Marshall Yard:

Branding initiatives and product releases have lifespans. Most of us understand this aspect of a rapidly changing marketing environment. Regardless, tradeshow exhibit companies and their clients ruminate quite frequently about which graphics may or may not be reused at subsequent shows, and in later exhibit designs.

Saving graphic costs can substantially reduce the cost of an ongoing exhibit program, and allow an exhibitor to stretch the trade show dollar and achieve greater success with fewer resources. Greater success, however, demands that the exhibit draw hoards of enthusiastic attendees - something that a booth design repeated at countless venues would be hard pressed to accomplish. That’s where a thread from our “Frugal Exhibitor” blog post gets interesting…

Repeating graphics at every show will get boring. Unless architecture is innovated at every step, or unless there is some nuance in the message conveyed on the show floor, attendees will yawn and keep walking. Custom rental exhibit programs offer the flexibility needed in order to modify architecture while reusing graphics. Some hybrid booths (purchasing AND renting) may provide a similar level of pliancy. Purchased exhibit displays [typically] must be remodeled to suite the new design architecture- an often cost-prohibitive plan to revitalize trade show attendance. More often, purchased exhibits rely upon the printing of new graphics to revitalize an exhibits look (also expensive), even though this is certainly akin to putting a new sticker on an existing product.

While architecture can communicate volumes about a company and their message, nuance can come in many other forms. In the Frugal Exhibitor post, I mention the idea of supplanting product-specific graphics with A/V technology - LCDs or Plasma screens. Do you have some ideas on how companies can alter their message without going to the expense of printing new graphics?

These days it is scarce to encounter an exhibitor who does not want to save big money on their upcoming show. Nowadays, everyone is a frugal exhibitor. Marketing Impact is as important as ever, but saving money along the way is often a matter of diligence, not sacrifice. Let’s get the conversation started with a few cost saving ideas. This thread is one I plan on reincarnating week after week, as budget-stretching-ideas are a veritable “bottomless well” that, once flowing, may never cease. Today’s ideas:

Drayage - How many shipments MATTERS. If your exhibitor is sending 2 crates to a show (e.g. - for a 20×20 exhibit), and you expect to send a 125 lb. box full of giveaways for the show, SEND THEM TO YOUR EXHIBITOR. By bundling everything together in the 2 crates, you’ll save in the form of a leaner drayage line-item.

A/V - Ever evaluated your graphics costs in relation to A/V costs? It goes like this: How many graphic stills can you show in the course of a slideshow? If your 42″ screen takes up a little more than 2 square feet, but 20 different screen shots effectively communicate your message, then that screen is delivering 40 square feet of graphics. Compare that with what you’re paying for graphics, and you might discover that A/V is often the best and cheapest method for articulating more specified messages or information. This allows the booth to be a pure-bred machine for branding, and those graphics can be reused at subsequent shows- saving you even more money.

Riggers … It’s a rigged game. Hanging signs can be enticing - the idea that a sign 30′ in the air will draw attendees to your remote booth location. Often, however, the attraction is dulled by the overpopulation of exhibit hall airspace. More to the point, however, is the exorbident expense that riggers represent. Often a fairly inexpensive hanging sign will cost $5-$7,000 to hang. Riggers are also called in to do any work that needs to be done above 16-20′ in the exhibit hall. Pay attention to make sure that your design does not call for assembly of items in this height range. If the assembly can be done at ground level, then you’ll avoid the riggers hefty fee when the structure is at it’s full height.

I’d love to hear some thrifty ideas from readers - what’s worked for you in the past? Any ideas you can contribute will help us all!

-Emily Dickinson

Those who go to concerts, use public transportation and eat in crowded restaurants are forgoing prime marketing opportunities for fear of catching the….dum dum dum…SWINE FLU.

Advertising is more important now than ever. We can’t let the media induce such panic that we don’t think clearly. Regress to 1999: did all the banks implode? Did we run out of water and electricity? Not quite. Did the much-dreaded Avian Flu wipe out most of the population? Nope. And the two that did - 1347’s Bubonic Plague and the 1918 Flu Pandemic occurred far before the advent of antibacterial cleansers, Thermaflu, HMOs and the Flu Vaccine.

Could the Swine Flu be the end of us all? Sure it could. Is it likely to? No. Wash your hands, get your shots, eat an apple a day and…until we have all the facts to determine a logical, progressive course of action…don’t cancel your trade shows.

My favorite conversations in the exhibit industry revolve around ancient, nay, prehistoric exhibits: The story of a recent booth, constructed in Toronto, that dated from the 1960’s. An exhibitor who purchased a booth 3 years ago and lamented that they already needed a new booth (but their acquisitions have always been depreciated over 10 year periods!). A 5 year old exhibit - laminate-panelled, extraordinarily heavy and costly to store - had chips, cracks or scratches, on every single panel. Corporate would not refurbish or repair the booth. They needed to wait for it to fully depreciate.

These stories litter the exhibit industry, and become readily apparent when you visit a show. This is oftentimes a delicate prospect to contact - there is a great deal of pain in their exhibiting experience. BUT there is also an obvious inflexibility to change at either the coordinator’s level, or from on-high. The concept of rental ought to be a refreshing concept to these trade show coordinators. Instead, “business as usual” reigns supreme, though it might continue to waste valuable company dollars.

Trade shows are quite expensive to exhibit at - sans exhibit costs (the real estate, employee travel and accommodations - quite an investment). It should be painfully obvious that a display which exudes a negative image to prospective and existing clients, is costing more money in the form of opportunity costs.

I like to think of Opportunity Costs as pesky little expenses which become apparant only after the game has already been lost. If it weren’t for them, I’d stick with that 1960’s exhibit. She’s got a few more years of marketing excellence left in ‘er, right?

Marketing departments spend a good bulk of their budget on trade shows. Few other line items demand such a great investment. While the logistical concerns in the course of organizing a successful exhibit program are immense, there’s an oft-ignored “elephant in the room” of every trade show coordinator, or marketing manager.

The marketing department is primarily concerned with trade show logistics, instead of MARKETING IMPACT (the aforementioned elephant).

Suppose your company were investing heavily in a direct mail campaign. Would you obsess with how the direct mail vendor planned to print the postcards? Perhaps you would ruminate incessantly about how the addresses were collated?

Ok, so of course you wouldn’t worry about those things. You’d probably focus on the message of the mail itself, how your company is perceived by the recipients, and the call to action. Marketing strategy’s the name of the game, correct?

WHY ISN’T THAT HAPPENING FOR YOUR TRADE SHOW EXHIBIT?

For being the largest expenditure in the marketing budget, it seems that the only strategy involved in planning trade shows is:

1.       Pick a booth design that you like,

and

2.       Figure out how the logistics and expenses will mesh with reality [your marketing budget and exhibition schedule]

Marketing strategy should drive every “booth decision,” period. It shouldn’t just be a piecemeal graphics change, but rather an honest evaluation of what your booth communicates about your company, your product, and your positioning amidst your competitors. Your display should be fine tuned based on an expo’s attendees and competing exhibitors. So let’s just take a little vacation from logistics while we straighten this all out…

Ever had your unique product stolen? Technology, even with the aid of patent attorneys and copyright law by your side, is, at best, fleeting in today’s hyper-competitive economy. How long do you expect your offering will remain unique? How long before someone steals your idea, or worse, IMPROVES IT!

At our tradeshow exhibit house, we see this at play every day. Not only has our construction method, 6”x6” aluminum “innerspace” beams utilizing fabric graphics, been stolen by our fiercest competitors, but we face the threat of “design theft” in nearly every competitive situation. If a client likes our product, but wants to see if someone else can do it for less money, they trot our design to other vendors until someone says ”yes, we can do that, and we can rent it for a tad less $$$!”

Loyalty is well nigh gone, right? And imagine how frustrating it is for our designers who see their custom booths at an expo, often butchered by producers lacking know-how with certain challenging architectural features.

Most of our clients respect the innovations our designers craft for their unique situation, and they hate to perpetuate a reality that they face as well. One such client told me about his horrendous experiences in his industry: Copycats have stolen a technology that his grandfather created more than 80 years ago - and he constantly strives to stay one step ahead of their grasp.

Like that client, we (our design team members, really) constantly forge onwards-innovating at every turn. Collecting ideas from an array of inspirational avenues, they work feverishly to stay at the edge of display marketing and trade show exhibit designs. With an assortment of new developments rolling-out into custom designs for this FY09Q2, I’m constantly amazed with how they adapt and evolve to fit our client’s needs.

I often ask clients (or potential clients), “why do you exhibit at this trade show?” You’d be surprised how many respond with, “because if we’re not there, people will wonder why.”

Why spend several - if not hundreds of several - thousand dollars on an obligatory trade show with little hope for profit? Particularly in this fragile economic climate, try to exhibit only at trade shows that meet your marketing objectives and present a clear means of returning on your invesment. Focus your efforts on trade shows which cater to:

• Your targeted audience
• Decison-makers (managers & directors, not their assistants)
• Vertical markets (specific products or services)

…are held in:

• Substantial venues (ie. OCCC, McCormick Place, LVCC)

…and allow for:

Customized rental exhibits

Some smaller shows, usually commencing in hotels, on fair grounds, etc., only allow exhibitors to utilize pop up exhibits: it’s hard to stand out when everyone is advertising on a black, 8ft. backdrop.

Try to secure an island or peninsula configuration. You’ll pay more upfront but these allow for higher identification, visibility from several aisles and clear division of space (conferencing, demonstrations, reception, etc.).

Rent an exhibit design that makes the most of your space and marketing objectives. Steer clear of “pulled from a shelf” designs or those created using modular components. Go for something clean, innovative and seamlessly functional.

You’re expecting an excruciating analysis of why you should rent or buy your next custom exhibit booth, aren’t you?

Well, you’re not going to find it in this trade show blog post.

In fact, I constantly hear from exhibitors who tell me they want to rent or buy an exhibit, and it needs to do X, Y, and Z. I’m willing to sell them, or rent them, an exhibit that meets those needs. No problem, you’re the boss, I might say. But like Columbo walking away from a pleasant discussion with a suspect, I might just remember one more question…

Have you ever thought about doing both? Rental AND Purchase?

We call it “Hybrid,” which combines the two options. It’s quite frequently the absolute best choice for exhibitors who want some custom components, and who plan to do a similar display at subsequent shows. These folks are keenly aware that doing the same booth at every tradeshow just doesn’t make much marketing sense.

Purchase decisions are often driven by the mythology that one can only get an exceptional custom booth by purchasing. Still others buy their exhibit because they seem to apply home or car ownership v. leasing arguments to the trade show world. Who knew that the marketing department would submit to an argument rooted in a static product message and costly “cost of ownership” costs. Sound costly?

So open your eyes to hybrid. If the concept is new to you, then maybe it ought to become more familiar. Just renting or purchasing could be a mistake!

If you’re anything like me, you find the recent rumblings about executive bonuses, Gulfstream jets, and lavish corporate retreats quite unsettling. In fact, I sometimes find myself getting worked into a “torches and pitchforks” proletariat lather. But then I start to think…

While I can’t really comment upon executive bonuses, I would like to opine about corporate travel, and some of the corporate perks we’re so resentful of.

Companies have begun to restrict the travel of their executives and are curtailing corporate training, seminars, and expos (read: Trade Shows) that might be perceived as excessive or indulgent. As such, the travel and tourism industry’s woes have been doubled in the already recessionary business environment.

What is wrong with ensuring a face-to-face meeting with an important client - even if it will entail a significant investment? Or viewing a trade show exhibit display prior to purchasing a product costing hundreds of thousands? What is wrong with investing in the expertise of your workforce by sending valued employees to seminars, symposiums, or corporate training, even if it’s 1,000 miles away? While most of these employees long ago lost their zeal for traveling on business, their trips cost significant corporate dollars. Those costs are paid to hard working individuals in the tourism and travel industry - everyday these people vye for opportunities to make those trips as comfortable and productive as possible for their customers. The interdependence of trade shows, travel, and tourism industries is great. There are a myriad of talents required for a single custom exhibition booth -from it’s design, to its construction, to its installation on the convention hall floor (and all of the tasks in-between). This represents an underrecognized, and underappreciated engine of employment.

Is there anything wrong with that? Are the torches and pitchforks really needed? Unless we wish to chastize the hard working service providers in these industries, we ought to support corporate travel, perks, and even a healthy dose of “excess!”

Trade shows have been around since people ate mutton stew and married their daughters off at age 13. Then, they were called impedimenta carnivals…the first ever was held in 1752 in Boston, Massachussetts.

Just kidding.

The trade show is a practice that has prevailed around the globe throughout history. In fact, this fundamental cog in a well-oiled marketing machine traces its roots back to medieval European fairs and ancient Middle Eastern bazaars: folks touted their wares, negotiating and bartering until an agreement was reached. As commercials were a thing of the future, this was likely the only way vendors could effectively market to the masses. 

Needless to say, trade shows have evolved by leaps & bounds. More than 2500 trade shows are held in the United States each year - ranging from the macabre (Funeral Directors Show, Miniature Dollhouse Show) to the spectacular (Consumer Electronics Show, International Robots & Vision) and catering to businesses, not-for-profits and consumers alike.

The Health Information Management Systems Society annual conference and expo comes rolling into Chicago this week. What does that mean around here? A healthy dose of hecticness, a lot of talk about when so-and-so is flying in, and a touch of minor problem solving around those issues that occasionally pop-up during install of our clients’ booths. In all actuality, though, it’s pretty calm compared with last week’s commotion!

One of the challenges to creating rental exhibits that are custom-designed is that every exhibition displayis essentially a brand new product. Oh, sure, the “building blocks” utilized don’t change (inner-space extruded aluminum beam structure, plexiglas and laminate panels of varying sizes and shapes, etc.), but I can scarcely remember when we’ve “cloned” an exhibit design from one client to another.

Add in the element of new graphic panels, and it becomes highly important to pre-build every exhibit in advance of each tradeshow. When thorny, unforeseen problems emerge, we can tackle them in-house, before the union-clock of the I&D contractor begins (and keeps going, and going, and going…).

So HIMSS’s arrival to town is actually a relief for many of us. Busy, sure, but it’s more-so about finally “showing off” a finished product to an excited client, and coordinating some deserved hospitality for jet-lagged and exhausted folks who we’ve built enduring relationships with.

Some marketing departments are so wedded to their exhibit house that they rarely seek competitive bids on projects. Maybe twice per decade [MAYBE]. Even then, they have every intention of using their existing vendor NO MATTER WHAT the competition has to offer:

“Well, we really liked your design. We think your offering is innovative, and can take our trade show results to a higher level. Your price was great, too. But we feel really comfortable working with our existing exhibit house. We really appreciate the exorbitant amount of work you’ve done for the past three months. Let’s stay in touch?”

One of our junior Account Executives heard this very line (OK, I’ve embellished a bit) a couple of weeks ago. We had to buy her a new handset for her phone after she broke it in a frenzied hang-up mishap. You probably get the picture?

When it comes to working with vendors, loyalty is highly important. Blind allegiance in spite of your company’s interests is another thing. If your exhibit house is not offering you a drastic increase in value for your marketing dollar, then they’re likely allied with their own best interests at total odds with your own. With marketing budgets getting haircuts, who can afford to ignore this sort of “business as usual” attitude?

Remember: the guy with the gun (customer) is shooting at the home-wrecker (competition). Not at you! Worst case scenario they will have to do some deep discounting to get this year’s business - Is that such a bad thing?

A lot of marketing folks are feeling like they’ll be lucky to post craigslist ads at the current pace of marketing budget reductions. Pretty soon your company will be relying solely on “word of mouth” to sell their product or service, right?

We hear you. And, believe it or not, we talk with a lot of companies whose trade show budgets are getting the ol’ “knife in the back & chased with a chainsaw” treatment.

You’re not alone!

There’s a reality to it all - by marketing during a recession you’re not likely to see exponential growth (gasp!). In fact, sales might continue to contract, depending on what type of business you’re in, or what kind of product/service you offer. But there’s also a secret that most every successful business guru or entrepreneur knows (which makes it a very poorly kept secret, like that book called The Secret, which I always resented for that reason… but I digress):

Companies that continue to strongly market themselves during recessions come out ahead of their competition after the recession. In effect: Recessionary marketing trends decide who wins after the recession.

I even have a graph and a link to prove my point:

& Link

The good thing, believe it or not, is that this recession has also had an effect on the cost of marketing tools. Exhibits, in particular, are being offered for less than ever before, with innovative technologies available to make a greater impact than has ever been possible.

While a price break for exhibitors may not take the sting out of that knife firmly lodged in your back (the recession), it will at least keep you a few steps ahead of that guy with the chainsaw. Scary lookin’ fella, isn’t he? Sheesh.

A good deal of your effort in pre-show planning might be placed on which trade shows to attend. You might want to give some thought, though, to which market you’re best apt to serve: Vertical or Horizontal.

Vertical trade shows are those in which exhibitors providing a specific product or service cater to attendees interested in a specific product or service. Boating, golf and apparel shows would most likely fit this category.

Horizontal trade shows are those in which exhibitors providing a variety of products and services cater to attendees interested in a variety of products and services. Healthcare, electronics and technology shows would likely fit this category.

While vertical shows can be most advantageous - in that your marketing can be more focused - they can be tricky because, if your marketing isn’t focused enough, you won’t get the desired results.

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.

While the vast majority of Marshall-Yard.com readers look to us for advice on how to live a more virtuous lifestyle, hints on climbing the corporate ladder, and marital dispute resolutions, a precious few have higher expectations for the site and its content. Some readers expect unbelievably objective trade show exhibit information (it’s so unbiased I want to SCREAM!!!). Some come here for the pretty pictures. Some, after years decades of fervent reading, look to us for something more - they are left yearning even after their daily* fix of exhibit booth goodness.

Some Marshall-Yard.com readers expect us to predict the future. This post is for you.

On December 9th, 2008, I made a bold, unprecedented prediction that one of the “Great Trade Shows for 2009” would include the “Newspaper & Print Journalists Expo.” The post was written in soggy sarcasm (dripping with…). As of today, February 27th, 2009, IT has come to pass!

Headline: “Newspaper convention canceled amid industry woes“ [sic]

For those of you who have been yearning for bold predictions of future events, keep reading. We will continue to satiate the intellectual and emotional appetites of the hopeless, confused masses - but you can now count on us to predict any, and all, future events of even the slightest significance.

Go figure: a blog downplaying the importance of a negative event for print media. Hmmmmm…

*-marshall-yard.com shall not be held responsible for the “daily-ness” or objectiveness of blog postings.

It is said that what separates those who are good from those who are great is that great talents make their jobs look easy. Most of us remember how effortless Michael Jordan made the game of basketball look- tongue wagging and a smile on his face, he would sink fade away jump shots, or leap over the likes of Patrick Ewing or Charles Barkley in the final moments of regulation. For a moment we all felt like it was something we could do - just another day at the office for him, after all.

The “best of the best” of nearly every field can be attributed this trait. The best doctor makes a medical procedure simple and clear to a layperson; the best mechanic will explain why your car makes that noise, and leaves you at ease with his resolution; the best administrative assistant will keep the entire universe organized and make it seem like that’s how things were before their diligence took root. Yet all of these professionals take immense care and effort in their craft. It ISN’T easy, but they make it appear so.

With trade shows, I think the account manager shoulders a burden that is most relevant to this “rule” of greatness. A great account manager will guide an exhibitor from the execution of the contract through to the completion of the show, and they’ll do it with the grace that gives exhibitors confidence, comfort, and most importantly: Success. Behind the scenes, however, the account manager wears many hats. They are oft perceived as the thorn in a contractor’s side, and they keep hawkish attention on the real-time execution of even the most minute tasks. They represent both the interests of their exhibit company and the exhibitor client, and are highly responsible for the nurturing of long-lasting relationships with third party vendors (those very same aforementioned contractors). These relationships alone are key to a consistently positive experience for exhibiting companies.

Account managers are essentially the glue that holds together a project that is often 6-9 months in the making - and the best make that glue smell good, hold fast, and remain strong. Mmmmmm. Glue.

Trade shows are like a parade in reverse - you have about three seconds to capture an attendee’s attention. Your exhibit, ideally, should be an accurate - and aesthetically pleasing - representation of the quality your company embodies.

Getting Started

As you ponder the size, type and functionality, ask yourself the following questions:

• What are your marketing objectives for this show? 
• How is your organization perceived in the industry? Do you hope to change that perception?
• Will your marketing objectives change for each show?
• What’s your ideal marketing environment (ie. private meetings, demonstrations)?
• At how many events do you exhibit nationally?
• What type of exhibit space will you reserve (island, inline, etc.)?
• How much are you able (or willing) to invest in your display?
• What’s most important to you - design or cost?
• Who is your audience? Does it vary by show or region?

Choosing a Trade Show Exhibit Display Company

It’s vital that you research the exhibit houses with which you’re interested in partnering. What is their reputation? Do they offer a full range of services? Will you get a dedicated account management team? What does their Website look like? Believe it or not, a Website - like an exhibit - can be quite telling with regards to marketing expertise and overall quality.

The best place to begin researching suppliers is to visit a trade show and chat with exhibitors. Ask about their suppliers’ level of service and ability to materialize what the exhibitor hoped to communicate.

When you’ve chosen one - or a few - potential exhibit partners, make sure to provide all information necessary: budget, time line, decision-making process, marketing objectives, etc. Try to avoid sending a general RFP or another form of “stock” invitation to bid. You’ll get the best results from direct, personalized communication.

A frequent objection to renting exhibit booths is that they are too expensive - purchasing is supposedly less expensive in the long run, depending on how many shows an exhibitor goes to. And surely that’s sometimes true - we have studied the subject at length. Primarily, however, the opinion is based on comparing apples and oranges. An “erector set” style of exhibit booth, when purchased, will cost less than our custom designed rental exhibits. The difference is not in purchase versus rental, the difference is in VALUE. In the realm of trade show marketing, value is derived from marketing impact - how effectively you are at reaching your trade show objectives. If the erector set booth is inferior in accomplishing those objectives, then you’ll get more value from the custom designed and specially fabricated booth. In order to say rental is more expensive than purchase, or visa versa, you’ll need to compare apples to apples. That’s quite difficult to do in this business, but supposing we can, let’s start by introducing the items purchasers tend to underestimate:

-Storage
-Crates
-Inspection/Handling
-Damages / Repairs
-Redesign/Reconfigure
-Refurbishing

We’ve done a study of the subject in our corporate white papers, here, and in most cases, it becomes a break even [the document holds a vast number of assumptions, intentionally biased IN FAVOR OF purchase, just to prove the point of rental's economy]. Some scenarios reflect a slight advantage for rental, some reflect an advantage of combining rental and purchase, and some scenarios reflect an advantage for purchase.

 Typically, purchase programs that look cost effective on paper have a major hazard: overlapping shows. If you go to 10 or 15 shows each year, the ship/setup/show/dismantle/ship/inspect/repair/ship schedules overlap at some point. This neccessitates having at least two booths, and negating the cost advantage.

Let’s suppose, however, that purchase is always more cost effective. Surely if you only do one show each year, you would have to use the same booth, with the same graphics, for years on end, in order to save over rental. Why your company would bother exhibiting at all in that scenario escapes me (but we see it all the time), but yes you’ll be saving money. Instead of argueing that rental gives you greater flexibility, I’d like to offer an often neglected reason:

Because the exhibit booth is only a small aspect of your exhibit program - but it’s the one that sets you apart from your competition!

The exhibit booth itself construes roughly one third of the budget that a company might set for a given trade show. The show services are more and more often responsible for another third, and the cost of your booth space may, depending on the venue, equate to the remaining third. If you include the travel and lodging expenses of your sales and marketing people that are attending the show, and any technicians to install software or program a machine being showcased, the proportion of your trade show budget that the exhibit actually occupies shrinks even further.

Supposing that your exhibit booth is 1/4th of your total costs, why are you jeopardizing or sacrificing the marketing impact of your entire trade show endeavor over a slight projected advantage!?!?! Seems like a bad idea to this trade show guy. Give every show your best effort - RENT!

#1 Know your Audience:  If all trade show attendees were buyers, acquiring new business would be like shooting fish in a bucket. But we know this is hardly the case. This doesn’t mean, though, that you should throw in the towel. Offer giveaways only to attendees who will return your investment: potential clients who make an appointment to meet with you to discuss your product or service.

#2 Don’t just giveaway anything: Your secondary objective with giveaways should be to drive traffic into your space. Your PRIMARY objective should be to strengthen customer loyalty and promote your product or service. Essentially, steer clear of distributing any cheapo knick-knack, regardless of how it relates to your business: if you’re an electronics manufacturer, don’t give away rubber balls…try flash drives. If you’re a publisher, don’t bake cookies…give ‘em pens.

#3 Where are the giveaways?: If you’re able to solely target prospective clients with your giveaways, super! If you’re not (say, your exhibit environment wasn’t design to accommodate meetings), strategically position the giveaways somewhere in your space that doens’t lure passersby. Give them to each salesperson or keep them in an interior, yet easily accessable, cabinet.

#4 Price isn’t the only factor: A dollar per item, for instance, can buy a heck of a lot more than you might think…So USE it! That’s what budgets are for. Sacrificing quality for cost is the kiss of death in any business dealing. Remember to offer your giveaways to the right people for a near guaranteed ROI.

Is your company planning to purchase a new exhibit booth sometime in 2009 or 2010? The more and more I speak with trade show coordinators and marketing guru’s who have been charged with this responsibility, the more resolute I am as an ALL-OUT ADVOCATE for renting exhibit booths. Some companies go to 20 shows a year, some 12, some 5, and others 1 or 2. Heck, if you’re going to NPE this year, you might even go to a show once every 3 years! The rationale for each trade show exhibit program decision may be different, but here are a few “variations.”

There is a sort of “conventional wisdom” that I often hear:
 

1. We do the same thing at every show.
2. If you saw our booth, you would understand!(these exhibit are just TOO AWSOME for me to grasp, apparently)
3. Renting is just too expensive. (These conversations typically give me this eery feeling that I must be unknowingly scamming all of my faithful clients that would excitedly volunteer as references. Those “suckers.”)

1. My brain hurts! Since when was marketing about being predictably boring at every opportunity, with tens or hundreds of thousands of marketing dollars invested to achieve mediocrity? Find a better excuse please!
2. Custom rental with some custom built components can achieve unbelievable results, just as a custom purchase exhibit can. The rental approach will likely be lighter and allow you to do another creative and original exhibit at your next show - attendees will wonder just what you will come up with next!
3. Cost is a factor of quality or extravagence, not rental or purchase. The market for trade show exhibits is very efficient and rental and purchase prices are not grossly disproportionate from one another.

As I mentioned earlier - I am not quick to back off of my convictions that renting is just flat-out smarter. Display booths are not meant to be stale marketing pieces that you begrudgingly pull off of the shelf for your next show. They should not embarass you with outdated styling or graphics, poor refurbishing work, or damaged exhibit pieces.

Part 1 of 3 means I have more to say on this topic… Still think it makes sense to buy your exhibit booth? Please let me know why!

I’ve blogged ad nauseam regarding the effect that union-controlled show services has upon our industry - high prices that fly in the face of underlying costs and economic principles. I am fairly certain that my griping is exactly that - griping about a reality that will not change anytime soon. On that note, will it be getting worse soon?

That question struck me when I noted that the new executive administration ushered in a set of executive orders supporting/strengthening unions in America. The executive orders are aimed at hindering the efforts of non-unionized businesses trying to resist unionization of their labor force. Now when a business is working under federal contract they are no longer required to post a notice informing employees that they may opt-out of financially supporting a union; they will not be reimbursed for expenses associated with dissuading employees from unionizing; and they must offer new jobs to existing employees first.

I don’t proclaim to understand the finer points of how these orders affect practices currently in place for employers. I have gleaned that this clearly does not apply to every employer - just those working under federal contracts. Convention centers like McCormick Place in Chicago are actually funded and owned by the municipalities or states - is that outside of the grasp of the executive order? Is that an extension of executive orders or legislation yet to come?

In any business it’s important to keep ears open for lawmaker actions with effects on the economic environment. In this case, it may appear that my “sounding the alarm” about these orders is a bit of a stretch - but I think this is indirect linkage that will lead us to yet higher costs for show services. Am I sounding off prematurely? Will this have zero effect and I’m just paranoid?

How about a $800,000,000,000 stimulus package invested solely in trade show exhibit spending? Anyone in favor of that? Call your congressmen NOW!