Trade Show Articles

• Speaker Partnership Offers Trade Show Value by: Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE
• Six Marketing Tips for Trade Show Success by: Marie-Claire Ross
• Five Tips for Trade Show Success on a Small Budget by: Rena Klingenberg 
• Creating Great Charts for Persuasive Trade Show Presentations by: Rena Klingenberg

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Speaker Partnership Offers Trade Show Value by: Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE 

Want to gain added exposure at a trade show? Consider sponsoring a professional speaker at the attendees meeting. But don't just settle for a banner on the stage with your company name. There's much more leverage you can get from a top flight professional speaker. 

Having been the sponsored keynoter at major conferences, I am amazed how many sponsors respond with astonishment when I suggest ways they can use me. Consider these additions: 

(1) Make sure the speaker is versed in your product or service. If possible and appropriate, the speaker might be able to use your company as an example during the presentation. For example, in addressing the administrators of law firms, I spoke about the importance of strategic alliances so the right work is done by the right people. The sponsor, Pitney Bowes, handled printing, mail room services, etc. in a manner that was be both efficient and cost-effective for the firm. Pitney Bowes served as a great example of a strategic alliance! 

(2) Use the speaker for both a keynote and a break-out. Many speakers offer a daily fee which means you can use them for more then one session in a day. This strategy ensures that every attendee, no matter what their schedule, will have the opportunity to see the speaker in action. 

(3) Ask the speaker to write an article that can be reprinted with your company logo and given away free at the booth. The speaker can be in the booth, autographing the article. Print the article in your company newsletter or magazine for those who could not attend. 

(4) Ask the speaker to sign books in your booth and greet people. Give away the speaker's book at your booth for the first 100 people. You'll be amazed at how much traffic will instantly show up. A variation on this theme is to split the give-away into morning and afternoon, thus generating traffic at different times of the day 

(5) If possible, work with the speaker to use either her core message or the speech title as part of the background in the booth. This not only reinforces a learning point, but identified your company to all attendees and not just the ones who attended a session. 

(6) Print up a postcard with your company information AND the speakers key learning points. Mail it after the trade show to everyone who attended the conference. In fact, a really classy gesture is to write a cover letter about your company and WHY you sponsored the speaker. Mail it in a hand-addressed envelope and enclose a wallet-size card with the speaker's main points. 

(7) Consider hiring the speaker to follow-up with attendees by sending out a regular article or newsletter by e-mail sponsored by your organization. This reinforces the speaker's message for long term results and provides additional exposure for your organization. 

(8) If the fit is a good one, consider sponsoring the same speaker within your organization. So often, rank-and-file employees do not get to attend conferences. The prevailing view that "sales and marketing have all the fun" can be countered if you bring what your learned back to the corporation. And continuing education is one of the top three retention factors. 

To sponsor a speaker for a one-hour session leaves value and opportunity on the table. When you match the association's needs with your business objectives and strategically avail yourself of whatever services a professional speaker can offer, everyone becomes a winner! 

(c) 2004, McDargh Communications. All rights reserved. Reprint rights granted so long as the article and by-line are kept intact. 

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About The Author
Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE is one of top-ranked women business speakers in the United States. She's authored numerous books the newest of which is The Resilient Spirit, radio commentator, and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Speakers Association. http://www.eileenmcdargh.com
Eileen@EileenMcDargh.com
Courtesy of http://www.ArticleCity.com/

Six Marketing Tips for Trade Show Success by: Marie-Claire Ross 

A trade show is an ideal way of showcasing your products and services to a large number of prospects all at the one location and at the same time. Thoroughly planned marketing is the key to success at your next industry related exhibition. 

The following are six of the most important marketing rules that exhibitors need to undertake to ensure their next trade show is a success. 

1. Market Prior to the Show 

Four weeks before the event, invite your prospects and current customers to visit you at the trade show. 

Ensure that you design an invitation that gives delegates a real incentive to come over and visit. Think of a distinctive approach to promote your company. For example, you could provide demonstrations of the latest technology that can benefit your audience. People love to look at what the newest thing is and how it will save them time and money. If you have a new food product, offer free tastings and samples. 

2. Create an Eye-Catching Booth 

Your exhibition booth is perceived to be a reflection of what you are like as a company. Make sure it is warm and inviting and that it stands out from the crowd. 

Signage must be clear and kept simple. Clearly write your business name on your sign and state your unique selling proposition. You only have 10 seconds to grab the attention of attendees as they walk past. If people cannot work out what you are selling they will keep on walking. 

3. Provide Promotional Materials 

Brochures and leaflets are typical promotional materials that need to be freely available. Make sure your contact details and web address are printed on everything. 

Set up a DVD player in your booth that continuously loops your marketing video. Make sure that the DVD you receive from your production house has this loop feature built in. We’re all little kids at heart and colour and movement can be a great way to grab attention. 

Playing your promotional video is also a great way to demonstrate how your product is made and how your product works. Especially if your product is too large to take to the tradeshow or your production process is too long and complicated to explain. 

4. Train your staff to Market for you. 

Your staff represent your company and they must be professional at all times. Gossiping and ignoring delegates is a poor reflection of your company. 

Make sure you staff your booth with employees who are people-orientated. Brief them fully on what is required of them. Let them know the reasons why you are at the trade show, what you are exhibiting and what you hope to achieve by being at the event. 

Training on how to correctly approach and interact with people and collect quality leads is also essential. 

5. Appealing Giveaways

Whether we like to admit it, most of us have probably left a trade show and proudly shown off our new pens and trinkets to those unable to attend. 

It can be easy to dismiss these giveaway items as a waste of money. However, the reality is that they do increase awareness of your company and entice attendees to your booth. 

The trick is making sure that you are giving away an item that your target audience wants. What items will appeal to your market? 

6. Lead follow up 

A successful trade show is dependent upon your skills in following up leads. Research has found that 70% of trade show leads do not receive proper follow up. 

To make the job easier, plan before the trade show how you are going to follow up prospects. Design a system to mail out information to leads within a week or two of the event and how you will follow these up. The longer leads are left unattended the colder they will become. 

Ideally, ensure that all your leads are qualified before you pass them on to your sales team. 

(c) Marie-Claire Ross 2004. All rights reserved. 

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About The Author
Marie-Claire Ross is one of the partners of Digicast. Digicast works with organisations who are not satisfied that their marketing and training materials are helping their business grow. She can be contacted on 0500 800 234 (Australia wide) or at mc@digicast.com.au. The website is at www.digicast.com.au.
Courtesy of http://www.ArticleCity.com/

Five Tips for Trade Show Success on a Small Budget by: Rena Klingenberg 

No matter how small your marketing budget, your business can afford to have a successful presence at trade shows without incurring big expenses. Here are five tips for exhibiting in trade shows inexpensively: 

1) Have a sales representative exhibit your line at a trade show. If you can't afford a booth and travel expenses, a sales rep who exhibits in trade shows or gift marts in your industry can present your product line without the cost of a full-fledged booth. An added benefit is that a professional sales rep has a network of connections and knows your market niche well, and is likely to be more experienced in selling and trade show dynamics than you are. 

2) Rent a temporary space at a wholesale gift mart or showroom. You can plunge into wholesale shows inexpensively and without being present by renting a temporary space in a wholesale gift mart or showroom. For a monthly fee, you can display your products there for direct sales to retail shop owners. This is a good way not only to break into wholesaling on a small budget, but also to test new products. 

3) Share a trade show booth and expenses with a related but non-competing business in your niche. This cost-cutting solution works especially well for one-person businesses. Besides saving money, additional benefits to a booth-sharing arrangement include access to each other's customers in the same market niche, and the convenience of having a knowledgeable person manning the booth when you need to take a break. 

4) Make over your current displays instead of buying new ones. Creating a new exhibit by giving your existing trade show booth displays a fresh face costs a fraction of the price of purchasing all new booth components. Consider each element of your booth separately, and brainstorm ways to update it without completely replacing it. 

5) Purchase used trade show displays rather than springing for new ones. Many pre-owned booths and exhibits are in excellent condition and can be bought for less than half the cost of a brand new one. If you decide to buy previously owned exhibit components, be open-minded and keep your display needs in mind. Visualize how each used exhibit might perform for you. 

For even greater savings, look at used trade show displays offered at rock-bottom prices because of damage or missing parts. If you can think creatively about how you'll refurbish the damage or replace missing pieces, you can come up with an effective, original display for very little cash. 

Many sellers of pre-owned trade show displays are willing to bargain with you. Don't hesitate to offer the seller less than the asking price. It helps to research beforehand the retail price for the exhibit so you can make a reasonable offer. 

In summary, there's no reason to miss out on potentially profitable trade shows because of the expense. Look at your small marketing budget in a new light, and brainstorm ways to put those limited dollars to work helping you reach new customers. 

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About The Author
Rena Klingenberg's website, http://www.trade-show-booth-display.com, is a resource for trade show exhibit success information. She is also editor of the online newsletter "Trade Show Success on a Small Budget" at http://www.trade-show-booth-display.com/newsletter.html 
rena@trade-show-booth-display.com
Courtesy of http://www.ArticleCity.com/

Creating Great Charts for Persuasive Trade Show Presentations by: Rena Klingenberg 

A well-designed chart can be one of the most persuasive elements of your trade show booth display and literature. It illustrates to your customers why your product is the obvious solution to one of their specific needs. It can communicate major benefits or features more clearly than words can. 

To make a great chart, you need to create a clear, compelling picture of the data that will call your customers to action. Your chart's message must be easy for them to understand without having to study it. Three of the most easily understood chart types are: 

1) Bar charts 

Bar charts are an excellent method of comparing groups of data. Each data group can consist of a single bar for simple comparisons, or multiple bars breaking information down into subcategories for more in-depth analysis. 

Bar charts are easy to interpret because most people are already familiar with seeing data in this format. You can use bar charts to emphasize the data represented by the tallest bar, the shortest bar, the overall trend of the bars, or a change in the bars caused by a certain variable. 

2) Pie charts 

Pie charts are useful for showing percentages of a greater whole. In a pie chart, the entire pie represents the total data, and each "slice" represents data from a particular group within the whole. 

A pie chart is straightforward and easy to understand. It provides a clear visualization of the data class that represents the largest percentage of the whole (represented by the largest piece of the pie), and the relative value of each of the other data classes. 

3) Line graphs (also called run charts) 

Line graphs show or compare trends, cycles, increases and decreases over time. Typically a line graph shows events on the y-axis affected by time on the x-axis. Often a line representing an average of the data charted is included as a reference point. Or multiple lines may be charted on a line graph, with each representing a different product or variable. 

Tips for a Successful Chart 

Be sure your chart compares your data on an equal basis. Use the same scale for all data categories in one chart (for example, comparing data measured in dollars with data measured in hundreds of dollars isn't equal). And use a consistent interval between your data categories (measuring one-week intervals against 5-week intervals isn't an accurate comparison). 

Use charts to communicate the significance of your statistics. Some of the statistics you may want to highlight in your chart are: 

Mean value (the average point of all data). 
Maximum value (the maximum data point in the series). 
Minimum value (the minimum data point in the series). 
Sample size (the total number of data points in the series). 
Range of data (the maximum value minus the minimum value). 
Standard deviation (how widely data are spread around the mean). 
Once you've chosen the best type of chart for the data you want to show your customers, remember to keep your graphic as simple as possible. Trade show customers are assaulted by thousands of images. Don't compare too many things, or include too many categories of data. Your goal is to educate your customers, not confuse them. 

And resist the temptation to add fancy extras like pictures and 3-D effects if they make the chart look busy. If a chart is too detailed or cluttered, customers won't invest the effort required to figure it out. They'll bypass it as a technical output of mumbo-jumbo, and move on to something that clearly and compellingly calls them to take a closer look at a product. 

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About The Author
Rena Klingenberg's website, http://www.trade-show-booth-display.com, is a resource for trade show exhibit success information. She is also editor of the online newsletter "Trade Show Success on a Small Budget" at http://www.trade-show-booth-display.com/newsletter.html
rena@trade-show-booth-display.com
Courtesy of http://www.ArticleCity.com/