Many Happy Returns: Getting the Highest Return on Your Trade Show Spend Rizwan Iqbal Managing Partner First Trade Show Go Green Displays

Are you (your organization) happy with your trade show ROI? Extremely Happy Extremely Happy It ’ s a mixed bag, some shows are better than others It ’ s a mixed bag, some shows are better than others Not very happy Not very happy I have never measured my ROI from Trade Shows I have never measured my ROI from Trade Shows

Happy Returns A recent B2B industry survey showed A recent B2B industry survey showed  91% attend trade shows  35% found highly effective for building brand awareness  27% found highly effective for generating sales leads How effective are you? How effective are you? How do you measure return? How do you measure return?

Increasing Trade Show ROI It ’ s Easy! It ’ s Easy! – Reduce costs of attending trade shows – Increase revenue attributed to trade shows Reality is much more complicated Reality is much more complicated – Soft vs. Hard benefits – How do you track all of the benefits? – Are all leads worth the same to the organization? – How can you reduce costs by working smarter?

Trade Show Return Maximizer Select Right Shows Match Booth To Objectives Drive Traffic To Booth Staff & Train Smart Post Show Evaluation Set Measurable Objectives CPI Spend Mgmt.

What best describes your organization ’ s strategy for selecting trade shows? Just keep doing what we have Just keep doing what we have always done always done Attend the largest shows with the biggest attendance Attend the largest shows with the biggest attendance Match the shows to our target markets Match the shows to our target markets Is there supposed to be a strategy? Is there supposed to be a strategy?

Selecting the Right Shows  “ Just keep doing what we have been doing ”  Determine shows you should be at 1.Match shows to marketing objectives 2.Talk to your customers 3.Review the universe of shows 4.Evaluate opportunities 5.Make decisions  Annual evaluation

What is the primary reason you/your organization attend trade shows? We have to be there, or it will send a bad signal to the market We have to be there, or it will send a bad signal to the market Generate new business leads Generate new business leads Customer relations Customer relations Build our brand Build our brand

Why do you attend trade shows? 75% of trade show exhibitors say they measure success by the number of leads they receive 75% of trade show exhibitors say they measure success by the number of leads they receive There is no shortage of leads There is no shortage of leads – There is a shortage of Qualified leads – Lead to customer conversion is not easy is not easy

What are your objectives? A goal A goal – I want to generate a lot of new customers from the show A SMART Goal A SMART Goal – I want to generate 100 new leads at the show and convert 10 of them into new customers by the end of the year S pecific M easurable A greed upon R ealistic T ime bound

What else can I get from my shows?  Establish/reinforce brand positioning  Publicize new promotional message  Build the Brand  Learn about competitors  Current customer relations/sales  Networking within the industry  Collect feedback from current customers

Matching your Booth to Your Objectives What goes on in your booth space? What goes on in your booth space? – Meetings – Demonstrations – Product Showcase What are you communicating? What are you communicating? – Message – Market Strength – Positioning

Today ’ s Key Booth Design Trends Fabric Fabric Aluminum Extrusions Aluminum Extrusions Modularity Modularity Arches and Curves Arches and Curves Define the Space Define the Space

Going Green Doesn ’ t Have to Cost a Lot of Green Green is not a fad Green is not a fad Focus on practical green Focus on practical green

What is the single most important element of trade show success? Your budget Your budget Your message Your message Your people Your people Your booth Your booth

What is the single most important element of trade show success? It is the message stupid! It is the message stupid! Know it, agree upon it, and stay consistent with it Know it, agree upon it, and stay consistent with it It drives pre, during, and post show activities It drives pre, during, and post show activities – Pre show mailing – Booth design – Handout materials – Premiums – Contests – Post show communications

How can I drive traffic to my booth? The Hype The Hype – Pre-show Mailing – PR The Bait The Bait – Create a commotion, make it memorable – Stay on message The Prize The Prize – Desired, coveted, and different – Stay on message The Diversion The Diversion – Games, distractions, and fun! – Entertainers

Staffing Smart Your best salesperson may not be your best booth staffer Your best salesperson may not be your best booth staffer Do you need specialists? Do you need specialists? Experience Experience Positive attitude Positive attitude Dress for success Dress for success Post show evaluation is critical Post show evaluation is critical

Show Training Pre-Show Meeting Pre-Show Meeting Reinforce Message and Goals Reinforce Message and Goals Daily Wrap-Up Daily Wrap-Up Teach Them to be Memorable Teach Them to be Memorable

Who is visiting your booth? Prospects who were specifically looking for you Prospects who were specifically looking for you Prospects who stumbled upon you Prospects who stumbled upon you People who were attracted by the bait, the prize, or the diversion People who were attracted by the bait, the prize, or the diversion Current customers Current customers The competition The competition

Making booth time pay off! Qualify your conversations Qualify your conversations – Welcome to event speed dating – Ask basic questions about them and their business – Answer their questions – Quickly determine if there is a fit – If a good fit, make a specific plan for post-show follow- up – If a poor fit, bring conversation politely to a close Don ’ t let any single prospect monopolize your time Don ’ t let any single prospect monopolize your time

Making booth time pay off! Lead Capture Lead Capture – Electronic capture is best – Take notes! – Qualify the lead The easy stuff The easy stuff – Don ’ t eat – Don ’ t talk on your cell phone – Don ’ t sit Don ’ t be afraid to do market research Don ’ t be afraid to do market research

Your Post-Show Plan When I return from the show, I should immediately begin developing materials to send out to my leads. When I return from the show, I should immediately begin developing materials to send out to my leads. – True – False

Your Post-Show Plan – 88% of people who stop by a booth are never contacted after the show – On average, it takes 3.4 calls to reach a prospect – It takes 7.6 calls to fully qualify or disqualify – What are you going to do? to do?

Was the show a success? Perform a post show evaluation Perform a post show evaluation Did it meet or exceed your goals? Did it meet or exceed your goals? Did the ROI make sense? Did the ROI make sense? Were there soft benefits? Were there soft benefits?  Brand Awareness  Competitor Insight  Customer Retention  Networking  Feedback

Continual Process Improvement TradeshowSpendManagement Areas of Opportunity Develop, Assess & Implement Best & Implement BestAlternatives Evaluate and Measure Against Initial Goals Act to Standardize Solutions

Key Cost Components to Manage  Booth Materials  Renting vs. Owning Your Booth  Shipping  I&D  Drayage  Travel & Hospitality

Where is your single greatest opportunity to improve your ROI?  Show Selection  Objective Setting  Matching booth design to objectives  Driving traffic to your booth  Staffing and training  Post Show evaluation  CPI- cost management

What Does It All Mean?  Knowing and doing are very different  Pick one area and make it better  If I only had more time…

Wishing you Many Happy Returns… Thank You! Rizwan Iqbal