Frequently Asked Questions

SHOW PROMOTION

Question: How can proper show promotion prevent poor performance?

Pre-show and in-show promotion pays dividends.

Let's take a look at the promotion side of the operational budget and the items that can be used by an exhibitor to promote their participation in the show.

It is still frightening when we see post show comments from Exhibitor A, "the show was terrible, my partner and I sat in the back of the booth all day; it got so bad we started coming in late and closing early." In many cases, Exhibitor B, their neighbor, will have comments like "great show, many good prospects. Attendee quality much better than in past shows." What happened in the 10 feet separating these exhibitors?

If we reviewed the individual show promotion plan for each of these companies, we would find that Exhibitor A did little or no promotion before or during the show cycle. To the contrary, Exhibitor B had an aggressive plan to use the free promotion items available from show management in combination with several of the pay type items. Result, show attendees knew where to find this exhibitor, what new products and services were available and most importantly, why they might want to do business with Exhibitor B.

Here are some of the items to consider for use in before-show and at-show promotions:

• Use the show management provided promotion materials like letter stickers, international and domestic sales material. Make sure you list your booth number and Hall for your exhibit.
• Advertise in the show directory.
• Purchase a showroom on IMTS.com, the official show web site.
• Create a link from your company's home page to IMTS.com or your listing on IMTS.com. (see details on E-Kit homepage).
• Advertise in trade magazines including special IMTS 2008 show issues.
• Use direct mail, brochures, flyers, newsletters, CDs, etc. prior to IMTS.
• Use press releases or press conferences to announce important company news or new product launches at IMTS.
• Consider contests or promotions to attract visitors.
• Select appropriate item(s) to give away at the show (and special gifts for clients).
• Consider plastic/cloth bags to give away for aisle-by-aisle visibility.
• Offer special discounts for business conducted at the show. Free shipping and an extended warranty are some options to consider.

Review the Market Your Booth - Pre-Show Marketing for all that's available through IMTS "Official" vendors.

In order to ensure marketing success for products and services exhibited at IMTS you absolutely must target your buyers and key visitors and determine a way to reach them. Generally, they are the very same buyers that your competitors are seeking.

Who are these important people? They are the buyers who have the knowledge, interest and authority to make buying decisions, or opinion leaders who are in the position to make careful and convincing input to those decisions. But, it is up to you to get to know this important audience. You will need to pre-plan who you are going to target and then develop a plan to encourage them to visit your exhibit.

Planning promotional programs

Consider the following in planning your promotional programs.

• Determine who the target buyer is. Also, determine who that target buyer's "understudy" is. Strategic relationship building is a key ingredient to the long-term marketing process. So, think about who in your customer's company might be attending, not only IMTS 2008, but also 2010 and so on.
• What makes your product or products meaningfully unique? What are the factors and benefits that make your product or service both different and better than what the competition will offer? You may need to engage in some market research not only to determine what's out there but also how your products and services stack up against them. You'll need to be objective. Remember, it is what the customer perceives to be meaningful that counts.
• It is important to craft a positioning strategy statement that will sum up who your target buyer is, as well as distinguishing what is meaningfully unique about your product. At the same time, it will be extremely helpful to determine why these meaningful differences are valuable. It is during this process that marketers are able to identify the true value and essence of their product and develop compelling selling points and marketing themes that will carry them throughout their campaign and right on though the show.

The above steps will lead you to develop a unique selling proposition that will point out the most important features and benefits and will enable you to develop a memorable marketing message that matches the needs and desires of your target buyer.

Now that your message is clear, and your target audience well defined, you'll want to assess your options and costs relative to your available budget. Depending on the size of your company and the budget you've allocated to promote your exhibit, you may need to rethink what are the most affordable and most effective ways to promote your product.

Again, the process of creating a positioning strategy statement and then developing a unique selling proposition, as noted above, will go a long way toward determining the proper allocation of time and human and fiscal resources needed to reach your objective.

The job isn't over when the show ends and the leads are counted. Here are some post show promotion items to consider. Proper follow-up can lead to many sales and new customers for months to come. Items here include:

• Place a post-show report on activity on your web site
• Provide a report on the show to booth attendees
• Use a contract lead service to assure follow-up by sales force
• Continue trade magazine advertising
• Develop a "thanks for visiting us" mailer, asking what else can we help you with?
• Awards/rewards for exhibit staff: "Well Done"
• Sales campaign for sales force on turning leads into sales
• Provide summary "white paper" on what you exhibited at the show.
  
  

Remember, you need to determine how long your sales cycle is. If you feature turnkey systems, an order may take a year to be booked. Stock machine sales require a different tack, but timely follow-up is still the key to sales.

Also, spend some time in training your booth staff on the correct way to work a booth or, as we call it, "boothmanship." Sitting in the back of the booth does little to make the attendee want to stop and talk about your products/services.

In summary, plan the show and work your plan and you will keep those unexpected expenses to a minimum and success at a maximum. Stay tuned for the many new promotion items and methods planned for IMTS 2008.

Happy promoting and good selling!

By: John Krisko
Director Exhibitions - AMT

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