Posted December 31st, 2008 by Karl
The old year is about to go out and here we have Father Time delivering 2009 as a brand new baby.
The news is dire; the economy stinks, bail outs are being negotiated and pleaded for on the Hill in Washington and maybe we should just close Uncle Sam down for the year until 2010 comes around?
Rubbish!
2009 is gong to be the year of that great “R” word - RECOVERY!
Recovery always follows on from a recession!
You need to steer your business through the recession, that goes without saying but the key to long term success is not just surviving a recession it is positioning yourself so you are able to take advantage of the recovery which will materialize.
This is a fact of business life.
Now is a time of great opportunity for those who have the vision and are prepared to work diligently - trade shows and trade show displays provide an excellent way to forge new customer relationships and when your competition are cutting back on marketing and sales, this is precisely the time to be ramping your efforts up in order to take the market share that is being given up by your competitors.
Just as businesses are generally cutting back, you are in a fantastic position to take advantage of the deals and offers from display and accessory manufacturers as well as event managers. Business perception and sentiment may be negative but for the savvy operator, now is a time to be capitalizing on the economic situation and getting set for a great 2009.
Start 2009 by taking a good hard look at what trade show events have to offer you whether you are new to exhibiting or a vetaran; you are in a very strong position when it comes to negotiating the very best market terms for your marketing and sales effort so start 2009 off with a trade show bang.
Now it only remains to say goodbye to 2008; enjoy yourselves, don’t drink and drive and have a very prosperous and Happy New 2009!
Posted November 1st, 2008 by Karl
Trade shows have a life of their own no matter whether they are going to last a day or a month; you will quickly find that each individual trade show event you attend, whether as an attendee or as an exhibitor will take on a rhythm all of its own.
Tapping into this pulse is something that experienced trade show afficionados are excellent at - they have to be!
Everything is compressed into frenetic bursts of activity in a very short period of time. If you are with a big company, corporate expectations are high and a big mistake is that they are set far too high while smaller companies where budget really plays a crucial limiting role can frequently be overwhelmed by the routine and the demands placed upon them in order to succeed against the big boys.
Prior preparation is vital!
On the day you are selling and networking; if you are still trying to get organized with your trade show display you have fouled up so pay attention.
Get yourself organized for the day; book everything in advance from your marketing collateral to your hotel or route to the trade show.
Invite your customers and business partners; promote your attendance well in advance of the tradeshow; don’t be shy about shouting from the rooftops that you are exhibiting as this is your primary responsibility - there are no refunds if you don’t sell anything or break even.
Schedule your day; I know you’re going to be busy trying to attract and develop new relationships but be professional and demonstrate that to your prospects and clients. Don’t rush a meeting just because someone else is hopping up and down; book them an appointment either for the day or after the show itself; after all it’s what visitors are their for!
Capture your prospect and booth visitor information; collecting business cards or if you are using scanners and barcodes, make sure your system is in operation and works to collate all of the information which will allow you to follow up.
Follow UP!
Too many times, prospects are waiting for the call from an exhibitor only it never materializes - make sure it’s not your call they are waiting for and follow up all of your leads and prospects.
Posted October 31st, 2008 by Karl
You’ve decided to take the plunge and booked space at a tradeshow; you have your display arranged and now you are marking down the days to when you will be on the floor at a busy venue with hundreds of potential customers looking to give you orders.
Now here’s a real world reality check.
You still have work to do!
Those exhibitors who manage to snatch failure from a surefire opportunity tend to be lazy - they do nothing to prepare for the tradeshow and believe that simply booking space, throing some money at a display and turning up on the day at the venue is all there is to having a successful tradeshow.
The truth is there is a lot for you to get right before the tradeshow which will dramatically affect your success at the event.
The organizers are going to be doing some marketing for the event (indeed how much marketing they are doing is something for you to consider when electing tradeshows to exhibit at) but there is a great deal you can do to generate interest and attention for your own presence.
Make sure you tell all of your customers that you will be exhibiting; send them a mailer or an email with details of the date, time, cost, venue address and your location in the exhibition hall so you can be located easily. Do the same for your prospect lists and you can add some spice by offering a giveaway such as a gift, a hotel break or dinner at a local eatery depending on your budget.
Exhibiting is something that as far as your customers and business contacts are concerned, is newsworthy - tell them!
Don’t forget to tell your suppliers as frequently they may be exhibiting themselves (giving opportunities for cross referrals of visitors) but also they may be interested in helping you to defray the cost of the tradeshow. If you are selling insurance policies, then a provider of life insurance policies is likely to be interested in helping you on the day with practical and financial help, indeed they will have a budget set aside for just this kind of marketing activity and so do many, many other industries and service providers.
Issue a press release to your local media regarding your presence at the tradeshow. You may think this is small potatoes but in fact, many newspapers are desperate to fill space in their paper so fax them a one page release stating the time, venue and location together with your business information and that you are of course, going to be there.
Some tradeshows also carry a list for mailing purposes of those who are attending whether it be as exhibitors or as attendees. Ask the organizer for any such contact lists and contact them prior to the tradeshow so they know who you are, that you will be there and especially, where you will be located in the tradeshow arena; many forget to add this crucial piece of information and so are never found!
Posted October 29th, 2008 by Karl
For around $600 you can have a table top pop-up display which will give you a very professional presence at any tradeshow exhibition and as you gain experience of tradeshows you will want to invest more in your exhibition display but before you trade your still new display for something bigger and more expensive, consider how using accessories can achieve teh same impact without the increased cost.
Lighting always makes an atmosphere if handled properly, and you can gain a greatly enhanced presence and impact statement with proper illumination and your tradeshow supplier will be able to help you with how to go about this. Lighting accessories are available starting from as little as $63 though how much you will spend is going to be determined by the look, feel and impact your display set-up is going to make.
When you pay for space at a tradeshow, use every inch of it to your advantage - leave nothing to go to waste. A simple table top pop-up display looks a 100% better if you have a table covering to set it off rather than a bareback table. More than this, for as little as $150 you can set your table display off to perfection with a table runner displaying your company logo or name and you don’t need to stop there if you want a real impact statement with applique and full printed graphics turning a humble table into a banner advert for your business.
One thing you will notice about any exhibitors booth is that they always have literature available for attendees to look through and take away. It is important that literature is to hand whenever your staff need it for a potential customer who has come to pay you a visit and in this respect, formally organizing your booth literature is a good move rather than simply scattering some brochures on a table. Using literature stands, either freestanding or table top, will allow you to keep your marketing collateral easily accessible by your staff and potential customers. They also add to the professional image you will be looking to portray and they frequently become the focus of an attendee’s attention when they visit your booth.
A professional looking, free standing literature stand can cost as little as a $42!
Attendees walking around a tradeshow all day tend to get worn out and tired feet so there are two things you can do by simply using your own flooring. Tradeshow flooring can be used to provide a contrasting image from your neighbors (as you choose the color) and ensure an overall image for your booth no matter what the decor is at the venue. As tradeshow floowing is typicvally made of a cushion material it is a welcome relief for those sore feet too!
A 10 x 10 section of tradeshow flooring will cost as little as $195 and comes in a range of colors and textures from simple colors to wood and veneer effect.
Finally, for this post at least, think about the airspace you are renting; you don’t just pay to use the floorspace and you want to make sure you get noticed so think about a hanging sign that can be suspended above your booth and be seen over your competing exhibitors. Suspended signs are a great way of attracting visitors to your booth as well as acting as a marker for those who are actively looking for you at a tradeshow.
A hanging sign with your business logo or message imprinted with professional graphics start from as little as $1,995.