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 »
Having a “draw” at your exhibit is an important part of the lead-gathering process. Whether it’s a serious presentation or a live-action dance team or entertainer, it’s all about the lead–and the attention on the show floor. The Buzz. At the recent NACS show in Chicago, having a celebrity or key figure seemed to be
Booth attractions: Using celebrities…in whatever form Read More »
I was fortunate last evening to sit on the plane next to a meeting planner/trade show manager. Jen is the event marketing specialist for a California-based software provider. She was headed to Orlando for Educause. It was a brief conversation, but reminded me of some things that experienced event people have in their “collections.” Things
Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails….chances are somebody has made them into a foam stress item at one point in the trade show world. In an effort to reach out to trade show and event attendees, many exhibiting companies are resorting to the old squeeze play. OK, so I’ve overdone the analogies. The truth
Squeezing a memory out of a show Read More »
Every once in a while you see a small exhibitor with a fresh idea of how to gather a crowd and get attention. At NACS this year, I met the guys from PestWest Environmental. While they only had a 10×10 booth, they were close to the front of the hall. The company’s roots are in
Sir, your fly is, er, down Read More »
With apologies to Bill Engvall and The Five Man Electrical Band, this entry is all about signs–the hanging variety used at trade shows. The NACS show was a great example of companies using hanging structures as a part of their dimensional marketing strategy. Many use them as signposts so that visitors looking for them can
Sign, sign everywhere a sign Read More »
The just-completed NACS show was a great exercise in being prepared and having measurable results at the end of it. My client, Retalix, did all of the things you need to do to make sure that the staff is prepared and knows what’s going on before, during and at the conclusion of a show. One
The Effective Booth Captain Read More »
