Trade Show Follies and Other Tirades
Putting your money in Trade Shows? Plan carefully. Trade shows receive mixed reaction from entrepreneurs, in part because they poorly plan for the event.
I experienced the good and the bad of trade shows at the New Mexico Governor’s Summit on Economic Development. Let me explain: conference participants were required to collect booth numbers from exhibitors in order to be eligible for prizes. While this ensures traffic on the exhibit floor, it certainly does nothing for qualifying that traffic. Many of those who passed by my booth wanted “the number” and could hardly bother with a courteous reply when asked a question. Classification: bad.
As a former broadcaster, I’m familiar with prize pigs, the name that we gave to freebie seekers. At a show I tend to spend my time more constructively with prospects who might be interested in my product. I strike up a conversation, find a bit of common ground, and see if my product can fulfill a need.
There are those who maintain that disseminating any information is good; people who believe information sells make sure that the prize pigs also get brochures and handouts. I disagree, maintaining that’s a waste of perfectly good money.
I find that I over-estimate the information I will use from the conference exhibit floor. No matter how valuable the brochure, if I don’t review it immediately following the show it lives in the file of the conference bag or in a pile. When I eventually review the piles, the majority of information (which I have now lived without for some time) is trashed. Am I so different from everyone else?
On the other hand, qualified prospects represent the good of trade shows. This conference focused on energizing the entrepreneurial economy. How exciting to talk with dozens of people interested in a product, looking for true solutions to a problem. The energy generated by such an exercise makes the futility of the prize pigs worthwhile. It goes back to return on attention. How do you prefer to spend your time?
Disclosure: As a member of the Board of Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance, AIBA, I manned that booth.
I experienced the good and the bad of trade shows at the New Mexico Governor’s Summit on Economic Development. Let me explain: conference participants were required to collect booth numbers from exhibitors in order to be eligible for prizes. While this ensures traffic on the exhibit floor, it certainly does nothing for qualifying that traffic. Many of those who passed by my booth wanted “the number” and could hardly bother with a courteous reply when asked a question. Classification: bad.
As a former broadcaster, I’m familiar with prize pigs, the name that we gave to freebie seekers. At a show I tend to spend my time more constructively with prospects who might be interested in my product. I strike up a conversation, find a bit of common ground, and see if my product can fulfill a need.
There are those who maintain that disseminating any information is good; people who believe information sells make sure that the prize pigs also get brochures and handouts. I disagree, maintaining that’s a waste of perfectly good money.
I find that I over-estimate the information I will use from the conference exhibit floor. No matter how valuable the brochure, if I don’t review it immediately following the show it lives in the file of the conference bag or in a pile. When I eventually review the piles, the majority of information (which I have now lived without for some time) is trashed. Am I so different from everyone else?
On the other hand, qualified prospects represent the good of trade shows. This conference focused on energizing the entrepreneurial economy. How exciting to talk with dozens of people interested in a product, looking for true solutions to a problem. The energy generated by such an exercise makes the futility of the prize pigs worthwhile. It goes back to return on attention. How do you prefer to spend your time?
Disclosure: As a member of the Board of Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance, AIBA, I manned that booth.
Labels: customer communication, trade show
posted by the profitmeister at
8:30 AM
1 Comments:
I've done my share of trade show booth duty - for all sizes and types of companies and nonprofits. One of the things most people never consider is what they actually expect to get out of participating in the event.
The key word here is "participation."(More about prize pigs in a sec.) This weekend I was at the GO! Art Festival, suppporting one of my clients, The Loan Fund, who was a sponsor and had a booth. It was interesting to note how most of the artists silently sat and watched people visit their booths, with nary an acknowledgement anybody was actually in the booth. (I visited several where the artist kept their back to me the entire time doing something else.) Sure, you don't want to be pushy, but what about friendly?
As for the prize pigs - well - they're always going to exist. However, when looking at trade shows, I counsel my clients to consider Return on Investment. Do you really need a "giveaway?" Or would the money be better spent buying dinner for some key (qualified) prospective customers? Nobody ever closed a deal because they gave out cool sunglasses...
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