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Logan Marketing, Salem, MA |
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Business Strategies and Planning Cross
Cultural Import/Export Research & Maximizing the Value of Data Competitive Tracking and Analysis
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Trade Shows. Are tradeshows, with their travel expense, show costs, and declining attendance becoming obsolete? Certainly firms are looking into alternative marketing methods as they respond to changes in the tradeshow world. But if you ask show organizers, industry associations, and professional organizations, while challenging, the tradeshow business is alive and kicking. The order for show exhibitors is to find new ways to emerge as outstanding players in a changing environment. Show organizers will continue to focus on attractive destinations and special promotions to produce buyer attendance. So sellers will still have the opportunity to use trade shows to their advantage for the foreseeable future. Going forward, exhibitors must find ways to maintain an impressive appearance while using less space and simpler, less-costly booth designs. Perhaps some companies will move toward variations of the more enclosed, European booth concept which allows strong focus on identified customers admitted into a private space, but wastes less effort on entertaining the entire mass of show attendees. A well-prepared booth needs to be ready with its calculated array of samples, product literature, and promotional handouts. And it is key for booth personnel to actively solicit contact information from sales leads for post-show follow up. The ultimate calculation of what it costs to create a new customer can be eye-opening. But it is even more frightening to realize that potential leads can sometimes be lost somewhere along the process of gathering information, qualifying and segmenting interests and response strategies, and appropriately getting back to show attendees who visited a booth. Even small companies with a simple 8x10 booth have the opportunity to stand out. And it is clear that their competitors are looking for every tactic to overshadow their industries. Going back to the same old trade show with the same old booth is probably not the answer. The good news, is that whatever set of new ideas and new exhibit strategies is chosen, it can possibly be done at a savings over previous designs. One simple example that will become more effective as the mobile device phenomenon continues to spread is posting easily accessible QR codes for booth attendees to scan, turning a visit to your show space into a saved link in the sales lead's personal information system. From booth re-design to post-show follow up, the challenges of getting into the heads of trade show attendees and using the busy arena of the show floor to differentiate an organization from its competitors are marketing contests that can bring out some of the most creative thinking in the annual business calendar. While it is still justifiable to exhibit at these events, it is clearly important to consider ways to optimize your participation costs. The worst approach is to think that a company has its show strategy figured out based on years of doing the same thing. If you are spurred to take a fresh look, give us a call!
Additional Services: Logan Marketing is affiliated with: Virtual Productions. Jump to Virtual Productions, Gloucester, MA for a full menu of photographic, technical, digital production, and prepress services: Client orientation: What goals are you seeking to achieve? Let's establish a system which hits your targets. We have one GUARANTEE: we'll have more questions than answers... but you will end up with a richer mix of results-oriented, effective business thinking without the trappings, without the jargon, and ready to put to good use. Initial review at no charge, contact: Jim Logan Have a good day. Obliterate acrimony. |
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Marketing Management 2010, 2011. All rights reserved. |