Nth Degree Trade Show and Event Marketing Blog

Do you remember sitting in class as a student and fighting the urge to close your eyes as your teacher or professor droned on through his or her lecture for the day? A similar feeling may wash over your exhibit attendees if you’re not careful. Between countless one-sided product demonstrations and sales-tinged conversations with booth staff, attendees often leave the show floor without absorbing your key message or worse, they leave not wanting to engage further with your company. 

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As an Atlanta transplant, I can’t help but feel more and more excited as we inch closer to #SB51 to watch the Falcons bring home a win. Rather than spend these last few days of work analyzing my football square picks or planning my party menu (okay, I will share just one recipe I’m making – and yes, it has bacon), I am trying to channel my enthusiasm into something well, productive.  

Aside from football fans seeking good food and Texas-sized fun, many #eventprofs and #tradeshowprofs are in Houston to entertain the masses with events and experiences like the NFL Experience Driven by Genesis at the George R. Brown Convention Center. With this in mind, below are some practical tips and some decadent recommendations for filling your bellies and your time.

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I love NOLA – it’s the food (don’t you know me at all by now), the music wafting through the streets, the people, the culture, the trade shows and events. Wait, what? Ok, so when you think of New Orleans, trade shows are not the first thing to come to mind, but for us #tradeshowprofs and #eventprofs it’s a destination we will likely visit for work sooner or later. I know – boo, who wants to work when you can listen to Jazz, hang with the vibrant locals and discover culinary delights?

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My name is D’Anna and I am #obsessed with Outlook reminders. Not only do I rely on this helpful tool to stay on-task with my busy schedule, but I am constantly snoozing and rescheduling the reminders for other A-list items or when I’m sure I will have more time. Reminders to write this very post appeared 3 times before I got started!

My point is that as busy professionals, our time is so valuable and we are stretched thin. Trade show attendees are no different. Sure, they committed time and money to attend the trade show and maybe they even opened your pre-show email invite, but that doesn’t guarantee they will make their way to your booth once on site, or that they will absorb the message you have worked tirelessly to communicate to them.  

Below are 5 tips on ways to respect the time of the attendees that do make it to your booth, and how to extend your reach beyond your trade show display for further engagement.

 

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Southern California has grown into a huge trade show and convention market with trade shows like E3 Expo and Natural Products Expo West drawing in huge crowds. In fact, Southern California hosts 21 of the top 250 US trade shows and conventions according to TSNNs annual list that ranks trade shows based on net square footage. That is nearly 9% of all the shows on the list. As a trade show exhibitor or industry veteran, this is likely not groundbreaking news, but at Nth Degree, we’ve seen our work grow more and more each year in this market so it’s worth paying attention to.

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INTRODUCTION:

Exhibiting in a trade show or planning an event is an investment, and understanding what goes into it from a financial standpoint is crucial to managing your expectations and proving your ROI. According to CEIR’s report, The Marketing Spend Decision, the average spend per exhibition in 2014 was $20,000.

But where does that $20,000 go? How the Exhibit Dollar is Spent, a study on trade show exhibit spend also conducted by CEIR, defines the percentage breakdown of average exhibitor spending by expense category based on survey responses from 641 business-to-business exhibitors. See our trade show exhibit spend infographic below derived from this study to understand how the average trade show budget is spent.

As part of the #tradeshowprofs club, I would like to say that my comprehension of exhibitor rules and regulations in the great city of Boston is on point – it’s not. I would fail this test. Luckily, I have
Nth Degree’s Boston trade show services team to keep me in check and help me share this knowledge with you fine folks. Things I do know: your trade show booth is a precious asset; you’ve spent months working with trade show vendors, your exhibit designer and the show association; you really, really don’t want anything to go wrong.

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Let’s face it, millennials sometimes get a bad rap - you and your peers get branded as entitled and narcissistic (ouch). Is it only okay if a fellow millennial mentions this? Sorry!

Okay, so to sway my narrative in a positive direction, let’s think of ourselves collectively as young professionals – better? Us young professionals (YPs for short) are contemporaries, cohorts even. Yes, I used the word “contemporaries”, which does age me, but stick with me on this one and I will prove to you how when it comes to trade shows, your generation may have a distinct advantage. I will show you how you can leverage your generation’s characteristics to be a great trade show or event manager and help your company succeed. I will even prove why you shouldn’t be afraid to post that selfie at your next trade show or event.

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Looking at our Chicago trade show planning calendar, the months ahead look quite busy with shows like #ASCO and #NRAShow coming to the city. Chicago is no stranger to trade shows and events, and it has also seen many changes in recent years when it comes to working conditions and exhibitor rights. Many of the changes benefit the exhibitor, but talk about confusing!

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You know who you are, and because of this you may not even be reading this post as you have a “To Do” list to attack before the weekend. But, in the off-chance you are scanning my prose with the promise that I may actually help make your life just a touch easier – welcome, fellow purists!

If you’re an event marketer, trade show manager, event planner or anything in between, you are probably Type A and you can move on to the next section.