Now that the height of trade show season is starting to get hot, and I thought it would be a good time for everyone to review the do’s and don’ts, while most of you I am sure have seen them before it is always a good idea to review some of the do’s and don’ts to ensure that you are getting the most out of your trade show experience.  Please check out the link below on 27 Do’s and Don’ts written by: Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach  http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com/article82.html

It was a warm day in July and I was sitting at a friend’s house enjoying the company. Things seemed to be going well when all of the sudden my phone started ringing. I decided that I should answer the call because it was an out of town area code. So upon answering the call I found on the other end our tech from a Skyline partner in the south. He was installing a simple 10×20 exhibit. I was a bit concerned to hear him on the phone because that normally means something is wrong. He had informed me that he spoke with our customer and they had a major problem. The exhibitor felt as though there exhibit was not set up to the proper configuration. There was one other configuration that the client had used once in

 As the sun set on the industry yet another day I find myself being so at peace with the tools that we have as a Skyline office and knowing that any answer I need is at my finger tips. I will close my eyes now and go to sleep knowing that we have succeeded at yet another feat   I look forward to the challenges of tomorrow and being able to be a leader in the industry is the perfect beginning of every day.

 Did you know that 79% of all trade show leads aren’t followed up on?

Whether you exhibit once a year or once a month, trade shows can be a great way to market your business. They can also be an expensive venture if you aren’t getting the most value you possibly can from each show you participate in. Here are a few before, during, and after the show tips to help you get more value from your next trade show.Before the show

• Set goals – why are you exhibiting? http://www.skyline.com/skyline.asp?cmd=%21dsp%20tst_objectives
• Develop a market survey
• Analyze your marketing database
• Publicize you’ll be there
• Decide on giveaways or promotional items
• Decide on style of trade show exhibit and ways to attract traffic
• Train your booth staff
• Bring plenty of business cardsHere’s a great checklist from Skyline: http://www.skyline.com/object-dsp/pdf/mkbrochures/N_03.pdf

During the show

• Arrive early to set up
• Have plenty of staff
• Don’t sit at your booth
• Dress the part
• Smile. Be engaging. Make it fun (Most important thing you can do!)
• Acknowledge person’s name in shortly after shaking hands – helps with name retention
• Listen for things you have in common
• Exchange business cards and make notes on back
• Ask how you can help them
• Network with other vendors

After the show

• Review survey responses and prioritize leads
• Enter survey information in database
• Follow up – meet for coffee or lunch
• Measure and examine results
• Get team exhibit feedback
• Use the exhibit in your office

With some focused planning and follow up, your next trade show experience is sure to be a success before, during and after.

Thanks to Rose Slaymaker from the Nemec Marketing Group for the info!

Do you need ammunition for management to justify keeping or expanding your budget for trade shows or marketing events?  You know their fears of the stagnant economy, and you know how expensive trade shows can be.  Please read on.  There are strategies to participate smarter and provide measurable return on your trade show investment.

  We have enjoyed positive growth in the trade show and event industry since 2002 due to many factors: strong corporate profits, convention center expansion, low airfares, the need for training and education, low interest rates, and the continued activity of event marketing to reach buyers.  Recently we have seen a shift in the economy.  Flat growth for 2007 and 2008, with a forecast of economic uncertainty, has everyone looking at their marketing strategies closely.  Many companies are looking at no growth budgets for trade shows, and others are withdrawing funds to protect their bottom lines.  Everyone is searching for economical and effective communication to reach customers. 

Face to Face contacts with potential customers is the most effective way to influence your potential customers.  Trade shows and event marketing offer the opportunity to meet face to face with many prospective qualified customers all in one day and will accelerate the selling cycle.  You can match attendee needs with your ability to fill them.  Because adults are visual and experiential learners, exhibiting is a visual medium that allows your customers to view your products, graphics and collateral materials as well as experience the interactive dynamics of the exhibiting process through hands-on demonstrations.

Skyline has recently produced a white paper entitled “Successful Exhibiting Strategies in Uncertain Times” and has developed a checklist with 16 tactics to drive successful exhibiting.  I have included this valuable checklist to encourage your successful participation in trade shows.

Exhibiting Smarter

1. Make Trade Shows a Part of Your Integrated Marketing Communications Plan
2. Exhibit for the Right Reasons
3. Proactively Evaluate the Shows in Which You Participate
4. Evaluate the Space You Occupy Versus Your Objectives
5. Focus on the Objective: Reducing Your Cost of Ownership
6. Invest in Graphics
7. It’s the Quality of the Audience, Not the Quantity
8. Focus on Your Targeted Audience
9. Don’t Rely on Traditional Selling Techniques
10. Invest in a Motivated Staff
11. Recruit Management as Part of Your Exhibiting Team
12. Exhibiting is Not Just Collecting Names or Swiping Badges
13. Create a “Follow-up TEAM”
14. What is Your Measure of Success?  Measure the Results
15. Plan to Work the Show Every Moment the Show is Open
16. Think Bigger- Think Beyond the Trade Show Floor

You’ll reap greater results by targeting high-quality audiences and providing the right marketing materials and qualified staff to address the needs of prospective and current clientele.  Your measurable results will show how trade shows need to be an integral part of your successful marketing strategy. 

For a copy of “Successful Exhibiting Strategies in Uncertain Times” or other information please contact Skyline Metro Chicago at info@skylinemetrochicago.com

We at Skyline Metro Chicago are pleased to bring back Chicago Exhibiting!  Over the next few weeks we will be posting some new material, some old material and maybe even some off the wall material as it pertains to Chicago Exhibiting.  We welcome your feedback and suggestions for topics so please take a moment and tell us your trade show pain or your great experience exibiting in Chicago.  Thanks for checking us out and stay tuned!

How much is your company willing to pay for a qualified lead? What about meeting decision makers face-to-face and introducing your products or services? The national average for cost per lead generated at a trade show is about half that of a typical in-person sales call.

Trade shows allow key representatives from your company to be in a unique selling position. It all seems pretty simple - so what’s the excuse? Sure you need a game plan. What shows? Where are they in relationship to your company’s coverage? How much does it cost? Booth space, travel expenses, staffing, booth display, pre-show and post show follow up must all be considered. However, with adequate planning these costs can easily be amortized over just a few shows.

Done correctly, exhibiting at the right trade show can provide valuable exposure as well as the opportunity to have qualifying conversations with decision makers visiting your booth. Sounds like a no-brainer for success. What say you?