Marshall Yard:

All this blogging and social media over-consumption is starting to contort my vocabulary into the more banal dialect characteristic of our modern era. So when I first read that the MPEA’s Board of Directors was getting cleared out, with the 13 bodies being replaced with 7 hopefully warmer ones, my immediate reply was “OMG, that’s gr8.” No, actually, that’s not how I talk.

The MPEA is indeed going through a bit of a transition period. Legislation was just passed to oust the 13 person board that oversees Navy Pier and McCormick Place operations, and legislation has recently been proposed to change the McCormick Place “union” labor pool into public employees. The 13 member McPier board is slated to be replaced with 7 appointees selected by Mayor Daley and Governor Quinn. Hmm.

One would suspect that this action came amidst a general lack of perceived impetus at McCormick - a cursory glance at  MPEA’s press release page reveals how much has been done to respond to the losses of NRA, NPE, HIMSS, and a laundry list of other tradeshows still talking about leaving the convention center by 2012. Not too much, in short, has been done. (more…)

To those of you who think my recent posts about McCormick Place’s recent woes (losing NPE and HIMSS exhibitions) have been immature, glib, and even counterproductive, I have a refreshing piece of media for you to sample (and if you expect us to avoid such rhetorical tactics, please find a different blog about tradeshows).

Channel 11, being the ever-objective public news medium that it is (sarc.), has a brief expose featuring the challenges faced by McPier (MPEA) and Chicago’s convention industry.

Watch the Carol Marin interview… Is this Truth or Fiction?

After a two week span where we’ve seen two of Chicago’s bigger tradeshows “pass” on their 2012 contracts with McCormick Place Convention Center, the NRA has decided to negotiate their future shows as well. Strike while the iron is hot, one could say.

NPE’s first public announcement was made prior to leaving town - and obviously officials in Chicago thought it prudent to call their bluff… Whoops.

As coy as I’ve played with regard to this situation, it is a serious one for McCormick Place, MPEA (Metropolitan Pier and Exhibition Authority - gov’t. entity that governs McCormick and Navy Pier, AKA- “McPier”), Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, and the City of Chicago. All are major stakeholders, and all have significant influence over how these confrontations pan out. There is one sure thing I’m aware of:

Other shows will be following suit. Any and every contract that can be renegotiated will be. Every aspect of the tradeshow cost structure is up for grabs. The days when the exhibit house was the only party to “dicker with” are over. The “take it or leave it” attitude has met its natural rejoinder: “Leave it.”

And our apologies to Oprah: We’re very sorry for the picture, and we’re very sorry that we tried to pin this on you. And on a personal note, I’ve never bothered to watch your show.

I’m struggling to get my brain around NPE and HIMSS making decisions to leave McCormick Place.

Is it the weather? Chicago does get cold in the winter time.

Is it the business world expressing their disagreement with President Obama? I understand that some disagree with some of his policies. I suppose changing the host city for your tradeshow to a non-Obama city could be one way to flex your economic muscles.

Is it Chicago-style cuisine? Perhaps contemporary diets are incompatible with deep dish pizza and Chicago style ‘dogs - and that would upset expo attendees.

I’m at a loss here, people. Please help me pin down the cause for these two significant tradeshows departing from McCormick Place Convention Center. Thus far, it appears these are totally random occurrences, without any specific cause. Is there any way we can prevent this from happening to the other prominent trade shows held in Chicago?

Everyone knows that the colors involved in a marketing campaign are of immense importance. Imagine a Coca-Cola or Marlboro ad that lacked the color red! Sometimes, however, it’s not only the COLOR that matters, it’s the exact shade or hue that a company depends on for a consistent campaign.

If your company uses a special “blue” that separates itself from the menagerie of garden variety “blues” in the marketplace, then this can present an immense challenge when working through a sophisticated marketing campaign. While this isn’t news for companies that are seasoned in working with their branding properties, it can become a major obstacle for newly unveiled marketing initiatives. There’s a simple solution which might not get mentioned by your ad company - but it matters for your exhibit company! (more…)

Catalyst Exhibits is hosting an open forum and hands-on tour for maximizing tradeshow strategies for 2010!

Join us Thursday, October 29th at 3:00pm for fun, stimulating conversation and refreshments.

You will have unprecedented direct access to Designers, Account Managers and Fabricators from all over the tradeshow industry. Hear their advice on solutions to your exhibiting problems in these difficult times.

Our straightforward, educational approach is proven to be the best way to enrich professionals on a process cloudeed by conflicting agendas of reduced Marketing and Logistics budgets in a recession. Learn how to achieve growth while others struggle to not shrink.

Please call to reserve your spot by October 23rd.

Due to large initial demand, additional dates and times may be added.

Catalyst Exhibits is located at 215 Exchange Dr., Crystal Lake, IL 60014

As our design and engineering departments deal with a deluge of new business that has thankfully discovered our exhibit house in 2009, I’ve been knocking on doors, metaphorically, to steer exhibitors for this year’s Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting, (that’s RSNA09 to ppl in a hrry).

So it’s 2009, a big whopping recession, there’s a health care proposal in Washington that’s encountering, simultaneously, support and rancor amongst various niches of the health care industry, and companies are fighting tooth and nail to survive: What’s up with RSNA09? Is it a good show for your company? Isn’t attendance down at big shows? Shouldn’t my widget company spend all of its cash reserves ridding the balance sheet of any liabilities, and just hibernate until the economy is back on its feet? (more…)

Online ads aren’t the only thing that marketers expect to increase over the next year. While an overwhelming 68.7% of marketers expect to increase their Online advertising, 37.6% also expect their Event marketing to increase, with 49.9% seeing no change in that figure. While that isn’t an overwhelming increase in Events, it does reflect an opposing trend to many other forms of marketing. Take a look here. Budgets for radio, broadcast, and outdoor marketing are down significantly, whereas Events, Direct Mail, and Telemarketing are modestly increased.

The trends of modest increases are paired with modest increases for marketing budget through the second half of 2009, and through 2010. Budgets were slashed across many different industries for the first half of 2009. This has greatly affected the trade show exhibit business, with exhibit houses lowering prices and responding with additional services. Even tradeshow organizers and convention halls have responded with stimulai of their own - reduced booth space pricing, and some early indications that services for things like I&D and drayage may be reduced from their inflated levels. Our “The Frugal Exhibitor” segment chronicals online sources keeping tabs on the ebb and flow of tradeshow values.

Sorry for the awkward humor, but I’m heading to the second game of the White Sox’ double header today (weather permitting). The main pitch [sorry] of today’s trade show blog post hits at the three distinct business models present in our industry. First, there are design agencies, who design home run exhibits, and must broker out the manufacturing of the exhibit to various other vendors. Next, there are exhibit companies, who also create championship booth designs, but who possess the internal capabilities to create the displays that have been rendered for clients. Lastly, there are companies who are neither of the above: They contract with design firms - who then design exhibits for the exhibit company’s clientelle, later to be built by the exhibit firm. What are the advantages or disadvantages of these three business models?

Let’s consider the cost of designing: The agency will likely bill the exhibitor for design time. The exhibit company with in-house designers will [sometimes] consider design part of the exhibit overhead. Buried in the price of your exhibit is the time spent on your custom design, but based on a very rough estimate of how many hours any project of a certain scope would take to create. Other companies with in-house capabilities will still charge hourly for design time, so this second group is actually varied with how they handle design time. The third group - who contract their designs through a third party vendor - is similarly varied. Some may handle the design cost in the price of the exhibit - likely marked up to account for the risk therein. Others may charge up-front for design. When it comes to how designing is charged to exhibitors, it would be a smart idea to get clarification of this detail up front (like on the FIRST conversation with an exhibitor). In some occasions I would even try to get this information in writing. With a sour trade show economy, there are floundering firms whose behavior leaves something to be desired. What do you think the best business model is for your needs? Up front design charges, overhead treatment of designing, or direct billing, after the fact? More importantly, how do these business models affect execution or implementation of your exhibit design to a working, walking, talking exhibit booth? (more…)

TGIF … With NPE approaching, a mammoth trade show that occurs at McCormick Place in Chicago once every three years, things got a bit hectic this past week at our facility. Thankfully, we have a great group of exhibitors going to the show, who understand our process, and how critical deadlines are to the effort. It makes for a well orchestrated build-up, and not a chaotic one!

I had a pleasant conversation with a prospective client who is considering our 20×20 standard rental exhibit, which is renting for $10,000. After going through most of the details of what the rental includes he asked a very pointed question:

Tim: Ok, I know from experience that sometimes I’ll see a rendering, and it looks really bold and slick, and then the thing gets to the show, and the booth is just - the beams look like 6×6 inch on the renderings, and you get to the expo and they’re 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 - and it looks flimsy and just awful. What are these made out of? How big are they? (more…)

Consumer savings rates are up in 2009 - do you have any doubt that your company has the very same mindset? Here’s to a leaner budget, and a happier boss!

Stephanie is seeing dead people DISCOUNTS

Deals at Print Expo ‘09 for Drayage

Might Union labor give us a break on exhibit booth setup rates during the recession? Could it be true?

Cut costs on Pre-Tradeshow marketing - boost booth attendance for less money!

Tips for the smaller display exhibitors - make the most of your space

In an industry like any other, where every vendor proclaims to be “thinking outside of the box” and other jaded “-isms,” I have a complaint: Why does the procurement process always evolve around which furniture and styles should go into an exhibit display?

Not only do most interactions between exhibit houses and exhibitors start with furniture arrangements-they proceed to price and logistics. This is when my blood pressure rises and I start to mutter incoherently to myself… Why is our industry so fixated on this mode of doing business?

Can we agree that the reason exhibitors spend tens, hundreds, or millions on their exhibit programs is for the purpose of marketing and selling? Can we agree that it is not because they are trying to sell furniture, and it is not because they are overly fascinated by warehousing and commercial freight details? I’m going to go out on a limb that the boardrooms that approve marketing budgets do so on an understanding that it will increase their brand’s, product’s, or service’s exposure, and otherwise increase sales opportunities. Why do we start off the discussion by discussing the widgets we think ought to be crammed together in your booth? (more…)

I mentioned last week, in discussing our lead-up to NPE 2009 in Chicago, how crucial scheduling is to ensuring flawless execution in the exhibit marketing business. In fact, my aim is to help exhibitors understand that exhibit houses will actually incentivize your understanding and cooperation with the schedule of activities. Yes, those are dollars and cents I’m talking about, not just your outlook calendar.

Like the book about procrastination that I’ve been meaning to read, a schedule can often be a looming, semi-important aspect of our daily lives that needs to get done, but for which tomorrow is suitable date for catch-up. Certainly, as the exhibit house, there is a laundry list of actions that need to take place within a scheduled exhibit delivery. Some of these require cooperation with a exhibitor’s trade show coordinator, and so making the coordinator’s job easier is a part of our job. What are the biggest challenges for trade show coordinators in delivering on tasks as scheduled? (more…)

Trade show exhibit trends are, like all trends, always changing. The idea of being on the leading edge of a trend is SCARY to most exhibitors. TREND=EXPENSIVE in their minds. Why?

To many trade show attendees, especially those who rarely visit the conventions and expos that we see month in and month out, most of the exhibit booths that they see are impressive - not just the latest and greatest. A friend of mine attended a show this past October and marveled at the cheap rented trusses on the show floor. Yuck! Those are so 1992. But with a jury of amateurs, why should one have such high standards?

I would argue that trendy exhibits need not be expensive. You can have IMPACT at a reasonable budget [and trusses rarely have an IMPACT on those of us who go to more than 1 tradeshow per decade...]. It has everything to do with the business model of the exhibit company, since the physical components are not the largest cost centers involved. Here’s what I mean:

The components involved in a trade show exhibit are only one of the many costs involved in the process. The beams, the fabric, wall panels, the plexiglass- or whatever your exhibit may be made out of -are not as expensive as the designers, graphic artists, engineers/detailers, account managers, and fabricators required to deliver a high quality exhibit to the tradeshow floor. Consider, then, why you would sacrifice on materials, when the cutting edge in styles is only a minor increase in costs. But trends are more than just materials - it’s the designers, stupid.

A busy design team, paired with an engineering, graphics, and overall operation that is geared towards large scale, cutting edge exhibit booths, actually costs less than a low quality, slow design team, error-prone engineers, wasteful graphics, and a sloppily managed overall operation. If paid based on productivity, the trend-following, top-notch-team earns more. But they produce more. It can even be argued that if the sales team sells/leases enough booths, and if operations are run with an efficiency of scale, employees will produce a higher quality product regardless. Quality improves with the busier the team becomes. Trends are easier to introduce when you do so many exhibits. Trends need not be followed because you heard about them, but because you are experimenting amidst a large scale, custom rental exhibit program - i.e. constantly innovating with existing clients.

Trends aren’t expensive. In prosperous, overheated economic times, an exhibit house will raise its prices if demand merits this. In leaner times, when every nickel and dime is squeezed out of any exhibit budget, the busy company is likely the best. Trends included, they may be working at the same price as the less efficient, wastefully under-utilized company. Which sounds like a better value?

This post has been deemed “salesey” (classic overt, self-serving sales pitch that lacks humor and/or self-defecating), but is approved by the Blog Master.

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 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…

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.