If you’ve ever attended or participated in a trade show, you have an opinion about trade shows, tradeshow marketing, or exhibit design. I won’t try to dispel every myth or tall-tale, but here are 10 of the most common misconceptions about trade shows.
1. Trade Show Marketing is Marketing. Yes… and no. If you are a skilled marketer, you will grasp the nuances of trade show marketing, but it will take time. Most marketing managers gravitate to their strengths by focusing on the structure, the graphics, or the show promotion and planning. Intellectually, they know these are interconnected, but they may not know how to maximize their results. Work with professionals, whether it’s a graphic designer, an exhibit consultant, or a certified trade show manager. Trade show exhibit marketing is a craft learned the hard way through trial and error. It’s easy to burn through a lot of money before you finally figure out what works and what doesn’t work. Don’t stumble through a year or two of mistakes when exhibit experts can save you time, money, and embarrassment.
2. Trade Show Labor is Hostile, Incompetent, and Expensive. Again, yes and no. No one will dispute that trade show labor can be expensive, particularly in certain well-known venues. However, whether they work for the show hall or for an independent I&D contractor, they can solve almost any last minute tradeshow display problem. You may disagree with the show hall rules, but remember that the laborers in your booth didn’t write them. If you disagree with the rules, don’t take it out on the guy or gal assembling your display. Contact your I&D labor provider or show management.
This is a sad but true fact regarding labor at most trade shows. If three people are assigned to your booth, one person will be a star, one person will be average, and one person will be a zombie. Hire nine people and you are guaranteed to have three stars and three zombies. Sometimes you get lucky, and the ratio works in your favor. Sometimes not (I could name show halls where this is almost guaranteed to happen, but I’d have to check under my hood every time I start my car).
Finally, you have the power to control your labor costs, beginning with exhibit design. Consider assembly and packaging during the design phase. Are the components labeled, can it be packed without relying on a 20 page manual, and are the packaging materials reusable?
3. Anyone Can Staff a Booth. Too often, companies send the wrong folks to work in the trade show booth. Even worse, they don’t train them. Not everyone has the temperament, the knowledge, or the discipline for a tradeshow. Here’s my rule: Find those employees with previous retail sales experience who love assisting customers with product or service solutions. It doesn’t matter if they are in Sales, Marketing, Engineering, or Production. What matters is their attitude and their knowledge.
Want to know who not to send? Every exhibitor has a “Joe.” He drinks too much, he gambles too much, and he wanders around too much. About a half a dozen times a day, you’ll wonder what happened to Joe. Five minutes ago he was sucking down his third espresso, leaning on the counter, and ogling anything with two X chromosomes. Suddenly he’s gone… AGAIN!
4. Trade Shows are One Big Party. For some companies, that is very true. Inevitably, those are the same companies that grumble about their tradeshow ROI. They spent “X” but can only measure “Y” sales from the show. When you ask them about their pre-show promotions, their lead qualification, their client meetings at the show, and their follow up with prospective customers, you get a big “Duh?” They have very few concrete answers. Bottom line: They were lazy and unimaginative about their tradeshow marketing program, and now it’s suddenly the show’s fault.
5. Tradeshows are a Death Sentence. If you love sitting in a cubicle all day creating spreadsheets, then yes, a trade show is a death sentence. You fly to desirable locations like Las Vegas, San Francisco, Orlando, New York, New Orleans, or Chicago. You have to meet people, listen to their needs, talk about your company, stand on your feet, and generally be helpful, pleasant, and knowledgeable. Even worse, you may have to join clients for breakfast, socialize with them after show hours, mingle with potential suppliers, and attend educational seminars about your industry. That’s really tough for some people.
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