March 2009 Newsletter

Doing More With Less

A few quotes from the respondents of Exhibitor Magazine’s survey¹:

“We simply cannot afford the high cost of drayage…”

“I have seen attendance fall in times like these, but the quality of the leads tends to notch up.”

Exhibit managers are a confident group. The majority are either Confident (59%) or Very Confident (11%) that their trade show program will achieve better results in 2009. They plan to accomplish this through:

Improved Execution of Trade Show Marketing Program (71%)
Enhanced Lead Tracking Capabilities (49%)
Better Booth Staffing (43%)
New or Improved Trade Show Exhibit (37%)

However they do have fears about the economy (88%) and Declining Show Attendance (71%). With Staffing down 42% and Staff Travel/Lodging down 55%, exhibit managers will definitely need to run lean and mean.

Post 9/11, many of our clients also experienced lower show attendance, but they had some of their best shows. They were able to connect with top “decision makers” and spend time with them rather that sifting through many lower level “influencers”. The “quality density” was higher. However with a predicted 46% drop in exhibit promotion, how do you connect with these prospects?

One way is to bring your upper management to the show and extend a personalized preshow invitation to attendees’ upper management to stop and meet them. This shows that your company is still serious about business. It also makes it more likely that you can set an appointment to meet with the attendee rather than hope they stop by.

Another step is to review your exhibit’s message. Insure that you are communicating clearly and concisely why attendees should stop and speak with you. With their limited time availability, attendees, especially decision makers, will not spend much time discerning what you have to offer. AEM Feature article

A third step to consider is booth staff training. Better trained booth personnel yield better results. Make sure that your staff knows the goals of your show participation, why they are there and who they should expect to meet. Train them or have a procedure to separate the tire kicker from the decision maker so the latter is handled accordingly.

Once you have the leads, make sure that they are distributed quickly and followed appropriately. Given the shrinking exhibit budgets, those exhibit managers who can demonstrate clearly the ROI for their shows will have a better chance at minimizing their loses.

To maximize your shrinking budget, another area to examine is the exhibit itself, particularly its weight. Given the high cost of shipping and drayage, an appropriate new exhibit could become an overall cost-effective purchase. With the newest exhibit building technology, designs which used to weight 5000 lbs. can be built at 2000 lbs. or less. For a 6-8 show circuit, this differential can provide a significant bottom line improvement. Money saved on shipping and drayage can be used for new graphics, a promotional program or separate rooms so you don’t have to bunk with the colleague who snores.

One last quote from the survey respondents:

“We tested cutting back in marketing last year and saw a hugely negative effect. Marketing is very important!!”

Let’s hope that upper management shares this view, but just in case, watch your dollars and look forward to 2010. Please contact us at Advanced Exhibit Methods if you want to discuss any of these ideas or would like to review your exhibit program and how to make it as efficient as possible.

All quotes and survey values courtesy of:¹SOURCE: “EXHIBITOR Magazine 2009 Economic Outlook”, December 2008

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Design Feature: Color Trends for Spring 2009

Big, Bold, Beautiful

In an article from Pantone.com, they focus on the big, bold design of Southwest Airlines’ in-flight magazine Spirit, known as a quick read for the busy traveler. The techniques that make this magazine so successful at catching reader's eyes can be easily applied to graphic design for trade show booths.

In the chaos of a large tradeshow, every booth competes for attention. Bold graphics with simple, clear messages are one way to catch the crowd's eye and draw their attention to your booth. Similarly, Pantone says, "To snag the busy traveler, stories in Spirit magazine are deliberately short….Headlines are short and oversize. Each expresses one idea, ideal for quick comprehension ( a good idea anytime, by the way). Images are big and—this is important—simple, which makes them easy to understand. Photos are favored over illustrations, which tend to be complex and less direct."

Consider the details. Are your images engaging? “Every cover is a close-up portrait—a powerful, universal theme. (The human face is
the strongest of all images.) The format is bold, nearly square, uncluttered.” Are your fonts clear and easy to read? “Big headlines require a beautiful typeface that’s fairly light on the page.” And finally, keep it simple, "...immerse the reader in a visual 'surroundscape.' Key is simplicity: one focal point, no distracting backgrounds.”

(Pictures include: AEM postcard, BridalLoans.com bannerstand, OmiComm booth, Triligent International bannerstand)

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