The Future of Face-to-Face: BIG New Ideas Moderator: Adam Schaffer, Publisher, Trade Show Week Lawrence Dvorchik, General Manager, Self Service Expo, KioskCom Kristofer Herlitz, Vice-President, The Herlitz Company Dan Ligorner, COO, Edgell Communications Trade Show Summit is sponsored by: 3 rd ANNUAL TRADE SHOW SUMMIT
23
Embed
The Future of Face-to-Face: BIG New Ideas Moderator: Adam Schaffer, Publisher, Trade Show Week Lawrence Dvorchik, General Manager, Self Service Expo, KioskCom.
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
The Future of Face-to-Face: BIG New IdeasModerator: Adam Schaffer, Publisher, Trade Show WeekLawrence Dvorchik, General Manager, Self Service Expo, KioskComKristofer Herlitz, Vice-President, The Herlitz CompanyDan Ligorner, COO, Edgell Communications
catersource Conference & Trade Show, increased 45.9 percent in net square footage and 71 percent in exhibiting companies (also a 2006 TSW Fastest 50 winner)
Imaging USA, increased 47.5 percent in exhibiting companies
Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, increased 31 percent in professional attendance
Golf Industry Show, increased 31.9 percent in professional attendance
Q1 2007 DATA:
Of the 115 shows included in this report, eight grew more than 30 percent over the same period in 2007, by at least one index:
Targeted imagery to match varying segments in the brochure. The right imagery helps to ensure potential attendees open a direct mail piece and read the targeted copy…
Build an exclusivity buzz on the floor. While not everyone can be invited, an exhibitor can send an invitation to a select group of people…
The exclusivity and the idea that there is something not everyone will get to see creates a buzz for the entire show floor…
Growing industries – align with associations and put specific pavilions on the floor targeting their members…
CLEAN YOUR DATABASE! Constantly get new names and emails to target… Send email with fax back reply form for more
Sustainable model that is audience-focused rather than sponsor-focused, even if it means leaving revenue on the table…
Focus on audience development: Tracking relationship and level of participation of our audience and using that information to more effectively market (includes integration with our circulation database)…
Differentiation through execution and attendee experience: With all the clutter and competition in the event space, differentiation is critical to long term success. We achieve that primarily though reverent attention to detail in execution and creating a memorable on-site experience for attendees both professionally and personally …
Educating attendees and sponsors on how to get maximum value from our events, as they are formatted differently than most in our markets…
Proactively setting and managing sponsor expectations, and going above and beyond to then exceed them…
Never being comfortable: It’s important for the team to celebrate successes. It’s more important to the business to constantly drive to improve. An important balance…
Meaningful, actionable content: Survey your audience. Learn what’s important to them today and moving forward, then deliver content around those topics that they won’t get anywhere else, particularly not at the next event two months down the road. Be provocative and stir debate. Focus on tangible takeaways…
Take enjoyment in the process: This is a whole lot easier said than done, but you’re basically throwing a big party during which attendees have an opportunity to learn how to do their jobs better and share ideas with peers. Force yourself and your team to emerge from the details and whack the piñata a few times. It’s healthy for you and comforting to your guests…
Holding on too long to a flop. For new events or new ideas, set incremental goals and benchmarks. If you’re way off track, cut bait as future projects will suffer and other goals will slip…
Abandoning other core products among flush sponsorship support and revenue…
Short-sightedness from a business process standpoint: One-offs are risky as scale is critical to profitable growth…
Short-sightedness from a sales/revenue standpoint: Trying to make up a Q1 shortfall with a sponsor-driven custom event jeopardizes credibility and future success…
Resting on laurels: You may have found a formula that works but your audience is fickle, your competitors are hungry and your formula is already getting stale in one way or another…
Move to online exhibitor application submission process; make it as painless as possible for them to support your meeting.
Build strong Program Committee to ensure only top notch content; be THE source of education.
Keep the reigns on your Program Chair – they may be geniuses in their respective fields but they are often not Marketing majors or even sensitive to the overall picture of the meeting.
Be consistent and even handed on your tradeshow floor; if you allow a variance for one exhibitor be prepared for every other exhibitor to ask for the same allowance.
Create a bundle package for exhibit sales, sponsorship opportunities; advertising; pre-show mail list sales, etc. The more they support the Association the better a deal they get.
Choose and listen to a core Exhibits Advisory Committee (have each industry segment on your exhibit floor represented) – they know what the buzz on the floor is.
Incentive pricing; Exhibitors and Registrants alike. Three tiered – early, normal, late. Early registration benefits everyone, normal is normal, and late we all literally pay the price with work/changes we would have rather done earlier!
Conduct and continue to conduct comparative market analysis – you will always learn from your competitors even if it is what not to do.
Accepting a verbal approval of exhibit floor plan; not stamped by Fire Marshal. Then selling out exhibits and having Fire Marshal nix many booths 2 weeks out from the meeting. (Like signing a hotel contract before hotel is built - pretty precarious)…
In a rush sent out materials with incorrect deadlines/information; more hurry = less speed. Do it once and do it right…
Allow too sudden a jump in fees over previous year. Better a steady increase over time than period of no increase then a sudden large increase…
Allow an exhibitor on the floor whose products/services are not relevant to the professional interests of the registrant (i.e. selling luggage to a luggage to a neuroscientist; yes, they use luggage too but is that what your exhibits are there for?)…
Did not thoroughly test new online hotel reservation system – opening day glitches popped up everywhere. Your attendees are not supposed to be crash test dummies…