You’ve been asked the same question time and time again:  “What’s the ROI from our trade show program?”  You grit your teeth, take a deep breath, force a smile on your face, and answer, “I don’t know.”

Why not?  It might be because you can’t get your sales team to share which leads turned into sales with you.  Or because you don’t have a unified database that tracks it automatically.  Or because you simply don’t have time to chase it all down.

But it’s not rocket science to figure out your trade show ROI, just a lot of busy work (that you don’t have to do all by yourself).

Here’s the foolproof steps on measuring your trade show ROI:

1. Get Your Leads:  Gather up your list of trade show leads from each show.  If that’s too much to take a bite on, do the shows you really want to track first, like your expensive or largest shows. Put the list in Excel.  You’ll need the spreadsheet for extra columns and calculations.

2.  Get Your Customer List:  Somewhere in your company is a list of all your customers and what they bought.  It may be in a nice neat database, it may be the invoices in your accounting software, it may be in your warranty files.  But it’s out there.  Don’t have access to it?  Ask for it.  Get turned down?  Ask your boss to get you access.  Your boss will be pleased you are being proactive about both revenues and costs, and will help you get by the gatekeepers, or at least get the gatekeepers to work with you.

3.  Compare Leads To Customers:  Look up every company listed as a lead that visited your trade show booth to see if they are also in your customer database.  Are they there?  If yes, add in your leads Excel file a column that says “Bought” and mark them as Yes.  Then add a column and type in how much they spent.  Match them by eye, not by exact match, so if Company XYZ was the lead, but Company XYZ Inc. is the sale, you can match (using geography as your guide).  Does this sound like a lot of work?  Yes.  So if you don’t have the time, ask your boss for a temp.  You’ll either get the temp, or your boss will help you find someone on your staff that does have the time.

4.  Calculate ROI:  When you total up the sales you can attribute to the show, compare that to the cost to exhibit at the show.  So if your sales were $100,000 and your costs were $10,000, then you’ve got an ROI of $100,000/$10,000 = 10 to 1.  Now you have a yardstick to compare which shows to exhibit at and which ones to drop.  And you have a metric to compare trade shows to other marketing media.

5. Bonus #1: Tracking New / Repeat Business:  Keep track of the date of all sales from leads from the trade show.  Were they already a client before the show?  So you helped influence a repeat client.  Did they buy repeatedly after the show?  Then total up all those sales, not just the first one.  Did they buy for the first time after the show?  Then your trade show lead became a new client.

6. Bonus #2: Tracking Product/Segments: If your client database has the info readily available, you can also check out and record on your handy-dandy spreadsheet what products and services they bought.  Did they buy the new product you introduced at the show, or your popular existing products?  Do the products and clients fall into more than one market segment for you?  If so, see if the biggest segments were the ones you targeted at the show.  You may be surprised, and you may want to change your exhibit messaging and promotions.

So don’t despair if your sales team doesn’t report back to you what happens to each lead, or you don’t have a unified sales and marketing database that automatically calculates ROI for you.  I have used this method to find out the ROI from our own shows, with a lot of help and some time.  It gave us the insights we needed to not only eliminate poor performing shows, but also justify expanding our remaining shows and even alter our overall strategy.

It takes some work, but it’s so satisfying to finally really know.  Especially the next time you get asked, “What’s our trade show ROI?”

To help prove and justify the value of your trade show program, request the Measurement Made Easy CD. With 19 calculators and planning templates, this CD will help you make sound exhibiting decisions and report them to your internal team. Click here to get your free copy. 

Congrats — you’re no longer the trade show rookie.

You’ve trained your booth staffers to work the aisles.  You’ve asked for (and received) a trade show display with bold images and clear messaging.  And you know how to put together a trade show promotion that gets more people to your booth.

Been there, done that.  Now, you’re ready for something more.

So here are 6 advanced trade show strategies and tactics you can use that will stretch – and grow – your trade show program:

1.  Select Vertical Market Shows

All too often exhibitors can get caught up with doing their best in front of their competitors.  So they invest substantial time and capital in a large trade show booth at their main industry show.   And while plenty of potential customers can attend your big industry show, some, more savvy exhibitors have left that crowded battlefield in pursuit of only their very best prospects.  You can, too.  Find the shows, which may be smaller, where your best vertical market clients gather.  Once there, re-examine your whole approach.  Can you focus your exhibit graphics message and promotions to appeal more directly to that vertical market audience?  Do you have employees with greater expertise in that vertical market you can bring as booth staffers?  And is there more than one vertical market worth this extra effort?

2.  Exhibit At International Shows

It’s most likely that if you are reading this, you are an American.  (If you are not, pay no attention to this – you already are much more likely to exhibit internationally).  Over the last few years, there has been a surge in U.S. companies testing the waters overseas – especially since the GDP growth rate worldwide has been double the growth of the United States.  Exhibiting internationally is a worthwhile way to grow your business – and it’s definitely an advanced strategy.  You have to deal with customs (both the laws and the culture), time zone, language and currency differences, and starting over from scratch, since your company and products are probably unknown there.  If you want some help getting started, Skyline offers a free white paper called International Exhibiting – click here to get a copy.

3.  Set Appointments For Meetings In Your Booth

Exhibitors’ objectives progress through a sequence:  First they exhibit to get awareness of their company, brand and products, second they exhibit to get leads, and finally, they move up to exhibiting to get lengthy face time with their clients and best prospects.  Focusing on meetings requires a new way of thinking.  You have to see your trade show program not as an isolated marketing touch point, but as a key component in your selling cycle.  You have to work with your sales team to identify and entice known attendees to set aside considerable time to meet with you while they are at the show.  You need promotional activities that will resonate with people who already know you, and you want them to really come to your booth.  You need to bring higher-level employees who can advance the sale, and the people who your clients want to take time to see.  Your exhibit design changes, too, because you are more likely to add an element of hospitality.  This strategy leverages the face-to-face nature of trade shows to their fullest.

4.  Add Video and Interactive Technologies

Whether it’s a video on a monitor, flat screen, or an iPad, you can create more visual stopping power and give your staffers presentation and demo tools with video and interactive technologies.  Videos that are short, punchy, and have high production values get attention.  Exhibitors with highly technical products can grow into interactive technologies to help their staffers tell a detailed, consistent story, while keeping attendees more engaged.  The advent of touch screens and iPads make them even more appealing and user-friendly.  Creating content and sourcing these tools require a new skill set that many exhibit managers simply don’t have.  That doesn’t mean it can’t be done, just that they have to work with either their company’s ad agency, or go looking for vendor that has experience making videos especially for trade shows, and interactive technology that helps booth staffers be more convincing.  One tip: design your trade show exhibit with the technology in mind from the beginning, rather than trying to bolt on the tech after the fact.

5.  Tie Your Lead Gathering Closer To Your Company Database

You’ve gone beyond just gathering business cards from your trade show visitors – you get a scan from their show badge that adds some vital qualifying data, or even use your own lead cards to write down more information you gleaned while talking to them.  Now go even further, and tie your lead gathering tighter to your company’s sales and marketing CRM database.  Perhaps it’s getting the data file from the lead retrieval machine you rented from the show, and importing that right into your database.  Or it’s buying (rather than renting) your own lead retrieval machines that you ship to every show, which has a consistent lead format you define for easier importing into your CRM.  Or maybe even using laptops or iPads that, with Internet access in your booth, let staffers enter leads directly into your company database in real time.  That way you can prevent mistakes from bad handwriting, get a head start on reporting results, have a better chance at tying leads to sales, start fulfilling the leads before the show ends, and most importantly, forward your A-quality leads to the appropriate sales rep for immediate follow up.

6.  Measure More Of Your Trade Show Activities

Go beyond just counting leads, and even measuring the ROI of your overall trade show program, and use measurement on a more granular level to help decide how to actually improve your trade show program.  Count the qualified leads each booth staffer brings per hour, so you can decide who staffs the next show, and who stays home.  Measure the impact that major parts of your program give (such as promotions, presentations, interactive technology, and sponsorships) versus their costs, to better allocate your budget at future shows.  And if ROI is not your objective, find a way to measure your objective anyhow, like using surveys before and after a show to measure the brand impact your show program created.  Also, rather than looking at each measurement in isolation show by show, start comparing each show to one another, and at each show over the years.

Which strategy of these strategies is best for you?  Meet with your team and brainstorm which ones will garner the greatest boost for your efforts.   Then dive into these advanced strategies and tactics. You’ll increase your results, grow your skills, make yourself more valuable – and make your job more interesting!

If you’ve used these advanced strategies and tactics yourself, how did they work for you?  Are there other trade show strategies you graduated to once you’d mastered the basics?  Share your experiences with us in the comment box below.

Get more great ideas on advancing your trade show program with the What’s Working In Exhibiting White Paper, in which over 170 exhibitors told what they were doing to improve their trade show results.  Click here to get your free copy.

Skyline hosted webinars called “What’s Working In Exhibiting” on July 13th and 14th, 2011.   Thank you so much for your participation and your questions about how to get the most of of trade shows, be it promotions, show selection, booth staffing, lead management, and more.

As promised, here is the pdf of the actual presentation content.  (If the pdf viewer is not loading on your browser, you can go to the actual pdf file by copying and pasting this URL into your browser window: skyline.com/images/webinars/WhatsWorking_July-13-2011_Webinar.pdf

During the seminar we offered several items.  If you did not attend or did not ask during the webinar, just click to request your copies:

• Measurement Made Easy CD computer program
• What’s Working In Exhibiting White Paper
• Info on Skyline’s portable displays and modular inline exhibits
• Info on Skyline’s custom modular island exhibits

Thanks again for attending!

Your boss, and especially your boss’s boss, want you to measure your trade show ROI.  But with your longer B2B sales cycle, you won’t know the sales generated from each show for months, maybe years.  And that’s assuming you can get access to the sales data in the first place.

So here are 5 things you can measure during and right after your show.  Things that matter.  Things that will help you not only justify your program, but drastically improve it.  So if and when you finally do get actual sales numbers, they’ll be worth measuring.

1. Qualified Leads Per Show

Chances are you are already counting the number of leads you get at each show.  For example, at the XYZ show you got 100 leads, at the ZYX show you got 200 leads, and so on.  Raw lead counts are a starting point, but you can go one step beyond.  Train your trade show booth staff to consistently rate each lead for quality.

While there are varying methods to qualified leads, here’s one you can use, or adapt to your own needs:

• “A” Quality Leads:  Have budget, authority, need, and a short time frame to purchase.
• “B” Quality Leads: Have authority and a future need, but no approved budget.  Or, have a need, but no authority or budget.
• “C” Quality Leads: Have authority, but no need or budget.

You can choose to compare only “A” quality lead counts from show to show, or “A” and “B” quality lead counts from show to show.  This one step alone will enable you to better judge the value of each show on your schedule.  And you’ll have a better metric to judge a show right immediately after it’s over.  You can even go the next step and compare the number of qualified leads per dollar spent per show.

With this metric in hand, you can decide which shows to expand in and which to cut back on.  And of course, this only matters if your main goal is lead generation.

2. Number of Leads Per Staffer

You may think you know who your best booth staffers are just by looking at them.  They’re your friendliest people, who can chat with anybody, right?  But during the show you’ll be too busy running around your trade show display to notice they’re actually just chatting up their fellow booth staffers, or ingratiating themselves to the top company brass.  Or worse, they are not able to convert visitors into leads, because they simply don’t know enough about your clients’ needs or your products.  So what do you do?

To determine which staffers are your real stars, count how many leads they took each day.  That means you have to include a spot on your lead cards for staffers to put their name or initials.  (And be careful about two staffers with the same initials!)  If you don’t use a lead card, you still need to find a method to identify who took each lead.  Want to measure even closer?  Calculate how many leads each staffer takes per hour they staffed.

I’ve seen staffers who looked like wallflowers, yet took 400% more leads than other, more sociable staffers.  If you count every staffer’s total leads, you will then know which highly productive staffers to bring back for future shows.  And make a huge difference in your results.

It’s good to check written leads very early in the show to ensure each staffer is at least writing their name or initials on them.  Otherwise, after the show you have to become a handwriting expert!

3. Completeness of Leads

You want more than just quantity, you want quality.  So check your leads during the show to see if each booth staffer is writing complete leads.  Find a booth staffer who is just writing their name on the lead card?  Take them aside and show them what’s missing: Lead quality level, comments about what the visitor’s main problems are and how your products solve them, and what the staffer promised the booth visitor they’d do next.

Help your staffer see that if they invest an extra couple of minutes recording what the client said and what they promised the attendee, your field sales person will know which leads are truly worth following up right away, and which to nurture over time.

You can measure the completeness of your leads starting an hour or two into the show.  And it will boost your results so they are worth measuring.

4. Qualified Leads Per Booth Staffer Per Hour Worked

If you have done #1, #2 and #3, now you can also readily calculate this.  It’s the number of “A” or “A” and “B” leads a staffer takes on average per hour they staff your booth. This is like the slugging percentage in baseball that combines batting average and number of extra base hits into one statistic.  When you find staffers that take an above-average number of qualified leads per hour, show after show, make sure they’re on your varsity traveling booth staff team!

5. Ratio of Leads Generated By A Promotion Compared To That Promotion’s Percent of Your Show Budget

Trade show attendees only visit about 5% of the exhibits at a show.  Promotions are your secret weapon in the battle against limited time and other exhibitors.  You need promotions that incent attendees to leave the aisle, enter your booth, and engage with you.  But there are nearly infinite choices, some good and some bad.

At one show we gave away a free trip to Hawaii – quite an investment – but while the mailer and trip cost 10% of our show budget, 60% of our leads either brought the pre-show mailer about the trip into the booth, or were stopped by the offer in the aisle.  Spend 10% more to get 60% more leads?  Any day.  Calculate this ratio with all your promotions, and you’ll figure out which promos to repeat, and which to leave in your desk drawer.  All you need to do is identify which leads were initiated by the promotion.

Your efforts to measure your trade show results don’t have to be held hostage to your long sales cycle or an inaccessible sales database.   These 5 measurements will help you make immediate improvements in your trade show performance.

This article originally appeared on www.tsnn.com within the Thought Leader Blogs section.

Get serious about measuring your results.  Get the Measurement Made Easy CD, which contains 19 calculators, including #1 above.  You put in the data, and it calculates, stores, and even prints reports of the results.  Yours free by clicking here.

Skyline provides a lot of free training to exhibitors.  The question is, is it worth it for you to follow our advice?

We wanted to know, so we asked hundreds of exhibitors.  They told us, yes, yes, overwhelmingly yes!

Here are just 18 of the more than a hundred responses from exhibitors relating how they’ve boosted their trade show marketing effectiveness with the free trade show training we provide.  We hope this has been your experience, too, or will be in the months and years ahead as you continue to sharpen your trade show marketing with us.

Skyline Trade Show Marketing Seminars:

Started in 1988, several thousand exhibitors annually attend Skyline trade show marketing seminars in dozens of cities all through the year, covering topics like overall exhibiting skills, booth staffing, exhibit design, and more.

1. “We doubled our response and at the same time cut our expenses at a national gathering. This followed a Skyline seminar.  I know this is what helped us increase our return.” – Tim Deveney, Christian Foundation for Children and Aging

2. “I went to a Skyline seminar when I first started as a Trade Show Coordinator. It gave me all the basic information I needed to understand how the whole game works and filled me up with enthusiasm for the job.” – Lisa A. Schwind, Eden Foods, Inc.

3. “I learned most of what I know about trade show marketing from Skyline seminars. They are great, thank you.” – M. Turner. Peoria County

4. “Your seminar on Trade Show marketing was excellent.  It had real world actionable advice, strategies and useful facts.  I incorporated everything I could that would apply to my firm’s situation.  End result is that we were able to shift resources and increase return on the events we attended.” – Richard Littledale

5. “You have proved to be a valuable asset to our company for many years and I’m very much looking forward to your next seminar.” – Blake Adams, Graphic Artist / Webmaster at MaxLite

Skyline Exhibiting Trends White Papers:

Skyline has commissioned or sponsored 10 trade show white papers over the last 5 years, providing detailed research on exhibiting trends and best practices in a variety of areas.

6. “I’ve used many of your white papers. This year, the number of leads we got was 35% higher than last year. The quality of leads was also much improved!” – Renee Staul, West Penn Wire

7. “White papers on why to exhibit and value of exhibiting have been incredibly helpful over the past few years to draw a bigger audience and generate traffic.   We appreciate this service and find there is great value in the materials.” – Mindy, US Digital

8. “I love the white papers and I went to a training seminar which was great too!  The expert advice is always wonderful to read.” – Jocelyn Sacco, UGL Unicco

Skyline Trade Show Tips Newsletter and Blog:

Skyline has published Skyline Trade Show Tips, a monthly e-newsletter, since 2004, and has accelerated the pace of ideas, insight, and inspiration in a companion blog since 2009.

9. “I am the show manager our annual buying show and I use your trade show tips in my magazine continually to enlighten our readers and exhibitors. Thank you and please keep up the good work.” – Caren Kelly, WRLA

10. “Your tips are great!!!  Keep it up the industry needs more vendors like Skyline!!!” – Chris, Contemporary Design

11. “Love the articles that make me think.” – Doug VanderWoude,  DCV Advisors

12. “Yes, all correspondence from you has been helpful.  I copy and paste some articles in our company newsletter for our Reps working the conferences.  Great information.” – Cindi Guillot, Pamlab, LLC

Combo Plate:  Skyline Seminars, Blog, Newsletters, White Papers and Books:

Many exhibitors have used multiple training resources Skyline provides to put together a better trade show marketing program.

13. “Thank you for putting on the seminars and giving out the workbooks. Sure makes my job much easier!  I have dog-eared copies of the Trade Show Marketing Idea Kit and the Maximize your Trade Show ROI binder.  I use these resources for every show.  Maybe this is why our trade show budget was increased this year!” – Lisa Peterson, Federal Heath

14. “I love the fact that you offer so much more than just your display and that you provide the confidence to venture into this unknown area for us.  We are still deciding how to get started to include sourcing out shows but I feel much better about the idea now that I have had some insight on the dos and don’ts.” – Bev Weber, Logistics International

15. “When I first started coordinating trade shows for our company I knew next to nothing about trade show planning. Thanks to Skyline training I now have nearly 50 successful trade shows under my belt.” – Harold White, Sy-Klone International

16. “We’ve certainly used a lot of Skyline resources (seminars, newsletters, etc.) to refine our approach. We’ve seen more success and have a professional exhibit because of Skyline.” – Sara A. Richards, EMC Insurance Companies

17. “We use the Skyline book in all new-employee training.” – Kathleen Arnold

18. “You have really helped us in our prep for the show, who to bring what to train and how to measure.  It gave us a real chance by having the right people in place to make the connection.” – Stephen Vannelli, The Lakeland Companies

To all the exhibitors that answered our survey, thank you so much for letting us know it’s working for you.  It’s truly gratifying to hear how our efforts have helped you become more successful at driving real business results at trade shows.  We realize that when you succeed we succeed together.

There were several other questions on the survey.  Most of the over 750 survey respondents also shared a trade show tips of their own, so look for more insights from your fellow exhibitors over the following months to continue getting ideas that help you improve your results.  Five survey takers won a new iPod Shuffle:

• Erin Eller of Gusmer Enterprises
• Jill Stevens of Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising Program
• Tricia Smith of PCS Mobile
• Jenny Leichtfuss of Hoffmaster
• Lisa Jordan of Higher Ed Jobs

Congrats to the winners, and again, thank you for sharing your experiences and insights with our exhibiting community.

Our most popular white paper during the past year is What’s Working In Exhibiting, a 32-page guide to the best overall practices in exhibiting today.  Click here to get your free copy.

As an exhibit marketer, you’re bound to have issues.   So which issues are the most important?

Exhibit marketers picked the cost of trade show marketing most often when answering the question, “Which of the following are major issues for you?” for our new white paper, The Evolving Role of Exhibit Markers.  More than three-quarters (76.6%) agreed that it’s a major issue for them.

Exhibit marketers’ second major issue is getting better results from their trade show program (61.4%).  In third place, nearly half (45%) said having to do more with fewer people is a major issue for them.

Other major issues for exhibit marketers include Justifying trade show marketing to management (39.8%), Work/life balance (33.9%), and Depending on vendors I can’t control (22.2%).   (So, does that mean working late, double-checking on a vendor, to ensure you have a provably good show?)

Here’s how 171 exhibit marketers rank 8 major issues:

Two issues felt more by island trade show exhibitors

Larger exhibits are more complex and require interaction with more vendors and more internal team members.  Perhaps that’s why island exhibitors are two and a half times more likely than inline exhibitors to agree that “Depending on vendors I can’t control” is a major issue, and more than three times more likely to feel that “Getting multiple stakeholders to agree on direction” is a major issue.

Enduring Problems

Surprisingly, answers to exhibitor’s top two issues were already detailed in Skyline’s previous two white papers:

• Exhibitors revealed in The Trend To Custom Modular Exhibits that their main concerns with high exhibiting costs were show labor, drayage, material and design, and transportation costs.
• Exhibitors also told us last year for our What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper that they best improved their results with pre-show marketing, better show and space selection, exhibit design, and lead management.

Well, no one said exhibit marketing would be easy.  So for the 19.3% that answered that learning the skills to exhibit well is a major issue, we dedicated this blog to you.

Learn more about how exhibit marketers like you have adapted to today’s changes by getting your own copy of The Evolving Role Of Exhibit Marketers, the new 36-page White Paper from Skyline Exhibits and Tradeshow Week Magazine. Get your free copy by clicking here now.

Skyline hosted the webinar called “10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Exhibiting.”  We most recently gave this webinar in April, 2011.

A big thank you to all the attendees for their interaction during the events.  Both Bill Lauf, my co-presenter, and I were grateful for the number and quality of the attendee questions.  We may answer a few of those questions again as posts in this blog.

As promised, here is a link to the seminar presentation.

During the seminar we offered several items.  Click to request your copies:

• Measurement Made Easy CD, Trade Show and Event Calculator
• What’s Working In Exhibiting White Paper
• Info on Skyline’s portable displays and modular inline exhibits
• Info on Skyline’s custom modular island exhibits
• Sample trade show lead card (just ask for the lead card)

Thanks again for attending!

Here are 16 tips based on what I’ve learned as a veteran trade show manager who knows (and loves) working on both the client and vendor sides of the fence.

Before the Trade Show: Plan, Plan, Plan

1. Budget methodically:  Create a budget allocation worksheet for every show. Use it as a task-management checklist. If you don’t have a template, get one from your exhibit house.
2. Set objectives: One sure-fire approach is to align trade show goals with existing corporate goals. Make sure your objectives are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely).  Limit the number of goals to narrow your focus and improve chances for success.
3. Streamline logistics: Add hours to your day with logistics and inventory management software (check out www.ExhibitForce.com). Some exhibit companies provide this tool to customers for free.
4. Facilitate selling: Work closely with the sales team to find out what’s needed for in-booth appointments.  A private meeting area?  A photocopier?  A laptop with appointment-scheduling software?  Ship any necessary documents (e.g. contracts) and carry a thumb drive as backup.
5. Design simply: Your exhibit should boldly and clearly communicate who you are, what you sell and why prospects should buy from you.  The keys to attracting traffic and creating a lasting impression are to use eye-catching images and short, compelling messages.
6. Use lightweight materials: Everyone knows large, heavy items are costly to ship.  This is also true for your trade show exhibit.       If you’re still shipping a heavy dinosaur of an exhibit, calculate annual drayage, shipping and storage costs.  These costs are slashed by switching to lighter, modular materials and fabrics that pack into fewer, lighter crates.  Apply savings to additional shows or directly to the bottom line.
7. Go modular: Custom modular booths create a multifunctional pool of inventory that can be reconfigured into multiple shapes and sizes.  One booth can service many industries, divisions, product lines and footprints.
8. Leverage social media: Social media websites like Twitter, WordPress, Facebook and LinkedIn offer unbelievable potential to drive qualified booth attendance.  Start small – but start.
9. Design a standard lead form: A short, simple survey is all you need to prequalify leads.  The trick is to apply the same survey across the board.  Standard questions enable the ability to merge and sort data, analyze statistics and draw conclusions.
10. Manage lead distribution: Determine where the “leads list” will be stored, how and to whom leads will be distributed, and how they will be actioned.  With only 21 percent of trade show inquiries actually pursued (www.ceir.org), chances are your competitors are NOT following up – which is your golden opportunity.

At the Trade Show: Execute Well

11. Self-reflect: What are you doing right and wrong at trade shows?  Write down the top five things you do well and the five things you most need to improve.  Think back to the moments of frustration and insight you had during the course of the year and turn those insights into a plan.
12. Huddle every morning: An hour before the show, quarterback the pre-show staff meeting.  Be highly detailed; set realistic goals for the day.  Review key messages and talking points.  Institute a competition to reward staffers for the most leads collected (qualified leads, that is).  Collect cell phones and store them safely.
13. Huddle every afternoon: After the show, spend 10 minutes debriefing.  Distribute hot leads.  See what worked well (or poorly) during the day.  Announce the lead collection winner.  Identify necessary adjustments for the next day.
14. Ensure timely follow-up: If you collect e-mail addresses, use Web-based tools like Constant Contact or Exact Target to send thank you notes right from the show floor.  While personal contact by a salesperson is mandatory, be a brand ambassador and close the loop quickly.

After the Trade Show: Measure and React

15. Post-show report: Create a standard format.  Be diligent about completing a report for every show.  One client told us, “We write a show report after every event including photos, costs, attending staff, lead quantity, competitors, etc.  The report serves as next year’s plan and provides metrics for comparison.”
16. Measure performance: Many metrics can be measured: Media coverage, brand awareness, competitive activity.  What’s paramount, however, is filling the sales pipeline with qualified leads, of which a percentage will convert into revenue.  Obsess over results.  Adjust where you can.  If you don’t have a written trade show plan, develop one now (get help if necessary).  Lead management doesn’t have to be complicated or costly, and the rewards can be monumental.

While I certainly hope these tips enhance your company’s success, I also hope they improve your own quality of life at work, at home and on the road.

You can get almost 100 more exhibiting tips from fellow trade show marketers like you in the 32-page What’s Working In Exhibiting White Paper. Click here to get your copy and learn more ways to improve your results and stretch your budget.

The Value Of Trade Shows Increases With A Plan
Business-to-business marketers actually invest more money on trade shows than any other marketing medium.  That’s because trade shows give greater access and influence on buyers that cannot be replicated in anywhere else.

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) revealed the following about trade shows:

• 88% of attendees have not been seen by a member of your company’s sales staff in the preceding 12 months
• Seven out of ten attendees plan to buy one or more products
• 76% asked for quotes and 26% signed purchase orders (average all shows)
• 72% of show visitors say the show influenced their buying decision
• 87% of attendees will share some of the information obtained at an exhibition
• 64% of attendees tell at least 6 other people about the event
• 58% attend only the show in which you are exhibiting
• 40% are first-time attendees
• It costs 22% less to contact a potential buyer at a show than it does through traditional field sales calls

However, while trade shows are worthwhile, they are not easy.  To get the most out of trade shows, exhibit marketers set measurable objectives, pick good shows, design effective exhibits, and more.  Read on to discover the main elements of a successful trade show marketing program.

1.  Setting Objectives and Measurable Results
The first step in planning your trade show success is to set effective and realistic trade show objectives and measurements for them.  Effectively planning your show’s objectives allows the rest of your show to fall into place.  Choosing the right measurement tools enables you to draw the correct conclusions following your trade show performance. 

The first question to ask is the most basic:  Why are you exhibiting?  While most go to generate leads and build awareness of their brand or products, many also exhibit to build relationships or introduce new products.

Once you know the reason you are exhibiting, set objectives based on them that you can measure – and then measure and report them.  Measurable objectives range from simple lead counts (200 leads at the XYZ Show) to Return On Investment goals (Generate $10 in sales for every $1 spent exhibiting at the XYZ Show). 

2.  Budgeting: Planning saves you time and money
Exhibiting can be complex.  A large part of that challenge is identifying how much to budget for related services.  The easiest way to estimate your overall budget for exhibiting at a show is to take the cost to rent the exhibit space, and multiply it by three.  So if renting a 10 foot by 10 foot exhibit at a show costs $2,000, then the overall show costs are usually about $6,000.

The biggest expenditures after booth space is staffer’s travel, hotel, and meal costs, show services such as installation and dismantle, the cost to build or rent your exhibit, and shipping. 

A large portion of show services costs is called drayage, which is the cost to bring your exhibit and crates from outside the show hall to your exhibit space.  Sometimes it can even be as expensive as the cost to ship your exhibit from your city to the show.  The trend for exhibitors is towards lighter weight, more custom modular exhibits that lower costs like shipping and drayage. 

Planning avoids rush charges and lets you figure out how to do the most shows with the fewest exhibit properties.

3.  Select The Right Trade Shows
With over 13,000 trade shows, conferences, expositions, private and business-to-business events in North America, featuring 1.5 million exhibiting companies vying for the attention of over 80 million attendees, it can be daunting to select where your efforts are best spent. However, there is a method to help you find the best opportunities to market your organization at trade shows.

To start, select the shows you want to exhibit at only after you have set your trade show objectives.  Then dig in to do some serious background research.  The best bet is to look at the trade shows in your industry and carefully weigh the options.  Talk to your fellow employees — what shows have worked in the past?  Where do sales people see the customer’s needs leaning?  Look at who is going to be there.  Talk to your current and prospective customers — is this a show they will be attending?  While you may exhibit well at your large industry show, also consider smaller shows that have a higher proportion of people likely to be interested in your products or services.  You can find shows online to pick from at www.tsnn.com.  Also consider exhibiting internationally.

4.  Space Selection: Where and How Big?
The average trade show has over 400 exhibitors, so how do you choose the best booth space for you?  Most shows give space-picking priority to the exhibitors who have been with them the longest.  Yet some studies have found that where you are in the show hall has no effect on the amount of audience you receive to your booth.  For every veteran exhibitor that requires a space in the center of the action, or at the front entrance to the hall, or near their biggest competitor, there are veteran exhibitors who flee from the same locations.  All the same, the size of your booth space is a very important decision, where you must weigh the need to stand out from your competitors with a large booth, and yet having enough budget to exhibit at all the worthwhile shows for your company.

5.  Trade Show Exhibit Design:  Make Your Exhibit a Marketing Tool
Why does exhibit design matter?  Because well-designed trade show booths are so effective at cutting through the trade show clutter and getting your message to your target audience.  The average trade show attendee will spend 7 to 8 hours on the floor over a period of 2 to 3 days visiting an average of 25-31 exhibits.  This leaves 5 to 15 minutes per visit – just 5 to 15 minutes to make a lasting impression that will give you an edge over the competition.

Create an exhibit that works as a true marketing tool.  Make sure your exhibit graphics say who you are, what you do, and what is your benefit to prospects.  When you state those clearly, and with bold inviting graphics, you’ll bring in more visitors – and more qualified visitors.

Your exhibit is more than a three-dimensional ad.  It’s actually a temporary workspace, filled with booth staffers there for hours or days, and visitors there for just a few minutes.  Increase productivity by giving them enough space to work in, and by designing around their needs, be it for gathering leads, demonstrating product, meeting with key people, or storing their personal items.

6.  Get More Traffic With Trade Show Promotions
Trade show promotions are the secret weapon of the veteran trade show manager.  That’s because, when done right, trade show promotions work so well.

Consider these two items:

1. The average trade show has over 400 exhibitors, where the average attendee will visit about 21 exhibits, and that average attendee walks into the show with a list of 75% of the exhibits he/she wants to see. That means you have to get on their dance card before the show.
2. You can boost your trade show lead counts by 33% with trade show promotions – even thought they require a much smaller percentage of your budget.

So, trade show promotions are money well spent.  Pre-show promotions are the things you do before the show to make attendees want to visit your booth.  At-show promotions are the activities and trade show giveaway items you do during the show to bring in more attendees into your exhibit. 

Just be sure to pick promotions that bring in your desired target audience, not just anyone at the show.  And don’t just give things away – get information about prospects in exchange that will help you qualify and prioritize your leads.

7.  Train Your Booth Staff So They’re Comfortable At Shows
85% of the positive feelings visitors have are due to the staff.  Your booth staff is responsible for drawing in your customers, effectively engaging them and creating leads.  Because of this, it is important that you select the most effective staffers that your company has to offer.  If they are sales people, you have to train them to adapt their selling style to the trade show floor.  If they are not salespeople, guess what – they can still do extremely well, given the proper preparation.

Trade show staffing is uncomfortable for almost everyone at first.  You will give your booth staffer greater comfort and confidence by training them to understand and follow a 4-step booth staffing process:

1. Engage: 30 seconds
Start the process by stopping attendees.  Prepare and practice questions that won’t get a yes or no answer.

2. Qualify: 2 minutes
Determine if the prospect is worth presenting to … and what to present.

3. Present: 5 to 8 minutes
Demo on just the prospect’s needs, not everything you know. Prepare for common objections and questions.

4. Close: 1 minute
Lead card complete? Agree on the next step and go on to the next lead!

8.  Lead Management, Not Lead Neglect
Astoundingly, almost 80% of leads generated are never followed, according to CEIR.  Rather than sending your hard-fought trade show leads into the abyss, strive to be part of the elite 20% that actually follow up on their leads!  We’ve heard horror stories of exhibits pulled out of storage to prepare for a show – only to find the leads from the previous show still packed with their trade show booth.  What a tragedy! 

Rather than just sending a business card from the prospect on to your field sales reps, provide and train your staffers to use a lead card.  It’s a half sheet of paper that has check boxes to the most common qualifying questions, and room for notes about what the attendee said in your booth.  Your sales reps will be much more likely to follow up on a lead when they know what to say, and that it’s worth the call. 

Also, think of your first day back from the show as the last day of the show.  Have your lead fulfillment packages prepared ahead of time, so you can send your responses right away. 

9.  Measuring Results Improves Future Performance
Once you return from a trade show it is important to measure its success.  Why?  Because while trade shows are a great marketing medium, you still have to prove the value of your individual program.  This information can be used to report to management the effectiveness of the show and to improve exhibit performance for future shows.  Success can be measured by simple lead counts, or better yet, by the return on investment, or whatever objectives you set when you started your trade show program.  

By tracking your results from show to show, you can make informed decisions about which shows to continue, expand, contract, or cut.  And when you are armed with data proving the value of your overall trade show program, you can maintain – and even expand – your trade show marketing efforts.

Step Up Your Trade Show Marketing
That’s a lot of ground to cover in just one blog post.  But it’s a good plan to strengthen your trade show marketing, all in one place.  I hope it helps you boost your results out of trade shows, whether you are looking for more leads, better relationships, a stronger brand, or simply sales, sales, sales.  As always, share your thoughts in the comment box below.

Want more ways to improve your trade show marketing?  Click here to get your free 32-page What’s Working In Trade Show Marketing White Paper to give you insights into proven methods for boosting your results and stretching your budget.

2009, your end is near, and it can’t come soon enough.  Well, maybe.

While 2009 was a harsh year for trade shows, it was also a prize-worthy year for the wealth of trade show training via social media.  This blog was no exception, with over 50,000 article views this year.  So, which posts did readers like best?   

Your fellow readers awarded the winners with their clicks to choose the top 9 articles listed below.  I hope you find some valuable insights that help make your 2010 trade show marketing better than the rough 2009 we leave behind!                          

10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started In Marketing
I was asked to speak to a college marketing club about marketing careers. So I shared these 10 things I wish I had known over 20 years ago before I began my marketing career.  Useful insights for trade show marketers and more.  Click here to read article > >

10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Exhibiting At Trade Shows
There are lots of new things to learn when you begin your trade show career.  These 10 things are perhaps the most important lessons I’ve learned along the way, and certainly the first things I’d tell a trade show rookie.  Click here to read article > >

22 Reasons To Exhibit At Trade Shows
While trade shows are not easy, they are worth doing. Without succumbing to the temptation of a Google search, I came up with these 22 reasons to exhibit.  There are ideas for Sales, Marketing, and Executive Management.  Click here to read article > >

10 More Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Exhibiting At Trade Shows
Because of the strong reaction to my first 10 things, I dug a little deeper and came up with 10 MORE things I wished I knew before I started exhibiting at trade shows.  They say the secret to success is to learn from other people’s mistakes, so learn from mine.  Click here to read article > >

5 Successful Exhibiting Tips for a Down Economy
Evolve your trade show program to thrive in the down economy with these 5 ways to successful exhibiting, with some help from Mark Twain and the Miami Dolphins.    Read article here now.

5 Steps To Trade Show Success
Are you searching for ways to increase the return on your trade show investment?  Perhaps all you need is a plan. Here are 5 steps you can take to boost your trade show ROI.  Click here to read article > >

Hey Booth Staffers, Want My Lead?  Treat Me Right!
High-tech blogger Brian Sommer revealed what 5 things booth staffers would have to do to earn his business at the various trade shows he attended this fall.  It’s an excellent primer on booth staffing, and even selling in general.  Read more about what you can do to be a better booth staffer here.

5 Places To Look For Trade Show Display Ideas
Open up your eyes and get inspired for great trade show display ideas.  Look in these 5 places where purpose-driven design, fast communication, and large format graphics are commonly found. Click here to read article > >

Be Ready When The Trade Show Opens: 6 Pitfalls To Avoid
Ever have the trade show open before you were ready for it?  Click here to read about the 6 perennial speed bumps and what are the best ways to overcome these obstacles and be ready at the opening bell.

Many thanks to my fellow Skyline Trade Show Tips blog writers Mike Mraz, Michael Flavin, Mark Armbrust, Jim Cummings, Kelley Pollock, and David Brull.  We look forward to more insights and ideas in 2010.