TradeShowHelp.Org » Before The Show

Trade Show Tips of The Day

Trade Show Help — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:07:52 +0000

We still believe that trades shows are a viable market for getting face to face exposure with qualified buyers and decision makers. Bringing people into your trade show booth is the ultimate goal, and giving prospects solutions to their problems is how you will make that relationship last.

Start with a solid pre-show advertising campaign, your participation well in advance with your prospects will keep your name and booth # fresh in their minds, keeping them up to date with glimpse’s of product announcements and teasers is a good way to peek their interest.

If you are having a new product launch, you can even offer a raffle for that product or service – what a better way to stand behind your new offerings.

If you plan on having entertainment in your trade show booth, have it set for a planned time. where you can invite your prospects, and not continuously throughout the day. You could even have your raffle drawing at the end of the entertainment, so that you know you will get a chance to talk to your prospects.

Exhibitor Services

Trade Show Help — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:34:56 +0000

Can you define more of the particulars of Exhibitor Services?

Gwen

Thanks for stopping in at Trade Show Help Gwen, that is a loaded title quite similar to the loaded binders that define Exhibitor Services.

I touched slightly on a recent post titled Trade Show Management & Show Books, but there are many details of Exhibitor Services that newer Marketing Managers are not aware of and often times are over looked.

An Exhibitor Service Manual or Show Book contains the details of various services & forms that an exhibitor will need to fill out, with a variety of deadlines for separate services. This post will be digested best if it’s broken out into a few parts, so I will start with some of the basics and continue from there.

If you are unsure of where to start you can always seek the advice of a reliable trade show event management partner. They are usually familiar with a majority of trade shows and various trade show venue’s rules & regulations.

Read on to find out what you will find in a “Show Book”

General Trade Show Information

Delivery & Set Up
Complimentary Badge Allotment (your pass into the trade show)
Badge Color Definitions & Access Areas of those definitions

Trade Show Marketing Materials & Promotional Materials

Which will encompass your Attendee lists for targeting your prospects. Lead Retrieval Equipment Rental, which we firmly believe to be a great resource for defining your leads and makes a much easier follow up than manually typing in names from collected business cards.

Most likely shows are attended to gain exposure and contacts, I can belabor this point endlessly, but I have seen stat’s that 80% of attendee’s state that they have never been contacted after the event.

Trade Show Rules & Regulations

In this section you will get a glimpse of payments, refunds and cancellation policies. Space Rental & Your Booth Assignment Location – once your application is accepted you will receive a Confirmation contract. I&D Instructions, as well as information on storage of packing crates and boxes just to name a few.

Those are just the beginning sections show books…

stay tuned…

Dim Weight and your Trade Show Display

Trade Show Help — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:47:20 +0000

What is the best way to measure what is called Dim Weight when we are planning shipping of our trade show display?

Carl

Dim weight or dimensional weight is a standard formula used throughout the airfreight industry that considers density when determining airfreight charges. A dim weight formula is used to consider the amount of space a package will take on an aircraft in relation to the weight of the package.

Carriers use separate dimensional weight calculations for domestic and international shipments based on a standard density – weight per unit volume. A density of 1/194 pound per cubic inch (1/7 the density of water) is used on domestic packages. A density of 1/166 (1/6 the density of water) is used internationally.

To determine the dimensional weight of a package: A) Multiply the package’s length by the width by the height (round each number to the nearest whole inch). The result is the cubic size of the package. If this number is 1,728 inches or less, use the actual weight in your rate calculations. B) If this number is more than 1,728 inches, divide the cubic size by 194 to determine the dimensional weight (in pounds). Increase fractions of a pound to the next full pound.

Irregular shaped containers cost more to ship because they must treated as if they were rectangular. You measure length, width, and height at the extreme points.

Network Marketing

Trade Show Help — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:43:00 +0000

Do trade show organizers typically have any interest in improving the experience of visitors outside of their visiting booths? Do organizers get involved in training sessions related to Network Marketing, for example, or workshops or is that only a part of a conference that might be connected to the trade show?

I have a transformational one-hour workshop I deliver that helps people learn how to love networking. Considering trades shows are HUGE opportunity to meet people, they are also a very unstructured environment and many people would get more for their money if they could attend a quick session to grow those skills on the spot to use that day.

Would this type of benefit be of interest at trade shows or does it mostly fit for conferences?

Thanks for the invitation to your site and for your enthusiasm.

Gail Sussman Miller

http://www.howtolovenetworking.com

Property Management & Trade Shows

Trade Show Help — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:35:34 +0000

Is property management and trade show services the same thing? What are the details of property management when it comes to trade shows?

Luke

Property Management for Trade Shows encompasses the entire exhibiting program and experience. Making sure that the logistics and the details for your trade show are taken care of and coordinated carefully. Many exhibitors find themselves overwhelmed when it comes to not only planning and focusing on trade show marketing, but coordinating the entire process.

There are several online systems that can help you with your trade show property management - ExhibitForce and Exhibit Track are two that are popular systems with Trade Show Managers and Coordinators. These programs assist you with the details of your trade show, giving you a centralized location for all your documentation, show books, show forms, trade show exhibit & display inventory, documentation for budgeting.

Trade Show Property Management software gives you instant access to your exhibit properites so that you can easily plan your trade show strategy with the identification of show selection, marketing & branding, prioritizing your leads after the show. Detailed information for ROI presentations, booth staff and sales staff scheduling so that you can utilize your entire team flawlessly with detailed schedules and rotations.

Trade Show Property Management helps cover the bases of details that are necessary for a succesful trade show, from, storage, A/V Equipment, staff attire, carpet rental, catering, cleaning, computer rental, electrical, lead retrieval rental and even internet access. All of the details are at your finger tips before, during and after your trade show.

Planning your Trade Show Services

Trade Show Help — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:43:35 +0000

What are some key points that will help us prepare our trade show services?

There are several details to be worked out with trade show services, from electrical needs, internet access and in bound and outbound shipping.

Our best advice is to plan ahead and plan accordingly. Submit your trade show paperwork work early to get better rates. Check for deadlines, most trade shows have extensive materials online for review. If you are not sure how to fill out the paperwork, contact a qualified exhibit house, most of the times they have an experienced team of service professionals.

Keep your paperwork organized and make sure you have all copies with you when you hit the trade show floor so that you can make sure there are no errors, and if there are, you have the documentation to back it up.

Be as specific and detailed as you possibly can, outline all your details, even if it takes submitting diagrams and plans with detailed instructions. There can be significant costs related to fixing issues at the last minute if you need electricians or added labor to help you out of a jam.

Trade Show Planning

Trade Show Help — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:27:03 +0000

Many exhibitors start the process of trade show planning & marketing strategies before they have even closed the exhibit hall doors, many do not. If you find yourself in the category of the latter, here are some timely tips for your upcoming trade shows and events.

Start at least four months before your upcoming trade show, this gives plenty of time for desicion making and marketing strategies:

Weeks 16 – 13 pre-planning for your upcoming trade show your marketing team should begin focusing on your exhibit objectives and your trade show audience. Your Exhibitor Kit may have arrived, if it hasn’t, contact show services, there is alot of valuable information in these kits. If you are already working with a exhibit house, contact your project manager to discuss the details.

Brainstorming with your marketing team on the basic exhibit and graphic needs as well as your plan for VIP treatment, press and staff needs. Create a preliminary budget, look back at earlier plans, past trade shows, and revise your budget as needed.

Getting your entire marketing team together, and involving them in each step of your trade show planning, avoiding multiple changes and they can be made more easily during the preliminary planning. Make sure that everyone is aware of the direction your exhibit marketing & strategies will be headed.

Start appointing your experienced sales & booth staff, those with product knowledge, technical expertise, problem solvers & an outgoing personality.

Weeks 12-6 pre-planning for your upcoming trade show make sure your start & finish dates are in order and you are discussing this with your exhibit house & graphic designers, with continued conversation & questions your plans can stay on track for your upcoming event.

Start preparing your documentation that will be accompanying your sales & booth staff to the trade show, check on the progress of your trade show graphics, booth and any other printed material that was ordered. Continue to monitor your trade show budget as all your information comes in from your suppliers.

Weeks 5-4 pre-planning for your upcoming trade show – confirming your product samples, literature, give-a-ways or any special provisions needed. Finalize or confirm your travel & hotel arrangement, as well any of your VIP guest programs and pre-event staff educational or motivation programs.

Weeks 3-1 pre-planning for your upcoming trade show – Finalize shipping, exhibit production and training materials. Organizing the supplies that you will need for your trade show display, travelers checks, company checks & company credit cards.

Any Good Jewelry Trade Shows That I Should Attend?

Trade Show Help — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:12:02 +0000

Touchstone Jewelry Insurance wrote:

I was wondering what is the best jewelry related trade show where I could possibly get leads with jewelry store owners, appraisers and jewelers? I own a jewelry insurance policy business and most jewelry shows I see online cater to the consumer side of the jewelry business rather than the merchant or jeweler. Is TSNN still the best place to find this information online?

Website: http://www.touchstoneinsurance.com

Touchstone Jewelry Insurance -

There are several sources to find out about upcoming trade shows.

There is quite a large show coming to Las Vegas Mirage Casino/Hotel – with over 90,000 square feet of exhibit space, the Mirage Event Center will be hosting -

G.L.D.A. ’s Las Vegas Gem Show – May 25th – 28th, 2009

G.L.D.A.’s Tucson Show at the Starr Pass Marriot will be held – February 3rd-8th, 2009

Here are a few sites you may find worth checking out

Trade Show Preparation

Trade Show Help — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:00:43 +0000

Do you have any “rules of thumb” when planning for trade shows, basic guidelines that you suggest that exhibitors follow?

John

I Have A Question On Booth Space Selection

Angela — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:19:15 +0000

I am going to be attending the Vision East Expo in New York next year and would like your opinion on what booth space would be the best one to select. I can show hall floor plan if you like but most 10′x20′ spaces are still available. Should I pick one close to the front of the hall? On a corner or in the middle of the convention hall? Any advice you might have on this would be appreciated.

Thanks for all your help,

Angela