August 21, 2009

The 8 Best Tradeshow Tweets

1. Conferences and Break-out Sessions. Business execs find this useful. It gives insights into presentations and ideas, and helps bring you closer to people who are not there…as well as connect with ones who are.

2. Booth Promotions. Got a prize to giveaway? Regularly tweeting about stuff going on at your booth is a good way to bring visitors by, and helps remind non-attendees what kinds of things your company is doing.

3. Raves. Love a booth? Promotion? Graphic? Break-out session? Meet a cool dude/chick? Tweet out a rave. Works even better if they’re on Twitter; if so, be sure to use their handle.

4. Ask/Answer Questions. Trying to find a good restaurant or watering hole? Need an answer to an industry question? Ask and ye shall receive.

5. Engage in Conversations. Similar to #4, but perhaps on a more casual or personal level. A conversation may only be a few tweets long, but even a short one can be engaging.

6. Announcements. Got a media event? Unveiling a new product? Is there a demo or celebrity in your booth? Tweet it out and let your followers – and show followers – know.

7. Tweet-Ups. Seems every tradeshow or conference has a tweet-up of some sort. If you’re going, re-tweet the location/time. If not, do it anyway.

8. What You Are Doing? This kind of tweet can be easily overdone, but if cleverly packaged it doesn’t hurt to know what other people are doing and where. Could bring back a good response.

Of course, if you’re tweeting about the show, be sure to insert the show’s hashtag identifier so that anyone searching that tag can see your tweet. If you are at a booth, don’t forget to include the booth number.

August 19, 2009

Twitter E-Book Gets a Mention in ‘Exhibitor’ Mag; Meeting a Fellow Tweeter

Even though my ‘twittering’ comes and goes according to the time and inspiration available, it’s always nice to connect with other Tweeters – and see your stuff get mentioned in the national landscape.

Just arrived back this morning from a week-long golfing and historic car vacation with a buddy and found the latest edition of Exhibit Magazine on my desk. I was looking forward to this edition because I’d worked with writer Charles Pappas at the magazine on some elements. I’d originally proposed doing the article and they tentatively accepted, but then decided to expand the scope of the article and do it in house with a senior staff writer.

The article covers LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, the ‘Big Three’ of social media in 2009. And yes, Charles and his folks did a terrific job.

I’d give you a link to it BUT they don’t post current issues online, so you’ll have to check the magazine (p. 21), or wait a month for the current issue to appear on their website.

Who is this guy? And what's up with his thumb?

IN THE MEANTIME… speaking of Twitter, I had a chance to sit down with fellow Tweet-Man @KenNewman this week. We met up for about an hour at the Ritual Roasters coffee house in San Francisco and shot the breeze about expensive cars, selling cars, coffee roasting…and whatever other thoughts shot through our brains. Nice guy, great guy – glad we could meet face-to-face and connect on a personal level – all because we found each other on Twitter and decided we had stuff in common.

Check out Ken at Twitter and take a look at his company’s website: Magnet Productions.

July 22, 2009

You’re There to SELL!

Tradeshows are dressed up in flashy graphics, entertaining interactivity and endless hype.

But the real reason you’re there is to SELL. So how are your tradeshow sales skills? Are you asking the right questions? Are you qualifying and disqualifying visitors with ease?

Since selling is generally not a one-step process, do you have the logical steps laid out for company reps? The steps might look like this: engage, qualify, assess interest (cool, warm, hot), gather contact information, agree upon the next step and when that will take place, turn the lead over the sales person.

The steps are flexible depending on your type of service or product. But you’re generally building a relationship to the point where the prospect likes and trusts you and values your product enough to make a commitment to buy.

Tradeshows offer a lot of distractions to visitors and staffers, but by focusing on the end goal – the SALE – you’ll come away with better results.

July 6, 2009

How Important is Booth Staff Training?

Tradeshow Staff Training - is it important?

You’ve no doubt arrived at a tradeshow booth wanting to find out more about the product or service being offered. Maybe you even scouted them out or found them on a recommendation.

But when you arrive you find that the staff greets you with indifference. Or worse, you find yourself ignored, and not because the staff is busy with other customers but because they’re chatting with themselves.

What do you do? Turn and walk away? I’ve seen it happen.

It’s a missed sales opportunity that will likely not be regained. All because your booth staffers didn’t have the presence of mind or proper training to greet you.

When you arrive at the tradeshow with a well-trained staff, you communicate a subtle message to visitors and fellow exhibitors: We Came Prepared. We’re Ready for You. Bring It On.

It’s all part of your bottom line: a well-trained staff can increase both the quality and quantity of your take-home leads. Team meetings every day can keep your staff focused and on task. A well-trained staff will invite visitors in by smiling and asking pertinent qualifying questions. They’ll determine who’s a quality prospect and who’s not, and effectively move the prospects into the sales funnel and the non-prospects out of the booth.

By taking the time to train your staff in engaging and qualifying your visitors, you’re investing in a valuable resource. And that investment will reap dividends in the real world – your tradeshow marketing ROI.

June 30, 2009

Using Music in Your Tradeshow Booth

Have you ever been walking through a tradeshow only to be diverted by the onslaught of a loud steady hip-hop beat from a booth three rows away? It’s happened to me a few times.

Typically, if music at a booth is too loud, neighbors will complain and it won’t take long for the music volume level to drop to acceptable levels, whether voluntarily or through enforcement by show organizers.

So does all music at a show rub people the wrong way? And with thousands of exhibitors won’t low-volume music get lost in the hustle and bustle?

Perhaps, but there are ways music can be used effectively. At a recent show I was drawn to a light reggae beat emanating from inside a small structure. When I stepped through the door I was treated to Bob Marley’s ‘Jammin’’ and I was treated to a small art display that enhanced the exhibitor’s image.

Across the show floor at another booth my ears detected new age music that was barely audible from ten feet away – but it sounded perfectly appropriate for the product on display and added to the overall booth ambiance.

In both cases the music was unobtrusive and supported the client’s image. If you’re going to consider music as a background for your tradeshow it should do both.

What About the Legalities?

Not being a lawyer, but at least being familiar with the licensing requirements of ASCAP and BMI, it’s my understanding that any event or venue that features licensed music is required to pay a fee. For instance, if you play a radio over your on-hold system, technically you’re required to pay a licensing fee. Same at a restaurant, bar or other gathering place where pre-recorded music might be played – or a live band for tha matter. If you play music in your booth at a tradeshow, often the event organizers or convention operators will have a license to cover that performance.

If you want to play music at your booth, check with the show organizers first and see if they’re covered. If they’re not, check with your company legal advisor. If they determine you should cover your legal you-know-what, purchasing a performance license is relatively cheap.

June 22, 2009

Branding Your Company Before and After the Trade Show

Here’s a simple way to show off your company to prospective customers and clients from the minute you walk out of your door until the minute you return.

Wear a branded shirt or coat. It may sound simple, but look at what it does: it puts your name in front of people in the cab or shuttle to the airport. It shows your name off to people in the airport and on the plane.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with traveling anonymously, and it may suit you best. But why not take the opportunity to not only show off your company name while traveling, but to show how cordial and engaging you can be? This may be a better fit if you’re a salesman or PR person who enjoys interacting with other people, but it can work for anyone.

Some companies I know have all of their tradeshow staff wear nice branded clothing, such as a long-sleeve button, collared shirt with an embroidered emblem, so everyone on the plane, bus or hotel knows who they’re with.

June 19, 2009

Top 10 Annoying Things Tradeshow Attendees Do

Licensed through Creative Commons: photo by Taylor Marie Photography

Thousands of people come to tradeshows. Most are pretty nice. Many are a joy to meet and greet and do business with.

Then there are the annoying ones. Worse than Uncle Marvin at a family reunion. Harder to put up with than sand in your beach barbecue.

So what are the most annoying behaviors at tradeshows? We scratched our collective heads – then asked some of our online friends. And we came up with the following obviously incomplete list.

10. The guest who won’t leave. Yeah, you’ve done all you can, answered all his questions, put up with his lame jokes and made it clear you need to talk with other visitors…but the guy is still standing there. Waiting for…something?

9. The visitor who tries to pick up dates with booth workers. ‘Nuff said.

8. (related to #9) Guys who hit on the ‘models’ in the booth. Okay, so the company decided to bring ‘booth babes’ to attract an audience. But it’s still a pretty eye-rolling thing to have guys try and pick ’em up.

7. When visitors bring their bratty kids to shows. Now, bringing youngsters to a tradeshow (as opposed to a consumer show) is a bit questionable…but when they’re in a horrible mood and bratty? Yeah, annoying.

6. When an attendee says “I’m just looking” when I approach them. Trade shows are NOT The Gap!

5. Petty annoyance, but how about people who just dart over to your booth to grab the “free stuff” and then vanish? (too typical, but still annoying)

4. Stand in your booth talking to each other but refuse to engage your booth staff! grrrrr…

3. When attendees don’t wear their badges or turn them around. Just let me know who you are and what I can do for you..

2. The ones who refuse to accept that a female booth personel could be the expert and keeps addressing the men in the booth.

1. “They don’t show up!”

Your own exhibiting experiences would give you a different list…but for today and today only, those are the top 10 annoying things tradeshow attendees do!

Thanks to all the Tweeps who participated, including @rbakctiff, @katiejcrose, @qualitylogo, @EmilieBarta, @leyla_a, @ckinney, @Asa_Dahlqvist and @ctstew.

June 16, 2009

Asking Qualifying Questions at Tradeshows

Tradeshows are a busy and distracting environment in which you’re trying to make sales and generate leads. By asking qualifying questions you can cut to the chase quickly.

Tradeshow consultant and author Mitch Tarr says it takes practice. For instance, you should come up with a pertinent question, such as “Do you own a small business nearby?” or “Do you have kids in elementary school?”

If you spend a moment to qualify and engage the person, you’ll quickly determine if they’re qualified prospects. Each show might require a different qualifying question. A regional home show would have different requirements than a national tradeshow.

Ensure that everyone on your staff is well-rehearsed and able to ask the question to qualify visitors. While this may seem simple, in practice it often is not. In the heat and bustle of a tradeshow, it’s easy for someone to forget what the question is – or forget to ask it consistently of the booth visitors.

May 22, 2009

Exhibit Industry Online Resources

Yeah, you could find most of these websites through Googling your little heart out, but why not let me do it for you?

Some of these sites I just came across, others I’ve used for years. All are focused on providing news, information and commentary on the exhibit and events industry. I’ve left out any corporate sites that pretend to be industry news but are rather blogs or sites that are pitching products.

So enjoy this collection of online magazines, newspapers, news sources and blogs. (If I missed a cool resource, add it in the comment section!)…

Center for Exhibition Industry Research
“Our goal is to promote the image, value and growth of exhibitions. This is accomplished through producing primary research studies that prove the effectiveness and efficiency of exhibitions as a marketing medium.”

Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA)
“…for firms engaged in providing services and materials for the meetings, exhibition and hospitality industry.”

International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE)

“…to represent the interests of tradeshow and exposition managers, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events™ is today the leading association for the global exhibition industry. Today IAEE™ represents over 8,500 individuals who conduct and support exhibitions around the world.”

Exhibitor Magazine Online
For tradeshow managers and exhibitors. Includes a buyer’s guide, exhibit tips and stories, resource directory and marketplace. Lots of stuff here for the exhibitor!

TSNN.com
“The Ultimate Event Resource” including tradeshow lists, a job board, press releases and industry training links.

Tradeshow Week
“TSW.com is news and information about meetings, events, tradeshows and associations…”

Tradeshow Executive
“We aim to help show managers stimulate growth, profits and customer satisfaction so that their show, organization and the trade show industry can prosper.”

Exhibit City News
“Exhibit City News, the nation’s only tradeshow industry newspaper…”

Tradeshow Expo
“A newspaper and website for the trade show, convention, meetings and exhibits industries….”

Tradeshow Blues
Industry insider stuff from Jeffrey Brown. Tradeshow news with an attitude.

Exhibit Surveys
Providing research and metrics for the tradeshow industry.

May 19, 2009

One-to-One Marketing

A tradeshow is a unique selling environment. One where you can talk with literally hundreds of prospects over a few days – all one-to-one.

So what does it take to get the most out your personal interaction?

Keep these few tips in mind:

The visitor may or may not be ready to buy. Treat them as if they are on the verge of getting out their checkbook. Be personable and engaging and make sure you’ve answered all of their questions. They may not buy for a month or a year or more, but if they leave your booth feeling good about you chances are good they’ll be more willing to write a check in the future.

A visitor will probably only stop at your booth once during the show. Unless you have something they REALLY want, one stop is plenty for them. Don’t assume they’ll come back. So when they do stop, fully engage for the time they’re granting you.

If you’re tired, try not to show it. Yeah, we know you’ve been on your feet all day. But if you act bored and tired, your visitor will probably just keep going. Make a sincere effort to find out what’s important to your visitor. It may mean having a little fun at your own expense (making a joke about that yawn you just let out) so they see that while you’re tired, they really are important to you!

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