Linda Musgrove, the TradeShow Teacher and Ben Nazario of MC-2 will be speaking at TS2 in Chicago; the seminar we are presenting is:
Networking Skills: Making the Connections to Grow Your Business
Session LD-958 - Room: W183C
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 from 3:15pm - 4:15pm
Fine-tune time you spend networking to reach your most targeted contacts. Just like you wouldn’t exhibit without a solid trade show plan for targeting prospects; a formalized networking plan is equally critical to delivering you with key contacts.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Select Targeted Networking Events
- Create a Solid Plan to Reach Key Contacts
- Create Conversation Starters and Influence Desired Results
- Evaluate Contacts
- Build Long Lasting Relations with Qualified Contacts
Warning: If you don't like to have fun - don't attend this seminar!
To Register or Learn More About Attending TS2, visit: http://www.ts2show.com
Monday, June 29, 2009
Tradeshow Continuity Planning
As a self proclaimed “Trade Show Junkie” that loves working with my Trade Show clients and trolling show floors in a wide variety of industries, I have learned a lot over the years about what works well and what doesn’t, including how to creatively deal with unforeseen emergencies! While it is important to be diligent working on strategy, objectives and analysis to help maximize Trade Show ROI, it is just as important to have an organized contingency plan to prepare for any emergency that should arise! Just like many companies now have business continuity plans for emergencies, you should have a “tradeshow continuity plan” that helps you be prepared to deal with “tradeshow disasters”. In this article, we’ll be taking a closer look at two scenarios that have to do with shipping related mishaps – and show you some tips and strategies you can apply to your next Trade Show!
Let’s start with an Overview of the Two Scenarios...
Click Here to Read the Rest of the Article: http://www.tsteacher.com/ExhibitCityNewsArticleShipping.html
As a self proclaimed “Trade Show Junkie” that loves working with my Trade Show clients and trolling show floors in a wide variety of industries, I have learned a lot over the years about what works well and what doesn’t, including how to creatively deal with unforeseen emergencies! While it is important to be diligent working on strategy, objectives and analysis to help maximize Trade Show ROI, it is just as important to have an organized contingency plan to prepare for any emergency that should arise! Just like many companies now have business continuity plans for emergencies, you should have a “tradeshow continuity plan” that helps you be prepared to deal with “tradeshow disasters”. In this article, we’ll be taking a closer look at two scenarios that have to do with shipping related mishaps – and show you some tips and strategies you can apply to your next Trade Show!
Let’s start with an Overview of the Two Scenarios...
Click Here to Read the Rest of the Article: http://www.tsteacher.com/ExhibitCityNewsArticleShipping.html
Trade Show Teacher’s Lesson Plan for Maximizing Media Attention at Trade Shows
For those of you who may be wondering what the big deal is about getting media coverage, let’s cover some basics. Positive media coverage is extremely valuable. To put this into perspective; if you were to receive positive media coverage of your company or products in a certain publication, the impact of that article to the readers is much higher than paid advertising in the same publication. If you have any idea what advertising rates are like, you can see why media coverage is quite literally valuable. The reason an article has such a bigger impact is because your product or company was just validated by an unbiased 3rd party (the editor), whom readers of the publication have come to trust for information. On the other hand, if you had just placed an ad in that very same publication, readers know the information in an advertisement is biased since it was written by someone who is looking to sell something.
Click Here to Read the Rest of the Article: http://tinyurl.com/qw8mgo
For those of you who may be wondering what the big deal is about getting media coverage, let’s cover some basics. Positive media coverage is extremely valuable. To put this into perspective; if you were to receive positive media coverage of your company or products in a certain publication, the impact of that article to the readers is much higher than paid advertising in the same publication. If you have any idea what advertising rates are like, you can see why media coverage is quite literally valuable. The reason an article has such a bigger impact is because your product or company was just validated by an unbiased 3rd party (the editor), whom readers of the publication have come to trust for information. On the other hand, if you had just placed an ad in that very same publication, readers know the information in an advertisement is biased since it was written by someone who is looking to sell something.
Click Here to Read the Rest of the Article: http://tinyurl.com/qw8mgo
TradeShow Teacher Answers Shipping and Handling’s Top 10 Questions
Today we’ll look at:
- Exhibit Transportation & Material Handling Basics
- Management of Exhibiting Paperwork
Most shows necessitate the use of the services we are covering in this lesson, yet I have found that many exhibitors and other industry professionals are stymied by these topics. Sure, most of us prefer to focus on the fun stuff like finding the latest and greatest promotional item, but really they don’t do you much good unless they, together with your exhibit and materials, actually make it somehow to the booth!
Did you know that the shipping and handling of your exhibit and materials to and from the show often makes up about 9% of your show costs? By understanding shipping options and processes you can make informed decisions that can reduce that expense.
OK, let’s get started with the lesson: First we’ll look at the answers to the top 10 commonly asked questions I have heard when working with clients and presenting training seminars on these topics.
Click Here to Tead the Rest of the Article:
http://www.tsteacher.com/ExhibitCityNewsArticleMaterialHandling.html
Today we’ll look at:
- Exhibit Transportation & Material Handling Basics
- Management of Exhibiting Paperwork
Most shows necessitate the use of the services we are covering in this lesson, yet I have found that many exhibitors and other industry professionals are stymied by these topics. Sure, most of us prefer to focus on the fun stuff like finding the latest and greatest promotional item, but really they don’t do you much good unless they, together with your exhibit and materials, actually make it somehow to the booth!
Did you know that the shipping and handling of your exhibit and materials to and from the show often makes up about 9% of your show costs? By understanding shipping options and processes you can make informed decisions that can reduce that expense.
OK, let’s get started with the lesson: First we’ll look at the answers to the top 10 commonly asked questions I have heard when working with clients and presenting training seminars on these topics.
Click Here to Tead the Rest of the Article:
http://www.tsteacher.com/ExhibitCityNewsArticleMaterialHandling.html
Top 3 “Detention Worthy” Plant and Floral Disasters to Avoid
Being the TradeShow Teacher, walking a show floor sometimes makes me want to give a gold star to the booth managers who have produced an “A+” quality booth; then there are other times where the booth manager clearly needs detention to think about why their booth looks like it should be at a flea market instead of a convention center! While common courtesy and basic diplomatic skills prevent me from blatantly telling an exhibitor this, I often do feel compelled to offer some suggestions they can apply to their next show to bring their booth grade up.
In my day to day work, there are many areas on the exhibiting landscape in which I help exhibitors with “Trade Show Tutoring”, ranging anywhere from selecting the right show, to strategy, to evaluating results and even specific details like selecting the right floral and plants to create an eye catching appeal and underscore the image the exhibitor wants to portray.
My clients are advised that selecting the most appropriate plant or floral display can be an important part in adding the finishing touches to their booth. It can help to drive traffic, solidify an image to be presented and can be a great way to hide wires or replace walls - if done right; similar to picking the right accessory for an outfit – it can polish an image and hide flaws - or just look horribly wrong. The same thing applies to picking the right plant or floral display. The idea is to find the quality item that complements the colors and theme of the booth display and unless you are trying to create a no-frills discounter image, you don’t want to use flawed plastic flowers that look like they were picked up from the dollar store on the way to the show floor!
To Read the Rest of the Article, Click Here: http://www.tsteacher.com/ExhibitCityNewsArticleFloral.html
Being the TradeShow Teacher, walking a show floor sometimes makes me want to give a gold star to the booth managers who have produced an “A+” quality booth; then there are other times where the booth manager clearly needs detention to think about why their booth looks like it should be at a flea market instead of a convention center! While common courtesy and basic diplomatic skills prevent me from blatantly telling an exhibitor this, I often do feel compelled to offer some suggestions they can apply to their next show to bring their booth grade up.
In my day to day work, there are many areas on the exhibiting landscape in which I help exhibitors with “Trade Show Tutoring”, ranging anywhere from selecting the right show, to strategy, to evaluating results and even specific details like selecting the right floral and plants to create an eye catching appeal and underscore the image the exhibitor wants to portray.
My clients are advised that selecting the most appropriate plant or floral display can be an important part in adding the finishing touches to their booth. It can help to drive traffic, solidify an image to be presented and can be a great way to hide wires or replace walls - if done right; similar to picking the right accessory for an outfit – it can polish an image and hide flaws - or just look horribly wrong. The same thing applies to picking the right plant or floral display. The idea is to find the quality item that complements the colors and theme of the booth display and unless you are trying to create a no-frills discounter image, you don’t want to use flawed plastic flowers that look like they were picked up from the dollar store on the way to the show floor!
To Read the Rest of the Article, Click Here: http://www.tsteacher.com/ExhibitCityNewsArticleFloral.html
TradeShow Teacher’s Tips and Tricks “From the Trade Show Trenches”
I decided to share with you some of the lessons I have learned over the years. Some of them I learned the hard way by making mistakes, others I picked up through guidance by professionals in the field.
This topic idea was inspired by writing little sidebars in “The Complete Idiots Guide to Trade Shows” book I wrote (learn more on page A6 in the August 2008 edition of ECN), where I share “tips” about “lessons learned”. Since we don’t write sidebars in ECN, the next best thing was to dedicate a TradeShow Teacher column to sharing tips and tricks with you. This is of course not a complete list, but contains a couple of key items you will find useful to remember.
Let’s get started with TradeShow Teacher’s Top 30 list of key “Tips and Tricks”!.....
To Read the Rest of the Article, Click Here:
http://tinyurl.com/lqmwkt
I decided to share with you some of the lessons I have learned over the years. Some of them I learned the hard way by making mistakes, others I picked up through guidance by professionals in the field.
This topic idea was inspired by writing little sidebars in “The Complete Idiots Guide to Trade Shows” book I wrote (learn more on page A6 in the August 2008 edition of ECN), where I share “tips” about “lessons learned”. Since we don’t write sidebars in ECN, the next best thing was to dedicate a TradeShow Teacher column to sharing tips and tricks with you. This is of course not a complete list, but contains a couple of key items you will find useful to remember.
Let’s get started with TradeShow Teacher’s Top 30 list of key “Tips and Tricks”!.....
To Read the Rest of the Article, Click Here:
http://tinyurl.com/lqmwkt
TradeShow Teacher’s Top Ten List on Rental Display Advantages
I hope you will find this month’s lesson about Rental Displays informative. You may possibly even find it surprising and change some perceptions you have about rentals. So let’s get right to it!
Historically, an exhibitor’s most likely experience with rentals has been due to last resort options when their own display didn’t arrive, or suddenly needing to simultaneously exhibit at overlapping shows. This is not surprising, since in the old days, rental offerings were very basic, not terribly attractive and did not offer exhibitors many opportunities to accurately portray their company’s image. Things have changed quite a bit since then; rental offerings are now stylish and customizable, offering wide varieties of creative options. The modern marvels of new digital printing and manufacturing processes mean that exhibitors can stylize and design rental displays to accurately depict the style and branding of their company. Those technical improvements have been the driving force behind the rental display’s transformation and dramatically increased usage; vendors often now having entire divisions dedicated to rentals and warehouses full of options.
Click Here to Read the Rest of the Article:
http://tinyurl.com/l7nu32
I hope you will find this month’s lesson about Rental Displays informative. You may possibly even find it surprising and change some perceptions you have about rentals. So let’s get right to it!
Historically, an exhibitor’s most likely experience with rentals has been due to last resort options when their own display didn’t arrive, or suddenly needing to simultaneously exhibit at overlapping shows. This is not surprising, since in the old days, rental offerings were very basic, not terribly attractive and did not offer exhibitors many opportunities to accurately portray their company’s image. Things have changed quite a bit since then; rental offerings are now stylish and customizable, offering wide varieties of creative options. The modern marvels of new digital printing and manufacturing processes mean that exhibitors can stylize and design rental displays to accurately depict the style and branding of their company. Those technical improvements have been the driving force behind the rental display’s transformation and dramatically increased usage; vendors often now having entire divisions dedicated to rentals and warehouses full of options.
Click Here to Read the Rest of the Article:
http://tinyurl.com/l7nu32
The A, B, C’s of Exhibiting Effectively
I decided that it’s time to help answer questions for those smaller exhibitors; struggling either due to a lack of experience, limited budgets or just “using what they’ve always used” because they don’t know what else to do or simply haven’t thought about smarter ways to do things.
Today’s column is going to be a bit different from my traditional column you have grown accustomed to. This month I will be showing pictures of three booths that just didn’t quite “make the grade” and describe the A, B, C’s of how those companies could have improved the information displayed to better reach their target audience. I’ve edited out the actual company names, and should you recognize the booth, please realize that those pictures are simply examples of unfortunately rather common mistakes to be found on every show floor.
Click Here to Read the Rest of the Article:
http://www.tsteacher.com/ExhibitCityNewsArticle_BoothsToImprove.html
I decided that it’s time to help answer questions for those smaller exhibitors; struggling either due to a lack of experience, limited budgets or just “using what they’ve always used” because they don’t know what else to do or simply haven’t thought about smarter ways to do things.
Today’s column is going to be a bit different from my traditional column you have grown accustomed to. This month I will be showing pictures of three booths that just didn’t quite “make the grade” and describe the A, B, C’s of how those companies could have improved the information displayed to better reach their target audience. I’ve edited out the actual company names, and should you recognize the booth, please realize that those pictures are simply examples of unfortunately rather common mistakes to be found on every show floor.
Click Here to Read the Rest of the Article:
http://www.tsteacher.com/ExhibitCityNewsArticle_BoothsToImprove.html
Trade Show ROI, ROO and Registration
Topics:
- Trade Show ROI (Return on Investment) and ROO (Return on Objectives)
- Selecting the Right Trade Shows to Register For
Click Here to Read the Article: http://www.tsteacher.com/ExhibitCityNewsArticleROIandRegistration.html
Topics:
- Trade Show ROI (Return on Investment) and ROO (Return on Objectives)
- Selecting the Right Trade Shows to Register For
Click Here to Read the Article: http://www.tsteacher.com/ExhibitCityNewsArticleROIandRegistration.html
Top 10 Things Great Booths Do Well
As a trade show consultant, I spend a lot of time working with clients, teaching them and applying the Top 10 list I will share with you today. Some of you may be surprised to learn that these top 10 items are very basic items, but they form the pillars of success for your exhibits. If you apply these items each time you exhibit you will immediately notice improved results! If you are already following this Top 10 list, then kudos to you; pass this article on to someone else who can use some pointers!
Let me jump into the list; I know you are getting eager to see what it is!
Click Here to Read the Rest of the Article: http://www.tsteacher.com/ExhibitCityNewsArticle_WhatGreatBoothsDoWell.html
As a trade show consultant, I spend a lot of time working with clients, teaching them and applying the Top 10 list I will share with you today. Some of you may be surprised to learn that these top 10 items are very basic items, but they form the pillars of success for your exhibits. If you apply these items each time you exhibit you will immediately notice improved results! If you are already following this Top 10 list, then kudos to you; pass this article on to someone else who can use some pointers!
Let me jump into the list; I know you are getting eager to see what it is!
Click Here to Read the Rest of the Article: http://www.tsteacher.com/ExhibitCityNewsArticle_WhatGreatBoothsDoWell.html
Eight Easy to Apply Networking Steps
Who's interested in learning how to rapidly grow their business? How about increasing revenue? ....Good, almost all of you!
Now that I have your attention, let's explore how networking can help deliver those results. I imagine you may be wondering, "Why do I need to learn how to network? I go to events, shake hands, chat a bit and get a business card, then move onto the next contact. How hard is that?"
Does that sound familiar? If you said yes, pay close attention to this lesson. In it, you will learn how to network effectively and build business relationships that turn into "referral machines!"
Click Here to read the rest of the article: http://www.tsteacher.com/ExhibitCityNewsArticle_Networking.html
Who's interested in learning how to rapidly grow their business? How about increasing revenue? ....Good, almost all of you!
Now that I have your attention, let's explore how networking can help deliver those results. I imagine you may be wondering, "Why do I need to learn how to network? I go to events, shake hands, chat a bit and get a business card, then move onto the next contact. How hard is that?"
Does that sound familiar? If you said yes, pay close attention to this lesson. In it, you will learn how to network effectively and build business relationships that turn into "referral machines!"
Click Here to read the rest of the article: http://www.tsteacher.com/ExhibitCityNewsArticle_Networking.html
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