TradeShow Teacher: Helping you to Bring Back Sizzlin HOT Leads and Massive ROI from Your Trade Shows!!!

Hello readers! Many of you have enjoyed my articles on insurance, floral and shipping in past issues. Now a stimulating monthly column titled “TradeShow Teacher” has been added to Exhibit City News, covering topics all over the trade show landscape designed to educate and provide strategies.

As many of you know, I am the TradeShow Teacher; and I just can’t help myself but break up today’s topics in little lessons. And where is the fun in being a teacher if I can’t give homework? So each lesson will have some “homework” (which I am sure you could also do in the office instead of at home) you can immediately apply to your trade shows. So let’s get going class, this month we are going to cover Determining Trade Show ROI (Return on Investment), ROO (Return on Objectives) and How to Select the Trade Shows You Should Register For.

Measuring the results from each show you exhibit at is a crucial part of understanding the value of each show and associated marketing activities. Being able to measure and quantify those to returns can also do wonders when you argue for your tradeshow budget. Now, when looking at the “return” from each show, there are two areas which should be measured; these are ROI (Return on Investment) and ROO (Return on Objectives).

These results should be compiled for each show, then included in a Post Show report and analyzed when considering to exhibit at that show next time and/or to evaluate where ROI and ROO improvements can be made. Assuming you have followed most of the TradeShow Teacher tips you will then also have great documentation that can be used while negotiating your next raise!

Trade Show ROI can be determined and measured in several ways: The most basic form is to compare the entire show investment, including, but not limited to exhibit space cost, marketing activities, shipping, travel and personnel costs against the sales generated from the event.

Very often there is more to exhibiting at a tradeshow than just generating sales leads. Other potential goals may include winning awards at shows, getting coverage in publications, securing speaking engagements, finding partners etc. Every show your company exhibits at should have defined goals and objectives to give a clear direction of why the company is exhibiting at that particular show and what the intended results are. An added benefit is that this data informs booth staffers and ensures they have a better understanding of their role at the show and what is expected of them.

- ROO is measured by pre-determining the intended results, then recording the actual
   results achieved at the show; to analyze where improvements can be made.

- For example: Let’s say one of your objectives was to showcase a new product/service
   and you plan to
   have150 attendees view a demonstration and fill in a post show survey; after the show
   you will count how many post show surveys were filled in and record that amount in a
   post show report to determine the company’s ROO.

LESSON NUMBER 1 HOMEWORK:

Create a Basic Post Show ROI, Leads Analysis and ROO Report after exhibiting at your company’s next show.

Basic ROI Report

BOOTH COSTS	$
MARKETING	$
MISC./CONTINGENCY	$
PUBLIC RELATIONS	$
PERSONNEL EXPENSES	$
TRAVEL	$
SHOW SERVICES	$
SHIPPING	$
TOTAL COSTS	[Add All Costs Above]
TOTAL SALES	[Enter Total Number of Sales & the Date]
TOTAL ROI (Compare costs against the sales)	[Enter Total ROI]

Basic Leads Analysis

Total Leads Collected	[Enter # of Total Leads]
Total Qualified Leads	[Enter # of Qualified Leads]
Cost Per Total Leads	[Divide Total Costs by Total Leads Collected]
Cost Per Qualified Lead	[Divide Total Costs by Total Qualified Leads Collected]
Cost Per Total Attendees	[Divide Total Costs by Total Number of Trade Show Attendees]

Basic ROO Report (Example)

Objective	Actual
Showcase XYZ Product: 150 Demonstrations	130 Demonstrations
Obtain Feedback on XYZ Product: 250 Surveys	275 Surveys
Highlight XYZ Product to Media: 10 Interviews	7 Interviews
More…

LESSON NUMBER TWO: Selecting the Right Trade Shows to Register For

Determining the best shows to exhibit at can be an overwhelming exercise. However once you establish a selection process, the ability to determine targeted shows that deliver the highest ROI becomes surprisingly straightforward.

A great place to start your search is by asking existing customers which trade shows they attend; these shows are likely to have prospects looking for your type of product/service. Another key place to find targeted trade shows is to find where your competitors are exhibiting; you can typically find this information on their website. There are also a variety of online trade show databases that allow you to search by items such as industry, city and month making it fairly easy to compile initial lists.

Once you have created your list of possible shows, start narrowing down that list by requesting the attendee demographics of each show and determine whether your key prospects are attending this show. Begin by establishing answers to the following few questions:

Keep in mind that Attendee Demographics are often generated as a sales tool by the show and the data can be skewed in their favor; only a Certified 3^rd party Show Audit provides accurate data related to the show.

· Determine how many booth staff will be available, then determine the size of booth that will enable proficient management of traffic flow.

After carefully establishing the targeted shows you will be exhibiting at, contact the show for a contract to register for exhibiting. As with any contract, be sure to read it thoroughly before signing! There is no standard way to register for exhibiting, each show will have their own process; typically it is either an on-line registration form or a form to fill in by hand, sign and fax back. As with most business transactions, ask for discounts or additional value to be included in your booth price. Often you can get an ad in the show guide, a banner placement or other value included in your price.

Once you have registered to exhibit at a trade show, the amount of paperwork that follows can be colossal; stay tuned for strategies to effectively manage the massive amounts of paperwork in next month’s TradeShow Teacher column! But before the bell rings and you are allowed to move on to the next article, there’s some more homework for you!

LESSON NUMBER 2 HOMEWORK:

To speed the process for determining the shows to exhibit at when reviewing attendee demographics and/or show audits, create a list with the key facts about the type of prospects your business is looking to reach. Sales and Marketing should work as a cohesive team to ensure that targeted shows are selected. Use this basic guide below for assistance to get started and expand upon with additional targeted business information.