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.