Marshall Yard:

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? Read the rest of this entry »

Some would have you believe that saving money is why exhibitors shell out tens, hundreds, or even millions of dollars in order to exhibit at their next big trade show.

Aside from the absurdity of that statement, there’s the lingering fact that many approach their trade show exhibition program with the very premise: Above all else, we need to save money on this year’s show. Is that correct because we’re in a recession? Is it correct because trade shows are so darned expensive? How could that ever be true?

The sole purpose for your trade show booth is to attract attendees on the convention hall floor. That is the only reason an exhibit program exists, and all other reasons flow from that goal. Trying to sell widgets? You need to attract attendees to your booth.  Aiming to increase brand visibility? You need the attention of attendees to get that. Hoping to build relationships with new and existing clients? They need to realize you’re at the show. The attraction of attendees to your exhibit display is the underlying motive that should be exuded throughout your exhibit.

One good nugget that can be wrestled out of our “Frugal Exhibitor” post comes from Candy Adams, “The Booth Mom“:

“2. Never make a budget cut where an attendee will see it. Regardless of how much you have to pare out of your show budget, always keep in perspective that image is everything, and a tacky, outdated exhibit speaks volumes about your company.“ Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve kept tabs on the evolution of Marshall-Yard over the years, you probably know some of our more prominent “characters” that make us who we are. Originally there was Kevin, the Mississippi Map Turtle. Next, there was the Trade Show Blog Master, a tyranical and predatory ruler who cracks the whip that keeps this blog motivated. Ever the optimist, the blog master’s reputation precedes him at every moment of the day.

It is without any further ado, that I introduce our latest friend here at the blog:

The Trade Show Blog Sherpa.

He does all of the heavy lifting for us here at the blog. Got a question about how many amps that 42″ LCD screen will require? Sherpa has the answer. Need to know how many labor hours that hanging canopy will add to the booth? 2 hours, says he. Need to send a graphic panel to McCormick Place because the installer scratched the original? No problem, he’ll be down there in less than an hour - thanks Sherpa. Read the rest of this entry »

To be a tradeshow exhibit designer would likely be an interesting and challenging job, I often think (I’m not a designer, but a mere trade show blog writer, and sales guy extraordinaire). I muse that this is true because of their chief responsibility within our organization: they solve problems.

Of course, many fancy themselves as problem solvers. My wife and I live in a 100 year old home, so we’re both often charged with the “problem solver” moniker on a weekly daily basis of homeownership glee! There’s a difference between being an every day problem solver, and being a designer - and no, it’s not just because they’re solutions have to look good - it comes down to constraints.

When our clients give us a problem (e.g. - we’re going to RSNA 2009 with a 30×50 booth, and we need to improve upon last year’s abysmal failure with our previous exhibitor…), they don’t just want a great exhibit that will increase attendee traffic: they have serious limitations. How do you meet your convention goals without blowtorching your budget? Read the rest of this entry »

Economic news has been anything but settling this week: Recession is going deeper; no it’s recovering; err… now it’s inflation; actually we were out of the recession as of ‘08Q4; no we’re going to have major deflation; no everything’s going to be fine… In the meantime all we can do is work hard, and save money where we can:

10 Tips to ensure you get a smart booth with a neat budget

Murphy’s Constant: Matter will be damaged in direct proportion to its value

Can I do that?

Emergency Kit ideas…

What to give away, and to whom, and how!

This blog post didn’t make it past the “draft” stage when I wrote it a month and a half ago. Let’s just say I may have jumped the gun! Though it may seem mildly unrelated to a trade show blog’s purpose, I find the threat of inflation to be especially thorny for the rental or purchase of expo booth displays. In fact, the prospect of rising prices should concern us all when it comes to the subject of exhibiting at upcoming shows. I’m not omniscient, however likely that may have seemed prior to this admission, so you tell me - Are we to beware of inflation, or should we concern ourselves more with those deflating marketing budgets instead?

As our nation, and indeed the entire world, continues to borrow its way out of the current recession, we’re presently faced with rising bond yields. For those of you who based your marketing strategy on buying bonds, this is awful. But then again, you’re not bond traders, you’re marketeers! Bond prices are falling, so it’s a good thing your marketing plan was actually based on more sound methods-like internet SEO, social networking, e-marketing, trade shows, and event marketing. But will these things start costing much, much more? Read the rest of this entry »

As any casual observer to this trade show blog can tell, I am a bit obsessed about the notion of adding value to your unique business proposition in times of economic downturn. I know, I’ve already blogged about it here, here, here, and probably elsewhere as well… please forgive me as I continue on with my ranting, but I believe this is important. If a company does not respond to economic conditions, they perish. As we’ve felt the effects of the contraction, however, we’ve seen exhibitors that are pleased with what we offer - a custom designed rental exhibit that provides them the greatest marketing impact at a reasonable price. In fact, others are starting to see the exhibit model shifting more persuasively towards custom-rented exhibit marketing programs.

My query today incorporates this business model, and how an exhibitor perceives the services offered by an exhibit house. What is it that exhibitors really yearn for from an exhibit company? Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re suffering from those dreaded early-summer allergies, we understand what you’re going through! As we’ve talked more and more about the best ways to save money at trade shows, the elephant in the room is how you can get a better price for your exhibit booth. Let me illustrate how your summer allergies are related to getting a price break on your custom exhibit rental or purchase:

NPE - the National Plastic’s Expo - is a trade show extraordinaire held in Chicago’s McCormick Place once every three years. With the economy what it is, and with the trade show exhibit industry meeting difficult times, we’re thrilled to have approximately TWENTY clients exhibiting at this year’s show. With NPE less than a month away, this is a hectic time here at Catalyst, but we’ve prepared for the ebb and flow of demands on our production capacity. But what are some obstacles to a smooth delivery for each of our clients’ display booths?

Read the rest of this entry »

Sorry for the overused Wedding Singer quote… In compensation I offer thee a youtube of “Love Stinks,” a ballod which kept me going through most of my high school and undergrad years.

Love Stinks - Totally unrelated to this tradeshow exhibit blog

Seriously, though, who knew that “Trade Show Etiquette” was available as a succinct online mini-tutorial? This hyper is golden for newbie’s to the exhibition world. I’m hopeful it will help any newcomers out there avoid some of the more substantial faux pas!

Happy Friday and enjoy the wonderful weekend, everyone!

We all know layoffs are running rampant. And in the trade show industry…when clients readily pull the marketing plug to “save money”…more and more engineers, designers, carpenters, account managers and salespeople find themselves bellying up to the unemployment line.

…so waddya do now?

Whether spurred from boredom, distraction or a lack of challenges, we all become complacent (however fleetingly) at some point in our careers. And who sticks out like a sore, expensive thumb when the economy takes a nose dive? Complacent employees.

So shake off the dust and go back to your roots. How’d you get this far? If you’re in sales, you likely made a lot of cold calls…and those cold calls turned into clients. If you’re a designer, you probably impressed those clients with fresh, innovative concepts. And if you’re the guy (or gal) that manages these clients, your knowledge, work ethic and attention to detail made you an invaluable resource.

Your clients need more help than ever before. Some are debating not only HOW to go to a trade show but WHY. They (your bread & butter) need you to be extraordinarily cognizant of their unique marketing objectives and financial needs. Most importantly, your clients need you to help them return on their investment.

Make the cold calls, pay attention to logistics and hone the creativity that landed you this job in the first place. Your clients will come back.

Trust but Verify - Save money on travel to the show, but justify your bottom line!

Is your trade show entourage saving money on travel?

Quantify your tradeshow booth’s success

Travel savings from a small business person’s book of tricks

Planes, Trains, and Hotels!

MEASURE your exhibit’s impact! Without stats, there won’t be one next year!

No trade show blog would be complete if we ignored a reality of our lives: Anything and everything we do is subject to the approval of those on high. Yes, show management, the fire marshall, and anyone else deemed “convention hall authorities” are essentially the deciders of our fate. As unfair as it may seem, that’s the industry we’re in, so we, exhibitors and exhibit providers alike, need to take great care whenever addressing concerns they may have.

Anyone have a story of how they gleaned a scornful eye from show management? Perhaps you didn’t get that variance that you expected? Or perhaps business as usual was put “on hold?” We’d love to hear your story, as we can all learn from one anothers’ mistakes. Some helpful wisdom from our more experienced account managers, however, may yield improved results for beginners-

Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to Emma McDonald at frugalmarketing.com for that quote. Ours is a marketing medium that is construed as having a very short window of opportunity for sales. To earn an worthwhile ROI on tradeshow dollars can be a daunting task for marketing coordinators charged with organizing an exhibit booth. Ms. McDonald’s point, however, clarifies why that challenge seems so insurmountable: many view expo’s as a short-term project, with a show open and close occurring within a couple of days.

In reality, a trade show exhibit program spans, arguably by definition, over a course of multiple shows. In fact, the shows that you do not exhibit at play a role in the perceived success of your overall program. Are attendees ever wondering why you weren’t at the XYZ Show? The results from any individual exhibit booth are cumulative, in so much as you are building a presence over the course of many shows - not one. Read the rest of this entry »

It often surprises me the exhaustive list of add-on expenses that exhibitors pile onto their custom rental exhibit designs. It can be somewhat frustrating for trade show coordinators to sift through three or four bids to figure out how the TOTAL costs match up. More importantly, an account manager is more valuable when you can stop living in fear of up-charges. Regardless, I always know how my competition is pricing their design when I get a phone call like the following:

———

Jane: So tell me, I have your price, and you’ve broken down what the reusable graphics portion costs, and we’ve talked about the service estimates - I think I understand how your not-to-exceed estimates hash out.

What are my additional costs - project management fees, graphic layout charges, whatever other fees you have that I should expect - how much are those additional costs likely to run?

Read the rest of this entry »

Budget preservatives that will leave you saying “mmm-mmmmm”

Deadlines are important

Is Drayage Killing Tradeshows?

Make sure you don’t go to one of these tradeshows!

Saving $$$ on employee travel and meal expenses

An exhibitor enthusiastically pronounced to me that he was quite happy with his company’s “Erector Set” that they utilize for the 20 or so shows they attend each year. I can’t say I was shocked that he’s alright with the budget-friendly truss system - obviously there’s a market for it amongst those who are merely grateful to exhibit whatsoever - but I was caught off guard by his embrace of such a derogatory insider term.

I followed up, asking him if he would consider legos, lincoln logs, or some pop-cicle sticks and Elmers. Just kidding, of course.

Read the rest of this entry »

A matter of much debate in the trade show industry boils down to the advantages of hanging signs versus maximum height exhibit structures. Does a sign hanging at 25 ft., or even higher, pose an advantage over a 20 ft. tall booth tower? This is certainly an integral decision to ‘get right’ when you’re planning a custom exhibit design. What’s your opinion?

I’ve always been a proponent of taller exhibit structures, without hanging signage. My reasons are two-fold: Hanging signs are painfully expensive to rig, while tall structures contribute to a more impactful tradeshow exhibit.

I’ve talked previously about how expensive rigging is - a reality faced by many exhibitors when they display at major convention halls [in forced-unionism states and municipalities]. That same investment can be put into a more dynamic, and taller, exhibit booth, and achieve the same goal. 20 ft. or higher booth designs demand attention in show halls when the most common exhibit height is found at 16 feet.

Do you think hanging signs are the way to go for an exhibitor? Do you prefer a tall exhibit structure instead? What about spinning signs? Weigh in!

As the Wall Street adage goes: “TheTrend is your Friend.”

In any industry, there are prominent trends in how business is conducted. Ours, the trade show/events industry, is no different. What are the present trends in the sub-category of Convention Hall Show Services?

The expenses faced by exhibitors go above and beyond the cost of their display booth, and the exhibit space, but can easily include 50% more in costs for Installation and Dismantle, A/V setup, electrical, and drayage. While these tasks are obviously a necessary component of our business, their staggaring growth has long puzzled exhibitors and exhibit houses alike. What trends have you seen in recent months?

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.