Experts & Opinions
Jul 21, 2012
Whether you participate in presentations on a regular basis, like I do, or only occasionally (and under extreme duress or threat of torture), there are basic preparation steps you can take to make the experience more successful for you and your team. I can’t share all of my secrets, but here are a few:
1. Have an equipment “kit” and/or checklist. My laptop bag always contains the following:
*Flash drives or an external hard drive (have your presentation copied onto one, in case you have to make a last-minute equipment change).
*A remote to advance slides (… more
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Jul 21, 2012
It’s understandable that as an exhibitor you get caught up in logistics, because no matter what, you have to get your booth from point A to point B (and to point C, D, E, and so on). But those required logistics can sometimes crowd out the even more important marketing aspect of trade shows.
So let’s take a few minutes to set logistics aside (don’t worry, they’ll still be there when you get back) and focus on how you can be a better marketer who just happens to use trade shows.
Target Your Best Personas
Personas are portraits you create to better understand… more
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Jul 14, 2012
As you do your final checklist of your trade show, there is a list of 10 items I highly recommend you check off so you can say you are complete.
1. Light it. Lighting is your friend. Don’t make it seem like a prison – have illumination to set the scene. Bright is not always better.
2. Connect it. Have connection in your booth, both with abundant technology and each demonstration tying into your overall message of your booth.
3. Pick a star. You need to have a single point of focus in your booth, either in a display, demonstration or… more
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Jul 14, 2012
Our show schedule is jammed packed most of the time. Planning strategically for the pre- and during show periods is important, but after making the exhibiting investment, many organizations neglect what happens after the show. Communicating with attendees and continuing the conversation is key to maintaining relationships and sealing business partnerships.
Imagine training for a marathon for months, running the marathon, but not crossing the finish line. It doesn’t make sense. After all the effort you put into pre-show and at-show planning, why not invest in your post-show follow up?… more
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Jun 30, 2012
I’ve always appreciated our industry’s effect on the economy. It’s a fact, whether you work in facility management, show management or as an official services provider, the trade show industry positively impacts the U.S. and world economies.
As long as buyers exist, we’ll continue to have B2B and F2F opportunities – and trade shows are the best option for companies to market themselves and their products.
Unfortunately, many small business owners don’t see the value of investing their resources in trade shows (and a show organizer can tell you it’s… more
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Jun 30, 2012
When our company recently exhibited at EXHIBITOR2012, we gave mini-seminars in our trade show booth to attendees at the show. By far the most popular topic was “12 Tips About Social Media for Trade Shows.”
The idea was to communicate in just 10 minutes, 12 actionable tactics exhibitors could use on the most popular social media networks to get more people into their trade show displays. Not a lot of strategy; just quick, usable ideas.
I covered just the most popular networks: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and blogs. Here we go:
Twitter:
Tweet Reasons… more
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May 31, 2012
Want to be a smarter exhibitor? Not just above-average, slightly ahead of the pack, but a full-blown trade show marketing genius? Then follow these 6 (not so easy, but worthwhile) steps:
Be Genuine
Be Experimental
Be A Nerd
GoInternational
Be Useful
Drive Sales
Be Genuine
Trade shows offer a huge opportunity to gain exposure for your company’s brand image. So make your trade show exhibit true to the heart of your brand. Trade shows let you go beyond just your brand colors and taglines. You can create an entire… more
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May 19, 2012
I read a LinkedIn post on the frustration we have all felt dealing with the never-ending list of rules and regulations for trade shows. I believe the post even asked, what is with all these rules?
Let me share some of my thoughts on that subject.
1. No room for interpretation. Let’s be honest – people like to ‘interpret’ rules in a way that benefits them. I can say that I have bent the rules to get six more inches on my structure and block a competitor’s sign – and I have seen the error of my ways. With years of experience in dealing… more
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May 17, 2012
What is it about games that b-to-b event organizers are trying to hide? Some third-party event producers and even game developers have taken to calling them “engagement platforms” to try to gloss over the notion that (heaven forbid) an attendee might have fun while learning and networking at a live event.
As affirming research piles up and the number of game options for events increases, tradeshow and conference organizers (corporate meeting planners are way ahead of these two groups on the game front) may soon be convinced that a game layer placed on top of an otherwise ho hum… more
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