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TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL SHOW
Published by: TSNN (Trade Show Network News) May 22, 2003
10 Guaranteed Ways To Maximize Your Exposure While Minimizing Your Costs
By Roger Halligan
Yeah, right. We've all seen these types of headlines before. Ten guaranteed ways to lose weight, grow hair, become a millionaire, and so on and so forth. But several hundred dollars and ten pounds later we begin to realize that it was all an empty promise.
However, when it comes to the trade show industry, there really are ten very simple ways to attract your target audiences' attention and get them to your booth. And best of all, most of these opportunities are free of charge and included in those massive Exhibitor Manuals that you haven't had time to read.
Most show management companies offer a variety of traffic-building programs and services that are free of charge and really do drive people to your booth. However, it never ceases to amaze me how many exhibitors don't take advantage of these outstanding marketing tools.
So, for those people who don't have the time or inclination to peruse their exhibitor manuals, and for those show management companies that don't do a very good job of offering these services and/or telling their exhibitors about them, here are ten simple steps to booth bliss.
• VIP Passes Don't Stand For Very Iffy Proposition - Those free VIP passes really work! You should be sending them to all of your current customers and prospects at least once a few weeks before the show. Some companies make two or three mailings. In addition, your sales force should be handing them out during all of their calls. In fact, some companies even feature the offer of obtaining free passes on their website.
I just finished a marketing roundtable at a major trade show with the marketing directors of several exhibitors from various size company's in different market niches. The companies who were having the best show and packing their booths with prospects had implemented an aggressive VIP Pass marketing effort. The two companies that weren't attracting as many prospects as they had hoped, had no idea free VIP passes were available.
Check with show management. Some organizers will imprint your company's name free of charge on the ticket and even mail them to your prospect list and/or the pre-registration list. If the organizers aren't currently offering these services, tell them their competition is and they should get on the ball.
Think about it. If someone gives you a free pass to an event you want to attend that will save you a few dollars and avoid the long registration lines, wouldn't you be thankful? Maybe you would even stop by their booth, especially if the VIP pass came with an offer to win something valuable at the booth! The more incentives you give them to visit your booth, the more likely they are to visit. Be creative!
It's free, it's effective and it works! Why wouldn't you take advantage of it?
• Free Web Links on the Show Website - Here's another freebie that is a very effective marketing tool and great traffic generator. I've had many exhibitors tell me that they receive tons of traffic to their website from prospects that click through from the show website.
Isn't this what you spend a lot of your marketing dollars on - trying to drive people to your website? Now that you've got all these hot prospects clicking through to your site, what are you going to do with them? How about offering them an incentive to visit your booth!
These incentives can range from a chance to win a free product, a free trip, a free foot massage or just about anything else that peaks their curiosity and drives them to your booth. Some show organizers even offer you the opportunity to make your logo larger and/or stand out on their website for a small fee. Be creative!
• Pre-Show Publicity/Promotion - Since the vast majority of attendees visit a trade show to see new products, wouldn't it make sense to promote your new products as frequently as possible? There are several ways you can promote your product in advance of the show and most of them are free of charge.
Of course, you can include info with the VIP passes mentioned previously and you can feature them on your website. In addition, some shows publish pre-show New Product Guides and many trade magazines also publish Show Previews . Some shows also publish Attendee Newsletters prior to the event that feature hot new products.
And guess what? Most of these opportunities are listed in your Exhibitor's Manual and all of them are free! Be sure to take advantage of all these opportunities because they are the sources many buyers use before coming to the show.
• Awards Competitions - Some magazines and associations conduct New Product , Technology, or Individual Distinction award competitions that are presented at the show. What can be a better way to attract your prospects' attention than to have your product selected as one of the "best in show?"
The issue is, of course, getting the word out through the first three methods mentioned earlier in this article. Many of these competitions have a small entry fee but it is well worth it if you win. Contact key trade magazines and associations several months in advance of the show to determine if they are sponsoring competitions.
• Media Meetings/Press Conferences - And speaking of contacting key media, if you have an interesting new product, technology or corporate news, be sure to contact the editors and try and arrange a meeting at your booth. Editors are always interested in hot new products, but you need to contact them weeks in advance as their schedules at the show fill up very quickly.
Not only will you have a good chance of getting post show coverage, you may get mentioned in their pre-show coverage as well. Show management will have the official press list as well as the pre-registration media list they can send you.
If your new product or technology is truly a unique industry breakthrough, you may want to schedule a Press Conference at the show. Based on availability, show management makes the Press Conference Room available free of charge, but you should only schedule a press conference if your news is truly exciting to several editors. These editors are very busy and if it isn't of great news value, they won't come. There's nothing more embarrassing than being the only person at a press conference.
• Put Your Press Kits In The Press Room - The editors may not come to all the Press Conferences but they all come to the Press Room. They come to the press room to review the press kits that are placed there by the savvy exhibitors. The editors use this information when they write their post show wrap-up reports.
If you aren't taking advantage of this excellent free publicity opportunity, you have only yourself to blame. If you're not sure what goes into a press kit, call the Show Management company or their PR firm and ask them.
• Talk To The Show Daily - Many shows have a Show Daily newspaper and most Show Dailies are looking for news. Ask show management who is doing the Show Daily (or look in your Exhibitor Manual).
Contact the editors several weeks in advance and pitch them on your product or news. If the story is big enough, they may even be able to interview your president or other representative for a feature story. A favorable story in the Show Daily not only attracts people to your booth, it makes for a great reprint to send to prospects after the show.
To learn more about this opportunity, read the recent article on the subject written by Barbara Axelson for TSNN. Barb is a savvy trade show veteran and has edited several Show Dailies in a variety of industries.
• Do Fax And/Or E-Mail Blasts - The most effective method of communicating with most people is to tell them once and then tell them again as frequently as possible. And the most effective way of communicating with many people these days is through e-mail and faxes.
In today's busy workplace everyone can use a reminder or two. Ask Show Management if they can provide you with a list of people who pre-registered for the show. Many shows will provide this with e-mail and /or fax numbers. Just think about the last trade show you visited as an attendee. If you received a reminder e-mail and/or fax with an interesting incentive for visiting the booth wouldn't you be more inclined to do so?
• Show Merchandising Opportunities - Show management usually offers a variety of excellent opportunities to maximize your exposure to attendees prior to the show and onsite. Ranging from banner ads on their websites and ads in the Show Directory to banners and signs on the show floor, there are a number of great ways to get attendees to your booth.
These merchandising opportunities do cost money but they range from getting your company name put on the lanyards (those loops that go around your neck to hold the show badges) to sponsoring different events that the visitors attend. If you have the budget for extra promotion, it is something you should definitely discuss with show management.
• Trade Publication Advertising - Although trade publication advertising costs money, it can be a very effective method of reaching your target audience with highly targeted messages. Several of the trade magazines and websites offer show specials that allow you to advertise in these special pre-show issues for less than you would normally pay. Some of them also publish the Show Daily and can give you a special rate for advertising in both.
If you've got the budget, it's a great way to attract attention and drive traffic. Ask show management what publications are publishing special pre-show issues, or look in your Exhibitors Manual.
I hope these ten tips have been valuable in helping you maximize your exposure at your upcoming trade shows. However, it is critical to remember that you must have an incentive for attracting them to your booth and a sales strategy for closing the deal once they are there. However, these are all topics of other TSNN articles.
Roger Halligan is CEO of H+A International, a Chicago-headquartered integrated marketing communications firm specializing in trade show event marketing. His company works with several of the leading trade shows worldwide to help them take their events to the next level. Among the shows the company currently works with and/or has consulted are: The International Housewares Show, Practical World (formerly known at the International Hardware Fair in Cologne, Germany), CMM International, MACWORLD, The CHEM SHOW, AHR Expo, HBA Expo, Face & Body & Healthy Aging Expo, COMNET, Baby & Kids Expo, DB Expo, and many others.
Prior to launching the company in 1984, Roger was the Director of Advertising and PR for a Fortune 500 company where he also had responsibility for worldwide trade shows. He came to the corporate world from leading PR and Advertising agencies where he worked with trade show management companies worldwide on behalf of his clients.
You can contact Roger at (312) 332-4650, ext. 22; or via e-mail at rhalligan@h-a-intl.com.
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