Many Happy Returns: Getting the Highest Return on Your Trade Show Spend

1. Rizwan Iqbal Managing Partner First Trade Show Go Green Displays Many Happy Returns:Getting the Highest Return on Your Trade Show Spend

2. Extremely Happy It’s a mixed bag, some shows are better than others Not very happy I have never measured my ROI from Trade Shows Are you (your organization) happy with your trade show ROI?

3. A recent B2B industry survey showed 91% attend trade shows 35% found highly effective for building brand awareness 27% found highly effective for generating sales leads How effective are you? How do you measure return? Happy Returns

4. It’s Easy! Reduce costs of attending trade shows Increase revenue attributed to trade shows Reality is much more complicated Soft vs. Hard benefits How do you track all of the benefits? Are all leads worth the same to the organization? How can you reduce costs by working smarter? Increasing Trade Show ROI

5. Trade Show Return Maximizer Select Right Shows Set Measurable Objectives Post Show Evaluation CPI Spend Mgmt. Staff & Train Smart Match Booth ToObjectives Drive Traffic To Booth

6. Just keep doing what we have always done Attend the largest shows with the biggest attendance Match the shows to our target markets Is there supposed to be a strategy? What best describes your organization’s strategy for selecting trade shows?

7. “Just keep doing what we have been doing” Determine shows you should be at Match shows to marketing objectives Talk to your customers Review the universe of shows Evaluate opportunities Make decisions Annual evaluation Selecting the Right Shows

8. We have to be there, or it will send a bad signal to the market Generate new business leads Customer relations Build our brand What is the primary reason you/your organization attend trade shows?

9. 75% of trade show exhibitors say they measure success by the number of leads they receive There is no shortage of leads There is a shortage of Qualified leads Lead to customer conversion is not easy Why do you attend trade shows?

10. A goal I want to generate a lot of new customers from the show A SMART Goal I want to generate 100 new leads at the show and convert 10 of them into new customers by the end of the year What are your objectives? • Specific • Measurable • Agreed upon • Realistic • Time bound

11. Establish/reinforce brand positioning Publicize new promotional message Build the Brand Learn about competitors Current customer relations/sales Networking within the industry Collect feedback from current customers What else can I get from my shows?

12. What goes on in your booth space? Meetings Demonstrations Product Showcase What are you communicating? Message Market Strength Positioning Matching your Booth to Your Objectives

13. Today’s Key Booth Design Trends • Fabric • Aluminum Extrusions • Modularity • Arches and Curves • Define the Space

14. Green is not a fad Focus on practical green Going Green Doesn’t Have to Cost a Lot of Green

15. Your budget Your message Your people Your booth What is the single most important element of trade show success?

16. It is the message stupid! Know it, agree upon it, and stay consistent with it It drives pre, during, and post show activities Pre show mailing Booth design Handout materials Premiums Contests Post show communications What is the single most important element of trade show success?

17. The Hype Pre-show Mailing PR The Bait Create a commotion, make it memorable Stay on message The Prize Desired, coveted, and different Stay on message The Diversion Games, distractions, and fun! Entertainers How can I drive traffic to my booth?

18. Your best salesperson may not be your best booth staffer Do you need specialists? Experience Positive attitude Dress for success Post show evaluation is critical Staffing Smart

19. Pre-Show Meeting Reinforce Message and Goals Daily Wrap-Up Teach Them to be Memorable Show Training

20. Prospects who were specifically looking for you Prospects who stumbled upon you People who were attracted by the bait , the prize, or the diversion Current customers The competition Who is visiting your booth?

21. Qualify your conversations Welcome to event speed dating Ask basic questions about them and their business Answer their questions Quickly determine if there is a fit If a good fit, make a specific plan for post-show follow-up If a poor fit, bring conversation politely to a close Don’t let any single prospect monopolize your time Making booth time pay off!

22. Lead Capture Electronic capture is best Take notes! Qualify the lead The easy stuff Don’t eat Don’t talk on your cell phone Don’t sit Don’t be afraid to do market research Making booth time pay off!

23. When I return from the show, I should immediately begin developing materials to send out to my leads. True False Your Post-Show Plan

24. 88% of people who stop by a booth are never contacted after the show On average, it takes 3.4 calls to reach a prospect It takes 7.6 calls to fully qualify or disqualify What are you going to do? Your Post-Show Plan

25. Perform a post show evaluation Did it meet or exceed your goals? Did the ROI make sense? Were there soft benefits? Brand Awareness Competitor Insight Customer Retention Networking Feedback Was the show a success?

26. Continual Process Improvement Act to Standardize Solutions Areas of Opportunity Tradeshow Spend Management Evaluate and Measure Against Initial Goals Develop, Assess & Implement Best Alternatives

27. Booth Materials Renting vs. Owning Your Booth Shipping I&D Drayage Travel & Hospitality Key Cost Components to Manage

28. Show Selection Objective Setting Matching booth design to objectives Driving traffic to your booth Staffing and training Post Show evaluation CPI- cost management Where is your single greatest opportunity to improve your ROI?

29. Knowing and doing are very different Pick one area and make it better If I only had more time… What Does It All Mean?

30. Wishing you Many Happy Returns… Thank You! Rizwan Iqbal rizwan@firsttradeshow.com 732-723-7799 www.FirstTradeShow.com www.GoGreenDisplays.com