Plan, Stay on the Plan, & Save Money!

 A customer left. It happens. Our intentions with this client were to be the best for them we could. But it did not work out and our team will learn from it.

Exhibit Associates handled 145 different shows in 2022. We have 3 people that oversee services to make sure it happens without a hitch. Our goals are always to partner with our clients to come up with a plan, stay on the plan, and by doing that we save our client money. Any changes to a tradeshow plan close to the show, or at the show costs more money than if that item was in the original plan. Things change, and we respond to the change, but if we have a plan, we do all we can to stay on that plan. But it doesn't always work that way.

One time this client ordered additional items from the service desk without working through the Exhibit Associates Team. The additional items cost $2,500.00+. We we presented the invoice to our client - they were shocked. ("If we knew we wouldn't have done that!") Another show they changed after the crates were at the Advance Warehouse. Another one they...... well you get the point.

The additional cost was one item. But the big issue was the client could not make a decision unless by committee. The fun part is our teams scrambled to get things done the easiest and "best" way we could without client input because no one member of the committee wanted to make a decision without input. So our challenge was now if we would have waited for a decision the costs would have gone up. Why? "Sparky" would have to leave and then come back again ($$$), and the setup crew would have stay longer ($$$) and the time line for the decision was unknown. (Death by Committee?)

Their booth was not complex, but last minute changes and the lack of decision making raised the costs. And of course our decision were not what everybody wanted. So we had that going for us as well.

In the end the customer left. It happens. Maybe their next exhibit house will be able to work with them to come up with a plan, stay on the plan, and save money.

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Exhibit Associates design builds and manages trade show booths corporate displays and museum exhibits for our clients. #trade #show #booth #exhibit #display #branding #marketing #brand #kansascity #kansas #missouri #YourBrandOurBusiness www.exhibitassociates.com

Flight Plans

 In the aviation world there are a lot of sayings. The 1st one a lot of pilots learn is "The Rules are Written in Blood." Meaning somewhere in the last 100+ years of flight a mistake was made, and the powers that be determined it was worth making a rule for airmen to follow. A simple one is "check your oil." You don't want your engine to seize while you are in the air.

Another rule is "Plan the flight, fly the plan." Now that means do some planning prior to getting airborne. Winds may mean you require to adjust while flying. Weather. Air Traffic Control. Sunrise. Sunset. They may cause you to adjust your plan while flying. But as a pilot you know what you are doing and minor adjustments are not an issue.

Same with your tradeshow booth. Have a plan. Yes you have a booth. A display. You and your team have traveled to the exhibit hall. You have hotels. You have means of travel. (pilot, plane, fuel, oil, destination.) But how are you going to get to the end of the show with leads? (How do you get to your destination?) Simple questions to ask yourself:

• Who will be in the booth at the show opening?
• When do you take lunch?
• Who will be in the booth for the last hour of the tradeshow?
• Who is going to the networking events?
• What clients do you expect to show up in the tradeshow booth?

and very important:

• Who compiles the list of leads for follow-up?

This is your basic flight plan.

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Exhibit Associates design builds and manages trade show booths corporate displays and museum exhibits for our clients. #trade #show #booth #exhibit #display #branding #marketing #brand #kansascity #kansas #missouri #YourBrandOurBusiness www.exhibitassociates.com