Inside Small Business | Small Business & Home Business Marketing

Choosing the Right Tradeshow Exhibit

Jim Berkman, US Exhibits

One of the most frequent questions I hear from companies that are beginning to attend trade shows is “What is the best kind of exhibit?” While this is a valid question, the answer, depends on the needs and goals of your organization.

There are three main categories of exhibit construction - Portable, Modular and Custom. While you will often find both purchase and rental options for each of these, a distinct fourth category has become popular over the last few years that I will call Custom Rental. When considering the options, it is important to realize that each category has unique strengths and weaknesses, so when choosing between them you will want to carefully examine the tradeoffs you will be making.

Before getting into more details, here are some things to think about:

• How many trade shows or events are you planning in the next 18 – 24 months? Are any of them overlapping or within a few weeks of each other?

• What is the size of the events you will be attending? Are they local, regional or national?

• What are the most effective ways to convey the value proposition of your company’s products or services? Are there any tools that you will need such as computers, video monitors, or extra space to display the product?

• Are your competitors at these shows and if so, what are they doing?

Portable Exhibits

As the name implies, these exhibits are designed to be easily handled, shipped and setup by one person. They are generally used in 10’ and 20’ inline booth spaces, and are what many companies start with because of their lower price point. While there are many different options available in this category, the primary ones are Banner Stands and Popup Exhibits.

Banner Stands are freestanding displays that stretch a graphic banner vertically. These units are usually about 7’ tall and range from 24” to 48” wide. These are ideal for events where you want to quickly and easily display your message, but are also very limited in time, space or budget. Depending on the size, brand and features, these typically cost between $350 and $1,200 each.

A Popup Exhibit is a portable backwall that is built with an expanding frame that locks similar to an umbrella. This is the most common exhibit used in 10’ and 20’ inline spaces. This gives you a professional looking backdrop with space for messaging, however because it is only creating the appearance of a solid wall, it does not provide much structural support for hanging or attaching anything to it. Depending on the size, brand and features, a 10’ Popup will typically cost $3,000 to $5,000 with fabric panels and $5,000 to $7,000 with full mural graphics.

Modular Exhibits:Modular Exhibits are heavier and more solid than Popup Exhibits, but lighter and easier to ship than Custom displays. Because of this, Modular exhibits allow more complex designs and generally have a more customized look than portables. They are also more structural, so additions such as shelves, backlit graphics and counters are common.

However, Modular Exhibits are still designed to be lightweight and lack the stability that Custom Exhibits offer. A common example of this limitation is that a wall built from Modular panels would not be able to support most flat panel monitors without some sort of monitor stand.

Depending on the size, brand and features, a linear 10’ Modular Exhibit will typically cost between $6,000 and $12,000, while a 20’ linear would be $15,000 to $25,000.

Custom Exhibits:Custom exhibits are constructed using larger wall panels (4’ x 8’ typical) which are more solid and structural than modular panels. They can be finished in a wide variety of laminates, and the components are individually built, so the look they provide is very individualized and unique. This also allows a custom exhibit to have excellent functionality for your needs, since you are not limited to stock-sized pieces. Because a custom exhibit is individually designed, it will usually offer good flexibility for doing different sizes and configurations.

Typically, a custom exhibit will ship in large wooden crates, which means that you can’t use a package carrier, such as UPS or FedEx, but instead will need to use a trucking company, like a Van Line or Common Freight Carrier. Also, because these are generally complicated to assemble, you will need to hire an outside labor company to setup and dismantle the exhibit.

Depending on the complexity of the design, the request materials, and the region of the country that your Exhibit Builder is in, the price of a Custom Exhibit can range from $100 to $300 per square foot. For example, a 20’ x 20’ exhibit space has 400 square feet, so an exhibit that is $150/square foot would cost $60,000. Additional expenses that you will want to factor in include storage, warehouse handling and touchup work to repair minor damage after each show.

Custom Rentals
Because of the high cost of Custom Exhibits, the category of Custom Rentals has become very popular in the last several years. Today, many Exhibit Houses offer full Custom Exhibits that can be rented for one or a package of several shows. This offers you many of the advantages of a purchased Custom Exhibit, but without the full commitment required. This is often an ideal solution for companies that have one trade show a year that is larger, or for when a company needs the flexibility to change directions more often then the 36 to 60 months that a purchased exhibit would be amortized over.

While Custom Rentals offer many of the advantages of purchasing a Custom Exhibit, it is limited by what your Exhibit House has in inventory, so without creativity, it might look more generic than a purchased Custom Exhibit. Also, if you have more than 3 or 4 shows per year, the rental costs will exceed what you would pay for purchasing the same exhibit. Depending on the required elements, the amount of custom graphics and how custom of a design you are looking for, Custom Rentals can cost between $30 and $120 per square foot. So a 20’ x 20’ exhibit space with 400 square feet would run between $12,000 and $48,000. If you are doing multiple shows per year, you should be able to get a multi-show package that will save 5 to 20%.

It’s important to remember that as a marketer, you have very few opportunities where you get to personally engage your target customer when they are in the planning or purchasing mode. Because of this, trade show exhibiting should be an important part of your integrated marketing strategy. Your presence at a show can create strong impressions in the mind of your customer. Selecting the right exhibit for your needs is the first step in making sure that impression is a good one.

Author

Jim Berkman has over 15 years experience designing and producing Integrated Marketing Programs in the Trade Show and Event industry, and is currently Sales Manager for US Exhibits, Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA. Some past and current customers include GTE, Pfizer, Lucent, Dial, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Charles Schwab, OmniSky, Pearson Publishing, VIA Technologies, and Symbian. Prior to joining US Exhibits in 2004, he was with Contempo Design, MC2, and Exhibitgroup/Giltspur. Jim has also served on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco American Marketing Association, and is an Alumni of Arizona State University.

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10 Mistakes to Avoid at Your Next Trade Show

Leesa Barnes, Author

You’ve just decided to attend your first consumer trade show as an exhibitor. You have money in your marketing budget to spend on booth space, but the hardest decision is deciding which show will give you the most bang for your buck.

Whether you pay as little as $700 or as much as $3000 for a 10×10 booth space, you’re going to invest a lot of money in something that may not offer you a sizable return on your investment.

Here’re some mistakes and muckups you can avoid so your first exhibiting experience doesn’t become your last.

1. Exhibiting at a show in its rookie year. They have no track record, no guarantees and it may just turn out to be a waste of your time. Many shows don’t make it into their second year and if you want to build a relationship with your target market, you’ll do better to stick with trade shows that have an established reputation.
2. Expecting a financial windfall from product sales. Don’t go in thinking you’ll make enough sales to cover the cost of the booth. People attend a show to gather information and learn what’s new on the market, not to go on a huge shopping spree. Instead, take small samples of your product to the show, or offer a package containing your brochures and coupons for those who leave their email or phone number with you.
3. Selling items over $20. If you expect to sell a few dozen gift baskets priced at $50 each, you’ll go home with a car full of inventory. Instead, opt to sell a product that’s low cost, say between $10 to $20. People are less hesitant about parting with a $20 or $10 bill.
4. Not asking for incentives. The last thing the show organizer wants is empty booth space as it discourages attendees. So, wait until a few days before the show and ask the show organizer if there’s any empty booth space. If the show organizer says yes, you’re in a perfect position to bargain for a discount on the booth space or get it for free.
5. Not offering to lead a seminar at the show. This is an excellent way to showcase your expertise. Choose a topic that ties in nicely with the product or service you’re promoting at your booth. Offer 45-minutes of ad-free information, then use 2-minutes at the end to pitch your product. People will run to your booth and the mob that gathers around will only attract other buyers.
6. Sitting and looking bored. People will avoid your booth like the plague if you’re just sitting there with a bored look on your face. Get rid of the chairs, stand up and great attendees with a smile. This is much more inviting.
7. Not having a lively booth. On the flip side, just standing there with a smile isn’t enough. You need to entice people to stop. Be creative and be colourful so you can get attendees to stop and really take a look at what you’re promoting.
8. Forgetting to ask what comes with the booth. Some shows will supply a couple of chairs and a table for the money you pay to exihibit at the show. Most will just provide an empty space. Before agreeing to exhibit, always ask what is supplied with the booth. That way, there’re no surprises.
9. Focusing on too many products or services. In other words, if you have a 10×10 booth, aim to focus on just one product or service. If you don’t, you’re bound to confuse people and they won’t approach you.
10. Not displaying a banner. People want to know who you are, even if they don’t understand what you’re promoting. Having a banner that prominently displays your company will invite people to at least crawl past your booth.

Exhibiting at a consumer trade show doesn’t have to be a total bust. Just understand the primary reason why you’re exhibiting and know the primary reason why people attend these type of shows

Author

Leesa Barnes, The Schmooze Coach™, helps consultants, virtual assistants, professional organizers, coaches and “solopreneurs” avoid cold calling by developing a fearless networking plan. Leesa is author of “Schmooze Your Way to Success: 9 Fearless Networking Tips for the Shy, Timid, Introverted & Just Plain Clueless.” Go to http://www.schmoozeyourwaytosuccess.com/ecourse.html and sign up for her free 8-lesson e-course called “From Clueless to Fearless: Secrets from the Schmooze Coach.”

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Salvaging Problem Salespeople

Brian Jeffrey, President, Salesforce Assessments

Some people will delight in telling you that all salespeople are problems and nothing but problems. That’s not quite true but every now and then you hire or inherit a problem.

What you do about the problem depends on what the problem is and its magnitude. Sometimes there’s nothing that can be done. Other times it’s simply a matter of coaching the person. More serious problems may be solved with counseling while the biggies may require major surgery (termination).

Problems generally fall into three categories: Operational, Personality and Performance.

Operational Problems

Operational problems are generally created by the company’s internal systems (or lack thereof!). They’re often beyond the salesperson’s control but can cause a great deal of frustration for the person and can create a demoralized sales team.

Operational problems, while not directly related to the salespeople, are often blamed on them. In most cases, operational problems are not evident to management because they can’t see the forest for the trees.

Be cautious about accusing a salesperson of being a problem until you’re sure that the root cause isn’t the system he or she has to work with. Listen to the person’s concerns with an open mind.

Frank, round-table discussions can help get to the bottom of most operational problems. Use standard problem-solving techniques to avoid finger-pointing. Remember the four problem-solving questions:

1. What is the problem?

2. What are the causes?

3. What are some solutions?

4. What is the best solution?

Brainstorming the answers to these questions will keep you moving in a productive direction.

Personality Problems

Personality problems and conflicts aren’t likely to go away. Some people are more flexible than others and can modify their behaviour to accommodate others. But modifying your behaviour is not the same as changing your personality.

Much like one bad apple can spoil the whole barrel, one bad attitude can poison the work environment.

You solve attitude problems by getting to the bottom of the situation and correcting it. Even when you are powerless to correct the problem, just talking about it often relieves the pressure. Sometimes all it takes is a sympathetic ear.

If whatever is bothering the individual can’t be changed, it’s time to suggest that he accept the situation and get on with the job. If he can’t manage that, perhaps it’s time for him to move along to another company where the climate is more to his liking.

Performance Problems

Performance problems can be difficult to diagnose. It’s hard to know if your new salesperson is just slow off the mark or if he’s a non-performer. It’s not easy to tell if a seasoned salesperson is simply having a dry spell or if she’s developing into a chronic poor performer.

Uncovering performance problems is easier if you’ve been keeping proper sales records. These records will allow you to do performance comparisons to uncover the problem areas.

Performance problems fall into four categories:

1. Non-performers;

2. Poor performers;

3. Over-performers,

4. Burnout.

Non-Performers

This problem generally surfaces with new salespeople although an old-timer can become a non-performer, usually because of burnout. To a great extent, sales is a numbers game. So if a new salesperson isn’t making his or her numbers on a continuing basis, it’s time to part company. Sounds blunt but it’s the only way.

The first thing to do is decide what is a reasonable time for a new salesperson to come up to speed in your company. Then provide the training, support and coaching, and monitor the results. Give the person every opportunity to succeed. If the results are not there within a reasonable amount of time and you can’t identify why, cut your losses. You can’t afford non-performers.

Poor Performers

A poor performer is usually someone who already has a proven track record but is not performing up to par. Assuming the person is not suffering from burnout, it’s time to monitor his or her activities more closely.

When things are going well, you can (and should) monitoring results. When things are not going well, it’s time to monitor the activities that lead to results.

Sit down with your problem child and set mutually acceptable quotas, activity levels, and a time line for reaching them. Poor performers can usually be coached or counseled back to full production by a patient manager.

Over-Performers

While this may seem like an odd problem, having an over-performer on staff can be very disruptive. These are the people who sell more than any three of your other salespeople but create havoc while doing it. Team spirit is shot to hell because the over-performer has his own agenda and isn’t going to let something like team spirit stand in the way of his commission cheque.

What do you do with over-performers? Sometimes nothing. Sometimes you can use the over-performer as an example for the others to emulate — providing the over-performer’s bad habits aren’t too bad and you can stand the increased aggravation. Most often we simply tolerate the over-performer and vacillate between being sorry we don’t have more salespeople like him and being glad we don’t!

Burnout

Good salespeople are masters at hiding burnout. They may continue to appear positive and upbeat, but their sales numbers will tell the story. Other signs of burnout are failure to keep commitments, reports not being turned in on time, excessive forgetfulness, change in general attitude, and low or no motivation. The three major causes of sales burnout are health/medical problems, personal problems, and overwork.

As a manager, you’re not really qualified to handle health or medical-related problems. You can, however, suggest (or in some cases insist) that a person get a thorough medical. A good general practitioner can also uncover personal problems, particularly if there are no major physical ones.

Many managers aren’t qualified to handle personal problems either. While I don’t recommend you turn into an amateur psychologist, sometimes all it takes is a sympathetic ear and the problem becomes self-solving.

Final Thought

While you might wish it weren’t so, a sales manager’s job is one of solving problems — performance problems, interpersonal problems, corporate sales problems, you name it. But, hey, without problems to solve, who would need sales managers anyway?

Author
Brian Jeffrey, CSP (Certified Sales Professional) and president of Salesforce Assessments Ltd, is a sales management consultant, columnist, author, and former sales trainer with over 40 years experience. His company provides hiring tools to help sales managers and others make even better hiring decisions. For more articles like this one, or to learn how we can help you avoid hiring duds, visit www.SalesforceAssessments.com

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