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Best in Show
Maximizing your company's return from trade shows requires more than putting on a happy face
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Business New Haven
2/17/2003
By: Melissa Nicefaro
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Each year Connecticut is home to dozens of trade shows for consumers and business people. Later in February, Hartford's annual Connecticut Flower & Garden Show will take place at the Expo Center. Next month, the 22nd annual Southeastern Connecticut Home Show will open at the Connecticut College Arena & Athletic Center in New London. The always-popular Clinton Harbor Boat Show is slated for July 18-20 at the Cedar Island Marina.
In Connecticut, most of the larger trade shows target consumers. However, the popularity of smaller business-to-business shows or conferences is growing as larger shows continue to thrive in metropolises such as Boston and New York City.
Here in Connecticut, whether it is roses or rotors, groceries or grommets you're promoting, when you're selling your product among all your top competitors in an arena as massive as Hartford's Expo Center, large banners and graphics may be the eye-catching promotional piece you need.
Speaking of business-to-business expositions, Larry Zollo, president of the Plainville branch of Skyline Exhibits & Graphics, says that trade shows account for about 18 percent of an average company's annual marketing budget. The highest tradeshow expenditures proportionally are in manufacturing, computer-related and financial services.
He describes the planning of a trade show as a marketing process that includes a needs-analysis and definition of the message companies desire to communicate to potential customers.
Says Zollo: "There are usually many tiers: a main message you're branding, sub-messaging whether it's different divisions or different products, people might want to emphasize their brand, quality image, and talk about specifics of different products or services."
Zollo says he usually starts with what he calls a "multi-tiered message." That message is then translated by his design staff into graphics that are placed around the display structure in various ways.
"Graphics are important, but so are live demos or other forms of motion that can attract more attention than a static display," Zollo says.
"Something interactive is best if you are going to be able to demonstrate your product, as opposed to a static, graphic sign that might say the name of the product."
Zollo explains the benefit to having a working product or demonstration in the trade show booth to show and emphasize capabilities and benefits: "There's a much higher memory factor and retention factor when there is some interactivity."
For example, an insurance business may benefit from a new Web application that allows independent claims-adjusters to process work more quickly. Showing them and demonstrating the application right there on the show floor is better than sending them a card or brochure.
Skyline Exhibits designs and produces trade show booths and the graphics and signage that accompany them. The company will also install and break down the booths.
"The trade show business had grown [nationally] over the past three years at a seven-percent rate per year" through 2001, explains Zollo. However, "Right now, I'd imagine that it's not growing at that rate."
He anticipates flat growth or perhaps even shrinkage in the market when the 2002 figures and 2003 estimates become available.
Nevertheless, Zollo says the picture in Connecticut is not quite so gloomy. Indeed, he asserts that the market for business-to-business trade shows in the state is expanding.
"I'd say there's a five- to ten-percent [annual] growth. There are many more regional shows," he explains.
"Instead of having a big deal in Las Vegas, people are having seven or eight around the country. We're seeing an explosion of small hotel shows in this area. We have Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, the Radisson Conference Center in Cromwell, Hartford, New Haven."
"The reason I know this is that our installation and dismantle [orders] within the borders of Connecticut have increased by 60 percent for 2002 over 2001. That might be because of a fear of flying or a myriad of other factors, but regional shows are exploding."
Nine Tips for the New Year
Following are some high-octane tips to help your company maximize mileage at upcoming trade shows:
o "What prompted you to stop at our booth?" or "What prompted your interest in our XYZ product?" is a much better opening than, "May I help you?"
o Decide in advance what criteria constitute a "qualified" lead and ask questions that directly address those criteria. Creating qualified leads is about interviewing and gathering information - both objective and subjective. It's also about recording that information so someone else can logically follow up on the sales opportunity.
o Establish a follow-up process before the show begins so that your leads are addressed in a timely manner. Fact: 86 percent of exhibitors go to shows to generate leads - but 79 percent of leads are not followed up.
o Return on investment (ROI) can be measured only when you know the sales results, but you can estimate ROI from most events by applying key information you most likely already know. For example, the percentages of leads that result in presentations and how many presentations it takes to close a sale.
oLive demos or other forms of motion attract more attention than a static display.
o Your exhibit builder can help you mitigate or minimize operational costs such as freight, installation and handling. Move that money to the marketing efforts in your booth. Don't tell the whole story - give visitors one or two thoughts they can remember. Emphasize benefits, not features.
o Ask the show organizer for audited visitor information. They owe you that.
Source: Skyline Exhibits
Seven Big Hairy Exposition Design Questions
In designing an exhibition that fits your needs, you have to ask plenty of questions. Here are seven essential ones - and why they matter most:
What kind of image do you want to convey?
Your exhibit conveys your company's personality - worthwhile because it creates an emotional reaction with your customers, and people buy for emotional reasons. The shapes, materials, surface treatments, colors, images and even typography you select helps to convey your company image. A company that wants a high-tech, innovative look will end up with a completely different exhibit than one that seeks a professional, established image.
What are you trying to accomplish?
Believe it or not, your objectives can dictate the actual shape of your exhibit. If you want to generate a lot of leads, you need an open, inviting space that allows easy entry for attendees and open sightlines for booth staffers. On the other hand, if you're looking to build relationships with a select number of key individuals, then you need an exhibit with conference rooms where you can spend quality time closing sales. Two different objectives, two radically different exhibit designs. Exhibitors who want to build their image tend to go for bigger graphic images and larger architectural elements to create a bigger impression.
What booth sizes are right for you?
Many companies use several booth sizes: island exhibits for national shows, and then inline exhibits for their regional or vertical market shows. With proper foresight and planning, exhibitors can design one large exhibit that can be reconfigured for their smaller booth spaces. Not only can this save money by not having to purchase multiple exhibit properties, but also lends a more consistent look at all the company's shows.
How can you stretch your exhibiting budget?
Everyone wants the Taj Mahal - but few can afford it. Everyone needs to come up with a justifiable budget. Balancing those needs is the goal of every exhibition designer. Skyline uses its compact, lightweight exhibit materials to deliver an effective exhibit that it says can save clients thousands of dollars in operating costs compared to traditional custom exhibits. For some exhibitors who need to preserve capital or exhibit only in a big space once a year, rental exhibits help maximize the budget. And reconfigurable components let exhibitors create many exhibits from one.
What matters to your target audience?
Answer this question, then make sure that the answer is what you're actually showing on your exhibit. You'll get to what matters by determining the benefits your clients are seeking and then what your key advantages are. It can take much discussion to arrive at this, starting with what your products are, moving to key features, then the benefits of these features, until you distill the message down to the fundamental benefits that drive your buyers' purchasing decisions.
What message do you want your visitors to absorb in the first three seconds? And what do you want them to remember most after visiting your booth?
Do you want them to remember your new products? Your competitive advantage? Or your company's brand image? Keep it simple. Designers who are used to creating brochures or ads have a tendency to overload exhibit graphics with way too much information to be effective in a trade show exhibit. Think billboard, not bulletin board. It's better to go for impact - less is definitely more in trade show exhibit copy.
What functional needs do you have?
In creating an exhibit, you're also creating a temporary workspace for your booth staffers. What are their needs? You may need to create areas for demos, presentations, conferences, and storage. And still balance that with your need to create an accessible exhibit with graphic messages.
Source: Skyline Exhibits
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