Knowledge: Transforming tradeshows

Posted on: 02 Oct 2015

Why bother exhibiting?

JOHN BLASKEY
Managing Director
The Exhibiting Agency

Over many years I have surveyed exhibitors via my Masterclasses and workshop. My first question: “how many of you are happy with your results from your last tradeshow?” Very few hands go up.

Next question: “How many of you actually know what results you got?” Maybe a couple of hands wafting around – unsure.

Third question: “How many of you have a plan for your next tradeshow?”

No hands.

Over 70 percent of exhibitors polled globally gave these answers. Yet trade shows, exhibitions, face-to-face marketing is back with a vengeance and it is in my view from more than 40 years of experience the most powerful medium to grow any organisation – when
done properly.

And to do live marketing properly you have to start at the end.

The first question I ask a client is, “what value do you want to generate from attending your next tradeshow or conference?” Very few know. Even fewer connect this objective to their
business plan.

There seems to be no connection between a company’s targets for new business, new customers, market research, brand promotion and the exhibition they are about to attend.

Live Marketing in all its forms should be used as a strategy to grow an organisation. Yet how many organisations have a Live Marketing strategy? They may have a web strategy, a PR strategy, an advertising strategy, or a social media strategy - but very rarely are these joined to a Live Marketing Strategy - or indeed integrated with it.

How do you go about it? I use a mnemonic SPEC:

S: Selecting the right activities, shows and events. And these are not necessarily the obvious ones. If you continue to go to the same shows alongside your competitors, you would probably only get what they get.

P: Planning and process. You need a tried-and-tested method that will initially define and prioritise your objectives at every level, review your branding and key messages for the show, and generate a creative journey that will deliver impact and memorability.

E: Execute – meticulously. “E” is also for experience. Visitors remember an experience more than a product or a number. The execution of your plan must be delivered by the right people. This means if it’s a B2B show, keep your reps off the stand, and while we are in the process of executing professionally – no brochures please – 90 percent get dumped.

C: Capitalise – or cash in. This demands that you measure every aspect of the project: your investment in space, construction and most importantly people. And remember having your sales people off the road on an exhibition stand very often costs more than letting them do their normal job.

Point in case

An Exhibiting Skills Masterclass we provided for the team at Construction Computer Software (CCS) challenged them to review their total approach to exhibiting.

With a bit of imagination and some graphics, their tiny 9-sq m venue was transformed into an aircraft, and punched well above its weight.

The CCS team were trained to “spot”, enabling them to qualify (or not) passersby. Outcomes were agreed, from show objectives to messaging. A feedback form was created in line with their theme.

The team was delighted with the results:
• 339 qualified leads
• 79 percent of which had not heard of CCS before the show
• 108 CCS assessed as three star leads
• 48 requests for call backs

At the post show debrief, the team agreed what they had done well:
• Increased brand awareness with people who didn’t know them
• Outsmarted their competitors

This proves that it can be done. Just because everyone does it a certain way does not mean that it is right. Be different, but be “joined-up”.

John Blaskey is the managing director of The Exhibiting Agency based in the UK. He is a business speaker who also patented the oval paint can, the boardless display board and the speaker control system.