How can an Exhibitor ensure they get a great Exhibit?
All too often folks in the trade show business- and our customers alike - lose sight of what really goes into an exceptional trade show booth. Let’s take a look at the requisite constituents for a great show:
- Exhibitor who knows what they want, and what their limitations are
- Exhibit company salesperson/consultant who can thoroughly bring forth those details from the exhibitor, and effectively involve the exhibitor and designer
- Trade Show Exhibit designer/design team who is a creative artist and problem solver, and who has experience with how his/her renderings will be enacted into a real-life display
- Exhibit Company Account Manager who ensures that what was designed and sold is effectively built, peripheral services are accurately ordered (lead retrieval, catering, clean-up, etc.), all with minimal stress on the exhibitor’s company behalf
- Tradespeople who have the skills and experience to take designs and a set of physical components, and translate them into reality
- Exhibitor that coordinates a comprehensive trade show strategy with advertizing, sponsorship, and sales efforts
Do you know what the glue is amidst these different factors? An exhibitor who knows what they want, knows their limitations, and brings one marketing component (the exhibit) into the fold of a company-wide marketing blitz. Ultimately, exhibit houses need to be better at one thing: bringing out the best from exhibitors, within the simple framework of an effective/perceptive salesperson, creative design team, and highly-professional account management staff.
Tags: account management, trade show booth, turn key service
January 27th, 2009 at 4:37 am
Don’t forget about those of us lowly Exhibit installers who often spend the most time with the client. It is great when the tradespeople take more of a “white collar” approach to there work with the client. Not just simply turning an allan key but serving the needs of their customers on the show floor!
January 27th, 2009 at 11:06 am
I thought I included you guys - along with our outstanding in-house tradespeople - You’re even in bold !!! I don’t consider customer service to be collar-based - cordial and professional service can be dispensed by the setup guy wearing old jeans and a sweaty polo, I think people understand the challenging nature of the work, and they appreciate the attention to detail and your willingness to pause and explain the plan & what is happening.
When I meet my client on set-up and they’re able to have a pleasant conversation with the lead installer, it really boosts their perception of the show (and our services) as a whole.
I have had to shoo away a contractor (from a different install company than we were using) that was sleeping on one of my client’s couches - they were a little weirded out about that, but we laughed it off later.
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:31 am
The most important things is to actively follow up the leads generated in trade shows. Many companies get fed up with useless leads and avoid contacting people in their list.