Event Articles

When thousands of people descend upon a trade show exhibition hall with their co-workers, customers and client prospects, the good news is that there is a lot of sales prospecting and high-powered networking going on. The bad news is that the conference site may become a Mecca for theft. Not only are the Hershey Kisses left on the trade show booth counters at risk, but also your company’s sensitive top-secret information may also be in danger of being stolen if left unattended or unsecured.

The big issue, then, is how can you safeguard against theft of company equipment and knowledge during a trade show exhibit?

According to Karla Krause-Miller, Director, Cappa and Graham, Inc., the event planning company in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, it starts with the security guards who are hired to check trade show attendance. They are busy making sure that all visitors are legitimate and have the proper badges. The guards do not have the responsibility of insuring that your equipment is safe. You must be aware that it is up to you to protect against any trade show booth theft. With that in mind, there are certain rules and precautions one must take at the trade show exhibit hall in order to insure your trade show booth is secure.

The first rule is to keep your valuables either locked away or in your line of vision at all times. This goes for purses, briefcases, cell phones, laptops, company manuals, price lists, and anything that may be of interest to your competitors. Theft happens extremely fast. You need to keep your eyes focused on protecting your vulnerable assets at your trade show display.

Be aware that anything you leave in your trade show exhibit after the show is also at risk for theft. Never leave valuables or any confidential company items lying around your trade show booth after hours. Be sure to detach all plugs and movable connections to your trade show booth demonstration equipment, such as a keyboard, mouse, floppy drive, monitor, etc. Take these items to your hotel room to keep them safe overnight.

Never count one hundred percent on your trade show booth lock box. It is ok to lock up large pieces of equipment that can’t be easily moved and have them stored overnight at your trade show booth, but whenever possible, remove valuables from the trade show booth counter lock box at night. There is standardized keying that can unlock most pedestals where demonstration supplies are stored. That’s a big help when you lose your key, but can be a liability if someone else has access with a key copy.

Use laptops that have only demonstration software on them. Be sure that none of your sensitive corporate information is stored on the hard drive.

Beware of security issues beyond the trade show exhibit floor– from hotels to meeting rooms and places where visitors meet. Use the hotel safe deposit box for jewelry and cash, not the one in your individual room.

Before you go to an out-of-town convention, check online for travel alerts so you can better prepare and know what precautions to take. When you get to your hotel, ask the front desk about how safe the neighborhood is and what places to avoid.

When you leave your room later in the day, you many want to put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door to detract intruders from breaking in.

Be ever vigilant in keeping your trade show assets protected. If you do, you can have a worry-free trade show experience—whether it be the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, the Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the Santa Clara Convention Center or the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

By taking steps to insure against theft, you can better enjoy a trouble-free networking and sales experience with the hundreds of industry visitors to the trade show exhibition.

Trade show conferences are gathering spots for favored clients, client prospects, industry leaders, as well as competitors. Trade show visitors, however, have hectic schedules. They are busy attending educational industry seminars, networking with their colleagues, learning about new products and seeing first-hand the latest innovations in their specific fields. But it is also important to note that trade show attendees have unscheduled times of the day and evening when they can pick and choose what they’d like to do. This is your company’s golden opportunity to entertain and educate trade show attendees about innovative aspects of your company.

But how do you go about capturing the trade show visitors after or before the hours of the trade show exhibit? Do you want to reward your targeted list of clients and suppliers with a special recognition outside the trade show display arena? Do you want to have your executives and sales representatives get to know the power players of your industry to increase your sales? If you decide you want to host a rewarding and satisfying event, how can you plan for a venue that your trade show display visitors will clamor to attend?

These are the questions that can best be fielded by the professional meeting and event planner. According to Karla Krause-Miller, Director, Cappa and Graham, Inc., the event planning company in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, the more creative the venue outside the trade show display, the better. First she identifies the client’s primary objectives and goals, whether they are educational, or a special recognition ceremony, or a strictly social time. Then make the decision on where to hold your event– whether it is a museum, gallery, private home, mansion, cruise, winery tour or even a Wax museum.

After you have decided on the venue, you then need to find a tie-in to your trade show exhibit theme—one that supports your business and trade show marketing messages. Let that theme of your trade show display drive the central promotional concept for your special event.

Next come the invitations. Where you might send a highly targeted list of trade show exhibit visitors a hand stamped, handwritten invitation, you might merely send an email blast to hundreds of trade show attendees. A good way to build trade show booth traffic is to request that your trade show display guests pick up their special event invitations at your trade show exhibit. That way, you not only have a better accounting of how many people will attend, but you will also give your trade show booth staff an opportunity to talk with VIP trade show visitors.

According to Miller who has handled the full range of events based on clients’ needs, from a hospitality suite at a hotel to a large gala at City Hall, each organized program starts with identifying whom you want to attend.

For example, if you plan to invite a medical group, your event planner must be aware of FDA guidelines and follow them explicitly. Be aware that there may be a dollar limit per person that the FDA requires you stay within. And if you want to attract medical personnel attending a medical trade show, offering Continuing Education Credits (CEU) is a real plus.

Another key element to event planning is to make the meeting memorable –like staging an activity that attendees could not easily do by themselves. An example is to arrange a luncheon with a demonstration of special pairings of wines given by the owner of a prestigious winery.

Another example of good event planning is imparting an emotional message that ties in with the special mindset of the group. For instance, a key ingredient in making a recognition event successful for the Chapter Presidents of American Association of Critical Care Nurses was that they identified with their speaker’s circumstances at their recognition luncheon. Rosey Grier, former football player who was at the side of Bobby Kennedy when he was shot, was the guest speaker at this nurses’ luncheon. When he talked about that tragic day and described the hectic and emotional scene that ensued after Kennedy was killed, there was not a dry eye in the house.

By thinking in terms of who your attendees are, you will be able to plan an event that is appropriate whether it is close by at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, the Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the Santa Clara Convention Center or the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

Remember, when your company plans to exhibit at a trade show, if you extend your hospitality outside the trade show booth in a venue that ties into your trade show marketing theme, you will succeed in gaining better attention, building goodwill and standing out in comparison to your competition.

When you plan the design of your trade show display, it is important to think of your trade show booth floor as your fifth wall. The flooring of your trade show booth should always complement– and enhance– the environment of your trade show display. In fact, your choice of flooring can add a third dimension to your trade show booth.

When the city of Chicago used full-color digitally printed footprints- in- the sand on their trade show carpet, it was the starting point of a “follow me” tour of the Chicago area that made their booth 3 dimensional.

Their realistic footprints-in-sand carpet graphics enticed visitors to follow the footprints leading up to Lake Michigan shown graphically on the trade show booth wall. It was a clever way to explore the terrain of the city of Chicago and its environs. Imaginative trade show flooring can create 3 dimensional trade show booths with flooring that uses footprints, railroad tracks, and other devices that stimulate a “follow me” look.

Using creative flooring graphics can enhance the look of your trade show booth. By merely adding imaginative carpeting concepts to your trade show exhibit, you will be able to successfully update the look of your existing trade show booth. Also, compelling floor designs can act as a beacon inviting visitors to view featured products perched on top of attention-getting floor destinations.

Contemporary flooring uses materials that are now easier to use and ship. New lightweight and durable flooring materials can easily roll up like carpet. Interlocking floors are extremely portable and can handle the demands of small and large trade show exhibitors. With new 10’ wide carpet panels, flex floor panels, pre-measured padding and carpet bags with wheels, trade show flooring assembles faster, and is easier to dismantle and less costly to ship.

Today’s trade show booth flooring concepts offer a greater variety of choices than ever before– from carpets in solid or specifically dyed colors, inlays and logos, to flex floors that look like stone, metal, fabric or hardwoods. Consider the addition of a corporate logo or brand name to exhibit flooring to make and reinforce your brand impression. The application of border designs, custom inlays and carpet sculpting can significantly add a quality look to your trade show booth décor.

According to Dave Walens, President of Brumark, a flooring solutions company for the trade show and event industry headquartered in Marietta, Georgia, there are many smart and flexible innovations in flooring for today’s trade show exhibitor.

Walens mentions that one new innovation is the plastic tile raised floor that is a quick to install and an easy way to level the trade show booth floor. It has the advantage of allowing you to manage electrical, plumbing and air easily and effectively under your trade show exhibit without the threat of damage or the inconvenience of large carpeting. The system’s integrated shipping pallet makes packing, loading and unloading quick and simple. The raised floor is also pleasing to the eye and the slightly elevated surface can enhance the decor of the trade show booth.

Rubber flooring can be used for areas subject to heavy wear. The durability, flexibility, safety, comfort, slip resistance and aesthetic appeal makes rubber flooring an appealing option for both indoor and outdoor flooring applications.

Padding is also available to provide comfort for those trade show booth attendants who spend long hours on their feet. Visitors often notice the extra cushioning as well with appreciative comments to the trade show exhibit hosts.

Walens adds that, in addition to the trade show floor materials, the trade show exhibitor must be mindful of carpet accessories such as tape, clear plastic sheets used to protect the carpet from damage, and flat extension cords with lighted ends that eliminate bumps under your carpet or flooring. This works well whether you are considering a trade show booth at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, the Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the Santa Clara Convention Center or the San Jose McEnery Convention Center

Remember when trade show exhibitors think out- of- the- box exposure ideas for their trade show booth, they often consider overhead hanging signs. However, if you properly integrate your trade show flooring into the design of your trade show display, you can have a successful exhibit experience by providing underfoot appeal to your trade show booth visitors as well.

Swooping shapes, extreme flexibility, ease of assembly and an ability to reach up to 3-story high projections are just a few of the reasons why smart trade show exhibitors are using tension fabrics in their trade show displays’ towers, hanging signs, backwalls, wings and conference areas.

Today’s lightweight, aircraft grade tension fabrics offer dramatic shapes, colors, and add scope to the trade show booth. When Nintendo used tension fabric that soared to the sky with their 3- story high wall at the E3 conference, their large scale trade show exhibit was highly visible throughout the exhibit hall. Tension fabric can also create an element of surprise. Boeing inspired intrigue when they rolled out the introduction of their new $200 million airplane hidden behind a 50’ tension fabric banner. Boeing was able to unveil in a suspenseful manner their massive plane by slowly stripping away the fabric piece by piece before a fascinated audience.

According to Todd Bell, President of Warp Corp –a tension fabric exhibit manufacturer and supplier headquartered in Seattle, Washington –fabric and aluminum tubing trade show exhibit structures have the advantage of being dramatic, lightweight, easy to pack, and travel smoothly.

The trade show exhibitor uses tension fabric structures with a variety of interesting shapes as an attention-getter to show strollers within view of their trade show booth. From curvy conference rooms to rocket- like towers, to hanging signs shaped as cones, disks, dishes, rounds, triangles, etc., to imaginatively shaped backwalls and wings at the trade show display, these tension fabrics are artfully designed and stretched over aluminum frames. The fabric can offer flexibility in size since it is cut, dyed, and sewn, and then stretched onto aluminum tubing that is welded and rolled to the required dimensions of the trade show exhibit designer.

The use of a dye-sublimation process, that transfers digital color images to fabric, enhances the design of the tension fabric. The process involves heat and pressure, creating a very vibrant and durable image, capable of withstanding abuse and exposure. The image embedded onto the fabric does not run, smear, or peel off the underlying fabric. Among the advantages of dye-sublimation are color saturation, durability, and choice of substrates to match most needs.

Depending on the look and use of the trade show display designer’s graphics, there are an enormous variety of fabrics to choose from. Lycra and metallic fabrics are very popular. Some fabric is sheer while other material is heavy and opaque. The use of thin, gauzy fabric allows light diffusion which can become translucent and allow images to appear and disappear. Hanging banners from suspended truss work can also be used for blocking light. The trade show exhibitor can choose from a selection of aluminum frame tension fabric structures that can stand alone, suspend overhead, or complete a trade show exhibit booth or space.

Today’s fabrics are not only dramatic, durable and cost efficient, and but also they are fire retardant for additional safety assurance at the trade show.

So wherever you exhibit—be it the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, the Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the Santa Clara Convention Center or the San Jose McEnery Convention Center—using new tension fabrics will put your trade show display in the forefront of trade show booth design.

Remember, by choosing tension fabric structures for your trade show display, you can add drama and scope to your trade show exhibit and have a more impactful trade show experience.

Question: Is it better for an American trade show exhibitor to rent a trade show booth abroad if the exhibit hall is in Europe or Asia rather than ship a trade show exhibit from the U.S.?

Answer: Yes. It makes better sense logistically and economically to rent a trade show display in a foreign country where it will be exhibited. Why? For starters, the savings on round trip international shipping and handling charges are substantial.

Also, it turns out that each country has a distinct set of trade show requirements due to the unique characteristics of that nation’s business styles. For instance, with storage space at a premium in Japan, it is common for the custom trade show booth to appear in only one trade show. In Japan, the trade show booth is often destroyed after the trade show, thereby eliminating the need for storage space. When exhibiting in other countries, this “build and burn” trade show booth concept is common because the exhibitor is often unwilling to store a trade show exhibit or have it shipped back to their country. Consequently, lesser grade materials are used on the one-time trade show display since the trade show booth will not be used again.

In Europe, trade show booths with fully functioning kitchens, dishwashers, four burner stoves, and full size refrigerators are customary at trade shows. This is due to the business culture of Europeans who expect hospitality in their trade show display arenas, according to Candy Adams, a San Diego-based independent exhibit-management consultant, trainer, speaker and writer known as The Booth Mom®. She says that the overseas exhibitor often hires local students to pick up the food, cook and serve it at the trade show. And, at a bare minimum at the American trade show booth in Europe, coffee, cookies and carbonated and plain water need to be served in order to comply with the unwritten hospitality code of European countries.

Adams advises that the U.S. trade show exhibitor needs to plan well in advance if they want to exhibit overseas. The American exhibitor needs to consider extra time for customs clearance, shipping, working in the metric system (rather than inches and feet), different time zones, language barriers and currency exchange rates. If you want to avoid fluctuations in price, Adams suggests locking in the amount of the trade show rental exhibit costs by paying in advance.

One of the biggest problems in international exhibiting is the lack of understanding the language, cites Adams. Be aware that some trade shows require all written materials and signage to be printed in the official language of the show. When you have translation work done, make sure that your words and meanings are translated correctly both into the official language as well as when the words are translated back into English. Make sure nothing is lost in translation, and that you properly convey what you mean to say.

Take into account the difference in trade show budgeting for Europe vs. U.S. In Europe, the trade show costs of shipping, material handling and exhibit set-up up are customarily handled by the European trade show exhibit house. It is just the opposite in the U.S., where each service provider is a different entity – from separate freight companies, drayage, installation and dismantling labor, etc.

The flip side is true when European or Asian exhibitors plan to exhibit in a U.S. trade show. They are confronted with a confusing array of new standards. The American trade show exhibit house, therefore, must act as an ambassador to help the overseas exhibitor learn the business model of U.S. trade show exhibiting. This applies whether the exhibit is at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, the Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the Santa Clara Convention Center, the San Jose McEnery Convention Center or other exhibit centers throughout the country.

Whether you are a seasoned trade show exhibitor or a neophyte, whether you know the basic trade show exhibit rules by heart or are learning them for the first time, by following four essential trade show display fundamentals you will be better able to make your trade show exhibit experience a success.

The steps are logical and they work. If you follow the guidelines you will succeed at your next trade show whether you select a custom trade show exhibit, a custom modular trade show display, or a trade show booth rental. Here they are:

Trade Show Rule Number 1. Know why you are exhibiting at a trade show

Ask the question –is your trade show display the launch site of your most significant new product or business service? Do you have a cutting edge industry breakthrough? Do you need to herald a major change in strategy for your company due to a merger or acquisition? Or do you merely want to make sure that your company is noticed and included in your industry’s key networking trade show so as not to be left out of the competition?

Once you are clear on why you are exhibiting and what your trade show objectives are, make sure your trade show exhibit reinforces your overall marketing objectives. Set goals that are attainable, share them with your trade show exhibit team, and set up systems to measure your results and validate your objectives.

Trade Show Rule Number 2. Know who your audience is at the trade show.

Enlist informed trade show exhibit staff that is competent and able to connect with and educate your trade show booth customer prospects. Make sure you have your most qualified trade show exhibit team available to meet with key prospects. At the trade show booth, give an informative presentation that will then lead your prospects to the appropriate company spokesperson for additional information. Match up your representatives well with the positions of those who visit your trade show display. For example, if engineers visit your booth engage them with your engineer personnel. Also, prepare your trade show exhibit staff on how to engage, identify and qualify important trade show leads and how to courteously dismiss those who are not qualified business prospects.

Trade Show Rule Number 3. Know how to attract key prospects to your trade show booth.

There are many good ways to attract trade show attendees to your trade show display. In addition to pre-mailers and email alerts, you can build on-site traffic to your trade show booth with a dramatic, attention-getting hanging sign. Upon entering the trade show exhibit hall the first thing trade show attendees do is look up –Your overhead sign can be a beacon with its unique design, shape and movement. Gobo lights traveling across a tension fabric can provide changing color and mesmerizing interest. New technologies bring high drama to your trade show booth such as 3D video/laser image displays suspended above, your own interactive Website on large screen, robotics, holographics, and waterscreen projections. Take advantage of your trade show exhibit supplier’s expertise on graphics, portability and cost management. Use tension fabrics, woods, colored metal, layered graphics that use fewer shipping containers, have a current design trend look, and save on operating costs.

Trade Show Rule Number 4. Know first how to qualify leads and then how to follow up on your qualified leads for maximum ROI.

Make sure your trade show booth staff is well trained in how to accurately qualify and measure the return on your trade show exhibit investment. Take advantage of software packages that allow you to identify a half dozen weighted multiple choice questions in advance that will determine how viable a client prospect is. You need to identify buyers, filter out those who are not qualified, and measure results. Rank your prospects as highly qualified, somewhat qualified, or poorly qualified prospect. Have your sales force follow up on highly qualified leads immediately. Measure the results of these leads in stages from the number and dollar amount of proposals made to monies received from actual sales. After the trade show is over, be sure to follow up immediately on your top level prospects. Then, once your highly qualified prospects are contacted, go on to the next level prospects. Have in place a well-planned strategy to close sales with these prospects.

Remember, if you stay focused and follow the rules, your trade show display experience will succeed at what it is you have set out to do. By having a highly organized trade show exhibit experience, you will be grateful that you had your plan in place. This is true wherever you exhibit—be it the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, the Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the Santa Clara Convention Center or the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

In business as in life, never underestimate the importance of being prepared. As the saying goes, you must first plan your work and then work your plan. This is particularly true in trade show exhibiting where trade show display success is largely dependent on proper planning. Without putting the right plan in place, you will encounter a number of what would be easily avoidable blunders. These oversights can cause havoc on your trade show team’s morale as well as your company’s bottom line. In order to avoid these errors, however, you must first know what they are.

The five major trade show exhibit mistakes to avoid are:

1. Picking the Wrong Show to Exhibit In

By being distracted by an overly hectic work schedule and being short staffed and overworked, hastily made trade show decisions to exhibit in an upcoming trade show can backfire. Because you were unable to put the proper amount of time in to analyze who would be attending and exhibiting in the trade show, you wound up with the wrong targeted audience. Without doing the proper research to learn about the qualifications of the trade show attendees and how they match up with your marketing goals, you are subject to missing your target and having an unrewarding trade show experience.

2. Selecting the Wrong Location For your trade show display

If you wait until the last minute to decide on exhibiting in a trade show, you may have to put up with a less than ideal location– behind a pole, at the end of a dead-end aisle, near loading docks, close to freight doors and ceiling water pipes or in a very dark corner. You may be relegated to a site far from the industry leaders, main attractions, guest services, entrances, exits, escalators, elevators, stairs, windows and seminar sites.

3. Having a vanilla-type trade show booth with no intrigue or style

Just imagine a line forming at the trade show exhibit next to yours where there are compelling, dramatic displays with lots of attractions, audios and interactive activity on their website, sensational giveaways and prizes, fresh brewed coffee and hot buns, dancing acrobats and an oversized TV screen with a luxurious lounge for the foot weary trade show attendee. Then imagine your trade show booth with nothing but a drape. Guess who gets the traffic.

4. Having your trade show booth staff poorly matched with your qualified prospects. If you are attending a trade show that attracts primarily engineers, your trade show exhibit staff should be comprised of engineers who will be able to communicate with its audience in an informative, intelligent way. It’s that simple.

5. Allowing your trade show booth staff to waste time by talking to unqualified prospects. The key is to identify and classify hot prospects and the products and services they are interested in buying. There are new, sophisticated software packages that allow you to identify a half dozen weighted multiple choice questions in advance that will determine how viable a client prospect is. If you do not identify the hot leads and filter out those who are not qualified, then your trade show exhibit staff will only be spinning their wheels. They will spend unproductive time by talking to prospects that do not have the budget, who will be unable to meet a specific time frame and who do not have the ability or authority to purchase your product.

Remember, by avoiding the major pitfalls of novice trade show exhibitors, your trade show display experience will be able to stay on track and you will have a successful trade show exhibiting experience. This applies whether you have a custom trade show exhibit, a custom modular trade show display or a trade show booth rental. It also applies wherever you exhibit—be it the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, the Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the Santa Clara Convention Center or the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

Trade show photography has one of the largest formats of all photography. Because of this, the professional trade show photographer can magically make the client’s logo jump out on the trade show exhibit, have the trade show display look modern and contemporary, and can reproduce beautiful artwork in some of the biggest displays and settings that photography is used.

When you are planning to have a trade show exhibit, it is essential to pre-qualify photographers who have experience in trade show display shooting. Your photographer must be familiar with and can handle the demands of producing oversized, exciting, compelling and crystal clear trade show display images. The effective trade show exhibit professional photographer is able to capture very large photo images in a dramatic way. Ideally he/she will shoot with top- of- the line Nikon, Canon or medium format digital cameras that purposefully translate images to large formats.

Christian Tanimoto, trade show photographer, re-toucher, and graphics production assistant at Professional Exhibits & Graphics of Sunnyvale, California –a premiere trade show display company, says that because of the large size requirement, trade show photography must adhere to special requirements. He gives advice on the three most important ingredients for shooting trade show display images. They are:

#1. The size of the digital file is key–the larger, the better. All photos used for trade show displays need to be on a file that is ideally 12 to 16 or more mega pixels. It is always best to begin with a digital file format in order to achieve a highly accurate resolution.

#2. Use an uncompressed raw file. It is best to use a file that has does not need to be compressed so that you can have large prints that do not look pixilated. The images must look sharp. By using an uncompressed file, you will avoid the posterized or rasterized appearance. Your trade show display design panel artwork will be crisp, clear and have many levels of tone. If photography is not shot in a large digital format, the artwork needs to be converted from either film, slides, or negatives. The images then need to be scanned, downloaded and compressed into a digital file.

#3. Attach color profiles to digital files. By having a large enough color pallet with a wide range of colors, you will be able to select and print true color. Accessing a color profile, the designer can interpret the correct color. You will then be able to accurately communicate color and color match your website and collateral materials seamlessly.

Eye catching, stylish trade show photography can be used on a vast spectrum of trade show displays– from the small trade show kiosk exhibit to the custom free-standing multi-story trade show exhibit with integrated office, meeting room and theater arenas.

Trade show photography is some of the most exciting photography displayed and needs to always look beautiful and exciting, advises Tanimoto. This is equally true if you are purchasing stock photography for your trade show exhibit. Having a large digital file is the key, whether the artwork is used in a custom trade show exhibit, a custom modular trade show display, or a rental trade show booth.

Remember the above tips for impactful trade show photography, and you will have a breath- taking and beautiful trade show exhibit with exceptional graphics. This is true wherever you exhibit—be it the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, the Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the Santa Clara Convention Center or the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

If you are planning to hold an event concurrent with an upcoming trade show exhibit, you need to start by evaluating your company goals and objectives for what you want to achieve in your trade show display appearance. Once you have determined why you are exhibiting, then you will need to match your trade show display with your event in order to seamlessly reinforce the same message. Your trade show event must be fully integrated into your trade show booth’s marketing message.

This seems like common sense, but every so often trade show event planning goes haywire. A good example of a mismatched trade show event is holding an elegant black tie affair for your company’s computer engineers who live and work every day in sport shirts and jeans.

Karla Krause-Miller, Director, Cappa and Graham, Inc., a professional event planning company in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, offers some important tips for trade show event planning:

1. Decide what type of event you have based on your company’s marketing goals and sales objectives. Do you want to have a small, intimate gathering or do you want to have a free- for- all event where you’re not selective about screening your guests? If it’s the latter, you most likely will see your competition at your trade show event drinking your cocktails and eating your food.

2. Integrate your event well with your trade show display’s marketing message to have your happening support the branding of your trade show booth.

3. Know the profile of your trade show attendees and analyze their likes and dislikes before the trade show. Be sure to match the soiree to the comfort level of your group. For example, hot dogs and beer may be fine for a sports- related gathering but is not appropriate with a more formal affair.

4. Make your event inviting, exciting and enticing. Be aware that there are many competing parties going on at trade shows. You are competing with not only trade show management and other trade show exhibitors, but also the city where you are exhibiting in. If that happens to be Las Vegas, then you are up against drawing attendees away from casinos and high caliber entertainment shows at luxury hotels.

5. Be mindful of the time constraints of your guests. If you are arranging a cruise you may have to leave attendees at the dock if they do not have the time for several hours at sea. Better to hold your party at the dock so people can come and go as they please.

Also watch out for breakfast seminars that may be too early for a partying crowd. It is probably safer to have a cocktail reception, but check first with the trade show conference management to see if they have a scheduled an event that conflicts with your time and date.

6. Create buzz and fun into your gathering. Do something different that will stand out. Since people like to get involved, a good idea would be to have your guests dress like characters in old movies, show a Charlie Chaplin film and serve some popcorn. Or rent the local bowling center or skating rink.

7. You do not have to have a big budget to be successful. That’s a myth. If you go bowling, you can give away bowling shirts with names that your attendees have selected in advance. Karla Krause-Miller says that at one such event she chose the name “Alley Cat” and wore it bowling and in a group photo of “her team”.

By thinking in terms of who your attendees are, and by planning something unusual and fun, you will be able to have a successful event — whether it is close by at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, the Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the Santa Clara Convention Center or the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

Remember, when your company exhibits at a trade show and wants to have an event as well, by following the above essential tips of trade show event planning, your preparation and thoughtful planning will pay off handsomely.

If you are planning to have an exhibit in an upcoming trade show –whether it be a custom trade show exhibit, a custom modular trade show display, or a rental trade show booth –don’t overlook the opportunity of having a multi media show at your trade show booth.

Every trade show exhibit has the potential of having some sort of a multi media show inside its trade show booth. It can be as simple as a Power Point presentation on a 17” monitor run from a laptop, to a much more elaborately produced multi media presentation shown on a giant screen.

According to Steve Hermosillo, Creative Director of Professional Exhibits & Graphics – a premiere trade show company in Sunnyvale, California, eighty five percent of trade show exhibitors take advantage of using multi- media in their trade show displays today.

The first step is to identify the need for a multi-media show and then have the media message compliment the client’s marketing goals. The question, then, is how can you use multi media to portray the company’s message accurately and effectively? Hermosillo advises that company management and their marketing team first agree on the message, and then convert that message into a mixed media medium.

Hermosillo sites three reasons why multi media presentations are so effective:

#1. Education. Multi media shows powerfully and effortlessly educate trade show attendees about the company’s new products and services. Install a continuous two minute (or more) multi media loop that visually shows and talks about the new product – the audio/visual show can effectively answer questions of who we are, what we do, and why we do it. This background media loop can be playing in the trade show exhibit as your trade show booth staff talks to attendees. The recorded show also gives your staff a break from repeating the same basic information.

#2. Excitement — Flashing images, upbeat music, and catchy animation all build intrigue and interest. Prospects are attracted to your trade show exhibit which features music, flashing images and animated graphics when strolling the trade show aisles.

#3. Interaction — By pushing buttons, your trade show exhibit guests can navigate their way through your company’s story. This experiential involvement helps to engage your company’s prospects in a direct way and brings them another step closer to contact with your presentation’s story.

An added benefit of your multi media show is that you can re-use this media presentation in other ways, such as posting it on your company‘s website. The media show can also be reconfigured to fit other concerns of your marketing team such as sales training or personal sales calls.

Remember, you can use multi media shows at your trade show display to help educate, excite and involve trade show attendees. The multi media show also adds drama to your trade show display. This is true wherever you have a trade show exhibit—whether it is at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, the Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the Santa Clara Convention Center or the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.