If you’re a trade show manager, chances are you operate well under stress and have an active, non-stop lifestyle.  Be forewarned, though, burnout can sneak up on you without warning.  Consider these tips to stay productive, healthy and happy even though you spent more time traveling with a trade show display last week than with your family.

Tip #1: Learn to Say “No” to Counterproductive Trade Show Task Requests

True, you have to pick your battles. But just because someone asks you to do something, doesn’t mean you should.  Many of us operate under the mantra “If it isn’t painful, it can’t be good for me.”  That mantra is a recipe for trade show burnout. Before swinging into motion, ask yourself if the task is really necessary — and whether there’s an easier means to achieve the same end. Perhaps you can offer a counter-proposal that is less taxing on you, while completely acceptable to your boss, customer or colleague.

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!

There are several things we can learn about marketing our brand and message from watching Tebow and the way he presents himself.

1. Tim Tebow is real.  He is an open book, sometimes too open.  But the fact that we know exactly where he is coming from and we can compare that to his actions, force us to pay attention.  It is that “reality tv drama” effect that is so captivating.
2. Tim Tebow is sincere.  His walk backs up his talk.  Whether we agree or disagree with him, there is no doubting his sincerity in his words and actions.
3. Tim Tebow is passionate.  He is driven and focused with incredible discipline.  He rarely appears off message and never sends out a conflicting image or message.
4. Tim Tebow is demonstrative.  He has cemented images in our mind that embrace his message.  His faith is his foundation and the platform from which he does everything.  Say Tebow and you immediately think of “Tebowing” – the pose – which encapsulates his message.
5. Tim Tebow is continuously telling his story.  From “Tebowing” to the black eye paint with Bible verses, he is always on message and repeating his story.  Football is a tool for him.  There is a bigger agenda and goal and he uses everything at his disposal to tell his story.  Repeatedly.

So how do your marketing programs stack up?

Are they real and sincere?  Can people feel the passion from your representatives throughout the organization?  How do you demonstrate your message?  What images pop into your client’s mind when thinking of your company?  How consistent is the look & feel of your image? And how does your look and feel tie to the messages you are sending out in your marketing and your trade show displays?

Tim Tebow is a model of consistency, determination, and focus on the image and message with an genuine understanding of the total picture.  How would our results be impacted if we implemented our programs with the same drive and focus?

Photo credit to http://www.flickr.com/photos/denverjeffrey/5040576290/  

To integrate Tebow’s branding style with your trade show exhibiting plan, read the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper. This report tells you the most effective strategies and tactics exhibitors are using today in their trade show marketing efforts.  Click here to request your free copy.

You will see our booth just as you enter the exhibit hall.

Skyline would love to see you in our booth, #1325, at EXHIBITOR2012, March 5 to 7, 2012 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.  It promises to be an excellent show.

Many exhibit marketers have renewed their strong trade show schedules, and are looking to expand their booth spaces to take advantage of the face-to-face nature of trade shows.

But because our industry tends to lag the economic cycle, there are also exhibit marketers attending EXHIBITOR2012 who are in expansion mode, just now making up for the reductions they made during the downturn.

But all exhibitors have adjusted to the new reality:  They need a responsive exhibit partner who can augment their smaller team, boost their trade show results, all the while maximizing their highly scrutinized budget.

We look forward to meeting with exhibit marketers who attend the show, to demonstrate how we can help enhance their exhibiting success.  If you need a free pass to the exhibit hall, click here, and enter in promo code 4206 when registering.

5 Reasons To Visit Skyline At EXHIBITOR2012:

Free Trade Show Seminars

Skyline will host 12 “bite-sized” seminars in our booth.  You can get the best nuggets on insights about 6 popular trade show topics such as promotions, social media, booth staffing, exhibit design, and more.  We will present each 10-minute session twice during the show, every hour on the hour that the show hall is open.

Here’s our free seminar schedule (you may want to print it and take it with you to the show):

Expert Advice
After each seminar we will take Q&A from the audience, answering questions about the session topic or any trade show or marketing questions you have. You can also visit the booth at any time to talk with our experienced staff.

Useful, Elegant Gifts
Attendees to our seminars will receive a cool, aluminum-clad notebook.  The elegant notebooks give you a place to jot ideas and reactions to our seminars.  The aluminum covers also evoke the clean, elegant look of our metal exhibit systems.

Chocolate
To complement our “bite-sized” seminars we’re offering bite-sized chocolates.  Stop by anytime during the show when you need a boost, and get a crunchy, creamy nugget of Ferrero Rocher chocolate.

Meet With A Trusted Exhibiting Partner
Whether you are an existing Skyline customer wanting to see what’s new, or an exhibit marketer looking for new ways to achieve trade show success, you can request a meeting with us.  Just click here to ask for a date and time to meet, or stop by to visit us in booth 1325.

Trade shows are a valuable marketing medium.   But they’re also hard work.  You need help you can depend on to succeed.  We hope to see you at our booth at EXHIBITOR2012.

Again, if you need a free pass to the exhibit hall, click here, and enter in promo code 4206.

I have found that the same principals will apply to managing emails on the road as they do on a normal basis but you will most likely have less time and options to access emails or communicate in general.  Here is what I have found works quite well traveling:

On your ‘Out of Office Reply’ tell mailers that you will be checking emails only at certain times of the day.

Here is an example:

“I will be out of the office with limited access to phone and emails from Tuesday the 4^th returning Monday the 10th.  I will be dedicating my full attention to “Show ABC” and will be only be able to check emails at 8:00-8:30am CST and 4:00-4:30pm CST during the weekday.  For any emergencies please contact me on my cell phone at 555-555-5555, if I don’t answer please leave a voicemail and I will return your call as soon as possible.”

This allows you to not have to constantly be checking your phone or trying to find a wifi signal to check your email.  It allows you to focus on the show or clients and lets people know how and when you can be contacted.  Once people know that, they WILL find another solution, wait for your reply or they will call.  As for those “emergencies” you would be surprised how they seem to resolve themselves if someone has to pick up the phone and call you, and if they do it’s usually something that can be resolved after a five-minute conversation.

This also means that you have to turn OFF the email alert feature on our phone and computer.  Remember, the idea is to allow you to focus on your clients and the show.  I suggest turning your email to sync only when you manually log into it on your phone; otherwise you just have a pocket sized distraction device.  Plus, if your phone is buzzing because you have a new email, it is very rude to check it when you are having a conversation with a client.  If the phone rings, generally, people will understand that you will have to at least check who is calling.

You may be wondering “How am I supposed to check and respond to all of my 30, 40, 50 or more emails I get a day in just 1-2 hours a day?”  To master this it will take time.  I now check my email roughly five times a day; I would only do it three times a day but with a lot of international clients I want to make sure I’m accommodating them as well.  I went from getting about 40-60 emails a day to roughly 25 a day.  I didn’t even tell people about this, I just started doing it.  Now, people seem to only email me when it is important and really concerns me.  My email is not a distraction, it is not a “To Do List” and I stopped getting all of those irrelevant emails.

Is your email account running your life?

No doubt email is just one of the many things a trade show marketer must juggle this day in age.  To find out how your peers manage their countless responsibilities, read  The Evolving Role of Exhibit Marketers white paper.  To receive your free copy of this 36-page guide, click here.

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.   

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. 

• Investigate the Show.  When you are choosing which trade shows to attend do a little homework.  Find out how long the show has been in existence, the past attendance numbers, the number of vendors, and the advertising planned by the show management.  If possible, talk with other companies who have participated in the past and get their reviews.
• Picking the Booth Space.  Ask early for a floor plan so you can see which booths are available along the center of the show floor.  You can have the best displays and products in the world, but if you are tucked away in a corner you may become the show’s best kept secret.  Don’t wait until the last minute to reserve your space; the best locations will go quickly.
• Advance Marketing.  Take advantage of advertising opportunities offered by the show management, but don’t leave all of the advertising up to them.  Make certain you let all customers & prospects know of your plans to exhibit at the show by pre-show marketing.  A drip campaign is often successful, using several channels, such as e-mail, direct mail, personal invites from sales staff & more.
• Get the Attendee List.  Most shows provide an advance list of registered attendees for the show.  Cross-check the list with your own database to find which customers are attending.  Then segment the list by company size, geographic location or assigned sales rep.  Use the list in your pre-show marketing efforts to drive booth traffic.
• Strategically Plan Your Exhibit.  Don’t try to cram every product detail on your trade show booth graphics – your brochures should contain all of that information.  Any trade show exhibit should quickly tell a prospective customer 1.) who you are, 2.) what you do and 3.) how you can help them.  Consider what needs to happen in the space to meet & exceed your trade show goals.  For more ideas on designing a trade show exhibit, check out my blog posts on “What Transforms a Trade Show Exhibit into an Experience” and “How to Get the Most Value from Your Trade Show Display Purchase”.
• Use Technology to Enhance Your Presentation.  Light, motion and color attract attention, so use this to your benefit.  Depending on your product or service, you may want to include interactive presentations, videos or live demonstrations in your trade show exhibit.  The more involved your visitors are, the more likely they will be to remember you later.
• Collect Information.  Have a system in place to get the names and email addresses of all your guests and follow up with every guest after the event.  There are many technologies available which collect more information than a traditional badge scanner.  At least get a clipboard to handwrite notes!
• Follow-thru!  When the show ends, your marketing campaign isn’t over.  79% of leads generated at trade shows are not followed up afterwards (ceir.org) — what a waste!  Follow-through by continuing the marketing campaign and ensure that sales reps keep in contact with prospects they’ve met at the show.

Are you winning when it comes to trade shows?  Get more of the most effective strategies and tactics exhibitors are using today to boost their results by reading the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper.  To request your free copy, click here. 

Compared to many international trade shows, U.S. shows have relatively short show hours and fewer show days.  This means that most attendees don’t have a lot of time to spend with any one particular trade show booth.  They will try to hit as many booths as they can. Oftentimes, there are other events associated with a show that attendees are also visiting.  In short, there is a lot of competition for attendee’s attention and you don’t have a lot of time to impress them.

Most U.S. shows have badges or name tags, often color-coded to quickly identify who is who, containing all of our information that can be scanned and exchanged quickly.  Attendees spend about 1-3 minutes at each station and move to the next one.  If you feel there is a connection or potential to do business you may exchange contact information. Sound familiar?  It’s sort of like speed dating!

So how do you effectively grab the attention of a passing attendee?

1. Use Eye Contact to Initiate a Conversation:

Check out my previous post on the Power of Eye Contact.  Making solid eye contact and simply initiating contact with an attendee is the first step.  Use engaging phrases, or “pick-up lines.”  My favorite one?  “Hi.” Just as simple as that!

In case that’s not your style, here are a few more:

“So what brings you to the show?”

“Are you looking for anything specific here at the show?”

If they are noticing something specific about your trade show exhibit, ask “What do you think about product X or product Y?”

2. Engage and Qualify Them:  

Now that you have their attention you need to pique their interest and qualify them as a potential lead.  This means asking a few questions and  getting them to provide as much information as possible.  You might not be able to spend a lot of time with this person so you want to make sure that if you or someone else follows up with them after the show, they will have all of the information that they need.  Ask them if they have tried your product or know your company.  Ask them what they thought of the current product or service they are using — what do they like or dislike about it?  Take a lot of clear notes, as this is valuable information that will help you reestablish the connection that you’ve created during the follow up.

2. Exchange information and Determine a Next Step:  

Now that you have engaged and qualified them, determine what the next step is and make sure you both know what that is going to be. Get their contact information so you don’t leave it up to them to follow up. Think of it this way: they are the bombshell that is getting approached by every guy in the bar.  Chances are, they just might not remember you.  Don’t take it personally though – they will be talking to a lot of people over the course of the show.  If you will personally be following up with them after the show, give them your contact information.  If someone else will be doing the follow up, let the attendee know you will be passing along all of the information you have and they will be contacted by someone else soon.

Remember, your company has spent a lot of time and money for you to be at the show and each attendee that walks by your booth could be an opportunity to make a connection.

85% of your trade show success depends on your booth staff. To ensure you’re making the most of every opportunity they have, read the Booth Staffing Guidebook.  Click here to request your free copy of the 48-page book filled with insightful articles, worksheets, and checklists.

Lead management is the least visible, yet most important final stage of your trade show marketing.  To help you bring this essential step into the light, here are the 10 best tips that I’ve gleaned over the last two decades:

• Seek to get not just leads, but qualified leads, so that your field sales force will value them and follow up.
• Train your staffers to qualify leads at the show according to high, medium, and low qualified levels, and then label them as A, B, or C leads.
• Do more lead follow up!  Have a lead fulfillment plan prepared before the show starts.
• Don’t rely on just a business card from trade show booth visitors: Have a lead card or electronic lead retrieval system so you have enough space to record details on your booth visitors’ wants and needs.
• Do more lead follow up!  Get your sales and marketing management to stress the importance of lead follow up — and even put some teeth into repercussions if they aren’t.
• Have one person responsible for lead fulfillment, data entry into your CRM database, and lead transfer to sales.
• Do more lead follow up!  Build more frequent touches with leads after the show (via calls, emails, or mailers).
• Prepare before the show to be able to quickly send fulfillment right after the show — even during the show. Include in the process the ability to customize fulfillment to include what the visitor specifically asked for.
• Do more lead follow up!  Check in regularly with your reps to report on lead progress.
• Watch out for the critical link that is too often broken:  What booth visitors reveal to your booth staffer and what your booth staffer responds is not passed on to the field sales rep, which causes lack of motivation for lead follow up and frustration with the booth visitor.

So much of good lead management starts with proper preparation of your booth staffers.  Yet what happens after the show is just as important — but gets less attention once the urgency of the show is over.

I hope you enact some of these 10 tips and get even more value from your trade show leads.  Your company has invested so much to get them — make sure you succeed at this critical final step.

This article is one of a series on Top 10 Tips for various key trade show topics:

> Top 10 Tips For Trade Show Promotions

> Top 10 Tips For Trade Show Exhibit Design

> Top 10 Tips For Trade Show Booth Staffing

Lead management is just one piece of the puzzle for successful trade shows.  Read the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper to find out more tips and tricks to get the most out of your exhibiting experience.  Click here to request your free copy.