The Exhibit Source Blog

Despite repeated rumors of their decline, industry trade shows are alive and well. Since 2008, the $100 billion trade show industry has been growing nearly 3% over the past 18 months. Beyond the obvious networking, learning, and sales opportunities, trade shows can also be an excellent place to launch a new company or product. Here are some tips on how entrepreneurs can identify the right shows to attend and get the most out of them.

During the financial crisis many people predicted that professional conventions and industry trade shows would become obsolete, replaced by videoconferencing and Web events. Has that happened?

The Internet is not doing anything at all to displace face-to-face events. In fact, demand for face-to-face is growing as a result of the Internet facilitating transactions and opportunities, and extending the trade show’s reach before and after it occurs. People will always have the need to explore, travel, and meet others in person.

Have trade shows recovered from the financial crisis and recession?

You can’t really say how the industry is doing as a whole because you have to look at specific industries within the exhibition space.

Look at the energy space, especially alternative energy like wind and solar, and they are drawing 20,000 to 30,000 attendees at shows that are not even five years old. We measure metrics across 14 different industry sectors and we track 10,000 events in the U.S., including 7,000 professional events and 3,000 public events that draw between 20 and 30 million consumers annually. We are forecasting overall growth of 2.9 percent this year and 3 percent in 2013.

What do you tell would-be entrepreneurs about the best way to find a trade show and get the most out of attending?

It’s important to set objectives first. Too many people go to trade shows without knowing what they want to get out of them, and the results they achieve are disappointing. It is easy to find online directories that list upcoming events by date, by industry, by show type, by region, and other specifics.

Next, find out who the exhibitors are, look at the floor plan online, and put together a daily agenda for which exhibitors you want to talk to and when. There can be hundreds of exhibits at big shows, so you don’t want to run around helter-skelter trying to find booths. The real benefit is that you have a very efficient platform that aggregates all these people with similar interests under one roof, and they typically have the same broad objectives as the attendees. So you don’t have to fly around the country talking to 15 or 20 different companies about carrying their products or selling them yours.

Can you give some tips for small businesses that are considering exhibiting?

The exhibition is an excellent platform to launch a new business. Especially for small and medium-size enterprises, they are an enormously efficient way to gain market entry. With an established business, first decide what you want to achieve with your marketing budget for the year and what you’re going to spend on trade shows vs. other advertising. Again, set objectives and find events where you can talk to buyers who will help you achieve those objectives.

Calculate how much space you’ll need and how much staff you need to take based on how many buyers you want to touch over how many days. Get the attendee demographics and contacts from the show organizer and do pre-show promotions three months ahead of time, instead of just getting a big space and expecting the right people to magically come by.

After the show, thank them for meeting you, extend any discounts or promos you offered during the show for an additional 10 days, and let them know where they can reach you if they’re interested.

How much does all this cost?

Many trade shows are free, but they’re open only to qualified professionals. For those that charge admission, most are well under $500. Of course you have to factor in travel, accommodations, and time away from work, but you shouldn’t think of it as an expense but an investment in your business.

Business Week

Business-to-business media industry revenue rose 6.9% last year—from $24.7 million to $26.4 million between 2010 and 2011—with trade shows making up 40% of that revenue, according to the latest report from American Business Media’s Business Information Network (BIN).

B2B media trade show revenue in 2011 increased 2.2%, from $10.2 million to $10.5 million, following two years of significant decline. Between 2009 and 2010, trade show revenue fell by 6.4 percent; the drop the year before was more than double that, at 15.8 percent.

Growth was seen across all four categories the BIN report measures in the b-to-b media space:

• Digital advertising revenue jumped 22 percent to $6.3 million, contributing 24 percent to the total.

• Print advertising revenue increased 2.9 percent to $7.6 million, contributing 29 percent to the total.
• Data services—the smallest segment, at 7 percent—increased 6.5 percent to $1.9 million.

The BIN report is created with help from a number of partners, including the Center for Exhibition Industry Research and publishing service bureau Inquiry Management Systems.

Expo

You have made the commitment to attend trade shows. You have hired and paid the staff, expensed the travel and in some cases lodging, you have purchased the uniforms and you have a captivating trade show display. Because of it all, you have gotten some great leads. Now you have to follow-up on those qualified leads. This is the challenge.

Trade show lead follow-up has long been a problem. Why go through the effort and expense of exhibiting at a show with no follow-up plans in place. This is such a waste of precious marketing dollars.  However, it is done all the time by companies who must think that this activity is just not that important.

Lead Follow-up Problem Overall

Here is a breakdown of companies overall approach to leads, not just trade show leads.  One statistic shows that the majority of leads are never follow-up.

Does Your Company Qualify Leads for Sales?

• 58% No
• 42% Yes

How to “fix” this problem?

The root of the problem is “accountability.”  Senior management needs to require this information from their staff.  When there is a mandate from senior management, performance measures are normally in place to gauge progress.

Forward thinking exhibition managers tackle this issue with excellent results.  Sometimes they have tied it into calculating a return of trade show performance or they just want to streamline their internal marketing/sales processes.
 
Getting A Sales Person Involved

Have a key sales person in the planning process of the lead qualification form that you will use at the trade show.  Having their fingerprints all over the thinking process and the lead scoring parameters ensures they are more willing to follow-up.  This sales person can communicate to his/her peers the measures which are in place, so the teams knows their time is not being wasted with all of the non-leads.

Business 2 Community

Trade shows allow businesses a setting in to find new business leads, new clients and to attend to existing customers. In theory, trade shows provide one-stop-shopping with hundreds of potential clients under one roof. Seems like the perfect opportunity right?
   
Face to face contact with companies is a more efficient approach than calling or emailing prospective clients.   

The reality is very different.  The scale of many events and exhibitions can quickly overwhelm those very clients you are trying to attract. The right trade show exhibit can help. Exhibitors attend shows to reach sales targets, your trade show display needs to attract people to your booth so you don’t have to go looking for them.

Trade shows are great opportunities to network, build relationships with customers, and invite prospects to explore your goods or services. Try to plan your space and use your location to your advantage. But most importantly, promote yourself before the trade show. Let  your potential and existing customers know where you are going to be and offer them a show special.

For assistance in creating the perfect trade show booth, contact The Exhibit Source.

When you exhibit at trade shows, it is important to have a well-place dynamic trade show exhibit that draws people. For companies investing money in trade show exhibits, it is important to do it right.

Trades shows are a great way to meet new potential customers, and interact with existing customers. But first, they need to be able to find and be attracted to your trade show booth.

Picking a great spot for your booth is important too. An attractive trade show booth and the right location within the trade show is a solid exhibit strategy, especially for a smaller company. The opportunity for face-to-face contact that a trade show offers cannot be replaced.

A small or medium sized company can attend a show with a memorable trade show exhibits without breaking the bank. It is surely possible to outfit a 10x10 trade show booth display on a small budget, small enough to make a attending a trade show a great decision for many businesses.

For information on designing your trade show exhibit, contact The Exhibit Source.

If you are heading to a trade show, it is important to make an impression with your trade show display and get the best return on your investment as possible. When go to a trade show on a tight budget, this may be even more important.

Purchasing a pre-owned trade show exhibit can offer savings of as much as 50% over the cost of a new display - and many still have the manufacturer's warranty. Pre-owned trade show exhibits can be customized with your graphics and tailored to communicate your marketing message.

If you are spending the time and money on a trade show it is important to do the show right with memorable and captivating trade show booth. Our inventory of pre-owned exhibits changes often. For current availability, and information on pre-owned trade show exhibits contact The Exhibit Source.

FREE graphic header with the purchase of a pre-owned exhibit!

If you are heading to a trade show, you need to get the biggest bang for your buck. When you are taking the time and spending the money on a trade show or expo, it is important to do it right with memorable and captivating trade show exhibits.

With everything from 20 x 10 foot trade show displays to table top and multi-quad exhibits, you have your choice for your next trade show exhibit.

Your company needs to maximize trade show ROI with innovative exhibit design, high quality displays and graphics.  Perhaps you need lecterns or brochure racks, those are also available as well as green exhibits.

The Exhibit Source specializes in creating large-scale graphics that utilize color saturation and seamless designs, up to 10' dimensions.

Since The Exhibit Source specializes in creating unique looking exhibits for their clients, that means they pull from different vendors, mixing and matching display options to create just the right exhibit to fulfill a client's needs.  Contact Us.