The pressure to reduce your company’s marketing spending – while also improving results — is greater than ever.  At the same time, deadlines loom and tend to force quick decisions.  Making an informed, educated buying choice is the difference between either empowering you to execute your trade shows with agility and efficiency for years to come — OR — doom you to trade show Hades.

What you should know as a first time trade show exhibit buyer:

• Be sure your goals dictate your purchase
• Never buy on price alone
• Remember to consider long run costs
• Don’t wait until the last minute

1. Be Sure Your Goals Dictate Your Purchase (not the other way around)

To maximize your investment in a trade show booth it’s important that your entire team, from marketing to product to the CEO, agree on the goals long before committing to a purchase, or even to a particular event.

Some examples of well articulated goals include:

• To obtain leads or clients (define these specifically!)
• To develop deeper relationships with existing clients
• To build brand equity and increase awareness
• To educate (x number) of people about our company and products
• To support your industry or the people throwing the event
• To recruit new employees from our industry
• To court investors

Your goals will determine your strategies, and your strategies will drive decisions for your exhibit booth purchase, including layout, design, graphics, traffic flow, product demonstration plans, promotions…well, everything!

If you’re having trouble getting a consensus, consider this exercise:  Force your team to select their top three goals and assign a percentage of importance to each.  Then ask your team to select, hands down, the most important single goal.  This approach should yield the quantifiable data and buy-in you need to establish your goals…and move forward with your trade show display purchase.

A professional exhibit consultant will ask you to share your goals, budgets, marketing plans and current communications material.  After digesting all the information, you’ll be provided with a recommendation consisting of a price quote and design rendering.  It may take a few design modifications and quotes until the exhibit suits you perfectly.  When you’re ready to buy, insist that everything is in writing.

2. Never Buy On Price Alone (or, consult with a professional)

It is easy to fool yourself into thinking the lowest price is the best value.  But buying an inexpensive trade show booth can cost you more in the end – significantly more! You must be sure to consider these factors as you evaluate your options:

• Quality
• Reputation
• References
• Years in Business
• Success stories or case studies
• Ability to consult and partner strategically
• Availability of a local I&D crew in all the major convention center cities

We are big proponents of purchasing an exhibit from a local company.  Chances are the company has been around for decades and has a deep understanding of client needs and the industry at large.  In the old days, exhibits were custom-crafted, making them extremely expensive to build and maintain.  More recently,  exhibit “systems” evolved as an alternative to the high cost of custom craftsmanship and heavy wooden materials.

Today, there are multiple categories including portable, modular, pop-ups and lightweight metals & stretch fabrics.  All have their distinct advantages, and this is where an exhibit consultant can be very useful.  In the end, your exhibit consultant should help you maximize your exhibit marketing potential and help you avoid the costly mistakes you’re likely to make on your own.

If you plan to exhibit more than once or twice, chances are you’ll work closely with an experienced exhibit consultant for several years.  Shop around and base your decision on more than just price. Exhibit consultants have years of experience about design, marketing, graphics, and trade show tactics.  Their knowledge will help you avoid the pitfalls that most inexperienced trade show marketers make. And, there are lots and lots of expensive pitfalls.  Working with a knowledgeable trade show consultant will save you money over time.

3. Remember to Consider Long-Run Costs

• Can the design you’re considering be re-configured to a smaller or larger booth size?  There are lots of options these days enabling “modularity,” so that a single pool of booth property can be rearranged into new designs and configurations – and also re-skinned to communicate different messages to different audiences (or to update your brand message over time).

• Is the booth you’re considering made from lightweight materials?  Or, is it made from heavy wood or metals?  Considering that a large portion of your budget will be spent on drayage, shipping and storage, be sure to select the most lightweight design possible to ship

• Is the construction complicated, requiring extra labor to set-up and dismantle the exhibit?  If so, reconsider.

4. Do Not Wait Until the Last Minute

For certain, rush costs will be incurred as the delivery deadline approaches.  These costs are easy to avoid by simply planning ahead.  Enough said!

While there are always going to be risks associated with making a new investment, by following the suggestions above, your investment is much more likely to be one that pays huge dividends – and not remain an unfortunate liability.

For more ideas on exhibit design, as well as booth staffing, budgets and more, pick up the What’s Working In Exhibiting guidebook.  Request your free copy of the 32-page book by clicking here.

The number one factor for determining  if you should have a green exhibit program, is if your exhibit is designed for the most efficient shipping. Consider the fact that trade show exhibits shipping across the country many times per show season, over several years, are spewing thousand of pounds of carbon emissions. Exhibits that ship the most efficiently can have substantial effect in reduction, which leaves a smaller carbon footprint…and that’s a very good thing for everyone! So green exhibiting really does make sense.

Custom Modular vs. Traditional Hard Wall Exhibits

By shipping a 20′ x 30′ custom modular exhibit (rather than a 20′ x 30′ traditional hard wall custom exhibit) to just one show reduces the amount of CO2 going into the atmosphere by nearly 2 times its own weight.  That one-show carbon emission reduction is larger than if you switched from your regular, gas guzzler to a hybrid car for an entire year.  Over this exhibit’s lifetime, shipping that same 20′ x 30′ custom modular to 3 shows a year for 5 years will reduce 62,299 pounds (or 27 times the exhibit’s weight) the amount of carbon emissions, from entering into our atmosphere.

It’s easy to make a difference, long term as well as immediate.  For example, you’ll also notice “green” savings as a result of reduced shipping charges.  Good for your budget.  Good for your business.  Good for all.

Thinking Green?  Go Rental!

For the greatest overall savings a custom modular rental may be the perfect green fit for your exhibiting program.  Both of the exhibit designs below are custom rentals.  Many rental depots are stocked with inventory and located at major venue sites.  The carbon emissions savings coupled with greatly reduced transportation costs will be a big step towards maximum impact, increased ROI, reduced expenses.

Reducing costs for you and reducing harmful emissions for the planet are great benefits of a green trade show display.  Making the up front investment in a sharply designed custom modular exhibit that provides quality and looks will help you rule the trade show floor and make it worth every penny.

Read more about how exhibitors are switching to lighter weight custom modular exhibits because they help lower operating costs and provide greater flexibility in The Trend To Custom Modular white paper.  Click here to request your free copy. 

Investing in the right trade show display is a serious decision.  Like anything else, there are hundreds of options on the market.  However, it is easy to make an expensive mistake by rushing into a purchase without all of the knowledge at your finger tips. Don’t sacrafice long term value for short term gain! Below are the 5 most common mistakes businesses make when purchasing a trade show display.

While attending this year’s Exhibitor Show in Las Vegas last month, I could not help but ponder why a simple rule of exhibiting is so hard for many to follow.  The Exhibitor Show is the trade show for the trade show industry.  This is the collection of trade show pros!  You would think that all the simple bases of exhibiting would be covered.  Yet… not the case, even by the experts.

If you do nothing else with your graphics, get these two things right with your trade show exhibit:

Clearly state 1. Who you are, and 2. Describe what you do.

Who you are and what you do.  That’s it!  Simple.  Basic.  Trade show 101.  Yet…so hard for so many.

Depending on the size of your trade show display space, you have roughly 3-5 seconds to catch that prospective visitor’s attention.  If they cannot clearly identify who you are and/or what you do, your odds of attracting their interest dramatically fall.

In today’s economy, the trade show floor is now being walked by more senior level decision makers.  With more to do in less time, no one has time to waste.  If your prospective visitor (and future client) cannot clearly identify who you are or what you do, then the easiest decision for them to make is to keep moving on to the next space.  They do not have the time nor do they want to spend the energy to try and figure out what solution you provide.  At most shows, there are simply too many other messages competing for their attention.

If you are a large organization, stating that you are XYZ may not be enough.  What division of XYZ?  And then simply state what you do.  What is the problem you solve?  What is the solution you are offering? What makes you different?  The idea is to help your prospective visitor easily make the decision that you are indeed someone that may fill their need.  After all, that is why they are there at that show.  They have a need and are seeking out someone to fill that need.

Following this rule will also help save your booth staff time, energy, and money by helping the prospective visitors qualify themselves rather than wandering into your space trying to figure out who you are and what you do and eventually getting to the point where it is clear by eating away at your staff’s time and resources.  This frees your staff to fully concentrate on true potential clients.

Adding graphics that help tell the story, some pointed bullet points, and even a testimonial or two all help encourage that prospect to stop… once they can identify who you are and what you do.  And making sure your booth staff is properly prepared and trained to work as a team on the show floor will only help increase your show ROI.

But it all starts with the basics.

Who you are and what you do.  That’s it! Simple.  Basic.  Trade Show 101.  And not so hard.

Round out your knowledge of trade show basics by reading the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper. With almost 100 tips, the report reveals the most effective strategies and tactics exhibitors are using today to boost their results and stretch their budgets. Click here to request your free copy. 

“I’m designing a trade show booth. What should I consider?”

In a visual marketing bazaar such as trade fairs and conventions, every visit to your trade show booth leads to a build up of pre-conceived notion. That notion is carried on to every subsequent encounter that your clients might have with your products and/or your services.  Be very purposeful as to how you want your brand to be perceived.  If you walk into a trade show exhibit of clutter, confusion and the mundane, the products and services will be perceived as such.  On the other hand, if you walk into a space of elegance, simplicity and controlled light,  you are in a perceptual space of high technology and smart efficiency.  You see, simplicity and complexity are mutually dependent.  Because technology only continues to grow more complex, there is a massive economic and emotional advantage to present it in a simple and humanized space.

Be Aware!

Your brand elements like logos, tag lines, trademarks, packaging and your trade show display might be yours; but the reality is, it is owned by your customers and your prospects.  It is their perception of your company that impacts your bottom line and ultimately your survival.  We live in a 24 hour connected world.  Be aware of the savvy planetary word-of-mouth.  Be aware, even before you get to pitch about your brand uniqueness, you might be encountering prospects that have formed perceptions about your brand.  If it is positive, your brand achieves victory, if it is negative, you shift to the mind-set of damage control. Triumphant lesson from Avis: When Avis (the # 2 car rental behind Hertz) anchored in “We try harder,” all of a sudden the brand gained momentum to aspire for something bigger.  Being #2 is positive and goal oriented.

Propagating the Positive Perception

Start with how you want your customers and prospects to think, feel, remember, and experience your exhibiting space.  The over arching goal should be positive memory retention.  Have the courage to be different and make memorable limbic connections with your visitors. Focus on white space.  It is your strategic weapon.  Let it be.  Do no cover every surface with your story.  Remember, we live in an overwhelming, information grinding, digital age.  Your exhibiting environment should be all about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.  Architectural elements and textures should work towards empowering your brand style and image.

For more reasons why trade shows are so important to your marketing message, read The Value Of Trade Shows white paper.  This special report reveals how exhibitors and attendees find significant value in trade shows, and expect to for many years ahead.  Click here to request your free copy that will help justify and enhance your trade show program!

I am part of a small Marketing Department at UGL Services with limited resources so we take every opportunity to repurpose content that we have already developed and tailor it for distribution through other marketing vehicles.  In 2008 my team created an advertising campaign targeted to facility managers of corporations with the message that we understand how overwhelming building maintenance can be and we suggest outsourcing these responsibilities to UGL Services.

The Ad

The first ad in the campaign shows a facility manager lying awake in bed with a skyscraper tucked in next to him with the headline “You have a facility.  Now it’s time for a life.”  It is a literal depiction of a stressed out facility manager experiencing insomnia because he cannot get his mind off of work or the price tag on new upgrades needed in the buildings he manages.

In 2011 we exhibited at a conference managed by the International Facility Management Association (IFMA).  When attendees registered for the conference online they were asked a survey question “What job-related issues keep you up at night?”  IFMA took all of the responses and came up with topics for roundtable discussions conducted during the event.  My team decided to sponsor the roundtable sessions as it was a vehicle for us to leverage the ad that was created in 2008.  As part of the sponsorship we were able to put a full page ad in the show directory and posters were hung in the roundtable location.

The Trade Show

We decided to bring the ad to life and add an element of surprise at our trade show booth.  I hired an actor to play the sleep-deprived facility manager dressed in his pajamas and chained to a building.  All of the attendees were dressed in business attire so our actor really grabbed their attention and became a successful conversation starter.  We gave away prescription bottles with jelly beans inside and a label with the text that said “For fast-acting relief and a better night’s sleep” and our logo underneath it.  Posters in our booth featured the ad once again and supersized text that read “Tired of taking your work home with you?  We’ve got the remedy.”  Our actor handed out business-sized cards with the dates and times of the roundtable discussions to encourage participation and promote the problem-solving ideas that attendees would learn about.

The Response…

Overall it was a very successful promotion and a few attendees commented on how they related to the actor chained to the building.  Many facility managers said that they try not to take work home with them but it is difficult to put down their Blackberrys especially when they are getting ready to turn in for the night.  My response to them was “Have you considered outsourcing your facility services?”

For may ways to draw great leads into your trade show booth, read the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper.  This book will tell you what other exhibit marketers say the best tips and tricks are for successful exhibiting.  Click here to request your free copy. 

Thanks to Jocelyn Sacco for writing this guest blog post, sharing her experience as a trade show exhibitor.  We welcome similar blog posts from Skyline clients who want to share with their peers new and inventive ways they’ve achieved greater trade show success. Click here to tell us your story!

Lounges have tremendous momentum in the design of trade show exhibit spaces and special events. Dedicated sitting spaces are now an integral part of design directives.  These areas are resolute in providing a communicative approach to information exchange and information gathering.  In today’s era of viral marketing and virtual interacting, it is a featured highlight of face-to-face marketing.

It only makes sense to promote the right kind of atmospheric conditions that foster conversation when 46% of executive decision makers make purchase decisions while attending a show, 51% of executive decision makers request that a sales representative visit their company after the show and, get this, 95% of the executive decision makers meet with their current suppliers at a trade show.   And a lounge does exactly that.  It is a luxurious conclave ground where the talent meets the target.

If you have a smaller trade show booth space (20′x20′ or so) and if you find the above statistics valuable, you might want to think about a club design layout. However, if you have a larger space you might want to pledge a portion of it to an elegant setting with flamboyant and interesting furniture that speaks to the sensuality of the limbic system. The lounge inside your space is a grand setting for showcasing your latest innovation.  50% of trade show attendees want to see “What’s New” in products and services. 90% of the trade show attendees have not been called upon (face-to-face) by any company exhibiting at the show in the 12 months prior to the event.

Why not make the experience delightful?

Research from Cap, Gemini, Ernst and Young states that “Consumers don’t differentiate retailers by their value propositions.”  This means brands don’t distinguish themselves by having unique products or services as much as they do by the experience they present.  A memorable experience is one that thrills or excites customers and prospects.  As kids we thrived on thrills.  We remember our first touch down.  We remember our first voyage on Pirates of the Caribbean.  We remember our first Festival of Colors.  As adults, we continue to seek thrills in our professional and personal worlds.  ”We want the thrill of getting high response rates to a direct marketing campaign; the thrill of exceeding our sales quotas; of earning that next job promotion in record time.  Businesses that understand what excites their customers are those that stand to gain higher levels of customer loyalty, no matter the challenges their markets face.”  Jeanette McMurtry, MBA

Lounging in cappuccino and hot pink is all about the ideal setting that piques the thrill of what’s new and exciting in a monotonous day-to-day survival.  Next time as you plan your space, think about the ways that you can distinguish yourself in those precious moments of interaction that we call face-to-face marketing in the hyper-competitive marketing world of business-to-business.

Want more great ideas on creating the best exhibiting space? Read the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper.  This 32-page book has almost 100 tips, including exhibit design as well as budgeting, promotions, measuring ROI and more.  Click here to request your free copy.   

Certainly, not everyone is fan of Snooki and the Jersey Shore.  True, most of us might not choose her to be the Godmother of our firstborn.  But think what you will, Snooki knows photo opps.  And boy, can she cause a buzz.

Take the product launch of her new fragrance, Snooki for Women by Nicole Polizzi. The fragrance is represented exclusively by Perfumania, a client of Skyline New York trade show exhibits. Perfumania is second to none, with over 370 retail stores that carry world class, designer perfume brands.

Here’s Snooki, pictured in front of a Mirage pop-up display.  Notice the crisp, repeating logos that will show up in any picture.  Observe the hot pink vibe.  Appreciate that this display will be used at hundreds of venues, taking just minutes to set-up and break down.

(Here’s 20 more ways to use a portable display beyond trade shows.)

Think about it — owning a custom backdrop that can be instantly whipped out for a photo opp is a brilliant idea.  With the multitude of websites that can virally display photos and videos (Facebook, You Tube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Press Release Distribution Sites), a modest investment in a custom backdrop can pay off in spades – for years and years.

So, before dismissing the messenger (Snooki), consider the message (Mirage pop-up displays make great backdrops for photo opps).

And now, back to (our) reality (show).

Snooki’s got the right idea but for even more valuable information check out the Event Marketing Idea Kit.  This 58-page book has a range of topics along with checklists and worksheets to help with the logistics of putting on an event. Click here for your free copy. 

The 10′x10′ booth space is the most common size in the United States (source: my unscientific survey of recent show floor plans).  Starting small might be a good idea because of limited marketing budgets or based on the number of attendees at a trade show.  Once you’ve gotten your feet wet and become satisfied with the lead generation and business growth potential, you’ll understand that it might be time to move up to a bigger trade show booth.  Here are a few factors to consider when choosing the ideal trade show exhibit size.

1.  Venue Considerations: Location and audience.  What is the expected total number of attendees?  Is this a trade show that highlights your particular industry or is it more generalized (vertical vs. horizontal)?  A larger trade show booth will attract more attention, but it’s a good idea to compare all costs to lead potential (ROI).  Take a critical look at the floor plan as well.  Larger booths are typically located in the center of the trade show hall and in the main walkways where most of the traffic takes place.

2.  Demonstrations and workstations.  Would attendees benefit from product demonstrations?  If so, you’ll need a booth big enough for to highlight the product, visible from all sides & comfortable for a large group of attendees.  If you expect to meet privately with individual clients, you’ll need a comfortable conference room or space.

3.  Staffers.  Once you’ve set a goal of how many leads to generate, you’ll know how many attendees booth staffers will need to speak with in order to produce those leads.  Then you can decide how many staffers it will take to speak with all of those attendees — rule of thumb average: 8-15 per hour for good qualification and depending on the time of day.  So, consider the size of space in order to hold this number of staffers & attendees. Remember, for a 10′x10′ booth, you’re typically max’ed out of space with 2 staffers and 2 attendees (25 sq. ft. each).

4.  Invest for Less.  If #1, 2 or 3 above apply to your situation or, if your current size booth is too crowded you will not be as effective in attracting attendees, conversing, presenting and generating leads. But, cost can be a barrier to increasing your size, however the payoff to your bottom line can be huge.  Make a smaller investment by designing a Custom-Modular Exhibit or consider a Custom-Rental solution.

Find out how you can help lower operating costs and provide greater flexibility by using a custom modular trade show exhibit.  Click here to request your free copy of  The Trend To Custom Modular Exhibits white paper.