Skyline Metro Chicago Presents Trade Show Event Exhibiting Tips

If you are in any way involved in your company’s event or trade show program, you should definitely attend Exhibitor 2008. This show, at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, is especially for trade show and corporate event marketers. The conference portion of the show takes place March 9-13, and the exhibition is March 10-12.

Join 6,000+ tradeshow and event professionals, from all 50 states and 10 countries, and discover ways to impact your program. Here are some highlights of this year’s show:

Conference
- Choose from over 200 sessions including hands-on workshops, case studies, author presentations and more.
- Take advantage of Peer-2-Peer roundtables and off-site Field Trips.
- Six sessions on environmentally friendly practices to help in the push towards greener exhibiting.

Exhibition
- The most exhibit and event products are launched here.
- A bigger exhibit hall with more of the industry’s most impressive, innovative resources.
- Over 300 exhibitors
- The newest, hottest, and most cutting-edge solutions specifically for face-to-face marketers.

So don’t miss out on this year’s show and the chance to become a better exhibitor. For more information, go to http://www.exhibitoronline.com/exhibitorshow/2008/overview.asp.

So you’ve just wrapped up your major trade show of the year. Time to pack up, head home and get back in the normal swing of things, right? Wrong. Before you move on, take this opportunity to assess your performance so you can exhibit at your next show smarter and better prepared.

A post show evaluation is an essential aspect of any successful trade show program. This doesn’t have to be a drawn-out, complicated process. It’s pretty simple - on the last day of the show gather all your exhibit staff and have them fill out an evaluation form. This form should cover as many elements of the show that it can: from exhibit issues, to staffing and customer care, to logistics and everything in between. Let everyone have a say in the exhibiting effectiveness and offer their suggestions for improvement.

Synthesize this information into a post show report on what worked, what didn’t, and possible improvements for the next show. Make sure this is done within 2 weeks of the show’s closing to keep the show fresh in everyone’s minds. Distribute the information to everyone who has a hand in the show and it processes, so they are aware of changes for the next event.

Not only will this information serve to give you something to learn from, it also serves as a framework for goals for all following shows.
More Knowledge = Better Exhibiting

Upon returning from the RSNA show at McCormick Place this week, I was not surprised by the sizes of the exhibits, which if you have not seen them are pretty impressive. Instead, I was enthused by the new design concepts that have hit the show floor. The use of fabric structures in combination with hard walls helped to create some dynamic designs, while the use of all of the space on the floor, as well as the space above the exhibits, helped to guide attendees, or better yet identify the companies exhibiting. The use of the overhead space is important in larger exhibit spaces as it gives your exhibit a real punch and impact from across the show floor. The visit also validated Skyline Metro Chicago’s system for designing these larger exhibits.

Let me explain.

in these larger exhibits, Skyline tries to use a 3-tiered branding strategy. This is done by working from the ceiling down to eye level with consistent messaging. It’s geared toward drawing attendees to the exhibit and slowly introducing them to taglines and then to products and targeted messages.

Level 3 would be the overhead signage. The overhead signage would be large simple branding, logo and color scheme to match the other tiers. Again, this works to identify your company from across the show floor, as well as have you stand out. In large shows it can even help fit into the landscape around you as other large exhibits follow this formula as well.

Level 2 would be medium overhead signage or signage originating from structures based on the floor. This tier allows you to start to brand different aspects of your company, taglines, lifestyle images, services offered and possibly large product images. This allows the attendee to qualify themselves as they approach your exhibit, and gives them an understanding of who you are and what you do.

Level 1 would be targeted signage. This would include detailed information about the products or services that you offer to that particular market or audience. It also allows the exhibit staffers to guide a prospect to certain areas that they would be interested in, surrounded by support graphics and messaging for that particular product or service.

The best part about Skyline Metro’s design strategy is that when it comes time to change out the products, or the services, or even target the message to a particular audience, the replacement of graphics is only on one of the 3 tiers! This saves money, as well as keeps the exhibit consistent in the different markets on the upper 2 tiers.

Employment of this strategy has often been successful for companies looking to make a splash while not spending a ton of money to update their graphics, year to year or even show to show. Make sure you investigate this process as you start your new designs.

Remember, it’s all about the details!

Pre-show invitations are one of the most popular promotions that exhibitors in every industry use. But watch out - you should take some things into consideration before you get out those stamps.

The biggest thing to take into account is your list. You want your mailing list to be as targeted as possible. The most targeted list for bringing prospects into your booth is a pre-registration list from show management. If you can’t get a hold of the pre-reg list, the next best lists are: last year’s registration list, your company’s customer/prospect list, show management’s prospect list and a list of association members. If these lists may have many non-attending prospects, be sure to include some type of bounce-back method so that the recipients can have another avenue to request information from you.

Also think about this: What are your prospects more apt to actually open and read? The format of your invitation is an extremely important decision. You don’t want to spend all this money on your promotions just to have them pitched in the trash without a second glance. What designs are these potential clients more apt to respond to? What kind of offers will entice them into your booth? Or are offers the right way to go; will your prospects be more interested in information over prizes?

If you put just as much thought into your pre-show promotions as you do to the actual show you will increase your chances of success.

Of course you want your booth to attract a crowd - that’s the whole reason you’re at the trade show right? But what happens if you don’t have enough booth staff to handle this rush of people? Say you only have two staffers in your smaller booth. How are they supposed to handle a rush?

First things first, you need to acknowledge all visitors that come into the booth, even if you are already engaged with a prospect. A simple head nod or wave while making eye contact should do it. An ignored prospect will be a gone prospect in about 30 seconds. Another good way to snag those prospects is to bring in newcomers into the conversation. If you’re demonstrating a product, include the new people as they come in.

Some other things to keep in mind:

- Keep your one-on-one conversations limited to 3-5 min.
- Keep your booth open to allow more people to step inside. Forget about chairs or big displays. Just bring the bare minimum of product and use graphics, brochures and swatches to show other options.
- Using AV is a great way to keep your prospects involved while you are with another person. Video can attract and educate visitors.

Remember to make every visitor feel important - that way you still get big leads from a small staff.

The great thing about trade shows is that you can look like a million bucks without having to spend it.
I recently had an exhibitor who was looking to make a splash at Graph Expo, but normally only exhibits in a 10′ x 20′ space. They had a limited budget, but because this was going to be their attempt to create a buzz about their product they were willing to invest a bit more than usual on the space, but did not want to invest in a new exhibit. I suggested a rental option. I know a few of you reading this are rolling your eyes having seen some of the rental options offered to you from the show, but Skyline Metro Chicago has trade show exhibit rental kits as well as customizable rental options that are approached the same way a purchase is. Skyline offered them a 20′ x 20′ rental solution with turnkey Installation and Dismantling Services, as well as managing their show book, coming in right on their tight budget. The show was such a success that they are now attending the Canadian version of Graph Expo with the same exhibit, with the hardware coming directly out of our Canadian Service Center to minimize freight costs, and the graphics sent to match up with the hardware. They took a chance and it paid off, without having to break the bank!

Remember you have to be able to examine all the possibilities even if you own an exhibit.
I also have a client that owns a 20′ x 30′ Skyline exhibit and was considering exhibiting at a show in China. After careful analysis of the costs of shipping the exhibit over and the customs charges, the decision was made to rent the exhibit from Skyline’s Shanghai Service Center and send just the graphics over. Skyline managed the trade show exhibit rental, the logistics, the showbook, and the Installation and Dismantling for the client to make this a turnkey event. The exhibitor ended up saving money and was able to have the same display across the world as they did in the US.

Exhibit rental, not just for trade shows.
The last rental example is for a client of mine that was releasing a line of new products. The press event was a one day event with about 100 members of the media scheduled to attend. The event was being held in a ballroom in a Las Vegas hotel, and needed to incorporate not only rental properties, but also Installation and Dismantling, audio visual equipment, a large projection screen, wireless microphones, teleprompters and coordinated moving spot lights for each of the 30 products. Skyline Metro Chicago was able to utilize our Las Vegas Service Center for the rental materials to save money on the freight costs, as well as coordinate the logistics and the Install and Dismantle in under 2 Days. The event was a major success and has been written up in many major publications.

When it comes to trade show exhibit rental, here are a few things to consider:
- If you are exhibiting in the US and have three or less trade shows you might consider renting a display, as the cost of renting a display is usually about a third of the cost of the purchase.

- If you are trying to launch a new product or have a specific target audience gathering for that one show, or private event, you should consider a rental exhibit.

Visit our website for more on Skyline Metro Chicago’s rental options.

Like I always say, it’s all about the details!

Although it’s not polite to brag - sometimes even we have to toot our own horn. Skyline has just come out with an outstanding new product called the Exalt Banner Stand. It boasts a unique curved, retractable design. With the simple flick of levers, Exalt converts from linear to curved. Three units can be connected together for an effective 10′ display. It can be designed for use as a full banner stand that converts to a linear tabletop display. Exalt’s Graphic Exchange System allows you to update or change your graphic to target specific audiences without investing in new hardware.

Some of the coolest features of this banner stand are that it packs up small and sets up easy. One banner stand unit packs neatly in a lightweight, protective carrying case for easy transport. A complete unit with soft-sided case weighs about 10 lbs. (4.5 kg). Its support pole sections are shockcorded for easy assembly and the graphic panel is housed within the banner stand base. Simply extend the spring-loaded graphic and connect to the support pole.

Check out our website for even more information on the new Exalt banner stand.