Tradition!!!
I’m a bit of a traditionalist in my personal life. I like my routines, family rituals, favorite shampoo and shaving cream. I’ve even made a tradition out of how I mow my yard (the sacred path must not be varied from). Everything that has always been will likely always be for this guy (within reason - my wife/”boss” will occasionally force me to abandon any particular aspect that she deems absurdly prehistoric).
I enjoy things that are predictable, reliable, and proven. But I CAN recognize when things have outlived their useful life - met their expiration date - SPOILED. I know a foul stench when I smell one.
The “traditionalists” of the trade show world are either victims or perpetrators. Which are you? And what are the most egregious aspects of “traditional” trade show exhibit behaviors?
Back-End costs (stealth profits!):
- Exhibit providers will sell a booth at what may seem like a reasonable price, and heap on added profits from unexpectedly exorbitant handling, repair, and refurbishment costs. While some of this “smoke and mirror” treatment can be flushed out prior to a contract being executed for purchase, some of it evolves out of the dependency that an exhibitor develops with the contracted exhibit house.
Non-Impact costs (it’s not marketing, but it’s in our budget):
- As an integral and MASSIVE aspect of your marketing spending, it would be great if you could be spending money on MARKETING. Instead, traditional exhibit houses have tied up your marketing budget in storage, inspections, crates, and the aforementioned handling and repairs. Golly, nothing projects the company image more than a finely built CRATE. I can assure you, as a member of the spendthrift American public, I would buy more of your product if only you spent more money storing your aging, worn-out trade show exhibit.
Spending like you can predict the future:
- 2009 is proving to be a terrible time to predict what your company’s trade show itinerary might be for the next 24 months. While the next year’s list of shows might appear to be set in stone (booth spaces reserved, etc), we just recently emerged from a moment in economic time when banks were weary of lending to institutions OVERNIGHT. You’re making educated guesses that span years into the future? Nostradamus meets Trade Show Coordinator - I AM IMPRESSED.
Tradition is all well and good, but is the decrepit model for trade show exhibit houses becoming antiquated and primordial? Is your boss looking over your shoulder to determine whether you’re coordinating an absurdly archaic trade show exhibit? Tradition might be fine when you’re deciding where to go out to dinner on that special occasion, but it downright STINKS when it comes to trade shows.
Tags: booth rental, custom purchase, marketing strategy, trade show blog
March 10th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
I recently saw a booth at the PDAC in Toronto. It was for the mexican government. But the booth was a “recycled” booth that used to be owned by Firestone. Yikes! I teased the installers and said “hey the seventies called…. it wants its booth back” I was surprised by what the installers said… it was from the sixties. Maybe they were kidding. Either way it was old. But think about it… someone has stored that booth for all those years. Was that a wise use of space and effort constantly moving that crate from place to place? Your piece really made me think.
March 13th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
As an exhibit builder for the last twenty years, all I can say is “amen brother”!
Too many of my colleagues have gotten used to growing fat at the expense of the exhibitor, because that’s the way it’s always been. Exhibit houses need to wake up and smell the coffee - we need to watch our customer’s bottom lines WITH them. New paradigms are indeed emerging, where structure will take a back seat to message, and message can be effectively delivered in a less-is-more exhibit space. Audiences are getting less and less impressed with big honking macho structures.
The new watchwords should be effective communication, and cost of ownership.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:00 am
I have worked at countless trade shows for my clients over the past years. I own a shoe shine service that acts as entertainment for attendees, and I have to say that I have seen some really awful looking setups. I can’t understand why people would want to spend money and time and not do it right. The competition is fierce and I have seen many stands looking bland and practically vacant of traffic. This is a business of attracting traffic , if you can’t achieve that , then the whole venture is a waste of time. I have seen this too many times.