“Jerry Campbell is so honest you could shoot craps with him over the telephone.”
— Jack Krasula, DBusiness Magazine

f you’re asking yourself, “Who is Jerry Campbell?” I apologize for inadvertently distracting you from the real treat. It’s not about the name of the guy. It’s about how one person can elegantly and directly communicate the essence of an idea. Not impressed? You’re allowed. On the other hand, before you get too puffed up and self important, try writing an elevator speech that explains the concept of honesty in only 14 words.

“And the point of all this is … ?” you’re now asking.

“Random notes,” I answer. The quote above is one of several items and unfinished thoughts impaled on a spindle labeled “to be considered for future editorials.”

Normally, an editorial takes one idea and beats it to death. But I am writing this one in the middle of August, which my wife assures me is not just my, but nearly everyone else’s, month for random thoughts. So rather than selecting one topic and getting on my 700-words-or-less soap box, I’m taking three random notes off the spindle and attempting to address them as succinctly as Krasula did Mr. Campbell.

Random Note Number 1. At the top of my pile of junkyard thoughts is a phenomenon in our industry I call backwards ROI.

Backwards ROI, as used by nearly all exhibit and event professionals we interview, is the practice of spending the company’s money first, then calculating the results and reporting the ROI after the fact. This approach is backward to all enlightened corporate management. Backwards ROI sounds dysfunctional because it is.

The right way to use ROI as a performance-measurement tool is to identify on the front end what management wants from its investment — i.e. top-line growth, customer retention, sales leads, and new business. This becomes your budgeted ROI, if you will. Knowing this, you can create a program that will (with skill and luck) deliver that ROI. Afterwards, you can measure the whole shebang to determine what you actually got — your actual ROI. This approach gives you a goal and enables you to tell management you surpassed, achieved, or fell short of their ROI expectation.

If management has no idea what their expectations for your performance ought to be you have nothing to aim for. You can never please them in ways they can acknowledge or celebrate or reward. My 14 words for you, if you’re in this particular predicament: kick them in the crotch and move on. You’re in a no-win deal.

Random Note Number 2. How could the three top video-game companies walk away from a trade show of 60,000 insanely loyal gamers (E3) that generated more media buzz for the gaming industry than anything on the face of the planet? Look at it another way (18 words this time): Would you abandon a customer willing to wait three hours just to see your new product? Nintendo did.

Random Note Number 3. In an attempt to overcome some association executive’s supreme industry inferiority, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) produced a report that showed we are actually a 32 billion dollar industry, which certainly sounds more important than the three or four billion others bandied about at the time. Trouble is, nobody took the time to explain that this is an economic-impact study, not a sales or growth study. On the other hand (this one’s a whopping 29 words, so indulge me), the CEIR statistic is extremely useful if you want to know how many taxi drivers or shoe-shine guys are put to work when a trade show comes to town.

So that’s it, I’m out of room. See you next month with approximately 680 words or so (Count ‘em. I dare you.) on just one idea. And if you ever happen to meet Jerry Campbell, give him my number. Happy trails. e