Specific: Who, what, how many?
• Measurable: Can you record it?
• Achievable: In the context of the resource you have available.
• Realistic: Be honest.
• Timely: Within the parameters of the event.
We’re not suggesting setting objectives is easy, it isn’t, especially with so many variables but it is massively helpful in informing all the difficult decisions you’re about to make and in evaluating how successful you’ve been. And don’t forget our earlier point about return on investment versus achieved objectives – we’ll talk in Chapter 5 about evaluating ROI, return of objective (ROO) and cost of objective (COO) which can only happen 6–12 months after a show (unless you’re lucky enough to be actually selling at an event). The benefit of setting these objectives is that it will give you an immediate review of how effective your tactics have been at the show long before any business has been done.
(Thimmesch, 2013)
3.2 Which show?
Were you baffled by the number of global exhibitions we mentioned in Chapter 1 – 31,000 globally certified every year (UFI, 2014)? And that’s not counting all the smaller regional and business networking events you might get the opportunity to participate in. So how on earth do you decide which is the right show for you? Well, the good news is that if you’ve worked out what you want to achieve from investing in a trade show, the process of selecting one (or several) should be much easier and then it’s just down to research, research, research! Think you don’t have time to do the research? Isn’t it better to spend 2–3 hours researching the right show rather than waste the time, money and energy involved in being at the wrong show for three days?
One point to clarify before we proceed is the terminology around trade shows and events, which can be confusing, even to exhibitors who have been working in the industry for years.
• Exhibition: Quite often confused with a public installation or museum collection, but in this context, an event with a number of organisations with similar interests, products or services in a central location, with the aim of attracting visitors who are interested in purchasing those products or services. May also include some elements of live theatre or knowledge exchange.
• Trade show: Can be used interchangeably with exhibition in this context, although little ‘trading’ is actually done in modern trade shows, with the emphasis being more on meeting contacts and establishing relationships.
• Seminar: Content-led events or elements of trade shows that focus on sharing expertise and adding value through educating and engaging with a visitor.
• Conference: Speaker-led event where the primary reason for delegate attendance is to hear from a range of experts or industry stakeholders regarding the latest news, insight and developments in a specific industry. Smaller exhibitions may take place around a conference venue from leading suppliers to the industry.
• Vertical trade show: Focuses specifically on an industry attracting only suppliers and exhibitors within a particular industry; e.g., automotive manufacturing show that only features those exhibitors who have a product or service which is used in the supply chain for making cars.
• Horizontal trade show: A broader show focusing on a wide range of industries that may be of interest to a general population; e.g., a regional business show that features a range of exhibitors over various industries attracting visitors with a wide range of interests.
Who?
In selecting the most effective trade show to meet your aims it will help if you can match the attendees with the ideal customer you want to attract. Any event organiser should be able to give you detailed information on who attends their shows (and if they can’t you should really question the quality of their data). This gives you an idea of their visitor’s general nationality, buying responsibility, type of organisation, etc., which will help you determine whether that’s an audience you’re interested in or not. By understanding who you want to meet and engage with, you should be able to align whether the audience of a specific show will bring you what you’re looking for. Additionally, you may want to consider the size of the audience that a show attracts. It is tempting to invest in a show that quotes the biggest audience, although these can often be the most expensive. A note of caution, however; quoted audiences are just that and past performance is no guarantee of future success so just because an event organiser says they have ‘20,000 registered’ visitors it doesn’t necessarily mean they will get 20,000 through the door. If you want to know more about an event’s visitor numbers don’t be afraid to ask the organisers. If they’re doing a good job of getting people through the door they shouldn’t be afraid of sharing the details with you. And don’t always discount the smaller events, these may be more economical and if they’re less busy this may give you a better opportunity for deeper conversations with visitors.
A great source of insight into which events might be most appropriate for you are your existing customers – consider asking them which their ‘cannot miss’ events are. Quite often exhibitors focus only on meeting new prospects at trade shows, completely forgetting about their current contact base. Trade shows provide a fantastic platform for showcasing your latest product or service and building relationships with customers, as well as demonstrating your investment in the wider industry. The opportunity for your senior team to meet several contacts in one place over a couple of days can be massively more efficient than trying to organise individual one-to-ones in the field. Equally, busy stands always attract more people – we’re generally pretty nosey people in business and scared of missing out, so if you invite existing customers to your stand it all helps to make it look busier and attracts more passers-by. Referring back to our previous point about exhibiting where your competitors are, it’s worth researching which events they are investing in to see whether there is any potential for your business.
(Thimmesch, 2013)
Where?
These days international events are much more achievable (see Chapter 7) and the opportunity to sell to global markets is more attractive than ever. Before you take the plunge and sign up to exhibit abroad, however, remember that the majority of visitors to most shows will be from the domestic market. If you’re not able to service the market, or if the market doesn’t exist in the country you’re looking to exhibit in, then it’s worth seriously considering whether that’s the right trade show for you. If you decide to exhibit at an international trade event you will also need to clarify exactly who you’re looking to connect with at the event – is it a distributor or agent or are you looking to service the market yourself directly?
