Successful Exhibiting Strategies in Uncertain Times
Here are some excerpts from the White Paper for your enjoyment. See details below on how you can request a copy of the complete White Paper for yourself.
Trade Shows Have Shown Strong Growth
Since 2002, the trade show and event industry has enjoyed positive growth, driven by strong corporate profits, convention center expansion, low airfares, healthy corporate travel budgets, the need for training and education, historically low interest rates, and the continued embrace of event marketing to reach buyers (Tradeshow Week – "Executive Outlook 2007"). However, 2007 ended with relatively flat growth (+1.6%), and 2008 has become a year of uncertainty and questioning of what will happen next.
Exhibiting Facing Current Uncertainty
Many of us in the exhibiting industry are faced with no growth budgets, but, even worse, funding has been withdrawn to protect our organization's bottom line or for other seemingly more effective marketing communications. Our managers and owners are concerned with the economic impact of the fall's election: Will a change in administration mean a change in the business climate? But, the biggest issue for us as exhibit professionals is what to say or do when your management says, "Let's get out of trade shows" or "Let's reduce our budgets" or "Let's reduce our participation in trade events."
The Enduring Value of Trade Shows
Your reply is and should be that trade shows are alive and well and we need to continue our participation. Although the growth statistics are softening, trade shows and events still fill a need. Exhibitors want the medium, and quality attendees are coming to the shows. The total number of attendees may be declining, but high quality audiences are still available to exhibitors. Trade shows and events are the only way you can get face-to-face with prospects and customers other than a direct sales call. You can accomplish more in a day visiting with show attendees than you can in a month of calls in the field.
Exhibiting Works! It works because it's face-to-face. It provides us an opportunity to accelerate the selling cycle by matching attendee needs with your ability to fill their needs. It works because adults are visual learners and exhibiting is a visual medium. The exhibit, your products, the graphics, collateral materials and promotional products are visual. Lastly, buyers are experiential. You can provide them an experience through the dynamics of the exhibiting process – interactive visual aids, challenges, and hands-on demonstrations.
The table below contains a checklist of 16 tactics that will drive a successful exhibiting strategy. Each tactical element is discussed in detail in the "Successful Exhibiting Strategies in Uncertain Times" White Paper along with suggestions on how to make it work in your world.
| Don't Stop Going to Shows, Go Smarter |
| Make Trade Shows a Part of Your Integrated Marketing Communications Plan |
| Exhibit for the Right Reasons |
| Proactively Evaluate the Shows in Which You Participate |
| Evaluate the Space You Occupy Versus Your Objectives |
| Focus on the Objective: Reducing Your Cost of Ownership |
| Invest in Graphics |
| It's the Quality of the Audience, Not the Quantity |
| Focus on Your Targeted Audience |
| Don't Rely on Traditional Selling Techniques |
| Invest in a Motivated Staff |
| Recruit Management as Part of Your Exhibiting Team |
| Exhibiting is Not Just Collecting Names or Swiping Badges |
| Create a "Follow-up TEAM" |
| What is Your Measure of Success? Measure the Results |
| Plan to Work the Show Every Moment the Show is Open |
| Think Bigger – Think Beyond the Trade Show Floor |
The answer to surviving this potential downturn is not to avoid exhibiting altogether, but instead to exhibit smarter. Smarter exhibiting includes using integrated marketing communications, choosing to exhibit at shows that meet important, measurable objectives and picking exhibits and spaces that are sized right for your opportunities. You'll reap greater results when you target high-quality audiences, bring a motivated staff, plan with top-level involvement, follow up on your leads, measure your results, and work the trade show beyond the trade show floor.