If you are entering the trade show arena for the first time, and you have been assigned the task of purchasing a new exhibit, then I would like to offer you some helpful, yet counter-intuitive advice prior to determining your purchasing budget.

Many people often make the mistake of purchasing just one main exhibit for all their events ‘to save money,’ when actually purchasing at least two or more exhibits may be the most cost effective route to take.  I know, you’re saying to yourself, “Of course that’s what you would say! You sell trade show exhibits!” Well, I promise you this is good advice!

Take these 3 steps to see if you need more than one trade show display:

• First, rate your shows according to importance.  This may be determined by a number of factors that only you and your company can identify.  For starters, create two tiers – primary for your most important shows and secondary for your other events.
• Second, rate your shows according to the length of the show by number of days.  Maybe you have several one day events or even a couple of targeted shows that may only be a couple of hours in length and the cost of sending in the big guns just isn’t justifiable.
• Third, identify conflicting show schedules and dates.  If you have an event on the east coast that ends on a Tuesday and your next event is the following Thursday on the west coast, make a note of it.

What you learn from this exercise may surprise you.  Say you have your most important show and you obviously are planning on having your primary exhibit on display.  Well, your next event is a second tier show and it happens to be only a day or two after your main event – and it is a thousand miles away!  The operating costs associated with transporting your main exhibit from point A to point B may well exceed any perceived value you were hoping to recoup from attending this event in the first place.  Perhaps a smaller, simpler exhibit can be shipped to the lower tier event in pace of the main one – and at a less accelerated and costly rate.  You may find that the cost of a secondary exhibit alone may be far less than just the operating costs you would have incurred from rushing your large exhibit across the country.

So you get the point. This is just a helpful suggestion to conduct an exercise of this sort to help you plan your show schedule and determine a purchase budget for ALL of your exhibit needs.  You’re well on your way to successful exhibiting!

Whether you need one display or several, see many examples of both modular inline exhibits and portable displays by clicking here to request Skyline’s Inline Displays Brochure.  

Do you believe your company can get more bang for its trade show marketing dollars if you employed a different strategy?  If so, the next step is to convince your boss that you need a new approach.  But be warned; no one is going to be at all interested in hearing that there is a problem with the status quo unless you are able to present an alternative.  Here are some steps you can take to make certain you find the best strategy for your next show.

Analyze Your Choice of Shows 

One major factor of an effective marketing strategy is choosing the best trade shows that attract your target audience.  What kind of trade shows has your company attended in the past?  Do you market in industry-specific shows, general shows or a combination of both?  Gather the statistical data from the events you have attended and see which shows have been most effective in garnering new business.  Part of your strategy may include recommendations regarding increasing or changing your venues.

Scope out the Competition

The next step is to find out what your competition is doing.  The goal is not to imitate, but to determine what the current presentation trends are and which ones draw the largest crowds.  Spend some time visiting the trade show booths that command the most interest and analyze their strategies.  Do they use interactive media?  What kind of lighting is employed?  Is there a video feed?  How are their graphics arranged and displayed?  Do they have demonstrations or is product available for the customers to handle?  Are these booths run by a single vendor or are they a co-op between complimentary businesses?  Take notes and look for any factors these booths have in common.

Apply the Data 

After you have gathered your information apply the concepts and techniques you have observed to your particular company and products.  Try to employ strategies that will reach your visitors through sight, sound and touch if possible.  Map a layout of your proposed trade show display and make drafts of any new handouts, graphics, or other marketing materials.

Prepare a Budget & Project Payoff

Every company has limits on marketing funds, and your new strategy will not make it off the boss’s desk if it cannot be accomplished within the budget constraints with higher results.  Find out how much money is available and then determine how to project results.  Take all of this data and put it into a business proposal format.  Present the new strategy along with the reasons why they changes will improve the visibility and effectiveness of your trade show exhibits.  This information, combined with a workable budget, should be all of the persuasion you need!

A new strategy is one way to revamp your trade show marketing.  For more tips and ideas on how to boost your results and stretch your budgets pick up the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper.  To request your free copy, click here.

There are aspects of the trade show floor that can make it seem like a battlefield: competitors face off across battle lines (aisles), weapons (new products) are launched to capture market share, and soldiers (booth staffers) battle to win clients from one another.

So how battle-tested are you?  Take this quiz and count up the points to see just how many skirmishes you’ve faced on the trade show floor – and how you handled yourself amidst the fog of war.

• Number of years of trade show experience:  +1 point per year, up to 10 points
• If any of those years you did more than 10 shows a year: +1 for each year, up to 10 points
• Exhibited at an international show across the ocean:  +5

• At a show your booth did not show up in time: +3
• You also found a substitute display: +2
• You also did not shout at anyone the whole time:  +2

• You’ve had booth staffers show up late: +1
• You’ve had booth staffers show up hung over: +1
• You’ve had booth staffers not show up at all: +1
• You’ve led a pre-show meeting with booth staffers who were senior to your title: +2
• You had to booth staff with the CEO:  +4
• The CEO complimented you on a job well done:  +6
• You identified a competitor pretending to be a customer in your booth: +3
• You got good competitive intelligence out of the competitor yourself:  +5
• You’ve had an angry client visit your booth:  +2
• You turned them around and made them happy again: +5

• Your promotional products vendor made a production or shipping mistake so you had no giveaways at a show:  +2
• You found an equivalent substitute and got them to the show on time: +4

• You’ve bought new banner stands: +1
• You’ve managed the design and build of a new 10 foot display: +2
• You’ve managed the design and build of a new 20 foot display: +4
• You’ve managed the design and build of a new small island exhibit: +6
• You’ve managed the design and build of a new 20 x 30 island booth or larger: +10

• You’ve had a show cancel after you paid for space: +2
• You’ve had a show cancel after you paid for space, and you got your money back: +5
• You’ve run out of lead cards at a show: +2
• Your graphics arrived at show with a typo:  +1
• You fixed the typo without anyone noticing: +3
• You’ve been at a trade show when a natural disaster struck locally: +7

• You have successfully defended your trade show budget by measuring and reporting profitable trade show results: +8
• You convinced senior management to exhibit at new trade shows that better matched your target audience and objectives: +5

As you can see, you score even more points when, in the face of trade show troubles, you overcome them with adaptability, ingenuity, and an eye on results.  Because trade shows can be unpredictable, you need to be able to handle the inevitable problems that come up.

Score Yourself!

If you scored 0 to 10 points: Rookie! You’re so new to trade shows that the laborers must have just ripped the shrink wrap off of you.  No worries, you’ve got the right idea learning as you go.

If you scored 10 to 35 points: You’re no longer wet behind the ears.  You’ve seen some action and have a few scars to prove it.

If you scored 35 to 60 points: You know your way around the show hall, and have plenty of notches in your display shipping case handle.

If you scored 60 points or above:  We salute you, O Battle-Scarred Trade Show Veteran! You have earned your stripes and have many stories to tell.  How about you share one of your war stories in the comments box below?  And if you’re brave enough, tell us your score, too!

After thinking about everything that goes wrong at a trade show, read about a few things that can go right in the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper.  Request your free, 32-page copy by clicking here.

To master the deadline-driven world of trade shows depends on great planning.

Yet all too often, important marketing planning gets overshadowed by urgent logistics planning.  Because of the flood of deadlines, we get more distracted by the “what to do” rather than the “why to do” it.

Yet it’s just as essential to plan marketing things.  Things such as your goals for the show, your marketing messages for your graphics and staffers, and creating a promotional campaign that will get more of the right people to your booth.

Here are some ideas for your plan, either for a single show or for your entire program.  Marketing and logistics steps are mixed together, as you need to do both to truly succeed.

6 months out:

• Review Past Objectives: Evaluate previous year’s shows to see how many leads converted to sales, and your marketing return on investment.  If you set different objectives, measure return on those objectives.
• Set New Objectives: Set your top 2 or 3 objectives for your next year’s trade show program.

5 months out:

• Set Budget: Adjust your budget based on what worked last year, your current financial state, objectives, and opportunities.
• Select Shows and Booth Spaces: Evaluate your show schedule to determine which shows have the best match with your target market for the best value, and pick the spaces you will take in those shows (if you have not already reserved space).
• Evaluate Exhibit: Review your current tradeshow display: If it still will help you achieve your new marketing objectives, keep it.  If not, start researching new exhibit builders.  For a larger exhibit, start 6 or more months out.  For a small display or banner stands, start 2 months before the show.

4 months out:

• Pick Booth Staffers: Review last year’s qualified lead counts by booth staffer to identify the staffers you want at your upcoming shows.  Contact their managers to ask if they can attend.  Ask your best booth staffers who else they would recommend.
• Research Technology: Consider how you can integrate technology into your exhibit to help get more attention, tell your story, and facilitate better conversations between attendees and booth staffers.
• Invite Exhibit Builders: If building a new trade show booth, set appointments to meet with 3 exhibit builders, and give them access to your key marketing decision-makers.

3 months out:

• Review the “Show Book” – the book or webpage from the show with all the forms for ordering services.  Find the forms for services you need, and create a master list of all the deadlines to order and still get the discount rates.  Start earlier if the show provides it earlier.
• Create Promotions: Brainstorm ideas for pre-show and at-show promotions that will help bring in a greater number of qualified leads into your booth, plus help your booth staffers to engage attendees.

Two months out:

• Choose Staffers: Finalize your booth staff choices.
• Arrange Travel: Book hotels and flights for booth staffers before rates go up.
• Order Services: Order any show services you need according to your list from the show book.
• Choose Your Exhibit Builder: Award the new build, and then continue to quickly and thoughtfully respond to their questions and requests for graphics art to ensure timely completion of your new exhibit.
• Order Promotions: Select and order any promotional items you will be mailing pre-show.  Some can take only a few days, some can take over a month, depending where they are made and imprinted.
• Order Uniforms: If you are providing shirts, pants, and more for your booth staffers to wear, order them now.

One month out:

• Send Promos: Send the first wave of your pre-show promotion campaign.
• Train staffers, Part 1: Set up first booth staffing meeting, to train them on your main client profiles and your products.
• Order More Services: Order any final show services you need from the show book.
• Order At-Show Promos: Select and order any promotional items you will be giving away at the show, and have them shipped to the show (with a sample overnighted to you).
• Ship Exhibit: Ship your new exhibit to advanced warehouse, getting it out the door soon enough to save on shipping.

Two weeks out:

• Train Staffers, Part 2: Hold your second booth staffing meeting, to review the booth staffing process and info about your new exhibit, your promotions, technology in the booth, the convention city, and the show hall.
• Send More Promos: Send the second wave of your pre-show promotion campaign (if by snail mail, mail first class rather than by standard/bulk rate, or they may arrive after the show!)
• Ship Staffer Supplies: Ship a tub with all the supplies you’ll need in your booth for staffers, such as pens, clipboards, staplers, staples, water bottles, snacks, mints and wipes.

One week out:

• Prepare Lead Fulfillment: Create and gather your post-show lead fulfillment packets, and assign the team that will process the leads
• Verify Exhibit Arrival: Ensure your exhibit has arrived at the show
• Collect Documents and Backup: Prepare and pack a master book or data file with all your at-show contacts including your booth staffers, exhibit house, and local show city vendors such as I&D to carry with you to the show.  Include art files for your graphics.
• Verify Staffers: Check in with all booth staffers that they are still all set to attend the show; get a substitute if needed.
• Love Your Loved Ones: Be extra nice to your family and friends because you won’t be there soon.

At the show:

• Be Your Best: Be brilliant, calm, hard-working, lighthearted, and creative.
• Make It Happen: Execute your plans for booth staffing, at-show promotions, lead management, and booth logistics.

After the show:

• Come Home: Give your family and friends souvenirs from the trip, preferably chocolate.
• Say Thank You: Thank your booth staffers and vendors.
• Fulfill Your Leads: Get promised packets out, and the leads into the hands of your sales force.  Then keep checking on lead follow up.
• Check Costs: Review your actual expenditures against your planned costs to see if you are still on-budget, and the reasons if not on budget.
• Measure and Analyze: Measure if you met your objectives, and figure out what went right and what can be improved.
• Report Results: Let management know how well you met your show objectives, what worked, and what could be improved upon.

Give yourself the opportunity to succeed.  Take the time to create a solid plan, then work the plan you created, covering both logistics and marketing activities.

Want to learn more about both trade show marketing and logistics?  Click here to get your free copy of the 32-page What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper, which shares best practices from over 170 exhibitors.

I get to work with an array of clients from a wide variety of industries each of them providing their own marketing savvy and objectives for their sales and marketing teams. Nearly all of these projects really are a lot of fun to work on and it’s exciting to see the evolution of a project from the initial discovery meetings to delivery of their new trade show display.  But what would my ideal trade show client look like?

Cue dream sequence music…

1)  My ideal client is not afraid to take a few risks.  Stay a step ahead of your competition.  Instead of following the trends, create the trends.  Be the trade show marketer that keeps us wondering, “What will they do next?”  Be a model of innovation not complacency.  Innovation in products and services as well as exhibit design and marketing will make your clients take notice.

2)  My ideal client would have a large schedule of 100-150 shows a year, with sizes of displays varying from 10 foot displays to island exhibits.  Appreciates the quality, innovation, modularity, and portability of Skyline’s products.  Understands that we are partners with your in-house team.  Hey, it’s my dream!

3)  Has a vision (and a budget) to implement the technologies that add life and wow factor.  So many great ways to add video/hybrid technology, mobile marketing/QR codes, digital signage, and social media.  Utilizes these tools to help drive traffic and help create a buzz around your next event.

4)  Comprehends the concept of having a plan and working that plan. You can have the sharpest looking booth at the show but if you haven’t set the proper expectations for your team you’ve exhausted a lot of time, effort, and money.  It’s up to you to hold the team accountable to get the results that you expect from trade show marketing.  Before you are quick to dismiss your participation in a show or trade shows altogether, take a good hard, honest look at your own team.

5)  My ideal trade show client also understands that even the best laid plans can still result in failure.  There are so many logistics and so many people involved in the entire process that mistakes are inevitable.  Be prepared with a “Plan B,” and learn to not sweat the small stuff.  It may be hard to do at the time but don’t let the little setbacks get the best of you.

6)  Oh, and did I mention that infinite trade show marketing budget that spoils me with all of those luxuries, allows me to retire early, play golf when I want, and……………

Reggie, Reg, Reggie, wake up!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah, who am I kidding?!?!  Maybe someday!  Well, it was fun while it lasted!

Okay, trade show marketers, what dreams to you have for your trade show marketing program?  What have you been itching to try but haven’t been able to yet?  Fellow consultants and event professionals, what do you look for in your ideal client?

The ideal trade show client also understands how valuable trade shows are, and strives to prove their value to upper management.  Such ideal trade show clients would want a copy of the new 24-page white paper, The Value of Trade Shows, yours free just by clicking here.

Planning for a trade show doesn’t mean that you have to become a nervous wreck for months.  Even if you’re new to the industry, you can have a successful, scare-free show experience.

As a consultant for hundreds of newbie and veteran trade show exhibitors, I hear myself giving certain suggestions quite often.

Here’s a short list of simple, yet very important tips that you may want to consider during your trade show planning:

1. Be aware of show form deadlines. Double-check deadlines just to be safe that you do not miss anything.  Missing a deadline can sometimes double certain costs!
2. Pay attention to show rules and regulations. Make sure that you not only read the rules and regulations carefully, but that you also understand them.  Is your tradeshow exhibit breaking height or self-setup regulations?  Remember, these can change with the city, venue, show contractor, as well as booth size.
3. Make sure your crates stand out. Decorating your crates makes them easier to find if misplaced.  (Yes, this can happen even when you do everything correctly!)  You can paint your crates, add colored tape, or sometimes a simple piece of ribbon might save you hours of searching for a big dark crate among thousands of other big dark crates.
4. Remember to consolidate your shipments. With each shipment, most trade show contractors will charge minimums on drayage.  With an average rate of $78 per 100 pounds, and minimum weight per shipment at 200 pounds, that’s over $150 just to bring in one shipment!  By consolidating your shipments you will minimize unnecessary drayage costs.
5. Ship to the advanced warehouse. Shipping to the advanced warehouse will give you peace of mind that your exhibit will be in your booth space the first day for set-up.  Shipping direct to the show site can have you waiting during valuable set-up hours and nervous about your shipment’s location.  It’s also a good idea to keep tabs on your shipments with tracking numbers and piece counts.
6. Prepare backup and duplicates for all Audio Visual presentations. When you have already spent the time and money on your electronic equipment, cases, shipping, drayage, and set up, the last thing you want to do is end up with a blank screen.  That space that was strategically integrated into the exhibit layout now is empty and the well-planned reformatted sales process now must be altered at the last minute!  There may be a person back at the office to send the presentation.  But, if it’s not a small file, uploading or overnight mailing is only going to add stress to an already hectic day.  Be smart, load up an extra flash drive and relax.
7. Bring confirmation of all show form orders should a mistake occur.  It’s also smart to send your I&D team copies of show forms.  Most good I&D companies will check them to make sure that all requests have been met.  If something is incomplete, they will know where to go and how to get it done quickly.
8. Do not tear down your booth early. Not only will some shows penalize you for doing this, but you could also lose out on the opportunity to talk with prospects or other exhibitors at the show.

Get more planning and logistic tips with The Trade Show Marketing Idea Kit, 75 pages of checklists, worksheets, timelines, and articles.  Request your free copy by clicking here.

In the midst of a recent freight issue between a show decorator and one of my clients, I realized the importance of photo documentation. 

Our office institutes what we call a “snapshot program.”  The program insures that we have photo documentation of various stages within the pre-, at-, and post-show process, allowing us to provide a clearer overall story even when items are not directly in our possession and control.  While I strongly recommend hiring a service team to handle installation/dismantle and freight for your event, I understand that not all exhibitors require pre-show prep, installation & dismantle services, etc…based on exhibit size and materials as well as available budget.

When freight is damaged, lost, etc… everyone begins the blame game and the exhibitor and their exhibit house tend to end up with the short end of the stick.  Don’t let this happen to you; show up to the table with a couple ACES in your hand!

Below are 5 important FREIGHT photographs that I recommend you take for every event:

Exhibitor “SnapShot” Program:

1. Prior to shipping your trade show exhibit, take a photograph of the contents of the shipping cases.
This photograph allows you to not only account for the items within the shipping case, it also will allow you to see if the cases have been handled poorly or tipped during shipping.

2. Prior to shipping your exhibit, wrap the case (especially where the lid closes) with shrink-wrap and snap a picture.
This photograph allows you to know whether the case has been opened or tampered with from the time it leaves your shipping dock to the time it arrives at your booth space.

3. Upon arrival at the exhibit space, prior to installation, photograph the items in the shipment.
Photograph the cases both unopened and with the lids open to document piece count and the condition of the assets.  By comparing these photos with the ones taken prior to shipping the items to the show, you will be able to see if mishandling or tampering occurred during the time you were not in possession of your assets.

4. At conclusion of dismantle and packing of exhibit items, photograph the items packed in the cases (as described in photograph 1) as well as the cases once closed, labeled, and secured with shrink-wrap (as described in photograph 2).

5. Snap a picture of the cases upon delivery to your facility after the show, both closed and open.

Freight carriers and show decorators are not used to receiving photo documentation to this degree; therefore, they are more likely to straighten up and listen to the issue you are working through.  Taking control of your assets will help others begin to take responsibility!

Learn more ins and outs of the trade show world with the 75- page Trade Show Marketing Idea Kit.  The Kit covers setting objectives to lead management, and everything in between.  Click here now to get your free copy.

My colleague said to me the other day what a great reality TV show there could be based on trade shows.  What a great idea!

Just imagine: The team is pulled together from every walk of life.  There are the veteran show goers, the yuppies, the newbies, the professionals and the trades.  The old, the young and the in-between.  Each episode they are faced with a bizarre set of circumstances which tests everything from their patience to their friendships. 

The Challenges

• There have been cutbacks.  The team is given a limited budget, way too much to do in ½ the time needed to do it and it’s sweltering hot.  The show setup time is a single day, on a Sunday. 
• Everything is last-minute and there are copious amounts of huge boxes of product to get to the show in a single trip.  Drayage isn’t in the budget.  They have to hire a single vehicle that will hold both them and the boxes.  They have to strategize how to get them onto the show floor without breaking any rules.
• Before day’s end they have to hunt down the two missing boxes of critical electronics that didn’t yet clear customs.
• They have to put the exhibit up themselves, but when they get to the booth there is no exhibit.  A computer glitch left the booth # off the label and it’s somewhere on the show floor, but where?  Which building?  They have to hunt it down.
• When the exhibit finally surfaces, the crate has been broken, their tools stolen, and the instructions strewn about.  All they have is a jackknife to put up the exhibit.
• The install is finally underway and a union worker pedals by advising they have to hire show labor.  What do the show rules say, where is the book?  It sounds like payment for nonexistent services will solve the problem.
• The company credit card was left back at the hotel, which is an hour from town – there is no going back.  The cash they have for cab fare goes to pay the bill and they’ll have to take the bus.
• There are 140,000 people attending the show and the bus lineups are over an hour long, but they have to be back to the hotel to catch up on their email or they won’t be able to attend the show next time.
• Everybody is oversubscribed and the internet has slowed to a snail’s pace and the emails all have deadlines attached to them.

What do they do?  How will they stretch their budget and keep their sanity?  There is strife and jetlag and tempers are soaring.  Who gets eliminated and why?  Who stays and why?

Do any of these challenges bring back memories?  They should, because they are all based on real-life experiences at trade shows.  Perhaps you have your own challenges to add to the program?  If your inner screenwriter is dying to get out and you have more challenges to add to the list, please add them in the comment box below!

Want to star at trade show marketing?  Get your free copy of What’s Working In Exhibiting, a 32-page white paper report that shows how your peers are improving results and stretching their budgets.  Click here to get your free copy.

The trade show world is a large and complex ecosystem, so it took me far too many years to understand the many players involved in putting together a single show.  Just when I though I’d figured it out, someone would peel the next layer of the onion and reveal another big player.  Why should you wait?  Here are the top 10:

1.  Attendees  Over 80 million attendees a year visit US trade shows, with tens of millions more in Europe, Asia and Latin America, too.  Attendees come to trade shows to see and touch new products, network and build relationships with their industry peers, get training,  keep up-to-date with changing industry trends, and evaluate multiple suppliers at one time.  And perhaps to even have some fun, too.

2.  Exhibitors  There are anywhere from 300,000 to 1.7 million companies who exhibit at roughly 13,000 US trade shows.  Exhibitors invest thousands of dollars to get access to trade show attendees so they can generate sales leads, deepen relationships, and build their brand.  About half the shows host business-to-business exhibitors, with the rest split between business-to-consumer exhibitors and hybrid shows.  On the B2B side, they spend almost 30% of business-to-business marketing dollars to reach those millions of attendees.  Most exhibitors are manufacturers who exhibit to show the stuff they make.  On average there are about 400 exhibitors at a trade show.  About two-thirds take the minimal 10 x 10 space.  Only about 20% of exhibitors get an island exhibit, although at major trade shows with highly competitive exhibitors that ratio can increase.  Exhibitors spend anywhere from $5 to $50 a square foot, but usually about $20.  Some exhibitors also spend a hefty sum on sponsorships, too.

3.  Show Producers is an industry term for the show owner.  About 40 years ago the vast majority of trade shows were produced by associations, which depended on their annual trade show to bring in most of their revenue.  For-profit media companies figured out how much money they could make owning shows, and now they own almost half of them.  While most associations have just one show, media companies often own multiple shows, and also own a magazine, website, e-newsletter, and database for the same industry as the show.  Recently these media companies (some multi-billion dollar companies) have seen their biggest chunk of revenues shift to come from their trade shows instead of their magazines.  Many exhibitors don’t know that their favorite show is actually owned by another company they’ve never heard of, and that it owns other shows.  Some shows are produced as a partnership between an association and a for-profit media company.  The best show producers are constantly trying to top their previous show and are evolving their events in response to the changes in their industry.

4.  Show Contractors and Labor  It can come as a surprise to find out that the show owner doesn’t actually have their own employees do all the work of setting up their trade show.  The show producer hires a show contractor to perform and manage the labor.  Freeman is the #1 show contractor, GES is #2, and then it’s a long way to 3rd place.  The general contractor controls much of the show labor as the official contractor.  There are also Exhibitor Appointed Contractors, who are labor providers that are not the official contractor picked by the show, who can also provide installation and dismantle and other show labor.  In some show cities (Las Vegas) the show labor is unionized, and in others (Atlanta) are in a Right To Work State, which means show labor is not required to be unionized.  The show contractor controls material handling, also known as drayage, also known as Pain #1 for trade show exhibitors.

5.  Visitors and Convention Bureaus  They work hard to woo show producers to pick their city for their exhibition, and then help the show producer plan a successful event with their deep understanding of locations and attractions in their city.  Visitors and Convention Bureaus can be at the country, state, county, or city level.  (You think it’s hard to brand a company?  Try branding a country.)  Their name is often abbreviated to VCB, and is also called Destination Marketing, and Tourism boards.  The VCBs’ goal is to entice large groups of visitors who will spend wads of money in their towns, boosting the local economy and paying taxes on hotel rooms.   They often struggle to explain to their local tax-paying citizens that their budget is not an expense, but an investment.  The VCBs from Las Vegas, Chicago, and Orlando have the most to crow about:  Half the largest shows in the country take place in just those 3 cities.

6.  Convention Centers  These are the enormous show halls with acres and acres of bare concrete that regularly blossom into thriving trade shows.  These temples of temporary commerce are all over the country, built by communities to bring in outside convention and tourist money.  The biggest convention centers in the USA are McCormick Place in Chicago, The Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, and The Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas.  In Europe and especially Germany, the city is the show producer, convention center owner, VCB, and even the general contractor all rolled up into one, which takes out the middlemen and reduces costs.  There are 7 convention centers in Europe bigger than McCormick Place.

7.  Hotels  Almost all shows select an official hotel, with a room block set aside for attendees and exhibitors at a discount rate (although lately with internet search sites, attendees can get lower priced rooms than available from the official show room block).  Lucky is the anchor hotel that is tied to a popular convention center.  Hotels are trade show venues in their own right, with their own meeting spaces that host hundreds, if not thousands of smaller shows a year.  An exceptional example is Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, a huge hotel with 3300 rooms, AND its own nearly million-square foot exhibit hall.  Hotels are usually described as part of the Hospitality Industry.

8.  Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations Agencies  Not all ad agencies want to make TV ads for Frosted Flakes that run during the Super Bowl.  There are many agencies more than happy to serve B2B companies.  Some can become experts in their own right for an industry, even a specific show.  As trade shows are such a major marketing expense for B2B exhibitors, getting their agencies involved is essential for truly integrated marketing.  Exhibitors can ask for as little help as providing an image file for a banner stand, or become so involved as to help determine exhibiting strategy, pre- and at-show promotions, and exhibit design.

9.  Suppliers:  These are the vendors that provide all the other services exhibitors and attendees need.  Exhibit houses like Skyline not only provide trade show displays, they also act as their outsource trade show marketing department, providing turnkey exhibit management, design and more.  The best ones act as an agency for their clients.  There are also suppliers for shipping, carpet, electric, lighting, furniture, audiovisual, airlines, cleaning, photography, promotional products, training, lead management, and more.

10.  Speakers  If Content is King on the Internet, then speakers are the kings (and queens) of content at trade shows.  Good speakers pull in droves of attendees who want to increase their skills, learn the latest industry trends, and see (and touch) a celebrity in person they would never glimpse otherwise.  Educational speakers are usually pulled from the ranks of successful (and brave) show attendees, exhibitors, and industry experts.  Then there are the speakers who recently graced the front pages of the newspapers, and are happily transforming their celebrity into wealth, one speech at a time.  Beyond them are those extroverts of extroverts, the professional speakers, who roam from convention to convention to provide motivation, humor, entertainment and sheer star power.

So now you know the 10 main players in the trade show ecosystem.   I hope it helps you see things from a new perspective.  Let me know your take on your own part of the trade show world in the comments box below.  Or if you think I missed another layer of the onion, go ahead and peel it away — I promise not to cry.

What are the main players in a successful trade show program?  Read all about them in What’s Working In Trade Show Exhibiting, a 32-page White Paper produced by Skyline Exhibits and Tradeshow Week.  Click here to get your free copy.

My recent article, “10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Exhibiting At Trade Shows,” generated a lot of response, ranging from nostalgia to chuckles to gratitude.  So I dug a little deeper and came up with 10 more things I wished I knew before I started exhibiting at trade shows:

1.  There are attendees at the show who are actually looking for what you offer. While some booth staffers work the booth with a nearly invincible sense of confidence, there are some who are reluctant to engage attendees.  To give yourself a mental push towards the aisle, remember that trade show attendees actually paid to travel to the show and they want to be there.  Most come with a shopping list, and provided you’ve chosen a show where the attendees match your target market, there’s no reason you can’t be the one they buy from.  Many times I’ve had attendees who turned into leads thank me for engaging them, because we offered what they came to the show to find.

2.  Promotions are a huge help for your booth staffers. It takes a high level of skill for trade show booth staffers to pull lots of attendees out of the aisle.  Many lack that skill.  Give them a hand with a good promotion.  Send a pre-show promotion that gives attendees a strong reason to plan a visit to your booth, and visitors will walk in and engage your staffers, not the other way around.  Have a great at-show promotion, and motivate attendees to cross into your booth on their own.  Good promotions help booth staffers start conversations that lead to leads, which leads to sales.

3.  Time may seem to be passing slowly, but it’s actually precious. At almost every show there comes a time when your watch seems to be moving in slow motion.  If you had three wishes from a genie, you’d use one to have the show end.  However, trade show time is never to be wished away.  Your company has made a big investment to get in front of hundreds, if not thousands of potential clients.  It’s a worthwhile investment, but even still, there is only a finite number of show hours to meet your prospects.  Retain a sense of urgency as long as there are attendees walking the show floor.  You’ve paid for the access, get your money’s worth.

4.  Your exhibit has too much stuff on it. When your trade show exhibit is designed, it’s usually from your company’s perspective, not the attendee’s perspective.  So it gets loaded up with too many fun facts, figures, and other text, plus too may small images, and perhaps lots of products, too.  The result?  A visual morass that attendees avoid.  Instead, put fewer elements on your exhibit, but make them bigger.  That way, your message will be crystal-clear to your attendees, and they will understand why they will benefit visiting your booth.

5.  Go to bed early the night before you booth staff. I can remember just after college hitting the bars until the early hours night after night, and then getting up for work at 6 am the next day without any problem.  Regretfully, my body doesn’t work that way anymore, and chances are, yours doesn’t either.  And yet, when we are away from home, in a town designed more for fun than our own, it’s tempting to stay out late.  Resist that temptation, because your company is counting on you to be sharp and alert in your mentally and physically challenging role as a booth staffer.  Get a good night’s rest, and fulfill the faith your company put in you when they sent you across the country to represent them.

6.  It’s okay to take breaks. You don’t need to be a martyr and never leave your booth.  Because you’re not only hurting yourself, you’re hurting your company.  After a couple of hours of staffing you can lose your edge.  When you’re not fresh, attendees can see it, and you will harm your company’s perception.  (This applies to #5 as well!)  Get yourself a change in scenery, a bio break, some food and drink, and clear your head so you can greet attendees with a genuine smile again.  Just don’t let your breaks get too long, as your time in the booth is valuable.  Also, your booth captain should schedule enough booth staffers so when one takes a break, there are still enough to meet the needs of the show.

7.  Don’t expect perfection. Trade shows are complicated affairs, with so many chances for problems.  The question isn’t if something will go wrong, but when and what.  Once you realize that, you can only do your best to alleviate problems when they come up, and not freak out about it.  You’ll learn that some issues that seem like obvious errors to you will go unnoticed to all but the most perceptive eyes.  That’s not to say you shouldn’t seek The Perfect Show.  It’s just that you shouldn’t crucify yourself when you don’t achieve it.

8.  Lead cards are worth their weight in gold. As the ancient Chinese proverb goes, “Weakest ink better than strongest memory.”  A lead card is a sheet from a pre-printed pad of paper for writing down notes about each interaction your staffers have with attendees.  A lead card holds a lot more info than the back of a business card.  You record the attendee’s contact information, product interest, and comments they shared in your conversation that will help your sales person follow up on the lead.  A complete lead card gives your sales people greater insight and motivation to turn that lead into a sale.

9.  You will get visitors to your booth who are unhappy with your company. Trade shows are a large public forum where some people have had poor experiences with your company.  If you’re the rookie booth staffer facing an angry client, you don’t have to handle it on your own.  Find the senior company representative in the booth, and introduce the unhappy camper, with a short synopsis of their problem, to show that you have been listening.  If you do have to handle it yourself, follow the 3 A’s formula that Chris Brogan and Julien Smith write about in Trust Agents: “acknowledge, apologize, act.”  Let them know you hear their issue, that you are sorry they had that bad experience, and tell them how you are going to either solve their problem, or communicate it within your company.

10.  Trade shows require a lot to learn, but in time you can master them. When you first set foot in a trade show it’s a complete surprise to discover that tens of thousands of people gather in a large hall filled with temporary structures to share their common interests for a few days.  And when you then become involved in staffing, organizing, or marketing your company’s presence there, all the unknown details can quickly become overwhelming.  But after a few shows more things shift from the unknown to the known column.  Eventually, you can even read an article like this and nod your head in satisfying agreement, because you’ve earned your stripes and know what it takes to exhibit at trade shows.

Learn what other exhibitors are doing now to create their own trade show success, with the 32-page white paper research report, What’s Working In Exhibiting.  Get your free copy now by clicking here.