Unique & Appropriate

Unique & Appropriate. In my world of trade shows and exhibiting, this is a tough thing to achieve. I see many exhibits that can easily achieve half of this equation, but it's rare to find an exhibit that fulfills both parts.

It's easy to be appropriate. Simply follow the accepted "norms" of your given industry. You can see this demonstrated in almost any vertical industry trade show. Simply look around you and notice the recurring color palette, which goes something like this:

• Medical industry: royal blue, and white
• Financial services industry: stone, marble, granite (don't forget gold & silver)
• Natural & Organic Products: earth tone greens and browns - basically camouflage
• Manufacturing: stainless steel, grays and blues
• Entertainment: bold colors, bold lighting (think comic books)

Each of these schemes has grown out of the key drivers associated with their industry. For example, the medical industry values safety and purity, hence the widespread use of blue and white. If you want to "fit in" to any industry, simply copy these color schemes into your exhibit design.

It's also easy to be unique. Just do something crazy. Can you imagine a top Accounting Firm - with all the staff sporting satanic tattoos while wearing muscle shirts? --- ”watch how, when I flex my bicep, the numbers change from red to black!” (Thanks, Gwen, for that image). It would certainly be unique, and perhaps memorable, but hardly appropriate.

The difficult thing to create, is an exhibit that is both unique and appropriate.

I found a good example of an exhibitor whose graphics are doing exactly that. Recently at the IFT (Institute of Food Technologists) Food Expo 2011 in New Orleans, I had the chance to visit with Gwen Bargetzi, of Hilmar Ingredients, a dairy ingredients company from California.

Before I tell you about Gwen's exhibit, I need to tell you about the IFT Food Expo. The IFT is among the top 100 largest trade shows in the USA, and also among the 50 fastest growing. This despite being a show centered in a very mature industry (food manufacturing has been around almost as long as people have needed to eat). And, like other shows, it has a defining set of "norms" that manifests itself visually in two main ways: (1) beautiful food photography, and (2) healthy lifestyle photos. You can see examples of what I mean below:

Almost all the exhibitors in this show use either healthy beautiful food, healthy beautiful people (the result of eating the healthy beautiful food), or a combination of the two. After a while, it's gets very hard to distinguish one exhibitor from another.

That's what made Gwen's Hilmar Ingredients exhibit stand out. In designing her 10x30 exhibit, Gwen found a way to be BOTH unique AND appropriate.

Line illustration in bold colors (new graphics for 2011) provided a refreshing new take on Hilmar's communication. Is it some brand new, never-before-tried, flavor-of-the-month tactic? No. But it's different enough from most other exhibitors to make Gwen's exhibit memorable. Also, it appropriately conveys exactly how Hilmar fits into the picture. Using the simple line drawings, Hilmar exemplified a “concept” versus a finished “real picture” product, since they don't make finished beverages. Hilmar does supply many of the ingredients found in finished beverages, and they sell to beverage manufacturers. These simple, cartoon-like line drawings are totally appropriate to Hilmar's product positioning & benefits, totally appropriate to the Food Expo marketplace, yet completely unique in an interesting and refreshing way.

Take this challenge: If you can find that perfect middle ground that balances appropriateness and uniqueness, then you'll have as powerful an exhibit as Gwen Bargetzi's Hilmar Ingredients had at the IFT Food Expo.

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Bob's Best Bites

American Fork, UT (OK, Google it if you've never heard of it) is home to my all time favorite Mexican Restaurant, Mi Ranchito. In many ways, it's just your average run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant, except for one thing -- their tacos. They are unquestionably my favorite tacos ever (except for my wife's, of course). The beef is roasted and pulled (a la pulled pork) to form the filling inside a raw corn tortilla shell. Then the whole thing is deep fried. This is one secret to making a perfect taco (Jack in the Box comes to mind also - but that's another post), deep fry it with the meat already inside. This lends a chewy strength to the tortilla, which rarely cracks while eating it. Then they add cheese, lettuce and tomato --- AND --- drum roll for the secret ingredient --- a little Italian salad dressing. I KNOW -- sounds disgusting, doesn't it? It's an amazing addition to a taco, and makes your whole mouth water while eating it. Unbelievable. 

What other unexpected pleasures have you found in your culinary experiences? Please share them here.

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10 things Every Rookie Should Know About Trade Shows (Part 2)

Well, it didn't take long for me to discover the source of these excellent points. Mike Thimmesch of Skyline Exhibits had blogged about them  here. They're still as relevant as when I first read them. I'm especially fond of point #6 -- so true.



6.  Everybody wants to help you pick the exhibit color. No one wants to help you track the leads.  When it comes to exhibit design, everyone has an opinion. And in the time leading up to the show, they will all clamor to offer their ideas, making it harder to get the booth built on time without rush charges. Yet after the show, you will have a harder time getting similar participation in tracking the leads from the show – ostensibly the reason you designed your exhibit in the first place. Remind your colleagues that if you can’t prove the results from this year’s show, you won’t be exhibiting at the show next year.


7.  The 10 minutes after the show closes is when most damage happens to your exhibit materials.  The show ends with a voice booming over the loudspeakers saying, “The show is closed, see you next year.” But to impatient booth staffers, it’s as if they had actually shouted, “Drivers, start your engines!” Booth staffers hurry to win the race to the taxi stand, hotel, bar, restaurant, or parking lot. And if you have a portable display that your booth staffers pack up, this is when they break it, by shoving it in its case as fast as they can. Close that expensive window of time by getting a more durable display, getting better packaging, or just by having a frank conversation with your staffers before the closing bell. Or, if you’re the one who wants to win the race, take a deep breath and slow down before you make a costly mistake.

8.  Drayage is the most expensive way to move your exhibit the shortest distance.  As a trade show rookie, one of the biggest surprises is that you have to pay to have your exhibit moved from the shipping dock to your booth space. Even more shocking is just how much you’ll have to pay — about the same to move something across a convention center as it does to ship it across country. Drayage rates have risen by double-digit percentages in some of the last few years, probably because more exhibitors switched to lighter weight exhibits. To offset the lower weight of exhibit properties, drayage charges per pound have increased. If your exhibit is still made the old-fashioned way, it’s a double-whammy.

9.  It’s hard for booth staffers to take their very first lead at a trade show.  In our lives we go though various rites of passage: learning to ride a bike, going to your first day of school, getting a date to the prom. While all of these have been immortalized in film, no movie has yet to bring to the silver screen the epic tale of a first-time booth staffer engaging and writing up their first trade show lead. What would yours have been, a horror film? A comedy? A tragedy? Whatever kind of movie it would be, it would also be a drama, because you’re filled with nervous energy as you go out and ask a perfect stranger face to face if they’d like to do business with your company. Just remember that your booth visitors actually paid to visit the show, and many are shopping for solutions to their problems that your products can solve. Practice the process of engage, qualify, present, and close, and you’ll be more comfortable taking your first lead.

10.  Trade shows can be addictive.  With the hard work, long hours, and time away from home, some people can’t wait to return from their trade show. But for others, trade shows are a calling.  They get jazzed by the performance aspect, the blitz of direct client contact, and the relationships built before and during the show. They like the ability to create a successful marketing program in a medium built upon the value of face-to-face interactions. And that’s when trade shows really become addictive: when you master the medium and drive serious revenue to your company’s bottom line.


I'm sure there's many other things we all wished we knew when we started out. What are some of your favorite bits of wisdom we can pass along to those who will follow?


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Bob's Best Bites
The Lighthouse. That's what "El Faro" translates to. And frankly, it's best burrito I've ever had. Period. the original location is on Folsom St., between 19th & 20th St's., in San Francisco's Mission District. And it's still the very best. The Carne Asada Super Burrito is so massive it dwarfs your forearm. And inside is perfectly seasoned and roasted carne asada with just the right touch of guacamole added to enhance the rich smoky flavor. I've been coming here since the early sixties, because my Dad worked just a block away, and whenever we'd go into the city to meet him, we'd stop and get burritos from El Faro. Most of the side items you'd pay for at other burrito joints (sour cream, guacamole, etc. ) are already included in their offerings, so be sure to ask what's inside, and get exactly the stuff you want. el Faro is truly a lighthouse and beacon to burrito lovers the world over. Stop by and prove me wrong.


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10 things Every Trade Show Rookie Should Know (Part 1)

I'm not sure where I got this information, but I sure wish I had written it. I came across it in an old file from 2005, so I'm not sure of the real source. If any of you know who originally penned these, please let me know so I can give proper credit. I'm happy to present them here - Part 1 today, the rest of it later this week. Enjoy.


1.  You won’t succeed at trade shows if you just show up.  A trade show first-timer may think that because they’ve paid a couple of grand to rent a 10 x 10 space for a few days, they automatically will reap leads and sales from the show’s attendees. If only. Surprise: you’ve actually only paid for access to this great audience of buyers. Now you have to do your part - train your staffers, create a promotion that attracts qualified prospects, and design your display to entice the right visitors to your booth.


2.  Trade shows are not as glamorous as they looked from the outside.  To the uninitiated, this is what trade show marketing looks like from the outside: Flying around the country to sunny or metropolitan locations, staying in top-tier hotels and meals on the company dime, and access to top-level company execs. But seen from the inside, trade shows are not so glamorous. Trade shows themselves are very hard work with a lot of stressful moments before, during, and after exhibit hours. There are so many details to master, and so many vendors you are depending on. You can sweat more during exhibit set-up than a month of work outs. And travel gets old fast when you are repeatedly away from home and your family. 


3.  Inertia determined much of your company’s show schedule.  In the many years before you were handed the reins to your company’s trade show marketing, your company cobbled together quite a list of shows. But are they all still worth it?  Were some trade shows chosen because your target market was there, or because your competitors were? Has your client base evolved away from the demographics of some of the shows you exhibit at? Have some shows eroded their attendee base by not reinvesting in strong marketing and educational content? Are there new vertical markets that you have yet to find good shows to market to? It’s up to you to break the inertia — and create some new momentum.


4.  Trade show labor is way more expensive than you think, and sometimes it’s even worth it.  It’s a eye-opener to find out how much you will pay someone else to set up your booth, hook up your lights, or rig that hanging sign, especially if it’s on a weekend, or God forbid, on a Sunday. The union rules in most venues require that you pay labor a wage that adds up in a hurry. You can minimize labor costs by getting easier to set up displays, trying to schedule your set up for straight-time labor, and by lining up dependable contractors


5.  You will blow your trade show budget if you don’t plan well.  You can never plan too far ahead, especially for overseas shows. Your budget was likely set with the best-case scenario for your trade show expenses, without room to pay for late fees and rush charges. That’s powerful incentive to quickly master show planning. Good trade show planning software will pay for itself within one or two shows.


It never hurts, even for trade show veterans, to review and ponder this information every once in a while.


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Bob's Best Bites
"What'll ya have?" - It's more of a command than a question. Nevertheless, that's how you're welcomed to the Varsity Drive In, a huge throw-back hot dog stand in downtown Atlanta, not far from the campus of Georgia Tech. The place takes up an entire city block and even has its own double deck parking garage. Hot dogs and chili dogs are the order of the day, fixed in a myriad of ways. Be sure to order the fresh cut fries, which are every bit as good as those served by the "Five Guys" chain. Then, wash it all down with a Frosted Orange, a drink sure to give you at least one brain freeze, as you slurp down memories of childhood Creamsicles.


The Varsity is a one-of-a-kind experience, so be sure to soak it all in --- just be ready when they ask "What'll ya have?" or you might be asked to step out of line and wait until you're really ready to order.


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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?

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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?

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