Three "Myths" about Trade Show Success

The factors that are most critical to your success as an exhibitor are not always what many folks spend a lot of their time worrying about. Contrary to popular belief, these three "myths" just aren’t that important to your success … 

1. Overall show attendance – Of course, show attendance is declining. It’s been declining since 9/11, and declines have intensified since the onset of the recession. But look more closely. In the B2B world, the declines are the result of the shrinking size of the entourage companies send. The actual number of companies who send at least one buying rep to walk a show is actually increasing. Instead of sending a team of 10, companies now send 2 or 3. But guess what, these 2 or 3 must uncover the same amount of solutions as 10 did previously. They’re focused, they’re buying, and they’re at your show. Will you be able to find them? Instead of worrying about the overall attendance at a show, focus on understanding the details about the potential audience that is a perfect match for your products/services.
2. Your booth location on the floor – Coupled with trend above, buyers are now very organized when they hit the exhibit floor. They no longer wander around like kids at a carnival. Having an exhibit in the most prominent spot in the exhibit hall might make your Executives feel important, but it really doesn't contribute all that much to your show's success. Remember. most buyers now attend shows with pre-set agendas of companies who they need to see. As long as you’re on that list, they’ll find you. The key is -- get on their list. And do it before they arrive at the show. A successful trade show campaign needs to incorporate integrated elements of pre-show marketing to make sure you get on your key buyers' agendas.
3. A booth must be busy to be successful – This is only true if your key prospects represent the majority of overall attendees at a given show. Busy booths tire out your staff, but, this "busy-ness" will make them feel successful, “we’re tired, therefore we had a good show”. However, at most shows, your key buyers will likely be only a tiny percentage of the overall attendance. Did you see all of those key buyers, and convey your brand messages fully and completely to these VIP’s? Did you walk away from the show with enough actionable results to support your overall business goals?

What other myths and legends have you come across in our industry that people still cling to?

TSB

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Bob's Best Bites

In my home town of San Bruno, California (just South of San Francisco - near the airport), is the pizza place I grew up with, Toto's Pizzeria. To this day, it remains my all-time favorite pizza. This could be due to my nostalgic memories of watching their Pizza-Magicians hand toss the sourdough crusts while yelling at each other and cursing in Italian, or it could be the incredible textures and flavors or the New York style pizzas they make. Either way, it's pure heaven.

The pizza's at Toto's are traditional, no New Age ingredients. The mozzarella cheese is sliced thin, not shredded, the Italian sausage is raw, and stored in bulk. The mushrooms are fresh, and sliced on site. Ingredients are added to each pizza without the use of a portioning scale. The sauce is ladled onto each pizza then spread with the back of the ladle. And they've been doing it the same way since 1932, nearly 80 years.

I have two co-favorite pizzas at Toto's, first - a simple plain cheese pizza. To truly appreciate and savor the nuances of the pizza maker's art, I think it's best not to clutter up the amazing flavor and textures of cheese/sauce/crust -- but only when they're executed to absolute perfection and balance. But, when I'm in the mood for something more, I always choose the sausage/salami/mushroom combination. Fresh mushrooms, juicy sausage perfectly seasoned, combined with Italian hard salami (a far superior pizza topping to pepperoni, in my opinion) make for a feast of unbounded joy.

If you're ever on the Peninsula, with a hankering for pizza, you could do a lot worse than Toto's. What's your favorite pizza place of all time --- and more importantly, why?

TSB

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