If You’ve Got the Goods, Keep Your Message Deliciously Simple
I recently had the pleasure of spending some time in Tuscany. Not surprisingly, one of the big highlights was the food. Oh, the food! Exquisite, delicious … and simple. More than anything, what I re-learned in Tuscany is how phenomenal something uncomplicated can be. Most meals contained one spice, one main ingredient and one sauce or dressing made from a fruit or vegetable plucked from the garden just outside the kitchen window.
Simple is tasty. Simple is beautiful. And simple is memorable.
Simple is tasty. Simple is beautiful. And simple is memorable.
One afternoon, my travel companion and I took a hike in the Chianti region on a return leg from Volpaia to Radda. As I reflected on the incredible Tuscan meal we had just shared, I found myself thinking about trade shows. (OK, it only lasted for about five seconds, but still …) What I walked away with was a renewed desire to bring a “menu” of simple, succinct messaging back home with me.
Ninety-five percent of the time, trade show messages are too complicated. Yes, the technology may be intricate or advanced, but the telling of story doesn’t have to be. It fact, it needs to be simple. It needs to have two or three high-quality ingredients just like the meals in Tuscany (perhaps the technology, a feature and a benefit). Whatever those ingredients are, they need to be mixed in as simple a way as possible … and that’s it. Delicious, digestible, memorable.
Every time I ate a meal in Tuscany, I thought to myself, “This is so simple. I can cook this!” But I’d need that sage. I’d need olive oil that good. I’d need red wine that fine. I’d need noodles and tomatoes that fresh.
Hiking in the Chianti region, reflecting on great meals and great messaging.
So, Part I is keeping it simple, and Part II is having the right components. What it looks like when you don’t have the right components is those people at trade shows trying to sell “vaporware” — essentially mixing a whole bunch of stuff up in a convoluted mirage of messaging. In reality, there’s nothing there. It’s “The Emperor’s New Trade Show Product” hidden in a complicated presentation.
If you have the right components — if you have compelling technology — then have faith in that. Have faith that what you’re there to talk about is worthwhile and just find the simplest possible presentation of that information.
Be a Top Tuscan Chef. And whip up something delicious at your next trade show.
