Monthly Trade Show Review Coming 2011

  Starting with the January 2011 CES show in Las Vegas I will be covering a number of different types of shows each month looking for new ideas, new trends in exhibits, booths, promotional items, materials and marketing ideas that work. 

Hits and Misses

We will also offer up awards for “Hits”: in small displays, presentation, marketing, promotional items, and staff as chosen by my fellow attendees at the shows (by interview, Twitter,).  The idea is to feature those companies who are doing the right things to take advantage of the trade show environment. Creative new ideas and best used of space and materials.  This not a measure of how much is spent or how fancy the display it is about execution.
It is often said you lean more from mistakes than success so with that in mind we will also have the “That Sucks” aware for those companies who really do all the wrong things including but not limited to: embarrassing themselves, their customers, exhibits done in poor tasted or extremely bad design or just bad taste in general.  While we will not do any public “hanging” we will talk about why they won the distinction and what could be done to avoid repeating their success. 

Three in a Row

The first three shows are very important shows in their respective industries: CES the biggest show for Consumer Electronics, The Affiliate Summit (also in Vegas) the most important show relating to Affiliate Internet marketing, and finally the PPAI Show for the promotional products industry.  These shows run back to back from January 6 to 9 for CES Jan 9- 11 for Affiliate show and 11-14 for the PPAI Show.
I will be attending each of these shows to meet with exhibitors and attendees to gage their mood, trends and outlook for their respective industries for the coming year.  I will be taking pictures for educational purposes not to embarrass anyone but to make everyone’s trade show experience better.  If your booth is picked for an “award” you will be notified before the results are published.

Year End Reviews are always to late

While it is good to look back on the year in review I think it is more valuable to look at trends as they are developing during the year so you can take advantage of them before it is history.  Good luck in 2011 let’s all look forward and not backwards this year to make all our trade shows more fun and profitable.

Apple Does not do Retail but Does a great Exhibit

 
With over 300 stores worldwide one would be excused if they thought Apple was in retail. Fact is they do sell their products at these locations but to call it retail is to ignore the obvious. Apple marketing is not like anyone else’s, as many of its competitors wrongly assume but its many loyal “Fans” know.  Apple is different so why should their stores not be different.

Retail is an environment where Apple Stores are part of an eco system

Retail is about place, products, pricing, and promotion. In retail making a sale is the primary focus for a store; the retail environment is where everything relating to the customer experience, from the different products on display, visible inventory, music, feature displays, special product placements, promotions, and personnel (clerks) serve the goal of increasing the chance someone will make a purchase. Walk into nearly any retail environment and you will find these key elements along with a “theme” that is usually distinctive and conducive to “shopping”.

If the comparison stopped here Apple would clearly not be classified as a “real” retailer, they have no inventory on display, no promotion, no music, no clerks (not the same as Apple well trained staff) , and very few non Apple products and no competitive products to compare.

Apple has figure out if they did not invent the concept of “eco-system marketing” where everything relating to Apple reinforces the Apple vision of itself. The products, the marketing message, the colors, are all part of the “design elements” included in the total eco system are all non-Apple products approve by Apple that support and promote the Apple vision.  But most critical is Apple’s ability to totally control the message.

Apple does not do random and it certainly does not follow convention

This is not to say Apple does not make mistakes or missteps it does and will in the future the difference is they know what they want to accomplish, so if it does not work as designed (be it product, marketing campaign, whatever) they recognize it early enough to cut their losses. Where others see failed products as a failure Apple sees it as a learning experience and moves on.
Apple is always promoting itself from the perspective of a total experience where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.  It is not the product apart from the whole it is the total experience, solution, and empowerment that comes from buying into the Apple vision.

So if the Apple stores are not retail stores what are they?

Apple gives the public a trade show exhibit experience not a retail experience. Interesting Apple has a history of avoiding any trade shows where they do not have complete control like CES in favor  of their own hosted shows (MacWorld, Apple Expo) to great success.  When those shows no longer serve the Apple purpose they move on.
  At a trade show the exhibitors have their own booth space to exhibit their products and promote their company.  They do this in a venue with 100s if not 1,000s of other companies all vying for the attention of the attendees.  In some ways trade shows offer a greater chance to make a sale because of the close association of industry related companies as the exhibitors are not mutual exclusive so attendees are free to pick and choose which companies they will do business.  In the consumer retail world very much like shopping in shopping malls where there are a lot of shopping choices.
The real difference is focus, where retail is about making a sale of a product.  Trade shows are about selling the Company’s message.  The company’s vision, along with its products are all on display within their booth space.  When done properly the booth “sells” the company to the attendees.  The exhibitors display their products in demo areas where attendees are invited to touch and feel the products in a control environment exclusive of competitive products.  Where knowledgeable staffers are available to interface with attendees hopefully to convert them into customers.    
Apple has all its products out for all to touch and play with, in a very non promotional layout, with no visible inventory or non-Apple product in the demo area.  Ever seen an HP computer or NOKIA phone in an Apple Store?
As the trade show booth staffs are divided by functions so when they meet visitors in the booth they can provide the right people for the right situation, Apple’s store staff is divided by functions and trained to be experts if not a “genius”. 
When third party products are part of a trade show display it is to show support for the exhibitors products more than promote the other product like you would expect in a retail environment.  Ever notice how the non Apple products are on display shelves in the back of the store?

So why is it important in a Trade Show related article?

In my mind Apple has taken the trade show concept of “selling” the message not products to accomplish their corporate goals beyond just selling products.  Apple has proven when consumers buy into their message the products take care of themselves and competition is left far behind.   Apple is selling a message at its stores they don’t care if you come in just to look and touch the products without making a purchase as long as you are sold on the Apple vision.
Sooner or later they know they will get you as a customer if you buy into the vision. No retailer could afford to have people buying only into their vision while not buying their products, since Apple can afford to wait one can only conclude they are not in Retail.

EXHIBITOR magazine - Article: Deadly Intentions, November 2010

Theme displays can be a very dangerous strategy at trade shows given the possibility of a flop causing a company a real loss of market share. But sometimes it works beyond expectations.  I think this is the case with the  PayLock LLC exhibit at the International Parking Institute Conference & Expo published in a case study by Linda Armstrong.

It's best when she tells the story.  The real test if it works is when attendees love it and competitors complain.

EXHIBITOR magazine - Article: Deadly Intentions, November 2010

3 Tradeshow Myths and How to Handle Them

 

I: You get what you pay for

If only it was true. True quality is relative to the price but not always the direct match we are lead to believe. Many companies waste money by poor planning, poor execution, and poor choice of vendors. The unfortunate aspect of tradeshows is the enormous amount of details which needs to be resolved in a relative short period of time.

Three things you can do to save your company money;

1. Don’t become the bottleneck in the process, if you are reading this it means you are in a position to impede or expedite decisions that have a direct impact on cost and performance of your tradeshow group.
2. Develop a schedule of things to be done and delegate the items to others who can perform them just as well as you but be very specific of the task and appropriate actions to be taken.
3. Make sure your vendors have actual tradeshow experience and dedicated to helping you, not just themselves.
The pop-up on the left is $3,330 the pop-up on right cost $2,727 same product different vendors.
.     

II: The more the better

This is true when referring to qualified leads but not much else regarding tradeshows. More space, more show floor promotions, more bags, more handouts, more staff, more product, more signs, etc. do not compare to more prepared. And certainly more money is not always the answer, although sometimes it is.
To get more of the first (qualified leads, sales) without spending more of the last (money) YOU meaning you need to realize how important your role is in the process and realize the clearer your desires are presented earlier in the process the better the results. Five minutes of your time at the right time can save hours and hundreds if not thousands of dollars later.

Three things you can do to better impact the process;

1. Set out in clear written form the company’s objectives for each tradeshow, including how it fits into the corporate strategy, how success should be measured, the budget and your hot buttons, (the things only you can judge). Then get it approved by those who will judge the success.

2. Utilize your staff to handle important tasks while outsourcing those tasks others can do better at lower cost so you and your staff can do the jobs that will have the greatest impact.
3. Require all booth staff to attend training before they can staff a booth. The pair on the right are too busy with texting to pay any attention to attendees at this very busy (except for their booth) show.  
       

(Photo iStockphoto.com and Preempt Marketing)

III: A tradeshow is just a tradeshow or your marketing and sales department believe “tradeshows are a big waste of …”

These words are music to the ears of a competitor who really understands the value of a successful tradeshow. Tradeshows are expensive but with a good strategy, good execution, and good follow-up the results can be spectacular. And no a tradeshow is not any tradeshow they are all different and the results to be gained are directly related to the choices made for going into the show in the first place. Finally if your tradeshows have been a waste of time, money or resources then you are dealing with the wrong approach.
(iStockphoto)

Three ways to tell if you are on the right track.

1. Company (meaning management) have developed clear trade show strategies including but not limited to:

1.1. Written goals for each show (i.e. leads, sales , meetings, etc.)

1.2. Realistic budget for each show

1.3. Approved staff training

2. Also given you the authority to match the responsibility you have with each show.
3. Make themselves available on short notice to deal with approvals where you need their input.

   

It may be a bit of a stretch to think you would  ever have everything you want but make sure you at least have what you need. Look to other departments not normally in the process for help when you need internal help, like HR for training help. Many companies have cut staff in trade show departments, if they had one at all but given the short term nature of events it should be possible to pull in other corporate resources to help if timed properly. Managers should be involved when their departments are responsible for certain elements of the show (marketing, product managers, sales).

Are Social Media and Trade Shows on a collision course or are they heading down the aisle?

Several months ago I would not have even thought about this question much less thought about it enough to actually do some research.  I was not so much surprised by the results as I was the speed in which the question and answer became obvious.

I attended the ARM Tech conference (#ARMTechcon) in Santa Clara today and if you are not familiar with ARM technology then all you have to do is look at the smart phone you have in your hand and any one of a thousand intelligent electronic products to see what these people do.  They make and program the brains in many intelligent product applications that impact our lives every day.  I point this out because as far as Geek shows go this is about as close as it comes to the alpha point of all geeks (at least those that go out in public).

What struck me right off were the signs all around promoting the use of mobile devices from completing your registration, to joining the Twitter Scavenger Hunt and Tweetup for prizes to be held during the show.  Remember these are the engineers who make the things that control the world not Bloggers, or 2.0 web people or Internet touchy feely types these are HARDWARE engineers working at the machine level.

So to me, after attending Blog World and 100’s of other Internet shows were everything at the show is about social media this show actually used it for what it is and not a product to be promoted.  The difference the was clear when next door Enterprise 2.0 was having its conference with the hall ways full of signs all about enterprise and business learning how to use social media, in other words promoting Social media as a thing.  While back at the ARM Expo the engineers were actually using it at their trade show for the attendees in an organized way.  So what if it was for a scavenger hunt it was still interesting to me as a trade show guy for several reasons which have nothing to do with Social media the thing but the application.

The “Scavenger Hunt” is a two day event with a “Pre-Competition Tweetup” located in the Expo Hall theatre from 5:30 to 6:30 to “Meet your competition, get your phone set , beer party…” get together today (#ARM_Hunt).  Tomorrow the actual hunt will be from 1 to 2 in the Expo hall.  Having a contest on the trade show floor so attendees go around to sponsoring booths is nothing new.  It is a good idea in smaller shows where the attendees are very similar in backgrounds and interests.

The twist on this one is to use Twitter to communicate to people who are all within sight of each other in such a way that the contest rules are not visible to anyone not participating.   No better way to create interest than to make it seem as if the information is special or exclusive.  The very nature of a scavenger hunt makes it noticeable by casual observers which create interest and the circle repeats.

This may be no big deal to those of you who spend more than 20 minutes a day on Twitter but it introduces an interesting element in the trade show marketing mix.  For example, is this only available to “sponsors” at the show or can any exhibitor participate just by joining in with a Tweet offering a contest of their own.  Is this a way for the show organizers to make more money from sponsors or is this a useful tool for exhibitors and attendees?

Regardless, I now see Social Media as much a tool for trade shows as the banner stand.  The questions going forward for exhibitors is this something they should put into their trades show assets or just leave it with the marketing and sales department, thus making it independent of the show floor?

Somehow I think asking the question is a little rhetorical.

Pop-ups Traditional and New

The Pop-ups’ name comes from the easy way they setup.  The 10 foot frames literally pop-up from a compact 13” wide by 36” long to a 10 feet (98” to 117”) wide X 8 feet high (88” to 94”) unit.  The sizes
of any particular unit may vary by manufacturer but only within 3 to 4 inches in width or height.
Pop-ups range in size from simple table top design to 10 feet wide by 12 feet tall (the 12 foot high model is not
allowed in most linear booths on the show floor).  For the purpose of this writing the Pop-ups are divided into two general categories; the traditional Pop-up and the new Fabric Pop-ups.  While the basic frames are
similar there are significant differences, which will be discussed below. 
Short Version Comparison of Traditional to New Fabric pop-ups:
The traditional pop-up is defined by having a series of panels, either Velcro receptive fabric or mural graphic
panels held in place by individual channel bars.  The process to set it up takes
several steps, which include the following: take the frame from the case pop it
up, take out the channel bars then attach them to the frame, next remove the
panels from the case and align them on the channel bars, and when that is
completed attach the lights.  The process can take from 15 minutes (if you have
done it before) to 30 minutes working alone or longer if it is the first time. 
The average weight for a complete 10 foot wide unit including case is around 90
pounds.  Cost range from sub $800 for basic no graphic unit (with cheap
materials) to $4000 plus with full mural graphic panels.  The price is not
always a measure of the quality with these units so shop around or trust your
vendor.  The most common/popular is the curved 10 foot wide
frame.
The new fabric pop-up has the same basic frame that pop-up the same way as the traditional unit but after that it is a different process.  With the fabric pop-up, the graphic is a fabric
material (hence the name I give the unit), which stays attached to the frame
when the unit is both up and stored.  The set-up process for this unit starts by
taking the frame (with graphic attached) out of the bag and popping it up,
secure the end caps (if you have those) check the hooks that lock the frame,
attach lights and you are done.  The process can take from 2 to 3 minutes start
to finish even for a first time users.  Some units can be completely set up in
less than a minute, with take down about the same time.  There is nothing that
gives you a 8 to 10 foot full graphic backwall that is faster or easier to set
up.  The weight of these units in the 8 foot and 10 foot sizes range from 35
pounds to 45 pounds depending on shipping case (optional on these units standard
on traditional pop-ups).  The price for a full mural graphic units ranges from
$1400 to $3000 depending on options.  The most common/popular is the straight
frame with 8 and 10 foot about equal.

Which one is the best for you depends on your long term need, both have certain advantages of the other for example the case for the traditional pop-up can be converted to a podium at the show
(usually a low cost option) and the Velcro receptive fabric allows for
detachable graphic not available in the new fabric pop-ups.  The big advantage
for the new fabric pop-up is the light weight and ease of set-up.  The new
advancements in fabric printing have closed the gap on the high impact graphic
for the fabrics compared to the mural panels, which have the advantage of
looking more photographic.
 
For more details see the following long version comparisons.
Read More

What kind of buyer are you or what type of vendor should you look for?

Finding the right vendor for your trade show needs can make
the difference between a confidence successful event and a frustrating,
stressful, and possible failed effort. Choosing the wrong type of vendor is like having the wrong size shoes, may look good but it could also be painful.

Buyers for trade show exhibits, and other related marketing materials fall into three groups.  The names may not be technically correct but the segments are correct.  This divides the market by vendor selection and not product selection.  

The three categories for this marketing paper are; Purpose, Want, and Need.  No buyer will be in one category all the time but will likely follow the pattern of their group for the major purchases.

Why know this?  As a buyer it can save you time and research for the types of vendors who offer the
best services for you.  Also it can save you a lot of money and frustration. 

If you are a vendor this may help you understand why some of your marketing and sales efforts work while others seem to miss the target.  Also why with some clients you just cannot seems to do anything right (in the clients eyes) leaving all parties unhappy.

Marketing Love it or Leave it Alone.

I’m in marketing and I love it. 

I love the feeling when an idea takes on a life of its own.  Seeing your work obtain
the results you imagined and knowing your efforts are worthwhile by being well
received by the intended audience is a great feeling.  But like most emotional feeling it is
fleeting, which makes it worth pursuing.

If you are a true marketer you know why you put up with the long hours, incredible stress, idiots in sales and morons in accounting, not to mention upper management with their own brand of lunacy if not for the fact that without marketing they would all be looking for work.    So realizing the world turns as a result of your marketing efforts, aren’t you looking for the next advantage a way to
actually preempt your competition?

Imagine you have a limited budget, unreasonable time lines and only a fraction of the resources you need to change the world.  Now ask yourself how you can get the information and ideas that could give you an edge if not advantage in your market space using trade shows and other interpersonal events.

Nowhere is marketing more visible and important than when people interact directly with your company’s sales people or corporate property, be it at a point of purchase, product launch, trade show or grand promotion. 

INTERPERSONAL marketing is where wins and losses can be absolute where everything a customer knows about your company, brand and people is either confirmed or destroyed. Indifference is not a win. 

After 25 years of marketing especially in trade shows, retail and the corporate promotional space I got tired of “training” so many sales people whose only  marketing knowledge comes from watching commercials on TV.   As sales people they are ok but as far as knowing anything about marketing or what marketers go through they are totally hopeless.

So a group of us former marketing people got together to discuss the need for a better source of ideas, graphics and trade show related items and realized if we did not do this who would.  Being “experienced” we knew to be successful we would need the energy and certitude that comes with youth; so by teaming up with young eager markerters we hope to create a new kind of marketing energy. 

The beauty of “experience” is you recognize “new” when it comes along it may not be better but it is new.  Sometimes “better” is not really new but a different use of something that has worked in other markets at other times.  The best part of ideas is they tend to generate discussion which will always lead to different ideas.  In the end, it is not the idea but the implementation that wins.

Are you the type of marketer you think you are?

 Most aren’t.

Nearly all marketing people consider themselves Active or Proactive marketers but the vast majorities are Reactive or Passive.  The sad truth is most would be Proactive if they were allowed to be by their respective companies. 

How do you know for sure where your company falls in the
list?

The Active creates opportunities, drives changes in the market place, sets standards, and gains market share.

The Reactive is always "doing"; it may be "doing" what is popular or "hot" in the world of
marketing but the fact is they are reacting to the competition not leading. They look at trends and follow; they see what is popular and follow.

The Passive is the saddest case of all for these companies’ marketing programs are driven by non-marketing types.  They are competent in their profession just not creative nor allow their marketing professional to be either (assuming they have true marketing people).

You see it all the time a company will put out marketing campaigns just to put something out the when upper management does not see the results (usually in a unrealistic short time frame) they see from the competitions Active marketing teams they blame their own marketing staff or more likely the sales people (which may not be all bad).

But Active is no longer enough for most companies they must jump ahead; and do things that will change the game, not just more of the same but a complete leap ahead, in other words they must Preempt the Market.   You want it you have to take it.

Ok so you are not Apple and don’t have the iPod, iPad, or iPhone waiting in the wings to spring on the market. Does that mean you have to keep doing what you have been doing and hope for different results?

We want to help you find ideas, solutions and practices that will help you Preempt your completion without losing your job or sanity.  We don’t charge for our services so if you have a question or need let us know.