On October 18th at 1PM EST, Michelle Bruno will conduct a webinar on the topic:

The Attendee Experience: Tips, Tricks, and Technology to Keep Them Coming Back

With so many options to choose from, trade show organizers are having a tough time these days determining which strategies, tactics, and tools really enhance the live attendee experience and what sends their prospects packing. Choosing between the “must have,” “like to have,” and “probably don’t need” platforms, apps, and gadgets is challenging, but deciding which of the tips, tricks, and technologies will result in satisfied, loyal customers is an imperative.

This webinar is a review of what’s hot, what’s not, and what works to keep attendees stimulated, productive, relaxed, and connected during the show. Because, in today’s uber-connected world there’s no where to hide if you’re not paying attention.

Michelle Bruno, Principal of Bruno Group Signature Events will be the presenter.  She develops content marketing strategies and content that drives lead generation campaigns for live event organizers, suppliers, and technology companies.  Michelle is a former meeting planner and exhibition organizer who writes and blogs for leading meetings and exhibition industry publications. With experience in face-to-face meetings as a supplier, organizer, and professional writer, she has the experience and insight to chronicle emerging technologies and their impact on meetings, conferences and exhibitions.

This webinar is based on one of her articles for TSNN written on August 2, 2011.  The title was, An Attendee’s Trade Show Technology Wish List.

Michelle is a trusted colleague and I highly recommend that you be a part of this webinar.  I plan to listen in and learn!  To register, please click here.

Introducing an online conference exclusively for trade show & event suppliers called, From Conversations to Contracts.  Let’s Talk Trade Shows is gathering show organizers, thought leaders and experts to answer the question: how does a supplier become a trusted partner with a show organizer?

The idea for this conference has come from some “newbie” suppliers asking me, what is the most effective way to utilize their marketing dollars to attract the attention of a show organizer?  With limited budgets, they want to get the best bang for the buck, so should they spend their monies on:

• a booth at Expo! Expo! or other shows
• direct mail or email marketing
• becoming members of associations like: IAEE, ASAE, MPI, PCMA
• align themselves with other suppliers who are already an approved vendor for a show

The list could go on, but you get the point.

Know your target market by listening

One of my core lectures is – know your customer!  Being tuned into them and understanding their requirements can set you a part from your competitors.

The opportunity is here, via this eLearning conference, for you to listen to a group of show organizers as they tell you what is the most (and least) effective method of getting their attention.

During the week of September 26th, there will be five panel discussions (60 minutes) revolving around what marketing tools have the greatest impact.

Discover the “Secret Sauce”

It is my intention to help build or refine your marketing roadmap.  The panel discussions should have “ah-ha” insights that you do not want to miss!

All of the details of this unique event can be found here.

From Conversations to Contracts daily schedule:

Monday, September 26^th – Four show organizers discuss how suppliers are selected.  What marketing tactics are effective in gaining their attention, and which ones they are least appealing? What are the important points to include in your proposals, and what to leave out.

Panelists:

1. Chris Brown, Executive Vice President, Conventions and Business Operations – National Association of Broadcasters
2. John Galante, President -  AE Ventures

Tuesday, September 27^th – This session brings up: The New Rules of Marketing: Give Content and Get Customers. Content marketing is a well-developed marketing strategy that differentiates you from the competition, and wins the minds and wallets of your customers. What does it take to become proficient with this marketing tool?

Panelist: Joe Pulizzi, Founder – Content Marketing Institute

Wednesday, September 28^th -  Show Organizer Panel, Part II

In this panel, we will explore the various marketing techniques used by suppliers and assess which ones have the greatest impact.  Also, which tools or techniques might work against you.

Panelists:

1. Andrea Bahr, Special Projects Manager, Society of Petroleum Engineers
2. Jason McGraw, CTS, CAE, Senior Vice President of Expositions – InfoComm International

Thursday, September 29^th – Three seasoned suppliers answer the question: if you were to start over today knowing what you know, what would you do differently to grow your firm? This program brings examples from true supplier veterans on how to get to lead generation faster, and what not to do again.

Panelists:

1. Rich Stone, CEO ACT/EXPOCAD
2. Lew Hoff, President – Bartizan

Friday, September 30^th – Revenues are drained every week from the bottom line due to the “Cost of Chaos” in a company.  This eLearning webcast outlines solutions and present an action plan for fixing this drain to your revenues.

Panelist: Rick McPartlin, Founder – The Revenue Game

Charitable Aspect to this Conference

The fee of this eLearning conference is $497.00, with $50.00 being donated to the Exhibition Industry Foundation in your name.  The fee will apply to an entire company’s access to the material, whether in real time or an archived version.

Again, for the complete information and registration, please click here.  I am providing a 100 % money back guarantee, if you are not satisfied with the conference.

What Questions would You Pose to the Panelists?

Let me know your questions, so I can posed them to the panelists.  Feel free to email me: joycemckee [at] letstalktradeshows [dot] com.

This pretty much sums it up!!

Yesterday I asked my dear colleague Rich Erschik to share with me what was taking place on the the show floor of Exhibitor 2011 – and he did!!  He is presenting this Thursday on the subject: Lead Follow-Up, WTF? (What’s the Formula?)

These shoes are meant to walk the aisles of Exhibitor

Rich’s shoes are meant for walking – but he has to get them shined before he hits the aisles.

Videos from the Floor

Scott Tokar WOWS an audience of onlookers as he demonstrates a way to use magic to assemble an audience for exhibitors.

Elements Exhibits is TANKFUL -  they had someone sit in their dunk-tank for booth visitors.

From the Twitter stream all looks to be a very productive show floor.  I want to comment on a couple of Tweets from yesterday’s stream.  This first one is very clever in its approach – prove me wrong!

Prove me wrong!

And this one has some very wise advice:

Very wise advice

Wish I could have been there in person, maybe next year.

From what I am picking up here in McKinney TX – all is going well at Exhibitor 2011 and I am thrilled for the exhibitors and attendees.  They are reporting a 12% increase in attendance!!

PRMconnect at Exhibitor 2011

One of my clients is PRMconnect and they have sent me a photo from the show.

The PRMconnect booth at Exhibitor 2011

Below is Dean Hills of PRMconnect being interviewed by the local CBS Channel 8  station – watch:

Dean Hill’s quote is:
This trade show is way for businesses to connect and promote their products. Las Vegas based PRM Connect is selling their online system to distribute convention sales materials.

“Historically, what people have done is they’ve handed out paper and studies show that about 93 percent of all paper never leaves the hotel room,” said Dean Wells, PRM Connect.

CEIR’s Booth

Susan Brower, CMM and CCP, Vice President Marketing and Communications for IAEE,  sent me this picture of the CEIR booth.  Susan just sent me a message about 1 PM Central time:

We’ve been in the booth and are hearing and seeing great things.

Traffic is strong and steady.

Everyone is complimentary of CEIR’s new booth structure and many have asked how to get it.

Attendees are mainly interested in trends and predictions and are eagerly looking forward to the release of the Index.

Discussion at the CEIR booth

Say It With Style – Magic

I was looking on Flickr and found this one of Say It With Style.  It definitely looks like they are having fun at the show.

Magic with Say It With Style

I Tweeted that I was looking for pictures for a blog post, so I am expecting more to be flowing in – stay tuned!!

My dear colleague, Susan Friedmann has written a two part blog post I found very interesting and wanted to share it with you.  If you like it and want to see Part One, click here.

Exhibiting Magic: 13 Awesome Quick Trade Show Fixes – Part 2

In the wonderful world of exhibiting, and as the trade show season starts up again don’t you yearn for that magic wand to give a quick magical fix to your trade show trials and tribulations.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have attendees motivated to flock to our booths because they wanted to and not because they had to?

The question is, “what magic can you perform on the trade show floor, to help captivate and charm your prospects’ with your products/services?”  The following seven tips are a continuation of last week’s article. I hope they will give you some more irresistible ideas to get those creative juices flowing:

7.    Expect the unexpected
Many of history’s greatest discoverers and inventors happened across their major discovery quite unexpectedly.  Often, they were looking for something else.  Remember Christopher Columbus set out looking for India, and lo and behold, look what he found!  What are the two most unexpected things that might mysteriously happen during your next exhibiting experience?

8.   Put magic into your thinking
When you ask yourself “what if” questions you stretch your thinking and plant the seeds for creative new ideas.  What if ghosts and goblins were to roam the show floor?  What if exhibit booths could fly around the show hall positioning themselves right in front of your major prospects?  What if people wearing special glasses were the only attendees able to see your exhibit display?  What if you tried this exercise?

9.    Slay a dragon
Dragons elicit fears, and fears often stand in the way of you doing new and creative things.  So many exhibitors fear uncharted territory.  You fear the unknown and you fear failure.  Take time to look at those fiendish creatures that hold you back from being and doing all you can before, during and after the show.  What dragons can you slay?

10.   Learn from others
There are countless people and situations you can learn from.  The key is being open and receptive, and in essence, being prepared to be a lifelong learner.  Look to the past and learn from historical figures, borrow ideas from innovators, learn from others’ mistakes, use ideas from the patterns and cycles in nature.  Where can you look for some magical theory?

11.    Transport people to another place

J.K. Rowling performed incredible magic transporting people around the world to the enchanted magical world of wizards, spells and mythical beasts in her Harry Potter series.  In fact there is a wealth of folklore, mythology and history that shimmers beneath the surface of her stories.
How can the magic you dream up transport your exhibiting program to another level?

12.    Go where others fear to tread
When you exercise the courage to do something different, you take a risk.  You have a risk muscle that you keep in shape through regular exercise.  It takes courage, a pioneering spirit and a sense of adventure to overcome the scary stuff and seek out unknown opportunities.  How can you exercise your risk muscle?

13.    Believe in your success
Thomas Edison once said, “The value of an idea lies in the using of it.”  Believe that the creative ideas you conjure up will bring you untold successes.

Now all you need do is wave your magic wand to put them into action.  Which ideas will you start with?

The moral of the article is to never get caught without your wand, as you never know when you might need it!

Susan Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, internationally recognized exhibit marketing expert working with companies to increase their profitability at trade shows. Author: “Riches in Niches: How to Make it BIG in a small Market,” “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Target Marketing,” “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies” and many other titles. For more great information on trade show marketing strategies that work, and for a complimentary copy of “Exhibiting Success,” visit http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com. Click to download the “Riches in Niches” app.

Key Ingredients to Make Your Exhibit Memorable – Brand Promotions to Your Target Audience, Hire the Right Booth Staff, Offer Product Demos

On February the 24th, The International Center for Exhibitor and Event Marketing is holding a “must see” webinar on the topic above.  I would encourage you all to attend with me.  The moderator will be Ian Sequeira, Executive Vice President, Exhibit Surveys, Inc.  He has gathered a great panel for this discussion with you and it will be a conversation where you can ask your questions.  To register for the event, click here.

I have asked Nancy Drapeau, CEIR’s new Research Director to provide us with insights on the recently released update of Analysis of Changes in the Key Factors Affecting Exhibit Recall in the Last Decade.  She considers the report a worthy read and below are her thoughts.

As seasoned exhibitors know, the Holy Grail is to leave a positive, lasting impression with attendees.   This achievement enhances the chance an attendee will make a purchase or will remember the company when it is time to evaluate vendors.   How does an exhibitor out do the competition to accomplish this?   Attendees have so much eye candy and booths competing for their attention when walking a show floor….

The data in this report is time tested; it has been collected for decades.  Current results report slight changes in what attendees say makes an exhibit memorable.  What remains constant is that an attendee recalls those exhibits for those products of interest to them, and of companies they consider well known.  Beyond this, what I find most interesting, and what is consistent with research I’ve conducted, is that more attendees say product demonstrations make an exhibit memorable and one out of four attribute booth personnel to making an exhibit experience something to remember.  Stage or theater presentations also leave a lasting impression. These latter areas really speak to the essence of face to face exhibitions, a chance to interact in real time with a given product as well as a chance to speak to people behind the product.  No other medium can deliver real time, face to face interactions in this way.

For those interested in a live discussion on this study, as well as a chance to ask your questions on how you can put the results of this study to work for your exhibit or exhibition.  again the link to register is here.