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by Jodi Rudick, M.A.S.
Trade shows, camp fairs, and community expos
bring vendors together in a virtual mega mall
where like-minded people can efficiently research
and compare products, services, solutions, and
ideas. It's a place to find out what's
new, what's hot, what's in, and what's
out — all in one convenient location. More
importantly, it's one of the few marketing
channels left today in which vendors can engage
in two-way, face-toface conversation with real
customers and prospects.
As the 2009 American
Camp Association (ACA) National Conference approaches,
vendors throughout the country (and beyond) are
preparing to share their camp-related goods and
services with camp directors and owners eager
to find new tools, strategies, and resources
to better serve campers. At least that's
the idea. This year, of course, the economy is
on everyone's mind. Vendors may have to
be a bit more creative in the way they attract
visitors to their booths, price products, and
follow up with new prospects.
Camps Show Off,
Too!
While those vendors wanting to reach large
numbers of camp professionals can take advantage
of the annual ACA conference, your camp likely
exhibits in camp fairs, community events, family
expos, and other "trade shows" during
the spring registration season. Whether you find
these events to be "necessary evils" or
an incredible opportunity to get face to face
with prospective campers, you control the outcomes
with good planning and effective follow-up.
Since
biblical times, merchants, farmers, traders,
and craftsmen have come together to display,
barter, and trade goods with each other. Ancient
caravans evolved into markets, fairs, and eventually,
what we know today as trade shows and expositions.
Although the technology and sophistication has
changed dramatically, the result is the same — buyers
and sellers coming together in a common facility
or environment.
Trade shows range in size and
format from large industrial booth mega-shows
to small, table-top meetings and arts and craft
fairs to huge consumer expositions. They allow
attendees the ultimate in comparison shopping
in a multi-sensory, people-oriented atmosphere.
Why Exhibit?
According to The Center for Exhibition
Industry Research (formerly The Trade Show Bureau),
18 percent of all marketing dollars are allocated
to trade shows and exhibits. There were close
to 15,000 trade shows in the United States in
2004, making it a $100 billion industry. Every
organization, from the entrepreneurs and the
corporate giant to government agencies and nonprofits,
can use the trade show as the "super sales
call" to personally meet many important
clients, citizens, suppliers, prospects, and
industry leaders. In our hyper-busy culture of
phone tag and e-mails, trade shows are one of
the most powerful ways to establish and reinforce
relationships.
Companies and organizations can
utilize trade shows to meet many marketing objectives
and goals such as:
- Prospecting for new
customers
- Introducing new products and
services
- Generating sales leads
- Generating
actual sales at the show
- Enhancing your
image and visibility
- Reaching a specific
audience
- Establishing a presence in the
marketplace
- Improving the effectiveness
and efficiency of your marketing efforts
- Personally
meeting your customers, competitors, and suppliers
- Gaining
customer feedback about new products or marketing
strategies
- Demonstrating your product
in ways not possible using other marketing
channels
- Recruiting
staff, volunteers, distributors, or dealers
- Educating
your target audience
Six Steps to Success
The
trick to trade show success is to understand
what your audience is looking for when he or
she attends the show, create a message with your
booth that addresses these needs, and follow
up on all requests and leads. Ensure the success
of your next trade show by following these six
simple rules:
Evaluation
Carefully evaluate all
prospective shows based on your target audience.
Expositions such as ACA's National Conference
have a reputation for attracting well-qualified
park and recreation professionals. "Within
the ACA exhibit hall," explains Kim Bruno,
national sales manager for ACA, "vendors
can reach more than twelve hundred influential
decision makers representing approximately eight
hundred camps without wasting time, energy, and
resources to those uninterested in recreation-
oriented products and services." She continues,
"Many ACA members rely on the exhibit hall to
compare products, meet face-to-face with suppliers,
and gather valuable information to improve their
camp's technology, operations, and services."
When choosing to participate in trade show opportunities
ask the following questions:
- Who is the
targeted audience?
- How many attendees
are expected?
- Will decision-makers be
there?
- Will your competitors be exhibiting?
- What
are the total costs involved including travel,
food, and lodging?
- How many total booths
will be sold?
Your goal is to find the show that
will give you the most return for your marketing
investment.
Define and Clarify Your Objectives
What are the outcomes you would like to see as
a result of exhibiting in this show? Do you want
to build a mailing list? Generate qualified leads?
Discover new prospects? Develop a strong company
image? Create greater awareness among a new vertical
market? Strengthen relationships with existing
customers? Explore the competition in a non-threatening
environment? As with all marketing, your objectives
should be clear and measurable. It is also important
to make sure that everyone involved with the
show understands and is committed to reaching
the established goals.
Carefully Design Your
Trade Show Booth, Display, or Table Top
Remember
that your display is a direct reflection on your
company. Ask yourself: "Is this the image
we want to project to our customers, prospects,
suppliers, and competitors." It is important
to create a space that is conducive to conducting
business. When planning the theme and graphics
of your display, use simple messages and graphics
that visually explain your product's benefits.
Booths can be very simple, highly technical,
or have actual bells and whistles. No matter
the complexity, plan and budget well in advance.
You do not want to leave attendees with the impression
that your exhibit was thrown together at the
last minute.
Prior to the show, it is also important to ask
about electrical outlets, phone service, plants,
furniture, shipping, handling, and other additional
costs. These factors are often overlooked and
can cause unnecessary complications.
Create a
Three-Phase Promotional Plan — Pre-Show,
At-Show, and Post-Show
Before the event, request
a list of preregistered attendees. Mail to your
key prospects a special invitation, incentive,
or offer to ensure that they visit your booth.
For example, a postcard could read: "Bring
this by our booth to receive a free conference
tote bag (or T-shirt, golf balls, travel mug,
umbrella, work gloves, pedometer . . . you get
the idea). Remember to match your premium to
the interests of your target prospect.
During
the show, make sure that you have plenty of brochures,
price lists, and catalogs to distribute freely
to attendees. The last thing you want to worry
about is running out of your collateral material.
It is better to have too much than not enough!
What can you do to increase traffic to your
booth? Some ideas include promotional product
giveaways; drawings; games, such as spinning
wheels or putting contests; interactive videos;
caricature artists; celebrity appearances; or
product or service demonstrations. Other unique
booth attractions might be foot or chair massage,
temporary tattoos, or free food. Be careful,
however, not to attract the "wrong" crowd. The aim is to
create a message that appeals to your best prospect's
business or personal interests.
It is also imperative
that a simple system is devised to capture and
organize information about the attendees. Are
business cards adequate or do you want to gather
more explicit data concerning each contact's
interests or product usage? Create forms ahead
of time so that your staff can easily collect
predetermined data. Consider using a laptop computer
to instantly build a data base and input contacts.
The most forgotten promotional opportunity involves
post-show follow-up. To simplify this often overwhelming
task, prepare packets, letters, or thank-you
cards before the show. Send all requested information
and materials within one week of the event to
prove your efficiency to your new contacts. Your
quick rate of responsiveness can turn your show
prospects into impressed customers while your
competitors are still digging through their notes
and unpacking their boxes.
Hand Select and Train
Your Booth Personnel
No matter how creative your
promotions or unique your booth, nothing can
make up for uninformed, exhausted, or nonexistent
personnel. A trade show is not the time to train
a new employee. Booth personnel need to be knowledgeable
about your company, including its products and
services. They should be enthusiastic, energetic,
and be able to handle multiple conversations
at once.
Statistics show that personnel will
talk with as many people in one trade show day
as they usually would in a month. Although staff
should stand while working the booth, they should
also take plenty of breaks to compensate for
the emotional and physical toll.
Treat every
person who walks into your booth like they are
worth a million bucks. When busy with others,
acknowledge new visitors with eye contact and
a smile. Sound like common sense? Next time you
are at a trade show (or retail shop) notice how
you are greeted and treated. Were you made to
feel welcome or was the staff person chatting
on the phone or talking with a co-worker? Customer
service is just as important to exhibitors as
it is to restaurants, hotels, hospitals, retail
merchants, and service businesses.
Evaluate and
Review Your Trade Show Results
Keep in mind that
conventions, meetings, and trade shows can be
a lot of fun. But they are also part of your
marketing mix. By reviewing the show's
attendance, your booth, promotional materials,
customer service, and follow-up based on your
objectives, you are sure to make it big in the
world of "show business"!
Originally published
in the 2009 January/February issue of Camping
Magazine.
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