Prospects cannot see your booth size based on your pre-show mailer. In this area, everyone is equal. Effective pre-show promotions are the ultimate equalizer. The key word there is effective.

Too often pre-show promotions are planned and executed prior to a trade show without asking the most important question very early on in the process: How will results be measured? If you don’t address this right away, how do you know if you are winning or losing?

Also to be considered very early on: it is almost always more effective to include an offer with a promotion. However, you must remember to tailor your promotion around your audience. You can also use postcards and mailers as lead-collection vehicles. By using a direct mail piece that can be mailed or faxed back you can increase your ROI by collecting responses from non-attending prospects who are interested in your particular products and services.

Planning your pre-show promotions well ahead of your next trade show will save you considerable time and money.

We had two great seminars yesterday entitled “Maximize Your Trade Show ROI.” We covered a lot of great information and our audience members were very involved and enthusiastic. All of us at Skyline Metro Chicago would like to give special thanks to our presenter, Jerry Gerson, for yet again giving everyone an educational and entertaining day. We hope to have him back for another day of seminars soon.

The third quarter is wrapping up and it’s the time of year when most Marketers are planning their 2008 budgets. Determining your event marketing budget well in advance will save you time, money and headaches. Here is one tool that can help you create accurate budgets:

Download our Trade Show Budgeting Worksheet

I just returned from The Motivation Show which opened today at McCormick Place. I wasn’t sure what to expect since this was my first time at this particular event. It’s a very interesting show with some very impressive exhibits. The distinctive thing I noticed was that the successful exhibits were less about conveying a message and more about establishing an atmosphere.

Rather than touting their latest product or newest service, the exhibits with the most traffic focused more on creating a unique ambiance. However, there was no one common theme that tied the most impactful exhibits together. Some of the booths that stuck out did so by using trade show graphics, some with custom furniture, while others used lighting and hanging structures.

Regardless of the business you are in, it is definitely worth checking out. The Motivation Show ends this Thursday, September 27.

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” – Woody Allen

This quote is pretty accurate – unless you’re a trade show exhibitor. On average, three out of every four booth visits were planned before the attendee ever stepped onto the show floor. If you haven’t contacted your target audience well in advance, you’re already losing.

The goal of any pre-show campaign should be to get your best prospects into your booth for a qualifying conversation. It’s not about getting everybody in your booth; you want the right people in your booth. Every trade show is different and your pre-show marketing strategy should reflect that. What worked for your show in Seattle last April probably won’t achieve the same results at your November show in Miami.

After choosing the target audience you want to reach before the show, send them a mailing that will encourage them to visit your booth. The key is to keep your message consistent. Your pre-show marketing campaigns should all have the same theme as your show floor promotion, which in turn should have a tie in with your booth message.

Bottom line: regardless of how you design and execute your pre-show marketing, reaching your audience before they reach the trade show floor is a must.

There are still a few seats available for our upcoming fall seminars entitled “Maximize Your Trade Show R.O.I.” featuring Jerry Gerson, a top-notch speaker on trade show exhibiting and event marketing.

Jerry brings over 30 years of experience to his workshops by combining his practical knowledge and skills from his sales, marketing and management positions in broadcast, cable television and healthcare software industries. Topics will include Why Exhibiting Belongs in the Marketing Mix, Setting Measurable Objectives, Measuring Your Performance, Selecting Shows and Spaces that Work, and Budgeting for Success.

The two and a half hour programs are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. on October 10 at our Exhibit Showroom. You can reserve your seat by calling us at 312-733-0770 or by visiting www.skylinemetrochicago.com.