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To the Staff: "What can YOU do to ensure success?"

If your company has an upcoming trade show, what 3 things can you do to help assure its success?

I’m not talking to the Marketing gurus, those folks who spout brand equity objectives, I’m not talking to the Executives, strutting around the show to see how much bigger their (ahem) booth is than everyone else’s. I’m not even talking to the Trade Show Manager, the poor schmuck who schleps everything to and from the show, working like a dog, and getting paid about the same wages.

I’m talking to Joe Worker, Blue-Collar Bill, Sally Sales … really anybody selected to attend a trade show on behalf of their organization.

First of all, did you realize that your company’s success relies largely on what you do? It’s not the exhibit, the fancy multi-media demo, the stress balls, or any other swag your company brings to the show. The success of this endeavor, and the subsequent business created in the weeks and months following the show …. Is largely up to you to create.

I know, I know.

A lot of you are saying, “Bob, you’re full of crap.”

As evidence, I point to societal decline of the effectiveness of advertising in general. Who can doubt that since the advent of the Internet and the Social Media explosion, it’s much more difficult to craft and maintain a brand image through traditional means? If you don’t believe me, just ask the Penn State Football Program. No doubt their recruiting efforts will face lots more challenges this year than last.

The success of brands today, depends greatly on the ability of their brand ambassadors, their people, to build long term trusting relationships with their customers and prospects (see Penn State above), that fosters a loyalty and re-purchase.

As an ambassador of your organization, what can you do to assure your experience at the show adds to your brand’s strength, rather than destroying a lifetime of work through careless actions (see Penn State, again).

Three Simple Things

1.    Prepare Pre-Show
2.  Act Decisively At-Show
3.  Follow up Completely Post-Show

Prepare  Pre-Show

Preparing pre-show goes a little beyond booking your flights and hotel room. Let me suggest a method you can use to help you focus on creating great results.

I’d suggest you conduct the following exercise. Make a list of the five most important people you will need to see at the upcoming show to assure that your time has been productive. Shows are all about face-to-face contact. So ask yourself, “Who do I need to see?” Be specific. Name names. If you need help identifying these folks, speak with your Supervisor.

Once you have your “Top 5” list, go through it one-by-one, and ask, “What will I say to him/her if I find them?” This will help you distill your company’s plethora of messages down to one or two key things. Choose carefully. Make sure your message will be relevant to their needs.

Now ask yourself, “What else do I need to pull this off?”. You may require private, quiet time. You may need other people present. You might need specific samples or demo material. Whatever it may be, get them ready, so that this truly important message, to this truly important contact, can be delivered at full impact.

You now have a plan. If you’re able to get these five things done, it will have a great positive impact on your company’s direction. And best of all, you’re prepared for each important encounter.

Act Decisively At-Show

Not every encounter at the show will result in a qualified lead. Usually less than 30% of the overall attendance at a show will have any interest at all in what you selling. You need to adopt the mindset of a baseball hitter, who, while failing 7 out of 10 times, sits at the top of his profession.

It’s a little like finding needles in the haystack. You can expect to sift through lots of waste to find a single diamond in the rough.

However, this sifting process must take place quickly. That’s because the trade show is a very time-rationed environment. You need to get down to brass tacks and not waste time with dis-qualified visitors. Similarly, you need to spend quality time with your best prospects, to identify them, find out their issues, and set up future progress toward closing the sale.

Follow this simple 3 step process to do this with each visitor you encounter.

Ask these questions, in this order:

1. “What does your company do?”
2.  “What’s your role?”
3. “What are you working on now?”

After question #1, you’ll know whether there is any potential to do business. If not, dismiss the visitor politely, explaining why there’s no potential for further discussion.

After question #2, you’ll know if you got the right person. If not, ask for a referral and again politely dismiss.

After question #3, you‘ll know why they’ve come to the show.

If they pass all 3 questions, you’ve found somebody who works for the right kind of company, in the right job, with projects you can address. This is someone to spend time with. Deliver your message and take notes about their situation.

Be sure each of these conversations ends with a commitment for some type of action in the future, both by you and them. You must doggedly record these promises.  This will be the basis of future action, and represents the true value you’ll get from the show.

Follow Up Completely Post Show

“Everybody wants to design the exhibit. Nobody wants to follow the leads”.

It’s been an ongoing statistic for the past ten years that 75% of trade show leads are never followed up.

This is due to two factors: (1) taking too many bad leads; (2) not being committed to post-show follow up.

If you follow the 3-steps outlined earlier, you’ll eliminate or greatly reduce problem #1, problem #2 is simply a matter of will and committed resources.

However, if you’re looking for an edge to have over your competition – here it is.

You just had a detailed conversation with a targeted prospect who needs the solutions you provide. Yet once he returns from the show, chances are the best he’ll get, is a “form letter” response saying “thanks for stopping by our booth, be sure to visit our web site for more information”.  Guess what? He already did that. Don’t insult his intelligence or make him start the relationship over by treating him like a “window shopper”.

Individually follow up with each key contact (if you did your job well at the show, there won’t be an overwhelming number of them) with exactly and precisely the information they need/want. Don’t bother with en masse follow up. Personalize it. Individualize it. This will build trust, memorability, and move the prospect forward along the path toward purchase.

If all you needed was a list of contacts for cold calls, you could have obtained it without the trouble and expense of exhibiting.

Summary

Three Simple Things

1.  Prepare Pre-Show
2. Act Decisively At-Show
3. Follow up Completely Post-Show

Do these things, regardless of your position or role in your company, and you will add to your company’s trade show return on investment, and you’ll see that return immediately at your very next show.

Trade Show Bob

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Bob's Best Bites

Apple pie baked in a paper bag? Are you nuts? Doesn't it catch on fire? Actually -- no, it doesn't. In fact, it's the best apple pie I've ever had (sorry, Mom). You can get it at The Elegant Farmer in Mukwanago, WI, about 25 miles southwest of Milwaukee just off I-43. My favorite is the Caramel Apple Pie, followed closely by the Summer Berry Apple Pie. Followed closely by their other varieties. Each and every pie is actually baked inside a brown paper bag, which makes the crust unbelievably good. Somehow, the paper bag allows it to retain it's flakiness without drying out (I'm sure some of my Foodie friends could explain the process). When you couple this with a mountain of perfectly flavored and cooked fruit inside -- sorry, I had to stop and wipe the drool off my keyboard -- well, you get the idea.

If you're ever in the area, it's worth a stop. However, your mother may never forgive you.
What's the best pie you've ever had?

Trade Show Bob

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The Do's and Don'ts of Pop Up Booths

Today's blog entry was written and submitted by Kristen Olsson of Nomadic Display. Kristen covers the important "Do's" and "Don'ts" to follow when selecting and designing your next pop-up display.

As pop up displays continue to defy their very name and nature with custom enhancements such as: wide screen monitors, cascading product shelves, lockable storage units and semi private meeting areas, your presentation options seem to go on for miles. Although pop ups can get you the visual "Oomph" you need, treatment of visual elements in a pop up display are somewhat different than a full blown custom modular. So, follow our show smart tips for having an outSTANDing pop up display. 

Know your real estate 
With a pop up display you're working with significantly less visual real estate to communicate your brand and services than in a full blown custom modular.  You have to be more selective of the messaging that you are using and maximize the little space that you have. 

Keep it clean 
Since you're working with smaller amounts of hardware and graphics than a custom modular unit, maintaining your presentation is essential to your audience's perception of your brand. Wrinkled or dingy trade show display graphics will show and tell your brand in a bad light. So, Show Smart and switch out your trade show booth graphics from show to show so that it gives you ample time to perform any repairs or maintenance. Make sure to always bring a hand held steamer and cleaning supplies for un expected hiccups during set up. 

Watch For Wordiness 
Although communicating your value proposition is important to letting prospects know what services/products your company provides, anything that takes longer than 3 seconds to read is simply TOO long.  You want to be able to captivate your audience in 2-3 seconds using one seamless power packed presentation. Make sure that your messaging has corresponding graphics to ensure your pop up isn't too copy heavy. 

Stay Solid 
While stylistically, transparent typeface paired with bold print can add dimension to your messaging and graphics, it's challenging to see from a far and can overwhelm your viewers. A general rule of thumb taken straight from our free white paper, Graphics that Work, is that you should place your text on a contrasting back ground that's not too busy. 

Picture perfect 
In the world of exhibit design, less is more. Cluttering up your pop up with unnecessary imagery that you think will draw attendees to your trade show booth, will do the exact opposite, and send prospects straight to your competitors. 

Be Stand Offish 
Actually, stand-off trade show graphics can give your pop up display just the added lift and dimension that it needs. You can also switch the order of the stand-off graphics from show to show or even replace them with different stand-offs to accommodate your campaigns. 

Download the Nomadic Display corporate brochure today to see how they can make your display picture perfect. 


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Bob's Best Bites
Inside Houston's "Loop", just off the Katy Freeway at Shepherd, is a joint named Dirty's. there you will find a truly Texas-sized version of the classic southwestern staple -- the chicken fried steak. White gravy, mashed potatoes and corn round the traditional accompaniments to this dish, but at Dirty's, it's hard to notice them. The chicken fried steak is about the same size as a saddle, and drapes over all the edges of the platter at the same time. Seriously, it's enough to feed 4 normal people, or your average sized Texas A&M linebacker. The steak is a beautiful combination of ecstasy and greasiness, and gave me a meat hangover that lasted three days. you combine this absolute winner with big screen TV's, and a true Texas sports-bar atmosphere, and your football watching experience will never be the same. Next time you're in Houston, and feeling a little Dirty, give Dirty's a try. Yee-haw.


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Sometimes, You Must Think Sideways

We all get stuck in ruts sometimes. Doing the same things, the same way.

It worked last year.
This is how it's done.
We've always done it THIS way.

It's ingrained for us to think like this. When we find a "right answer", we like to stick with it. That's how were trained in school growing up. That's how we either earned good grades and approval/rewards, or got labeled as a "troublemaker" or a "wise guy".

But in today's exhibiting world, it's important to be different. We need to be memorable and stand out from the crowd. What drives approval and reward today is much different than when we were in school.

Finding a second and third right answer is imperative. We can't be content with our first right answer. But finding additional answers can be even tough, unless we train ourselves to be life observers and are able to make "sideways leaps" to find creative new solutions and ideas.

This becomes more imperative the more mature your industry is. Companies tend to settle into methods and metaphors that have worked in the past, and in time there is little distinction in the way things are done. Processes and methods are just accepted and not questioned -- that's just how it's done.

This is exactly the problem we faced a few years back at Kerry Ingredients. At food industry shows, you sample food --- by eating it. You might think, "wow, that's cool & different", but when everyone does it, there's nothing different about it. It's a little like walking through a large cocktail party, and every 10 feet there's another waiter with a tray of canapes (on toothpicks, of course) for you to taste. The waiter is trained to tell you why his canapes are better than everyone else's. After a while you become numb to whatever benefit is presented.

Our little MarCom group was discussing this dilemma one day at the airport, while waiting for our bags. We had just completed another lackluster show. Though our products were outstanding (of course), our exhibit well placed & designed, our people trained, and success predicted by our horoscopes -- it just didn't happen.
Our bags finally came, and we went home charged with finding a new way to stand out from the crowd.

Sometime that week, somebody saw a re-run of  "I Love Lucy" where Lucy & Ethel work in the chocolate factory, and we had a few laughs at work remembering it. We also had to make a visit to one of production facilities and saw a similar process (though not nearly as funny) in actual operation.

The "assembly line" is a very common and familiar process in food manufacturing. Then, somebody remembered our baggage claim experience ...

It wasn't long until our "sideways thinking" put A + B + C together, and we made a leap to something totally new.

Why not apply this familiar experience to our trade show products?
Could our products be presented in a new way using a baggage claim carousel?
Would this be enough to jolt attendees out their numbness and create memorability?

Here was our solution ...

Our conveyor belt slowly carried our samples from our preparation area behind the wall to our visitors in front. Samples were interspersed with short product message cards, and kept fresh by "Lucy & Ethel" in back. Fortunately, our conveyor belt never got up to "Lucy" speed.

This proved to be a huge hit with attendees, who gathered around our baggage claim to see what would come out next. They were invited to sample our products, which were explained by our exhibit staff, who had no trouble engaging people in conversation.

The result: a little bit of sideways thinking gave us the unique serving approach we needed to draw attention to ourselves.

How have you used "sideways thinking" to create uniqueness and memorability for your products and/or your brand?

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Bob's Best Bites
Great BBQ is a hotly debated subject all over the country. Whether it should be beef or pork, dry rubbed or slathered in sauce -- it's a matter of personal taste and local civic pride. Austin, TX is no exception. So here's my take on just one place that I like (I'm sure each of you has your own favorite - so please tell me about them, so I can try them out, too).

Rudy's looks like a 7-11, gas pumps and all. But the BBQ is the real deal. Started in Leon Springs, TX, Rudy's now has locations extending as far west as West Texas (otherwise known as Albuquerque, NM). What makes Rudy's unique is how they serve the BBQ (see how this fits with the blog subject -- cool huh?).
You order everything by weight - so you get exactly whatever your budget and appetite can afford. Brisket, turkey  pork, chicken, sausage, they've got it all. And be sure to let them know it's your first time when you visit. You get a little extra special treatment. I prefer the moist brisket, with lots of napkins.

Where do you go for your favorite BBQ -- or better yet -- what unique serving methods have you run across?

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Collaborative or Competitive?

What if you threw a party and nobody came?

Been there, done that. Then I learned one important principle.

I'll tell you about one epic failure as an example. Many years ago, when I was first working as the Trade Show Manager for Kerry Ingredients, we staged a piggy-back "party" event in Chicago to accompany an exhibit at a Snack Food Industry show.

We planned and executed all the logistics to perfection. We reserved the Bin 36 restaurant on the near North Side, and planned to have a paired wine and food tasting event where our products (Seasonings, in this case) would be incorporated into the hors d'oeuvres to be served. We had our sales team identify their top prospects, scrubbed the show attendee list and came up with a highly qualified list of 150 targets and 25 media people (trade publication writers and editors). We expected a crowd of 60-80 to show up for the free upscale paired wine and tapas-like dinner event. Our total attendance --- 6 people, all editors.


Our own people outnumbered them by about 4 to 1.


As we scratched our heads, and reviewed our failure, it was tough to figure out where we went wrong. But, boy, did we go wrong. We didn't just have a meager attendance, we created a ghost town. no prospects whatsoever.


So, being the troopers we had to be, we went on with the show. As it progressed, we took notice of how our Sales team was interacting with their prospects and clients. They were very careful not to broadcast too many of their most innovative ideas, preferring instead to share these in a more intimate, one-on-one setting.


That's when it became clear. Our customer base was highly competitive with each other. They did not typically share ideas among themselves. They were definitely not collaborative.


This was why our party idea fell so flat. Our prospects really didn't want to hang around with each other, or look across the room to see their #1 competitor having a good time with our company reps. They preferred to think that we were giving our very best service and innovation just to them -- which would create an edge for them over their competitors.


So here's something to consider when planning "piggy-back" events -- are your prospects collaborative or competitive? 


Here's some collaborative examples:

• Health care -- health care providers tend to be extremely collaborative, sharing their knowledge to promote their standing inside their communities. There is tremendous status created when new treatment procedures are "published" and acknowledged by their peers. My party would have worked great if we'd invited a bunch of doctors.
• Public safety, law enforcement -- very collaborative for many of the same reasons.
• Geographically limited businesses, territorial networks, government entities -- also are very collaborative because of the limited reach of their services and offerings.
• Short-lived business entities -- like those found supporting the entertainment industry, are also collaborative. These companies come and go as projects emerge and then die quickly - forcing people to shift allegiances rapidly, and develop extensive networks.
• Lone Rangers -- a single person filling a unique job function within a much larger company. This is exactly what we see at the EXHIBITOR Show each year.

On the competitive side:

• Mature industries -- like food manufacturing, where building business is all about stealing market share from each other.
• Emerging technologies - where companies are very protective of their intellectual property, and fearful of being "copied" right out of business.
• Any industry where "keeping a few secrets" is important to the success of a given company.

So, if your prospects are mainly competitive, focus on the one-on-one activities. If you've got a collaborative bunch, then party on, dude!! And let's hope your party is better attended than mine was.

If you've got other examples of competitive/collaborative relationships, please list them in the comments below.

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Bob's Best Bites

Whenever I'm in Anaheim for a show, I always try to make it out to Huntington Beach for a meal at Duke's. It's located right on the ocean at the Huntington Beach Pier, and features fresh seafood prepared and served Hawaiian style. Besides the unbelievable setting (which is hard to beat), what makes Duke's unique is how they offer their menu choices. You pair up a choice of seafood with a preparation method -- such as mahi mahi served parmesan and herb crusted, or firecracker, or baked "Duke style" in lemon garlic and basil. Each dish is prepared beautifully and tastes magnificent. Each species offered is only offered according to its season and sustainability, and their island ambiance and service is top notch. Then some "Hula Pie", followed by a stroll along the pier. It's the perfect way to breathe in the fresh sea air and do some interesting people watching.

When you're in Anaheim, where do you like to go?

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Simple & Organized

I love it when things are simple. I love it when peripheral tasks don't get in the way of what's most important & vital to our success.

In the world of trade shows, we can really muck things up. We write confusing booth duty schedules nobody follows anyway. We develop elaborate lead capture systems tied to our CRM's. We over-adjust our messages until both our staff and visitors are confused. We succumb to the chaos around us at the show, working ourselves to death and requiring lengthy therapy to recover.

But I really love it when people figure out how to keep things simple and organized. They understand that the focus of everything we develop, should facilitate face-to-face quality communication with our customers and prospects.

I recently found two examples of people doing exactly this, coincidentally exhibiting nearly side-by-side at the recent IFT Food Expo in New Orleans.

First, I want to tell you about my friend, Stacy Vandenheuvel, of TIC Gums. The folks at TIC Gums are experts in food texturization, adding the elements of texture to foods to make them "feel" right when we eat them. Their texture capabilities can be applied to hundreds of different kinds of foods. However, individual attendees at the IFT Food Expo are usually working on only one or two key projects at any given time. Stacy's challenge is to quickly identify their interests and focus discussions in that area.

Below is a picture of the "tool" she uses to do this. It's a simple peg board (actually one of a series she uses in her exhibit). Each peg holds a different information card, focusing on one specific textural application. There are cards for jelly beans, licorice, granola bars, marshmallows, jams, etc.

The simple, yet clearly organized array allows her staff to select a card, and move quickly into the appropriate discussion, while subtly building awareness of all the company's other product lines. I'm sure there are many other "techno whiz-bang" methods for doing this, but her's is elegant, simple, effective, and it doesn't get in the way -- no distractions here.

Almost nest door to Stacy's exhibit, I found Becky Rademacher of International Dehydrated Foods, a company that makes, well, dehydrated food ingredients of all kinds (no explanation required, I hope). Here's Becky standing next to her simple solution to a problem that plagues many exhibitors.

Becky uses the back of the door to her storage closet as her internal communication hub. She has taped 15 plastic business card holders onto the door. She fills these with the business cards of her staff. When someone stops by looking to see someone specific --- who never seems to be in the booth at that time -- she has them write a brief note. She asks them to include their text or Twitter handle, email or cell phone on the note. She then places these in the appropriate card holder, turned sideways (you can can see examples in the photo). As staff come and go, they know right where to look for messages - and they replenish their business cards at the same time. Oh yeah, that's her booth schedule and important daily reminders attached to the clip bar below.

It's another simple, low-tech solution that keeps the details organized without creating a lot of work for anybody. I love this.

In both these examples, these two young ladies have successfully streamlined their exhibit operations. They've empowered their staff by removing obstacles to communication, and made their lives easier in the process.

What other great organizational tips do you have to share?

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Bob's Best Bites
In keeping with the theme of "simple", I offer you Moochie's of Salt Lake City, UT. Simply put, it's the best (and messiest) meatball sub I've ever had. It's simply meatballs, marinara, and provolone on french bread, but the homemade meatballs are juicy, huge and full of Italian flavor. This combination of juicy meatballs and messy marinara sauce make the Moochie's sub one of the most un-green sandwiches around. At least a tree's worth of napkins were required to finish my sandwich. Frankly, I should have followed my son-in-law's advice, and brought an extra shirt to change into after eating. Located at 232 East 800 South, in Salt Lake City, it's best not to visit Moochie's at lunch time -- it's too crowded. Go during the afternoon or for an early dinner. Preferably, schedule your visit so you don't have to return to work afterward -- or bring along a spare shirt.


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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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