As seen in the March 2000 edition of Trade Show Ideas, published by
Let's boil things down to one simple multiple choice question: When you exhibit, what do you want?
A. Increased visibility
B. More booth traffic
C. New prospects
D. Better memorability after the show
E. All of the above
The correct answer is E, of course! It seems like a silly question, both to the novice and veteran exhibitor. Yet, are you doing all you can to make these things happen?
The Anatomy of Promotions
If you exhibit without doing pre-show promotions, it's like throwing a party and forgetting to send out any invitations. How do you expect people to come? You're just one of hundreds of exhibits in that huge exhibition hall, and guess what? Most of the people aren't coming just to see you! Somehow, you have to get on their must-see list.
Less than 25% of exhibitors at any given show do pre-show promotions. If you do, you're already standing out in the customer's mind.
The majority of exhibitors fail to set goals for each show. Even among those who do, many never follow through with them. To have a successful promotion for your exhibit, you must start by deciding what defines a qualified prospect. Who is your ideal customer? Once you know that, you can begin to plan promotions that will draw in exactly who you're looking for.
The next goal of your promotion is to build awareness of the company and create name recognition. If you already have strong name recognition in your market, then perhaps you want to create interest in a new or overlooked product. Just be sure that the promotion creates enough excitement that people remember visiting your booth when you follow up with them.
So how do you get ideas for promotions? The answer is ... everywhere! Great promotions have a theme that will make them memorable to attendees. You can find inspiration in movies, TV shows, museums, travel destinations, restaurants ... the list of possibilities is limited only by your imagination. Why not have a staff brainstorming session to talk about ideas for themes? That gives everyone a chance to be involved and will help the staff "buy into" the theme even more.
Make Your Presence Known
If there's one tool that can make a huge difference in exhibiting success, it's a well-done pre-show promotion. The emphasis here is on well-done, because if it's poorly done, it may actually cause people to avoid your booth.
Pre-show mailers can be as simple as adding a sticker on existing mailers or brochures, "See us at Booth #100 at the XYZ Show, May 1-3." They can also be in the form of formal invitations or fliers. Postcards are most likely to be read, with over 75% of people taking the time to flip them over.
Some even more creative promotional mailers include game pieces or puzzles (which must be brought into the booth), coupons, contest entry forms, or a package with some kind of three-dimensional specialty item inside. Two rules of thumb: it needs to have a call for action and it must be intriguing. Remember that people are naturally curious and if you tease them with the mailer, they will want to come to your booth to satisfy that curiosity. Often, the most successful promotions are two-part. The first part is sent in a pre-show mailer, and the second part is waiting for them to pick up at the booth.
While direct mail is the most popular form of pre-show promotion, some companies also send a personalized fax or email. Some even do personal phone calling to prime prospects. All of these methods can be combined with other promotions, like press releases or industry ads. But, remember to always include your booth number!
Who should you contact with pre-show promotions? Of course your hot prospects, as well as present and past customers. But don't forget about previous visitors to your booth that haven't become customers yet. Getting the list of preregistered attendees from show management can also be very helpful.
When is the best time to contact prospects? Some companies do a series of mailers starting as early as 60 days prior to the show. But for the best timing, mail two to three weeks before the show. It's far enough ahead that people are still deciding which exhibits they will visit, yet close enough that they won't forget they got the mailer. If you wait too long, the mailer may be waiting for them in their mailbox when they return home from the show!
To Give or Not to Give ...
There's a great difference of opinion among exhibitors as to whether or not to use giveaways. In some industries, it's either not practical or just simply impossible. In others, it's almost a given.
Where most companies stumble is with what to give. First of all, it needs to be useful (so attendees will want to keep it), amusing, and perhaps even trend setting. If it has your company name on it, they might keep it. If it has their name or photo, they'll definitely keep it! Don't overlook samples of your own products as giveaways (if possible). That will definitely raise awareness with your prospects.
Remember: any giveaways you use in your booth should be a "reward" for talking to a booth staffer or filling out a lead card. Don't just put giveaways on the table for anyone strolling the aisles. Make attendees earn them!
The key to using giveaways is to reinforce your company image. If you use a cheap gimmick, you may have created a company image you never intended!
Just Say "No" to Fishbowls
Gone are the days of asking everyone who passes your booth to drop in a card to win a prize. Instead, the focus is on getting them to interact with you. The idea of a drawing can be updated by having them answer questions on the pre-show mailer, then bringing it to your booth to enter the contest. They've prequalified themselves! Or, you could ask them to visit your web site to find the answer to a question about your company. (Great added exposure!)
More and more, companies are using other methods to attract traffic. Chair massages, handwriting analysis and caricature artists are becoming more popular. The benefit in each of these is that it provides you with a "captive audience" during the time the attendee is interacting with the expert. This gives you an opportunity to explain your product or service and do some qualifying of the prospect.
• Robin Olsen of Allied Van Lines said that their handwriting analysis expert did an excellent job of attracting people at their TS2 booth last year (1999). The expert helped qualify visitors as she talked with them about their handwriting.
• The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau has used some unique attractions in their booth as well. Rick Myers said that once they were fortunate to have Butterfly McQueen from "Gone With the Wind" in the booth to sign autographs, along with Rhett and Scarlett look-alikes. Together, the trio gathered a lot of attention. At another show just before the 1996 Olympics, they created a news station look, complete with camera, and interviewed attendees who came to the booth.
• Nabisco's Michael Falkowitz said, "We believe in keeping it fun and lively and keeping the attendees involved." Their in-booth promotions have included a Major League Baseball tie-in, complete with ex-players in the booth. Another favorite attention-getter is Jeopardy-type trivia games.
• Home Depot offers demonstrations and "make & takes" at their consumer show exhibits. One popular session is for kids to build their own mini toolbox.
• Sverdrup Civil, Inc., an engineering construction firm, broke the mold at a conservative industry show by having Roadzilla in their booth, according to Kirby Soffer. After designing a special costume, they hired an actor to dress up as Roadzilla and pose for Polaroids with attendees, complete with a Sverdrup label on the bottom of the photo.
Lasting Impressions
When you're being creative with your promotions, don't forget that the real reason you're at the show is to create a memory. You want to be the one booth that attendees think about when they're back at the office.
Behold the power of promotions!
© 2000 Marlys K. Arnold
For information on reprinting this article, please e-mail Marlys or call 816-746-7888.
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Sidebar: Recipe for a Promotion
For last year's (1999) TS2 Show in Chicago, Bankers Advertising chose the theme: "We have the key ingredient in your recipe for success!"
Pre-show mailers included a pot holder imprinted with their booth number and the message, "Mention this pot holder and receive a free gift." Laura Kenemore, Trade Show Coordinator for Bankers Advertising, said that they were overwhelmed with the response and amazed at how many people actually brought their pre-show potholder to the booth!
At the show, the theme continued with giveaways of snack foods and stress balls shaped like various vegetables.
Portrait of Success
When Binney & Smith's Liquitex acrylic paints division wanted to host a hospitality event at a show in Toronto, they came up with the theme: "Paint the Town."
For pre-show mailers, they sent out a die-cut invitation to their VIP prospects that looked like a paintbrush. At the VIP event, attendees discovered paintbrush-shaped buttons at their tables, as well as chocolate paintbrushes. Back at the booth, staffers handed out a mousepad covered with blobs of paint and imprinted with the company's new web address.
At another Binney & Smith event, this time for Crayola, the theme was "Come have a ball." The invitation was printed on a small beach ball, which was then inflated and mailed in a box. You bet that one got their attention!
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Marlys K. Arnold, ImageSpecialist, consults with both companies and individuals to help them build a better trade show image. Her experiences as both an exhibitor and a show organizer offer her a unique perspective on trade show exhibiting. An active member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI), she is also the author of Build a Better Trade Show Image (2002), and the host of the Trade Show Insights podcast.
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