It is on everyone’s lips. It is included in everyone’s seminar and educational track; it is in every RFP; it is asked for by management, board members and by shareholders. It’s ROI.

If Return On Investment is the hottest topic since the Internet, why does a survey recently conducted by Showtime Enterprises, Inc. of marketing leaders across several industries find that although 80% were accountable for million dollar programs, the majority of them had no formal system for measuring the return on their most significant marketing investments?

The answer is so simple it is frightening: Budget!

In the three-dimensional marketing industry we create budgets for trade show booth space and budgets for the exhibit structure, for the pre -show communications piece, the on-site promotions, the venue, the travel and entertainment, and so on. When was the last time we saw a budget allocation for ROI?

News flash… the measurement of ROI costs money. The systems, metrics and analysis all costs money. It is too late in the game to think about “what is my ROI going to be” once the budgets and tactical plans are completed and approved.

Since ROI is different for many organizations and many different industries, let’s start by defining ROI, and then review the key steps to measuring and realizing it. ROI can mean several things: Return on Investment, Return on Information or even Recall of Initiative.

Return on Investment

The easiest way to show return on investment would be to track all contacts from a given event, through the sales process, to actual conversion. Reality dictates, however, that this isn’t always an easy task as there are many influences touching the prospect along the path to conversion. Some examples of key touch points, depending on the product, include retail experiences, web, direct mail, or a direct sales force – not to mention in some cases simple word of mouth around the water cooler.

Secondly, the sales cycle of some products or services often takes months or even years to complete. We may be showing return years later for investments made in the past — or worse, after we have been downsized out of budget or even a job.

Return on Information

Since trade shows and events are the only form of marketing communications that facilitates a face-to-face, free exchange of information to flow from company to customer and more importantly from customer to company, the information collected there is critical in developing a relationship sales approach. How we use this learned information as an organization will provide the return.

For example: The marketing group creates materials and sales presentations that are designed to convince a group of doctors of the efficacy of particular drug. We then uncover at the tradeshow that most doctors visiting the exhibit understand the drug’s efficacy but have concerns about its safety profile. With that key information, we can adjust our marketing and sales initiatives in real- time to deliver a more effective message, one the doctors need to hear in order to recommend or prescribe the drug.

Recall of Initiative

Brand recall is becoming an increasingly desired result as trade shows and events become a bigger part of overall marketing awareness campaigns and branding efforts of companies. When considering brand awareness measurement, a marketer needs to break through the clutter and touch the trade show attendee in a unique way.

Products are tangible. Services may seem intangible. However, experiences are memorable. It is these brand experiences that can move an attendee from a position of brand awareness to a position of brand enthusiasm. In the case of a leading footwear manufacturer for the golf industry, the company’s goal was to have the audience actually experience the all- weather performance of their product line by eliciting multiple senses in the experience. This was intended to emotionally engage the attendee. The emotion in this instance is that the product line will enhance playing performance. It’s the emotional concept that regardless of the weather or seasonal conditions, the player can still enjoy the game.

Four Steps to Planning ROI

Regardless of how you define ROI, there are basic steps to follow when developing a comprehensive ROI plan:

1. Clearly state you goals and objectives for participating in the trade show or event. No “pie in the sky” dreams are allowed here — only truly measurable and obtainable goals. Rather than declaring a generic desire to create awareness, it is better to set a goal of moving the level of awareness by 20% in a definable crowd. Similarly, it’s not enough to just want more sales. The goal needs to be defined in realistic terms including not only how much, but from whom. That will make the difference between under-performing and making your numbers.
2. Now that you know what you are going to measure, you need to create a set of tactics that can measure for the affect or desired result. Typical examples of such tactics include tracking surveys and data capture.
3. Create a tactical plan in support of the goals and objectives you stated from the outset, and be sure to include the ROI tactics.
4. Develop a budget for the execution of the planned tactics. There is no magic number or guidepost for this. It can range from a couple of thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands. The amount depends on what you are measuring and how you go about it. But the tactics should drive spending not the other way around.

   Your spending guideline should be based on what kind return you’re looking for. If you want to measure Return On Investment, for example, then you need to consider the cost to you and how much you need to recoup to break even. Ask yourself if your goals are attainable given the budget you have to work in. Don’t set sales goals attainable with a $5 million budget when you’re only spending $200,000.

Whether you work from an annual or event specific budget, you must include the line item to support a well-planned ROI plan. Remember, measuring ROI does not ensure the success of a marketing program. Remember, ROI does not ensure the success of a marketing program, only the confirmation that one exists.

Before you begin to think about exhibiting at an event, there is something you have to establish – Know Your Objective. Sounds a little bit elementary, doesn’t it…maybe too simple. But you’d be surprised. Most people say, “I know what the objective of my exhibiting at an event is – to make money. To make sales. To generate business. What else is there?” Well, there are lots of other things. Specifically, you need to decide if you want your exhibit to generate leads, generate sales, move somebody to the next step in the buying process or a combination of these things.

Many marketers assume that everyone who visits their exhibit will be ready to buy and waltz right in and plunk down cash or PO. But it depends on what you’re selling and to whom you’re selling. To illustrate this, here is an example of an Internet integration software-tool and services company that helped organizations weave together their computer systems using a combination of Internet services, some middleware tools (software) and the legacy systems (what the customer had been using to serve their data processing needs). They spent almost $22,000 on exhibiting and another $9,000 in travel and manpower (a huge amount for a startup) at an event that was a pretty typical e-business or integration event. Attendance was not heavy, but the people who were at the show were very qualified.

His booth signage, literature and even his conversations with prospects focused on things like “we can do this, this, and this. We are the only company that can do that. We don’t have any real competitors. We have over a million lines of proprietary code. We’re committed to the channel and directly supporting our clients. Our VCs have funded such and such companies.” Blah, blah, blah.

The indisputable lack of results proved that his exhibit strategy and tactics were horrible. Like many business owners, he concluded that exhibiting at an event does not and would not work for a company like his. But remember, there are 2 parts to every trade show exhibit. There’s the event itself and there’s what you actually say at the event and included in that is how you say it. In this case, it wasn’t the event that was bad…it was his strategy and messaging. He had assumed that the next step in the buying process for the people who attended this event was for the prospect to request or at least accept a meeting. The combination of seeing their technology at the event and then participating in a capabilities meeting would lead to an RFP. Sounds reasonable, right? What would you expect people to do after they saw a great new integration tool? Immediately request that the firm come on in and take a look at how they could help solve the companies IT problems. Of course not.

The problem was, they were missing a step. Instead of assuming that everyone at the show was just waiting to hear about his solution so they could finally find a place to empty their IT budget, he should have assumed that nobody had ever heard of his company, didn’t understand what they did and were skeptical that they would even be in business in a few years. What they really needed a very low-risk way to find out more about it before they would ever invest the time to have him come in and have a serious discussion or check it out further.

At a later trade event, the company changed their strategy. They focused on getting a speaking slot at the conference, investing in advance marketing to the events attendee list as well as targeted local mailings. They took the least expensive booth available but augmented that with a free workshop that focused on helping people identify integration opportunities, solutions, pitfalls and procedures. They made a whitepaper out of the workshop workbook and offered that free in all of their marketing, as a follow-up for the people who signed up at their booth and even convinced show management to offer it on their web site.

The results? First of all, they gained immediate credibility (and promoted it) because they were speaking at the event. They were able to separate their firm from all of the rest of the companies because they were offering the training on how to solve integration problems. They used the advance promotion, the speaking engagement and the workshop all to promote their booth as well as the free whitepaper. Even with a smaller booth, walk-in traffic more than tripled, but as significantly, they took 178 additional requests for the whitepaper from people who didn’t attend the event. Once they get someone on the list, then they had the ability to market to them as many times as they wanted. (In my next article, I’ll show you how to institute a system for following up on your leads—one that isn’t dependent on someone having the time to do it or having to remember.)

The point is this: sometimes it’s appropriate to try to generate hard sales contacts or even sales from your exhibit. In a lot of cases though, it’s smarter to try to generate leads off of an exhibit. You just need to make sure that you know exactly what you’re trying to accomplish before you start and then have a plan in place to achieve it. The company with the integration solution thought that people would come into the booth simply because they were there (plus had a great solution) and that they would want to take the next step when they heard about the solution they offered. They were wrong. There was actually an in-between step or two for many prospects…getting some further documentation, doing a bit of due-diligence–before they would even be put on the list to consider.

So think about your exhibits. What are you trying to accomplish? Do you need to add another step or do you need a whole new strategy? How can you get more people to raise their hand and at least say they’re interested in what you are offering? Can you offer something to lower the risk or to give information? Take a page from kids (and some of the nation’s top CEOs) keep asking yourself or your team “what,” “why” and “how”—till you can’t anymore. It’s a sure way to insure a winning event plan.

How to make sure your shipping company doesn’t take you for a ride.

The idea of guaranteed shipping is an industry myth. Regardless of how diligent a carrier is, freight gets lost, mislaid, damaged, and stolen. Shipment tracking has improved with GPS technology, but not to the point where it’s 100 percent reliable.

The best you can do is to find a trade show shipping company you can trust, and then stick with it. Become a smart customer, know what questions to ask, then ask them every time.

Label Everything
I still remember getting to a show in Boston and finding roughly half of the items I had meticulously stacked on a pallet missing.

What happened? The carrier ran out of room on the trailer, and in order to fit everything on the truck, the driver broke down a couple of my pallets and tucked all of my boxes on top of the large crates in the shipment. Since I hadn’t labeled every single box on my pallet, all my little boxes got mixed up with another shipment.

Because I hadn’t marked my pallets, “Do not break down,” or “Do not depalletize,” the carrier told me I didn’t have a leg to stand on. I now label and number every box on every pallet, just to be safe, and I label the pallet itself with “Do Not Depalletize!”

You Don’t Always Get What You Pay For
Just because you make a request or get a quote for certain services, that doesn’t guarantee you’ll get them. The following three examples show how vigilant you have to be.

Flying Trucks. If the carrier can move your freight on what it calls an “expedited truck” and get it to your destination in the timeframe you specified, it may never see the tarmac nor hear the roar of jet engines. But don’t expect any great cost savings. You may still be charged as if it had been on the big silver bird in the sky.

Exclusive Use. You requested a quote on the use of a whole trailer for your exhibit. Carriers call this “exclusive use” or TL, which stands for “truck load.”  Some unscrupulous carriers will sell you exclusive use, but they figure they can cram another exhibitor’s freight onto your trailer and make a little extra profit, and maybe you’ll never find out. Find yourself another carrier and ask more questions next time.

Musical Trucks. Just because a carrier doesn’t have a truck available in your area when you need it doesn’t mean it’s going to turn away your business. They’ll subcontract your load to another carrier who may or may not be as reliable, have equipment that’s in good shape, or have drivers trained in moving exhibit properties.

Dim. Wt. Is Not an Insult
It’s important to understand the way each type of carrier (air freight, van line, or common carrier) charges you for your shipment, so you can make sure the charges are correct.

In addition, your shipment may also be subject to separate charges called “accessorial charges,” which may include any of the following:

• Specials (specific pick-up times) on pick-up and delivery
• Waiting time
• Special equipment, such as lift-gate trucks and pallet jacks
• Inside pickup (if driver doesn’t pick up at a loading dock)
• Residential pickup
• Remote pickup or delivery
• A second driver
• Storage

Ask your carrier what formula it uses to calculate your chargeable weight and for what additional services you will be charged.

Surprise! The Hidden Fees
To keep surprises to a minimum, always ask for a detailed breakdown of potential fees you may incur when you get your budgetary quote.

Here are some common hidden fees:

• Labor
• Moving pads and tape to blanket-wrap your exhibit
• Aborted pick-ups if the freight wasn’t ready when the truck arrived
• An extra pick-up at your company warehouse after the original loading at your exhibit house
• Waiting time at the advance warehouse or marshaling yard
• Insurance and fuel surcharges

Even if you ask about hidden costs up front, your final bill may not match the quote you received. Ask your exhibit house to copy you on any orders it places on your behalf. And never be afraid to ask why your quote doesn’t match your bill.

In the end, your best safeguard against shipping disasters is to choose a carrier wisely, then ask a barrage of questions and review all paperwork closely every time to avoid surprises. If you have a bad experience with a carrier, vote with your feet and your wallet and find a company that can meet your service needs and expectations. You don’t want to “myth” the next show because of a carrier who dropped the ball — or your freight.

You can fly to the show early, stay up late and bite your nails. Or you can save your nerves, your nails (and some money) by following these tips for bringing your exhibit in on time and within budget.

1. Ship early, but don’t ship to the warehouse

With most shows, it costs significantly less in drayage to ship your freight directly to the show site vs. to the general contractor’s warehouse. How can you take advantage of those savings and still avoid the expense that goes along with show-site freight delivery (especially when shipping in bad-weather months)?

Try this trick: Ship early, and tell your carrier you want your freight held in the show city and delivered on the first direct-ship date. Many carriers (especially those that handle a lot of freight) will hold your truckload shipments for a minimal charge. You get the benefit of headache-free shipping and the savings of direct drayage rates.

2. Let your carpet travel on its own

Want to start installing your booth at the first possible hour without paying the higher costs of shipping your display to the warehouse? It’s easy. Ship your carpet and pad to the contractor’s warehouse, and ship your exhibit directly to the show site. Since warehouse freight typically is brought in first, your I&D company can lay your electrical, pad and carpet while your direct freight is being brought into the hall. The drayage rate savings from shipping your display direct will more than cover the extra freight charges you pay to ship the carpet and pad separately.

3. Send your exhibit’s lead carpenter to supervise setup

When your display house’s account executive offers to accompany your booth on the road, say, “Thanks, but no thanks.” Then instruct them to send your lead carpenter instead. For out-of-town installations, you’re better off having the carpenter supervise installation and breakdown. Who’s best to handle display-based problems? Clearly, the carpenter who prepped the display before it went on the road. Take advantage of that person’s knowledge and experience in getting your booth up right – and fast – and save those daily account executive charges.

4. Make a map for the electricians

Don’t wait for the electricians to come to your space to start your electrical work. Ship your I&D company your electrical (and other utilities) plans, and have them send a carpenter to mark the floor and supervise electrical installation. By installing your utilities early, you will avoid paying for labor to wait around to get started or work overtime to finish. When you and your display arrive, your space will be ready for carpet and pad, and you’ll be off to a great start.

5. Inspect your booth at the close of the show

Rather than waiting for the display to return to your exhibit house to do a refurb inspection, take a walk-through at the close of the show with your lead carpenter. If you make a list of the needed repairs before your display goes back into the crates, you’ll save on inspection charges. Before your next show, you and your lead carpenter will know just what needs to be done.

Remember, the fundamentals still hold true: Planning and foresight will ease the confusion of trade shows and ensure that you come in on budget.

When putting together an exhibit demonstration, your goal is to deliver the best message in a concise, effective fashion. Here are some questions that will help you hone your demonstration message.

1. What do you want to say about the product?

Keep it to two or three key message points. Know who your target market is. What products do they need to have in place to use your product?

2. What are the benefits to the users?

Too often, exhibitors focus on features. Features aren’t necessarily important to the person buying your product. They want to know the benefits they will derive if they buy. Is it going to save them dollars or time? Is it going to help them work more efficiently? Demonstrate the benefits to support other messages you’re presenting at the show or your message instead of hoping/waiting somebody will ask. If you’ve demonstrated this product before, think about the two most often asked questions, and make them a regular part of your message.

4. How long is your demo?

Don’t exceed 10 minutes – particularly where there are long product purchase lead times. Don’t do a full-blown demonstration; save that for one-on-one sales visits. The goal is to provide enough benefit information to pique attendees’ interest so they want to see more after the show.

5. Are you connecting with the crowd?

As you present, maintain eye contact with the crowd. If using a computer, use a swing-out keyboard and stand to the side. Watch their nonverbal communication. Are they engaged or losing interest?

6. Are you making the most of your premiums?

Use a giveaway that has a link to the product or service. Make sure the company name and phone number is on it. Use the giveaway as a reward for taking the time to watch the demo.

So, you want to exhibit at a show? How do you decide which one? Well, start with your customers. They will tell you which shows they like to attend.  Trade publications publish industry calendars that list every show of importance and the factors to consider, such as number of attendees, dates, locations, etc. Your vendors are helpful with ideas also. Most industries have at least two major shows that everyone attends.

Questions to consider when searching for that perfect show are:

• How many people will attend, who are they and what do they buy?
• Does the show’s attendee base match my target market?
• How many of these attendees matter to me?
• How much will it cost to reach them?

Compare shows and make informed decisions based on these factors.

Space? How much should I have? That depends on a number of factors.

First, how many salespeople will be working the booth? Typically, each salesperson is given 25 to 50 square feet of space. Next, how much product will you be displaying? Will you need room for a conference area, demos, and storage? Finally, how many clients and prospective customers do you expect? The ultimate goal when choosing exhibit space is to have room for all visitors without too much additional space.

Example: If you expect 100 visitors per day at your booth, and the show runs for 5 hours each day, this calculates to 20 visitors per hour. Assuming each salesperson can serve 5 people each hour, you will need 4 salespeople in the booth at peak hours. This means you will need 100 to 200 square feet of space plus space for products, demos, conference and storage.

Remember, the goal is to accommodate all visitors without waiting and without over crowding, but too much space can make it look like nothing’s going on in there!

How do you choose your exhibit space at a show?

First determine what is available to your company. It is important to know that show management gives priority to repeat exhibitors and larger exhibitors, so a smaller, new company may have limited booth space choices.

Go over the floor plan carefully, keeping in mind the following desirable locations:

• Near the center of the hall
• Near industry leaders
• Near rest rooms and restaurants
• On aisles leading to meeting rooms

Areas to avoid include:

• Behind barriers such as walls and columns
• Areas with low light
• Dead-end aisles
• Near freight entrances and utility sources
• Extreme corners of the exhibit hall
• Aisles farthest from the center

Highlight your three most desirable spaces, check availability and book your space now!

Trade show success often hinges on an effective booth team. You can’t just throw a bunch of people together and expect them to prosper. You need to prepare them to work together. Focus on these qualities and characteristics to build a strong exhibiting team.

Common Purpose

The effective team is united and motivated by a clear and compelling purpose that provides the reason for cooperation. Make sure your exhibit staff knows all the company’s show goals and expectations.

Clear Roles

Roles are the means by which we design, divide and deploy a team’s work. When done right, the team achieves synergy by leveraging the specialized skills of each person. Learn the strengths of your team members, and work with them accordingly.

Quality Leadership

High-performance teams need competent leaders who can set directions, manage boundaries and coach team members toward extraordinary results. As the exhibit manager, you need to be that leader on the show floor. Develop and cultivate commitment, initiative and creativity in your team. Set the example through your own booth conduct.

Excellent Communication

Fast, clear, accurate communication is the means by which teams tap collective brilliance. The process of productive discussion and dialogue, which should happen during a pre-show meeting and wrap-up sessions at the end of each day, allows the team to stay informed, resolve differences and work toward common goals.

We often avoid the Attitude and Etiquette portion of our pre-show meetings. (Or sometimes that is the only thing we talk about – “don’t drink, don’t smoke and don’t eat your lunch”) This segment is vital to your exhibiting success since the outcome is very visible, but it must be presented in the positive if it is to be received and internalized.

• Wear your badge on the right hand side so it can be seen by your visitor when shaking hands
• If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so and use it as an excuse to follow up after the show with the answer when you locate it
• Make only those commitments that you and others can keep — visitors remember staffer commitments, especially those that are not kept.
• Exhibiting is a TEAM event — other staffers are counting on you and you on them.
• Visit with prospects, only. A crowd of staffers does not attract a crowd of visitors.
• Smile — 90% of the time if you smile, someone will smile back at you

The exhibit is your office away from the office- as visitors see your environment, they see your company and make a judgment as to whether they want to do business with you

Perfect timing is critical for trade show planning. Here’s an exhibiting task schedule to help you stay ahead of the deadlines.

The following outline provides you with a basic list of details you need to track when planning for a show. (Feel free to add your own items.) Keep in mind that the suggested time frame (three months out, two months out, etc.) is just that – a suggestion. Your timetable may differ slightly depending on the complexity of the project. Use this as a guideline to develop your own ideal show planning time line.

Countdown to Show Time

12 Months Out

• Determine purpose for participating in show.
• Select space: Study floor plans, traffic patterns, services, audience makeup.
• Read contract carefully: Understand terms, show rules, payment schedule, space assignment method (by product category, seniority, membership, etc.).
• Send in space application and first payment.
• Prepare budget.

Six Months Out

• Determine exhibit objectives.
• Select primary vendors (exhibit house, transportation company, installation/dismantle supplier).
• Decide if new exhibit is needed. If so, begin design process. (If using a portable, the design process may not require this much lead time.)
• Plan show advertising.

Four Months Out

• Select staff.
• Make airline, hotel and car reservations.
• Determine exhibit needs (if using existing properties): refurbishments, additions, changes.
• Select display products.
• Plan inquiry processing procedures.
• Communicate with primary vendors (exhibit house, shipping, installation/dismantle) regarding services needed and dates.
• Develop floor plan for exhibit.
• Finalize new exhibit design.
• Execute show-related advertising.

Three Months Out

• Carefully read and review exhibitor manual.
• Select portable exhibit supplier.
• Review exhibit floor plan and note target dates and restrictions.
• Plan any in-booth presentations/demonstrations.
• Create list of required services, noting deadlines for “early-bird” discounts.
• Distribute show plan to staff.
• Reserve additional meeting rooms (hospitality events, press conferences, etc.)
• Select catering menus (for hospitality events, press events, etc.)
• Meet deadlines for free publicity in the exhibitor guide/preview.
• Submit authorization form if you are using an exhibitor-appointed contractor.
• Plan pre-show meeting.

Two Months Out

• Preview new custom exhibit.
• Finalize graphics art/copy.
• Order staff badges.
• Send information to other departments exhibiting in booth.
• Create and order lead forms. Finalize inquiry processing procedures.
• Prepare orders for: drayage, electrical, cleaning, floral, etc. Take advantage of any pre-pay discounts.
• Follow up on all promotions, making sure everything is ready to ship by target date.
• Prepare press kits.
• Check with staff on airline and hotel reservations and travel dates. Make needed changes.
• Develop briefing packet for booth staff.
• Schedule training for booth staff at show.
• Send reminder to upper management about briefing meetings (in office and at show); include agenda.

One Month Out

• Follow up on shipping orders.
• Follow up on installation/dismantle schedule; get an estimate on costs.
• Call to reconfirm airline, hotel and car reservations. Make needed changes.
• Follow up on target dates with all vendors.
• Confirm availability of display products/literature.
• Preview new portable display.
• Send all needed materials by target shipping date to avoid express mail shipments.
• Distribute briefing packet, including training materials, to all booth staffers.
• Set up and hold pre-show briefing meeting in office.
• Set up in-booth conference room schedule for pre-arranged meetings at show.
• Send follow-up reminder to upper management about briefing meeting, include agenda.
• Determine date and time for briefing staff at the exhibit. Review agenda, purpose of show, demonstrations, rehearsals, show specials, etc.
• Ensure that you have the following items before leaving for the show: traveler’s checks, credit cards, copies of all orders and checks for services paid in advance, phone numbers and addresses of all vendors, engineering certificate for exhibit, shipping manifest, return shipping labels, and additional badge forms.

Upon Arrival

• Check on freight arrival.
• Check with hotel about reservations for staff, as well as any meeting rooms and catering orders.
• Find service area. Meet electrician and confirm date and time for electrical installation.
• Supervise booth setup.
• Hold pre-show briefing and training for staff the day before the show.

During Show

• Reserve next year’s space.
• Conduct daily meetings with staff.
• Make arrangements for booth dismantle and shipping.
• Arrange for lead forms to be shipped back to office daily for processing.

After Show

• Supervise booth dismantle.
• Handle leads.
• Debrief staff.
• Send thank-you notes.