Secrets to Picking Ideal Booth Location – Part II

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Jennifer Randolph

In our previous post, we provided some tips on deciding where to place your booth. Exhibitor magazine wrote what we consider to be one of the best pieces of advice about booth location. Here is an excerpt:

First, decide how much space you need. The space required should be dictated by what you need to display in your exhibit, how you will disseminate your message (a theater presentation, for example, may require more room for a stage and the crowds that will gather), and the number of staff members you’ll need in your exhibit. The industry rule of thumb is to have one staffer per 50 square feet of open space. (This does not include people tied to a demo station or information counter.)

If you need more space but can’t afford the hefty price tag that comes with a larger footprint, consider moving upward instead of outward. Some fairly small exhibitors sometimes find it preferable to opt for the extra installation-and-dismantle costs to build a two-story exhibit rather than pay for more space. Some shows have caught on to this tactic and are now charging a premium for using a multi-story exhibit. Before planning a multi-story structure, check with show management on additional costs and height restrictions before signing on the dotted line.

Don’t despair if your ideal space has already been taken. Studies by market-research firm Exhibit Surveys Inc. show that effective pre-show and on-site promotions can overcome the obstacles posed by an out-of-the-way exhibit space, and draw your target audience to you, regardless of your location.

For more help with your exhibiting logistics, contact Barbara Stroup for a custom consultation.

Secrets to Picking the Ideal Booth Location

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Jennifer Randolph

Once you pick a show(s), the next task is deciding where you would like to place your booth. With so much riding on a successful show, many exhibitors turn to us for help with this crucial decision. Our team of event counselors can help you navigate the floor plan options to find the ideal location for your company.

The average trade show has over 400 exhibitors, each of whom is vying to be seen and heard above the fray. Prime locations are offered on the basis of seniority, which gives previous exhibitors the advantage. However, by taking a strategic approach to booth selection, you can still attract a steady flow of potential customers.

Studies by market-research firm Exhibit Surveys Inc. show that effective pre-show and on-site promotions can overcome the obstacles posed by an out-of-the-way exhibit space, and draw your target audience to you, regardless of your location.

In order to determine your booth’s ideal location you first need to revisit your exhibit strategy. Are you exhibiting to demo a new product? If so, you may need more space than if you working on building relationships in the industry, generating leads or gathering competitive intelligence.

In our next post, we will discuss more industry secrets for picking the right booth location. If you need immediate assistance, contact us for a free custom consultation.

9 Insider Tips for Picking the Right Trade Show for Your Exhibit

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Jennifer Randolph

With an estimated 14,000 shows to choose from, picking the right shows for your trade show calendar can be a daunting task. However your exhibit strategy can help you narrow down the options, and prioritize and organize your trade show calendar.

Identify your target customers and the shows they attend. Work with your sales team to identify your product’s buyers, key decision makers and influencers. Another tip is to reach out to some of your best customers and ask which shows they attend.
Consult industry listings. Trade Show Network News offers a comprehensive search tool that will help you organize your search by industry, number of attendees and location. The database includes show dates and links to show websites. Most show sites provide an overview of attendee demographics and purchasing authority. While on the show’s website, check its history. A good show will have a track record of drawing industry leaders and key influencers year after year.
Keep an eye on the competition. Most shows provide a list of previous exhibitors. If a particular show is drawing your top competitors, it is likely because a high concentration of potential customers will also be attending. Missing the show could put you at a competitive disadvantage. Exhibiting in the same venue as competitors will also give your booth staff the opportunity to roam the exhibit hall and gather competitive intelligence. In addition to the exhibitor list, check the speaker roster for competitive companies.
Creating profiles of product buyers and decision makers. Most shows provide detailed attendee demographics. You can examine data on the industries, titles and purchasing power of the show’s attendees.
Use show timing to narrow down your options. If your product is affected by seasonality or other purchasing patterns, you can narrow show dates to those most closely aligned with your sales cycle. You can also align your trade show calendar to coincide with new product launches, product improvements or other newsworthy developments
Consider regional vs. national shows. If your product as a regional or location-specific target, keep in mind that as a general rule of thumb, an estimated 40-60% of attendees come from a 200-mile radius of the show location. Regional or local shows are considerably less expensive and visibility is much higher. Competition is often intense at large national shows. On the other hand, some of our clients have found that regional shows give them the opportunity to be the only exhibitor representing their field.
Even after going through the above steps, some companies still find they have more trade show options than they do budget. The following tips will help you further narrow down the options and finalize your trade show calendar.
Look for opportunities to extend visibility. Selecting events with pre-during-and-post show marketing opportunities will extend your visibility and presence beyond your both. Sponsorships provide branding and lead generation opportunities which can be tailored to fit almost any budget.
Select show and venues with lead retrieval services. If you do not have your own lead retrieval devices, make sure the event offers options for lead capture. Published reports show that up to 70% of sales leads captured at an event are not followed up on by a sales person. This is mainly due to an ineffective lead management process, before, during and after the event. An automated lead retrieval system will enable you calculate ROI for the event, update your CRM system, and most importantly, close more sales.

If you need a customized solution, we would be happy to help you. Contact Barbara Stroup for a free consultation.

The Secret to a Successful Trade Show

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Jennifer Randolph

The first question to ask is the most basic but the most essential to your trade show success: Why are you exhibiting? Knowing the answer to that question is the key to whether your next trade show will meet with frustration or success.

While most exhibitors are looking to generate leads and build awareness of their brand or products, many also exhibit to build relationships or introduce new products. It is vital to know exactly what you need to get out of each show because it is the starting point for so many other decisions you will have to make before the event. Your exhibit strategy lays the foundation for the shows you pick, the people you send and the booth you use.

Once you know the reason you are exhibiting, you can now set goals and budget based on that/those objective(s). For example, if you decide your objective is to generate leads, you can calculate how many leads you need in order to justify participating in the show. The number of leads you want to generate will impact where your booth should be placed, but also what your message and offer need to be as well as how many staffers you need to work the show. The number of staffers will impact what size booth you need. All these decisions are become easier to make once you establish what your reasons are for exhibiting in the first place.

If you find these decisions overwhelming, don’t worry. You are not alone. Our ExpoPlus team of event managers is standing by to support you every step of the way from pre-show planning to post-show wrap up and evaluation. Contact us for a free, custom consultation.

The Unmatched Power of Trade Shows

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Jennifer Randolph

You can achieve at one trade show what it would take you weeks or months to do if you stayed home. And it may even save you money — according to the Center for Exhibit Industry Research, 81% of trade show attendees have buying authority. Which means more than 4 out of 5 people walking the aisles are potential customers for exhibitors. It costs 62% less to close a lead generated from a trade show than one originated in the field. Moreover, a recent survey by ABM found that 89% of B2B marketers rate face-to-face event attendance as the most effective platform in creating awareness and generating targeted leads among prospective buyers.

But to accomplish all of the above you must plan carefully. That means choosing the correct show, setting clear objectives, creating an effective exhibition, and promoting your presence.

Though event planning can seem overwhelming, rest assured you don’t have to make all the decisions alone. The general services contractor is a key contributor as you begin the process. Since 1998, ExpoPlus has been one of the leading GSCs in North America for trade shows, expositions, conventions, and corporate events.

Trade Show Training: Booth Staff

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Jennifer Randolph

In previous posts, we have discussed booth staff training. Today’s post will address the key question: how many people are needed to staff the booth?

Booth size is a key variable to consider. Rules of thumb say the formula for staffing a booth is one person per 50 square feet of space, plus perhaps an extra person for the peak times of the day. Another factor to consider: will you be doing product demonstrations in your booth? If so, be sure you have adequate staff to handle the demos as well as engaging with other attendees at the same time.

Your booth should be staffed with the most enthusiastic and articulate representatives of your company. We recommend sending a mix of leadership, salespeople and marketing people. Your booth staff should mirror likely visitors so that there is someone on staff who can relate to your visitor’s role within his or her company. Have a subject matter expert on hand for a variety of topics that may come up with attendees.

In our next post we will discuss how to establish exhibiting goals for your team. If you would like more suggestions on improving your trade show ROI, contact Barbara Stroup for a customized consultation.

Leading the Industry

Posted on November 25, 2014 by Jennifer Randolph

Our events professionals are not only experts in their field, but are leaders in the industry. Members of the CEPI and ExpoPlus team have again been invited by PCMA, the Professional Convention Management Association to serve in several key leadership positions.

PCMA is the leading organization for meeting and event professionals representing 6,500 meeting industry leaders throughout the globe. The organization has 17 chapters in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Barbara Stroup will be serving her third term on the national Exhibits and Tradeshows Task Force. The task force will strive to identify creative and innovative solutions and new ideas that address key issues and trends in their area of expertise. Insights and ideas of this group will be used in a variety of face to face programming sessions as well as online resources and distance learning programs. Barbara will also be serving as Secretary / Treasurer of the local PCMA Southeast Chapter.

In January, Kathy Dunn Sullivan will begin serving her first year of a three term position as the Sponsorship Director of the PCMA Southeast Chapter.

Please join us in congratulating them both.

9 Tips to Maximize Booth Sales

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Jennifer Randolph

At Disneyland, they call all their employees “cast members,” because they’re all part of the “show” that’s taking place everywhere in the park, all the time. Trade show exhibitors and your booth staffers are putting on a show, too. How can you be more effective?

American Image Displays created a list of do’s and don’ts for booth staffers. Be sure to review them with your booth staff before your next event.

10 Common Mistakes Booth Staffers Make That Can Cost You Business

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Jennifer Randolph

Having the right people staff the booth will make a huge difference in how many leads and sales you capture at your booth. However, just being a great salesperson is not enough to win over potential customers. What else is needed?

A recent post in the Etouches blog covers 10 common mistakes booth staffers make that can cause you to lose sales. Be sure to review the list with your event staff before your next show.

Pre-Show Planning: Leveraging the Theme

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Jennifer Randolph

In our previous post, we talked about the importance of understanding your audience. We recommended that before planning your trade show experience, exhibitors should speak with the Association and become familiar with their marketing message to the attendee pre-event as well as onsite.

An example of the effectiveness of this strategy can be seen in the annual National Education Association Annual Meeting and Expo. NEA Expo, which opens two days before the Annual Meeting, is the largest education trade show in the county. NEA announces the theme for the Annual Meeting months in advance of the event. This year’s meeting was designed to launch a member-led movement in which all delegates were called to step forth as “champions for public education.”

ExpoPlus and Bodden Partners worked with exhibitors to incorporate the champions theme into the exhibit floor experience. The NEA Member Benefits area of the floor was completely designed and engineered to leverage the Champions theme and extend it into each vendor’s both. Pre-expo communications, on-site floor signage and booth signage, booth activities and post-event follow-up communications all revolved around, emphasized and celebrated attendees as champions.

In addition to recognizing all attendees as champions, a special contest was held on the exhibit floor. Delegates were invited to become champions for the exclusive benefits, products and services they had learned about during the Expo. A state based competition was held to see which state could generate the most product champions. Representatives from winning state won a trophy as well as a cash prize. 43% of delegates took the pledge and became enrolled as Champions and product advocates.

If you would like more suggestions on structuring your trade show marketing plan, continue following this blog or contact Barbara Stroup for a customized consultation.