Author, keynote speaker and event expert Steve Miller joins TradeshowGuy Tim Patterson to talk about his new book “Uncopyable,” and to discuss the event industry.
This week’s ONE GOOD THING: the movie Darkest Hour starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill.
Did your recent tradeshow appearance live up to your expectations? Do you consider it successful or a failure, or somewhere in between? How do you measure how successful it was? Where do you start?
Often, it’s a matter of knowing what to expect. If you go into a tradeshow with very low expectations, it might be easy for it to feel successful. If you have no idea how many leads you might generate at a first appearance at a tradeshow that you’re unfamiliar with and you come away with a dozen possible new clients, you might consider that a success.
But if you have been to a show before and know that for the last three years you’ve come away with a hundred leads on average, getting just a dozen leads would be a dismal failure.
How do you determine what you can realistically expect when exhibiting at a new show? Talk to exhibitors who have been there before. Get a feel for their experiences. That’s a place to start. Talk to show organizers and ask them what to expect. Run the math on potential booth visitors.
One of our clients upgraded the size of their booth from a 10×20 inline to a 20×20 island for an upcoming appearance at the International Food Technologists show in 2016. Sure, the exhibit looked great. People loved it. The president of the company was knocked out. But what about the results? Triple. That’s right, the new exhibit tripled their leads, which was way over their expectations. Frankly with the new exhibit it was hard to determine what to expect. But on the first time out with the new exhibit, to bring home three times as many leads as previously, was certainly seen as a big success.
Bottom line: do your best to determine realistic expectations. Don’t compare to what other companies may do or have done in the past. Work only to meet your expectations this time, and exceed them next time.
The importance of managing expectations can’t be overstated. https://t.co/0mirl553QV #uncopyable pic.twitter.com/K7YDXSiwwH
— Steve Miller (@SteveaMiller) January 22, 2018
Over the years I’ve suggested that companies create a tradeshow-specific landing page for each appearance they make at a show. But frankly, I don’t see too many of them.
But I recently ran across a tradeshow-specific landing page from Digimarc that caught my eye. Digimarc is a Portland-based company that helps clientele with product identification, labels, barcodes and the like.
Digimarc has a tradeshow-specific landing page for their upcoming appearance at NRF 2018 at the Jacob K. Javitz Convention Center.
Let’s take a look at their landing page and see what they are doing right.
In the first screenshot, Digimarc starts off by everyone that they’re going to be at the NRF 2018. They mention their booth number and invite visitors to check out their store.
Next shot: you’re invited to dig a little deeper to learn about increasing operational efficiencies and more, and again mentioning the booth number. Right below that are a pair of buttons inviting you to schedule a visit with them at their booth, and offering an NRF Registration and Discount Code, reinforcing the notion that not only do they want to you stop by their booth, they want to make it easy:
In the third screenshot, Digimarc offers a chance to learn even more specific knowledge, with buttons to get better labels, implement easy checkout and engage consumers now.
Finally, there is an offer to get a personalized language booth tour – when you click through, the options are to get a tour in Japanese or German – making it easier for those international visitors to make a connection with the company. Then there’s a Lyft voucher and (still to come) an NRF Survival Guide. It’s all capped off with an invitation to follow them on social media to continue the show connection.
Everything is clearly marked, easily understood and very specific. The only quibble I have is that the date and location of the show (NYC in January) are not on the page. But you might argue that anyone going to the show already knows that information, and this tradeshow-specific landing page from Digimarc is being shared with people who are already aware.
In any event, Digimarc did a great job with this.
My question is: why aren’t you doing this with your upcoming tradeshow appearance?
One great thing about doing a weekly podcast with guests is that I meet a lot of people. This week it was a pleasure to meet and talk with Roger Courville, who helps learning leaders prepare to reach, teach and lead in the Connectorship Age.
It was a fun conversation about events and tradeshows, how to bring value to attendees and much more. Take a look:
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.
This week’s ONE GOOD THING is the reggae-tinged band Noiseshaper. I’m not sure if the band still exists or is active, and the website looks to reflect that: the last update looks to be about 8 or 9 nears ago. But they left some great music behind.
Yes, it can be said without fear of being wrong that you will find useful tradeshow marketing articles in Exhibitor. That’s their thing. But in browsing their site this week, I found three which I believe go a little above and beyond because of what you can DO by reading them.
Let’s take a look:
How to Measure the Value of Tradeshow Marketing. Complete with downloadable worksheets, this one takes you through the steps to figure out what’s really going on with your tradeshow marketing efforts and all of that money you commit to it each year.
Taking the Lead. Collecting leads that are worthy of a challenge in and of itself. When you have to convert those leads to sales, that’s when the rubber meets the road so to speak. This article walks you through the steps on grading leads, setting goals, figuring out what questions to ask visitors and more.
Four Factors that Affect Graphic Costs. It seems that graphic design and production is often the item that doesn’t get checked until it’s too late. And lateness (among other things) can affect your cost dramatically. Check out these factors to help keep your costs in line.
A lot of exhibitors wouldn’t do nearly as well as they do without Exhibitor Magazine – often called the bible of the industry. Always good stuff there.
Maybe these should be not-so-frequently-asked tradeshow questions. Or as we like to call them: NSFAQs. Because I don’t know if these questions ever get asked. But maybe they should.
Why do exhibitors do dumb things?
We’re only human. That’s why we left all but a half dozen business cards in the office. That’s why our eyes glaze over after a long day right when that big prospect comes up and asks a really good, engaging question. That’s why we can’t sleep in an uncomfortable hotel bed and we show up at the booth with eyelids and tail drooping. That’s why – when we do all of these things – we still suck it up, put on a smile and make the best of it.
Exhibiting at a tradeshow is a great way to show off your wares, but it’s also an excellent way to uncover things about your tradeshow competitors. Let’s take a look at a half-dozen things you can find out.
No doubt you can uncover other things about your competitors if you keep your eyes and ears open. There’s probably a little gossip to be had if that’s your thing, along with changes in various departments that you might be interested in. Whatever the case, don’t let the opportunity to check out your tradeshow competitors pass you by!
Have you checked out Quora? I think I heard about it a couple of years ago and may have even answered a question or two along the way. If you’re not sure what Quora , check out the Wikipedia description:
“Quora is a question-and-answer site where questions are asked, answered, edited and organized by its community of users. Its publisher, Quora, Inc., is based in Mountain View, California. The company was founded in June 2009, and the website was made available to the public on June 21, 2010. Users can collaborate by editing questions and suggesting edits to other users’ answers.”
And yes, there are questions and answers about almost anything. Including tradeshows. Let’s have a little fun and share some of the best Q’s and A’s about tradeshows and tradeshow marketing:
What should I know before attending my first tradeshow? An author in the industry, David Spark, jumps in with one of the deepest answers I’ve seen on Quora. It includes videos and deep explanations. Yeah, it’s kind of a self-serving pitch for his services and his book, but it hits the mark in all ways.
Here’s an odd question: If people do not want to be marketed to at a tradeshow, how do you un-market to the attendees? Well, shucks, if people don’t want to be marketed to they probably wouldn’t attend a tradeshow in the first place. But whatever. The person answering the question, Rita Carroll, has a short answer, but it distills the important points: have something for attendees to DO or SEE that’s engaging, for heaven’s sake.
Why do people go to tradeshows if there are solutions like Alibaba and etc.? Again, another pretty succinct answer, this one from Stephanie Selesnick. It’s all in the face-to-face.
What should startups consider when planning a tradeshow booth? Rosanie Bans jumps in with a good bullet-pointed outline, including doing your research, setting goals, specifying a budget and creating a game plan.
It’s a long question (and a two-parter), but a good thought-starter: for a young tech company is it better to start with a big tradeshow where whale clients will be found? Or build up slower through smaller shows? Rupert Baines, who tackles this one, recognizes that tradeshow marketing can be insanely expensive, and in some cases actually exhibiting at a show is not the right thing. At others, it might be!
Be sure to check out Quora and see what other questions have been answered.
And just for fun, I found this: What are the best active event professional forums and communities? For some reason, this blog – TradeshowGuy Blog – is listed here, right next to Seth Godin. I’ve never been in such company!Thanks to Josh Simi for the mention!
it’s not a tradeshow, but it’s an event of tremendous proportions. It’s historic week on the Monterey Peninsula, and I’ve been attending for over a quarter of a century. Since I first attended in 1989, it has grown to include multiple related events, including historic car auctions, vintage auto tours/rallies, historic auto races and more. It’s frankly hard to keep track of it all! It’s pulled off mostly by volunteers, and has so far managed to remain a mix of the one-percenters (who probably show most of the cars at Pebble) to the average historic/vintage auto buff. And very few celebrities – except for Jay Leno, who MC’s the raffles and a few other things to wrap up the Sunday show (get some new jokes, Jay!).
As I mentioned, I’ve had the good fortune to attend the show over 25 times, and get in a few golf swings at Pacific Grove Golf Course along the way. I thought it might be fun to share a few photos of the event. Check ’em out:
Hey, doesn’t everybody use Twitter? Okay, not everybody, but certainly a lot of folks do. It’s the go-to immediate social media platform to post quick-hitting comments, links and videos. You can track chatter about topics galore, and if you’re trying to keep up with social media interaction relating to a specific tradeshow, just plug in the show hashtag and you’re seeing dozens and dozens of tweets, photos and videos.
Frankly, it’s tough to find a tradeshow-related Twitter account that doesn’t commit one of the sins of tweeting: too much self-promotion, nothing but retweeting, or just ignoring the ability to personally relate by tweeting our photos or individual comments.
Let’s get highly subjective and track down a baker’s dozen of tradeshow and event-related Twitter accounts that you might take a look at:
Julius Solaris, Editor of Event Manager Blog, Author.
6 Ways to Improve Your Event Team https://t.co/kCFVT4pOXt pic.twitter.com/Wx8ZBpoEJH
— Julius Solaris (@tojulius) August 7, 2017
Melissa P. Michel, tradeshow and event specialist, and in case you didn’t notice, a softball fanatic!
#Event Tip: Avoid expensive rigging costs by using a display that includes overhead lighting. #tradeshowtips pic.twitter.com/uaCXfryS2q
— Melissa P. Michel ツ (@melissapmichel) August 8, 2017
ExpoStars: Team training, booth staff, effective engagement.
Meet Yasuko, Expo Star’s lead generator, interpreter and our Expo Star of the month in June.
https://t.co/1PuNbaSiYq pic.twitter.com/jN4TIm2Vnz
— ExpoStars (@ExpoStars) August 8, 2017
Sarah Michel, The Wonder Woman of Networking, VP of Connexity, CSP at Velvet Chainsaw.
Super proud of @taylormichel2 being named Artists of Assembly: 2017 40 Under 40 by Connect Association https://t.co/b1qSYf6j53
— Sarah Michel (@sarahmichel) May 4, 2017
Kyle Hillman, CMM, Hillman Events, wearer of all hats
Wifi or lack thereof is the single greatest hurdle to innovation in the meetings industry. Until this issue is fixed – we are stymied.
— Kyle Hillman, CMM (@HillmanEvents) July 16, 2017
Liz King. NYC based Event Planning Superhero
A #flyover the #Brooklyn #bridge. My life is complete! #manhattan #nyc #newyork #downtown #dslr… https://t.co/Fn4Rj7vQ6f
— Liz King (@lizkingevents) July 10, 2017
BizBash: Ideas, News and Resources for Event Planners & Experiental Marketers
Event Tech Competition Selects Concierge #EventBot as Most Innovative https://t.co/vRiQzJFLiA #MPI
— BizBash (@BizBash) August 8, 2017
EventBrite: The world’s largest event technology platform.
10 Gifs That Perfectly Illustrate #EventProf Life: https://t.co/BOYtvprsyV #eventprofs pic.twitter.com/ToDYk9NcN3
— Eventbrite (@eventbrite) August 8, 2017
Shawna McKinley, Event Sustainability
Insightful: @reneelertzman @Sierra_Magazine on how to talk about #climate change – req’d reading https://t.co/waLunvUZzU HT @TheEnergyMix
— Shawna McKinley (@s_mckinley) August 4, 2017
Sparks Marketing: Brand experience agency.
ICYMI Trade Show Industry Leaders Talk Shop: https://t.co/QyuguSelf4 #poweredbysparks #eventprofs pic.twitter.com/vQyJdBNfSb
— Sparks (@sparksmarketing) August 7, 2017
Corbin Ball, CSP CMP, Event and Tradeshow Technology Analyst
Nice job by @expodana at #vc17 on designing attendee journeys! Create shareable stories. pic.twitter.com/xdCg6MpyZW
— Corbin Ball, CSP CMP (@corbinball) August 8, 2017
Rachel Wimberly, TSNN, Editor-in-Chief of the Tradeshow News Network
IAEE Names Jonathan “Skip” Cox 2017 KLI Legend of the Industry https://t.co/VOHndHCYON congrats! @exhibitsurveys
— Rachel Wimberly (@TSNN_Rachel) August 8, 2017
Adrian Segar, Conferences that work, consultant for interactive, innovative, attendee-driven events.
A good conference is like a island vacation https://t.co/GmZufRrmEq #eventprofs #assnchat pic.twitter.com/6w5tyZJYS2
— Adrian Segar (@ASegar) August 8, 2017
MelmWhite, Classic Exhibits, VP of Business Development for exhibit manufacturer Classic Exhibits
It’s pretty cheap to buy outcomes that benefit a minority. And business loves a bargain. https://t.co/paXCP85h8I pic.twitter.com/qB5OxbLyga
— Classic Exhibits Inc (@melmwhite) August 8, 2017
Anders Boulanger, Tradeshow Crowds: Infotainer that draws crowds
10 Alternatives to booth babes at trade shows. Infotainers come in at #2 !https://t.co/2TWmNefmcE
— Anders Boulanger (@TradeShowCrowds) August 8, 2017
There you have it. Take a closer look. And let me know about other Twitter tradeshow and event activists that I should know about!
