18 Hidden Rules of Trade Shows

Hidden rules govern almost every area of our lives. They guide our behavior and expectations, yet are rarely written down for us in neat little books.

For example, there’s the 5 Second Rule: When a piece of food falls on the floor, you can eat it if you pick it up within five seconds. There’s the High Heel Rule: if a woman is taller than her date, she is less likely to wear high heels. And there’s the Full Moon Rule: On days with a full moon, there are more crimes committed and babies born.

 

Uncover the 18 Hidden Rules of Trade Shows

 

Trade shows also are governed by similarly hidden, yet immutable rules. You may have already run up against them without realizing it, or discovered them through arduous experience. Since forewarned is forearmed, here are 18 hidden rules of trade shows:

 

1. The more words you put on your trade show display, the fewer times they will be read.
2. The larger the crowd of people already in your booth, the more other people will want to visit your booth.
3. The person who complains the most about the value of trade shows is usually the one who knows (and tries) the least.
4. The more fun trade show attendees have in your booth during the show, the more serious business you will do after the show.
5. The effort each booth staffer puts forth increases as the distance between them and their boss decreases.
6. Your best booth staffers are usually the ones who talk the least and listen the most.
7. The longer a booth staffer stretches out their break, the fewer leads they will take when they are actually staffing the booth.
8. The colors of your trade show display will likely be determined by: 1. your brand colors, or 2. the latest design trends or 3. your company president’s spouse.
9. The length of time to design your exhibit expands exponentially with the number of decision makers involved.
10. The greater the distance a visitor has traveled to attend a trade show, the higher the level of hospitality you should provide.
11. Carpet belongs on the floor of your trade show booth, not on the display backwall.
12. The better-looking the booth staffer’s shoes, the more likely the staffer will complain about sore feet.
13. The more years you exhibit at the same show, the more you will have repeat customers visit you in your booth.
14. The more the trade show leads holder looks like a trash can, the more likely your booth captain will end up screaming.
15. The bigger the main visual image on your trade show exhibit, the clearer people will understand your message.
16. The older your trade show display, the less innovative your booth visitors will perceive your company.
17. The more aisle space bordering your booth, the more opportunities your staffers have to engage with attendees.
18. The faster you follow up your trade show leads, the greater the sales you will generate from that show.

 

Now that these hidden rules have been revealed to you, may you enter your next show hall with the open eyes of a seasoned exhibitor. And if you’ve discovered your own hidden rules of trade shows, please, please, please share them with us in the comment box below. There’s no rule against it!

 

 

 

“Put That Coffee Down!” – 5 Ways To Fire Up Your Booth Staff

“Coffee’s for closers only.” If you’ve seen the movie Glengarry Glenn Ross, you certainly remember a foul-mouthed Alec Baldwin who plays Blake in the film, barking at Shelley, portrayed by Jack Lemmon. Blake is a tough talking sales leader brought in to motivate the group to close sales, who goes on to announce that for this month’s sales contest 1st prize is a Cadillac Eldorado, 2nd prize is a set of steak knives, and 3rd prize is you’re fired!
 
Blake’s technique probably a bit extreme and definitely inflammatory for the trade show floor but how do you convey your expectations and motivate your booth staff?

1. Set Expectations. Meet with your staff prior to your trade show and clearly define their roles. Make sure they understand the investment your company has made in participating in the show including the expense of travel & lodging involved. Discuss your expectations in terms of gaining new leads and closing sales. Get everyone on the same page for a rating system for your leads to help everyone understand where the leads are in the pipeline. Set goals with your staff and get their commitment to reach these goals. Cover housekeeping rules such as being on time, on your feet, not eating in the booth, and the use of personal mobile phones in the booth. If mobile marketing is part of your show promotions this may be acceptable but obviously this is not the time for personal business. It is an exciting and fun time but it’s definitely not a vacation!
2. Role Play. Role play with your team techniques for engaging prospects on the show floor. Use role play to not only discuss how you will handle your qualified leads, but also how you will move those along who are not a good fit. Make the role play fun and lighthearted to relax anyone’s inhibitions about being on the spot in front of their peers. It’s always better to get those fumbles out in front of your peers and discuss how to answer those objections than to be in an odd situation in front of a prospect. This is great for teambuilding and getting everyone on the same page.
3. Prizes. Create a sales contest for closed sales or leads gained. Ok, maybe not a Cadillac or set of steak knives but something that will get your reps attention and keep them focused on your goals for the show. It could be a gift card to a nice restaurant or retailer, a paid day off, or maybe a round of golf! You can have a winner for each day and/or an overall winner for the entire show. Creating competition amongst your staff to drive results is an excellent way to motivate the team.
4. Tell Who Gets The Leads. Address the distribution of leads after the show. Make sure you are up front with your crew about how leads will be allocated. Whether it’s based on their performance at the show or some other metrics make sure everyone is clear so there is no dissension amongst the ranks.
5. Demonstrate Accountability. Check with your team on how your new prospects are moving through the pipeline. Don’t micromanage but let them know that you’re there to lend your expertise to help move them from prospect to client!

What are some of the techniques you’ve used to get the most out of your trade show booth staff? Share your comments on booth staffing in the comments area below.


Learn more ways to motivate your booth staffers to higher performance. Click here to get your free copy of the 48-page Booth Staffing Guidebook, filled with useful articles, checklists, and worksheets.

http://www.skyline.com/images/seminars/ROUND1_014_102010_SMS-BBS.htm


Skyline Seminar
Come for the knowledge, Not a display.

You may not need a new trade show exhibit. You could even have a Skyline exhibit that still looks great after years of service. But how confident are you that you know the most successful strategies to get people to visit? Or, the latest tips about avoiding at-show expenses? Did your team perform as well as you had hoped at your last show? We at Skyline have created a helpful, “no charge” and “no sales pitch” seminar for busy exhibitors just like you. Our educational seminars are over two hours of condensed learning that you won’t find anywhere else, and you are invited!


What?
Successful Trade Show StrategiesWednesday, October 20th
Starts: 9:30 am - Ends: 12:00 pm

Better Booth Staffing
Wednesday, October 20th
Starts: 1:00 pm - Ends: 3:00 pm
Where?
Skyline Inland NW
9922 E. Montgomery, Suite #33
Spokane, WA 99206


You’ll learn fantastic tips and valuable knowledge to help your company become more successful exhibitors, and you’ll also receive two great gifts! The first is our 68-page book, "Trade Show Marketing Kit," jam-packed with tips, shortcuts and helpful planning worksheets. The second is our new 48-page book, "Booth Staffing Guidebook," which is loaded with articles, worksheets, and checklists to help you to better pick, train, and inspire your booth staff to new levels of performance.

Register by phone, call Ruth at 509-892-5354
Or use the link at the top of the page.

Top 3 Things Exhibit Marketers Wish Their Boss Knew

Exhibit marketers share the top 3 things they wish their bosses knew about trade shows: The value of trade shows, how to exhibit better, and how much effort they take. Click Here to read more...

7 Big Hairy Exhibit Design Questions

Okay, okay, I admit it. This is reprinted content form our web site (http://www.skyline.com/Trade-Show-Tips/d_dsgnqst/) But it's still really good information and I wanted to pass along. Enjoy...

In designing an exhibit that fits your needs, you have to ask a lot of questions. Here are 7 essential questions - and why they matter.

1. What kind of image do you want to convey?
Your exhibit conveys your company's personality - worthwhile because it creates an emotional reaction with your customers, and people buy for emotional reasons. The shapes, materials, surface treatments, colors, images, and even typography you choose help convey your company image. A company that wants a high-tech, innovative look will end up with a completely different exhibit than one that seeks a professional, established image.

2. What are you trying to accomplish?
Believe it or not, your objectives can dictate the actual shape of your exhibit. If you want to generate a lot of leads, you need an open, inviting space that allows easy entry for attendees and open sightlines for booth staffers. On the other hand, if you're looking to build relationships with a select number of key individuals, then you need an exhibit with conference rooms where you can spend quality time closing sales. Two different objectives, two radically different exhibit designs. Exhibitors that want to build their image tend to go for bigger graphic images and larger architectural elements to create a bigger impression.

3. What booth sizes are right for you?
Many companies use several booth sizes - island exhibits for their national shows, and then inline exhibits for their regional or vertical market shows. With foresight and planning, exhibitors can design one large exhibit that can be reconfigured for their smaller booth spaces. Not only do they save money by not having to purchase multiple exhibit properties, but they also present a more consistent look at all their shows.

4. How can you stretch your exhibiting budget?
Everyone wants the Taj Mahal. Yet everyone must come up with a justifiable budget. Balancing those needs is the goal of every exhibit designer. Skyline uses its compact, lightweight exhibit materials to deliver an effective exhibit that still saves clients thousands of dollars in operating costs compared to traditional custom exhibits. For some exhibitors who need to preserve capital or only exhibit in a big space once a year, rental exhibits help maximize the budget. And reconfigurable components let exhibitors create many exhibits from one.

5. What matters to your target audience?
Answer this question, then make sure that's what you're showing on your exhibit. You'll get to what matters by determining the benefits your clients are seeking and then what your key advantages are. It can take a lot of discussion to arrive at this, starting with what your products are, moving to their features, then the benefits of these features, until you distill the message down to the key benefits that drive your buyers' purchasing decisions.


6. What message do you want your visitors to get in the first three seconds? And what do you want them to remember after visiting your booth?
Do you want them to remember your new products? Your competitive advantage? Or your company's brand image? Keep it simple. Designers who are used to creating brochures or ads have a tendency to overload exhibit graphics with way too much information to be effective in a trade show exhibit. Think billboard, not bulletin board. It's better to go for impact -- less is definitely more in trade show exhibit copy.

7. What functional needs do you have?
In creating an exhibit, you're also creating a temporary workspace for your booth staffers. What are their needs? You may need to create areas for demos, presentations, conferences, and storage. And still balance that with your need to create an accessible exhibit with graphic messages.

Are You Sponsoring an Event?

Event sponsorship is a great way to get in front of a targeted group of local decision makers. Usually when you sponsor something like a Chamber of Commerce breakfast or a charity event, you get to set up on a table during the mingling time and get a couple minutes of microphone time once everyone is settled. This is the time when you don't want to look like you brought in your kid's science fair project. Your display needs to say, "I'm a professional and This is what I have to offer". Guaranteed, folding cardboard and printouts from your computer isn’t going make a big impression. You would be better off to show up in a clown costume and hand out free balloons.

At the very least have a table throw with your logo and a banner stand or rental table top with some poster size graphics from the quick printer. Here are some ideas to think about...

Banner stands can be used at full height or at half height for a table top display.

Table throws can be a fully fitted table covering with a graphic panel covering the entire front space or just a runner that is used with a solid color throw.

Pop-up style table top displays are available to rent or purchase with either carpeted panels or full mural graphics. Lighting systems are also available.

Welcome Trade Show & Event Marketers

It’s August, the time when we realize summer is getting shorter, and that the trade show busy season is right around the corner. Here are 6 articles to help you get back in gear:

• The Surprising Value of Introverted Trade Show Booth Staffers
• 4 Biggest Changes For Exhibit Marketers
• Go Beyond The Back Of A Business Card: Creating A More Complete Trade Show Lead Management System
• Whether You Know It or Not, Trade Show Marketers Are Brand Managers
• Trade Shows Are Hard – But What Marketing Isn’t?
• My Trade Show Fantasy

Face to Face vs. ...this

Don't get me wrong, "This" is great! Anybody who has used, read or posted to a blog understands the power of it. Millions of you out there are reading what I have to say right now. Although it is a little like playing for mosquitoes at an outdoor concert in the rain. I'm sure you’re out there, I just can't see you.

So how did we ever get along before blogging and social networking? Believe it or not, people actually used to go to trade shows and conventions. Just imagine, a room filled with potential customers all milling about looking for someone to talk to. The best part is that they are all there because they are interested in your industry. Heck, they may even be your competitor's customers. What a great opportunity to steal them away but how are you going to do that? Well to start with I guess you’ll have to be there so you can shake their hand. That's social. And while you are chatting they may introduce you to one of their associates. That's networking.

See how this works! It’s all very much like what we do online at a “Social Networking” site only we get to do the one thing that the internet has yet to provide: Shake hands.

Thanks very much for visiting today and come back soon for more good reasons to get out there and meet your customers.

The Show Booth Guy