I’m lucky in many ways. Each year, I get to meet thousands of people live or on the Internet. What they all have in common is their desire to get more from their exhibit investment.
When I’m asked questions I keep them in a file, and every once an awhile, I get a chance to clean the file out and start over again.
So, here are four recurring questions I’ve been asked many times during the past year. I hope some of these answers are helpful.
A. The term trade show is primarily North American and trade fairs are European and Asian. The further away from home that you exhibit, the greater the diversity of the language used to describe the same thing; booths versus stands; show promoters versus show managers. Don’t let the jargon confuse you, but before you participate in a trade fair in a new country or culture asking questions as simple as this one is the best strategy.
Q. How do I measure my performance at a trade show when I don’t sell anything? We are just trying to create awareness.
A. Measuring intangibles is not only possible, it is crucial. There is no point investing in your exhibit program if you have no idea if it is moving your organization forward. So, using awareness as your objective, here are three steps to quantifying it:
1. Ask yourself what does awareness mean? What do you want your customers and the industry to know about your organization? If you can condense this into two or three messages that clearly articulate what you are all about and how your are different from the competition, then all the better.
2. Who is the best person to convey these messages to? Don’t assume that everyone wants or cares to hear your messages. The trick is to create a profile of your best candidate.
3. Before your show you can articulate your objective as the number of people who fit your profile that you can realistically talk to during the show and be able to pass along your key messages.
4. One final step-test. You need to know whether people that you speak to get the message. You can conduct surveys, look for increases in web-traffic or post-cal phone calls.
Q. What is the best give-away you have seen?
A. Looking for the best is like asking who the perfect partner is. What works for one organization is different for another. The trick is to keep your eyes open and look for interesting articles that your customers will find useful (this precludes gifts that they can take home for their kids.) Then, make sure it fits into your budget and finally, that your staff understands how to give the promotional product real value. This doesn’t happen when they are displayed on tables or counters for everyone to take. The best technique it to hide them and bring them out and as a thank-you when the conversation is drawing to a close.
Q. If I choose to drop out of a show will my absence be conspicuous and cast a negative impression?
A. If the show is no longer performing to your standards and you have done everything to try to improve it and it hasn’t worked, then perhaps it’s time to look elsewhere to invest your exhibit dollars. If you choose to drop a show from your busy schedule that does not mean that you stop marketing. As long as you remain visible to your customers through sponsorships, advertising or other high-profile shows the fear of creating a negative impression should be lessened.
If you have any questions about your exhibit marketing program, feel free to contact me.