Performance Indicator 5.04

1. Performance Indicator 5.04 Explain how businesses can use trade-show/exposition participation to communicate with targeted audiences

2. Trade Shows • Exhibiting at an industry trade show is a major expense for a small business. • Even if you have a small booth and only send two people, you’ll be spending thousands of dollars by the time you pay for booth space, marketing materials, shipping, travel, room and board.

3. Selecting The Best Giveaways For Your Trade Show Booth • Your entire marketing plan, including the graphics you use and the items you give away, should put forth a unified statement when attending an exhibition. • For example, if your trade show booth is for your business that promotes wellness supplements and healthy living products, giving away candy bars and soft drinks would leave some people slightly confused.

4. When choosing the promotional items for your giveaways, consider the following questions. • Does The Item Match Your Message? • Does The Item Relate To Your Business? • Can You Afford The Item? • Did You Read The Fine Print And Check The Shipping Dates? • Will Your Customers Like The Item?

5. Does The Item Match Your Message? • The promotional giveaway items you select should closely complement the message your business projects. • The promotional items for your trade show booths should match the branding of your business, should fit your business colors and graphics, and should put forth a theme that complements your business message. • For example, if you have a music business geared at young adults, consider mp3 player pouches printed with your logo and website address as a giveaway.

6. Does The Item Relate To Your Business? • The whole point of giveaways at your trade show booths is getting a base of new customers who will relate a need they have back to your business. • For example, a marketing firm might not want to give away teddy bear keychains. A lead may pass this type of giveaway off to their child and may not even associate a teddy bear keychain with a marketing company when they need a marketing company. • Make sure your giveaway items relate to your business and include your vital contact information.

7. Can You Afford The Item? • One of the most difficult aspects of choosing giveaway items is choosing items that fit within a certain budget. • It would be great to give away HDTVs and everyone in the exhibition would flock to your trade show booth to get one, but if it sends your business into bankruptcy, it doesn’t make good sense.

8. Can You Afford The Item? (Cont.) • Select a well thought out, high quality item that fits your marketing message and budget. • If you would rather give larger, more expensive items, consider only giving them to invited leads or hold a drawing so people have to come to your booth and sign up to enter.

9. Did You Read The Fine Print And Check The Shipping Dates? • Many trade show booth exhibitors don’t read the fine print when ordering promotional giveaway products and causes them to pay extra fees that send these items out of their affordable budget range. • Many times exhibitors at trade show booths fail to ask about shipping and delivery, so they end up with no giveaways on the day of the event, but have a warehouse full the day after.

10. Will Your Customers Like The Item? • Make sure your customers will like the items you choose. • For example, if every trade show booth is giving away pencils, attendees will have enough pencils to last a lifetime. They’ll throw them in a big box and won’t usually give them another thought. • Make sure you give something your customers will appreciate, but that is also different than what other trade show booths are giving away when possible.

11. PROMOTIONAL AD SPECIALTIES • Ad specialties and promotional items are standard trade show booth ideas at any event. • Promotions expert advises exhibitors to double the marketing power of ad specialties by selecting promotional items that will be useful to people while they are at the trade show. • When you give away ad specialty items that fill an immediate need for trade show attendees, they are much more likely to stop by and take one or try to win one.

12. Examples Of Ad Specialties That Work As Powerful People Magnets • Canvas Bag • Private label bottled water • Private label your own snacks

13. Canvas Bag • A canvas bag printed with your logo gives trade show attendees a way to carry all the brochures and objects they’ve collected during the trade show. • Guests will carry your bag throughout the convention, this ad specialty doubles as a powerful moving billboard for your company.

14. Private Label Bottled Water • Always accepted with a warm welcome by trade show guests who have spent the day doing a great deal of walking and talking. • When you customize the label with your logo and company name, customers will carry it throughout the convention and do your advertising for you.

15. Private Label Your Own Snacks • Incredibly inexpensive. • Hungry trade show guests will happily stop by for a bag of chips, pretzels, candies, or other snacks in packages with your name on it. • Guests appreciate your gesture of kindness and will often stop and chat for a few minutes to return the favor. • This gives you the ideal opportunity to engage in a conversation and make those important connections.

16. Factors That Contribute To An Exhibit’s Visual Appeal • Five key components that make an exhibit visually gripping. • Color, lighting, motion, sound and smell

17. Color • The color and tones you choose for your display can help you stand out, as well as convey your message. • Cool colors like blue, green and white appear slick and professional, yet may not be strong interest grabbers. • Warm colors like red, orange, and yellow attract more attention, yet need to be used selectively because they can be seen as too strong or carry other connotations.

18. Lighting • Creative use of lighting can help draw focus to your booth. • You can choose to spotlight a new product or creative a warm, inviting atmosphere that beckons attendees.

19. Motion • Few exhibitors use motion technique to draw visitors to their display area or a specific trade show booth graphic. • Projecting a DVD onto a large screen, having product demonstrations, using colorful streamers, or other moving objects can be highly effective.

20. Sound • Having nice music, playing nature sounds, featuring live entertainers or other sounds that appeal to auditory senses may help entice people to your booth. • Be careful that sound levels are appropriately set so they can be heard in your area, but don’t disturb other exhibitors around you.

21. Smell • Like the alluring scent of cinnamon buns found in shopping mall stores, having cookies or another tantalizing smell emanate from your booth will attract visitors. • Many exhibitors use popcorn as an enticement. • This approach is overused and will not make your booth seem unique or different (plus constantly making and serving popcorn will distract your booth workers from the task you hired them to do – create new sales revenue).

22. Types of Trade Show Exhibit Displays • Pop-up displays • Truss Displays • Panel Displays • Table-top displays • Pull-up stands

23. Pop-up displays • Feature a light-weight folding frame covered with magnetic-backed fabric, vinyl, or plastic panels. • Pop-up displays create curved or angled walls for your exhibit area.

24. Truss Displays • Made of lightweight aluminum and steel tubing for a modern, high-tech look and flexible utilization. • Can be configured in a variety of shapes and sizes - and can be used to construct entire booths, special exhibit features, display walls, islands, entrance ways, and more.

25. Panel Displays • Consist of fabric-covered rectangular sections that are connected to make a wall. • They can be readily adapted to different booth sizes and configurations.

26. Table-Top Displays • Offer a less-expensive exhibiting option for smaller events and feature a lightweight display that sits on top of a table. • These displays usually have three panels with velcro-attached graphics and headlines that can be easily changed and updated.

27. Pull-up Stands • Provides a lightweight, easy method to accent your booth. • These banner stands function like a window shade in reverse and can be placed together or in different booth locations based on your design needs.

28. Personalized Contact Prior To The Event. • Through personalized phone calls, written invitations, direct mail initiatives and/or email communications. • You may also want to mail out meaningful giveaways along with a personalized letter to introduce your products, share your booth location, and encourage potential buyers to visit your exhibit. • To complement your efforts, be sure to use digital media by placing exhibiting information on your website, as well as utilizing social networks and mobile marketing to get the message out.

29. Follow-up After The Show To Convert Leads Into Sales • Send a personalized handwritten note, along with a customized company information packet or other appropriate material, to booth visitors within a week following the trade show event. • For top leads, add a personal phone call to make a lasting impression and reinforce your commitment to service.

30. Follow-up After The Show To Convert Leads Into Sales (Cont.) • In this time of intense texting, email, and messaging through social networking sites, a personal phone call to your valued prospects makes a powerful impact and may help solidify the sale. • Warm, personal contact is the consistent thread in every aspect of marketing and trade show promotions.

31. Performance Indicator 5.04 Explain considerations used to evaluate whether to participate in trade shows/expositions

32. Reasons for exhibiting at trade shows Sales 1. Generate sales leads2.  Close sales3.  Build relationships with prospects4.  Advance the sales cycle5.  Cross-sell existing clients6.  Meet spread-out buying teams at one time7.  Recruit new sales people8.  Recruit new distribution9.  Train new sales people

33. Reasons for exhibiting at trade shows (cont) Marketing communications • 10. Build your brand11. Re-position your brand12. Increase awareness13. Survey market awareness14. Interview clients15. Generate publicity

34. Reasons for exhibiting at trade shows (cont) Product marketing 16. Launch new products17. Survey attendees about new product ideas18. Research competitor’s products and messaging

35. Reasons for exhibiting at trade shows (cont) Executive management • 19. Keep up on industry trends20. Meet with key clients21. Meet with key business partners22. Profitably build the business

36. Factors to consider in selecting a trade show Target audience How long the trade show has been held Number of attendees Geography Timing Cost Sponsor’s reputation

37. Sources useful in identifying relevant trade shows • Industry associations • Look in magazines that you/your company advertises in • Web • Directories – some examples include • BizTradeShows.com • TradeShowWeek.com • EventsEye.com • Tradeshowbiz.com