Lean Exhibiting

Which is worse, being unethical or stupid? And on another note -- an important message for MAGIC.

(Yes, it's been quite a awhile since I posted to Lean Exhibiting. I've been posting my Ramblings on my other blog, TwoHat Marketing. Marketing is marketing, whether you focus on everyday stuff, or a trade show. Check it out.)

Google Alerts is a terrific research tool for keeping abreast of what the e-world is doing and saying about a particular topic. I use it to monitor what's being said about marketing, strategy. and the trade show industry. It's easy and free. You enter a search phrase and Alerts does the rest. In addition to searching through news outlets, press releases, videos, and group discussions, it also monitors the blogosphere.

Most of the time, the information has no use to me. Occasionally I get some good nuggets. Too often I receive links to both bad and just plain unethical advice. Let me give you an example of each I've seen in the last week alone.

First, bad advice:

The Fishbowl -- A Great Trade Show Traffic-Builder!

"Take a fishbowl to a trade show to catch more leads than ever before!

What's the catch?  The Giveaway!

One proven way to attract distracted attendees at a trade show who are zooming by your booth is to run a "Win a Free (Hot Item Here!)" contest.

It's simple. Just make a big poster telling people they can win a new Plasma TV, Set of Golf Clubs -- whatever you think is the best bait -- and all they have to do to have a chance to win is drop their business card off...in the fishbowl.

Depending on your prize budget and the size of the show, you can get hundreds of potential now leads that otherwise would have passed you by.

You often need to get approval from the trade show management, so be sure to ask in advance.

So give it try at your next show.  You could reel in some real big fish!"

This was written by a Director of Marketing of an industry publication who apparently doesn't know the difference between a qualified lead and a business card thrown in a fishbowl. This simply perpetuates the old myth of confusing Busyness with Effectiveness. I often tell audiences about the exhibitor who said to me, "I gave out 5,000 brochures, I must have had a successful show!"

The second example is just plain unethical advice:

Sales Technique: Be a Trade Show Attendee not a Booth Owner

"You can find your very best prospects at trade shows if you know how to take advantage of the opportunity. Rather than spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars renting a space at the event you can reap the benefits without having to rent a booth. The problem with renting a booth is that you are trapped in your booth unable to roam the event and mingle with the other vendors. As you begin to investigate trade shows you'll find that most are annual events making it easy for you to plan a year in advance. This gives you you plenty of time to plan your sales strategy for using this sales coaching tip. In most cases the event will be held at a hotel or a convention center connected to a hotel. That's great for you because you can rent a meeting room during the event and use a pre-event direct mail campaign to invite prospects to visit you and get a special valuable gift. You could even host a private cocktail hour at the end of the day just for your best prospects.

You can walk the trade show making sure you meet as many potential prospects as possible, and then always have something of value to offer them to make a connection. Whatever your plan, make sure you have your entire marketing and sales strategy mapped out for the event far enough in advance to have everything prepared for the big event. That way you can get the most value from this sales technique in terms of real leads with real potential..."

If this type of advice from an "expert" doesn't piss you off, you just don't care that much about the industry. Yet I see articles like this all the time from Alerts.

For those of you reading this who don't understand why this is unethical, let me put it to you this way. Imagine putting on a private event in your city where you pay for all the advertising; you pay for the promotional materials; you sign the room block agreements with the local hotels; you arrange the transportation; you arrange the educational sessions; you take all the financial risk; and you create all the buzz. Then some low-life comes along who pays no money for the privilege of being around your event; arranges for a suite off-site; sends invitations to people to leave your event; walks your event inviting people to leave your event; and rides your coattails. In the industry that's called suitcasing and it is UNETHICAL.

The reason I'm ranting about this is nobody else is watching the Internet, particularly the blogosphere, and trying to stop this stuff. Why doesn't the IAEEEEE (I can never remember how many E's it's supposed to have) or TSEA (are they still around?) have a watchdog or advocate who's fighting this stuff (especially the unethical crap). And, okay, I admit I'm being unnecessarily mean to IAEE and TSEA, but frankly, this stuff is putting me in a bad mood.

...and speaking of Bad Advice

...in yet another Google Alert I came across the following posting on Dobizo.com's blog:

Magic Trade Show is Considering Shortening Show Cycle to Three Days

"I wonder if this will lower the price on booths and admission so exhibitors can get more bang for their buck? If not than I really see nothing to get excited about.

Fred Stollmack, president of Weatherproof Garment Co is pressing MAGIC International to decrease the number of days in the Las Vegas apparel trade show from 4 to 3 and if they keep at it MAGIC just might make that change, being that they’re already considering it.

Vice president of MAGIC Christopher McCabe says there will be questioning in the form of feedback from multiple vendors and manufacturers before any concrete decision is made, because pleasing the majority is the solution."

Aaaack! Don't do it, Chris! Don't listen to them!

Look, those of us in the trade show industry know and understand there will ALWAYS be a last day of a show (wait a minute, now I sound stupid). And that last day will ALWAYS have a lot less traffic than previous days. It doesn't matter how many days you have, there's always a last day.

Very few events get over this, but cutting the number of days isn't the answer. In fact, cutting a major event, like MAGIC, to three days could be the move that kills the show altogether. I once consulted for a national event that was four days. Exhibitors demanded the show drop to three, which they did despite my protests. A couple of years later, exhibitors said the last day was still bad and they cut it to two. Guess what? That event doesn't exist anymore. I also consulted for a European trade fair that was seven days. When I asked why, they responded, "because we want a six day event."

An interesting sidebar to this discussion... in focus groups at several different events, attendees have told me they don't come to the last day BECAUSE TOP MANAGEMENT FOR EXHIBITORS ISN'T THERE EITHER.

Exhibitors don't like the last day because attendees aren't there...attendees aren't there because the exhibitor personnel they want to talk with aren't there...a vicious circle.

But cutting MAGIC from four days to three because the majority of exhibitors want to is a huge mistake, IMHO. Exhibitors ALWAYS want the show shorter. The problem is, exhibitors don't always understand the ramifications of such a move.

Selling Shows vs. Non-Selling Shows

I've been to a couple of events in the last two weeks and heard several similar comments at both.

"This isn't a selling show anymore."
"We're just not writing orders at this show anymore."
"Since it's not a selling show anymore, we're just focusing on image."

Let's settle this argument once and for all. There is no such thing as a "selling show," there's no such thing as an "image show," and there's no such thing as a "marketing show."

Those are blanket statements that assume (and we all know what "ass-u-me" means") every exhibitor is the same. They're not. Far from it.

At the same event, you can have a myriad of clear, measurable, and relevant objectives. For some exhibitors it could be an order-writing show. For some it could be a pure get-them-on-the-conveyor-belt, marketing show. For some it could be for research or meeting with financial analysts. For others it could be an important new product introduction (think iPhone).

I believe the purpose of business is to create and maintain long-term customer relationships. The important thing is to look at an event as a singular, unique way of following that purpose:

Do you have high market penetration already and satisfied customers? Well, satisfied customers leave all the time. Use your industry's event to showcase why their decision to buy from you was the best decision by blowing the competition away.

Are you new to a market, or still have a lot of growth ahead? Use the show to generate high quality leads for meetings after.

Do you have a product line that's conducive to writing orders. The, by all means go for it. But if your targets don't agree with your assessment, then maybe you need to be flexible in your objective.

Is the upcoming show a selling show, or a marketing show, or a brand-building show?

The answer is YES.

Big, Fat, Ugly, Sacred Cows of Trade Show Marketing #1

What is it with trade show participants? Why does someone who has exhibited at ONE trade show, or has designed a couple of ten-foot exhibits feel that he/she now is an EXPERT at trade show marketing?

Here's my beef. Marketing, in and of itself, is a complicated combination of art and science. It is really hard to do good, let alone great, marketing. Heck, some of the best minds in the business have a hard enough time just defining marketing and its role in customer creation and maintenance. Seth Godin posted this in his blog this week:

Notable

I got a note from a friend about a co-worker that brilliantly summed up the chasm facing marketers today:

I believe she is good at the standard but limited in considering the notable.

Frankly, it's hard to be notable. Marketing's scope is so broad, most experts specialize in a subcategory - ex: direct marketing, on-line marketing, marketing with AdSense, trade advertising, telemarketing, postcard marketing, PR, and yes, blog marketing. Every one of these is a viable tool when used correctly.

Trade show marketing, on the other hand, is more complicated (not to say any marketing subcategory is easy!). The truth is, if you do trade show marketing correctly, you will most likely use several different subcategories in your plan. You might use personal letters. You might use postcards, voicemail, and faxes (a great tool BTW). You might use podcasting or newsletters.

But in addition to doing all that, you also design your booth, ship everything, set up travel & hotel, register for show badges, hire labor, move-in/move-out, produce a cocktail party,  compile a database of prospects... and on and on. When done correctly, trade shows are hard work! Believe you me, learning how to do trade shows effectively and profitably doesn't happen overnight.

The point of my rant has to do with all the same-old bad "how-to-do-its" getting posted and printed from these so-called "experts." Unfortunately, many of these tips have been bandied about for so long, they've become accepted as standard. I think it's time somebody started shooting down these big, fat, ugly sacred cows of the trade show world. And I guess that somebody would be me.

So let's talk about one sacred cow as it was posted in a recent article. I won't identify the author because I don't want this to turn into name-calling or anything personal. I could pick out any number of articles with the same message. I'm just shooting cows. The particular cow I'm aiming at today is:

Give freebies. Give people a reason to come by your booth. Most businesses give away pens, magnets, key chains, and other small items decorated with the company logo and phone number. Go a step further—bring food (even if your business isn’t food-related), give gift certificates and coupons, hold raffles for a valuable product or service you offer, give demonstrations, or bring a PowerPoint presentation.

Give freebies. Give away pens, magnets, etc.. Bring food. Give gift certificates.

These are what's known as "traffic builders." That's all they are - traffic builders. Now if you define success as "lots and lots of bodies in my booth," then by all means give away stuff that packs 'em in.

But is it Marketing and is it notable? My definition of marketing is delivering the exact right product to the exact right target market using the exact right media at the exact right time.

Using traffic builders, as espoused by so many industry "experts," is very different from attracting the exact right targets to my booth. Using freebies and food will most certainly bring in traffic, but equating "traffic in my booth" with "prospects" is simply wrong. The term for all that traffic is "suspects," not prospects. We suspect there might be prospects in that pile of traffic.

And there's the rub. It can be argued that prospects are somewhere in that pile. But so what? How do we cull them out? Do we have enough staffers in our booth to talk with every single person attracted by the freebies and food... have a long enough discussion to determine if they're qualified or not... reject those who aren't... and only spend quality time with quality prospects? Do we have the ability to scan hundreds of suspects and then follow-up after the show and THEN cull out the prospects? Most exhibitors (and I do mean MOST) have neither the time nor manpower.

I, for one, am only interested in attracting the exact right target market to my booth from the beginning. Giveaways and food attract everybody - other exhibitors, non-qualified attendees, spouses, students, union workers, bus drivers, temps on break... anybody who can fog a mirror. I am not interested in everybody. I am only interested in the exact right targets coming into my booth.

This means my booth design, layout, signage, graphics, pre-show communications, advertising, and promotions are designed to only talk to those who fit the profile of my exact right target market. By focusing on these people my booth isn't packed with traffic (synonym for "everybody"). This then gives my staffers the ability to have more quality conversations instead of spending valuable time giving away stuff.

Yes, my way is harder. Giving away stuff and attracting lots of traffic gives the appearance of success, and it's also a lot easier. That's why it's the standard. But if you want the biggest bang for your trade show marketing dollar, you don't take the easy way out. And don't you want to be notable?

(Oh, BTW, you might also notice that an awful lot of those articles encouraging freebies and food are written by people who SELL freebies and food.)

Notable

I got a note from a friend about a co-worker that brilliantly summed up the chasm facing marketers today:

I believe she is good at the standard but limited in considering the notable.

There are always exceptions

It just goes to show you there are always exceptions to the rule.

I'm firmly against having "booth babes " -- scantily clad women in your exhibit -- simpy there to attract male traffic. But at the recent IMTS 2006 in Chicago, Allied Machine showed me a new approach to having a booth babe that I can actually support.

Rather than just announce GEN3SYS as the latest, greatest innovation for the hole making industry, it was decided to launch this very unique tool on an equally unique platform, thus converting the traditionally conservative AMEC 40’ trade show exhibit into the Garden of Eden, complete with Eve, the apples and of course a few life-like serpents to round out the overall Eden setting. Marketing’s objective was to make certain that as many of the nearly 100,000 visitors to IMTS as possible, did not leave the show without first hearing, to some degree, about Allied’s presence and new offering of GEN3SYS (pronounced "Genesis," get it?), generated by the buzz of this stand-out booth exhibit. And stand out it did. Over the past several IMTS shows, AMEC averaged approximately 100 leads per day, despite every effort to draw attention and more people to the booth. After eight days of getting the constant flow of prospective customers to notice Allied’s booth and more importantly, Allied’s message of GEN3SYS (certainly along with Thread Mills, AccuPort and EcoCut) a record 2000+ visitors requested literature on AMEC products, almost tripling the number of leads received in earlier years at the more conservative booth presented at the show.

I asked Don Giammo, Marketing Coordinator for Allied Machine, about the decision to use Eve and the Garden of Eden theme:

"When the idea of a booth babe began to come into focus, I cringed at the thought of the shallowness plus the negative comments for 'pimping our ride...' but the gal, who's a Chicagoland model, turned out to come with personality, and interacted well with our booth visitors. Our objective was to be the buzz of the show, and from what we picked up on, it worked. Our follow-up, (the mailing of the literature & letters of acknowledgement) took place Sep 25-27, to over two-thousand leads... almost triple that of the '04 IMTS."

IMHO, what worked for Allied was this:

• The theme was congruent with the name of the product
• The "fun" theme didn't stop there. Allied staff worked hard to connect the dots between attracting attendees and meaningful interactions. You can watch an IMTS newscast and see for yourself.
• Eve may have visually attracted attendees, but she also was integral in helping start the business conversation and then handing off to an Allied staffer.

The bottom line is, it all worked because everything connected back to the overall objectives  and purpose for the show.