Create a Traffic Jam at Your Booth

You’re driving down the highway. You see a billboard. You glance at it. Then, your eyes are back on the road. You don’t slow down and read the fine print.  You don’t pull over and climb the ladder to get a closer look. You just glance at it and it’s gone. Those advertisers know what they’re doing. They KNOW their audience is a moving target with a very small window for impact and success. So, that message has a powerful graphic. It’s simple, with a memorable message. It brands the company and it’s evocative. It’s the classic example of effective high-speed advertising.

And your booth better be the best damn billboard you’ve ever seen!

Imagine your trade show attendees weren’t just fast-walking down the trade show aisles; they’re traveling at 65 mph right past your booth—that booth where you’ve invested so much time and money. The reality is, you don’t have to IMAGINE it. If you’ve ever witnessed that staring-at-the-carpet, “don’t-even-TRY-to-talk-to-me-I’m-busy,” look, they might as well be going 65 mph, ’cause they sure ain’t stopping to talk to YOU!

So what do you do?  What can you put on a sign? What single message will make people slam on the brakes and cause a nice little pileup right in front of your booth? It has to convey: The most incredible thing in the world, THIS exit! But how in the world do you come up with THAT?

You want a showstopping billboard? Lead!

PUSH your marketing people. PUSH your sign designers. PUSH for something that’s not like everything else. Evoke unusual graphics. Demand a distinct style. Reinforce that your brand is more than just a marketing message with a large typeface and some clip art … Then, trust your team to execute without feeling like the Sword of Damocles is hanging by a thread over their heads, ready to drop if something doesn’t match the typical exec-approved aesthetic. If they don’t truly believe they have the latitude to create outside the box without getting smacked down, they’ll simply recycle the type of nondescript signage that soars through approvals.

There are really only two criteria: Does it favorably reflect your brand? And … does it make people STOP?

Those attendees are whizzing by at 65 mph. Make them pull off at your exit.

Author’s note: What’s worked for you at past trade shows? What’s been your signage showstopper? Let’s put together an awesome list for everyone to leverage in their next brainstorming session!

Tags: Booth design, Booth staff, brainstorming, building trust, signage
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Want Better Trade Show Results This Year? Improvise.

When the fiery John Tortorella was head coach of the Tampa Bay Lighting, he had a motto emblazoned for his team to live by: “Safe is Death.” They won the Stanley Cup in 2004 living by those words. And in many respects, the same holds true with trade shows—especially when you’ve gotten familiar and comfortable with your “teammates.”

Be careful that you’re not on autopilot with trade show planning, presentations, marketing and booth design. If you’re just going through the motions and making the safe choices you know will get through the approval process, the specter of “trade show death” is already hovering. I mean, if you’re bored, don’t you think that’s reflected in your trade show presence? Don’t you think attendees can pick up on that tedium and strut right on by? Ennui isn’t exactly a trade show aphrodisiac.

How about this time, you start over. From scratch. I’m talking 4-5 months before the show, get those marketing directors, department managers and corporate personnel in a room around a table and find a completely different, utterly fantastic way to deliver your message and present your brand. Yes, easier said than done. But here’s your roadmap …

A New Trade Show Approach is Only an Improvisation Away

Imagine you’re sitting at that meeting table. Some people you know well. Some faces are relatively new. Some extroverts are champing at the bit to share their ideas, and some others are looking for a potted plant to hide behind. But you’ve got to come up with something all together. The biggest danger to the best ideas is the issue of intimidation. Group leaders (either by personality or rank) will always let you know what they think. But oftentimes the best ideas are in the heads of those who are too shy to share or those who no longer speak up because they’ve been burned in the past when they’ve tried. It’s essential you tap the brainpower of the entire team, and improv is a tremendous way to do so.

Try this exercise I learned from improv guru William Hall: One person shares an idea, and the next person MUST say, “Yes, and …” (no matter how outrageous or objectionable the prior statement). See where it goes. Keep playing for 10 minutes or however much longer it takes to get fully around the table. Make sure someone (in addition to playing along) scribes the key concepts on a whiteboard. People will say some crazy things, but there’s always a genius idea in there somewhere from which an entire trade show presence can launch. And don’t be surprised if that idea emerges from a really quiet person finally emboldened by the notion that every idea has equal validity!

Now, the biggest buzzkill to this lovefest is when the manager with true approval power isn’t involved in the exercise and subsequently shoots it down. So plan ahead, and make sure all the key decision-makers are in the room and participating. If you’re a part of the solution in real-time, it’s transformative and melts the hearts of even the most rigid mangers.

This exercise can work to develop all the elements of a trade show—from the theme to the message to the giveaways to the booth layout and flow. But make sure that when the meeting wraps, you’ve developed a rock-solid 30-second elevator pitch of what you want to communicate to your trade show audience. From that, it’s easier to craft a catchphrase, billboard tagline and anything else.

Get out of that rut! This is your clarion call for more creativity, more fun, better ideas and better results! Because as Coach Torts would say, “Safe is Death.”

Tags: big ideas, cohesion, improvisation, results, William Hall
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Auto-Scan Hell – When Knowing ‘Everything’ is Worse Than Knowing ‘Nothing’

They’re at it again. I can personally report from a recent large and well-known trade show that this time they’re armed with massive mounted RFID auto-scan receivers. Yes. It seems that many trade show exhibitors are still on that ill-fated mission to capture the details of EVERY attendee at the show. Sure, right now they’re “only” capturing every attendee in the vicinity of their booth … but why stop there? Just a little more wattage—a little more juice—and you can return to Headquarters touting 40,000 leads from your last show. You. Can. Have. Them. ALL. (Insert diabolical laughter, here.)

Coming Soon: Attack of the RFID Scanners!

The only problem, as we know, is these are light-years from true qualified leads. Sure, you can make yourself a nice little certificate touting your lead total, print it out, frame it and mount it on the wall. Sure, you can win the pissing contest with your other scan-crazy colleagues. But what are they planning to do with all those names, and better yet, WHO’S going to sift through them all, if at all? It’s the trade-show equivalent of those sadly horrifying “Hoarders” reality shows. Too much “stuff” is just as paralyzing as having nothing at all.

And like any sickness, you begin to experience unwanted side effects. All that emphasis on acquisition (and theoretically on processing) leaves a vacuum in corporate intelligence. Say your company makes a multimillion-dollar sale. Well, where did that sale originate? If you can’t answer THAT, then how can you be sure to do more of what worked? Most companies do not have sophisticated mechanisms for connecting those dots and tracking all the way from “lead” to “sale” years later. In fact, bringing home 40,000 names from a trade show only pollutes the quality of that data. At that point, you may have the right name buried on a list, but did you do anything with it? What happened after that trade show? Did someone actually find that needle in the haystack, or is it mere coincidence while something or someone else entirely initiated conversations with that client?

Ultimately, beyond the manpower and brainpower needed to make sense of all that auto-scan data, what happens when everyone jumps on the bandwagon? One suit pushes a button, and a massive RFID shockwave roars through the entire show floor. Seconds later, the details of every attendee are transmitted to every exhibitor. It’s Minute 1 of Day 1 of your trade show, and you and everyone else already has “all” the leads. Based on that line of thinking, you might as well all just pack up and go home.

Tags: auto-scan, corporate intelligence, lead acquisition, lead follow up, qualified leads
Posted in Booth design, Booth staff, Lead generation & follow up, Trade show news & trends | 4 Comments »

Are You Being ‘Kid Friendly’ at your trade shows?

Many trade shows don’t allow children. But if you happen to be working one that does, you simply cannot afford to ignore that fact. When children are attendees too, all the rules change for the better. It’s easier to grab a group’s attention. It’s easier to start a conversation. And it’s easier to advance that conversation into rewarding territory. Now, your immediate reaction may be, “Hey, you can’t take advantage of the children!” I wouldn’t dream of it. No, my intention is to always captivate the children: Get them excited. Get them having fun. Get them paying attention. Because you know what? The parents will (and often must) follow.

Here’s an easy example: Try a magic trick at a trade show for a small group of adults. If it’s the right trick with some sort of natural segue to your product or technology, it may very well be a helpful mechanism to drive further discussion. But try that same magic trick for the kids, and woah! Now we’re on to something! Before you know it the kids are out of their minds with excitement. Next thing you know, you’re performing for a captive audience of 40—kids and adults—who have gathered around. It’s a simple mantra: Once you have the kids, you have the parents. And once you have the parents, you have everyone.

It’s the fundamental difference between trying to get the rapt attention of a businessperson fast-walking down the aisle staring at their Blackberry and getting the attention of a wide-eyed youngster in a stroller who can’t believe you just pulled ten thumb drives out of your left ear.

There’s a Child in Us All

Unless you’re in a specialized niche, the vast majority of your trade shows will likely NOT be kid-friendly. In those instances, they key is to find that inner child in the adults surrounding you. Your booth presence needs to feel kinetic— movement, sound, bright, visually appealing colors and a centerpiece that deserves and demands attention.  And yes, that could even be a professional trade show presenter.

It’s going to take a lot to stop that Blackberry power-walker in their tracks. But we can all be distracted. Think of all those YouTube videos with a gazillion views. You think all those views happened after work hours and on weekends? No, my friend. Someone who was working productively got an email and got distracted. And then that person stayed because the content was compelling. A trade show booth has strong similarities. When looking for the inner child in adult trade show attendees, think Walt Disney. Think about not just creating a booth, but creating an attraction! What is the thing that will make the little kid in you put your hand on the stroller and say, “Daddy! Stop here!” When you’ve found that, you’ve found the heart of your trade show presence.

P.S.: When my son was in a stroller, he never ONCE asked me to take him to “PowerPoint World.”

Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.

Tags: Booth design, crowd gathering, human behavior, inner child, kids
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What if You Were the Hottest Thing on the Trade Show Floor?

Today I have a question for all the smaller companies and startups I see on this endless trade show journey: If you were the biggest name in your field, how would you handle yourself?

I’ve talked before about timid exhibitors cowering in a small booth, spending most of their time staring at a bowl of Junior Mints. To a certain extent, it’s understandable. There’s a player to your left in a 70 x 70 with a putting green. There’s a big dog to your right, with more crowd gatherers than you have employees.

And then there’s you, in your pop-up booth. Small. New-ish. Unproven … as both a trade show presence and a technology. But what if you were the baddest company on the trade show block? What if you were a super-heavyweight among heavyweights. In the immortal words of Cheers, what if everybody knew your name, and they were always glad you came?

If you were truly the most important company on the trade show floor (and everybody knew it), you would walk differently. You would talk differently. There’d be a certain swagger and authority you’d bring to every interaction. Even contemplating that notion and conjuring the mental image creates a bit of a shift. It just feels different. And if carried through to the exhibit hall, it’ll look different to everyone around you.

It’s really no different than what you’d tell a socially awkward junior high student about that dreaded walk through the cafeteria: Just act like you belong, and soon enough, you will. In fact, act like a rock star, and soon you’ll have groupies of your own.

We spend so much time worrying about all the nitty-gritty elements that go into a trade-show presence—building the booth, selecting the signage and messaging, showcasing the product—that it’s easy to overlook the importance of attitude. The truth is, a good head game is often more important than a strong trade show ground game.

So, at your next trade show, when those attendees come tearing through the aisles, act like they’re there to see YOU.  Act like you OWN the joint. Don’t worry, those Junior Mints aren’t going anywhere.

Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.

Tags: attitude, Booth staff, booth traffic, connection, startups
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What if You Were Googled & it Came Up, ‘Never Heard of ‘Em’?

If no one knew who you were, how would you present your brand?

It’s a powerful question for anyone to ask, but it’s especially potent for companies that have been around a long time. What if this was your very first trade show … What if no one knew a thing about what you do or what you stand for. Everything is brand new and shiny: The slogan is new. The identity package is new. The product positioning is new. Consider it a corporate time machine, and you’ve got the key.

Now, what would you do? What would look different? What would sound different? How would you want the public to perceive you? This isn’t just some team-building exercise; it’s an opportunity to see your company image honestly and reflect on what it might be. The road is littered with the wreckage of companies that got complacent. What does the startup in you want to do?

_________________

Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.

Tags: Brand image, time machines, trade show opportunities
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What the Royal Wedding Can Teach You About Trade Shows

Tags: anticipation, booth buzz, crowd gathering, preparation, storytelling
Posted in Booth design, Booth staff, Lead generation & follow up, Trade show giveaways, Trade show news & trends, Trade show presentations, Trade shows & social media | 1 Comment »

Tear Down Your Trade Show Booth

We all want a better trade show booth. We all want to be the hit of the show—the booth that has otherworldly magnetic pull and Gorilla Glue on the carpet keeping those attendees stuck in your space. And we all wish there was an easy way to make that happen.

Well, in some ways, there is!  Although it might mean having to be a bit brutal with your booth.

The trade show floor gives you the best possible opportunity to see what works and what you can change. It’s a virtual Petri dish of booth experiments taking place—and someone has just discovered that trade show booth breakthrough. You just have to step far enough out of your own booth to find out what it is. That’s the beauty of it: You don’t have to reinvent the wheel; you just have to cruise the floor and see if there’s a better one out there.

Here’s what to do at your next trade show:

1) Get away from your booth. Literally back yourself against a wall if you have to, but get far enough away to be able to objectively observe attendees interacting with (or walking away from) your booth space. I know you spent a fortune on that booth or at least put a lot of love into it. But for a moment, disconnect yourself from your own brand. Imagine you’re just a random person walking the floor. Look at your booth. Do you have a clear idea what these guys do? Would you want to go in there? What are the people around you doing? Why?

2) Now walk around. But walk around differently than ever before: You’re not cruising for clients and prospects; you’re just an attendee strolling the grounds. Again, look objectively. Which booth looks most inviting? Where do you want to go? What’s pulling you? Is it interesting or entertaining? Is it a catchy message or flashy graphics? Is it a magician submerged in a water tank? What is grabbing you?

3) Keep walking. You’ll likely blow past lots of small booths with dispirited folks staring at their smartphones. No problem. Channel your inner tradeshow attendee.  Imagine you’re on a quest for the ultimate giveaway. But, in this case, the “giveaway” you’re looking for may be the one brilliant idea that will make your next booth better.

4) Return to your booth, reflecting on your experience. On the way back, pay special attention to traffic flow and location. Now, granted, you may not have your choice of the prime real estate at the show, but you should still do some reconnaissance. Does the booth by the main entrance get the most traffic, or do people blow right past it to get deeper into the hall? Check out the booths near the bathrooms or Food Court. How are they doing? Is it worth considering positioning yourself next to some of the biggest players at the show? Or just to get as close to the Starbucks as you can??

5) Review this checklist, circling anything that really leapt out at you during your journey:

•  Visual appeal (circle all that apply): The booth was eye catching. The lighting was visually stimulating. The activity drew me in. The live presentation was captivating.

•  Flow: It was as if I accidentally strolled right into the booth and stayed there … or once I was in, something about the booth kept me there.

•  Personnel: The booth staff members were engaging, smiling at me from afar, were interested in what I was saying and asked interesting, open-ended questions that kept me talking and learning.

•  Location: I ended up in the booth because of what it was near. What was it near?

•  Clarity & power of messaging/signage: The message made me stop in my tracks. It was as effective and memorable as a great highway billboard.

Go through this exercise.  Pay attention.  And you just might walk away with something that will make your next trade show the best one you’ve ever done.

I’m going to end this post with asking something of you: Post comments with your booth observations here. What did you see that worked? What can you change next time? What have you changed already that made a difference?

It could be after trying this exercise or just based on past experience. My goal is to compile a list of your responses and post it for everyone’s benefit. With your help, we’ll create a magical list of specific ways to improve your next booth.

Do you have an industry-related question you’d like answered on “Hey Newman”? Send him an e-mail and get your inquiry answered on the blog.

Tags: booth buzz, Booth design, Booth staff, booth traffic, trade show opportunities
Posted in Booth design, Booth staff, Trade show giveaways, Trade show news & trends, Trade show presentations | 5 Comments »

How a Bunch of Has-been’s Took Over Sundance (Part II)

This is Part II of a guest post by “Nominated” director/writer Dan Pavlik. If you haven’t read Part I, click here.

Soon after, I was in a shuttle with an Australian reporter whose wife had a documentary in the festival. We struck up a conversation, and when I mentioned Nominated, he said, “Man, I’ve heard a lot about that.”

It was definitely the soft sell. We weren’t shoving swag or DVDs in people’s faces. It was a grassroots effort where the attendees became the advocates of our concept. And as the festival went on, the time we had to put into “selling” was reduced every day. It began to feed on itself, so after four or five days, our people were getting recognized for wearing the “Has-Been” logo and people were stopping us and asking if we had any more of those “Has-Been” t-shirts.

We felt our way through it as we learned the ins and outs of Park City, but it was definitely working. The “Has-Been” logo didn’t even have the name of our movie on it, but proved to be a successful icebreaker. And once in conversation, people would ask us, “What’s that about?” We just led with a provoking question rather than pushing our film. Ken said he felt absolutely fearless going up to anyone. And it was because he wasn’t desperately trying to sell; he was hanging out and having a good time. We talked to Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Greg Kinnear, Jeremy Piven, Ray Liotta, Cheryl Hines, Julia Ormond, Andie MacDowell, Elijah Wood, Ed Helms and James Franco, and at least half walked away with “Has-Been” buttons pinned to them.

Coldest Rock Band Session Ever

I did a corporate event a week and a half before Sundance. At that event, we played Rock Band. It was a fun sendoff for the group, and those people had a blast. So, we decided: That’s what we’ll do. We’ll set up Rock Band and invite people to play and never even mention the movie. We found a spot outside in the 14-degree temperatures, did our best to look like we belonged there and set up a 9-foot screen projecting the hit rhythm video game.

Two things happened:

(1)  We got tons of foot traffic, and we’d just give people buttons and t-shirts as they left. We had this incredible stream of people coming to play and have fun—and we weren’t selling anything at all.

(2)  As they left, they were going out into the city telling people about what was going on. So, as the night went on we continued to get more and more people, who in turn became our button- and shirt-wearing marketing team throughout the grounds.

We were able to make our audience active participants as well as the entertainment itself! And because we were asking nothing of them, there was no resistance. It just worked.

Dan Pavlik is the director/writer of Nominated, which also co-stars Ken Newman of “Hey Newman” fame. For more information about the film and director, click here.

Tags: booth traffic, crowd gathering, Nominated, Rock Band, swag
Posted in Booth design, Booth staff, Trade show giveaways, Trade show news & trends, Trade show presentations | 1 Comment »

Sundance Film Festival: A Trade Show in the Snow

The Sundance Film Festival is the largest independent film festival in the United States. But looked at another way, it’s one really big, really prestigious trade show laid out across a small ski city. Everyone is selling something. Every exhibitor has a dedicated space to present and promote what they’re selling. And there’s the widest possible range of presentations of those goods—from full sets and hired talent to over-eager personnel with little business savvy and no social skills.

Sound familiar?

Yes, Sundance is all about promoting and selling movies, but it’s also a microcosm for many of the things we regularly discuss on this trade show blog. This past month, I had the pleasure of attending Sundance along with director/writer Dan Pavlik, and a condo-full of fellow cast and crew members.  We were there to promote our film, “Nominated.”

No, this post isn’t about boosting awareness for the movie; it’s about the adventure we had there … and how it relates to trade show success anywhere.  (But, if you really want to see our movie, we’re not about to stop you.)

Let me start by admitting something:  We weren’t invited. That’s right. Our film didn’t actually make it into Sundance.  But we showed up anyway.  We didn’t go to Park City, Utah, to “sell” our movie. We went there to enjoy ourselves—to have as much fun as we could squeeze into seven days. And, oh yes, to make a few contacts.

That was the best decision we could have made. And a big reason we were so successful.

Let me ask you something: Do you go to a cocktail party and immediately start handing out business cards to anyone with a pulse?  Do you get on Twitter and immediately start hawking your “How to Get Five Million Followers Fast” webinar?

Not if you’re smart, you don’t.

You also don’t stand at the corner of your trade show booth, run up to every attendee you see and scream, “Get in here and BUY MY STUFF!”

In the same vein, you don’t go to Sundance and try to force your DVD down producers’ throats or project your film on a snow bank. Yes it’s been done, and generally, it won’t get you any love.

But what you CAN do is be the life of the party and create such a fun and memorable scene for everyone around you that they flock to your side and eventually ask—on their own—“What brings you here?” That’s what we all did … and did … and did. We used trade show tricks and magic. We used humor and intrigue. We even used Rock Band. And when the festival ended, those producers had our DVDs and business cards. Those celebrities were wearing our buttons. Those attendees knew our film’s name and assumed we had a featured spot in the festival. It was a rousing success—all because we figured out a way to make people come to us.

I’m going to let Dan tell you the story in his own words (complete with a little name-dropping) on this blog later in the week. In the meantime, think about other social situations you’ve been in that might provide a good lesson on “how to behave” at trade shows.

—Ken Newman

Tags: human behavior, Nominated, Rock Band, Sundance Film Festival, trade shows
Posted in Booth design, Booth staff, Lead generation & follow up, Trade show giveaways, Trade show news & trends, Trade show presentations, Trade shows & social media | 3 Comments »