Headed for a trade show or product exhibition? I hope you are planning to attend SGIA ‘08 in Atlanta this October or any of the six National Business Media shows next year. While the economy is taking its sweet time deciding on which direction it’s headed, you may be thinking about adding that new piece of equipment or upgrading one of your current systems while manufacturers are offering wonderful buying incentives. Where better to get all you need to make an informed buying decision than at a vendor-hosted open house or a trade show?
From examining new products to receiving helpful hints in seminars and workshops to getting a sweet deal on supplies and equipment—not to mention the invaluable opportunity to rub elbows and swap recipes with colleagues you don't get to see on a regular basis—there is something for everyone at an industry-specific trade show.
But when it comes to actually shopping the show—that is, kicking tires and comparing prices and features—wouldn't it be nice if there was a way to evaluate potential suppliers at the same time? Naturally, price and value play a part in making a buying decision but, for my money, I tend to award my business to professionals who I like, trust and with whom it is convenient to shop. Trade shows provide the best venue for you to see leading companies in the specialty graphics industry strutting their stuff and trying to earn your business.
But we all know that most of them are on their "best behavior"; all polished up, dressed to the nines, and in-hall demonstrations practiced to the point where mistakes are (nearly) unthinkable. How can you drill beneath the surface of all this show-biz perfection to learn which suppliers will really be your best business partners for the long haul?
At your next trade show or open house you attend, instead of simply browsing from one corner of the exhibit hall to the other, why not take a more intentional, deliberate tack, and utilize a practical way of rating trade show exhibitors? Try on the checklists below for size, and come away with an appreciation of the true depth of a supplier's interest in doing business with you.
(Pssssst! Hey, exhibitors! Before you click off of this article, take a moment to understand the measuring stick of the discerning trade-show attendee. There may be something in it for you as well—a better return on your trade-show investment, in terms of increased sales and customer satisfaction. So please, read on...)
GETTING YOU TO THEIR BOOTH
Let's say you've registered as an attendee of a trade show. What can you expect to find on the exposition floor? Did you know there are nearly 500 companies planning to show at SGIA Atlanta and over 280 exhibitors at each of the 2009 NBM shows in Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Long Beach, Baltimore, Tampa and Charlotte? This is not unusual for these industry-leading events. For the attendee, pre-planning is imperative to a successful trade-show experience.
Commit to writing a comprehensive list of personal objectives. What questions do you need answered? What products—both novel and familiar—do you want to see demonstrated or have explained? With whom do you need to rendezvous for the purpose of discussing business, closing a deal or simply furthering a relationship?
If you are representing your company, you should be very clear on what buying authority and budget you have for procuring merchandise. Studies have shown that five of every six show attendees will make or influence a major purchase, or execute a purchase order, during the average trade show.
So how much ground should you expect to cover during the show? The Trade Show Bureau has for years studied the behaviors of attendees and exhibitors alike. Did you know that studies reveal the typical attendee will visit 17 to 26 booths during their stay at a trade show? And that the average amount of time an attendee will spend in a single booth is 13 to 21 minutes?
Which booths an attendee will visit and how long she stays there is totally dependent on the efforts of the exhibitor. If you pre-register for a show, your name, company, title and address are entered into a database that is made available to exhibitors before the event. With that in mind, consider the following questions and award "style points" when rating these potential vendors:
• Did the exhibitor send a pre-show mailer or make a phone call to you before you left for the show to encourage you to visit its booth, invite you to participate in a drawing or special event, alert you to its show specials or announce the launch of an innovative new product? (7 points)
• Did the vendor somehow let you know it was planning to exhibit and offer you a complimentary exhibit-hall pass? (4 points)
• Was the booth easy to find once you hit the show floor? (1 point)
• Was the booth location near (but not next to) other exhibitors that offer similar goods and services, making it easier for you to compare buying options? (2 points)
• Was the booth well-staffed, accessible and inviting? (2 points)
• Was the company's specialty obvious to the casual observer—what products it manufactured or sold, what type of business it was in or what signature feature or benefit it offered, to name a few? (3 points)
• Did the booth have a clean, fresh look such as an eye-catching theme, updated graphics or signage, and/or appealing colors? (1 point)
The scoring legend described above should easily net the “better” vendors 20 points. But studies show only 17 percent of exhibitors send pre-show mailers. Many companies do not distribute free exhibit-hall passes to customers, even though many show-management companies offer such passes to exhibitors at no charge.
Sadly, some exhibitors select an out-of-the-way location to save money in space rental, drag out the same tired-looking booth, and set it up by halfheartedly adorning it with "new" things... without eliminating any of the old stuff. Most of the time, this approach creates a cluttered, disorganized appearance.
I see these and other symptoms repeated far too often yet, ironically, it is often these exhibitors who complain: "Boy, the floor traffic stunk," or "We didn't get the quality of buyers we'd expected."
评论
收藏
打印
