Exhibitions

The early bird gets the worm. The same holds true for trade shows — the most successful exhibitors are those who start planning at least 12 months prior to the next event. Exhibiting requires a great deal of time, money, and personnel. Make the most of your resources by utilizing them at the show that best meets your marketing needs.

But how do you know what show is right for you? Here’s a hint: It’s not necessarily the one with the largest ads in the trades or the one that is offering deep-discount exhibit space. Instead, ask yourself these ten questions about the shows you’re considering, and you’ll soon discover which are right for you.

1. How well does this show fit our marketing needs?

This is the paramount question. Exhibiting at a show must clearly fit into your marketing strategy. Whether you are planning to launch a new product, expand into a new geographical region, or reach out to reinforce existing consumer relationships, every show should have a well-defined goal that is an integral part of your marketing plan.

2. When is the show?

Show timing is crucial. Not only should an event be convenient for you and your staff, it should not be in conflict with other major industry shows or events. While there is a seemingly endless supply of competitors out there, there is only a limited amount of customers. They have to pick and choose what shows they’ll want to attend. Don’t undermine your chances by exhibiting at a small show that conflicts with the larger event that ‘everybody’ goes to.

3. Where is the show?

Location is everything. Some events purposely locate at destination locations such as Las Vegas or Orlando to entice attendees. There is some validity to this strategy, although you want to watch against the tendency to attend a show because of the amenities nearby. You’re sending a team to sell your products and services, not to visit SeaWorld or gamble the night away.

4. Who comes to this show?

A show must attract your target audience. Use attendance data from previous shows to determine what percentage of attendees are likely to be interested in your products and services AND are from your major service areas. It’s no good presenting your products to an audience that you can’t sell to.

5. Who else will be there?

You will want to know which and how many of your competitors will be exhibiting at a particular show. Remember, you need to be visible to be memorable! If you are not in front of the public, and your competitors are, the public will remember your competitors and not you. However, a savvy marketing strategy might be to exhibit at a show that attracts your target audience but is outside of your immediate industry.

6. How successful is the show?

While individual success is the responsibility of each exhibitor, there is a great deal that show management can do to ensure a high quality show. Discover what organizers do to promote the show, and take a look at previous shows. Ask for a list of previous exhibitors to contact about the show and ask them for their thoughts. Would they exhibit again?

7. Has someone from my organization actually visited this show?

A first-hand perspective from someone who fully understands your marketing goals and objectives can be an invaluable tool. Do they think the show is a good fit? Ask them about show logistics. Did things appear seamless, or were there some rough edges?

8. How much does the show cost?

Participating in a show can be expensive. Make your decision only after looking at some real life figures. Add in every expense affiliated with the show, not just registration fees. How much will it cost for items such as signage, graphics, literature, travel, lodging, meals, giveaway items, etc? And, don’t forget to calculate your indirect expenses – your people’s time away from the office.

9. What kind of help will we get?

Ask show organizers about promotional assistance. Are there sponsorship opportunities to raise your company’s profile at the event? What types of media are being invited? Also, ask for audience quality information before you decide. Are the attendees the type of attendees you want to meet?

10. What return on investment can be expected from this show?

Return on investment will in part depend on what your goals are for any given show. If you are concentrating solely on lead generation, and do not plan to be doing any selling at the show, return on investment will appear to be lower. It may take several weeks, months and even years for those leads to generate sales. However, with that in mind, set a benchmark ROI, or ROO (return on objectives) that your company would like to achieve from participating in the show. Does this mesh with reasonable projections?

When a show’s a year away, it may seem like you have lots of time to get ready. But appearances can be deceiving. Twelve months is not long, especially with all the pre-show planning, training, and preparation you’ve got to do. Here is a checklist of sixteen vital items that need to be done approximately one year before you set up your exhibit:

1. Identify Where The Show Fits In Your Marketing Strategy

Every show has a purpose. Do you want to introduce a new product to a new market? Increase existing services in an existing market? Increase your visibility in a new geographical region? Reinforce existing customer relationships? Knowing what you want to achieve at any given show is vital to your success.

2. Decide Which Products To Focus On

Your company may produce dozens, even hundreds of different products. Obviously, you can’t showcase all these items at a trade show. Attendees would be overwhelmed. Instead, with one eye on your marketing strategy, select those products that need to take center stage. Remember that 70% of people attending shows are looking for something NEW!

3. Identify Your Target Audience

Ideally, every show would be attended solely by consumers desperate to buy your products and services. However, things don’t always work that way. Determine who the decision makers are in your industry, and exhibit at the shows they attend. You want to spend your time talking with the people who have the power to make purchasing decisions.

4. Identify Your Exhibit Objectives

Clearly explain to your booth staff what goals you expect them to meet during the show. Make these goals quantifiable. Examples could be number of leads generated, target sales figures, gathering marketing intelligence or educating your target audience.

5. Write an Exhibiting Plan

Writing out an exhibiting plan not only clearly deliniates what needs to be done before, during and after the show, what your exhibit team need to do, and a timetable. Include every step of the show in the written plan, leaving nothing out. Re-reading this plan will allow you to identify any items you’ve overlooked.

6. Establish an Exhibiting Budget

An exhibiting budget should include every item needed for show participation. Beyond registration and space rental fees, include charges for show services and transportation. Add in the cost of your exhibit design, signage, graphic, and display materials as well as advertising, promotion and special activities. And, finally, don’t forget your exhibit team’s travel, accommodation and meal expenses.

7. Reserve Your Booth Space

Prime real estate go fast! To get the booth space you want, remember to reserve early. Avoid ‘discounted’ spaces in out of the way aisles or near the bathroom. The savings realized won’t balance out all the attendees who never get near your booth – or worse, who go by in a big hurry with other things on their mind!

8. Pay Deposits

Check in with the accounting department to make sure deposits are paid on time. This often-overlooked item can cause all kinds of headaches, not to mention high late-payment charges.

9. Ensure Booth Design Meets Objectives

There are no one-size-fits-all displays. Make sure your design meshes with your marketing plan, helping to support current objectives while maintaining your corporate image. Booth layout is vital. Make sure it contains all the needed elements, including a ‘quiet’ place to talk with hot prospects.

10. Assess Your Current Exhibit

Give your current exhibit a critical once-over. Does it still look sharp and engaging, or is it tired, faded, and worn? Signage and graphics sometimes travel around the globe several times in a year – and they don’t always look better for it. Check flooring material for wear and tear as well as your other displays.

11. Purchase New Items as Needed

Order new graphics and signage as far in advance as possible. This way, if there are any mistakes, you’ll have time to make necessary corrections. Additionally, allowing yourself extra time gives you the room to negotiate for the best deals. As you replace worn items, make sure the old ones are disposed off – you wouldn’t want your booth staff setting up last year’s signage by mistake.

12. Order Show Services

Show services should be ordered in advance. These can include electricity, signage, audio/visual equipment, booth cleaning services, plants and flowers, telephone and computer hookups, waste removal, and furniture. You’ll be sure to get everything you need, and enjoy a substantial savings over those who wait for the last minute to order these items.

Booth staff selection is the single most important factor in your exhibiting success. More than graphics, signage, literature, giveaways, or any other variable, it is the people you put on the show floor that influence visitor’s opinion of your organization. They are your ambassadors, representing your company for the whole world to see. It is impossible to stress enough how crucial your team is to your overall success.

To ensure a top notch performance, begin preparing your booth team four to six months prior to the event. You will need the answers to the following questions:

1. How many people are needed to staff the booth?

A number of variables need to be considered. How big is your exhibit? How long is the show? Will you need employees to give product demonstrations, work the hospitality suite, teach seminars, or supervise contests? Ensure you have enough staffing to have your booth manned at all times, while giving your team a break every four to six hours. No one can be ‘on’ for twelve hours at a time.

2. Who are the best people to represent the organization?

Working a trade show requires a unique mix of skills. You want employees with excellent product knowledge, superlative people skills, killer sales instincts, and a warm, engaging personality. These people should be motivated self-starters, able to think on their feet and work with little or no direction.

3. Has staff training been organized?

To ensure success, prepare your team with all the skills and tools they need. Training should cover assessing visitor types, asking qualifying questions, handling difficult attendees, lead generation and follow up, and many other factors.

4. Has a pre-show meeting been scheduled?

Pre-show meetings play a critical role in ensuring that your team understands their goals and objectives, expected roles and duties, and is adequately supplied with background knowledge to handle any unexpected surprises. Use this time to clarify any areas of confusion and to address any staff concerns.

5. Is the booth team familiar with the products or services being displayed?

To effectively sell products, you need to have thorough, complete product knowledge. Too many times, organizations send out rookie employees who only possess rudimentary knowledge. This is frustrating for attendees, who won’t come back to find another employee who might have an answer – they’ll go to the competition instead.

6. Has a practice demonstation session been organized?

Never assume that your employees know how to use the products that they sell. It is entirely possible that they are not completely familiar with every feature, especially if you are introducing a new product. Take the time to thoroughly train your team, and have them practice demonstrating the product to familiarize themselves with the show floor routine.

7. Will a technical representative be available to answer questions?

Depending on your product/service line, it may be entirely appropriate to send a technical representative to handle specific product questions. Train this person in the basics of salesmanship, but keep their duties largely relegated to providing technical answers. Make sure they are aware of the possibility of trade show espionage, to prevent them from sharing too much information.

8. Has a dress code been established?

Well before you arrive at the event, a dress code should be established. Uniforms may be appropriate for your company, but if they are not, clearly specify what you want your team to be wearing. “Casual business” gives far too much leeway. Instead, spell out “Black trousers or skirt, white shirt, black blazer, red tie,” or the equivalent.

9. Have badges been ordered for all booth personnel?

Everyone on your team needs a badge to enter the show floor, access hospitality areas, and move freely about. Order these badges well ahead of time, so that any errors or omissions can be remedied in a timely fashion.

10. Do booth personnel have sufficient business cards?

It is amazing how many business cards you can hand out during the course of one trade show. Make sure your team is adequately prepared.

11. Has a booth schedule been planned?

A complete schedule will cover every moment from show arrival to departure. Include who will be staffing the booth, break times, technical support and assorted responsibilities. It may be a good idea to include ‘check in’ time into the schedule, so sales people acting as booth staff can check messages back at the home office and make needed phone calls. This will alleviate a great deal of staff anxiety.

12. Who will oversee booth installation and dismantling?

Often overlooked, these two items can quickly become logistic nightmares if no one is prepared to address them. Delegate two people to this detail. Many show organizers provide this service for a fee, but you may still want to have staff members on hand supervising.

13. Does that person understand the move-out procedure?

Someone has to arrange for moving the exhibit out of the convention center, ensuring it is properly packed, and coordinate shipping the whole thing back to the home office. Again, a team should be clearly delegated this responsibility, and provided with all the tools and resources they’ll need to succeed.

Trade shows are all about promotion. You are strategically planning to present your goods and services to a specially targeted audience, in order to meet clearly defined goals and objectives. To maximize your success, however, it is imperative to make promotional efforts above and beyond merely showing up at the next event. Begin these pre-show efforts six to eight months before your next event.

Here are the seven steps you need to take:

1. Decide on a pre-show promotional strategy.

How are you going to let your target audience what shows you will be attending and what you will be presenting? Options include:

- Personal Invitations
- Advertising in trade publications and local media
- Direct mail
- Telemarketing
- Public Relations
- Website
- Sponsorship

2. Plan on-site promotional activities.

This will include any efforts you make to promote your presence at or around the show. Options include:

- Airport Advertising
- Billboards
- Hotel TV advertising
- Transit Advertising
- Show Daily Advertising
- Hotel Room Promotions
- Show Directory Advertising
- Sponsorship

3. Reach out to the media.

Editorial coverage is worth its weight in gold. To entice media outlets to cover your company’s promotional efforts, you have to provide a newsworthy angle. Give the reporters something to write or talk about. Make this ‘hook’ the focus of your press kits. Press kits should be mailed before the show, be available at the show, and provided after the show to ensure maximum coverage. Two main ways to reach out to the press are:

- Press Releases
- Press Conferences

Remember to only use press conferences when you have new information to share with your target market. You will make the media very unhappy if you share old stuff.

4. Organize A Visitor Competition.

People are wildly competitive. Throw in a chance to win a prize, and you’ll have crowds flocking to your booth. Planning visitor competitions requires some careful planning. Everything that happens at your exhibit must reflect your marketing goals and objectives. Competitions should be consistent with the corporate image you want to portray. For example, a game show style trivia contest may be far more appropriate than a kareoke stage. Prizes should tie in to your products and services in an effort to attract more qualified leads. Items to consider include:

- Type of competition
- Prizes to be offered
- Compliance with local rules and regulations
- Compliance with show regulations
- Staffing for the competition
- Duration of the competition
- Role competition plays in promotional efforts

5. Decide on Giveaway Items

Giveaway items or ‘freebies’ should be more than a trendy trinket with your corporate logo on it. Ideally, these items are something that enhance your corporate image, will be used regularly by your target audience, and keep your company logo in regular view. Avoid items that will be passed along to children, such as cuddly toys, or are so insignificant that they are likely to be tossed. Four things to remember about giveaway items:

- Giveway items should reinforce your marketing message
- Make your giveaway business oriented
- Don’t be trendy! It is better to be unique and cutting edge.
- Toys and gimmicky gizmos are always, always, always passed along to children. Unless your primary buyers are still in preschool, avoid them.

6. Plan Hospitality.

As more and more companies begin to do business on a global scale, marketing strategies change. Buyers from Europe and Asia expect a certain amount of hospitality at trade shows. In fact, these features are an integral part of the International business scene. Many relationships that begin in ‘social’ environments flower into profitable business. Consider if any of the following will work for you:

- Hospitality Suite
- Meal Style Events
- Sponsorship

7. Mind the Details.

More often than not, it is the little things that can stymie the most well-intentioned promotional efforts. Attendees will easily get frustrated and walk away if what they perceive as a minor need cannot be met – and they won’t be walking away with a good impression. For that reason, make sure the following matters are attended to:

- The booth number must be clearly printed on all promotional material. People cannot visit you if they cannot find you.
- Extra supplies of literature, catalogs, and sales material should be available.
- Clear, concise, and correct information must be listed in the show guide.
- Adequate supplies of visitor tickets, free passes to hospitality suites or events, and similar items should be on hand.

It might seem a little backward. After all, why would you want to waste time and energy worrying now about things that won’t happen until the show closes? Doesn’t it seem like putting the cart before the horse?

It might seem that way, but the reality is that preparing now for post-show activities is one of the wisest decisions you can make. By clearly deliniating your plan for after the show, you’ll be able to streamline your operation, delegate people to the proper duties, ensure all leads are followed up in an effective manner, and maintain valuable business relationships. Key to this are these nine questions:

1. Has a lead taking system been organized for visitor requests?

One of the most valuable things an attendee shares with you is their questions. By asking for specific items, or special features, or novel new applications, attendees are letting you know what they are in the market to buy. However, many lead cards only record the bare minimum contact information. Make sure your team has a place to note visitor requests – and have them use it!

2. Has a daily debrief session been scheduled?

The temptation for many booth staffers is to flee the exhibit hall as soon as the show has closed, catch the shuttle bus, and enjoy the attractions of a new city. However, it is important that your team meet as a whole every evening to discuss the day’s events, enjoy any triumphs, discuss any concerns, and plan for the next day.

3. Will “Thank You” letters or e-mails be sent to every registered visitor?

In our information overload society, “Thank You” notes have become the rarest of correspondence. Yet they are a quick and easy way to let your attendees know that you appreciate their time and attention – and that you will value their future business! It’s a nice, personal touch. Delegate one or two staff members to this task, and have it done within 48 hours of the show close.

4. How will show leads be handled?

Without a system in place, lead management can be a nightmare. Some will go into the common pool, others will ‘disappear’ into booth staff pockets to be followed up independently and still others just disappear. Designate a location for all leads to be collected, and make your team aware that ALL leads need to go to this common pool. Keeping some back will skew your trade show results downward!

5. How will sales from the show be tracked?

This will differ by company, depending on the types of products or services you sell. However, there needs to be a system by which you can track sales, especially those that are directly attributable to show participation.

6. What kind of reward or recognition will booth staffers receive?

Exhibiting is tremendously hard work, especially at larger shows when your team is ‘on’ for many days in a row. Make sure to give your team a tangible reward. Yes, representing your company is part of their job – but the extra effort and preparation that goes into successful exhibiting deserves a reward. It’s nice to have a ‘known’ treat for your team to work toward, plus a ‘surprise’ to spring.

7. How will the show be evaluated?

You’ll want to know more than “Gee, we were busy every minute!” Business decisions are made with hard numbers, including the number of attendees, number of sales, number of qualified leads, and other factors. Talk with management before the show to find out what kind of information is important to their decision making and evaluation process – and make sure you come back to the office with that information!

8. Did we manage to stay within the estimated show budget?

Budgets are an invaluable trade show tool. Compare what you’ve spent to what you were supposed to spend. Are there areas you saved money – by pre-registering for show services, for example? Did you go over budget in other areas? Unforeseen circumstances sometimes push costs up, but consistently missing your targets may mean either budgets or choices need to be adjusted. Discuss which it is, and make changes as needed before the next show.

9. What other show opportunities – nationally and internationally – could be explored?

One or more of your employees should plan on attending networking events. During this time, it is a good idea to ask about other shows exhibitors have participated in. Were they pleased with the event? Will they exhibit again? Make sure this information is brought back to headquarters, where it will play a vital role as part of the first step in the next round of exhibiting.

Look at that throng of people crowding the trade show floor. People come from all over the country to walk these aisles, eager eyes flitting from booth to booth, scanning the exhibits for…what, exactly?

Research shows that the vast majority – 76% — come to trade shows to discover what’s new and exciting. Maybe it’s a new product, or an innovative bit of technology, or a snazzy new application, or even an entire company that they were never aware of before. In an ideal world, every company would be constantly innovating, creating cutting edge products at phenomenal savings guaranteed to meet the customer’s needs.

But as you and I know, business doesn’t work that way. There are years when companies struggle to survive. Other years, it takes every ounce of effort just to maintain market position. And still other times, things might be fine, but the newest innovation is six, twelve, even eighteen months on the horizon.

Is it even worth exhibiting during these times? Do the results of participating in a trade show while your company’s in a lull phase justify the costs?

Absolutely! In fact, it is precisely at these times when not participating could hurt your bottom line. Businesses rise and fall based on the strength of personal relationships. There is no better place to form new relationships and maintain and reinforce existing relationships than at a trade show.

To do this, you need to create a positive impression with your exhibit. Demonstrate something new and exciting. Give the people what they want. How can you do that, you ask, when you don’t have any new and exciting products?

Here are five focus strategies the pros use when they’re in a similar situation:

1. Focus on Features: Purveyors of high-tech or complicated products often don’t realize how little consumers know about the items they purchase. For example, take the average word processing program. It has countless features – yet how many does the everyday user know about, much less use? Realize that your buyers may not even know what they don’t know. Here’s an opportunity to offer seminars, tutorials, or other interactive options centered on the more obscure features. This way, you’re demonstrating that you value your customers and want them to make the most of your products/services. You could win their loyalty for life.

2. Focus on the Future: If the next big innovation is in sight, but you’re not ready to spill the beans just yet, you’ve got an ideal opportunity to create a buzz. Some of the most effective excitement generating campaigns say little, if anything, about the new product, yet still create an impression that something noteworthy is about to happen. Signage, graphics, and literature all declaring “It’s Coming!” let the public know that you’re excited about the new product – and that they should be too.

3. Focus on Finesse: Is there a way to make your product new and improved? You’ll sometimes see this technique that I’ve called the Proctor & Gamble strategy. Every so often, you’ll see a new and improved version of a product introduced – laundry soap, shampoo, deodorant, and so on – yet you’d have to be a chemical engineer to notice any discernable difference between the old product and the new one. Still, consumers flock to the new, even if it’s only slightly different than the product they were previously satisfied with. If you can’t change your product, what about the packaging? Glidden changed their paint can while still keeping their actual product, the paint, the same as it ever was, and saw sales rise as a result.

4. Focus on People: Great products wouldn’t exist without great people. Consider putting a human face on your operation by centering your latest exhibit around the people who make, test, or use your product. Post Cereal, Reynold’s Wrap, and NAPA auto parts have all used this strategy successfully during periods when their product line was fairly static – and then carried the idea forward, altering it as needed to introduce new products!

5. Focus on Service: Many times, we’re asking buyers to make a huge investment to buy our products. If something goes wrong, the buyer worries that they will be left holding the bag on a very expensive mistake. Reassure consumers that they’ll never be alone if there is a problem. By promoting service plans, support networks, and other types of assistance, you’re demonstrating that you’ll be there for your customer – through thick or thin!

What’s the most precious commodity in the world? Nope. Not gold. Not platinum. Not uranium. Not diamonds. The most precious commodity in the world is not something you can mine, or harvest, or hoard in safety deposit boxes.

The most precious commodity is something you have an almost endless supply of. Major industries go out of their way to get it from you. Entire trades have sprung up for the sole purpose of enticing you to part with yours.

What is this precious thing?

Why, it’s your attention. I’m hoping by this point that I have yours. Capturing the attention of today’s mass-media savvy consumer is quite a trick. Consider the competition: streaming video on the desktop computer, television shows on your cell phone, video game consoles that allow you to play with competitors halfway around the world. How in the world are you going to get a consumer who has all of these entertaining options available to pay attention to your products and services?

Enter the podcast. Podcasts are audio or video files distributed over the internet. Listeners download the files, and either play them on the computer or a listening device, such as an I-Pod. Podcasts can be on any topic — there are regular podcasts devoted to life in Iceland!– and any length. Some are a few minutes, others go for over an hour.

Podcasts have two distinct traits that will appeal to exhibitors:

1. They allow the listener to multi-task: Many of our clients are busy, busy people. They may not have the time to sit down and read a magazine article, much less the new book you’ve just authored. Yet they can listen to your podcast while driving to work, going for the morning jog, even while working on some less-vital aspects of the day’s paperwork.

2. The feed the societal need for self improvement: Podcasting offers listeners the experience of attending a one-on-one lecture with some of today’s most foremost experts. Listeners who want to advance their careers, improve their health, or do a better job raising their kids are natural audiences for podcasting.

Podcasting can play an integral role in your development as an Expert. Regular podcasts that share industry information, insights, advice, and guidance will create the impression that you’re someone the public can turn to. This is an ideal time to display your expertise and speak directly to the topics that are relevant to your market and target audience. Considering the low cost of podcasting — you can get up and running for a few hundred dollars — can you afford to forgo this opportunity?

To be an effective podcaster, remember the four C’s. Your broadcasts must be Concise, Chatty, Clear and Consistent.

Concise: Each podcast should have a clear focus. Pick one point you want to concentrate on and select your material to support and illustrate that point. It is better to offer several short, clearly focused podcasts than one, long, rambling, self-indulgent diatribe.

Chatty: Make your material engaging. That might be difficult, especially if you’re talking about estate planning or tax avoidance strategies, but it’s necessary. Use real life examples and simple language to communicate your points. Listeners will tune out jargon, dry statistics, and ‘academic-speak’.

Clear: Once upon a time, politicians and thespians used to train by speaking with a mouth full of pebbles. The thought was that if one could make oneself understood even under those circumstances, clear speech would present no problem if one were unimpeded. I’m not recommending you start putting rocks in your mouth. However, make an effort to speak clearly. Listeners won’t value what they can’t understand.

Consistent: You can podcast monthly. You can podcast weekly. You can even — if you’re brave and have the time — podcast daily. It doesn’t really matter, as long as you pick a schedule and stick to it. Blow off your listeners at your peril. If there’s no material when they expect it, they won’t come looking twice.

Once you have your podcast up and running, remember that you have to promote it. Link to it from your website, add info about your podcast to your signature files, and include a mention in your print advertising. People won’t listen if they don’t know the podcast exists!

Let’s face it. Participating in a trade show is expensive. There’s no doubt about it. When you add up all the expenses associated with trade shows — including registration fees, display costs, shipping, giveaway items, booth staff salaries and lodging, and more — you’re talking about some serious money.

But wait! There’s more. From the minute you express interest in exhibiting at a show, you’re flooded with sponsorship opportunities. For a mere $250, for example, you get an ad in the show directory. Double that, and your logo shows up on a few prominently placed banners. Prices rise steadily, allegedly keeping pace with the enhanced exposure more dollars can bring. As logic goes, you get more visibility, the deeper you dig into your wallet.

Is it really worth it? Does more money really equal increased attendee attention and consequently better sales? How can you tell which sponsorship opportunities are really good deals and which are a waste of money?

All sponsorship opportunities are valuable — to the right exhibitor. There must be a good match between the exhibitor, their goals and objectives, and the results the sponsorship can deliver. Before you agree to a sponsorship deal, you must make sure that your participation will move you closer to achieving your goals and objectives. Otherwise, keep your money in your pocket.

There are four criteria you can use to assess if a sponsorship opportunity is right for you and likely to deliver your desired result. These criteria are:

1. Target Audience Draw

Does this show draw a large group of attendees who are in your target audience? Will this group be likely to buy your products and services? Is there a clear benefit in putting your name in front of these attendees? If you’re at a show outside of your industry or region, or a show that draws smaller numbers of attendees from your target audience, sponsorship is probably not the route to go.

2. Percentage of Exhibiting Cost

Consider the cost of sponsorship as a percentage of your total exhibiting expense. If the sponsorship is equivalent to more than 50% of your overall exhibiting budget, step back and think: Is this the best way to invest my money? Would my purposes be better served by a larger exhibit or even exhibiting at an additional show?

3. Number of Same Level Sponsorships

Make sure you know how many other companies will be sponsoring on the same level you will. As a rule of thumb, the more money you spend, the less same level competition you will have. It is important to know what level your competitors are sponsoring at, as your own sponsorship, if appropriate, should be comparable or better.

4. Organizer Support

Anyone can sell sponsorship opportunities — but not everyone can make them valuable. Consider the show management. How we do they promote the show? How well do they work with the media? What with do to ensure that sponsors are mentioned often, prominently placed, and kept in the public eye? Organizers play a pivotal role in show success. If you find an organizer who understands your goals and objectives, sponsorship can more than pay for itself. On the other hand, if a show organizer is not behind their sponsors, save your money.

If after assessing a sponsorship opportunity, you find that these criteria are met to your satisfaction, move forward. Here are three ways to maximize the return on trade show sponsorship:

1. Offer Added Value

Use your sponsorship opportunities to give something extra to the attendee. This can be something tangible — tote bags,books, pdas — or perhaps more valuable, a knowledge based intangible. Consider sponsoring speakers, mini or full workshops/seminars, panel discussions, and the like to get the attendees’ attention, capture it for a period of time, and keep your name highly visible.

2. Promote Heavily

Once you have committed to a sponsorsip, it is in your best interest to promote it every chance you get. You want as many attendees at the show as possible, especially if they are members of your target audience, to know about your sponsorship and how it can help them. Consider special advertising, and explore co-op advertising possibilities with the show organizers.

3. Partner Appropriately

By cooperating with companies who are in the same industry although not your direct competitors, it is possible to sponsor an event at a greater level than you could manage alone. Explore this option if you want to achieve a high level of visibilty at a given show yet don’t have the budget to do it all on your own.

Remember, sponsorship is just one more tool in your trade show toolbox. Used properly, it can help you achieve your goals and objectives. Keep a close eye on your plans and another on your budget, and I’m sure you can make sponsorship work to your advantage.

I hear it all the time: Tradeshows are a waste of time and money. We stand around, selling our hearts out, and what do we have to show at the end of the day? Nothing.

Well, that’s the result you should expect, if you’re like most exhibitors, and neglect the most crucial aspect of tradeshow participation: Follow Up.

What happens at the tradeshow is obviously import to your success, but equally important is what happens after the show ends. This is where most exhibitors drop the ball. Differentiate your company from its peers and wring the full value from your tradeshow participation. To truly benefit from all the hard work what went into exhibiting, must ensure that appropriate follow-up activities take place.

Follow Up Begins Before the Show

Research tells us that over 80% of leads gathered at tradeshows are never followed up. That’s a phenomenal number, especially when each lead has the potential to generate profit for your company.

Why do so many leads fall by the wayside?

It’s because show leads have a reputation for having no substance – they’re either just cold business cards or similar basic information imprinted on a company lead card. There’s nothing there to give already busy professionals a reason to follow up.

Even if the salespeople do follow up, there’s only so much they can learn from a business card or bare bone information. For salespeople to view leads as being worthwhile for follow-up, they need quality information.

For this reason, it is vital that before the show you spend time going over the lead collecting process. Clarify exactly what types of information should be recorded on lead cards. Explain the importance of the information you are gathering. Make sure everyone knows exactly how to operate the card readers and use the printouts and lead cards.

Everyone working the show should know exactly what results you want to achieve at the various tradeshows you attend. Each show should have its own set of specific, clear, quantifiable, realistic goals. These goals should be in line with your company’s overall marketing objectives.

These goals give staffers something to strive for, but they also serve as benchmarks to evaluate and measure team and individual performance.

Develop a Follow Up System

To achieve and perhaps surpass your specific goals, you need a follow up system. The best time to develop your follow up system is during the planning and training stage.

Use this time prior to the show establish how the leads will be handled. For example, select a team member to take responsibility for collecting all “hot” leads at the end of each day and overnight them to the home office for immediate processing. Assign someone at the home office as a “follow-up” manager. This person takes charge of the entire follow-up process and should be someone who does not attend the show. Their job is to carry out the follow-up system that was established before the show.

Timeliness is of essence with all leads, not just the “hot” ones. Obviously you’re not going to overnight every single lead back to the home office, but there are steps you can take to ensure you stand out from the crowd of exhibitors.

It is important to send something, such as a letter, email, or broadcast fax, to everyone who came by the booth to thank them and let them know when they can expect to hear from your company again. This should be done within three to five days after the show. Remember, if you don’t follow up, your competitors will.

The Next Step: Accountability

Use contact management database programs to ensure your sales staff get leads that are as complete and useful as possible. Then, after leads are distributed, hold your account representatives responsible for the results.

There should be a written progress report from each salesperson at regular, predetermined intervals. This information can be used to track their performance, sales made, etc. Some companies use performance in lead follow up as one factor in a salesperson’s annual performance review. Knowing that they will be held accountable for results is a powerful motivator.

Measuring results

At the end of the day, management wants to know their money was well spent. Keeping track of your leads will allow you to measure sales directly attributable to your tradeshow participation. Recording this data will allow you to provide qualitative and quantitative analysis of the show.

For example, you can calculate the return-on-investment to demonstrate to management the effect tradeshows have on the bottom line. To measure the cost per tradeshow lead, simply divide your total show expenditure by the number of leads gathered. To measure the cost per sale, divide the total show expenditure by the number of sales.

Qualitative data, such as types of prospects who visited the booth, dates and times of their visit, products/services of interest, buying intent, and results of any pre-show promotional activity often proves invaluable when planning future show participation.

The key to tradeshow success is wrapped up in the lead management process. It starts with knowing at the outset what you want to achieve, then continues through establishing a strategy that is user-friendly, and finally the actual follow-up operation leads to bottom-line profitability. With a little forethought and planning the results will speak for themselves.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. It’s a saying so true that it has become cliché — a phrase used by suit salesmen and purveyors of shampoo — but it’s a saying that should serve as a motto for your booth staff.

A trade show is a non-stop series of beginnings. Every moment — from the second the doors open until they blink the lights signalling the end of the day — is a moment where you could be meeting customers for the very first time.

If all goes well, these crucial first moments will launch a mutually profitable relationship that will last for years. On the other hand, if the impression you create is not so positive, you’ve kissed a lifetime’s worth of business goodbye.

Beginning well’s means you’re half done. Once you’ve established a rapport with the client, once that positive foundation has been laid, the hard work of negotiating a deal and closing a sale becomes so much easier. Here’s what you need to know to create a favorable first impression time and time again, over the long hours and days that you’ll be at the trade show.

What’s for sale here?

Your company might make computers or luxury automobiles. You might sell scrub brushes. You could retail the finest gems found on the Indian sub-continent. It doesn’t really matter. When you’re at a trade show, what you’re selling is YOU.

Today’s buyers are nervous. They’ve been through the dot-com bubble. They’ve seen Enron blow up and corporate scandal follow corporate scandal. Yet they still have to do business. How do they know who they can trust?

There will always be a due-diligence component to business, but a surprising amount of decisions are made by people ‘trusting their gut.’ During those crucial first minutes where you’re checking out the attendee, they’re checking you out. They are, perhaps unconciously, assessing what they perceive as your intentions and motivations. Few people believe that they can get a good deal from someone they do not believe to be a good person.

Key Secret: People have to ‘buy’ you before they can buy your products.

Can you hear what I’m saying?

Non-verbal communication plays a huge role in creating first impressions. Attendees are constantly watching. If your body language conveys the fact that you don’t want to be at the show, would prefer not to engage with attendees, or are just going through the motions, they’ll pick up on that and go elsewhere.

Standing at the corner of your exhibit with your arms folded tells attendees “Stay away! I’m on guard.” Sitting down, flipping through a magazine, or chatting with colleagues says “I’ve got better things to do.” All togther, it means “You’re not important to me,” even if you ask the attendees what you can do for them today.

Secret: People won’t come in if your body language says “Go away!”

The Wall of Noise

You have to approach attendees, engage them, welcome them into your booths. Unfortunately, many staffers take this to mean that they must offer up a constant stream of conversation, from the welcoming hello to the assurances that “We’ll be in touch!” as the attendee hurries to a calmer, quieter exhibit.

Talking is important, but listening is more so. Shift the focus from your own sales spiel to actually listening to the customer and you’ll find your results immediately improve. Ask attendees questions, and listen to their answers. Give them your full attention. Hear what they’re saying and offer appropriate responses.

The fact that you’re focused on the attendee, wholly engaged with them, and committed, however briefly, to solving their problems, is one of the easiest, most effective ways to create a positive first impression. It sets a good precedent, establishing how you will do business with this client further down the road. You’re laying the foundation for that positive, profitable relationship.

Secret: Focus on the attendee for maximum results.

These three secrets will stand you well in the trade show environment. Remember that to begin new relationships, you must first create a positive impression. Being mindful of the fact that people need to trust you before they do business with you, avoiding off-putting body language, and listening more than you talk will help you do exactly that. And then you’ll be well begun — more than half done, well on the road to starting a new profitable relationship.