A new website for the Trade Show industry was launched.  Take a look at www.conventioncenterplace.com (CCP) it is a web portal designed specifically for the exhibitor, attendee and business traveler.

The founders of CCP realized people could not find a website that combined all of the products, planning tools and city services that a trade show participant might need in one integrated portal. I strongly encourage you to take a look.

I am contributing content to Conventional Wisdom and I feel that CCP is definitely filling a need in the trade show and event industry.

I just finished my third webinar for the National Business Media (NBM) and their exhibitors.  I am still on a high – the presentation and Q & A time was awesome [she humbly thinks].  But I wanted to let you know you can access these webinars for FREE!!  Obtaining the correct information so you can better plan for the trade show activity is critical.

Here are the links to the other two webinars:

• Marketing Your Presence to Attendees: Bringing them to Your Booth

• The NBM Show Webinar: The ROI of Trade Show

Each webinar is about a half an hour in length.  If you have any questions after reviewing them, please let me know.  joycemckee [at] letstalktradeshows [dot] com.

This article is brought to us by  Ian K. Sequeira. He is the Executive Vice President for Exhibit Surveys.

It’s the perfect storm: the premier Convention in your industry lands squarely in the midst of a major recession.

Marcomm budget constraints, often the first on the block, are looming or have already landed. And this exhibition, which likely represents a significant marketing investment, now requires a go or no-go decision.

Here’s why you should exhibit at this show.

For most markets, the value and effectiveness of exhibitions remain constant during recessions.

This Industry should be no different.

Exhibitions showcase specific productivity and cost solutions, and offer the person-to-person contact and hands-on demonstrations so important to products that require substantial investment.

There is no denying that attendance has dropped at shows across the board (and this show will be no exception), but audience quality remains strong.

Exhibit Surveys has studied and tracked the effectiveness and value of exhibition marketing during recessionary periods since 1968, a span that includes five significant recessions.

In every instance, the key metrics that quantify exhibition value and effectiveness have stayed at, and in some cases exceeded, non-recession performance levels.

Exhibition performance metrics remain strong into the current recession.

The 2007 recession emerged in December and impacted all of  2008, with the crash of the housing bubble and the meltdown of credit. Nonetheless, current performance levels for exhibitions remain, once again, relatively unaffected. The following table compares the strong-economy years of 2006 and 2007 with the recession year of 2008.

• Total buying plans (% of attendees planning to buy one or more products as a result of the exhibition)
• Net buying influences (% of attendees who have the final say, specify or recommend the purchase of one or more major types of products exhibited)
• Final say (% of the buying audience who have the final authority to both specify and recommend actual purchase products and services)
• Average hours (attendee time spent visiting exhibits, over all industry and event spectrums)
• Total exposure (the percentage of your target audience attracted to your exhibit, and having an interest in your products)
• Attendee value (% of attendees who rate an exhibition as excellent or very good in value based on their investment in cost and time expended to attend)

Industry-wide, “Total Buying Plans”, although down from their peak in 2007, still remain at strong 2006 levels.  This is one metric that will go down in 2009 as companies defer their capital expenses, and once again this industry is no exception.

Remarkably, “Attendee Value” of exhibitions in 2008 edges out the 2007 record level and is markedly improved from the strong 2006.

Most important here is that the reported value of exhibitions experienced by attendees continues to rise during this recession, possibly in part from the winnowing of lower priority visitors by companies sending attending teams. Exhibitor Value perceptions follow suit – a quality, motivated attendance usually produces satisfied exhibitors.

The cost of being a no-show

By not exhibiting, a company often can face negative consequences and a compromised post-recession sales picture.  It’s far better to smartly downsize if budgets are limited, than to not be there; good pre-show marketing and pre-show lead generation programs can make even a downsized booth very productive.

Your absence, however, at your industry’s key event can lead to:

• Loss of momentum in branding, positioning, and messaging.
• A lapse of visibility can send its own message. The implications and suppositions as to why your company is absent may emerge as a negative undercurrent to potential customers.
• Missing a vital opportunity for personal contact to maintain your current customer base during a critical time.

For most markets, recessions are transitory, and represent their own unique exhibition opportunities.

By maintaining your market presence at this show, however, the inverse set of results applies.  Your branding continues its momentum; your exhibit alerts the market to your financial strength and your staff connects face to face with customers and prospects.

Also, consider your situation, post-recession. Studies conducted during the 80s and 90s, affirm that companies that exhibit through recessions tend to come out on the other side with stronger positioning and increased market share.

Nothing replaces the value your company receives from this exhibition..  Only at an exhibition will you benefit from the face-to-face, highly personalized exchange with customers and prospects, inside your booth, demonstrating your latest product and/or service.  There is also the immediacy factor – meeting new prospects you haven’t been able to reach and who will be there to cultivate, post-recession.  Finally, you have an ongoing presence to your market, when some of your competitors may be absent.

In today’s business climate all marketing dollars are being scrutinized to understand the return on them.  This holds true for the trade show and event world.  Many companies are asking how can they show a return.  Well there is good news for trade show exhibitors, the industry has available for you a free ROI Tool Kit.

This free Tool Kit was funded by a grant from the PCMA Education Foundation to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research. The model and website was developed by Exhibit Surveys in conjunction with the ROI Task Force of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events. The Tool Kit is accessible online.

Not that many companies are taking advantage of this powerful Tool Kit.  So I am creating a new service whereby I will use the Tool Kit and then customize a PowerPoint presentation and show the return.   I will add other research statistics (based on the company’s goals and objectives for the show) so it enhances the over dynamic of the presentation.  This service will include my recommendations for next year’s show.

Listen in which I describe what I am up to:

There are more details on this page – www.letstalktradeshows.com/roi

I would love to hear from you on this effort.  So either comment on the blog or call me (my number is at the bottom of the ROI page).

Until later…

Cathy Breden, the Executive Director of CEIR, is soliciting your opinions.  Here is the information from her:

As an exhibition industry professional, you know that the exhibition industry is evolving and continually changing. To gauge the extent that digital marketing affects exhibition success, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) is partnering with George P. Johnson Experience Marketing to launch the industry’s first research study on the topic, Digital + Exhibit Marketing Insights 2009. This study aims to highlight best practices and explore the awareness of digital marketing and virtual event tools and tactics, how they are being used, measurement methodologies and most importantly, the impact digital marketing has on ROI.

Given your considerable experience and active participation as an event marketing or marketing professional, you have been invited to participate. We know your time is valuable and so this online survey has been designed to take only 15 minutes.

In thanks for your participation, respondents who are able to complete the survey will receive a free advance copy of the Digital + Exhibit Marketing Insights 2009 report this May.

Simply click on the link to get started. http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/d159g3c9be

We value your expertise and hope to have the opportunity to learn from your perspective.

By now you know that I am a research junkie – I love research!!  That is one of the reason I hang around the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR).  This week they published a new report,The Cost Effectiveness of Exhibition Participation: Part 1. It is Report SM 37 and you can find it at www.ceir.org

Let me quote a portion of the findings:

Among other findings of the survey, it was determined that in order to make an initial face-to-face visit with a potential customer, companies can expect to incur the following costs:

An Exhibition Lead -  $215

Without an Exhibition Lead – $1,039

Meeting a prospective customer at an exhibition versus the field saves an organization $824!

These are impressive numbers.  I would challenge you to look at them closely and see how effective it can be to participate in an upcoming trade show.

A few blog posts ago, I had related that another finding from a recession report CEIR produced stated that key buyers are attending trade shows in this recession.

If you are prepared, trade shows can be a valuable, cost effective marketing function to fill your sales pipeline full of leads.

One of the joys of a trade show is seeing old and dear colleagues. Last week’s EXPO EXPO was no exception.  It is wonderful to renew our relationships and hatch new ones.

One topic which was on most people’s mind is our current, historic economic times. Economic challenges are not new to many in our industry. There have been tough times before and we have weathered those storms. It is always refreshing to speak with someone who has the insight and wisdom during these storms and his advice is timeless.

I spoke with Francis Friedman of Time and Place Strategies. I pose the question about what “works” and he talked about the VALUE both the exhibitor must provide those that attend an event.  So the value proposition from an attendee’s perspective is important to remember – if I attend the show – will I hear and see solutions to the many problems I am facing? Is it worth the time and effort to spend a day or two gaining knowledge and practical insight to bring back to my office and solve issues facing us today?

In my conversation with Francis we discuss value and how to deliver it in a down economy. I would be grateful to gain your insights, and the lessons YOU have learned from previous downturns in our economy. Post a comment for us.