Trade shows and exhibitions are social gatherings.  Yes, they are instructional and promotional and informative, but they are all those things on top of a gathering of people looking to connect and interact.  More more and more the trade show floor is moving toward a more festive atmosphere as businesses, small and large alike begin to embrace a new trend in marketing: Gamefication.  Just as its name implies, it is using games to bring in customers.  On the surface this might sound like the “Bring them in for Bingo then hit them up for the sale,” but it is actually something far more advanced than that.  Gamefication is built on Game Theory.  That’s right, Game Theory.  In her book, Reality is Broken, leading game developer Jane McGonigal explores how the four defining features of games: Goals, Rules, Feedback System and Voluntary Participation, can be used beyond the online world.   How relevant is this trend to the real future of business?

Well, for one thing, it now has its own conference , or “Summit”, with the next one scheduled to take place in San Francisco  on June 19-21.  As they note on the conference website: research predicts that “Gamification will be used by 70% of the Global 2000 by 2015, spending over $2billion on related products, services and technologies–,” and under the list of who should attend, the list spans any business from Startup to Fortune 500 that is “looking to stay competitive,” marketing strategists, HR managers, academics and non-profits.  In other words, it’s becoming a universal part of all human interactions.

Gaming drives engagement and loyalty, two of the most desired interactions which companies hope to achieve with their target consumer base while on the convention floor.

When one employee health behavior-change website, Keas,  switched to a gamified approach,user engagement rose to 100 times what it had previously been.

Do Something,  a website which promotes community service for teens, had found the response from users on their marketing offers was coming in around 2-3%.  When they conducted a scavenger hunt, participation jumped to 26%.

Points are motivating.  There is no promotional give-awat that is easier on your budget than points.  XP (or experience points) can be racked up in any game you design to reward the participants.  Game feedback shows that much of the positive feelings that motivate participation comes from earning points, regardless of, or sometimes more so because they reflect achievement–real or imagined.

The most important things to remember for any game you think to run from your modular pop up display is that it needs to be fun, step-based and have an entry point which makes it easily accessible to participants.

.

Get out from under the big guy’s shadow: Take your modular pop-up display to the huge industry conference and chances are good you will be overshadowed by the bells, whistles, sweeping sponsorships and oversized displays of the “Big Brand” companies.  Consider where else you may find your target buyer.  Are there several smaller shows you could attend?  Could you place your booth at multiple local events–street fairs, sports venues, public gather spaces,  and gain a “home town” loyalty?  Invest in one good display that’s transportable and then use it where ever you can to build recognition.

Be smarter:  Bigger companies have some distinct disadvantages when it comes to getting the details right.  Smaller companies can take bigger risks with more clever ad campaigns and out of the box thinking.  Figure out what people are not getting from the bigger company and perfect your niche to exceed in that area.  Make that angle a part of your display.

Be personable:  This is another major advantage that small companies have.  How many times have you been stuck on the phone getting an unsatisfactory response and had to ask “Is there a manager I can speak with?”  Anyone who has been in that situation knows that 7 times out of 10, if you go up high enough, you’ll eventually get the answer you like.  And what if you don’t?  Well, that’s when loyalties break down and you start looking around.  That friendly smaller company may meet customer needs more completely simply because they’re small enough to care, listen and respond.  Use that advantage.  Make sure you have a booth staff that can engage customers as well as inform them.

Be accessible:  Being a small company does not have the limitations that existed 20, or even 10 years ago.  A phone can double as a scanner and, creative ads can go viral.  A strong online presence can make your operation appear and function at higher levels as you reach your target audience on social media sites and supply them quick responses on a web site available 24-7.

Today’s consumers want engagement, and your portable trade show display lets you bring that engagement to them.  The modular pop-up display is waiting to serve as your spokesperson and portable office.  Work it.

DO attend:  The more talks you go to, the more you learn, the more people you meet, the more people you get to sit beside, the more opportunities you have to ask a good question that makes you stand out to others, the more chances you get to see who is asking the important questions that will make them a potential leader in the industry.  Being among groups of people is the very first and most basic element of socializing, and networking is a form of socializing.

DO NOT use the coffee breaks to check your phone.  Use it to open social connections.   A conversation may begin with something as simple as “Do you need me to pass you a cram or sugar?”, as long as you then follow it up with an introduction, a question about the other person’s thoughts on what you just heard or a comment on something that you gather from their name tag (“Oh, you’re with. . . aren’t they based in. . .?).  You get the gist.

DO: Spend time on the floor, both at your display where you will not only be associated with your product or service, but where you are able and expected to promote it.  That is one of those other top reasons for attending a trade show.  The way this ties into networking is, the more you have paid attention to the others in the events you attended, the more easy it is for you to have something to talk about.  It they sat next to you at the key note (and you had the good sense to introduce yourself) they know your name, recognize your face and are probably just as interested in stopping to reinforce the connection between you by showing an interest in your booth.

DO NOT be glued to your booth:  If they stop by to see what your enterprise is about, return the favor.  Or, visit the booths of the people you have sat beside, chatted with over coffee breaks, or seen ask a good question during a panel talk.  They, too, are likely to return the favor and drop in to see what your company is offering.  It all about reciprocity.  You get back what you give.

DO give before you take:  Open every encounter with a sincere desire to know more about the other person.  What are the challenges they are facing in this industry.  Give them a chance to promote themselves to you first.  Their natural response will be to want to then hear your perspective and thought.  If your perspective is all about what a gift you are to the industry, that’s a guaranteed conversation killer.

DO go to some social events, and

DON’T  make everybody talk strictly business.  In today’s business environment people are learning how to add an element of play to work, and there is a way to talk some business over the cocktail hour that allows for more casual over-spill of enthusiasm for an exciting new trend or shared insight about common hurdles in the business.

Remember, relationships are built on repeated interaction with another.  The Trade Show environment is a concentration of opportunities to build those relationships.  Use the opportunities and they increase your network.

• Appearance:  I’m not talking about Booth Babes, I’m talking about a genuine smile, eye contact and some good basic grooming.  Consider if your networking mission would be helped or hurt by a company logo shirt or some other uniform look.  If your selling a cleaning service, the uniformity and neatness of a unified look might help you connect with the people who keep an eye out to hire cleaning services.  If you’re about financial expertise, on the other hand, you’ll probably want to steer away from bright colored logo-t-shirts.  Know the expected level of dress for the crowd.  If you’re the only one who shows up in blue jeans it might be difficult to mingle and blend, likewise if you’re the only one in a three piece suit.
• Demeanor:  Chances are that, if you have a staff, you have a range of personalities.  There might be someone with great people skills in Human Resources and someone else with less than stellar social skills that lights  up when they discuss your research and development.  If you want to get the word out about the strength of your behind the scenes team, select venues where they can connect easily with other experts who speak their lingo.
• Knowledge:  Networking can only go so far without information to make the connection stick.  Bring enough of the decision makers to make lasting connections.

With more and more companies looking to stretch their marketing dollars, virtual trade shows are becoming commonplace for a multitude of industries. Virtual trade shows look and function like real trade shows, but take place in cyberspace. The online venue may even be designed to look like a convention center, complete with a lobby, lounge and exhibit hall featuring a variety of booths from exhibitors in various industries.

Many of the benefits of virtual trade shows work to the advantage of companies with smaller budgets who cannot always afford the expensive (but necessary) task of attending actual events. Larger companies tend to have a clear advantage in that they can afford the extra costs for premium booth space, podium presentation time, and top advertising on event programs and banners. The cost of this level of participation can sometimes be upwards of  $100,000. Virtual shows offer much smaller entry fees for exhibitors, and little to no entry fee for attendees.

While many of the benefits of these shows are monetary, there are several other reasons to consider exhibiting in or attending a virtual trade show. Exhibitors may track materials that have been downloaded by visitors, giving them a better idea of what marketing messages are more effective than others. Virtual trade shows also cut down on travel time and costs. Since you can run your booth and attend others with the click of a mouse, you are free to do this from anywhere in the world. Virtual trade shows are becoming an attractive “green” alternative to real trade shows.

Despite all of the benefits of holding and attending virtual trade shows, there are a few down sides. First of all, networking opportunities are much more limited when you are not actually walking the aisles of a show, bumping into possible new clients and business contacts. While there are opportunities to “socialize” in the virtual realm, a conversation through an instant message format doesn’t compare to a professional face-to-face conversation. The lack of physical presence also prevents any opportunities to touch and experiment with new products.

If you tend to get easily distracted, virtual trade shows may not be for you. Staying immersed in the show and not in other activities or work can be difficult, as Facebook and email are only a click away.

With more and more businesses increasing the level of technology and “greenness” in their offices, virtual trade shows continue to become more popular. However, depending on the personality of your company and the nature of your products or services, the informal and hands-off environment may or may not be ideal.

When it comes to participating in real trade shows, take this into consideration: a survey was conducted that determined the average cost to contact a prospect in the field was $308 where the average cost to contact a prospect who visited your trade show booth was $212 – about 45% less than field sales. We hope this overview was beneficial in helping you determine if virtual or real trade shows are the way to go for your company.

SOURCE:  Rachael Hill, Map-Dynamics.com

• Brought a copy of that proposal I wanted to make to that company: As you look through the list of conference attendees ask yourself which ones of them appear best positioned to help you promote your product. If it looks like a particularly important buyer will be in attendance, you might even select a person from your sales staff to research, approach and engage that person.
• Come with a list of questions I have on that topic: This is especially important as you look over the list of speakers for the conference. What topics will be discussed? If it’s something you already know well, you might still want to attend the talks anyway to see if they can add anything to your knowledge. Or you may want to think about how you can contribute your knowledge as an audience or panel member. If you speak up in public gatherings you’ll be a more recognizable face on the floor. That tends to make you more approachable, especially if your questions reflect some knowledge in the topic. If it’s a topic to which you have never given much thought, look into it before the conference so you’ll know what you want clarified when you walk into the talk. Being armed with relevant questions gives you an reason to approach and engage the speaker one on one after the talk or later during the conference.
• Looked up the name of that old college roommate: Find connections where ever you can. Even without knowing if a contact is going to be of direct help to you, it helps to prepare yourself to make conversation. If you start a conversation during a meet and greet, you immediately create an approachable space, just make sure you stay slightly turned out as if inviting others to join in. Huddles tend to exclude others and kill networking.
• Felt more comfortable approaching them: If you know not only who will be at the show, but what their business and background are it will be all the easier to enter a room, scan the name tags and come up with someone you can approach. Loners and cliques are the two greatest enemies of networking and both are fear reactions. With knowledge comes power, and comfort. You know what you can offer them or what help you can extend to them. You can become the networking magnet if you have taken just enough time and made just enough effort to operate with comfort as you approach others on the floor.

1)     Is your product new to the market?  If it’s something new to the market, you probably want to build recognition for it.  As you scan the list of attendees who do you see that could help you get the word out?  If your product is truly revolutionary or has already sparked a reaction which indicates a marketing trend of the future, you may want to write up a few articles to send out to magazines or blogs and see who in the industry responds.  Or look into being a speaker for the conference.  Think about what you can give others in terms of insight.  Networking is both give and take so be ready to make offers to contribute to the conference or other vendors.

2)     Does your product (or service) lend itself to collaboration or partnership with other products?  What other vendors in attendance could potentially cross market with you.  Shoot them an email to let them know you want to schedule some time with them at the conference to discuss how you might help each other out.  Or if there are several cross promotion options consider hosting a small get together for several vendors during the conference.

3)     Are you ready to expand your market?  Have you already seen local success?  What is the best way to grow your business from here?  Franchises? Distributers?  Which markets do you think would be good to reach?  Not sure?   Which vendors may be able to help you determine how well your product would go over in their regions?

Networking is a dynamic tool for businesses, and in general, you will never risk being too well known in your industry (unless you’re known for the wrong reasons).  However, you don’t want to miss out on the networking opportunities that would most benefit you and your company at this stage in your company’s development, so set aside a little time to think about your goals and make them part of your networking plan.

Examine the playing field ahead of time:  When you register for a convention or trade show be sure to bookmark the site and check in every week or so to see who will be attending, who will be speaking, and who will be sponsoring each section of the event.   Take some time to look in to who these people are and what they do.  If you discover they could be a potential benefit or partner, research them enough to know how best to approach them.

Pick your team of players:  There are introverts and there are extroverts. There are also, inevitably, certain cliques that form due to our human nature to seek out familiarity.  How often have you gone to a trade show with the intention of networking only to realize you spent the whole time eating each meal with your co-worker, or sitting next to an old acquaintance at all the talks?  Don’t let this happen next time.  It’s a network killer.

Do your homework.  This goes back to your pre-show research.  Find out who the speakers will be and think about the questions you would like to ask that person.  I’m not promoting stalking here, but personal details can make great conversation starters.  Professional questions and observations promote connections as well, if not better, in the business world.  Come armed with information and inquiry.

Get out there.  Don’t skip the keynote, or the break outs, or the social cocktail if your mission is to network.  Not only do you get the obvious benefit of actively participating (a pretty crucial ingredient for networking), but it gives you some common history with other attendees. To be part of the mini-community which is built at each convention or trade show you have to participate.

This is just a gist of how you want to approach networking.  In the next few days I’ll fill in the details.  Though networking is difficult to measure, it should never be underestimated as an important aspect of today’s market.  Make sure you’re prepared to make the most of it next time you go set up your trade show display.

1) No one starts at the top:  There are panels, breakouts, workshops and the other scheduled events which employ some amount of public speaking.  Maybe your start will be something as small as asking a question during a panel discussion.

2)You are not up there alone: In today’s world the tools needed to build a multimedia presentation are available to just about anyone with access to a computer.  Power points can bring in pictures, video, and even some pumping upbeat music.  Not only does this add interest to a presentation, it serves as an outline to keep you from forgetting what you were going to say.

3)You don’t have to go up there cold:  Thanks to social media, you can begin engaging with you potential audience months ahead of the show or conference.  Find and  join the online communities for the event on Facebook, LinkedIn or  Twitter and contribute to the conversation.  You can also invite attendees to visit your own site or blog where you have posted informational videos that place you in their minds as a source of industry expertise.

4) If  you have enough experience in the industry write some articles to be published in industry magazines and blogs, or participate in a webinar so that the trade show audience can more easily recognize you when you speak at the event.

5) Make your goal informational first and foremost.  Your motivation may be to promote your product or service, but a sales pitch will just turn people off and make you look less like an industry leader and more self serving.  Use your time to inform and people will turn to your products because of your industry knowledge.

1.  Collect:  Your methods of collecting information can vary from scanning badges, to a box of contest entries to a stack of business cards.  Let me just say here and now, some of these methods are better than others.The electronic lead retrieval system is quickly becoming a regular feature for many trade shows. Scanners, card swipes, QR readers and apps for smartphones are all  tools which you may find in place for gathering contact information at the next trade show you attend. You want  one of the many systems which  can be customized to allow specific  fields of information.  That is going to be a huge help when it comes time to follow up.                            If you are working without the assistance of all this technology, you will want to design a manual lead sheet. Pre-print a set of lead sheets to serve as a prompt or script for your booth staff  to follow.  This will help you retrieve consistent information and notes on each contact.  Don’t rely on simply collecting business cards which can get easily misplaced and tend to carry illegible scrawl when it comes to any notes taken about the potential client.  Be sure you record all the information you need at that first interaction, so that your follow up call  will be  a continuation of the conversation. You don’t want to have to start all over at square one.
2.  Mine: Sort out the wheat from the chaff, as they say.  Take that collection of information and throw out leads who wrote down little more than a name.  That’s probably a sign that they were interested in your contest, not your product.  Again, it is really good at this point to have some sort of system in place to distinguish a strong lead from a dead end.  You also want the lead to include any information that may help you with the next step.  For this reason, you may want to mine your leads with your booth staff so they can give you feedback on the individual’s level of interest.
3.  Upload: Upload all the lead information to a spreadsheet or CRM (Customer Relationship Management) System.  Leave working space on the data base to make further notes about your contact with the lead and any details about follow-up that need addressing.  Delete any overlap in clients and organize the list to target top leads first.
4.  Act: With-in five days post-event, send a thank you email to contacts who stopped by your booth.  You may also want to make a follow-up phone call or send people you spoke with a direct mail piece that contains a survey for their feedback.

Find your target:  You know your type, or at least what you’re looking for.  You have some understanding of where you are best received.  No one walks into a bar and shouts out “Who wants to go out with me?” (Well, if they do, they’re either drunk or an idiot.)  That’s what a purchased list bulk e-mail is.  It is basically spam.  When spam calls, most of us don’t pick up.

Prepare your approach with your target in mind:  What are you offering this person (or business)?  How might you serve their needs? What is there that can potentially be built on between you?

Show up looking sharp:  A clean and streamlined display with graphics that project an image that is vibrant and professional send the message that you are a secure bet for good investment of time and resources.  I find you standing there inside black drapes with a fiberboard sign Velcroed slightly askew on your path-blocking convention table, I’m leaving you for the truss next door.

Use the chemistry of interaction:  Be personable and remember their relevant information.  If you’ve ever addressed you date by the wrong person’s name, you know how that can kill a moment.

Be prepared to impress upon your date why you meet their needs:  Just as if you promised your date a night at the opera or front seats at the Mavericks game, show wouldn’t show up without the tickets, or on an empty tank of gas.  Bring the materials you will need to pick up at the point of sale you have reached, be it brochures or a power point on a USB stick for the higher-ups or a contract of sale.

Leave them with a promise to call:  Be sure they leave you a way and a preference for contacting them again.  Scan their badge, have a business card drop, or have electronic data entry forms on a tablet at your display or connected to a QR code they can scan with their smartphone.

Call them: or email, or twitter, but be sure to follow up, and not weeks or months later, but within a week of the encounter.

Treating that trade show contact like first date may not apply on every level in every case, but the basic guidelines do give you a good path to building a lasting business relationship.

Select one product or offering to center on:  Think about the average press piece that comes out of a Trade Show.  Have you ever read an article that raved about the wide spectrum of options and gadgets available from a company?  I’m guessing not, because what makes news is a new idea, a product debut, a single and spectacular standout.  Pick one thing to focus your display on and then really explore how you can make it interesting.

Streamline your message.  You have a product or service and it sells because it addresses a need.  It helps people with a specific issue.  Your sales strategy may be pulled from a collection of who what where when and why input, but what comes out on the trade show floor needs to be a singular and clear message: This is What We Do.

Cut the clutter.  Think space.  No one wants to linger in tight booths or risk banging their shins on pieces of furniture and equipment.  A large open space in the center of your display actually creates an inviting retreat from the floor.  Less is more.

Focus on your target:  If your target is whiny kids, then by all means set out a dish of chocolates.  I recently saw a swimming pool contractor display that had a bowl of chocolate bars out on the trade show table.  I had to stop and ask them “Really?  Do you want me thinking about how much I love chocolate and caramel, or about how willing I am to put on a bathing suit and go swim?”

Don’t over staff your booth:  Nothing shuts people out like a clique.  If attendees see a cluster of your staff sitting around talking they’re not  likely to interrupt the conversation.  Keep the minimum number in the booth (send any extra staff out on the floor to scout out industry news, make industry alliances, or just do a little advertising with that spiffy company t-shirt they’re wearing.)

Select one engaging activity.  You’re not running a carnival, but if you have one clear and interesting contest or challenge, people will tend to stop and try it out.  Once one person stops, it can attract others.  Nothing promotes your booth like a line of people waiting with a happy expectation to participate.

Selecting the right trade shows for your company to attend can be quite an overwhelming challenge. Besides the massive number of annual events that take place all over the world, there is also new trade shows constantly exploding onto the scene each year that need to be taken into consideration. So how does one even begin to identify the right trade shows to exhibit at?

A veteran trade show exhibitor can attest that the best way to meet this challenge is to have a solid plan in place by first determining his or her company’s market, sales goals and promotional objectives. Once these target objectives are fully understood, the exhibitor can begin to identify the proper trade show for his or her industry.

According to Skip Cox, president of Exhibit Surveys Inc., a trade show industry research firm based in Red Bank, New Jersey, the trade show selection process should begin with serious background research. Here are a couple of his tips on how you can research the right trade show for your company:

1. Research the trends in your industry – new technologies, competitors’ preferences, customers’ bias and so on. Then search for trade shows that reflect these trends. Read trade publications in your field, as they are a very good source of the latest news in your industry. Contact the editorial staff of trade publications to learn more about the latest breakthroughs in your business arena. Conduct Internet research on companies that are making news with exciting new products or services in your field. Contact your trade associations to explore what companies they believe are leading the way. Then, seek out trade shows that are in tune with these trends.

2. Interview your co-workers and people in your field as to what trade shows match up with your client’s needs. By zeroing in on your client’s profile, you can determine what trade shows mirror your needs. Get input from your top marketing and upper management staff to determine what your market is. In addition, get feedback from your product and marketing managers and also your field salespeople who are normally face-to-face with clients and have a real understanding of their needs.

In fact, according to an Exhibitor Magazine survey of trade show exhibit managers who sought help in selecting trade shows to attend, the most influential input on selecting trade shows came from the sales staff (35%). They were followed by:

• Marketing Staff (32%)

• Show Management Statistics (24%)

• Upper Management (20%)

• Following where the competition goes (20%)

• Customer Suggestions (18%)

• Other (12%)

• Product Development Staff (8%)

The respondents checked off all of the resources that applied.

SOURCE: Dick Wheeler, ProExhibits.com

For more information on best practices for trade shows, we invite you to visit our Learning Center at: http://www.displaysanddesigns.com/learningcenter.asp

1.      Be on time:  If your booth is only half set up, or even worse, a vacant gap on the floor when the doors open, you have already sent a signal about how well you can handle other peoples’ needs or solve their problems.  Use a conference room at your work place to run through the set up with your team so there are no snags on the exhibition floor and so your staff has sopme understanding of the space they’ll be working from.

2.     Be present:  Texting and cell phones seem omnipresent in todays’ world, but once you are part of the booth staff all laptops and handheld devices should be out of sight.  Make sure your reps are ready to make eye contact and are well versed in what they need to know to inform visitors about the solutions you can offer the attendees.

3.     Be a good record keeper:  Have some consistent way to record contacts ,leads and other interactions at the show.   Make sure your staff understands any data collecting technology in use on the trade show floor.   If you have a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system, make sure your staff is taking down all the relevant  information for the system input.

4.     Look professional and approachable:  The booth staff is your public face at the show.  Make sure the people who will be representing your company understand the repercussions of the way they look and behave in that extremely public format.  From pushy to aloof, predict where your staff may run afoul and don’t hesitate to walk them through a few trial encounters in a practice session in the weeks before the show.

5.     Be a link:  Make sure your booth staff has the information to answer questions and requests, or at the very least has access to someone who can answer questions and requests.  Don’t leave your booth staff underprepared and isolated.  Keep them in contact with the company.

6.     Debrief:  As the show comes to end, get feedback on what the booth staff experienced.  Get information from them while it is still fresh in their minds and then make sure any follow up gets done in a prompt and effective manner.

I recently strolled through a home show and was actually surprised to see how few of the exhibitors had even thought to take advantage of the striking high tension fabric displays, bold graphics and interactive additions available in today’s modular display market.  Before you order your modular display ask yourself if it can accommodate:

Booth Interactives:  How will you engage the potential client, and what space design accommodates the way in which you plan to interact? When it comes to engaging the consumer or potential client, interactive exibits win hands-down. Consider how you might make use of your space to engage with customers.

• Do you need a truss which gives you separate sections which visitors can stroll through?
• Do you need a kiosk or monitor stand for displaying a video or an interactive touch screen?
• Do you need table tops to hold ipads or electronic tablets which can hold informative interactive games and/or  product demonstrations?
• Do you need screens or graphics with QR codes in order to allow attendees to download e-literature to e-mail it to the home office?

Measurement Tools: Check the trade show web site to find out the data generation technologies that will be in place at the show

Which ones will your target audience be most receptive to, and what specific information you want to be able to gather from them?

Do you have access to equipment to scan badges for information?  In what space will you place it?  How much room will it require?

Showcase Your Whole Show Exposure:  Removable graphics, or scrolling display screens give you the options of displaying different daily updates.  Will you or someone from your company be speaking at the conference, leading a roundtable, or making a presentation?  Include in your display design a way to put that information right there in your booth where people can immediately associate your company experts with your product.

Follow through on any campaigns you started online: What kind of preshow materials did you send out?  If you are expecting to work out in person the details of a deal started online, make sure all the relevant materials are easily accessible from your display and that, if needed you have an area for closing contracts.

The graphics on any pre-show promotions which you have sent out should match your display so that you are quickly recognizable on the floor.  For this reason, it’s important to have your creative visuals planned in time to incorporate them in both your literature and your display graphics.

Planning is an important step in Trade Show success.  Make sure it carries through to your display.

1. Budget.  When surveying potential customers, don’t simply ask if they have a budget large enough to consider your product.  Ask if they have an allocation for your product, what the allocation is, and if they are currently using a competitor what would they consider a competitive offer?  If there is no allocation, what conditions would need to be in place for them to justify including such a product or service in their allocated budget? Which takes you to—
2. Need.  Is there a need for your product or service?  Why or why not?  What conditions would make your product or service valuable to this potential customer?  Do they see those sorts of changes in their business outlook?
3. Authority.  Who is the person making the decisions regarding a product or service such as yours?  If the person attending the show does not have authority to purchase, can they get approval to do so, or do they have sufficient influence on the people who do?
4. Time.  The “T” in BANT shows up as “timeframe,” “timing,” “timeline” and just about every other variation of the question that boils down to: “When does this company or individual plan to make the purchase of a product or service such as yours?”  In addition you want to know if that’s a definite time frame or an estimated time frame.  What incentives would encourage them to rethink their timeframe?

By sending a BANT survey out to trade show attendees prior to the event, you can find your high value targets and give them your focus.  That way, your customer face time will not be wasted on dead end leads, but invested in the one-on-one productivity that leads to sustainable business relationships.

• The decline of the booth babe: The tech and auto industries have long had a male audience and so became conditioned to use the philosophy that “Sex Sells”. There are die-hard marketers who swear this is still true however the general chatter out there implies the times they are a changing.’ After last month’s CES countless bloggers asked the same question which launch consultant Joshua Weinberg argued so eloquently here: Can We Finally Say: Bye-Bye Booth Babes? So I’ll put this in Mr. Weinberg’s words:

Nowadays, to break through the noise, companies need an innovative product, a great user experience and clear communications. Booth babes provide none of these, and can even distract from the stories that companies are trying to tell. I have typically found that the companies using booth babes do not have much of substance to show, or are trying to mask other problems. And in the unusual case when it is a great product being promoted by a booth babe, many people miss it, because they make an assumption that it couldn’t be a great product if it is being promoted by a booth babe.

• Who will foster the connections you want to build? Does it need to be someone outgoing or is knowledge of the product a trait that has more value? You may want to consider a booth team put together from a combination of PR , marketing and design. Are you there to get feedback on your brand perception? Have someone on hand from research and development to employ measurement tactics for feedback.
• Where in the buying cycle will attendees fall? Do you plan to primarily introduce a new product or service or is this a more industry intensive trade show? Will you have started balls rolling before the trade show and need someone from your company with some authority to be there and further or close the transaction?

You want to use that Trade Show advantage of a face to face interaction to foster a deeper connection with attendees, and drive commerce. An engaging staff can provide education that helps the customer use the product well and to its full potential and that reflects well on your businesses. By placing the best staff possible in that person to person setting, you will prove that you value your customer relationships and that is a strategy that will keep your business strong.

Do: 

1. Make a selective list of recipients.

Many trade show websites will have a directory of participants.  Rather than blasting the entire list, do a little research (or hire a temp for a day to do it).  Ask yourself “Which of these participants could I benefit?  Which are most likely to benefit me?”

Review your goals for the upcoming trade show.  Who do you want  to interact with at this show?  Past clients?  Potential clients?  Potential partners with whom to run a coordinated  campaign?  Make your e-mail list out of these specific names.

2. Engage them as quickly as possible with an action.

•           Ask for their input in a survey
•           Direct them to your website
•           Link them to a video
•           Take them to a microsite tailored around the upcoming trade show

3. Include an e-mail signature which contains all of your contact information for easy reference

4. Use a clear and recognizable name in the “From” box to show you are a trusted sender

Don’t :

1 Do NOT spam.  Send out information to a select group, never a purchased list.  If there are several different groups within your selected list (potential clients, past clients, potential partners, potential mentors), be sure you personalize the approach to each group.  And if you plan to send follow ups, give them an easy out with a one click “unsubscribe” button.

2. Do NOT send attachments:  Attachments have become synonymous with the Trojan Horse which brought down Troy.  All sorts of things crawl in on attachments and that little paperclip often acts as a red flag which get you deleted immediately.

3 Do NOT overlook your subject line:  If you don’t stand out in the subject line, there’s a good chance you’ll be swept out of the box with all the other debris.  Make your subject line direct, catchy and enticing.  No abbreviations, shortcut slang, or UPPERCASE font or exclamation marks.  Hyperbole is unprofessional in any subject line.

A pre-show e-mail which engages response from recipients saves you valuable time on the trade show floor.  It can begin discussion which gets you to the second or third step in a transaction instead of making you begin with a cold start on the floor.  It allows you to weed out serious leads from others so that you can make the best use of your trade show time focusing on the highest quality leads.  And it gets you on the list; you remember that list?   The one that 2/3 of all attendees now walk onto the trade floor holding in their hand?  Without an engaging introduction before the show, you are not going to be on that list.

The good news is that, in this day and age of increased communication, you have at least three options for making that preshow contact:

1. Direct Mail:    Direct-mail (as in that paper brochure or post card that gets delivered to an actual physical mail box, post office box, or letter tray) has definitely lost its dominance,  but that does not mean it is obsolete (even if this blogger does feel a need to specify what exactly “mail” in the “old-school” sense means).  Depending on your industry, or niche market, it may still be your wisest choice.  Certain professions (veterinarians, for instance), age groups, and markets simply respond better to a piece of mail in hand.
2. The Phone Call:  Some people live on the phone.  They  are naked without their blue tooth.  They have no issue with greeting a friend or acquaintance with a raised finger to indicate “Wait a second. I’ll be with you right after this call.”  How this differs from telling the other person “Stand there and wait for me in hushed silence.” I’m not exactly clear, but that’s probably because I fall into that opposite category of reflexively yelling “Tell them I’m out” when I hear the phone ring.  People who regularly rely on their phones for communication, however, may find a phone call more personable and efficient.  A good guideline is to consider your business connection.  Have you met face to face?  Will your name spark recognition?  If it’s a cold call, you may want to take a less direct approach, but if it’s an established connection or a promising lead, pick up the phone and let them know you are interested in connecting.
3. E-mail and the ever expanding world of electronic communication:  This is quick, easy and easily measured.  It is also easily deleted, bumped to a spam box or otherwise dismissed without ever being opened.  Then again, it’s the most versatile form of communication which offers an entire avenue of responses.  It can share many things with direct mail, but costs less and can travel farther faster.  It also have the increasing appeal of being an environmentally friendly option.

Whichever form of pre-show communication you choose, remember that your goal with pre-show contacts is determine your target audience so your time at the Trade Show is spent with quality leads.  It is also a way to get past the initial determination of how to serve a customer’s needs so that you are ready to delve into some specific targeted solutions when you meet up on the Trade Show floor.

Go into the meeting prepared to drive the discussion. Have your analytics and data from previous shows, or (if you don’t have your own) research the data on the show in past years (such as who has typically attended and what results came out of popular exhibits?). The more you know about each show, the more you will be able to determine if the show is worth investing your company’s budget into.

Questions on objectives:

• What is your current brand perception, or how much input do even have on your brand perception?
• What type of brand awareness are you trying to drive?
• To what problem are you offering a solution?
• What is your edge over competitors?
• What values do you want to convey?

What past experience and data can show you:

• Who is your target audience?
• Is there a target audience you may have been overlooking?
• What approach does your target audience respond to best? (Humor, High-Tech, Friendly, Formal?)
• Has your company recently won any award which you want to promote?
• To which audience will that award be relevant?
• Which leads are you most likely to meet at each potential venue?

Questions on goals:

• How much product do you want to sell?
• What is the end result you want from the show?
• What achievable goal constitutes success?

If you lay out a goals that can be measured from the very beginning, you get everyone on the same page, you have something to communicate to creative, and you have a measurement you can use to determine if a particular show was successful. As put by Mark Rogers, Vice President of Business Development at Global Experience Specialists (GES):
“A solid set of achievable goals and objectives not only provides the roadmap for the rest of the campaign, it establishes a clear line of accountability for the sales and marketing team that will become more important when the program is being measured post-event. If your objectives can’t clearly answer the question, ‘What specifically are we trying to do?’ go back and keep at it until they do.”
Sound advice from an expert.

Get on the Short List:  If two thirds of trade show attendees walk through the door with a list of the displays he or she intends to visit, be sure you are one of the names on the list.  That means you need to build awareness before the trade show.

The Brainstorming Session:  Use all the resources you have in your personnel.   Meet with each department, from Sales and Marketing to Customer Service and Research and Development.  Get key team members from each department thinking about how what they want to gain from the trade show venue.  Then have a brainstorming session where you pull together ideas and visions to build your pre-trade show strategy.

The Strategy Brief: This is a document that gives the creative team the direction it needs develop a creative and successful campaign.  Filled with insights and information from your staff, this tells the creative team what problems your product solves and should define the take away message that you want every potential client who comes through your booth to walk away with and remember.

Implement Your Strategy:  Once your goals are in place and your campaign designed, begin to get the word out.  Remember, you want your name on the short list and only advance awareness can get you there.

Waiting until you’re on the trade show floor will never attract the traffic of a well-planned and promoted pre-show strategy.  When created with the input and resources of your entire team, the campaign will have staying power to work across different shows and the flexibility to be adjusted to different audiences.  An effective campaign strategy will have your display working in more trade shows than you realize.  Planning makes your portable trade show display an excellent business investment that will serve you for a long time to come.

• Hired or in-house?  Will you be turning to an event staffing agency to supply your street team?  Is there a college in the area whose student s might make a good street team for the day?  Do you have people on your staff available to set out on foot and round up the target market?
• Level of engagement?  How will your street team interact with the public.  Will they approach them directly?  Hand out a promotional item or sample?  Maybe they’ll give them an opportunity to enter a contest or teat a skill at your display.
• Target audience?  You want a street team that can work for your target audience.  Models may work well on computer geeks, but women in the fashion industry or home product targets may have had their fill of models and be ready for something that intrigues or entertains them on another level.
• Make your team uniform:  Street teams are sometimes incognito “undercover” marketers, but in the spirit of the trade show being an exhibition about the various players in the industry, give your street team the added role of brand recognition.  Backpacks or t-shirts bearing your logo can spread word of your trade show presence for a radius of several blocks.

However you approach it, giving your booth a street team will add a dynamic that extends you reach and increases the traffic that beats a path to your trade show display.

Benefits of Promotional Marketing (3 Important Factors):

1. 1.   Very cost effective – best value for ROI, can also fit any   budget

1. 2.   Effective use of company branding and message

1. 3.   Create a lasting impression

Reasons (Goals) for purchasing promotional/specialty items:

 ·        To drive more traffic to your booth

·        Which leads to face to face interaction

·        Which generates more leads (fills the pipeline)

·        And ultimately leads to more sales of your product and/or  service!

Global Advertising Specialties Impressions Study –

A cost analysis of promotional products versus other advertising media conducted by Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) in July & August,2010

A team conducted personal interviews with business people in a variety of industries who regularly attended tradeshows in 2010.

In-person interviews were done in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles.  Respondents were asked if they received any promotional products within the last 12 months.

A total of 3,332 surveys were completed and here are highlights of the survey:

 Top ten types of items owned:

                                Rank – 2010      Rank – 2008

Writing instruments                                      1                                     1         46%

Shirts                                                     2                                     2         38%

Calendars                                                         3                           7         24%

Bags                                                                   4                                     4   23%

Caps/Headwear                               5                                       3         16%

Desk/Office Business

Accessories                                     6                           6         16%

Food Items                                      7                          n/a       12%

Glassware/Ceramics                                      8                                      5         11%

Health & Safety Products               9                                      n/a       9%

Jackets/Hoodies/Sweatshirts        10                                   n/a       4%

 Reasons for keeping item:

                                     2010              2008

Useful                                                   75%                    81%

Attractive                                                         27%                26%

Enjoyable to have                           19%                      n/a

Refer to information                       6%                         3%

(phone number, website, etc.)

Some other reason                          10%                       n/a

 Business done with advertiser after receiving item:

                               2010                2008

Recognition- awards/

Trophies, plaques                          71%                                      77%

Glassware/Ceramics                      70%                            65%

Shirts                                                               65%                          70%

Calendars                                                       65%                           59%

Bags                                               59%                                68%

Caps/Headwear                              57%                           67%

Writing Instruments                      57%                          53%

Desk/Office/Business

Accessories                               56%                                   52%

Electronics/Computer                    55%                          n/a

Food Items                                    55%                          n/a

**60% of respondents have done business with the advertiser after receiving an item**

4.  Fate of Items not kept:

                                2010               2008

Throw item away                            22%                            34%

File item away and never

Notice it again                               15%                         20%

Give item to someone else             62%                             51%

Type of items owned (by gender)

                                    Male                  Female

Writing instruments                                    46%                            56%

Shirts                                                   42%                            30%

Caps/Headwear                                           20%                            12%

Calendars                                                       19%                                        28%

Bags                                                                 16%                            26%

Desk/Office Business

Accessories                                   16%                            18%

Food Items                                    12%                            14%

Health & Safety Products               8%                            11%

Electronics/Computer                     6%                             2%

Jackets/Hoodies/Sweatshirts        5%                             6%

**People ages 45 – 54 own the most promotional products @ 9.8 products (average) than any other age group**

Additional effective promotional/specialty items:

USB drive (pre-loaded) – great company branding opportunity, unique styles and colors, functional use (recommended 1 or 2G min. free uploads – company info)  ($6 – 8 range per item)

Hand sanitizer / lip balm -  very cost effective, caters to the healthy customer (.75 – $1.25 range per item)

Bottled water – also very cost effective, instant use (.60-.65 range per item)

Aluminum water bottle – environmentally conscious, new and popular product ($4.50 – 7.50 range depending on size per item)

Adhesive Screen cleaner – cost effective, technological new product, great branding opportunity, functional use ($1 – 2 range per item)

Planting seeds – cost effective, creative idea, environmentally conscious  ($1.25 – 2.50 range per item)

Cookies – creative idea, enjoyable to have ($2.50 – 3.50 range per item)

Promotional items (not recommended):

Neon sunglasses– Since 1989, does anyone wear these anymore?

Stress balls – Too easy to misplace, difficulty with branding message

Key Chains – Outdated, lack of use

Flashlight – Lack of return on investment, too many out there?

Beverage holder – Lack of lasting impression, easily lost

Candy – You get what you pay for, great for Halloween only!

QR Codes – on promotional items

Advantages include:

• New technology
• Creates lots of buzz / curiousity factor
• Create opportunity for additional branding message / video
• Lots of advertising “bang” in a small area
• No additional costs involved

Avoid these pitfalls: 

• Request a completed hard sample to make sure the code scans properly (it’s worth the additional expense)!
• Code must be set up a minimum size of ¾” square –black and white including a “quiet zone”
•  Promotional item must be large enough to accommodate a ¾” square with a recommended flat surface

VIP client, employee recognition gift ideas (higher budgets):

• Umbrella ( wood handle – 4-color process – $20 – 25 per item)
• Custom usb drive (depending on memory and custom design – $15- 20 per item)
• Gift basket ($25 – 100 per item)
• Padfolio ($7 – 15 per item)
• Bottle of wine (including custom case – $10 – 100 range per item)

Premier Printing can help with all your Promotional Items and Printing Materials. http://www.Premier-Printing.us

We live in a video age. One may wonder how many monumental live moments, such as a child’s first steps, were seen through a camera lens. And the generation which is growing into today’s consumers are comfortable with that. They film themselves and each other and post it in any network space that gives them room. Still, it is a curious thing about human nature, that even if you post a video of yourself for all the wide world to see, it is not going to compare to being featured in someone else’s video. Get the word out that you are filming a commercial–it may just be a promo to run on your website, or it might eventually be aired regionally or even nationally. Announce screen tests for anyone who stops by your display. Have an area of your display set aside to record attendees reciting a particular slogan or finishing a sentence about your product or service. Take other shots of people in and around your booth, especially if they’re enjoying themselves.
At the end of a week long expo you will probably have more than enough film to make a epic documentary, but instead you are are going to splice together a montage of all those smiles and quotes and slogans–all with your display graphics flashing across the backdrop–and have yourself a nice little publicity piece. Make sure you have releases signed before you make any public distribution, but that should be easy enough. Anyone who makes an appearance can fill out information allowing you to contact them to see the finished product. Chances are good, if you film a few hundred people, your ad will get a few hundred clicks where ever you post it. That’s getting a good amount of mileage out of your portable display even if it only traveled as far as the Expo floor.