Marshall Yard:

If you don’t have any questions, then perhaps this event is just not for you…

..seriously, you don’t have even ONE question?

For the rest of you, we’re hosting an event this month - the 27th, 28th, and 29th. Exhibitors have an opportunity to tour our 120,000 sq. ft. facility - take an unprecedented look behind the “aluminum curtain.” Talk candidly with our design and account management staff outside of a traditional sales environment. Learn the finer ins and outs of exhibiting - and the pitfalls that are essential to avoid.

We’ve decided to put forth some Q&A topics ahead of time:

• How do you define marketing objectives that drive the design of your exhibit?
• How to properly manage project timelines and understand hidden tradeshow realities?
• What are the practical considerations for the selection of custom elements, rental systems and hybrid solutions?

These are but a few of the topics we will be addressing - What are your questions? We want to hear them!

After a swift and positive experience with show management’s approval of a prospective client’s design, I was ready to glide through another approval. After all, getting the approval of show management is a mundane, routine aspect of life as an exhibit house - it’s not as though we don’t know the rules, and we design to these rules on a daily basis. Further, we have experience in every exhibit hall in North America - it’s tough to surprise us with unexpected stipulations. But getting the ‘a-ok’ from show management is important to getting a project completed for a client - and we get things in writing in the event that a variance is needed for a design, and to protect against convention hall staff that decide to make up their own rules!

When we approached show management with this second client’s design, we were caught a bit off guard by the emailed response we received [names have been changed 'cause I don't mean to spread ill-will]:

Sorry for the confusion – it appears portions of the posted rules and regs reflect general industry rules vs. show specific rules.  The [name omitted] Show’s height limit is 16ft. with no height variance allowance (unless it was by a foot or two at the most).  Therefore, no exhibit at The [name omitted] Show will exceed 16ft in height.

This was a slip up on our part – not sure how it happened – I’ll take the blame.

Unfortunately, we cannot grant a height variance for exhibits at The [name omitted] Show.  We’ll be sure to correct the information posted on the website right away.

Needless to say, my response was that of shock. The structure, as presented, was unbalanced and awkward as a 16 ft. booth. Luckily, so our competitors’ designs were in the same situation, since the client wanted us to maximize the height of booth [we were the only ones who checked with show management, of course].

With a tight timeframe before the show starts (less than 2 months away…), we had to go into redesign immediately. Ultimately, we presented a strong design that worked well for the client’s needs - though it may lack the commanding impact that a 20 ft. booth has over a 16 footer.

Lesson learned was that of the process we follow. It’s a reinforcement of why we do what we do. If you don’t get an approval in writing, you don’t have something you can actually sell to a client. Even if it follows the “letter of the law,” such laws exist at the whim of those running the convention hall. It’s better to reconcile a design with the actual rules before a contract is inked than to scramble through redesign, reprice, and reapproval after an agreement has been reached.

A great exhibit is only great when it garners the attention and favor of tradeshow attendees. Like a tree falling in the forest…

The Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association hosted their annual meeting this past week - June 13-16 in Tampa, Florida. This year’s focus was on budgeting, marketing trends, and healthcare industry codes. Catalyst’s exhibit featured new display tables, and our revamped 10×20 custom exhibit.

As the industry deals with the challenges posed by the current recession, we’ve found a niche in a custom rental marketplace that is underserved, and growing in its ranks. We look forward to many exciting opportunities with Healthcare Exhibitors in the years to come.

This year’s show was highlighted by our European and International representative, who helped tie together our capabilities beyond domestic tradeshows - offering exhibitors the confidence that they can not only exhibit in Chicago, Orlando, and Las Vegas; but also Shanghai, and Dubai. Having a partner to help us facilitate those needs has proven essential in the flat world of 2009.

As Iran erupts into riots and chaos with their recent election (and by “election” I mean “perfectly executed exemplar of the democratic process in its purest form”), I thought I’d tally up the votes for and against virtual trade shows.

I’ve had a cruel fascination with virtual trade shows for quite some time. In fact, I have between 5-10 aborted blog posts wherein I abysmally attempt to analyze this topic. Too long winded, and a bit too “soap box-ish” when it came time to post, so I thought those subjects were better off in blog-limbo (”draft”).

Here’s how virtual tradeshows have been treated here in cyberspace (there seem to be 3 general arguments):

1. Tradeshows are so expensive that virtual trade shows will continue to gain importance: they’re the wave of the future, and super-duper-green to boot.

2. Virtual tradeshows may never quite overcome tradeshows, because business people need to meet face-to-face, hug, and cuddle over that freshly inked contract.

3. Virtual tradeshows are stuck in the social networking fluff-world - not conducive to replace the serious business that actually takes place at trade shows

Because this tradeshow blogger always thinks he has an exciting new viewpoint, I’m going to offer my own spin: (more…)

NPE is the big buzz at McCormick Place this week of 6/15/09. If you don’t know what NPE is, go here, here, here, or here. I’ll be bringing some highlights from the show, as well as photos and stories of any travails I encounter.

“I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kind of a big deal.”

HCEA is the Healthcare Conventions & Exhibitors Association. Their annual tradeshow for exhibitors is coming up! This offers Healthcare companies to see some of the latest and greatest ideas from exhibit houses, and determine the best direction for their 2010’s exhibit program. That means exhibitors are trying their hardest to sell, sell, sell themselves [and their shiny new display booths] at the ‘09 HCEA show.

“ABC. A -Always, B -Be, C -Closing. Always be closing. Always be closing.” … “Coffee’s for closers, ONLY.”

We’ll also be taking a look at virtual trade shows; an experience I recently encountered with a graphic designer turned trade show coordinator; as well as critical aspects of evaluating exhibit designs. It’s going to be a great week here at the Marshall-Yard: the #1 trade show blog in the United States, and [arguably] the #7 trade show blog in Nepal.

As a trusted expert in trade shows, and a major contributor to America’s favorite trade show blog, I’d like to offer a special blog topic today:

GREAT TRADE SHOWS FOR 2009
(please comment on any shows I may have left off of the list)

Newspaper & Print Journalists Expo

Polar Bear & Caribou Convention

Chicago Auto Show

The Annual SML (Subprime Mortgage Lenders) Conference and Exhibition

Wahabbi Terrorist Symposium and Exposition*

The Private Jet Show and Client Appreciation Luau (in sunny Maui!)**

The Bipartisan Politicians Luncheon and Bailout Expo (huge exhibits, but don’t expect any substance)

Adam Smith’s Capitalism Exhibition and Wake, visitation begins Wednesday, and continues indefinitely

IDEAS 2010 - Internation Defense Exhibition & Seminar in Pakistan (very real)

*women should be sure to shroud their faces, and men should wear long beards. 

**scheduled one week after, and in conjunction with, Chicago’s auto show

RSNA wrapped up this week - Surely you know, since we referenced it here, here and here. The horse is dead, I know.

Siemens‘ booth, sized 110′x220′, was located in the south hall. At McCormick Place, the South Hall is the absolute least-trafficked and smallest hall. Even though we were all excited about the design, you never know how a show will go until it’s all said and done. The verdict is in!

For the first three days of the show, leads were well above 2007 numbers! Spend less, get more. I like the sound of that. They did, too. Happy clients are good clients.

Ok - Enough of this rubbish. It feels very “propogandish.” I forwarded the professional photos to a friend of mine who is in the medical field. I had gushed to her about the Siemens booth over the past few months.

Her reply:

>>WOW! that IS huge!!!
>>
>>
>>
>>p.s. That’s what she said.

In the 1990’s and early-to-mid 2000’s, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler survived based on the unbridled success of the Sport Utility Vehicle. Heck, Chrysler acquired AMC, who built the first “SUV,” the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, which then became the Jeep Cherokee. And the Tahoe/Suburban and Ford Explorer are still synonymous with our concept of what an SUV “is.” What’s my point?

SUV’s have been a largely successful enterprise. They captured the rugged individualism that many American’s espouse, and made it into the “BIGGEST” automotive fad ever. The big 3 were successful in developing, producing, marketing, and selling their SUV products to consumers. They may have suceeded in spite of themselves, but one can’t deny the stated premise.

The SUV wasn’t the sole cause for the peril that Ford, GM and Chrysler are exhibiting- there’s the economic slowdown, and greater challenges that I wont get into here - but the continued reliance on SUV and light truck sales, amidst competitive and market forces that demanded a new strategy, contributed to their present woes. SUV’s shouldn’t have been their “bread & butter” product in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. $4 gas, remember?

So what on earth does this have to do with Trade Show Flexibility?

Let’s suppose that you find the perfect design for this year’s BIG SHOW. Should you try to sell the same SUV at next year’s show? What if all of your competitors come to next year’s show with a copy-cat booth? (it happens!) What if your business changes and you radically change how you’d like to approach the show? Important questions.

Here’s one: What if you make a big impression with show attendees - they’ll be looking for you at next year’s show. Do you want to DO SOMETHING with all that attention? Or bore them with “oh, they did that last year… What’s new?”

Are you sure you want to build another SUV?

This past Wednesday, I had the pleasure of driving down to McCormick Place with some of my favorite co-workers. The cast for the drive included Midnight Michigan, senior designer; Sasha Grove, manager extrordinaire; and Linda Railroad, working the oldest profession, sales. Update: I’ve finally received permission to clarify the origin of my coworkers’ names. These are porn names: Derived by the combination of our first pet’s name with the first street name that we remember living on (I will continue utilizing my McCormick Place psuedonym, since “Lucy Barton” makes for gender-confused blogging). With this crew, it’s always guaranteed to be quite a trip. The RSNA trade show was in day 3 of exhibit set-up, so let’s recap the day’s events:

When we realized that walking would have taken us over 17 hours that we decided to drive. Linda’s directions were denounced as “the long way.” Commute time: 1 hour, 15 minutes. We covered a lot of conversational ground on the way downtown: Trade show exhibit booths, obviously; how-to-drown skunks and other suburban pests; approved alternatives to watching football over the Thanksgiving holiday; and, finally, the potential drayage costs of parking on the convention center floor, versus the parking garage ($8,000 versus $15).

After arriving, we had a very stimulating time previewing the RSNA show. The Siemens rental exhibit booth is, as expected, surreal and impressive. Midnight seemed very pleased at seeing his 3-d renderings put into corporeal existance.

Other highlights from the trade show floor: One of our competitors, expected to fold within months, builds out one of their last exhibits; and our biggest “competitor” freaks out when we walk around their largest client’s booth. Name badges and company insignia can be quite intimidating, it seems. As innovators in the rental exhibit booth business, we were pleased to see them doing a mediocre job of imitating our custom rental system (ours utilizes custom built components that… well, just go to the website). They can try to imitate, but you can’t beat the real thing.

We took my way home (2 hour drive). It was a far more scenic route, and the subject matter was far less appropriate. Drowning dogs, Linda Railroad taking the “Midnight train,” and things got worse from there. H.R. will be busy sorting out who said what!

This week, the buzz around the office is all about the RSNA show (the Radialogical Society of North America’s annual meeting & expo). We have a multitude of outstanding clients at the RSNA’s. They range from Imaging on Call, who has a 20 ft. x 20 ft. custom rental booth, to the other extreme, Siemens, with a whopping 110 ft. x 220 ft. exhibit. Building a miniature “village” of different structures in a matter of a few days is fun to watch.

Word on the street (perception) is that trade shows will have fewer exhibitors in 2009, taking up less convention hall space, and with smaller exhibits, as the broader economy heads into recession. I think that’s true, by and large, but there are individual companies that are exceptions to this rule. Which side of the coin is your company on?

Tails:

Revenue is declining, profits are tighter (or in the red), and the marketing budget has a large “blip” that is “Trade Shows/Events.” In order to survive, your company decides to cut back everything, and the exposure and opportunity that a well executed trade show can offer gets thrown out with the “bathwater.” Hopefully these companies do not own their trade show exhibits - else they are wasting big marketing dollars that were invested when the economy was more favorable. In addition, there is a continuing expense of storing their exhibit property. This is a reality many companies are facing. Either scale down, or kill the program entirely.

Heads:

Your company has continued gobbling up market share, or may even be consuming competitors’ businesses via acquisition or attrition. I have a number of clients who are in this position: They are GROWING their tradeshow presence in order to undertake some major corporate agendie- Rebranding, launching new products (perhaps integrating their new acquisitions’ product line), or merely establishing their role as industry leaders. Sometimes they’re doing preventive work on potential misconceptions of who is struggling, and who is surviving, in the new economy. An effective trade show exhibit can allow a company to accomplish all of these goals in one space. A custom rental booth can be designed for each individual trade show, to ensure that the message that is conveyed is timely and precise for todays trade show audience, not last year’s.

Heads or tails, it seems like the company that rents their exhibit is better off. If you can’t afford to exhibit, you can cross off that expense for FY09. If you can afford to exhibit, you can do exactly what you want for 2009’s exhibition (e.g. - Siemens and Imaging On Call can build totally different designs for every show). It depends on what the reality is for your company, but at least you get to decide on how you’ll be perceived.

Somewhere else in the blogosphere, I’ve heard some interesting ruminations about what should and should not be driving forces behind why a company should undertake a trade show effort. One of these rules struck a nerve with me as pertaining to the present credit crisis and rampant recessionary fears.

Reason #3: To correct a misconception.

In a business environment where everyone thinks everyone is at risk of going totally Lehman, what a better way to cure that paranoia than through your exhibit booth at your next trade show. Of course, if you own an expensive custom trade show property, you might lack the flexibility to actually change your design to accomplish any particular change in directive. Hopefully 2006’s business plan will keep working for the next 2 years while you amortize your custom built booth. Even better, maybe your company’s just too big to fail.

Meanwhile, your competitor has a new look, is effectively launching their new product, adapting to the product life cycle of their existing product, and reinforcing the belief that they are constantly growing their market share. Oh, and surely this sort of thing never happens in industries other than ours.

One more thing: I’ve picked up on two ways in which companies have tried to combat wild speculations about their fiscal strength in moments of extreme doubt- Press releases and employment solicitations. If we’re offering jobs, and telling the press that things are GREAT despite headlines to the contrary, then everything’s supposedly “all good.” Apparently, people are starting to see through this sort of rubbish…

Largest U.S. Plastics Show puts Catalyst on the International Radar

The National Plastics Expo, truly an international showcase commencing every three years, is the place to be for thousands of contenders representing the global market. The 2006 show (June 19-23 at McCormick Place in Chicago) fostered record international participation and drew an incredible 9% more attendees than did the show prior. Catalyst Exhibits, one of many exhibit houses vying for the opportunity to tout their wares, made quite a mark on the show floor – with 19 clients and a total of 29,815 square feet of exhibit space…three percent of the entire show. Not bad for one exhibit house, hey?

Catalyst’s exhibit solutions – designed to embody a colorful affluence of marketing objectives, aesthetic preferences and functionalities, ranged from a 10×10 to a whopping 75×85 space. Managing this type of event is not for the weak of spirit. Catalyst Account Managers, Production Supervisors and Sales Executives swiftly navigated NPE’s near million-foot floor plan from set-up to tear-down, ensuring each exhibit (regardless of size) was erected seamlessly and that each client was given undivided attention. Cutting-edge design and extraordinary attention to detail helped make NPE 2006 quite an experience for all involved. Quite an experience indeed. 

NPE 2009 has some big shoes to fill and Catalyst is on deck to hit a home run. With enhanced rental inventory, polished branding and streamlined service, Catalyst is no doubt cultivating yet another competitive edge.

“Would I recommend Catalyst to others? Of course, because the service and support during both this torturous and fun experience is second to none.”  

— Bob Hawkins, President, Kiefel, Inc. 

The design, level of attention and superb service – that is why we chose Catalyst.” 

— John Moyer, President, Asahi KASEI

By: Susie Kleiner 

I recently pulled up Make your Business Stand Out  and I found some profound statements written.  Brand Awareness continues to be at the fore-front of many marketers minds as it should be in the competative arena for any business.  Award winning trade booth design has always been the approach that has worked in our industry.

Being Different as stated in the article written by Nikole Gibbs in the marketing section caught my attention, because if you leave an impression and give your potential clients, something different, they will not only become repeat clients, but they will become loyal clients. 

When you give your clients solutions they will remember the product and service that you have provided.  3D marketing can speak to an turn your company into a trade show superhero.    

One of our clients was questioned, in a pre-show survey, and stated they thought that just 26 percent of attendees considered the company a market leader. But after the CEO was in the booth at the exhibition talking about the industry, and the research and development staffers were talking about new products during the show, 96 percent of those surveyed post-event perceived the company as a market leader.

Rule number one in any marketing plan should be questioning your clients and gathering feedback from potential and current clients.  People in general love to hear themselves speak, and they also love to hear that their opinion is wanted.  Without information, and in the information age, if you don’t..shame on you. 

If for a moment you forget that on the other end of the phone, email, conference call or contract is a human being, you could have lost a potential project.   27 Exhibiting Do’s and Dont’s by Susan Friedmann has some very valid points, and I enjoyed #10-Don’t” “throw up” on attendee’s, it made me laugh, but it validates my point, ask them questions, let them talk.  They are going to be the one’s using your product or services.  Do not tell them constantly what you can do for them, let them tell you what they need done, and collectively come up with a solutions.

Designing exhibits for upcoming trade shows, can be a challenging task, listening to our clients, and understanding what they are trying to convey in their industry can only be learned by hearing what the client has to say.  

I would like to engage anyone in conversation that has exhibited at trade shows in the past year or two.  I would like to know your disappointments with your custom exhibit, rental exhibit and anything that you found frustrating on the trade show floor.  Is there a certain element missing from your exhibiting experience? Was there something you needed while on the show floor that you couldn’t find? Was there a lack of traffic during any specific time period?

I would love to hear from you.

Have success at trade shows and beat the challenges. When trade show marketing is approaced early, you develop a formula for success, but the race does not stop there for winning that potential client.  Turning your leads into clients, is one of the largest goals and challenges of trade show marketing. 

Don’t let that lead fall into the post trade show marketing cracks.  Be active, and be smart.  Continuous follow up will put your name and your brand in front of a potential buyer. 

Keep careful notes on the trade show floor, often times, when a conversation ensues on the trade show floor, you can pick up pieces of personal information on your prospects, and that can help lead into a successful conversation post show.  

Trade show attendees will often see hundreds of exhibitors at large trade shows, make sure you give them something to remember you by, whether it is in a post show follow up call or even a short hand written note thanking them for their time.

I read a great article by Adrian Miller at The Blatant Truth! No matter what it is you are purchasing, either a service or a product, the dedication of the sales staff, support staff and anyone involved in your project should exceed expectations.  That is the true meaning of customer service, the story she told about getting her tire changed, shows that there are companies out there that are willing to go above and beyond the scope of what most people think is good customer service.

When it comes to the decision of exhibiting at Trade Shows, it is very helpful to find an exhibit house that is full service and has the capability to assist from the inception of your project to the return of the exhibit properties, along with post trade show follow up assistance.   An exhibit house that can offer you an assortment of exhibiting and trade show display solutions.  With rental exhibits, the option of exhibit customization is much easier and can give you a slightly different look and feel, if you are attending multiple trade shows. 

Finding the correct team that can convey your trade show message should consist of experienced and dedicated, exhibit designers, graphic designers, project and account manager and a team of coordinators to help you every step of the way. 

By choosing an experienced exhibit house team, you will portray your service and/or  product in an astounding 3D exhibit display, with the use of a variety of structural materials and fabric, you will watch as your trade show display booth comes to life. 

Whether you are exhibiting at a trade show in Las Vegas, Chicago or New Orleans an established well versed in the market place exhibit house can deliver no matter the location, and deliver flawless results. 

K/BIS - KBIS - Kitchen & Bath will hit Chicago on April 11th, 2008, have you started the water boiling for your exhibit yet? Preparation is the key and a well thought out recipe for your exhibiting success!  With over 900 exhibitors expected for the 2008 trade show, plan early and plan smart.

With a custom trade show display rentals, you can change the frosting for each trade show event.  Why stick with the plain old vanilla frosting for every trade show, when the trends say go chocolate,   custom rental exhibit displays give you the option to change and create a fresh look.

With three clients at K/BIS 2007 and over 8000 square feet of exhibit space consisting of exhibit booths of 60 x 80, 40 x 50 and 40 x 40, we are prepared to assist with a complete marketing strategy for the upcoming 2008 season.

Exhibit Displays & Tradeshows!

Why are people doing it? Why should I spend the money?  I have six valid reasons that your appearance at trade shows can benefit and build your global business marketing plan and strategy.

Build Brand Awareness

Increase Leads

High Customer Visibility

Increased Market Competition

Launching a new identity

Launching a new product

No matter what market you are in, medical, automotive, gift market, landscaping,  electronics, multi-media, gaming, photography, there is a trade show out there for you.  There is also a whole bunch of competition.  There are enormous opportunities waiting for those who get it right.  Opportunities not only for your company, but for you within the company.  Opportunities to capture leadership within your business, or business position. 

Ask yourself a few questions?

Why Exhibit?

How do I do it successfully?

When should I exhibit?

Where should I exhibit?

Know your market place and know your competition!  Success in a trade show program is about focus and targeting resources and energy.  If you are unsure of some of the above questions, we can direct you to the best strategy fit for your given situation.

Custom Trade Show Exhibit Rental

Whether it is called an exhibition, fair, expo or just good old fashioned trade show.  These events  can bring you extraordinary results when it comes to forming relationships with prospective clients.  With the never ending coast to coast conference calls, webinars, emails and the growing use of internet based meetings, tradeshows can be a place where you get back in the ring of personal contact and customer service.

The necessity of exhibiting at trade shows and actually reaching out to shake the hand of clients can add high credibility to your companies products and services.  Giving the prospective client a comfort zone of who they will be dealing with on the other end of the phone, will help them form their opinions early and get them one step closer to their decision making process.

If you are launching a new product or service, consider exhibiting at a trade show.  Research and planning will be a key to making the trade show a success.  When decision makers are able to touch and feel your products, they will remember it better than if they saw it online or via a web conference.

What was that funny word I heard to describe a trade show giveaway? I heard it, I know how to pronounce it, but where did it come from and how do you spell it?  

Chachka - Tchotchke - Giveaways - Trinkets

Definition - A cheap shiny trinket, slang name for trade show giveaways.  I ran across this word several years ago when I went down to Florida with someone attending the Lotus Notes program in Orlando. 

What do you call a trade show giveaway? This question has been ask a few times, and then I realized what it was the people were asking.  This is stated as being a Yiddish word and can also mean an attractive unconventional woman.  Would this be a booth babe? Not likely, but the two do fit well in the world of trade show booths and trade show exhibits. 

So for all of you out there wondering, what is the word for trade show promotional items?  Giveaways, Trinkets - you have come across the world of Chachka - Tchotchke, pronounced CHA-CH-KEY

I love to reuse old things, I’ve been succesful at selling original artwork on ebay all from recycled material.  It is quite a joy when my husband comes home with an old piece of furniture or a tattered old window from a schoolhouse. My wheels begin to turn, I take pride that, these items are no longer ending up in the landfills and are going to be something people can find joy in. 

 When you purchase an exhibit, it is yours, what happens to that material when you are finished with it? Most likely, it gets tossed.   Designs change, graphics change and your products will most likely change and grow with your company.

Rental exhibits give you flexibility, cost-effectiveness, a direct write off on taxes and versatility.   If your company undergoes a variety of marketing strategies, rental exhibits can be quite beneficial.    Plus each and component of a rental exhibit can be reused and recycled!

For those of you who don’t know Kevin - he is our Exhibit House Mascot - he helped me this weekend with the leaves, and we began our conversations about rakes and outdoor lawn equipment.

Well, after we got all done, we hit the internet and came across Orgill’s Dealer Market Trade Show.  What an interesting trade show this must be.  Anyone in the hardline industry that attended the Orgill Dealer Market Trade Show in the past, had rave reviews. 

Orgill’s Dealer Market Trade Show will be held in Orlando in February of 2008 - 2/21-23rd.  From Farm & Ranch, Workwear, Lawn & Garden and seasonal items.  The possibilities of meeting new vendors and learning from the latest and greatest new programs from Orgill are phenominal.  Some of the heavy hitters that attend are Black & Decker, Dewalt, Valspar and Stanley, just to name a few. 

No matter what it is you are trying to acheive, in any business, you can learn from so many sources.  Educate yourself from the industry proffessionals, and take away what works for you and design your business structure with a solid foundation.  

In the business of exhibiting, we take the key four elements we feel will bring you the most impact and present to you a custom exhibit rental solution.   If you are planning on exhibiting at the Orgill Dealer Market Trade Show, you want to make sure not only your product’s make a statement but your entire exhibit will draw in the attention and the sales you are hoping to acquire in this market arena, following some of the basic trade show tips you can increase your performance on the trade show floor.   I read that the orders written at the last trade show, was up 11% from the previous year.   Defining your marketing objectives in advance, can as well help drive up your return on investment, and you will be well ahead of the competition and well ahead of your goals.

There are several reasons people give away promotional items in the trade show setting, usually at the top of the list is traffic and visitors.  Remember to keep in mind the type of visitors and traffic you are hoping to draw in.

First off, when trying to decide what types of items to “give-away” do some research first and get a reputable company.  You want your promotional item to be remembered, you want it to convey a message of what your company does and who you are in the market place. 

Does your trade show booth follow any sort of theme? Are you trying to give your booth visitor an education? Each one of those could support a different promotional item.   Do not forget your “brand awareness” in this process, and make sure that the item will send that message. 

Promotional items can be costly, make sure you plan well in advance for any given trade show and order early and follow a strategic plan in order to acquire the give-aways at the best cost, often times in bulk if you are planning on exhibiting at more than one trade show. 

In order to capture your prospective clients make it an item of desire, but do not hand them out freely, or just have them displayed somewhere so they are easy for the taking.  You want to be able to engage the prospective client in conversation so that you can establish a relationship and further the process from prospect to client. 

If the convention center offers any sort of pre-show advertising, this may be a great chance to include a stop at our booth with this certificate.  That way you will get them engaged in a more detailed conversation of your product and services.

I continue the series with the third step in exhibit display design and the complete process of which it takes to make your exhibit experience a success.

Elements, Priority and now onto Grammar.  Grammar is the study of rules governing the use of language.  “Grammar”is one of the words our designer’s use to describe the language of exhibits.  For example,  a “radial” design, a “rectilinear” design, an “organic” design, an “open or closed” design, etc.  It has to do with the natural, pleasing and/or effective object design for a given objective. 

You will notice this is quite far along in the process.  A “grammar” is applied to prioritized elements.

PMA  ‘08 hits Las Vegas Convention Center on January 31st, 2008 and continues to February 2nd, 2008.  This is an ensemble cast of “memory makers,” from photographers, retailers and even those in the scrapbooking industries.  Gathering together over 20,000 industry professionals and 200 sessions at this convention, there is an abundance of information to be had.

From local merchants to large mutlinational business, you will find sports and event photography, wireless imaging, this is a broad spectrum trade show, housing exhibitors from with an array of products associated with the photography industries.  Attracting top level management teams who are continually trying to stay ahead of the digital imaging industry, and seeking the latest in technology.  Over 95% of the attendees have the buying influence, and are key decision makers. 

Exhibiting in the world our digital era can create your ”memory” on your products and services.  Think of the amount of time we spend in the digital world, emailing photo’s, scanning documents, sending wireless pictures via text messages.  A report from PMA’ 07 states that the average person spends 36 hours a week in the digital world we have created. 

As in any world, what is it we are looking for? Sharp, Better Quality, Ease of Use.  When you are expanding your business in the tradeshow market, these are qualities that your exhibit’s should convey.