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You’ve received this industry newsletter from Marketing Design Group (MDG), the leading trade show marketing and advertising agency with a 32-year proven track record of increasing attendance for its clients. To be added to our mailing list please click here. To be removed from this list, please click here. MDG | 420 Walnut Avenue | San Diego, CA 92103 | 619.298.1445 x116 |
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MDG was honored to participate in Trade Show Executive's inaugural Fastest 50 Summit and Gala in Orlando, Florida last month. Here's a sampling of what we took away from the movers, shakers and thought-leaders headlining the educational portion of the program…
Doug Ducate, CEIR president, advised that when communicating with young professionals DO…be direct and to the point, emphasize personal improvement, make a seminar sound like a rock concert, make them feel like they will be the first to know something and make messages Blackberry/ iPhone, PDA friendly.
When communicating with young professionals, DON'T…be complicated, use clichés or dated expressions, make promises you can't keep, use email attachments, talk about awards or sponsorships, abuse social media, send too many pre-show emails and, most importantly, don't forget that it's all about them.
Advise your exhibitors about how to engage young professionals. Remind them that every visitor is important, treat everyone with respect. Don't speculate on the degree of interest and ignore someone because he/she looks young. Include younger workers among booth staff. Keep your exhibit interactive (not static). And remember that young professionals like one-on-many, not one-on-one.
Young people come to events to see new products, talk to current supplies and find new suppliers (the same reasons people have been coming to events for years).
Kimberly Hardcastle, MDG's vice president, recommended that show managers adapt their events according to the transformations taking place within their respective industries. With the transparency brought about by social media and inbound/outbound marketing, it's increasingly important that a show's messaging, exhibit floor and educational program be reflective of the industry. We must move from "bringing buyers and sellers together" to "advancing the industry in which my show operates and the stakeholders within it."
Gene Burns of Internet Business Group discussed a few key tips to build and protect your online reputation, including flood anything negative with positive, remember that a good offense is a powerful defense, dominate your narrative and control what is seen by others. It takes a lifetime to create a reputation, but it only takes seconds to destroy it.
Remember that people will visit your trade show website for content. Too often, we think of our sites as sales and marketing tools, only. When we do this, though, we lose an opportunity to engage the audience and keep them coming back for more.
Chris Demoulin, MAGIC's president, attributed the success of his event to a few key elements including the development of incremental growth categories, booth packages, retail development, constantly remerchandising and embracing technology to stay current. He also mentioned the importance of building a team with people who are passionate about what they are doing.
Alex Martins, Orlando Magic president, discussed how the six principles of teamwork utilized by the Magic can be applied to the trade show business. (1) Talent is important, but isn't everything. (2) Leadership. Trade shows need a strong leader with vision and focus. (3) Self-sacrifice means everyone doing what's best for the team, not for themselves. (4) Work ethic entails the willingness to work hard to achieve the stated goals. (5) Communication ensures that everyone is staying on the same page. And (6) Strategy should be developed and reviewed daily, monthly and yearly.
Skip Tucker from Karrass Effective Negotiating explained that negotiating is a skill and it can be improved. One of the biggest mistakes made when negotiating deals is not investing the time needed to prepare (not doing your homework). Also, when negotiating, ensure that you ask lots of questions to understand what's motivating the person with whom you are engaged. And take your time. The more time you take, the less chance you have of leaving money on the table.
