It Takes a Team for a Successful Tradeshow Exhibit

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

Tradeshows Takes Teams!

The 1st Team is The Exhibitor Team: Marketing, Sales & Finance for the Exhibitor.

The 2nd Team is the Tradeshow Team!

The Tradeshow Team is responsible for making sure the tradeshow goes off without a hitch. !

All tradehows start the same.

A blank floor. An empty hall. Nothing else. Behind the scenes it's different. The show manager (Fern, Freeman, Shepard, Grit, GES, etc.) has been working hard behind the scenes to make sure there will be enough forklifts and people to get it all done. Printers have been working producing the signage to direct you to the tradeshow from the hotels, signage in the rafters letting you know the aisle numbers. Plus all the sponsorship signage. Lot's of work done to by Tradeshow Team.

And it is the Exhibitor Team has been busy as well. Planning the graphics for the tradeshow booth. Planning the booth. Planning the people who will be there. Has marketing and sales been working at sending the emails and direct mail to attendees? Is social media where it needs to be. Is the setup crew ready? Shipping? Insurance? The exhibitor has to get marketing. sales and finance all on board. And remember nothing moves without finance!

Both teams work hard right up to the point of opening. So 15 minutes before the show opens all the work is done getting ready for the tradeshow. Everything looks great. Shirts pressed. Product looking good. A/V up and on point.

Shall we talk about "the down" and Driver check in and shipping?

I'll save that for another post!

Be Brave!

 Tradeshow set-ups are not for the weak of heart or body.

Organized chaos. Unorganized chaos. We here at Exhibit Associates are working with several clients for January shows. Nothing special there - it's our job. One we are just shipping, one we are doing everything. Everything is setup, dismantle, electricity, material handling (aka drayage), hanging sign, cleaning, etc.

But even if you are paying your exhibit house to accomplish the set up, you should go! During set up of a typical 20x20 it can be confusing to the rookie on the floor. But go. Be there. Ask questions. Learn. Be Brave! Everybody was new once!

WARNING: If you speak with a crewmember about the Chiefs, or NASCAR**, or Royals - they will speak back and entertain you for hours. They are on the clock. And as a paying client you are at the top of the pyramid. A good foreman will break up that conversation.

Just like that classic song "East Bound and Down" by Jerry Reed from "Smokey and the Bandit" movie: "We've got a long way to go, and a short time to get there." Tradeshow sets are busy, and busy by design. Forklifts, ladders, booms, electric carts, people, carpet.

So be Brave - Even if your exhibit house is handling everything - go during the set-up and see the effort it takes. The good part is you do not have to be on that floor all day - you are dead weight after all. But go, learn and appreciate!

DJ

**No one ever speaks about NASCAR.

Speed Wins!

There are 4 Tradeshow Hacks:

Hack #1: Tell people you are going.

Hack #2: Exhibit a Plan.

Hack #3: Follow Up!

Hack #4: Stand Out!

These Hacks are designed to increase your tradeshow ROI.

And with Tradeshow Hack #3: Speed Wins.

Do you want the 1st Appointment -> or the 4th?

What is the Follow Up Plan?

Tradeshow Hack #1 Twitter Part 1

 You need to tell people you are going!

For events -> This means twitter. and twitter, and twitter.

For every event there is a @Twitter Handle and #Hashtag. Every Event is hosted by an organization. They have a @Twitter handle and #Hashtag as well. Guess what? If the hall is big enough -> It has a @Twitter handle and #Hashtag as well. The city the event is in? You Bet!

Is your brand known for the products and services and there is no way the #Marketing Gods will allow you access to the @Twitter handle for the company, service or product? Get an "event" handle for the company. Tie into the main marketing channels for your company, but you get to have fun with it! There is so many ways to slice this hack.

And once you start engaging - well there is a method to this madness as well. That's the next post!

Welcome to Tradeshow Season!

 Wow!   It's great to write that title!

In January of 2020 it was full speed ahead.  The economy was humming along, tradeshows were lined up from January to June.   Life at Exhibit Associates was awesome!

The Design Shop was busy.   The Fabrication Shop was busy.  The Services Team was busy.   Even Account Management was busy.   (But you know sales - 1/2 days, golf on Friday, 3 Martini lunches....)

Then the 1st cancelation happened.   Then the next.  Then all of them.   By the end of that 1st quarter we in the tradeshow industry were "beat up."   The phone was never good news.

Now, we at Exhibit Associates did have some corporate displays (lobbies) and some museum exhibits that we worked on.    So we crawled along.

We took the time to improve our processes, add software, buy new equipment and update our branding.  But, still, no tradeshows.   So no Tradeshow Season in the Fall of 2020, or the 1st Quarter of 2021.

Now our phone is ringing.  Now our Design, Fabrication and Services Teams are busy!  Even Account Management has had to cut down on their golfing.  (The tragedy of it all!) 

So as we roll into Fall of 2021 we have only one thing to say:  "Welcome to Tradeshow Season!"

Where to Start?

 Tiktok, YouTube, Instagram Posts, Instagram Reels, LinkedIn Ads.

There is so much out there to conquer. Yes Conquer! So what is one to do?

First you start.

Then you keep going. Then you learn. Then you modify. Then you keep going. Then you learn more. Then you modify. Then you keep going. Then you learn more. Then you modify. Then you keep going. Then you learn more. Then you modify. Then you keep going. Then you learn more. Then you modify. Then you keep going. Then you learn more. Then you modify. Then you keep going. Then you learn more. Then you modify. Then you keep going.

And you track. That is one of the learnings. Are views going up? Impressions headed in the right direction? Do not over think this. Just do it!

Yes - this works for tradeshows! Every show has a twitter feed? Do you know what your next tradeshow twitter handle and hashtag is? Find out.

And the secret to all this: First you start!

Hack

 There isn't much to the word "Hack."    It just means a simple way to get something done.   People make

things complicated for no reason whatsoever.  

Tradeshows are such a thing.   It's not complicated.  Order services, ship on time, be prepared and watch the details.

"Eat Right & Exercise." is the simple "hack" to a better physical health.  But for some reason the majority of people who want better physical health try diet pills, cabbage diets and "unique" machines.  But it comes down to eat right and exercise.

Tradeshows are not much different.  We've broken it down to 4 hacks.   Tell people you are going, Exhibit with a Plan, Stand Out and Follow Up.  Four items.   

Now execute!

Congratulations!

 It takes a team.

It all starts with a great client.

One with budget, vision and trust.

The fact they will trust you to bring there vision to life under budget.

Design, Fabrication and Services all matter to an exhibit house.   At Exhibit Associates we focus on building that trust everyday.   If for some reason a booth does not show up, or a graphic is wrong, or the budget is "blown" through then we have not done our job.  The client will go elsewhere.  

And we do not blame them if we lost their trust.

But every once in a while the team gets noticed.  The client has the budget, Exhibit Associates designs something for them, builds it and gets it to a tradeshow on time!  

And sometimes it worthy of an award.   They don't come that often at tradeshows.  So we will take this one without hesitation.   The client won the award.   But we got the text with the above photo with a "Thanks to you guys!!!" with the text.  From the tradeshow floor.

It took the entire team starting with a great client.

Karma - Focus on the Positive!

In Business it Counts.

Karma. 

• You reap what you sow.
• What comes around goes around.

Of course there is a Wikipedia page on Karma.   And that image is of a from a movie that was about Karma - of course the extreme negative aspects of it. 

But we at Exhibit Associates focus on positive aspects of Karma.

"What you do when no one is looking" is a common saying about what type of person you are.   It's true for the organization as well.   

In this time where tradeshows are coming back there is a lot we have done to get better - new software, new equipment and improved processes BUT all that means nothing if the team isn't focused on doing the right thing.    

As we move forward, and bring more people on our team - Our focus will be doing the right thing the right way for the right reasons.     

After the Why - The How. #TradeshowTalk

This Thursday.   March 25th.   Tune into to Clubhouse at 10AM for #TradeShowTalk.

#tradeshow

#clubhouse

#business

#marketing 

#exhibit