Ditching Trade Show Paper in a Digital World
Hey Newman, I’m back from my last trade show and just got done wading through about 10 pounds of brochures, flyers and press releases. I hate to admit it, but most of it is now on it’s way to the recycle center. Is this my fault or the exhibitors’? —Jeffrey in Redwood City
Jeffrey, I want you to imagine this: It’s Monday night, and you’ve just blocked out two hours for the season finale of “24.” During the next 120 minutes, as Jack Bauer saves everyone from everything, how often do you think you’ll see him with armfuls of papers, rustling through them for reference while he’s disarming a bomb or finding the bad guys? Never. Why? Because it’s on his phone. It’s on his thumb drive. It’s on his laptop or if and when there’s “24: The Movie,” on his iPad. It’s all about quick, simple, efficient, on-demand information access — especially when TV lives are on the line.
At the core, the trade show world isn’t very different. The smart companies are getting away from traditional media entirely. The trend started with moving from glossy paper handouts to CDs … then to 1 gig thumb drives. The next logical step is to point all those iPhone and iPad-toting attendees to a dedicated website landing page. Why burn through paper and budget when you can just direct people to YourNameHere.com/Interop? Virtually every trade show attendee has a handheld digital device, or two. Now it’s up to all of us to utilize them. In the meantime, exhibitors featuring innovative ways to share information will continue to best the booths with stacks and stacks of paper. At a recent show, one company was handing out 2-gig storage drives that were the no larger than a credit card. All that literature that would get trashed, was now treasured right there next to your Amex card. Brilliant.
Oh yeah, and those high capacity storage devices also lend themselves beautifully to video testimonials, product demos and other things that paper just can’t deliver.
I believe that attendees need to take some responsibility for this problem as well. Just last month I watched someone at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas, going through their trade show bag and dumping just about EVERYTHING into the trash. Well, they DID rescue the t-shirts and flying monkeys …
Attendees should ask themselves — while still at the show — if they really need all those papers. They should also be asking the exhibitors if they have a green, travel-friendly alternative. If exhibitors find themselves going home with almost all of the literature they showed up with, how fast do you think they’ll adjust? Immediately!
Jeffrey, it’s not just about being green; it’s about being smart … and taking advantage of all the opportunities available in the digital trade show world.
Have an industry-related question? Send “Newman” an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.
Well said Ken! I think there’s also a potential tie-in idea with more personalized marketing. Paper marketing is generic and focuses entirely on the product. How about instead, you and the prospect create a digital document while you’re at the booth that’s tailored precisely to how your products meet their needs, and load THAT on to a thumb drive?
Great thinking, Andy. Focusing on ‘problem/solution’ is always the way to go.
Electronic links often provide a better solution Newman because of the $0 cost but also because of the viral/evergreen nature of a link to a website. 2-4-6 months after the event when you have time/budget/need you can click the link and get accurate and current information. We provide this capability on a as needed basis. Very cost effective compared to the cost of disposable hard drives plus you can resend the customer specified information on request.
Great read – but for experiential shows such as food shows, taste shows or plant shows… many people still visit for the freebies. Maybe food suppliers should be handing out mini hotdogs with thumb drives.
For years, whenever I am faced with a booth staff that wants to bring 100 lbs of literature, I’ve weened them off their reliance on brochures by suggesting we bring 25 of the one piece that’s important to us and “see what happens.” It’s worked every time … the next time we bring 5-10 pieces for the hard core “brochure-ophiles” amongst us and the team is relieved they don’t have to keep shipping those darn boxes!
I think that many of you are on a wild goose chase to get rid of print. However when I am at a trade show, the first day I am overwhelmed with the amount of booths and options out there, so what do I do? I grab relevant catalogs and bring them back to my hotel room. That night I sort through them and decide what I really want to investigate and possibly purchase and visit those booths the next day. I have gotten many flash drives and CD’s and usually they sit on a desk in the hotel room as it is too cumbersome to load everything onto my laptop if I even bring it with me. I do like the flash drives as I can erase the content and use them for other purposes. Paper catalogs are still the easiest to work with and I would definitely be disappointed if they disappeared. Am I the only one?