New Mexico event producer Rick Shoudt is out to “reinvent the trade show experience” for attendees and exhibitors.

For the past two decades, the only thing innovative about a home show was the cool new technology available from the various merchants inside the doors. Now Albuquerque based show producer Rick Shoudt has completely turned the industry upside down, creating a new experience for both the guests who attend an more notably for the small businesses who depend on shows to provide a meaningful percentage of their business for the year. Shoudt premiers the vastly expanded, 26 year old Home Builders & Remodelers Showcase, now called The Ultimate Home Showcase, March 17&18 at Expo, New Mexico.

Read the full Press Release…

• People walk up to your booth and ask who you are or what you do.
• Your booth is the only one without a booth display.
• There is nothing in your booth but, well….. you!
• People aren’t even looking in your booth space.
• Your employees pull straws because they are embarrassed by your lack or presence.
• Your display was purchased in 1905- when your company was founded.
• Your logo has been redesigned….. twice since you last updated your display.
• Your display colors are so bright I need sunglasses to look at it.
• I’m sorry what do you do again?
• There’s so much product in your booth there’s not any room for you.
• Your using the standard table throws from the decorator.
• Duct tape and staples are the main element in your display.
• Your current display is to large/small for your booth space.
• Your customers know exactly who you are because they recognize your display.
• Shipping costs are eating or consuming your budget.

In all seriousness, trade show displays are an important part of your booth and trade show presence. A display communicates who you are to show attendees. Whether you are a small business with a limited budget or a larger company, you can have a professional display that will attract visitors and increase your visibility.

The right kind of trade show display for your needs doesn’t have to break the bank, but keeping your display updated with new information, products or services and ways for your clients to interact with you is the first step in a successful trade show.

At EXHIB-IT! we take the time to find out your needs so we can accurately recommend a trade show display that can be easily updated and draw positive attention to your company.

Most people felt the sky fell in 2008 and the stars rained down with painful heat in 2009. Well, this is what has been reported in the most recent report issued by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (also known as CEIR). Within the 2010 CEIR Index that has recently been released, it reports that business-to-business trade shows held in 2009 marked the exhibition industry’s second consecutive year of decline. Data is reported over the course of the year and the data indicates shortfalls in four metrics:

1.  net square footage
2. revenue
3. attendees
4. exhibitors

These four metrics were used to measure the industry’s overall performance. We are not only seeing a slight dip in attendance or net square footage, but we are seeing the largest year-to-year decline in recorded history.

Looking back at tradeshow history, the recent Great Recession of 2008 and 2009 has been described as the most significant economic downturn since the Great Depression that began in 1929 (as reported by Carrie Freeman Parsons, vice chair of Dallas-based Freeman and 2010 CEIR chairperson). Parsons also reported that “Although the exhibition industry as we know it today did not exist some 80 years ago in the United States, it is hard to imagine that it would have experienced worse declines than those of the past two years.” Prior to this past year 2009, it was the largest single-year decline ever recorded. According to the U.S. Exhibition Industry there was a drop of 3.1 percent in 2008. In 2009, it was worse and plunged 12.5 percent — more than four times worse than 2008.

Now that you have heard all the disturbing growth news from 2008 – third quarter 2009, let’s focus on the positive. Following seven consecutive quarters of decline, the trade show industry managed to have a re-growth in the fourth quarter of 2009. It was not significant enough to offset the decreases experienced in the first nine months of the year, but it is a positive mention.

The outlook for 2010 is cautiously optimistic. In summary, CEIR claims the industry is poised to launch a recovery, but anticipates that overall performance will remain vulnerable by the Great Recession for the bulk of this year. However, expectations are that spending from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will keep increasing in 2010, and as the government responds with additional stimulus packages, several key sectors will be positively impacted. For example, it has been reported that billions of dollars are earmarked for in the sectors of education, renewable energy, construction, infrastructure, and technology.

Additional optimism is offered up in the form of a historical precedence with the Exhibition Industry rebounding well following previous recessions in the past. According to CEIR, “It took approximately three quarters for the exhibition industry to start growing again following the end of the 2001 recession. However, the 2001 recession was significantly shallower and briefer. With economic forecasters predicting slow growth in 2010, the exhibition industry may not see year-over-year growth until the fourth quarter of 2010.”

With the doom and gloom from the past two years and showing history from 2001 and rebound, we can have some faith in the trade show industry. As we continue to look to the future, CEIR offers some insights based on 10 years of accumulated data. According to the data, there are three key trends that are worth watching as potential predictors of what lies ahead –

1. The number of professional attendees at trade shows and exhibitions is a leading indicator of recovery and decline
2. Net square feet (of exhibit space sold) and revenue are parallel lagging indicators
3. Industry sectors (Professional Business Services, Consumer Goods and Retail Trade, and Building, Construction, Home, and Repair) have historically acted as “guideposts” for the overall trade show industry

Since 2000, the tradeshow industry has followed the same pattern as these sectors with regard to year-over-year performance. See here for reported data. http://www.exhibitoronline.com/exhibitormagazine/june10/research-state-of-the-industry.asp

Based on the CEIR Index’s most recent results, it would appear the trade show industry has reached a bottom and should show marginal improvement over the next 12 to 24 months, as stated by Galen Poss, partner at G2 & Associates LLC, a Washington, DC-based opinion- and market-research firm.

With all the above information over the past two years, I still recommend exhibiting in trade showsand here are my personal reasons why:

• Many companies are struggling with time management in downsizing staff but yet still trying to effectively and efficiently deliver the products and services to the customer. We receive hundreds of emails on a given day, along with many of using interactive social media and trying to keep up with communications through various avenues – email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Blogs, social groups, telephone calls, meetings, and the like.
• It would take much more time to arrange and make the needed telephone calls and meetings than it would to use Social Media and Search Engine Optimization efforts to create awareness for the tradeshow you are exhibiting at. Take the time to invite those attendees to visit you at the show floor and when on the show floor, blog about the show or what you are doing and especially take the video camera and capture some positive moments. This combination can be powerful if done right.
• With the four generations in the work place, I am seeing less and less face-to-face meetings to create a personal relationship. Exhibiting in trade shows allows a company to create relationships quickly and maintain their branding in the presence of the attendees if pre-show, at show and post show marketing are done effectively.

Again Face-to-face is still the best way to capture the attention of your audience and what better avenue than a trade show to maintain your presence in the industry you are representing for products or services demonstrated at the show and having the right staff to build those relationships.

Having just released my new book Full Brain Marketing, Chapter 17 discusses in detail how to best prepare for a trade show from show selection to budgeting, selecting the right booth space, working the show, and how to best follow up after the show. See: www.fullbrainmarketing.com or email me personally with any questions you may have regarding tradeshows at djheckes@fullbrainmarketing.com.

Trade associations added exhibits to convention programs, and that is how it all began. With exhibiting trends come time limitations by attendees. Traditionally, booth spaces for inline 10×10 and 10×20 sizes are still the most popular sizes and spaces that most new exhibitors gravitate toward, as it is cost effective to start off at one of these sizes. However, it is important to know where you will be exhibiting in each of the trade shows, because each destination has different trade show management rules. For example, most trade show inline booth spaces of this size have restrictions of eight feet in height along the back side of the booth space and ten feet in depth, allowing the back wall area to come forward no more than four feet high from the back wall. If there are exhibiting items that obstruct the view from a neighboring exhibitor, you may be asked to take down such an item or items. However, other shows outside the United States or specialized jewelry shows have restrictions that are more relaxed.

This is why each exhibitor should read the show rules before deciding what to design and build for the exhibit space. Trade show resources are a great way to keep up with the latest exhibiting trends, technology, and information. Some great resources are:

According to CEIR research reports, attendance is still strong at shows.

• Eighty-two percent of exhibition attendees have buying influence
• Thirty-three percent of attendees do not attend any other exhibition
• Thirty-three percent have not attended the same event the previous year
• Seventy-seven percent of attendees represent a new prospect for exhibiting companies

The information is valuable and will help you choose which attendees to spend more time with, what questions to ask them, and a couple ways to leave a lasting impression.

Here’s another frightening statistic: Only 20% of companies follow up with trade show leads!  Be sure that your company is in that 20%.  Tune in next week for post show follow up!

Zone 1- Common Interest

Zone 2- Potential Interest

Something in your booth or about your company has their curiosity and they are willing to pause for a moment to investigate.

Zone 3- Genuine Interest

Use images rather than text to capture the eye of show visitors. People rarely spend time reading elaborate text, but will approach your booth if your images are intriguing. The latest graphic trend is to use photographs of people rather than product to make a personal connection with exhibit attendees.

 2. Remember Your Goals

Consider how to convey your message using imagery. Are you interested in developing awareness of your company? You may want to emphasize your company branding. If you are promoting a new product graphic images should evoke emotion.

For example a photo of a content businessman using a laptop among other frustrated businessmen without one is far more powerful than a photo of the laptop itself.

 3. Focus on Your Company Persona

Remember to keep all images and text in line with your company image. Generally, selecting flowery text for a hi-tech company would not be appropriate. Nor would contemporary, trendy imagery be suitable for a hospice program.

4. Consider Your Target Audience

Design images to attract the prospects you want to service. Focus on the benefits of your products and services and how they relate to your targeted audience.

5. Think Outside the Box

There are occasions when a non-traditional approach will gain attention. Consider what makes you different from your competition when designing your graphics.

6. Integrate Several Media to Add Depth and Polish to Your Display

Remember that there are several excellent options available for graphics-and don’t limit yourself to just one. Fabrics like satin, polyester and sheers are the latest style to hit the industry.

7. Size Matters

You have 3.8 seconds to attract the attention of show attendees. Your graphics should be viewed clearly at a distance of 15 feet or more. Life size or larger is a good rule of thumb. Did you know ½ inch high text can be read at a distance of 25’ and 1 inch text can be read at 50 feet by an average trade show visitor.

8. Lighting and Special Effects

Don’t forget the power of lighting in your booth! You can highlight your message and draw the eye of visitors using a combination of flood and spot lighting. Remember to use light boxes for more impact and LED signage to add movement and up awareness of your message. Lighting will also attract up to 30% more visitors to your display!

9. Color

The use of color is powerful tool in evoking emotion, attracting attention and increasing awareness of your booth. Avoid using black and white images without a specific purpose. Too much red can be hard on the eye. Be sure that your colors are complementary. Also invest in a table throw rather than relying on those provided at shows to avoid clashing colors in your booth and take advantage of the additional branding opportunity.

10. Take Advantage of Designers

Using professional designers with a proven track record ensures high-quality images and graphics.

First off, you should still exhibit, though show attendance may be down and the floor may be a little slower this year. Consider this:

• Quality of Leads and Connections- Companies do not have the time or money to send employees to a trade show simply to send them. The people they send have a job to do and are qualified to do it.
• Strong Presence- It is important for your clients and prospects to be confident in your ability to provide them with the same service and quality product they are used to.
• Attract New Customers- With some competitors missing from the show floor, you have the opportunity to visit with more people and spend quality time with them. If your competitors are not missing from the floor do you want to be?

Some things to consider when exhibiting:

• Do your research. Make sure the show’s audience is also your target market. If you are considering a new show, ask important questions about marketing and find out what other companies will be exhibiting. What past experience does the show management have?
• Do your own marketing before the show. Increase your sales opportunities by personally inviting hot leads or current clients to your booth.
• Downsize if necessary. If you have been a regular attendee at a trade show, your sudden disappearance may worry your clients or prospects. Instead of dropping out of a show, consider a smaller booth space and becoming a speaker at the show.
• Consider trade shows that you may not normally attend. By thinking outside of the box, you may find a show that fits your demographic, but without all the competition.

For example, a realtor may exhibit at a bridal fair; many couples who are getting married are also looking at purchasing a home.

• Be sure to have enough staff. Trade shows are a great opportunity to do a little competitive intelligence research. See what your competitors are up to and what products are new. The last thing you want to happen is have your booth understaffed while competitive research is being done.
• Customer feedback is invaluable. Take full advantage of the trade show attendees and survey them! Some companies pay thousands of dollars for customer feedback by taking a simple survey at your trade show to find out information on your current branding, the newest product you offer, and customer service. When you are willing, there is always the opportunity to grow.
• Have fun! Play games with fellow booth staff to keep a good attitude. Of course, drink lots of water and have snacks on hand (don’t eat in your booth!). The better your attitude, the more sales leads you will generate. Not many people get leads sitting in the booth with their arms crossed.
• The Man from Mars, or my 3 year old grandson, should be able to look at your booth quickly and see who you are and what you do in 3.8 seconds! At the minimum, invest in a banner with your company name and logo. Look at renting a trade show display, as both options are affordable and will pay off at the show.

Introduce New Products

Trade shows are successful vehicles for introducing new products and provide the opportunity to pre-sell products. In addition, trade shows allow a company to feature a premiere product or unveil seasonal offerings to consumers or distributors.

 Make Contact with Distributors

If you do not sell directly to the public, invite distributors to the show and unveil a new product line for the distributors to best represent you. What a great way to gain exposure in a short amount of time and feature offerings.

Build Relationships

Trade shows build the way for future relationships. At the show, you may see current customers, sales representatives, distributors, or members of the media. Current customers will be happy to see your company exhibiting and may introduce you to someone who could do business with you. If the product being displayed or demonstrated is interesting enough, it may catch the attention of a reporter who wants to do an article about the product and your company, especially if there is something new to offer that is original and unique in today’s marketplace.

Generation of a Mass Amount of Leads

The average salesperson makes customer field visits to 2.7 prospects per day. Based on five days per week fifty weeks per year that equals 675 face-to-face meetings. Compare this to an example of twenty-five hundred attendees visiting the booth space at a show, divided by two trade show days, totaling thirteen show hours, and that equals 192 prospects per hour or 3.20 prospects per minute. The ability to visit with this many prospective customers per day seems unreal in a normal meeting environment, but the trade show atmosphere allows exhibiting companies to use their competitive edge in a hyper competitive environment to make this time valuable in lead generation. No other type of advertising has prospects pay money and takes time out of their busy days to listen to sales pitches.

Cost of Closing a Sale is Cheaper

CEIR found in a more recent study, “The Cost Effectiveness of Exhibition Participation,” that the average cost to identify a prospect and close a sale while exhibiting in trade shows, is $2,188.40. That’s about 42 percent less than the $3,102.10 average cost to get and close a sale when not using trade shows as a means for exhibiting and demonstrating products and services. The results also indicate that leads generated at trade shows are often of greater quality than those generated by the use of other methods.

You may be asking why so much less? Not only are trade shows a great place to meet and talk with a large number of qualified prospective customers in a short amount of time, but they also are a great venue for quickly advancing the sales cycle. When prospective customers walk a show, they tend to be more qualified buyers because they actually paid their own way to come see all the product choices at the show. The booth staffers are able to ask qualifying questions and present only what matters to the attendees. Moreover, booth staffers have a well-branded trade show exhibit to back up their presentations, complete with visual aids to tell a story with more impact.

Therefore, leads from trade shows do not need as much follow-up to close, keeping overall sales costs down even after the trade show ends. Keep this compelling value of trade shows in mind as you evaluate the marketing choices. Visit www.ceir.org for more statistical information. Another study performed by Meetings and Conventions (M&C ) in their June 2009 News line edition that stated trade shows are an even more cost-effective forum to identify leads and close sales than CEIR had reported. M&C discovered a calculation error that inflated the reported cost of identifying prospects and closing sales at trade shows by 5.4 percent and noted that “the results stay in the two-to-three ratio that CEIR has been publishing.” (www.mcmag.com)

Level the Playing Field

Trade shows help level the playing field for smaller firms, since booth space is generally inexpensive ($13 per square foot on average, with the typical small booth covering one hundred square feet), and even small companies can usually afford attractive displays. In past years, trade shows were based on the larger companies exhibiting. Smaller companies exhibiting felt intimidated or overwhelmed beside such large companies. In today’s market, this is no longer true because smaller companies are on the rise and can exhibit with as much of an impact as the larger companies. Larger businesses have been cutting back on costs and trade shows are seeing a decline in the purchase of larger exhibiting spaces, which has leveled the playing field for generating leads.

Knowing this history may help us all understand that exhibiting at shows and events is still a great way for face-to-face marketing to generate new leads, maintain existing customers and keep your brand exposed in the environment.

Exhibiting Trends will impact your trade show display booth and knowing there are time limitations by attendees makes us really focus on the pre-show marketing to prepare for the show. There has been an increase in buying teams at events compared to a single company representative.

How are you grabbing the attention of your audience while exhibiting at a trade show>? Are you experiential exhibiting? Do you focus your attention on building current customer relationships? If not, this is the time. There are fewer attendees at trade shows, BUT those attendees are more focused and looking to buy from the right company.

While preparing for your trade show budget, see how the exhibit dollar is spent on the national average:

This info comes from CEIR Exhibition Industry. In the chart above, it is important to know what are fixed costs (show related costs to the Trade Show) and what are variable costs (discretionary costs that you can control) for the exhibitor. One third of the dollars spent is on the exhibitor space which is nonnegotiable and is required to pay to be in the trade show. Services also nonnegotiable – you have to pay I&D (installation and dismantle if over a certain size display). Travel and Entertainment a variable expenses. Depending on the number of people you are sending to the show, hospitality, etc. are also included in the variable expenses. Many companies can cut costs here. They tend to zero in on exhibit design and try to find ways to stretch their dollar. Exhibit design is only 11.1% of the overall average cost. This is where your Exhibit House has an opportunity with portable modular products to help customers stretch their investment in a display. *They may purchase a new display but if purchasing a portable and/or modular display, this is a much better investment due to the ease of set up, ability to reconfigure, lightweight, which in turn saves on transportation, drayage etc.

What are exhibitors looking for if they decide to invest in exhibiting at a trade show? Be prepared for customers to get value out of their investment. Now more people are involved in purchasing decisions. This means the sales person has more people to educate that stop by their booth. There is a demand for metrics and measure performance – there are still a number of companies that do not measure their performance at shows. This should not come to a surprise if a company decides to cut their budget for shows unless they can learn to measure and show results.

Knowing all of the above costs, it is imperative that exhibitors pre-plan their promotions for exhibiting at a show. You only have 3.8 seconds to catch the attention of prospects when you invest in a trade show. EXHIB-IT! always looks to your future. If your needs today are modest, we will recommend ideas that allow growth as your needs evolve, while preserving your initial investment.

Part of the pre-show promotion should include:

Don’t be afraid of the attendees. If they weren’t interested in your industry they wouldn’t be at the show. A smile goes a long way toward making someone feel welcomed and comfortable at your booth. So let those pearly whites shine! And when traffic is slow don’t hesitate to walk the show and leave the booth in the hands of your co-workers. A little fresh air and new perspective will boost your spirits and increase your productivity at the show.

If you are attending a show over several days, avoid drinking too much after the show. Alcohol really does reduce your inhibitions. Remember you are with your co-workers and potential clients…this is a work environment. Sadly there are more than exhibitor who has lost his/her job as result of antics at the event.