Trade Show Insights

It’s a basic tenet of human nature: People love to feel appreciated. Yet how often do you show appreciation to your booth staff? Is it just another assignment to them, with no hope of any reward? If so, you’re likely getting only half-hearted results from them. What can you do to make them feel valued and rewarded? There are many ways, but one of the most effective is to gamify the trade show expe...

It was almost exactly one year ago that I had my first IKEA experience, and since then I’ve been back more times than I can count. The first time my husband and I visited, we spent more than five hours exploring the non-traditional retail store, and most every visit since has been for at least an hour and a half, even if we knew exactly what we were looking for. (Of course most every visit also in...

This summer, my husband and I have been busy moving into our dream house. Although it wasn’t exactly a dream in the beginning … it actually started out more like a nightmare. Prefer to listen instead? Just click the play button at the bottom of this entry! While it had a great floor plan and lots of potential, the house had been a rental for the past eight years, so was in need of a lot of work. W...

In the advertising world, there’s a lot of buzz about user-generated content. That’s where consumers are invited to create ads for everything from ketchup to credit cards to cars, and they’re eager to participate. When Doritos held their contest to air a user-generated commercial during the Superbowl, they received over 2,000 submissions and two million votes! Prefer to listen instead? Just click...

Fresh Summit, produced by the Produce Marketing Association (PMA), has some pretty amazing exhibitor loyalty – some companies have been exhibiting there for more than 50 years! So in this Trailblazer episode, we go behind the scenes with Jamie Romano Hillegas, PMA’s director of trade shows, to discover some things they’re doing that turn exhibitors into fans, including: Providing tools for new exh...

This episode began as a recent conversation on a show floor, when I suddenly realized that there’s just not enough discussion happening in the trade show industry about accessibility issues. Even if you think you’re tuned into what attendees with disabilities need in order to navigate a show floor, you’re probably missing a lot of things that are frustrating them or even keeping them away from the...

Whether you’re a show organizer dealing with exhibitors or an exhibitor who is designing and working a booth, you’ve likely been guilty of assuming you know what people want. Odds are … you were wrong. Often we’re too myopic within our own businesses to see things from an outside perspective. For example, how do you even describe what your company does? Can you do it in a way that’s short, to-the-...

Trade shows are not just about exhibiting and getting the word out about your company. They’re also a great way to learn about your competitors. So why would you want to conduct some type of competitive intelligence gathering at shows? First of all, you can often gain information that wouldn’t otherwise be accessible to you. There’s also the opportunity to see your competitors in action with their...

The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) is finding success by shifting focus from being viewed as a one-week trade show to becoming the go-to industry resource. To do that, it’s critical to keep lines of communication with exhibitors and attendees open during the months between shows to maintain enthusiasm and interest. Peter Eelman and his team at IMTS understand this very well sin...

Too often trade shows become an “us vs. them” conflict between show managers and exhibitors. But the truth is that each would not succeed without the other and with a bit of collaboration, both parties can experience much greater success. Prefer to listen instead? Just click the play button at the bottom of this entry! So why is there so much fingerpointing? Often it comes down to a lack of commun...

Today’s Trailblazer guest takes us behind the scenes to discover how one medical association is boldly reinventing their conference and trade show, transitioning from a medical education event to a total brand experience. In this interview, Tom Pellet shares some key points the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has learned so far in the process of rebranding their largest annual event,...

A decade ago, if you listened to all the buzz around virtual expos, you might have thought that trade shows were moving into the digital realm, leaving the traditional “walk the floor” kind of shows behind. Prefer to listen instead? Just click the play button at the bottom of this entry! But here we are, all these years later and virtual shows have yet to take off in any real way. So why is that?...

To kick off the new Trailblazer series, we’re honored to feature someone with a perspective from a show you’re quite likely familiar with — International CES, also known as the Consumer Electronics Show. In this interview, Dan Cole shares some keys to the mega-show’s success, including: How one-on-one conversations with exhibitors can pay off in incredible ways Why it’s important to pay attention...

When planning your upcoming exhibits, how much do you think about what attendees at that show want … or are you simply including all the things you (and others who have a say within your company) want to show off? Prefer to listen instead? Just click the play button at the bottom of this entry! Perhaps you’re not even sure what attendees want in the first place. That’s where studies done by the Ce...

If you think collecting names at a trade show automatically gives you the right to start sending bulk e-mails to that list, think again! With the implementation of stronger anti-spam laws, there are some permission-based marketing principles you need to put in place, whether you’re an exhibitor or a show organizer. Click the play button at the bottom of this article to hear guest experts Ben Baker...

Prefer to listen instead? Just click the play button at the bottom of this entry! If you gave up on making New Year’s resolutions years ago, it’s likely because they were simply vague wishes that were abandoned within a few days after the year began because it was too hard to stick with them. It was safer to not set any goals than to set them and be disappointed. But perhaps the problem wasn’t in...

When it comes time to select an item to give away in the booth, many exhibitors simply opt for what’s easy or popular. But that’s not the best way to use your marketing dollars. Guest expert Rosalie Marcus has over 25 years of experience in the promotional products industry and shares some basic tips on how to choose the right item that will get you the most bang for your exhibiting dollars, inclu...

Prefer to listen instead? Just click the play button at the bottom of this entry! It’s Thanksgiving week in the U.S., which unfortunately for many Americans simply means a day to stuff yourself before heading out to conquer Black Friday the following day. But in reality, it’s a time to reflect on what you have to be grateful for, including family, friends … and also customers. When was the last ti...

Only one out of 50 sales deals happen following the first meeting with a prospect, and 80 percent of deals come on the fifth contact or later, according to various sales studies. Yet it seems many trade show exhibitors give up after making only one contact following a show … if that. I doubt any exhibitor sets out to ignore the leads they’ve worked so hard to gather. Using a strategic follow-up ca...

It will soon be that time of year again when all the creepy, nasty creatures come out. No, I’m not talking about ghosts and goblins, but rather … politicians! Like most Americans, I’m sure you get sick and tired of all the bitter, ugly TV ads, as well as the pre-recorded, automated telephone calls (the “do not call” list appears to mean nothing to these spooky creatures). Every election year, my h...

If you’re new to the world of exhibiting (or perhaps even if you’ve been around awhile), you’re likely a bit confused by all the terminology, especially when it comes to the types of displays. So here are some basic definitions for you, along with examples from our sponsor, Classic Exhibits, Inc. – because a picture is worth a thousand words. Table Top Displays This small portable display fits on...

Have you ever been to a museum or theater performance where you felt like you became a part of the story? Perhaps you were able to interact with characters on a personal level and the story became so real that your eyes lit up every time you told someone about it, which was quite frequently. For example, about 15 years ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to visit the Star Trek Experience in...

Prefer to listen to this article? Just click on the play button at the bottom of this entry! Too often, exhibitors fail to see results simply because they don’t stand out from everyone else on the show floor. We’re not talking gimmicky or wild attractions. Those may generate traffic, but not results. It’s not about simply getting noticed, but about delivering value and having a signature differenc...

A lot of exhibitors (as well as some show organizers) still take the “Field of Dreams” approach to trade shows, believing that all they need to do is be there and the attendees will be magically drawn to them. But the fact is that a very small percentage (if any) of the people walking the aisles are there specifically to see what any given booth is offering. First of all, are you even exhibiting a...

Sheep are legendary for traveling in a large group, or flock, and having an instinct to follow the leader … even if it’s a bad idea. Exhibitors are not so different. When asked why they’re planning to exhibit at a certain show, many will cite reasons like “because it would be obvious if we weren’t there” or “all of our competitors exhibit there, so we have to as well.” The problem with that blind-...