramatically boost your leads, sales and profits.

We will discuss valuable information, high-powered skills, techniques and insider secrets used to master the unique, high-pressured tradeshow environment. This session will be packed full of practical, easy-to-use information. You'll end the session ready to put these potent strategies to use — and ready to start attracting more business at your next tradeshow."

If anyone does participate in this seminar please provide your comments on it.

Speeding through a Tradeshow

By Hanif Muljiani
As I sit on a plane reading a book entitled “The Age of Speed” by Vince Poscente I realize how the need for immediate communication is taking over our lives. To be disconnected from the outside world for a few hours is painful. This realization made me think of tradeshow attendees and the time-stressed environment they live in. As they walk a tradeshow floor they are not only distracted by various communication devices but also by the desire to maximize their time and see as many exhibitors as possible. So what can exhibitors do to help attendees deal with their external stresses and ultimately entice them to visit their booth?

Vince Poscente states in his book, “In our attempt to go faster, to solve the problem of speed, we must eliminate all of the tools, processes, technologies, ideas...that are developed to speed things up but that aren’t aligned with our authentic purpose...Simplicity is needed to achieve and maintain speed. So the act of pursuing speed in life and business results in an environment of simplicity. This is counterintuitive, because we tend to think of slow as simple and fast as chaotic; but fast can be the surest way to simplicity....By its very nature, fast is simple, so simplicity is one of the foundations of success in the Age of Speed.”

According to Vince, a strategy of eliminating all of the unnecessary steps and obstacles to a prospect getting the information they require would result in the attendees need for speed. To achieve this, the exhibit design should be simple and all internal processes aligned for speed. Lead Retrieval software, 30-second elevator pitches, quick headlines in your booth, easy booth access and location, etc all support efficiency. The next time you exhibit, you may want to observe tradeshow attendee behaviour and see if the booth experience tests their patience. If so, start thinking of ideas to simplify your pitch and get them moving faster.

Dealing with the Bag Man!

Submitted by: Brian Keobke CME

I was at a trade show last week and discovered a whole new type of exhibitor competition. What I once just took for granted is the humble plastic bag distributed by so many exhibitors.
For you see, I was given a small bag when I registered and picked up my credentials. I was only two or three booths into the exhibit hall when the first salesman jumped in to my path to offer me a slightly larger plastic bag – “I’m sure you will need it”. Not wanting to disappoint him I took the larger bag.

It was a short distance after that when yet another exhibitor offered me a cotton fabric bag! Wanting to appear “environmentally friendly” I instantly cast a look of disdain on my plastic bag and gladly accepted his fabric bag.

Now I thought for sure I could continue through the rest of the exhibit hall and focus my attention on the exhibitors themselves. Unfortunately, it was much like running a gauntlet with several more exhibitors offering me their version of a bag.

I almost made it out of the exhibit hall unscathed until I entered the last row of exhibitors. There lurking for me was an extremely gleeful salesperson who proudly exclaimed to me that “he knew” I would definitely want their bag as it was “larger than any other bag at the show”. Clearly he had done his research as he deftly slipped my bag into his and exclaimed “not only is it bigger than any of the other bags at the show, we have a shoulder strap!”

The irony is that this particular salesman was so excited about his bag he didn’t even take the time to tell me about their products! I don’t know, perhaps his job at the show was to make sure that they did not return home with any bags left over.
The moral of this whole story? When you send your staff to a trade show with boxes full of promotional items you need to make sure that they know how to use them effectively and in each situation.

Have you received anything of a trade show that you didn’t expect to get? If you have, please let the rest of the exhibit industry know by responding in the comment box below.

PS: If anyone would like a free bag I now have quite a selection to choose from!

Distribution of Trade Show Literature

Submitted by Brian Keobke CME

The type and style of literature you give away at shows can really impact your budget. Careful consideration needs to be given to your approach.

According to the Center for Exhibit Industry Research (CEIR) 72 percent of brochures distributed at trade shows are never looked at. At the same time, brochures represent one of the biggest expenses in your trade show budget. With an average brochure costing anywhere from $2.00 to $5.00 your staff can quickly give away thousands of dollars in material that is read by less than 30 percent of the people who receive it!

If this percentage of discarded material seems high I encourage you to look at the garbage cans near the exit of any exhibit hall when you're leaving. These garbage cans may account for half of the brochures that are thrown out, the other half gets thrown out when people get back to their hotel room and start packing their luggage. It's not a hard decision for most people when over-stuffing a suitcase to decide whether to take home their clothes and souvenirs or brochures from a show.

With these thoughts in mind you should:

• Only distribute brochures to qualified leads.
  

• Placing all of your materials on a CD is convenient for your clients and cost effective.
  

• Don't leave your expensive brochures out to be picked up by all visitors.
  

• Mark your best brochures or product guides as "Exhibit Copy" and if someone still requests it you can retrieve a copy from storage.
  

• A less expensive brochure is usually more suitable for trade show distribution -typically a one page handout sheet that shows an overview of your product line and directs them to your web site for more information.
  

• A more effective way of the distributing brochures may be to offer your potential client the convenience of mailing the brochure to them after the show. Most clients will gladly provide their contact information knowing that they are going to get something from your company and will not have to carry the materials home with them.
  

  
  

  Do you have a strategy for brochures that you would like to share with the industry? If so please do so by using the form below.
  

Everyone is Creative in his or her own way

Submitted by Hanif Muljiani

I recently read a book by Daniel Pink called "A Whole New Mind" about the value of  "right brain" thinking.  In the book he talks about the loss of technical jobs to low-cost regions around the world.  It dawned on me that the greatest asset we have in Canada is our creativity.  Creativity is not designated simply to designers and artists, but to individuals from all walks of life, including sales/marketing individuals and tradeshow coordinators.  I also realized that our clients are extremely creative and should be included to a much larger extent in the design of their tradeshow exhibit.

Currently, our design approach is to gather a great deal of information from our clients, clarify the information, take this information, design a shape to the exhibit, work out the engineering specifications, render and price the project and then share this with our clients.  I would like to encourage all of our clients to get involved with the project as its inception stage and utilize the combined creativity of all parties involved with he project.  If anyone is interested in adding greater input into the creative process please inform the designer and they will facilitate all input into the overall process.

Daniel Pink has a number of recommendations on improving our creative minds as follows:

1. Practice drawing – classes are offered on "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" www.drawright.com

2. Visit a storytelling festival – largest one is at www.storytellingcenter.com

3. Listen to the Great Symphonies – Mozart's Symphony No. 35, Mahler's 4th Symphony in G Major, Haydn's Symphony No. 94 in G Major

4. Read – Beethoven's Anvil: Music in Mind and Culture by William Benzon, Powers of Ten by Charles and Ray Eames, Dialogue: The Art of Thinking Together by William Isaacs

5. Do some real brainstorming – abide by the rules in the Ten Faces of Innovation by Tom Kelley

6. Write your own greeting cards

7. Visit a Labyrinth – visit www.veriditas.labyrinthsociety.org

These are but a few of his recommendations on helping us think from the "Right Side" of our brain.  After all right brain thinking is what is going to maintain our standard of living in North America and help you stay ahead of your competition.

Social Networking is the Big Buzzword for the Internet

Submitted By Hanif Muljiani

Social Networking is the big buzzword for the Internet. Web 2.0 is the new standard that takes us away from simply receiving information on the web to us interacting with this information and ultimately with each other. The Internet is simply the newest medium to foster worldwide dialogue and communication. But how will this impact the world of tradeshows? Are we now going to be headed towards an environment where users will sit at their laptops and look at supplier offerings through virtual tradeshows?

Prior to 2001 there was a lot of hype around virtual tradeshows, this hype has diminished to a large extent, but the idea of these virtual shows is not dead yet. An excerpt from an article by Tatiana Andronache printed in the Galt Global Review talks about these virtual worlds:

“Some analysts predict virtual worlds will become common place within five years. But others are not so sure. A year ago, expectations were very high for Second Life, the 3D virtual world created by its users, to become a mass marketing tool. Recent opinions suggest that membership numbers and their growth were overstated. Most people do not have the time, skills and dedication such a site requires.”

Only time will tell whether virtual tradeshows will take hold and gain momentum. People are social creatures and getting together with like-minded business people to discuss changes in a particular industry or learn about the latest technology breakthrough will only be replaced when the resource expenditure becomes too great to justify physically attending the event.

Tradeshow socks for weary feet?

Working a tradeshow can be a real test for your feet. At the end of a long tradeshow day, all you really want to do is have your tired aching feet pampered and massaged. But there may be a bit of relief for your feet from, of all things, socks. SmoothToe socks claim to be “Great for tired, aching legs and feet!”.

Kami Koski, President and CEO of All-Ways Foot Care, has this to say about the socks on her website. “Unique Hourglass Construction (even, gentle hug throughout) SmoothToe uses Lycra® throughout the sock to provide just the right amount of snugness without restricting blood flow. In addition, Lycra® has the beneficial effect of providing a light massaging effect to the foot. Great for tired, aching legs and feet!”

I currently have a pair of SmoothToe socks on my feet right now and I do agree that they are one of the most comfortable pair of socks I have ever worn. If you would like to purchase a pair of these socks visit www.allwaysfootcare.com.

The Start of Apple Computers

Quick Factoid

Submitted By Brian Keobke CME

In 1977 a little known inventor named Steven Jobs decided to borrow $5,000 so he could buy his first suit and create a "deluxe" booth at the West Coast Computer Fair.

Once committed to the show he pushed himself along with his staff to turn the Apple II computer concept into a product that actually worked!

This trade show was the first public introduction of Apple Computers and as they say, "the rest is history".

Creating Graphics That Capture Attention

Submitted by Brian Keobke CME

Dramatic, “larger than life” display graphics are an effective way to get noticed in today’s visually competitive trade show environment. As shows get larger and splashier every year the ability to draw potential customers to your exhibit becomes more difficult. Properly designed display graphics will increase your presence and recognition at a show, both of which are essential for successful exhibiting.

Be Consistent

Your display graphics should be an extension of your current marketing campaign and reflect a similar style, colour and imagery being used in your other marketing materials. This consistency and continuity will help potential customers identify you quickly and reinforce the image you are trying to establish.

Be Short, But Be Clever

It is tempting to use your display to explain everything about who you are and what you do but attendees don’t have the time or the patience to read through it. Instead, use a short but clever message that appeals to your target audience. This will generate more interest and curiosity in your company. Remember, the real purpose of your display is to pique the interest of attendees walking by. Once your display has their attention, your staff can begin to explain your products and services, and qualify them as potential customers.

Bigger is Better

When it comes to display graphics, bigger is usually better. Take advantage of today’s technology by creating “larger than life” images that can illustrate your products but still remain consistent with your message. This is one area where you want to show what differentiates you from the competition! “Sell the sizzle, not the steak”.

Light it Up

Proper lighting can significantly improve the overall look of your display. Your graphics will appear bolder, brighter and more colourful. As a result, you’ll draw attention away from those who don’t have lighting on their display.

Design Your Graphics to Grow

Too often, graphics are designed to work for only a single display configuration. However, most display systems today are modular and can be expanded. If you own or plan to purchase a portable display, you should strongly consider designing your graphics to expand along with your system. For example, if you have a 10 foot display that expands into a 20 foot display, a well-designed set of graphics can accommodate both needs and still retain the same imagery, style and message. This will also prove to be cost-effective in the long run.

Follow these simple guidelines to produce effective tradeshow graphics and you’ll be able to raise your awareness at trade shows, attract attendees to your display, qualify potential customers, and ultimately grow your business.

If you have seen a display that caught your attention you can share it with the exhibiting community by using the comment form below. All input is welcome.

Green Exhibiting?

As interest in environmental issues continues to strengthen virtually all around the world, the so called “Green” movement is now firmly entrenched on the executive agenda at many of the world’s largest and most influential companies.

Here are some interesting facts:

• The average cost to produce a Green Exhibit is 26% more than a traditional exhibit
• Only 5% of exhibitors are willing to pay the premium
• 86% of exhibitors anticipate allocating a portion of their 2008 exhibit-marketing budget to green exhibiting options
• 38% of exhibitors have already taken steps toward Green exhibiting

I would like to mention a few materials that can easily be used by exhibit builders:

Bamboo Ply (available in 4 x 8 sheets and has similar characteristics to regular ply),

Linoleum flooring is one of the greenest of flooring products. Its main ingredients are, wood floor and ground-up cork.

Recycled Rubber Products, this flooring is made from old radial tires and is ideal for indoor and outdoor uses.

Sustainable Carpet, The new sustainability standard, approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), addresses chemicals and materials used in manufacturing carpet, the energy used in production, the use of recycled or bio-based content, methods of disposal and/or reuse and the overall environmental performance of manufacturers

And last but not least, Transportation, exhibit materials can indeed be delivered “Green” with many logistic companies offering “Carbon-Neutral Freight”

So there you go, Exhibitors can leave a “Green Footprint” and not just carpet tape when they leave the show.

Bundling in the Exhibit Industry

With the rise of two major show service contractors in the US, the issue of bundling has come to the forefront. Bundling of services is when a show service contractor, bidding on an exhibit, will include a typical service like drayage, labour, carpet, rental furniture, etc in a proposal to entice the buyer to choose them as the ultimate exhibit provider.

From the clients perspective there is an advantage because they will see a reduction in their cost of exhibit ownership.

From the show services contractors perspective they are using their competitive advantage to grow their book of business. After all the US was built on capitalism and this is capitalism in its purest form.

From the exhibit company’s perspective they are upset because they do not have the ability to offer the same level of discounting to capture the business.

All parties have different views on this issue but ultimately pure market economics highlight the real issue. Running a major tradeshow that utilizes 500,000+ sq feet is a costly venture. The rates charged by the show service contractors for all show services return a reasonable profit. These profits are not excessive which indicates that the rates being charged are in line with market demand. When services are given away through bundling the rest of the exhibitors subsidizes this loss of revenue. This puts an unfair burden on the rest of the exhibitors. Also important to note, the client who had their services bundled in the first year will be subsidizing the cost of other bundled clients in future years.

If taken to its ultimate conclusion and bundling starts to eliminate competition, creative design and innovation in exhibits will decrease significantly. Cutting edge exhibits are created by clients that want to stand-out from their competition example Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo at CES. But cutting edge exhibits are also created through healthy competition as exhibit companies try to impress clients with their innovative design ideas. Eliminate the competition and the need to invest heavily in design ideas decrease.

If you have any thoughts on this issue please feel free to add your comments. This is an issue that is likely to be at the forefront of the industry for quite some time.