January has always been a big month for trade shows. Going back in my career, we had a number of shows that kicked off the year in a variety of industries. Now that I think about it, several industries anchor their years with January shows. The National Retail Federation (NRF) is always at Jacob Javits […]
A big month, show wise Read More »
If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that patience is a virtue when it comes to managing a trade show program. Like a marriage, you are in it for the long haul. You can plan and plan, but things don’t always fall into place as you think they will or should. Just because you
Let’s ring in the new year with some ideas on how to save and make your exhibit marketing dollar (peso, euro, lira, drachma) go further. There are several ways you can make your investments and expenditures go further. Here are three ideas: Streamline current processes. Review your freight plans. Standardize configurations. Streamline current processes. Take
Cost-cutting ideas Read More »
OK, it’s slow and it seems there is nothing to do. Well, quite the contrary, get out the calendar and let’s do some planning. Each trade show program and calendar are unique, but many milestones are common. When is your keystone show? That is, what are the two or three large shows that anchor your
Mapping out the coming year Read More »
I was reminded today of how long it takes to establish a relationship. A colleague in Tucson, Fred Narcaroti, and I spent some time talking about how to build business. Fred pointed out that it takes a minimum of three contacts for a person to know you well enough to ask you about your business,
Connecting with prospects Read More »
What do these three things have in common? They are all about making positive, direct contact with people. While I am, and probably always will be, the advocate for face-to-face contact (the first two), the third item is growing in both popularity and effectiveness. But I have learned, as with the other two, these methods
Trade shows, networking and LinkedIn Read More »
Dear Steve, In yesterday’s release about MacWorld 2009, did you really say “Trade shows do not deliver the same return on investment that they did in the past.”? I realize the real news in the release was about you not being the keynote at this event, but, come on, that isn’t really the kind of
An open letter to Steve Jobs about trade shows Read More »
Recently a client asked her incumbent exhibit house a simple question and got the runaround. I’m still not sure why. The question she asked was for a set of set up or construction drawings. She is adding a graphic to a backwall of a booth she has in her warehouse and needs the dimensions of
Getting answers to your questions Read More »
Over the weekend just past, I had the opportunity to visit the King Tut traveling exhibit here in Dallas. It was a great sensory experience and really brought the artifacts and story to life. Keep that in mind when you design or lay out your trade show exhibit. The Dallas Museum of Art transformed itself
Using space to tell your story Read More »
In conversation with a client yesterday, the topic of how to allocate marketing budget within business units (and to specific shows) came up. How do you divvy up the marketing pie across markets so that you exhibit at the most effective shows? My client is a savvy guy and is really taking a hard look
Assessing your trade show program Read More »
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