Trade Show Marketing

Does Your Exhibit Compete?
Ask And You Shall Receive.

There comes a time in the life of all marketing managers that is anticipated with fear and trembling or pure joy. It's called "B" day or... budget time.

Sooner or later every marketing/exhibit manager must justify spending on trade shows. The seasoned manager usually has no problem with the process and has been preparing for some time.

It is the new managers, many of whom have been thrown into the fray without adequate preparation or understanding of the job, that need help in preparing for "B" day.

Since many companies have never looked at their trade show performance with a critical eye, it is impossible to depend on historical information as a basis for making future budgeting decisions. Therefore let me suggest the following steps as a way to get a handle on your exhibit effectiveness.

• Ask your staff.
    How does your exhibit staff "feel" about the show? Are they comfortable with the audience, the exhibit itself and, most importantly, are they comfortable representing your company in the show atmosphere. If the answer is yes, then you are probably on solid ground. If the answer is no, then you are at a good place to start gathering information to improve performance. After all, who knows better than those on the firing line?
   
• Ask your visitors.
    Find out who your visitors are. What is their job responsibility, do they make purchasing decisions, do they influence the purchasing process?
    Ask your visitors how you are doing. Ask them if they understand your message. Ask them what brought them to the show and to your exhibit in particular. Ask if your exhibit fits the spirit of the event and if you are providing them with the information they need to make decisions.
    Ask how you can improve your image in their eyes.
   
• Ask other exhibitors
    Believe it or not you can harvest a wealth of information from other exhibitors. Make an effort to speak with those companies who have participated in the show for a long period of time.
    Ask them why they come to the event, what is their objective, what steps do they take to ensure a successful show. Ask what changes they may have made over the years in terms of staff, message, pre-show promotion, and exhibit location.
    Ask how they prepared their staff to be effective. Ask them to share any long-term trends they may have observed. You will be surprised at the willingness of most to share information freely.
   
• Take a hike!
    Take a stroll around the show. Pay particular attention to how other companies display their products. What are others doing to excite visitors? Note staff performance. What are staff doing in the busy booths and what are they doing in the dead booths? Make note of specific areas that seem to have better traffic flow and ask why.

If you will take advantage of the sources available at your finger tips, you will be able to establish a base for comparison. Once you have a base, it is a short step to establishing a benchmark for future show participation. Now you are in a position to look forward to "B" day.