While attending Globalshop, the annual U.S. version of the Euroshop Retail Trade Show, I noticed a common trend as I walked the aisles.  I was surrounded by booth staff  who were more content to look at their cell phones or talk to their colleagues than to engage attendees like me.  If only exhibitors understood the value of well trained booth staff and how they can impact trade show ROI.

 

I’m just coming back from the NACS show (the National Association of Convenience Stores).  There I observed (and was left alone by) a number of trade show booth staffers, all missing an opportunity to make a sale or at least find out if I could be a potential sale.  The #1 shortcoming of exhibit staffers was the consistent failure to make the conversation about the attendee, and NOT about the particular products or services offered by the exhibitor.  The solution:

At the 2011 Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA) annual meeting everyone in attendance was there for at least one reason…to hear about how others in the trade show exhibit industry are doing.  Call it what you want but everyone wants to hear about everyone else's business as a way to measure the relative health of their own.  When someone tells you “Things are slow, new customers are rare and trade show budgets are tightening” you feel an instant rush of “Oh, so I’m not the only one” followed by “Oh boy.  Another struggling business.”  Occasionally however you’d have someone say things like “Everything’s good.  We had a great 2011 and looking forward to an even better 2012.”  So, after a moment of loathing and envy because they seem to be doing better than you, you’re actually encouraged that someone in the trade show display industry is actually doing better and that means there’s hope!  End result…the room was filled with conflicted people not knowing if they were happy or sad.

 

I spent six plus long days recently setting up and then working a trade show exhibit.  Was the show a success?  Depends who you ask.  I survived standing on carpeted cement for 6 days, so by that measure my survival was a success.  But how about the exhibitors?  Did they walk away with results that made the collective $12,000,000 spent by the exhibiting companies worthwhile?  Do they even know?

Before you set out to design your next trade show display, ask yourself the following questions...

Trade Show ROI Tip #5= Measurement

“You only manage what you measure.”

How you keep score on all the important expenditures and activities in life matters, calculating ROI from your trade shows and events among them.  This is not difficult, but you do need to make some decisions about WHAT to measure and HOW.

Here’s a summary chart from one of our monthly New York Trade Show Exhibit Lunch & Learn seminars:

Trade Show ROI Tip #3 - Staff Preparation

Trade shows are shows.  And like any good Broadway show requires a number of key components to be successful.  Skyline Genesis Event Marketing builds business “sets”, typically referred to as exhibits, displays, or booths.  For the purposes of this blog let’s call them sets.  In addition to a good set you need a show with a good plot, skilled direction and competent actors (preferably stars!).  So, the question is, are you sending stars to work your next trade show? 

Trade Show ROI Tip #2 - Effective Pre/At/Post Show Promotion

When does a trade show begin?  The morning the show opens?  How about three days before when you leave to set up?  Or maybe 3 weeks before when you remember to book your flight and try and find a hotel room?  By expanding the time frame to 3 months before and 6 weeks after you give yourself a proper window for effective pre/at/post show promotion.