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Stories are powerful. They are the reason we love movies, books, and even ads. Commercials are the sole reason some people watch the SuperBowl. Why? Because they tell a story that is winsome or funny or otherwise emotionally satisfying. Stories are compelling and they hook us.

Did you know that there are apps specifically designed for the exhibiting industry? And did you know that if you aren’t using at least some of them you are missing the boat? BIG TIME.

by Jennifer Barham

Earth Day might be in the rear view mirror this year, but for those of us committed to a lifestyle of conservation and sustainability, every day is Earth Day. If you’re reading this, you’re probably on the lookout for ways to be greener as you shift towards sustainability, already committed to it, or working for an eco-friendly company.

by Jennifer Barham

Whether you dust off a marketing classic, grab something hot-off-the-press, or listen to an audiobook on the treadmill, your business success can depend in large part on your continuing professional development via reading books. In a recent post about WHY you should read and HOW to fit more reading into your lifestyle (even reading a book a week!), we discussed the importance and influence of reading for your marketing endeavors.

by Jennifer Barham

"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns it on, I go into the other room and read a book."
– Groucho Marx

When asked to divulge his secret to success, Warren Buffett casually nodded his head toward a pile of books and international newspapers nearby and said, “Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest.” Early in his career, Buffett read closer to 800 pages a day, and even now, he reads daily for about 8 hours.

All Things Electrical for Your Trade Show Booth

by Jennifer Barham

Over a decade ago, a Forrester survey found that the average employee uses 2.3 devices for work purposes, whether personal electronics or company-provided devices. Of the nearly 10,000 information workers surveyed, 74% used two or more devices and 52% used three or more devices. And that was many moons ago. Imagine how that number has increased since then.

by Jennifer Barham

What do you get when you take hundreds of pounds of butter, celery, garlic, carrots, chicken, noodles, broth, and spices and put it in the culinary hands of Nashville’s finest chefs?

by Jennifer Barham

Recently, I was thinking about the word “budget” and where it comes from. Turns out, it’s a Middle English word from the Old French bougette, meaning “leather bag.” It originally meant an actual bag, but later it came to mean the contents of the bag when the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in presenting his opening statement, was said to “open the budget” when he unbuckled his leather bag to retrieve papers containing financial reports. Now we use the word to mean a statement of expenditures and revenues, and the old meaning – a portable leather bag – has been lost.

Just as we were coming out of the pandemic and into the bright new light of fresh business opportunities, the world is faced with more uncertainty and rising prices on just about everything. And once again, the business world finds itself in flux.

While pandemic safety restrictions seem to be easing up, we’re all familiar with the ever-present gallons of hand sanitizer, the social distancing floor stickers, limitations on crowd size, and constant sanitizing of surfaces everywhere we go. These are measures to keep us safe, help us feel comfortable, and enable us to return to (somewhat) complete normalcy as quickly as possible.

Although the buzzword of the millennium is “minimizing,” let’s talk about MAXIMIZING! Floor space in your exhibit, that is. There are loads of good reasons to increase your booth’s floor space. First, it’s more important and mindful than ever to have an open, spacious floor plan to keep people comfortable and safe and to remind them that you are being intentional about their comfort. Second, a little extra space makes everyone more physically comfortable and makes your booth easier to navigate. Third, intentional space creates allure – it is inviting and appealing. Just think: when is the last time YOU wanted to step into a cluttered space full of people?

Besides the obvious, primary fallout of a worldwide pandemic on lives and livelihoods across the globe, the secondary effects are just as impactful. With restrictions and regulations varying widely from state to state and nation to nation, getting on with regular life is challenging and sometimes exhausting. And the marketing industry is no different. The trade show industry, in particular, faces challenges like:

Even if the whole world wasn't dealing with a global pandemic and even if your budget wasn’t severely affected by COVID-19, you would still need to be considering updating and planning your budget for the trade show season. It’s just something that has to be done annually (or more frequently).

by Jennifer Barham

Ringing in a new year always brings with it such hope, such possibility, such expectation, and an opportunity to say “adieu” to the old (Good riddance, 2021!) and embrace the new. For many people, this includes making new year’s resolutions and setting goals they want to reach. For many businesses, it means the same – looking at what worked last year and what didn’t and starting with a fresh slate of anticipation.

by Jennifer Barham

It's Beginning to Feel A Lot Like Christmas...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and with 2021 almost in the rearview mirror, we get to look ahead to a brand new year.

Trade shows are BACK!  Buyers are eager to see products in person, meet and talk with business leaders face-to-face, and experience the full-sensory show of exhibits. As buyers rush back to the exhibit floor and trade shows burst back onto the scene, don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because you may have survived the past 2 years without showing up at a trade show, you can do that in 2022. Nope! And this year’s return of trade shows offers you a chance to revitalize your business with this ever-important avenue of marketing. Is it worth your time and your budget? Absolutely!

Stretching an already tight budget can be a challenge, and the trick is to pursue savings that are transparent to the attendees at your exhibit space.  Whether you are planning your company’s initial launch into trade shows or taking over an exhibit schedule previously handled by another trade show manager, the associated costs can be a little intimidating. If your budget is limited, these 10 tips can help you get the most out of your exhibit dollars:

by Jennifer Barham

Summer’s here and the living is, well, not really easy (as the song goes), but there’s lots to look forward to. And after last year’s “Cruel, Cruel Summer,” we can all look forward to a little more lightness and a little more celebration and a little more fun in the sun.

That’s right, folks! You heard it here: real life trade shows coming soon. Not cancelled. Not postponed. Not rescheduled. Not online. IN PERSON! {And the crowd goes WIIIIILLLLLD!}

“They’re baaaaaack!” Live events are returning, and we are here for it. With all the trade shows cancelled in 2020 and the lack of personal interaction, it’s about time. However, don’t expect the trade show season of 2019. No, sir. There will be new procedures and protocols as organizers consider the health and safety of exhibitors and attendees and staff.

2020 Proved That Relationships Should Be Your Business's 2021 Priority

We have made it through the first quarter of 2021 already! Even so, we are still reeling from the past year...a year for the history books. No one could’ve predicted the happenings or the fallout or the hidden blessings from 2020. The global pandemic’s impact on the event industry was no small thing, and though we didn’t cause it and we can’t control it, we can learn a lot as we move on toward a healthier, more productive year.

We are all anxiously awaiting the return of trade shows and events to make us feel like we are back to business as usual. And continue to wait we will. Events keep getting postponed, trade shows are being pushed later and later, and hosts and attendees alike are wondering what the future of exhibiting is going to look like.

What a year so far! As look forward to heading back (hopefully and thankfully!) to face-to-face meetings in 2021, we have a few new considerations to add to our to-do lists:

What is FOMO? It’s the “fear of missing out” and it can help to drive your customers to attend your virtual event. This can be considered a preparation step to getting your customers and prospects into conversation until trade shows return.

Travel Industry Safety Measures to Keep Exhibitors and Attendees Safe

After months of cancelled events, rescheduled shows, and general uncertainty concerning work and travel and exhibiting, everyone is growing eager to get back to face-to-face meetings. As the world begins opening up and returning to normal, everyone is wondering if it’s going to be business as usual or a completely new normal. Fortunately, the travel industry knows that people needMe to feel safe and comfortable and have taken great measures to ensure customer safety and trust with airlines, hotels, and convention centers. Read ahead for the latest updates in these industries to be inspired and reassured about the great strides made to get us all back to a booming trade show season safely.

...but often not considered

In the flurry of activity that goes into preparing for a trade show – from the best technology to the flashiest graphics to the prime booth location at the event – don’t make the critical mistake of overlooking a crucial element of your brand and your marketing: DESIGN. Good design creates more space, improves the functionality of space, enhances space through lighting, color, texture, scale. Design is meant to be both very visible and magnetic, but yet subtle enough as to be almost invisible. Since many marketers are worrying about how to get noticed, design is the answer. It’s the visual image that will make people notice you. Through the use of balance, focus, and repetition, you can inspire your prospects and elevate your presence at any event.

Maintain Marketing Momentum

Canceled! Postponed! Rescheduled! TBA! What’s a marketing department to do when trade shows and events can’t be put on the calendar in ink?! All this penciling in and erasing is likely to drive even the most hardcore marketing folks crazy. But never fear. You don’t have to wait until trade shows resume to pick up with your marketing goals. Making lemonade out of lemons is part of a marketer’s job, and here are several ways you can make the sweetest lemonade during this stagnant summer season.

By Sofia Troutman

We are living in some strange days for sure and the landscape is constantly shifting under us.  As event and marketing professionals, we are basically circus performers spinning all the plates – we are accustomed to managing people and schedules and events, keeping all the moving parts moving, and all while managing ourselves. We, too, have social lives, families, personal budgets, and individual goals. Much of the time, these two worlds run nicely parallel. Occasionally, though, the two worlds collide and a personal crisis interferes with work life.

By Shawn Lacagnina

I’ve always loved music, and growing up in the 80s, I was singing along to the best music ever as I cruised our small town in my Oldsmobile Cutlass. I don’t remember a time in my life when I couldn’t belt out “Dream On” at the top of my lungs. Back then, we couldn’t believe we’d make it to 2020. So, for old times’ sake and a little fun, here are the top 10 ways to Aerosmith your way to a great trade show.

By Matt Bohar

Do you love watching those smart, fun videos on social media? Of course you do! Everyone does. They are so creative, and what’s more, they’re effective. A whopping 87% of video marketers say video has increased their website traffic and 83% say video helps them generate leads. And perhaps most importantly, 80% boast increased sales because of video marketing. For this reason, 95% of video marketers plan to increase their video marketing budget next year.

By Mike Thimmesch

If your company wants to build its brand at trade shows, your company is in good company. In survey after survey, exhibitors tell us that building brand awareness is their number one (or at least #2) goal in trade show marketing.

By Michael Criscuolo

In times of unforeseen catastrophe – the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2008 financial crisis, 9/11 – businesses are confronted with unprecedented challenges, from plummeting revenue streams to navigating employee retention and potential furloughs, even paying the rent. Sales and marketing teams are quickly finding their previously planned trade shows and meetings are postponed or cancelled. How, then, can sales leaders, marketing teams, and product managers support business continuity and continue to meet with key clients and prospects under such challenging circumstances? One way is by engaging in strategic, alternative meeting planning. The purpose of this article is to outline four ways to meet when attending your trade show or conference is no longer possible.

If ROI is the name of your exhibiting game, the real product of your trade show is leads. If you ask almost any exhibitor why they attend trade shows, you’ll most likely hear the number one answer (or at least number two) is lead generation.

Just when you’ve purchased and acclimated to the latest, greatest new innovation in technology – BOOM! – a new trend comes on the scene and your technology is old news. Because of the ever-changing nature of technology (and remember, this is a GOOD thing! We want to be improving and growing!), trade show managers can be hesitant to get on board with the latest hot item. But just imagine if we’d resisted such early innovations as badge scanners or marketing automation software – technology that has vastly improved the trade show experience. The trick is to pump the brakes on the here-today-gone-tomorrow trends and to rev up to the ones with staying power. Pay attention to these three advancements in trade show technology that are sure to be around for many, many years.

By Chris Rowe

Occasionally, I’ll read a really great article on LinkedIn or a blog post by an associate in the trade show business about what sounds like a new and fantastic idea to attract attendees into the trade show booth. I’ll daydream a bit about what it would take to pull it off. I’ll wonder if it would work for our booth. I’ll wonder if it would truly generate good leads. And then . . . I’ll wonder if it worked for THEM. Drawing a big crowd to your booth is exciting. An active booth feels energizing and smells like success. But does it actually mean that you’re having a profitable show?

By Matt Bohar

Tracking campaign results with Google Analytics is crucial for honing and adjusting future campaigns. However, often exhibitors just don’t do it. For more information on that, read this blog post. Exhibitors often won’t measure their website engagement from email blasts and other advertising. And because these stats aren’t tracked in Google Analystics without manually enabling it, they miss out on crucial information that they need to adjust their inbound marketing.

Is it really worth it? All the time and money and energy and set-up and tear down and time out of pocket. Are trade shows really all that great?

Turns out, YES! Yes, they are. Exhibitors value trade shows for lots of reasons, from helping them meet their objectives to just making their jobs more exciting.

Looking for some FREE and EFFECTIVE resources to help you reach your marketing goals? Look no further! We’ve compiled a list of websites and helps aimed at assisting anyone with  business objectives, a tight budget, and plenty of focus. To help maximize your trade show ROI and surpass your event planning benchmarks, read on!

25 Business Travel Tips

What are the risks of exhibiting with the health threats that are currently looming?  We have put together a few travel tips to address the Corona Virus outbreak.  More people are taking pause before booking their travel to their next event. This is a unique situation, and hopefully will be over soon. However, as trade show and event professionals you may wonder what you need to think about when preparing to travel or organize your next event. If you are not the event organizer, do you even go? Recently, Amazon, Sony and Ericsson decided not to exhibit at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona because they did not want to expose their employees to the Coronavirus.

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.

“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.

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