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Drawing traffic before, during and after a trade show
The following article is adapted from Show and Tell, the basics of good trade show promotion, Corporate Logo November 7, 2006. Laura Gaulke is an independent marketing and design consultant with 15 years promotional products experience. Currently representing companies such as Neely Manufacturing and Illini, this published author of trend and trade-show articles recently shared some insight on the business of trade shows.
Q. Which industries are hot for trade-show giveaways?
A. Consumer trade shows — such as home and garden, recreation, electronics/computer shows, wedding and kids fairs — are generally more in-line with walk-by, traffic-building giveaways. Generally, products in the .60 to $3 range (depending on the size of the trade show and number of anticipated attendees) can be used for attracting walk-by visitors.
For a general appeal to a wide profile of attendees, items like tote bags — that the attendee will find personally interesting, novel, functional and/or useful — are perfect for trade shows. Computer accessory and CD products are popular for trade-show giveaways because they are inexpensive and compact to give from a booth in mass quantity; they come in eye-catching colors; and they have a high value because they are extremely useful.
Q. What are some of the most popular, creative promotions used to increase booth traffic?
A. This year, iPods seem to be the big item for trade-show contests and incentives. However, I have seen contests which give away everything from Harley-Davidson motorcycles to cars to big screen televisions to vacations. But big prizes are not always necessary — often it is in how catchy and creative the pre-show promotional vehicle is and whether an effectively targeted list is used.
A good creative team can come up with concise, easy-to-read, attention-grabbing copy and graphics for a pre-show postcard, or these great creatives can be combined with clever promotional vehicles already available through industry companies. A pre-show postcard mailing using an incentive gift for stopping and/or entry into a contest by using a puzzle-piece or a key are great to send to targeted attendees. It brings them to the booth for the chance to win a prize and, at the same time, can preview what the attendee will find on exhibit.
Q. What is the most entertaining booth promotion you’ve seen?
A. Giant cardboard cutouts of classic Hollywood icon actors from the past were used in one booth to grab attention for a classic line of products that had withstood the test of time.
A pre-show mailing promotion was sent out, which invited the attendees to have their pictures taken with the actors, while seeing the updated classic collection at the show. When attendees stopped by the booth, their picture was taken with the cardboard, life-sized cutout of their favorite classic Hollywood celebrity.
This mass-mailing to a list of all pre-registered attendees and attendees from the previous year’s show was sent — in addition to a targeted mailing to key clients who were promised a beautiful photo album frame — for stopping to see the line and having their picture taken at the booth.
Q. How do you track ROI at trade shows?
A. Besides just the normal scanning of name badges, in order to track ROI at a trade show, gifts that only a targeted pre-show attendee can receive — pre-selected based on particular criteria — will be measured by how many of these gifts were dispensed or how many business cards from the targeted attendees are received.
Q. What is the most effective way to promote a trade-show booth?
A. Research available at www.CEIR.org (Center for Exhibition Industry Research) and by researchers Veronis, Shuler & Stevenson makes a strong case for distributors to focus on the trade-show and exhibiting needs of their customers as a growing profit area for their promotional product business. According to a June 2005 study, trade-show growth is forecasted at 4.6 percent during the next three years.
Some of the reasons for this growth in the trade-show market may be attributed to recent statistics that 83 percent of attendees at trade shows have some type of buying power; that more than 40 percent of attendees report they find trade shows of more value today than they did three years ago; and that attendees spend an average of 9.2 hours at a trade show in a two- to three-day period.
This trend reflects national statistics that show that along with a growing number of trade shows and attendees, there are also a growing number of exhibitors. Last year, Tradeshow Week reported an average of 378 exhibitors at each trade show nationwide. This makes it even more important for the distributor to find solutions for their trade-show-exhibiting clients that include motivating pre-show offers, an attention-grabbing floor presence, a memorable message and offer at the show, and a vehicle planned for making follow-up contact after the show.
In order to compete on the trade-show floor — not only with direct competitors, but just with the sheer numbers of exhibitors and the “clutter” of booths and other messages being conveyed — an exhibitor’s trade-show presence must be exceptional, just to be sure that their corporate message and their products are even being noticed. Research reveals that well-communicated messages have a memorability rate of 77 percent for up to 10 weeks after the trade show.
Q. What’s the best advice for exhibitors?
A.
Plan in advance
Segment potential attendees
Set and prioritize objectives
Make pre-show contact
Match giveaways to targeted attendee segments
Make trade-show plans part of the integrated marketing plan
Select giveaways with continuity to themes
Use eye-catching graphics repetitiously
Give the impression of being BIG
Don’t forget the post-show follow-up
Q. What kind of promotional packages can meet a clients’ trade-show needs?
A. Promotional products can play a key role in all of the areas of a successful trade show. In the past five years, one general trend in marketing is in the area of segmentation of customers and targeted marketing. With so much advertising in so much media, targeted marketing helps get a message through all the “clutter” — and promotional products will punctuate the success of any targeted campaign. One way to segment the customers who might attend the trade show is to divide them between the top or “loyal” customers, the core customer base, the declining/potentially dissatisfied customers and prospective customers.
An exceptional trade-show booth will provide an attractive backdrop for the products on display and will attract attendees to the booth. A well-lit booth with attention-grabbing graphics is a key element in attracting attendees to the exhibitor’s booth. Distributors will save their clients time and money by becoming their one-stop solution for all of their trade-show needs. Not only can distributors suggest traffic-building promotional products for pre-show and post-show promotions, but they can help design coordinating banners, signage for pop-up stands and table covers. Dynamic, bright, full-color banner graphics provide a bold and memorable way to communicate a company’s logo and message on the trade-show floor.
Q. You say the biggest mistake distributors and their customers make when building a trade-show promotion is “just plain not planning.” What elements reflect proper planning?
A. Pre-show mailings are particularly important in business-to-business trade shows. They should be used as pre-show response vehicles, targeting certain customer segments by luring them to the booth to receive a product. Or, a pre-show mailing can entice attendees to come to the booth to register for a drawing featuring a wide variety of promotional products to be given away. A drawing of this type is the perfect excuse to contact each attendee by phone after the show to let them know what they have won.
A mechanism built into the trade-show plan — as part of a contest where everyone who registers wins — necessitates a post-show follow up with everyone to let them know what they have won. The attendee will expect your call in order to find out their prize, and this becomes a great ice-breaker to be sure that the attendee received all the information they requested from the show or to ask if they have any questions about the information they received. According to research by Veronis, Shuler & Stevenson, a startling 79 percent of leads are unfulfilled after a trade show.
Q. When do you recommend using higher-end items at a show?
A. Highly targeted trade-show promotions are most useful and executable in business-to-business trade shows. A pre-show mailing can offer particular incentives to top clients who plan to spend time in the exhibitor’s booth. While trade shows are often thought to be a venue for finding new customers, in business-to-business trade shows, the event may provide the rare opportunity to meet with a key client in person. A trade-show gift that matches the value an exhibitor places on having that client spend time in the booth could range from $10 to $100.
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