There are many reasons exhibitors do not evaluate their trade show efforts.  One reason, the CEO does not believe that marketing can prove itself via numbers.  Yet you want a seat at the revenue table along with your peers.

Graphic from Marketo

In your heart of hearts you know it was a good show.  The sales manager snagged orders galore for the new product.  Favorable press coverage in all the post-show press added to your show impact.  There were no major logistical problems.  So why do you have this uneasy feeling?  Because there are no quantifiable results, no hard data that nails it all down.  The only evaluation of the shows success rests on your well-tuned powers of observation.  Thin stuff, in the battle for budgets and management support.

Accountability – start with one or two shows

Once the decision is made to conduct research on the trade show program, the tendency is to begin with the most expensive show.    But I would suggest to pick one that seemed to be a resounding success and another one that has been deemed marginally effective.  By comparing and contrasting the results from these two different shows, you can gain valuable knowledge as well as ROI numbers.

There is a free ROI analysis tool from Exhibit Surveys, which can be found here.

You will need to answer 14 questions so that the powerful analytic can do its job and produce the ROI on your show.  Some of the questions are simple, like the name and dates of the show.  And there are a couple of questions you will need to contact the show organizer and gather that data, like the net attendance figures.

Below are graphics from the Tool Kit which shows the information that must be gather for it to function correctly.  This is a sample piece.  Skip Cox of Exhibit Surveys formulated this example around Linux World.

Showing management that you might have a 12:1 return on a show would definitely earn you a seat at the revenue table!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at joycemckee [at] letstalktradeshows [dot]com].

Let’s make 2012 the best year ever!!

One resource I use on a regular basis is Tradeshow Executive‘s Dashboard.  On a monthly basis they report the ups and downs of our industry.  The Dashboard feature can now be accessed online, so for those who are not subscribers to this impressive magazine, you can go to the website and access reliable numbers.

From their March issue:

Mega Shows Get 2011 Off to a Solid Start

Oceanside, CA – January was a “gold” month for the trade show industry with the numbers for the Trade Show Executive (TSE) Dashboard of Monthly Trade Show Metrics being bolstered by a large contingent of exhibitions from the TSE Gold 100 rankings.

Led by double-digit increases and record performance at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), exhibit space in January was up 5.2% over January 2010 for the 28 shows surveyed for the Dashboard. The number of exhibitors was up 3.6% and attendance increased 3.7%.

The across-the-board growth marked the sixth consecutive month that the Dashboard metrics have been on the upswing amid slow but steady economic growth. Only three shows reported declines in all three categories, while 18 of the 28 had either increases or were steady in all three. Two of the three shows that experienced declines were in the building and construction sector, still facing considerable fallout from the weak housing market.

The adjusted totals for the 28 shows, excluding outliers, were 10,337,469 net square feet (nsf), 23,966 exhibitors and 1,517,543 attendees.  The adjusted averages worked out to 369,195 nsf per show, along with 856 exhibitors and 56,205 attendees.

The adjusted averages for January were particularly impressive thanks to a large number of big shows. There were 17 shows in January that made it to the most recent Gold 100 rankings of largest U.S. trade shows.

CES: The Biggest Gets Bigger

The largest event of the month was the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, which ranked No. 1 on the Gold 100 last year. The Consumer Electronics Association reported 1,656,000 nsf of exhibit space, up 14.8% from 2010. Attendance increased 18.3% to 149,000, and the number of exhibitors grew 12% to 2,800. “The CES was a phenomenal worldwide event,” said Gary Shapiro, CEA president and CEO. “This global technology gathering featured more innovation, more news, more social media buzz and more international attendance.

Check out all the charts and graphs and the detail tracking they provide every month.

A Word of Caution

Each issue has thought leadership quotes.  Here is a one from Aaron Bludworth, Chief Operating Officer for Fern Exhibition & Event Services:

Turmoil in The Middle East and Domestically Will Reverberate to Trade Shows
“The beginning of the year is turning out to be strong enough to carry some weakness that is likely to emerge later in the year.   Absent major geopolitical unrest, domestic political factors and concerns about potential future economic weakness, the recovery would be having a much more significant impact than it is. The events in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and other countries in The Middle East and Africa will impact travel and budgets throughout the remainder of the year. Domestic turmoil over municipal and state budgets, such as recent activity in  Wisconsin and Ohio (and spreading) will be disruptive.  Business is generally ready to go but there is still a drag from the continuing impacts of the recession and new barriers created by the emerging factors outlined above.”

I hope you find this resource as useful as I do!

The ROI Tool Kit can be used for both pre-show planning as well as post show assessment.  The focus of today’s blog post is on the post show feature, an ROI assessment of your last show.

To obtain your access to the ROI  Tool Kit, please go here.  You will need to sign up as a member to utilize it.

There will be 14 questions you will need to answer so that the powerful analytic can do its job and produce the ROI on your show.  Some of the questions are simple, like the name and dates of the show.  And there are a couple of questions you will need to contact the show organizer and gather that data, like the net attendance figures.

Below are graphics from the Tool Kit which shows the information that must be gather for it to function correctly.  This is a sample piece.  Skip Cox of Exhibit Surveys formulated this example around Linux World.

The 14 questions in the first graphic produce the results in this second graphic.  And in this example, the results are wonderful.  Wouldn’t the boss like to see results like this from the money invested at a show?

On this site, under the Resources Tab (above) you can listen to 2 webinars I conducted with Skip Cox on the Tool Kit.  These webinars cover both aspects of this Tool (pre-show and post show).  The total time on the webinars is about an hour and a half.

Now if you are under a time crunch and need help producing an ROI assessment using the Tool Kit, I have a new service which might be of interest.   Click on the tab above, ROI Analysis.

Let me know if I can be of any assistance during this process.  Contact me at joycemckee (at) letstalktradeshows (dot) com.  In a future post,I would like to highlight the results you have achieved.

Sounds like a Boy Scout question.  But in the world of trade shows, an exhibitor NEEDS to be prepared.  In fact, I will recommend that if you are NOT prepared – don’t go.  I am sure that sounds harsh, but it is so true.  Your lack of preparation will greatly diminish any returns you might experience from the show.  Or think of it in another light, you are aiding your competitors because you were not prepared.  Can you afford that?

Preparation means that you are a well-oiled machine pumping out leads and positive press regarding your products and services.

If you need a boost for your preparation, download my eBook, The Secret to Achieving Brilliant Returns at Your Next Event: a Guide to Maximizing Your ROI and ROO. It is loaded with ideas which can be implemented immediately!  Just click on the red book cover on the right.  It’s FREE!!

My colleague, Ian Sequeira from Exhibit Surveys, has written an excellent White Paper on – Fish in a barrel, or filling your nets?  Proprietary events vs. exhibitions in the B2B high tech industry www.exhibitsurveys.com/whitepapers

This White Paper clearly outlines the benefits of each type of event – the private event, and the exhibition at a trade show.  The statistics show the impact each event type has on the sales cycle.  It provides the reader with some thought provoking assessments on how each of type of event could be used to move the customer/prospect along the sales path.

In his summary, Ian says, “The best take-away here might be the marketing analogy regarding the roles of proprietary versus B2B exhibitions as that of “filling the pipeline, or closing the sale.” EMI puts it well:

One conclusion to be drawn is the connection between external events geared towards acquiring new business and internal events designed to facilitate and serve that cash pipeline as well as create alignment among the drivers of that business.

Each has its essential purpose. Each is necessary. ”

It is refreshing to see the statistics that back up the claims that events work – whether private or an exhibition.   This is a power packed report which I highly recommend you go and download and read.

After you have read it, let’s discuss it.  Future blog posts and comments on this blog can continue this conversation.

Until later…

Last week my friends at The Expo Group unveiled 2 White Papers that could have a profound impact on the world of trade shows. The White Papers are:

1. The Invisible Exhibitor – What Your Exhibitors Aren’t Telling You (and Why That Matters for the Future of Your Show)
2. The Invisible Attendee – What Your Attendees Are Thinking (and Why You Should Care)

This research was conducted by MAYA. Here a bit of background of what they did and then I will make my comments.

“MAYA spoke with more than 100 exhibitors in completely blind interviews, partly by phone and partly on-site at trade shows, over a six-month period. Although our research was co-funded by The Expo Group, we did not mention this to exhibitors. Any time we asked about an exhibitor’s experience with show contractors, we did so without mentioning the specific company names,
or we mentioned the names of multiple contracting companies that exhibitors typically encounter.”

I have been a proponent of listening to the voice of the customer and I applaud the Expo Group for funding this important research effort.

In my opinion here is one of the most important “take away” from this research – exhibitors are confused.

A quote from the White Paper’s Conclusion

“Not all exhibitors were upset, but most of them were confused about something.”

For all those involved with shows – how can you eliminate exhibitor’s confusion? What processes or remedies can be put in place to aid this person?

Then to the other side of this coin – it is paramount that the exhibiting company to use the tools that are given them, so they can have a good show experience. Far too many rush into a show experience and then look to blame other entities, the show, the general contractor, etc, for their own lack of foresight.

So it is a dance and each partner must be well trained so they can bring out the best in each other.

I am sure that I will share more of my thoughts from these documents with you at a later time.

To get the White Papers, go to www.theexpogroup.com

Until later…

All too often the correct information to solve a problem is not readily available.  If there is expertise in-house, you can walk down the hall and talk with someone on “how to “solve the issue.  But what happens if there is no one in-house who can answer your questions?  If you are well connected with business associates, you can call on them.  Then if they do not have the information – where do you go?  Google?   Magazines?   Associations?

In the background, I am hearing the Ghostbusters theme song – who do you call?

Exhibitors of all sizes have questions – Should we exhibit? How can I show a return on the trade show? What do I do with all these leads? And the questions can go on and on.  So if they do not have the expertise – where do they go?

Let’s Talk Trade Shows has a solution for this – on demand information to help exhibitors have the best show ever!  This new resource provides critical education on the 5 step formula for trade show success.

Rather than running around town or on the internet, all the necessary information has been collected and organized by me.  Each week I will be adding more information, statistics, case studies, etc. that can be put into action by you.

This resource can save you countless hours of time.  You can concentrate on getting the job done rather than hunting for the correct solution.

With the launch of this paid member site, we have a sweet deal for you – so check it out my clicking on the red book image over on the right.

The eBook, The Secret to Achieving Brilliant Returns at Your Next Event: a Guide for Maximizing Your ROI and ROO is the gateway to the 5 step formula for success.  Please check it out and then let me know what you think!

Until then…