‘Trade show news & trends’ Articles
Written by Ken Newman on 10 November 2009
Hey Newman, I know that Twitter is great for letting people know insignificant details about my life, but what about trade shows? Is it really worth tweeting about THAT? –Richard in Chicago
Let’s talk about utilizing Twitter within the throes of a trade show. Preferably, you’ve spent months really connecting with key people through your Twitter stream, building brand awareness and building your follower count. But that time has passed. The trade show is now. So, what can you do to harness this new cool tool?
→ First off, start promoting the trade show before it happens. A series of 140 character tweets at regular intervals starting a month before the event will build excitement and interest.
→ Don’t interpret 140 characters as a limitation. In the trade show space, it’s something that can easily be used to your advantage by keeping your message short and sweet.
→ Leverage your trade show giveaways by tweeting about new free offerings every hour: “Come by the [company] booth within the next 30 minutes for a free T-shirt and other goodies.”
→ Give regular updates: “Author of important new book on Internet security will be speaking at the [company] booth in 15 minutes and signing copies.”
→ Direct Message followers you know to be at the trade show that you’d love some face time with. Leave them a breadcrumb trail of sorts to finding you.
→ Also use Twitter messages to follow up with people who did stop by the booth to gain some extra traction and clue them in to more information: “Thanks so much for stopping by the booth. Check out http://bit.ly/14jYU0 for more info on our trade show staff training services!”
→ Use hashtags to show up in the trade show stream. That way, those who search directly for feeds relating to the trade show will see your messages: “#INTEROP presentation about to begin! Run to the guy spinning plates and grab a seat.”
→ Lastly, help one another and foster goodwill: I was at the National Association of Broadcasters Show and someone realized he didn’t have the necessary connector to use his wireless headset mic. He tweeted his troubles, and 10 minutes later two people showed up with the connector he needed.
This works! So, go tweet your little trade show heart out.
Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.
Tags: booth buzz, targeted giveaways, trade show opportunities, trade show trends, Twitter
Posted in Lead generation & follow up, Trade show news & trends, Trade shows & social media | 3 Comments »
Written by Ken Newman on 06 October 2009
Hey Newman, I really appreciated that ‘green giveaway’ post. What other trade show tips did you get from Green Marketing expert Janet Pomeroy? -Anne in Berkeley
We all know the “Three R’s” of green responsibility: Reuse, Reduce & Recycle. As it relates to trade shows, there’s a “Fourth R” you can remember to enhance your trade show (and overall marketing) presence: Rebrand. Find opportunities to tell your company’s story in ways that create a positive association between attendees and your company.
I came across a rising star rock musician who instead of giving out CDs at industry events and conferences, hands out biodegradable download cards that actually sprout flowers when you plant them in the ground. How’s that for telling a positive story while self-promoting and greening your public presence?
Start simple. Instead of giving out landfill-destined water bottles at trade shows, give away health- and eco-friendly Klean Kanteens branded with your company identity. Provide a water source and you’ll be a hub of activity with an item that people will use for years instead of days or hours.
As for marketing materials, instead of expensive four-color brochures, provide thumb drives that can contain far more marketing information than an attendee would ever otherwise take home—including video, Web site links and anything else you can think of. And if you must have some printouts, just make sure it’s 100% post-consumer recycled paper with vegetable-based (nontoxic) inks. Water bottles = landfill. Paper = trees + landfill.
Rebrand Through Re-Skinning
One of the best opportunities for green rebranding is booth re-skinning, a technique for which I’ve already professed my love in this blog. Just think of all the resources that go into constructing a new booth every year and for every show. You can save a boatload of money recycling an already-built booth and giving it a “fresh face” with your company and product identity.
Lastly, ask the show decorators to provide recycling and composting. It’s possible to recover about 95 percent of tradeshow waste simply by having recycling and composting available. In some cities, the facility will actually spend less money by recycling and composting than by hauling waste.
Forty percent of what most people consider waste is food or food-related products. Suggest compostable flatware made from corn-based products and compostable paper plates. Trade shows look great when they take these steps; it’s a marketing message that can really be used in public relations and outreach … while diverting a lot of unnecessary waste from landfills.
Once again, if you’d like more information on eco-business strategies (or anything green), please visit Janet at http://thegoodmix.com. Or follow her on Twitter at @thegoodmixer .
Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.
Tags: Booth design, going green, rebranding, recycling, trade show trends
Posted in Booth design, Going green at trade shows, Trade show giveaways, Trade show news & trends | 1 Comment »
Written by Ken Newman on 28 September 2009
Hey Newman, there seems to be an awful lot of talk these days about “going green.” Is there a way that can be applied to the trade show industry? –Ellen in Oakland
Ellen, that’s a great question … and I almost went off on a rant about my random thoughts on “greening” your trade show presence. But that’s just what it would have been: random. So, I decided to do a bit of research and reach out to those who really know the answer to your question. Ever since you asked, I’ve been in an ongoing dialogue with Janet Pomeroy from The Good Mix. She’s a Green Marketing expert with one of the first Green MBAs offered. So here’s a real, informed answer to your question:
For starters, take a good, hard look at your trade show giveaways. Products have a lifecycle. You purchase it from a manufacturer, who generates waste in the making of the product. That product is then packaged and travels thousands of miles to get someplace. From there, it’s redistributed, repackaged and sent out again (this time to your company). In the end, that adds up to thousands of pounds of carbon for thousands and thousands of pieces of swag.
And where does that squishy ball or flying guerrilla go after you give it away at the booth? It’s going to go home with that trade show attendee, end up in the hands of his son who plays with it and breaks it … and from there it ends up in a landfill. It really never does go … away.
That’s because most of this stuff is cheaply made. Giveaways have a very short lifespan because they’re not made to last. So, one of the first things Janet asked was: “Do you need so much junky swag? Are there alternative forms of messaging that will last for years instead of just one show? … Especially when all the leftovers are going to be tossed in the trash.”
What Janet’s words made me realize is I’ve always been against wasteful giveaways, but for an entirely different reason: You want the person to hold on to your branded item!
Years ago, I discovered a number of items that could effectively substitute for the typical giveaway—and not end up in a landfill a week later.
In one case, it was a simple card trick. The mechanism is this: One of three cards, a 5 of Clubs is placed into a spectator’s hand. Everyone is sure it’s the 5 of Clubs. When the card is turned over, it has magically turned into the company’s business card. It’s a simple illusion, but one that trade show attendees love to learn and repeat. I was recently at a trade show and an attendee recognized me from a show six months earlier. He asked me if I had any more of those magic business cards. I asked him why, and he said it was because he had been using it over and over as an icebreaker in meetings, and it wore out.
I couldn’t have asked for a better endorsement. Instead of a propeller hat, here’s something fun that keeps branding your company again and again. I guess in this industry, you can equate sustainable with interesting. If it holds their interest, they’ll hold onto it longer.
So, Ellen, giveaways is one place to start. And we’ve got plenty of ideas on giveaways that are practical, useful, interesting and won’t be thrown “away.” Keep an eye on this blog for much more about “greening” your trade show presence. I couldn’t even come close to fitting it all in one post. Thanks to you and Janet Pomeroy from The Good Mix for getting the gears turning on this important topic.
If you’d like more information on eco-business strategies (or anything green), please visit Janet at http://thegoodmix.com.
Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.
Tags: going green, swag, targeted giveaways, trade show trends
Posted in Going green at trade shows, Trade show giveaways, Trade show news & trends | 1 Comment »
Written by Ken Newman on 08 September 2009
Hey Newman, is there a way to effectively use magic in trade show presentations? They tend to be cheesy or off-point a lot of the time. –Susan in San Jose
Magic as part of a trade show presentation is not about shock value or “wow” factor. It’s about storytelling. Once you get that, everything else will quickly fall into place.
I’ve you’re using a magic show to bring people into the booth, that’s fine and it can work when done well, but it’s far more effective to think of it as a show that uses a variety of really interesting visual demonstrations to reinforce story. Here’s an example: While presenting I’m telling a story about a product and want to emphasize the message with a magic device. So, instead of simply holding up fingers for Points 1, 2, and 3, I hold up a coin that suddenly becomes a second coin that suddenly spawns a third out of thin air. All the coins are rare and valuable, and since we’re talking about generating money, it reinforces my point without putting people to sleep with PowerPoint or a bullet list.
If I’m talking about a particularly complicated methodology that somebody has to go through, I could enumerate those points as No. 1-12 and bore myself and the audience to tears … or I could use the same simple brand of magic to entertain and inform while I cover the necessary technical ground. I’ll bring audience members up on stage. I’ll make them part of the magic. And I’ll make them part of the complicated explanation and a part of the fun. Together, we’ll all tell the story in a humorous fashion.
And long after the presentation is done, THAT story will be remembered.
Imagine you’re at a party and someone says, “Hey, tell us that crazy story about what happened to you last week!” Immediately, there’s 25 people listening to you. Now, you’re not a standup comic or a magician, so you just tell that story in as colorful a way as you can. That’s what people forget to do at trade shows.
What’s endlessly fascinating to me is you can go into a trade show booth an find a bunch of salespeople standing around a guy who’s telling them a killer story. He has that micro-audience eating out of the palm of his hand. Everybody’s laughing and hanging on his every word. But that same guy then gets up on stage 10 minutes later, puts on his wireless headset and mike and bores the bejesus out of the audience. This is the same guy, but where did that great sense of humor and storytelling ability go? Instead, he’s up there telling us about Slide 74.
It’s the same thing when a magic show lacks connection to story and message. A lot of people have a negative bias towards magicians and think it’s just “silly stuff.” That’s because magic can seem silly when it’s not serving the client’s purpose.
Demonstrate a technological solution with a straightjacket escape. Make something appear to represent a product’s answer to an industry problem. This isn’t magic for magic’s sake. It’s in support of story. Remember that, and your trade show presentation will be TRULY magical.
Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.
Tags: booth buzz, live presentations, magic, storytelling, trade shows
Posted in Trade show news & trends, Trade show presentations | 1 Comment »
Written by Ken Newman on 25 August 2009
Hey Newman, enjoying the posts. What’s your take on Twitter? -Mark in San Francisco
Twitter streams are overflowing with loud, unsolicited advertisements for all sorts of random stuff. And while I won’t begrudge someone for attempting to raise awareness about their e-book, that approach really misses the point.
What business people and trade show exhibitors don’t typically realize with Twitter is the potential for connection. Sure, it’s not the same as engaging someone face-to-face, but when are you going to be face-to-face with Demi Moore (@mrskutcher) or the CEO of Zappos (@Zappos) or the Chief Technology Officer at Cisco (@Padmasree). Even with a “connection” to Cisco, Padmasree Warrior wouldn’t take my call or respond to my e-mail. But Demi and Tony and Padmasree are actively involved in the Twitter community and responding to tweets—especially if they’re clever or funny or helpful.
This is the equivalent of getting invited to “that party” and having a chance to start a dialogue and charm influential people with your personality. More to that point, you wouldn’t walk into that VIP party and immediately say, “Here’s what I’m selling!” They’d shun you instantly (if you didn’t get kicked out altogether). But through a genuine conversation, talk might turn to what you do, and that person or the company that person represents might very well recognize a need for your services.
Twitter “conversations” are just as relaxed. It’s fun and often silly, but you can get work done within this budding medium. It’s just important to remember that Twitter is inherently a social model, not a business one. The business comes later … just like in real life.
This holds true for the flipside of the equation, too. Recently, Zappos posted the following tweet:
http://twitpic.com/f4pqp – Coolest. Toilet Seat Cover. Ever. (Never thought I’d use those words together)”
The other day there was a message about cool outfits Zappos employees made out of duct tape. (http://bit.ly/4P3h) And while Tony Hsieh just seems like a genuinely cool guy to hang out with, what’s subtly happening is he’s building brand loyalty. After months of connecting with Tony, how much more likely will you be to log on for that next pair of shoes or stop by if you were to see a Zappos booth at a trade show?
That’s because if you were at a trade show and you knew that a close friend of yours had a booth, you would stop by. You wouldn’t just go to the trade show and blow off a friend. A regular common experience with another Twitter feed will foster that sense of fellowship—even if it’s a big corporation. That’s powerful stuff. Certainly much more powerful than 140 characters overtly trying to sell me something.
Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.
Tags: brand loyalty, connection, human behavior, Twitter
Posted in Lead generation & follow up, Trade show news & trends, Trade shows & social media | 3 Comments »
Written by Ken Newman on 04 August 2009
Hey Newman, how long is too long before following up on trade show leads? Something tells me I’m not going to like the answer. -Robert in Palo Alto
Robert, three-quarters of the leads generated at trade shows are never followed up on … and when they are followed up, it tends to be way too late. So, what does that mean for you? It means don’t bother to spend the money on lead generation if you’re just trying to impress the people in the next booth with a big statistic. Those 2,000 leads you got don’t mean anything if you don’t do something with them.
It’s essential you have a mechanism in place for when you’re receiving the leads, whether that’s using barcode scanners or a little Q&A afterward to ascertain if this lead is something worth pursuing over the next week, two weeks, month or year. You need some way of categorizing your leads as “HOT,” “warm,” “cold” and “dead fish.” (Well, maybe not the last one.)
Take those leads and, for example, send each one a postcard with a funny photograph from your presentation. People aren’t very accustomed to getting real mail anymore, and sometimes that can be far more attention-grabbing than just seeing another e-mail in the inbox. But at least promptly send an e-mail with a memorable photograph in it. Thank that potential customer for coming by the booth. Tell them you really appreciate it—and have that note waiting for them Monday when they get back from the trade show.
First contact should come within days of the trade show’s end. When two or three weeks or God forbid a month goes by without contact, you just end up lumped together with all the other SPAM.
I use a postcard as an example of something that makes people stop and take notice. When I get a postcard I say, “Wow, that’s amazing. I haven’t gotten a postcard in a long time.” It will make me not want to throw it out, particularly if it’s a funny image that makes me laugh. And when it’s flipped over, there’s just a quick note:
“Thank you for stopping by the booth. We’ll get in touch within a week or so to follow up.”
It’s just a warm way to reach out to people. Warm is good. Prompt is even better.
People go to such lengths to get traffic in their booth—renting the leading scanning devices and hiring crowd gatherers … and then it either all sits untouched in a database or collects dust as a stack of business cards or filled-out lead cards. Somehow, nobody does anything with them after putting in all that initial effort. Worse, they’ll group them by territory and send the info out to their sales staff, who expect these to be qualified leads. But after a few phone calls those salespeople realize these were just a bunch of people who stopped by to get a T-shirt. They’ll quickly feel like they’re wasting their time and stop making attempts, which ultimately throws out the good with the bad.
That’s why they need to be categorized as real leads, as opposed to just inflating the body count. Sometimes you’ll know immediately when you have a hot lead. In those cases, there’s no such thing as getting hold of somebody too soon. (Well, let them de-board the plane and get home first.) But there’s nothing better than arriving and finding a note waiting for you.
Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.
Tags: lead follow up, lead generation, qualified leads, trade show opportunities, trade shows
Posted in Booth staff, Lead generation & follow up, Trade show news & trends, Trade show presentations | 7 Comments »
Written by Ken Newman on 14 July 2009
Hey Newman, I saw your Live Presentations post. So what’s the deal with PowerPoint? -Ray in Oakland
Well, Ray … simply put, don’t use PowerPoint. I’ve seen more PowerPoint used badly at trade shows than anywhere else. Even a tight, concise presentation can be sabotaged by poor PowerPoint usage. It’s just not enough to throw up bullet points, text, graphics and beauty shots of the product. That’s exactly what it is: throwup. The audience’s eyes glaze right over—especially if you’re reading from the PowerPoint as if it were a TelePrompTer.
The only time to use PowerPoint is when there is something you have to show that words cannot adequately describe. Use it for counterpoint, irony, humor and surprise. I started off a recent live presentation with a 60-slide PowerPoint presentation. Sixty real, honest-to-goodness slides about the company. But it was a joke. I put those 60-slides on automatic at overdrive PowerPoint speed. The whole thing ran about eight seconds from start to finish, with frenzied music underneath. At the halfway point it stopped and said, “YOU’RE GETTING THIS, RIGHT?” Then it did 30 more slides with an epic music finale and one final slide that said, “ANY QUESTIONS?”
Can you imagine the applause? Can you imagine the additional applause when I told the audience we weren’t going to do anything like that? Ultimately, I did use PowerPoint during the presentation, but only for exquisite images from nature that enhanced the storytelling.
I tell my clients all the time that if you hired a compelling presenter, you want the people looking at that presenter. You want me to make contact with your audience-to look them in the eyes and tell them that company’s story. You don’t want their eyes shifting back and forth between me and the screen because that will dilute the message completely.
PowerPoint is not effective; storytelling is effective. If you use juggling, magic, plate-spinning or humor to tell that story, it’ll trump PowerPoint every time.
Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.
Tags: connection, live presentations, trade show opportunities, trade show trends, trade shows
Posted in Trade show news & trends, Trade show presentations | No Comments »
Written by Ken Newman on 23 June 2009
Hey Newman, cash prizes at trade shows: A good investment or a waste of money? -Mike in Los Angeles
I recently did three days of presentations for a company that was giving away $10,000 at a trade show. The festival atmosphere this promotion conjured up was beyond incredible. I’ve seen companies give away cars and other larger-ticket items, but the buzz about this cash was unparalleled.
To win, you filled out a card with your name and contact information. To be eligible to enter the drawing, you had to watch the live presentation I gave or engage with somebody in the booth one-to-one and ask a question or listen.
All three days of the show, we never presented for less than standing room only. Ever. On the last day, the money had already been given away, yet we still packed the presentation. That final-day success had a lot to do with our crowd gatherers and how persistent we were about getting the seats full. But on those first two days, the money did a lot of the work.
I mean, it’s $10,000. That’s a lot of cash … and a substantial incentive.
Not every company is going to shell out 10 grand, but they might spend $1,000, which is still a good chunk of change. It’s enough for people to come into a booth and fill out a piece of paper just to enter the drawing. So, if a company is willing to spend $1,000 for the cash grand prize and a total of $800 more for three medium-priced electronic devices, what they’ll get back for that expense is huge. There’s a lot of buzz and booth traffic to be gained from an investment of that size.
Mike, the point of contention is whether this cash incentive will get you a bunch of greedy “dead-ends” or some actual leads on which to follow up. There’s a big argument in the trade show industry that says you’ve got to look for quality leads over quantity. I disagree. That’s because if you have 20,000 people attending a show, you must do something compelling in your booth to capture the names of a significant percentage of those people (even 10 percent over three days) and get that traffic to flow through the booth. If you don’t, there’s a good chance you’re never going to have the opportunity to identify those coveted high-quality leads. In fact, you won’t have any leads at all.
Those 25-30 key people—the dream leads—aren’t going to just magically appear in your booth. They’re likely to be swept into your booth along with the hundreds of other people who may be there to just win the $1,000.
There are only a few things that will draw people to your booth, and a lot of it has to do with what’s eye-catching. That can be movement, color, noise; those create crowds. When we did this drawing, and we have video documentation of this, there were 1,000 people standing around the booth. The fire marshals were getting people out of the aisle. It was insanity, pandemonium. People were walking by asking, “What’s going on here? … They’re giving away $10,000! Oh my, can I get in?”
Sure, that person may have no interest in the particular technology, but somebody they later talk to might … or somebody they’re standing next to might … or somebody just walking by. An adept salesperson will capitalize, and there’s a huge piece of business that’s been booked.
Trade shows are, by their nature, a little bit of “sideshow.” There’s no question that it’s all about buzz and excitement. And nothing says excitement better than an oversized check with $10,000 printed on it.
Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.
Tags: booth buzz, Booth staff, booth traffic, qualified leads, targeted giveaways
Posted in Booth staff, Trade show giveaways, Trade show news & trends | No Comments »
Written by Ken Newman on 09 June 2009
Hey Newman, do “booth babes” actually make a difference at a trade show, or are they just a financial drain? -Richard in New Jersey
Richard, I have really strong feelings about this topic. First of all, I don’t like that term. I resent references to “booth babes” or “booth bunnies” or “booth bimbos” … really “booth anything” other than booth assistant or booth hostess.
But I do understand where you’re coming from. All too often you have a fashion model just sitting on a high stool with her legs crossed, checking her nails and handing out literature. That is not a particularly valuable investment for a trade show.
But a real booth assistant can be a substantial asset for a relatively small amount of money. I’m talking about a skilled, experienced person who goes out into crowds and asks the right questions and can deliver a killer 30-second pitch on your behalf. I’m talking about someone who knows what to do if an attendee asks, “Is your marketing director here?” … And here’s a hint: It’s doesn’t involve just pointing to the opposite end of the booth.
That person has real value at a trade show for about $400 a day or less. But a lot of people feel “we don’t need that.”
In fact, they do.
Otherwise, they’re not going to have any one person who is dedicated to that “crowd gathering” task. Booth staff should be engaging people at a deeper level and getting involved in potential sales and qualifying leads and showing off technology.
It’s the job of the booth assistant to bring people into striking distance for a trade show presentation or booth demo. That being said, you can’t just go to a modeling agency and select someone 6-feet-tall who looks like Angelina Jolie.
The value is in selecting someone with years of trade show experience who knows how to behave when an attendee brushes them off. You want someone who can smile in the face of trade show adversity. Those are the types of people you look for, and those are the types of people we have worked with at Magnet Productions for at least 10 years. They are real trade show professionals who deserve respect and have an important role in delivering a highly successful trade show that brings in lots of qualified leads.
So, before you dismiss them as mere “eye candy,” consider all there is to be gained from professional booth assistants as part of your trade show presence.
Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.
Tags: affordable options, booth assistants, booth buzz, crowd gathering, trade show opportunities
Posted in Booth staff, Trade show news & trends | 2 Comments »
Written by Ken Newman on 05 May 2009
Hey Newman, the trends don’t look good, man. Are trade shows going the way of the dodo? I think it would be a shame if that’s true. – Jeff in Philly
There’s been some recent doom and gloom about the future of the trade show industry. To Jeff and everyone else with similar concerns, I have a simple message: The trade show is far from dead. People are just spending more selectively.
Face-to-face marketing is not going away. Ever. We have the Internet, but the telephone isn’t going away. For that matter, we have the telephone, but we’re still getting together to talk in person.
Look at the Presidential Inauguration. Was there any particular reason why people had to stand outside in 20-degree temperatures (10-below with the wind chill) for hours and hours to see Mr. Obama be sworn in? The crowds were so deep that many were freezing and three-quarters of a mile away from the stage watching details a JumboTron.
Why didn’t all 2 million of those people just stay and watch in the comfort of their living rooms?
Because we have to be with each other. That is fundamentally who we are, and that’s not going to change. It doesn’t matter how sophisticated our technology gets. We now have “telepresence” where you can be talking to someone halfway around the world, and it’s so real you could seemingly reach out and touch one another.
But it’s not real.
It’s close enough to save a lot of money and reduce a carbon footprint. Companies should absolutely utilize technology to avoid spending money on travel just to have a two-hour meeting only to get on a plane and fly all the way back. There is a host of compelling reasons for that. But people are still going to congregate on the National Mall in D.C., when there’s a defining moment in history.
Social Beings Thrive on Connection
We are social creatures, and we absolutely thrive on connection. So, to think for a minute that the trade show is going to go away … because it’s being supplanted by what? By blogs?
Virtual parties are not replacing dinner parties. We still want the contact.
Yes, industry studies show some real, tangible trade show shrinkage. But that’s more about people wising up and removing redundancy from the system.
The Numbers Are Real, But So Are the People
At CES, there was a reported 25 percent attrition rate this year, which doesn’t surprise me given the economy. But it was still a huge show with people still waiting in cab lines for an hour to get back to their hotels. My clients may have gone from 10 trade shows a year to four trade shows a year. But they were simply being more selective. They picked the four trade shows that made the most sense for them. But that reduction made intelligent marketing all the more important.
Yes, the big, bloated trade shows are disappearing. But we are fundamentally social beings and we like to transact business that way. It’s just about being more intelligent about how we do it. You’re not going to go to every single trade show that has even remotely anything to do with your business and invest in a 50×50 booth with as big a booth staff as possible. That’s going to break you.
It becomes about making cuts with a scalpel instead of a hatchet: Pick the right trade shows. Populate the booth with the right people. Do the right kind of pre-show marketing and the right kind of presentation to guarantee that ROI will be huge. Just be smart about your investment because trade shows are not going anywhere. We’re never going to stop wanting to meet each other.
My philosophy on this matter and my business are inextricably linked. I don’t believe for a minute that this industry is over. If I did, I’d be jumping ship and finding something else. There are plenty of other things that I could do.
We’re always going to want to connect—no matter how sophisticated we get. I really believe that. I’ve been in the trade show business for 25 years. I’ve seen it go through this incredible cycle—the ebb and flow—but when it comes down to it, people want to see one another.
A colleague reminded me recently that there are very few opportunities to get so many potential customers in one place at one time the way you do at a trade show. That person said: “I don’t care what people say about trade shows being less popular than they were. There is still no better way to do this. The right people are at the trade show. You’re not going to get that kind of situation anywhere else.
“What you have to do then is make sure there’s a compelling reason for them to come and visit you. It’s about something going on in the booth. Sure, it’s about having a good story and a good product, but it’s also about getting people to want to visit.”
I couldn’t have said it any better myself.
Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.
Tags: connection, industry studies, social beings, trade show opportunities, trade show trends
Posted in Trade show news & trends | No Comments »
