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SIZZLE AWARDS |
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 ow do you differentiate your company on the show floor? If you’re Exhibit Works Inc., an exhibit- and event-marketing company based in Detroit, you redefine a traditional sweet treat and serve it up trade show style. Put simply, you give attendees s’more.
At EXHIBITOR2006, an annual trade show and conference for exhibit and event managers, Exhibit Works hit a sweet spot with its theme “Redefine Your Expectations” and its in-booth traffic builder, which allowed attendees to make bite-sized, conversation-starting s’mores that were more than just delicious — they were also unique metaphors for Exhibit Works as a traditional, yet innovative, company.
Exhibit Works left EXHIBITOR2005 with the knowledge that 60 percent of visitors surveyed had never even heard of the company. While Exhibit Works attributed much of this low brand awareness to high turnover in the exhibiting field and a significant percentage of new attendees at the show, it wanted to turn up the heat at EXHIBITOR2006 by drawing traffic to its exhibit and offering attendees a unique and memorable booth experience.
With a total show budget of $150,000, Exhibit Works redefined its own expectations and set some lofty goals for its presence at EXHIBITOR2006. It hoped to attract 198 attendees to its booth — 25 percent more than in 2005 — and secure five RFPs and additional new business from the show.
Starting the Fire
To accomplish its goals, Exhibit Works developed the theme, “Redefine Your Expectations.” The tagline was meant to encourage attendees to forget what they know about exhibit houses and to re-think and possibly redefine their trade show programs.
“We were really saying ‘redefine your expectations of an exhibit house,’” says Laura DeMeulemeester, marketing manager at Exhibit Works. “We strive to be a consultative partner rather than an order taker. Maybe we won’t recommend a traditional booth, but an executive briefing center or a mobile marketing program — whatever is the best overall solution for reaching clients’ business goals. We try to help clients redefine the way they think about their programs.”
To help attendees redefine their expectations and encourage quality conversation about their programs, Exhibit Works took a deliciously unexpected in-booth activity, redefined it, and sat around the campfire making s’mores — and conversation — and forging relationships with its booth visitors.
“We took a feel-good, familiar experience,” DeMeulemeester says, “and executed it our way — the Exhibit Works way.”
Working Up an Appetite
Before the show, Exhibit Works sent out an oversized postcard to 513 people, inviting them to “Get S’More” by visiting its booth. The mailer directed attendees to complete an online survey with an incentive to win a custom s’mores kit, containing a wooden s’mores platter, bamboo marshmallow skewers, and all the fixings to make their own s’mores. An e-blast targeted 604 other attendees and directed them
to the same survey.
Next, Exhibit Works went 3-D with a mailer to whet the appetites and interests of eight targeted members of the press. The mailer previewed the booth experience by including a piece of chocolate embossed with the Exhibit Works logo, a flavored marshmallow, and a graham cracker. It also included a handwritten note (to stand out in an age of e-mail) introducing Exhibit Works and inviting recipients to visit its booth.
The final ingredient in Exhibit Works’ pre-show strategy was a room drop the night before the show opened. Instead of putting a boring old mint on attendees’ pillows, Exhibit Works arranged to have a 2-ounce chocolate square, embossed with the company’s logo, placed on every bed in the show’s room block at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Covered in copper-colored foil with the company logo and booth number displayed on the wrapper, the room drop reinforced the theme and served as yet another touchpoint to increase awareness of the Exhibit Works brand.
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Whether attendees were traditionalists or mavericks when it came to their taste in s’mores, Exhibit Works Inc.’s s’mores bar encouraged prospects to redefine their expectations of what gives a treat — or an exhibit partnership — a little something s’more. |
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Three marshmallow varieties — vanilla, strawberry, and espresso — gave attendees their first opportunity to “redefine” a
classic. |
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Oreo & shortbread cookie wafers provided alternatives to the also-available classic graham cracker. |
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The “customized” theme continued with white-, milk-, or dark-chocolate choices. |
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Attendees chose from three different drizzlers and various toppings to complete their customized creations. |
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While roasting their marshmallows over butane-heated river rocks, staff enjoyed uninterrupted time
with booth guests. |
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Terra-Cotta Campfire
S’mores usually conjure images of campers sitting around an open fire laughing and telling stories. But in Exhibit Works’ booth, bamboo walls, acrylic planters with green leafy plants, and a simple color palette of vermillion red, copper tones to match the company’s logo, and light and dark wood tones created an atmosphere more like a calming spa than a campfire. “We thought of it as an oasis where the materials were just very quiet and unique — almost anti-booth — so that when you came in, you were in a different, unexpected environment,” DeMeulemeester says.
Staff met attendees at a reception counter, scanned their badges, and directed them to select a vanilla-, espresso-, or strawberry-flavored marshmallow that was pre-skewered and displayed in a sleek vase.
Next, staff placed attendees’ choice of a graham cracker, Oreo, or shortbread cookie on a small, plastic plate and escorted them to the s’mores-making station. There, visitors roasted marshmallows over one of three elegant, terra-cotta bowls with river rocks concealing butane burners.
Visitors then selected from dark-, white-, or milk-chocolate squares. At this point, most s’mores makers would probably squish a graham cracker on top and call it done. But at Exhibit Works’ booth, attendees chose from three drizzlers — caramel, raspberry coulis, and milk chocolate. Attendees also could ladle cashews, peanut-butter chips, and coconut on top of their creations.
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Every campaign element supported the s’mores theme and incorporated Exhibit Works Inc.’s corporate color scheme. |
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 An oversized, pre-show postcard encouraged attendees to complete a survey for a chance to win a custom s’mores kit. |
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 The chance to win one of two unique, indoor-s’mores kits drew 91 prospects to Exhibit Works’ pre-show online survey, where they provided the firm with a benchmark to help it measure the campaign’s at-show effectiveness.
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 After the show, a second oversized mailer directed booth visitors and show registrants to complete another online survey, allowing Exhibit Works to immediately see the program’s success. |
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S’more Talk
While attendees made s’mores, staff tried to meet their goal of talking to each visitor for an average of three minutes apiece. Staff started conversations by talking about attendees’ choices and their possible symbolism — such as vanilla marshmallows and graham crackers representing traditionalism, or Oreos and espresso marshmallows indicating creativity. These conversations led to the booth’s theme of redefinition, permitting staff to talk about expectations and alternatives for trade show programming.
Once attendees’ marshmallows were roasted and topped, staff escorted them to a gallery to view Exhibit Works’ portfolio and to talk while they munched their tasty treats.
According to one judge, “The activity created a sense of community among attendees as they made s’mores, and it allowed staffers to inject themselves into casual conversations in a non-threatening way, leading to sales talk once a sense of trust and familiarity was created.”
Sweet Success
Throughout the three-day show, 500 people took part in the s’mores experience — 253 percent more than Exhibit Works’ goal and a 337-percent increase in booth traffic compared to the previous year.
Pre-show mailers enticed 91 people to complete surveys — nearly doubling the company’s goal. Six media reps visited the company’s booth, beating its goal by 150 percent. The company also secured nine RFPs, four more than expected.
As soon as the faux fires went out, Exhibit Works sent a customized, thank-you e-mail to booth visitors. Then it followed up with another direct-mail piece — a second oversized, four-color postcard asking attendees, “Want S’More?” This mailer directed 1,109 visitors and show registrants to an online survey with another incentive: a chance to win a $50 American Express gift card.
That’s when things really began to heat up. “The results of the 2006 survey showed that our theme, our messaging, and our booth design and experience nailed it. People understood who we were and what we were doing, and they thought it was a very cool experience,” DeMeulemeester says. Even better, the post-show survey indicated a dramatic increase in the company’s brand awareness. In 2005, 60 percent of attendees surveyed had never heard of Exhibit Works. According to the 2006 results, 74 percent of visitors positively recalled the company’s name and its in-booth experience — an increase in awareness of 34 percentage points.
With a little creativity and the right ingredients, Exhibit Works redefined a traditional treat, made new friends around the campfire, and left attendees wanting s’more.e |
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The at-show presence was no
kitschy campground scene. Instead, elegant bamboo walls, a simple color palette, and natural materials created a calming — and surprising — exhibit environment. |
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| Elisabeth Miller is a freelance writer from Rochester, MN. |
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Engage 198 attendees in a memorable booth experience.
