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Expectations Have Lowered...Keep it Simple

There was a time when wining, dining, and entertaining clients with concerts, ballgames, and other luxuries would strengthen business relationships and woo new customers. Win the client, write off the expense. However, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act took a major bite out of that piece of the marketing pie. Even though you’ll no longer be able to woo customers with playoff tickets or front row seats to Wicked, you can still connect with them on a personal level and treat them in a style that adds value to them. No matter what experience you’re hoping to offer clients, the following tips will help you create it.

It's All Going to Work Out!

Steps to Take When Life Throws You a Curve Ball

It’s happened to all of us. We’ve dotted all the I’s and crossed all the T’s and micromanaged every piece of the trade show to perfection. What could go wrong?! Right? Wrong! Inevitably, some minor (or major) mishap will cause a kink in your plans: part of a shipment got lost, the exhibit is held up in customs, someone put a forklift through one of your boxes. While these are concerns and they have to be handled, they are no reason to panic.

For those of us involved with trade shows, we know that a high priority is managing the budget. The budget drives where, what, and how we exhibit. And it adds up quickly. There’s the cost of the booth itself; the cost of show services like Wi-Fi, shipping, and drayage; travel and lodging costs; and collateral costs such freebies and giveaways and drawings.

By Jon Althoff

I have loved being challenged in business for over 35 years. In CPG B2C (consumer packaged goods, business-to-consumer); in B2B (business-to-business). Manufacturing. Design. Chemicals. Food (my favorite was candy).

I’ve seen a lot over the years; made objectives most of the time, but many times I, and my organizations, did not. The reason why was occasionally something as obvious as the economy, but most often there was a controllable miss: bad planning and bad alignment.

6 Digital Display Options for Small Digital Displays

Part 2:

In Part 1 of a Buyer’s Guide to Trade Show Digital Displays, we discussed the pros and cons of using tablets, computer monitors, kiosks, and TVs for digital displays. In part 2, we will break down the features and benefits of using larger displays -- projectors and entire video walls.

6 Digital Display Options for Small Digital Displays

It’s a no-brainer to use a digital display in your trade show booth – it offers endless possibilities to convey information and encourage interactivity with your visitors. Besides that, your competition is using it, so you’d better get on board. When it comes to choosing your digital displays, the number of options can be a bit overwhelming. From small tablets to multi-panel display walls, the choices are staggering. So, to help you pick the best choice for your budget, venue, and audience, we’re discussing the features, benefits, and how-tos of each kind of display in two handy articles. This first article will discuss the smaller of the digital displays – tablets, computer monitors, kiosks and TVs.

“You gotta spend money to make money!” We’ve all heard this old truism, and while it definitely is, well, TRUE. . .businesses have to make sure they aren’t outspending their profit. There’s a delicate balance between spending enough (and in the right places) and spending too much. On top of that, the balance is always shifting – more like a wobble – as businesses break into new markets or experience an economic downturn or just grow lax in carefully budgeting where their dollars go..

Last week, I had a day of back-to-back unrelated meetings, and I realized that at every single meeting, one of the topics that predictably came up was money. Whether the meeting was administrative in nature or about implementation or planning or advertising or education, considering the financial side was inevitable. Seems like a shallow, obvious thought, but I had this epiphany about how money is intrinsically related to every need and want we have.

This was kind of a bummer. As a creative, out-of-the-box thinker, I don’t want to consider monetary limitations. It seems like a budget sucks the fun right out of an idea.

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If 2019 was any indication of how trade shows are trending, then 2020 is going to be a banner year. Below is a highlight of some spectacular upcoming trade shows, organized by industry and date. Based on the 2018 Top 250 US Trade Shows by Trade Show News Network, 2019-2020 is sure to please and there a few, in particular, you’ll want to look forward to.

As the old saying goes, “Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” You actually have no idea what is going to happen at a show – what could go wrong or who you might meet. There are a LOT of moving parts to a show – from the travel to the hotel to the display setup to the tech. Anything could happen. So, why even have a solid plan? Because the actual planning of the trip helps you think through all those moving parts. Even if you’re a veteran exhibitor, you need a checklist and a plan to help your trip go smoothly. Here’s a quick list to keep you from stressing out about the details and to help be plan-savvy about the parts you CAN control.

Recently, two separate studies were conducted involving hundreds of exhibitors to determine exactly what works and what doesn’t when it comes to trade show practices. Skyline Exhibits and Access Intelligence Research & Consulting asked over 400 exhibitors how to get better results from their trade shows.

3 Surefire Questions to Get Your Booth Attendees Talking!

It’s no surprise that the most important goal at a trade show is also the biggest challenge – getting people into your booth space. Obviously, the first step is to have an eye-catching exhibit. Many companies try product demos, professional entertainers, and giveaways to attract visitors. But what if your budget doesn’t afford professional corporate entertainers? What if your exhibit is more subtle than dazzling? What if your product or service doesn’t lend itself to a demo?

In the event and exhibit industry, airline travel is frequent and common. Usually, it all goes off without a hitch. You grab your stuff, get to the gate, board the plane, and off you go. However, if you’ve racked up millions of frequent flyer miles, there’s a chance you’ve also racked up an airline delay or two. And despite our best efforts at managing delays, layovers, connections, and other unforeseen stresses, we might even be faced with an overnight airport stay due to weather or airplane mechanical issues.

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” No, silly, not the holidays – trade show season! That’s right – trade show season is in full swing and all of the brands, media, and industry pros are in high gear to ensure a winning season. The months leading up to show are busy, busy, busy as everyone coordinates schedules, makes appointments, prepares materials, and collaborates creatively. Finally, the trade show arrives, and the rubber meets the road as the months of preparation are put to the test. Now, the REAL fun (and work!) begins! Take a look at these best tips for pulling off a winning showroom experience.

6 Tips for Overcoming Short Attention Spans

Human attention span is at its lowest ever (thanks to technology!).

According to a study by Microsoft, the average human being now has an attention span of eight seconds, down from 12 seconds in the year 2000. More shocking, perhaps, is the fact that recent research shows that the human attention span decreases by a staggering  88 percent each year. {GASP}

“Safe travels!” We hear it all the time when someone’s wishing us farewell for a trip, and we say it to each other, too. In fact, it’s SO common that we handily dismiss it without even really thinking about what might help us actually HAVE safe travels.

Managing a trade show is not a job for the faint of heart. It is a demanding job with a lot of moving parts, which we’ll discuss below. A trade show manager might work for the sponsor or the organizer of a trade show; or they might work for a company participating in a trade show. If a business is smaller and only occasionally participates in trade shows, the trade show manager hat might be worn by the marketing manager or to someone from the sales team. No matter where the trade show manger comes from, their job is to provide an experience benefits the company and satisfies the customer.

Less Obvious Trade Show Do's and Don'ts

You probably wouldn’t talk on your phone or blow bubble gum or eat a Subway sandwich while manning the booth at your tradeshow. These are egregious errors in protocol that none of us would commit. However, have you ever skipped an opening event? Overlooked a surly-seeming booth visitor? Been too tired to give a client your full attention? These more benign breeches in etiquette might not strike us as that unbecoming, but to a prospective customer or client, our behavior matters. A LOT. If you think you’re above slipping up in the area of manners, look over the following trade show etiquette tips and judge for yourself.

Ice Breaker Questions for Trade Shows

With actual human connection going the way of the dinosaur recently, people have to work harder than ever to see (literally!) eye-to-eye. Think of your day to day life. You’re at work and you see people over the top of a computer screen or listen to them as you work on your iPad or device. You’re in a public space and people are just head down, ear buds in, face in phone. You’re in your car at a stoplight, and chances are all the people around you in their cars are on their phones; not that you’d notice, because you’re checking Instagram.

Tips for Staying Afloat at Work When Life Gets Messy

Most people think their jobs are stressful, but some may be more entitled to complain than others.  As it turns out, the number 6 most stressful job in America is Event Planners.  That said, we need to take a breath and unpack some ideas to implement when life gets messy.

Empower Booth Staffers and Drive Better Staff Interactions

Albert Einstein once said, “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.”  If he said that over 80 years ago, I wonder what this brilliant scientist would have to say about technology and human interaction today.

Ways to Control Freight Costs

“The only certainties in life are death and taxes.” When Benjamin Franklin famously quoted this, trade show freight costs weren’t an issue or he surely would’ve included them.

Perhaps you’ve noticed that freight costs are rising. If you haven’t, you soon will. And not just by a small increment, either. Freight costs have been significantly rising in recent years, and the trend looks to continue. As of early 2019, the freight market was seeing record high prices and there seems to be no immediate relief in sight.

Don't Be That Guy At The Show!

Nobody wants to be “that guy.” You know, that guy that talks too loud. That guy that tells dumb jokes. That guy who wears too much Axe body spray. “That guy” is doing all the wrong things, and people are noticing.

Go Beyond Selling Products or Services  

Facing the trade show season can be daunting for the experienced and first-timers alike, because the whole of trade shows are just such a large undertaking and incredibly detailed. Not only do you have to pick the best events that are the best fit for your product or service, but you also have to attend to the myriad details involved in actually pulling it all off. One thing to keep in mind to keep from getting overwhelmed is to remember that trade shows are not really about your product, your service, your booth, your giveaways. Sure, that matters.  A LOT.  Still, what’s MOST important in the trade show world is {drumroll, please}. . . the PEOPLE. You already knew that, but it bears saying.  The connection between your company’s booth staff and your booth’s visitors is primary in every interaction. As you begin to think about how to connect with your attendees, remember the 5 Es of the trade show world. The 5 Es are based on research found in “It’s Not Your Father’s or Mother’s Trade Show Anymore – Engage with Caution,” an article hosted by CEIR Industry Insights Series.

 10 IDEAS TO GET YOUR EXHIBIT NOTICED  

Some things take a larger amount of time and money to implement.  Here is a list of 10 fast and simple to implement ideas to get noticed.  Look to these quick, easy ideas to spruce up your booth environment to get the attention of attendees and set up for the best trade show yet.

by Mike Thimmesch

Trade Show Marketing Wars: Twitter vs LinkedIn  

With over 575 million users, LinkedIn is every business’s go-to social network. For connecting with like-minded business owners and people locally, nationally and globally, it seems to be the obvious choice. Since it burst onto the professional scene in 2003, it has seemingly made networking faster and more powerful in the business world. However, a closer look at LinkedIn, its user trends, and its current growth reveals even more that affects your marketing dollars and clientele.

We all rely on our trade show partners/suppliers, and the approach to this critical relationship needs to be part of your strategy. Most every company - regardless of if your company is product-centric or service-oriented - can’t function without solid partners/suppliers. Some organizations seem to get this relationship a bit backwards. The misconception is this… because they sign off on a project, they're in the dominant position and can leverage the relationship with unreasonable demands of all shape and form.

If you tend to think that living in a technological era isn’t really that big of a deal outside of cell phones, heated car seats, and Netflix, read the following statistics:

* Over 3.8 billion people use the internet daily; that’s about half of the world’s population.

* More than 570 new websites are created every minute.

* 340,000 tweets are sent a minute.

* 90% of the world’s data has been created in the last 2 years.

* Digital marketing and AI marketing are among the fastest growing new careers.

And THIS is why you need to get yourself to a trade show. If you don’t display your products at a trade show, you are out of the running for potential buyers who make their buying decisions primarily at those venues.

Supporting The Value of Trade Shows

Maybe you’re hesitant about showcasing your company’s products and services at a trade show. Or maybe you’re even leery of just attending one. Well, don’t be. As they say, “The proof of the pudding is in the rising.” And this year, a LOT of rising happened at trade shows nationwide. If you need proof that trade shows are an excellent marketing medium, we’ve got it for you. If you need cold, hard, factual motivation to get you to the next event, you’ve come to the right place.

Using Trade Show Promotions

Trade show promotions are a no-brainer. The basic 3 categories you can break this down into are pre-show promotions, at-show promotions, and post show follow up.  Overlaying all promotions are the goals you have for the attendee experience and what we want accomplish as a company.   There’s no better way to DRIVE people to your booth and draw attention to your company and products.  What’s more, there’s an endless variety of ways to do it!

50 Things a Booth Staffer May Do...

When I was in college, I worked summers at our city’s publishing house. I had the lofty title of “Office Staff.” I always hated that title because it conjured up images of a slothful slacker who was hard on the rolling chair they were plopped in all day. Anyway, another reason I felt disdain for the title was that I was so much MORE than “office staff.” I had so many jobs in that office – errand boy, social planner, events coordinator, warm body to guard the phones and the office, and more – that I sometimes wondered how on earth they operated when I was away at college! I figured I was the hardest working person in the building. I’m not sure what I wanted my title to be, but whatever it was, it needed to cover a LOT of areas!

As we are settling in to 2019, it is always good to look back at what worked in a “2018 Year in Review.” I always love the year-in-review posts that flood the online world this time of year. Some are fun, but they offer a real look at what actually happened in the year that just flew by.  Here is a year-end recap of the marketing world’s best tips and trends.  Read on to discover (or remember!) the year’s best trends and takeaways.

It's time for a bit of lighter side humor in trade show booth staffing. On occasion we will go to trade shows and see some of the following personalities. Some of them are easy to recognize because they act just like their animal kingdom counterpart. Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly of the beastly world of booth staffers. See if you recognize anyone you have observed on the show floor?

Trade shows are pivotal events for your business. They create a steady stream of customers perusing and passing your booth. A captive audience, almost. You get to encounter massive amounts of people who are interested in your exact product line. Consequently, you’ve dedicated money and talent and manpower hours to preparing and manning the booth. However, you might inadvertently be making some key errors as you go along. Are you planning well? Do you and your staff have staying power? Are you following through? You’ve got a tremendous investment, not only in money, but also in time, training, and team-building in marketing your business at trade shows. Pay attention to these classic mistakes exhibitors make to ensure you don’t get in the way of your own success!

With the advent of electronic communication, the business world experienced a radical boom. Businesses that previously relied on phone calls and mailers for marketing and customer service switched to mass emails, flashy websites, trendy blogs, social media, and instant communication via mobile devices. Covering so much ground with so little effort enables companies to expediently serve a wide base of customers and clients with less work output.  And, of course, it increases speed and productivity. Win-win!

Rules, rules, rules.  What about the rules that no one tells you about?  Rules are necessary to keep trade shows and events running smoothly, and they help businesses and clients manage their expectations. However, as important as it is to know the show hours, the drayage costs, the convention hall requirement particulars, and more, it’s equally important to know the “hidden” rules (that no one tells you about) that inevitably accompany every show.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just pick which trade shows we wanted to exhibit at, make the decision final, and keep it that way forever and ever amen?! Yes, it would. But no, we can’t. Choosing the trade shows that are a good fit for your business is important, and equally important is the decision to return to a trade show or to ditch it. So much time and effort and energy (and resources!) are dedicated to exhibiting at trade shows that they must be worth the effort. And unfortunately, sometimes they aren’t.

So, how do you know if the shows you’re frequenting aren’t worth your marketing investment? Read on:

Help Us Get to 30, Suggest The Rest!

Tough, fearsome, and strong are the words that come to mind when describing why Chuck Norris is so legendary - there are hundreds of Chuck Norris jokes on the internet about him.

For example:
• Death once had a near-Chuck Norris experience.
• Guns are warned not to play with Chuck Norris.
• When Chuck Norris does push up’s he pushes down the earth.

So let’s look at if Chuck Norris went to trade shows as an exhibitor? What feats of power, speed, and awesomeness could Chuck bring to your show? The mind boggles at what could be:

Unpacking The Basic Rules and Regs

If you’re in the biz, you definitely hear the buzz about the hurry and flurry of trade shows – the fun, the excitement, the contacts and leads. And . . . the WORK. There’s no way around the massive amount of manpower from your company that goes into planning, designing, building, and hauling your exhibit for a show. Here’s the big “but”: it’s worth it. Trade shows pack a lot of punch and cover a lot of areas of business for you. Here’s a list I jotted down in about ten minutes – and no help from Google! – of reasons to lug your exhibit down to the nearest convention center.

Unpacking The Basic Rules and Regs

Everyone in the trade show industry knows that any trade show has a list of rules and regulations a mile long governing everything from the volume of your booth music to the number of prongs on your cables. For specific terms and conditions of your show, be sure to see your trade show’s prospectus or your rental contract. The biggest consideration for your trade show, however, should be the particulars of your exhibit. And because breaking the rules for exhibit size or height could have financial ramifications, you’ll want to know the following dos and don’ts regarding the most common regulations.

...Before Starting Trade Shows

Once you’re thrown into the whirlwind world of trade shows, the learning curve is steep. It’s like being thrown into the deep end of the pool – you either sink or you swim. Either way, there’s a lot of flailing! And although there is nothing like hands-on experience to teach you how to maneuver the trade show life, there are a few things I wish I’d known before I started. Here they are:

The Worst of the Worst...How Your Company Can Avoid Them!

You know them. You’ve met them. Maybe you’ve even BEEN them. Bad Booth Staffers. As long as there have been trade shows, there have been booth staffers behaving badly and ruining the company rep. See how many of these you recognize:

Life Saver Tips for YOUR COMPANY

Have you ever had that sick sinking feeling in your stomach that is telling you that you forgot something?  If so, you are not alone.  When you take a trip, you know the anxiety that can accompany the preparation and last-minute details of leaving the comfort of your office and home. Even experienced travelers can begin to stress out if the minutia of their travel plans isn’t ironed out and solid.

Lead Qualifying Tips for Show Staffers

Generating leads is JOB ONE for most trade show exhibitors, but you want to generate hot qualified leads – the ones that result in business for your sales team. If your booth staff is just collecting business cards and company names, you’ll end up with a lot of dead ends. You will also end up with a sales team that does not want to follow up on the leads.  This is evidenced by the fact that 79% of trade show leads are never followed up on (CEIR) – in large part because the leads that are taken at the show are not qualified enough to “make it worth my time,” as a sales person. Make sure you’re providing your sales team with quality leads by following these helpful tips.

What's the Big Idea?

“When was the last time you had a life-altering bright idea? They don’t come easily, do they? Of course, some people seem to burst with great ideas, their subconscious mind releasing little gems of genius to their conscious mind with little effort. For most of us, however, birthing a great idea takes a little application.

Here it is! The lineup for the not-to-be-missed trade shows of 2019’s first quarter. This lively graphic provides a visual calendar of prominent events in the areas of Healthcare, Manufacturing, Professional Services, Technology, and more.

See From The Attendee Point of View

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” This is probably never truer than for a company booth at a trade show, where customers get their first impression at a distance and make a split-second decision to approach your booth or pass on by, never having to even meet you.

8 Things to Do First

According to CEIR’s 2018 Marketing Spend Decision Report, trade show exhibitors intend to increase the size of their booths by as much as 20% this year. If you’ve been considering boosting the size of your display, think about the following crucial factors that can determine whether it’s the right time to grow.

Account-based Marketing: A Primer for Trade Show Managers

A disproportionate amount of today’s trade show marketing focuses on lead generation, and statistically speaking, this is the number one reason why companies attend trade shows. However, large sales to strategic accounts typically are rarely decided by a single lead – the opposite tends to be more accurate… they are often determined by an entourage from the purchasing team, and each team member has unique wants (and sometimes demands) that must be addressed. It is always a good idea to be strategic and dive deeper into these business to business accounts, and to try and find more than one advocate on the account to ensure your lead turns into a sale.

Taking this approach is what’s called “account based marketing” (or ABM), in which the target company is treated as its own unique market. Marketing to the account thus involves creating highly customized campaigns that address the business’s collective needs, with messaging targeted and personalized to each various stakeholder whose titles may vary greatly.

Trick Out Your Company with TECH

Don’t blink - 2018 and beyond is here. We’re now seeing self-driving vehicles, AI assistants, self-order smart tech, holodecks,and Domino’s Pizza experimenting with driverless delivery.  For better or worse, we are experiencing tectonic shifts occurring in digital technologies at such a frenetic pace that it can be almost impossible to keep up if you are not keeping an eye on the current trends. Our goal is to take a closer look at a few emerging trends – augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and couple more.  We will break down how this technology is being applied to marketing and brand recognition in the face to face environment of trade shows.