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.
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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.
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