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Trade Show Bob
A Summer's Day on My Front Porch
 icture a beautiful, lazy summer afternoon: You've settled in to your front porch rocker with a pitcher of lemonade and hound dog napping lazily at your feet, as your dreamily watch the world pass blissfully by.
Nothing like managing a trade show exhibit, right? Actually, you might be surprised at how similar things work in both worlds. How about a few comparisons...
As we sit on the porch:
- The mailman drives by – headed for the cluster box just up the street.
- A mom also zips by, with a minivan full of kids headed to soccer practice.
- That SOB with the dog that used to poop on my lawn (until I built my white picket fence) strolls by, Rover in tow. I look away. He just keeps walking.
- My neighbors (what were their names?) drive by. They honk and wave. I wave back.
- My next door neighbor, Dave, comes out to trim the bushes. I go over and chat with him for a moment across the hedges. We talk about the weather.
- My friend Ken comes jogging by. He's all sweaty from his run, so I invite him up to the porch for a quick glass of lemonade. We chat for a few minutes about the local high school teams.
- Next, it's Paul (a good friend, and leader of the local community watch program) who stops by. He has some important information to share with me about the local swimming pool. So, we go inside and talk in my living room.
- Finally, my brother-in-law, Larry, and his family "pop in" for a visit. The kids head out to the backyard to play, while Larry and I sit around the kitchen table catching up on a bunch of things.
I love my house. It allows me to have interactions with all kinds of people in many different ways that I choose.
My exhibit should afford me the same choices.
- I understand that not all attendees want to stop and visit me. Many will just zip right on by.
- I'd sure like the ability to keep those visitors with "pooping dogs" at arm's length. I don't like the messes they leave behind.
- I sometimes say "hi" to friendly people who come to my exhibit casually. Many times we have nothing in common, but it feels good to be nice.
- Occasionally, I'll have a casual conversation with someone at the edge of my booth. They're not in the market right now, but who knows what the future holds.
- Interested visitors who know very little about me might be invited onto my "porch" for a quick, friendly conversation (a glass of lemonade helps manage the time they spend).
- Key contacts will be invited inside to a more private and controlled setting. There, we can really get down to business.
- And those who know us best – our "family" of customers and key prospects – can come in and share problems, triumphs, and needs ... that help us both grow and prosper.
As we layout, design, and construct our exhibits, we need to understand the form, the range, and the scope our conversations will potentially take. And we need to prepare to facilitate them through well thought-out design and tactical selection.
These "control zones" within our exhibit will help us to achieve the right outcomes for the important conversations we want, while helping us "handle" the annoying or unimportant encounters we endure.
Some factors to consider (in no particular order) as you plan your control zones:
- How complex is your story? Can you tell it in a few seconds, or does it take 20 minutes before the "light comes on" in your visitors' heads.
- How important is privacy? If your customers hate/envy each other, you'd better provide privacy. If they collaborate, then it's not such a big deal.
- What is your brand equity at this show? Are you well known or a first time exhibitor?
- How big of an exhibitor are you? Can you facilitate these conversations or provide off site assistance to do so.
- How big is your budget? Front porches are expensive additions. Which type of conversations can you afford to facilitate?
- Are you mostly getting business from your competition? Or do you need to build market share where none currently exists?
- Are you exhibiting in a show where your message appeals to almost every visitor, or only a tiny percentage?
The more you're able to facilitate the range of conversations expected, creating control zones for each, the better chance you'll have for a positive show outcome.
Then you can sit back and enjoy that glass of lemonade next summer.
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Bob Milam, independent industry consultant, is a former EXHIBITOR Editorial Advisory Board member and a past All-Star Award winner, and a current EXHIBITOR Conference faculty member. tradeshowbob@gmail.com |
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