Keep your eye on your trade show

Sympatico / MSN: "IDG announced plans in October 2002 to move the show from New York to Boston, with Apple Computer immediately announcing that it would not join IDG in the move"

If you participate in a show, watch what the show managment does with the show. If you know your trade show marketing objectives and follow a show. You may find yourself in step with the show politics and not your clients.

Without Apple this show became less interesting to the Mac audience.

Watch the big show sponsors and see what they do.

Trade Show Ideas - Part 2

Where do you go for trade show ideas?

There is no better place than talking to fellow exhibitors. I heard a story last night from an exhibitor that created a real buzz at their show by offering to give a free copy of their guidebook (Value $20).

But instead of just having a box of free books on display, she offered to give delegates a free book if they came to her booth. This was done BEFORE the show.

After half a day, the book was seen in the hands of many people on the show floor and people were asking where they could get a copy?

This drove traffic to the booth like crazy. The difference was making the book be perceived as having value.

Click here to read some 147 trade show ideas that could work for your upcoming show.

Trade Show Marketing quote by Seth Godin

I am in the middle of reading Seth's work and there is a great quote in the Purple Cow book. He states on p 79 ". . . they visit trade shows to stay on the cutting edge-not just to help their company survive, but because they like that edge."

This is a great reminder that trade show marketing is about being at the lead of your industry. A reminder that a great trade show objective is to launch a new product.

Love his stuff.

More trade show marketing ideas here: www.tradeshow-marketing.com.

. . . of the 11,000 trade shows presented in the United States each year, less than 100 audit their attence . . . Yikes.

This according to Skip Cox, president of Exhibit Surveys. Read the story below.

Reed Exhibitions Moving To Third-Party Attendance Audits For USA Shows; Customer-Focused Initiative Planned as Part of Broader Focus on ROI

The good news is there is an awareness that accountability to exhibitors is a good thing. But this industry isn't a new one. Can you imagine newspapers and magazines not knowing (or publishing) their circulation numbers?

I think this is great. And 11,000 shows in the USA? That's fantastic. Find the right show for you at www.marketing-for-small-business.com

Comdex postponed until 2006

I wonder, how long can marketing research take? I think trade shows themselves could take a lesson from Al and Laura Ries about the value of a category and the role of a brand in that category. If you haven't read it, read The Origin of Brands. Love their stuff.

Read the article about Comdex here.

InformationWeek > Comdex postponed until 2006 > Comdex Trade Show Cancelled Again > March 29, 2005

The World's Greatest Trade Show Marketing Guide is launched!

It is now official. On March 15, the ebook is launched.

Now you can find the insiders 'how to' in a clear concise trade show guide.

Click here to read more www.tradeshow-marketing.com.

Trade Show Ideas - Part I

Where do you go for trade show ideas?

There is no better place than on the show floor. You can read books, look at exhibits, but you can really only tell how a booth promotion performs by seeing it in action.

Click here to read some 147 trade show ideas that could work for your upcoming show.