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In This Issue
The State of the Trade Show
Trade Show 3.0
Continuing Blogs from a Mad Man
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Then And Now

Two years ago, in what was just our second issue of The Claymanite, we featured an examination of an emerging phenomenon - Virtual Trade Shows. Back in 2009, Virtual Trade Shows promised to be a logical replacement for the faltering live event industry that had been hit hard by rising fuel prices and a bad economy. Back then it was hard to rationalize leaving a desk unmanned for days at a time, and it was even harder to rationalize the costs of plane travel, hotel stays, and all of the other expenses associated with going to trade shows. The Virtual Trade Show seemed to be a logical replacement. You could generate leads as you would at a trade show, but you never had to leave your office chair.

A lot has happened over the last two years, so we thought we would revisit the trade show industry and see how it has changed since we last covered it in our 2009 e-newsletter.

This edition of the Claymanite will bring you up to speed on the state of trade shows (primarily in the B2B world where we dwell). Are Virtual Trade Shows still around? Have they become more or less common? We will also identify some new ways to create a presence at trade shows, both virtually and in person, that can make your company unforgettable.



 
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The State of the Trade Show -- 2011

When we talk about the Trade Show or Event Industry in the first months of 2011, there are three categories that we need to evaluate: 1) Live events,  2) Virtual events, and  3) "Hybrid" events - live events that incorporate a virtual/digital aspect.

1. Live Events

Depending on the industry in which you live and work, Live Trade Shows have either been holding steady on somewhat of a flatline or they have been faltering. According to a July 2010 article in BtoB Magazine, the manufacturing sector is usually the leading indicator of how trade shows are faring As of the publication of that article, IMTS (International Manufacturing & Technology Show) revenue from exhibitor space was down 13% according to the Association for Manufacturing Technology. At the time, a 13% decrease was considered a massive improvement because sales had been down 75% in 2009. In late 2010, after IMTS was over, all reports from the show indicated that despite a smaller crowd, the mood was generally upbeat and positive.

In some industries, live trade shows have merged to create a broader experience and opportunity for show visitors. For example, some medical device and technology shows have combined with other related industries so that attendees can benefit from the expanded body of exhibitors. In still other industries, like the Healthcare industry, conferences and conventions remain a preferred way to learn about new products.

To put it simply, live events are not dead, and they probably are not even mortally wounded. However, the long term impact of increasing costs of exhibiting and travel and expanding constraints on people's time leaves the future prospects somewhat hazy. Because of the changing realities of the new world economy, it's no accident that the concept of the Virtual Trade Show has not disappeared over the last two years and, in fact, has continued to grow.

2. Virtual Events

Virtual Trade Shows have become more prominent over the last two years. This could be in part because of Social Media's increased role in marketing. Virtual Trade Shows allow companies to network in a 'social way' with customers and other industry leaders. There are still aspects of the virtual experience that need to be improved. For example, a lot of virtual conferences promote the event by entering visitors into a drawing if they click to ten virtual booths. This is good for the show, but it means that a lot of companies receive unqualified (or even uninterested) leads. Additionally, as an August 2010 BtoB Magazine article reported, visitors to virtual conferences miss the face-to-face connections that live events offer.

Despite the loss of the human touch, however, virtual events also offer numerous benefits. In addition to saving travel expenses and time, virtual events allow exhibitors to create deep links back to their website, promote videos and literature, and chat live with visitors in a stress-free, uncrowded environment. Most of all, attendees can visit many different booths and collect a great deal of information at their own preferred pace.

Virtual Trade Shows seem only to be increasing in popularity in many different industries. As the technology improves and as more information about the ROI of these events becomes available, we expect Virtual Trade Shows will continue to grow.

3. "Hybrid" Events

A relatively new addition to the trade show/event marketing industry is the Hybrid Event. These are primarily live events, but a live virtual stream is also available. This has become increasingly popular in part because Twitter users who can't make it to the event can still watch the live stream and tweet out updates, thus promoting the show and spreading valuable information. Sometimes the live stream is offered for free, and at other times there is a highly discounted rate for watching the stream live.

The biggest disadvantage to the "hybrid" event is that those participating virtually don't yet have a way to interact fully with the participants and speakers who are at the event live. This is a facet of these kinds of events that needs to be addressed over the coming months. In general, however, these types of events are showing a great deal of promise and seem to offer the best of both worlds.

What are your opinions about the trade show/event industry? We'd love to hear your thoughts!


 
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Trade Show 3.0
 
Over the last few months, we've been talking to you about a lot of new marketing ideas. We've discussed Social Media with you, we've talked about the increasing importance of videos as marketing tools, and we've also talked a lot about QR codes.

The marketing world is changing at a dizzying pace, and sometimes it's hard to grasp how new marketing techniques can enhance existing or "traditional" marketing tactics. To that end, we share below 15 ways to integrate newer marketing concepts into your trade show strategy.

We've broken these recommendations down into three main categories:
1. Video
2. QR Codes
3. Social Media.

However, number 15 is in a new category of Geo-Location technology, which has not taken off in a huge way in the B2B world but which could be an extremely useful tool on the show floor.

We hope these 15 ideas give you some insight into how traditional and new tactics can be integrated across your marketing campaign.

Video


1. Product demonstrations - If you tend to demonstrate how to use products when you are at trade shows, consider digitally  recording one of your demo sessions. These instructional videos are powerful additions to a website and/or a YouTube channel.

2. Customer testimonials - Often, a customer or prospect will come to your booth and excitedly explain why they love your product. To capitalize on these kinds of exchanges, offer visitors an opportunity to go on camera and record a live testimonial.

3. Q&A Session: Invite visitors to submit questions about your products and services. Answer some of the questions and tell visitors to look for answers on your website. This is a great way to follow up with prospects after a show because it gives them a reason to visit your website.

4. Presentations: If someone from your company is giving a presentation at a trade show, make sure your company can access a video of the speech or seminar. Not only does this create highly valuable content for your website, but the content can also be used to develop white papers and other literature pieces.

5. Sales Meetings: If you use trade shows or conferences as an opportunity to gather your sales force together for a meeting, consider recording the meeting. Not only does this ensure that everyone will be moving forward with the same information, but it also creates a memorable way to follow up with your team. A cover letter with an enclosed DVD is something your sales force will appreciate.

QR Code Usage 


6. On a Booth graphic: Are you finding that a certain product attracts a lot of attention but also a lot of questions? Consider adding a QR code to the booth graphic that promotes that product. If a visitor to your booth can scan a code to learn more about a product, they will be able to learn more without having to wait until you have a free moment. This will also free up more of your time and will allow you to talk about your product offerings in a new and more detailed manner.

7. On Literature: Using a QR code on literature at a show can perform just as the code on a booth graphic can. One way to track the ROI of this tactic is to create a special landing page unique to the show. All QR codes would lead people to that special landing page. This would enable you to track how many people reviewed literature from the show, and it would also enable you to track how long some visitors to your booth hold on to product literature. Imagine, for example, seeing a hit to your special landing page a full month or more after the show has ended!

8. On Promotional Items: A QR code on your promotional items would be something unique, and visitors may be more likely to hold on to the item because QR codes are still new enough to attract interest on their own. Again, creating a special landing page that would capture people using these QR codes could provide valuable insights into your trade show ROI.

9. For Contests: While forms are hard to fill out on mobile devices, visitors to your booth could scan a QR code that would take them to one of your product videos. They could then fill out a brief "quiz" on the video in order to enter into a drawing for a prize.

10. On products: Enhance a product demonstration by scanning a QR code to an informational video or page while you are meeting with a customer. This not only shows that you want to give them as much information as possible, but it also introduces them to your website.

Social Media


11. Dip your toe in the water: If you want to try Twitter, doing so at a trade show is a great idea. Not only can you network with people live while also adding them to your Twitter community, but you can also immediately establish yourself as a resource as you "tweet" from the show floor.

12. Facebook Fans Feel the Love: Create a company Facebook page enough in advance so that you can promote your booth at the show. Tell your "fans" that if they come visit you at the show and can prove they're a fan of your page, they'll get entered into a drawing. This will drive traffic to your page as well as to your booth and will also enable you to create face-to-face meetings with your virtual supporters. This deeper level of interaction will also make it easier to capture contact information for existing and/or potential customers.

13. Keep track of the questions: If you are thinking about starting a blog, a great way to generate content is to keep track of questions that you are fielding again and again at a show. Your answers to these questions can each represent topics extremely useful for blog posts once the show is over. Make sure you reference who asked the questions you are answering when you can. People will always gravitate towards and forward content in which they are mentioned by name.

14. LinkedIn Link-Ups: Along with collecting business cards, ask people if they would ever link up with you on LinkedIn (handing them a business card of yours with a QR code link to your LinkedIn profile is a nice touch).

Geo-Location


15. Check-in at your booth: In the B2B world, geo-location technology and coupon technology are not catching fire the way they are in the consumer world. However, if you think that attendees would be in the demographic that would use sites like Foursquare to track where they go, enticing people to "check in" to your booth to enter a drawing could be a fun activity that would also show that you're ahead of the curve.

These are just 15 ways to integrate fairly new marketing tactics into your trade show presence. There are of course many other ways to integrate these concepts into other traditional ideas like pre- and post-show mailers, email marketing, and more. Talk to us about how you want to enhance your presence at your next trade show!  
Continuing Blogs from a Mad Man   
Larry's commenting on topics he has grabbed right from the headlines. Read his blog to get his take.  
Sincerely,