exhibitor express

FREE Trade Show Training newsletter - e-mail joy@donovan.co.za for subscription or press remove at bottom of page

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Andre de Geus said 'the ability to learn faster than their competitor's may be the only sustainable competitive advantage'

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What really excites me about exhibitor education, is that there is so much to know. Who knew that there was a local company running 2-day courses on 'Competitive Intelligence at Tradeshows' for the last 8 years; courses that are accredited to Pretoria Technikon!

Tradeshows have become an integral part of many companies’ marketing strategy. It affords the company the opportunity to introduce new products, make known new alliances, display new technologies and spread the word of future plans and promises installed for the customer.

Tradeshows present an impressive collection of industry influences including those with the most intimate knowledge and vested interest in the information driving the industry. This is one of the reasons why the concept of conducting Competitive Intelligence at Tradeshows is practised by Competitive Intelligence Professionals on a worldwide basis.

Tradeshow Intelligence (as part of the Competitive Intelligence effort) is a cost effective process which focuses on the legal and ethical collection of specific information relating to the activities of competitors in an organised way. Competitive Intelligence – CI, is generally referred to as “the systematic programme for the gathering and analysing of information about your competitor’s activities and general business trends, to further your own company’s goals”. (Society for Competitive Intelligence Professionals - SCIP). Tradeshows provide an information rich environment to gather relevant information about your competitor’s products, strategy and other initiatives in a legal and ethical way.

Tradeshow Intelligence training also looks at Tradeshow Counterintelligence, which focuses on the counter measures employed by exhibitors, in order to avert the onslaught by competitors visiting Tradeshows.

Competitive Business Intelligence and Analysis cc (CBIA – www.cbia.co.za) has developed a two day course dealing with the techniques and processes involved in Tradeshow Intelligence and Counterintelligence. The process includes pre - Tradeshow planning, conducting and managing the actual collection phase, counterintelligence measures and producing a final product which will be analysed to produce actionable intelligence.

The emphasis of CBIA’s training is on the human factor and the focus in this regard lies with the interpersonal soft skills applied by Competitive Intelligence Professionals during visits to Tradeshows. Eliciting information without asking questions is one of the techniques used during Tradeshow Intelligence operations.

The next Tradeshow Intelligence Course will take place on 13 – 14 August 2003 at the Centurion Lake Hotel. The course is accredited by the Technikon Pretoria and each delegate will receive a Technikon Pretoria certificate on successful completion of the course. Please contact Johan Pretorius on 012 6643157 or e-mail johan@cbia.co.za for any additional information. CBIA is a member of the South African Association of Competitive Intelligence Professionals – SAACIP (www.saacip.co.za

Expo24-7 reports that the Barcelona Motor Show estimates that it saw over one million visitors at its 32nd annual event, held in May this year! Wow!!

Exhibitions for Africa (formerly Reed Exhibitions) will be hosting a 1-hour exhibitor workshop on Thursday 31st July at Sandton Convention Centre, aimed at improving the return on the exhibition investment. Price R199.00 plus VAT, per delegate. Please contact Tracey Coleman at Exhibitions for Africa to reserve your place, e-mail traceyc@reedexpo.co.za or phone 886-3734.

There will be a 3-hour exhibitor workshop in Cape Town on 8th July from 09:00 - 12:00, registration from 08:30 at Cape Chamber of Commerce, Louis Gradner St., Cape Town. Please e-mail Joy Donovan at joy@donovan.co.za if you would like to book a place.

POSITION WANTED - exhibition organising, marketing and stand management. Throughly experienced. Please contact Gisele Picard 789-1808/082-518-7555

If you would like to find out how to maximise your exhibition results then diarise to attend 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. EXSA is in the process of being accredited as a training provider, therefore the cost of the workshop can be reclaimed from Skills Levies paid. To see what delegates to previous workshops thought, please click here. Visit EXSA for complete exhibition calendar at www.exsa.co.za

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 or phone 011-326-0900. 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

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, mainly as an exhition organiser, 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 phone 011-326-0900 or fax 011-787-4254..