exhibitor
express
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Exhibitions
are a complete waste of time and money!
We
get very little return from exhibitions!
I
suppose we’d better be there as our competitors are exhibiting!
After
30 years as an exhibition organizer, I cant tell you how often I’ve heard
those words, from small and large companies, around the country. In frustration,
I started researching successful exhibiting in 1997 and was amazed at what I
didn’t know – I truly didn’t know that I didn’t know!!
When
I learnt how to organize exhibitions, back in the days of steam radio, the only
exhibitions we had in Johannesburg was the Rand Show and 3 trade shows, now
there are literally hundreds of shows. Back then, buyers would take a couple of
days off work to visit an exhibition, they’d stroll around saying hello to
colleagues and suppliers, have a drink with exhibitors and see what’s new.
Those days have long since gone and nowadays visitors pre-plan their
visit of an average 3 hours, working out in advance, which stands they want to
see and products they want to evaluate.
The
nature of exhibiting has changed from retailing, where you create an attractive
‘shop window’ and rely on passing traffic, to the most dynamic form of
direct marketing available - trade show marketing!
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A
whole range of exhibition stands, systems and services will be on display at
this year’s MARKEX, South Africa’s premier marketing and promotions
exhibition, taking place 3 – 5 June, 2003 at Sandton Convention Centre. Free
visitor parking and admission is available from www.markex.co.za.
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This
weeks exhibiting tip is from Candy Adams:
Choosing
the BEST Shows
Create
a “Short List” to Meet your Exhibiting Objectives
The slick show brochures pile up in your
inbox – making promises of thousands of qualified attendees with wallets
bursting at the seams. How do you
decide which new shows make the cut and which old shows you’ll exhibit at
again?
Selecting the “right” shows can be a
challenge and downright hard work, culling through each new show prospectus and
comparing the results gathered from past shows. Your selection will depend on
your corporate marketing goals and objectives, budget, and industry.
As the most basic of strategic trade show decisions, it boils down to a
few simple questions: “Why
do we want to exhibit at a show? What
are our objectives? What is the
profile of the show attendees we’re trying to reach?
What is our message for them?”
Of all the criterion to consider when
selecting a show, the audience is the most critical.
Why
ARE you exhibiting?
Too often upper management gives exhibit
managers BAD reasons for exhibiting like, “We’ve
always done this show” or “Our competitors have already signed up”.
Determining your reasons for exhibiting and prioritizing them can help to
clarify the selection process.
The
four main reasons companies exhibit are:
SALES:
To sell your products or services to attendees or gather sales leads for
future sales.
AUDIENCE: To build relationships with
your prospects, current clients, distributors, business partners or recruit
distributors, representatives and employees.
BRAND: To brand your company, and
promote your corporate image, your products and services.
MEDIA: To meet with industry
influencers, such as media, press and analysts.
After prioritizing your company’s
strategic objectives for exhibiting and rating the results of your current
shows, compare them with potential shows based on the same criteria.
Last,
but not least, consider whether sufficient money has been allocated in the
corporate budget. Do show dates coincide with dates when new products will be
ready for launch? Do the potential
show dates conflict with other corporate shows or events? Do you have enough
human resources to adequately staff your exhibit? Will sufficient demo equipment
or sample product be available when you need it?
Show Selection Resources
Interviewing Show Management is your
best source of information on a specific show.
Find out the category of show, location, and type of exhibits allowed.
Ask about the conference and exhibit dates and hours to find out if there
is substantial overlap between them that will substantially reduce the number of
visitors on the show floor. Request
information on the costs to exhibit (either square footage or package costs) and
show restrictions. The number and
names of last years’ and this years’ exhibitors enable you to check
references with past exhibitors’ to find out their experience with the show.
Ask what type of marketing support Show Management will provide to help
you reach your targeted prospects and the media, such as access to
pre-registered attendees’ email addresses, web site listings or links,
sponsorships, speaking opportunities and press lists. Request last year’s
attendee audit report showing both total and net attendance, and percentages of
attendees by title. If show management can’t provide an audited report, always
ask if the attendance numbers quoted include exhibitors, students, or vendors.
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If you would like to find out how to
maximise your exhibition results then diarise the 3-hour exhibitor workshops
that EXSA Exhibition Association of Southern Africa will be hosting in
Johannesburg on :
for more information on
attending these workshops, please click on the date of interest. Visit EXSA for
complete exhibition calendar at www.exsa.co.za
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The purpose of this newsletter is to help you achieve maximum results from trade exhibitions. There will be regular free tips and advice that will pep up your performance and help you gain the best return on your exhibition investment. If you have specific questions on exhibiting, please e-mail them to: joy@donovan.co.za More free help and advice is available at www.exhibitor.co.za Please feel free to pass this newsletter onto friends and colleagues, who can arrange their own free subscription at joy@donovan.co.za
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The workshops and this e-mail is
presented by Joy Donovan M.D. of South Africa’s first Trade Show
Training company. Joy’s 30 + years in the exhibition industry, well
equipped her to identify the need in the exhibition market and produce training
that significantly improves results. If you require information on in-house
exhibitor training, coaching or mentoring, please e-mail joy@donovan.co.za
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