Dirty Little Trade Show Secrets

Our good buddy, Susan Friedmann, "The Tradeshow Coach", wrote this article a while back but its a great tool for those who need a trade show refresher course. Susan writes there are little trade show secrets which all exhibitors need to know in order to maximize their show experiences and the all important return on investment.
All these secrets actually won't surprise you but they'll go a long way in keeping you on top of your help at the shows. We all suffer from these traits from time to time and if you go into your show knowing the pitfalls you can keep them from establishing any kind of semblance in your area. Let the others deal with these nasty little vices while you make the most of your time and efforts and get rewarded for the investment you've made.
At A Smash Hit Displays we long to impart some of the wisdom Susan shared in her aticle on our clients. Its easy to purchase panel system displays, trade show exhibit flooring, or our world renown trade show graphics. But its not always easy preparing and/or focusing both you and your coworkers for the 8-12 hours on the show floor over a 1-3 day period. Take the time to prepare for your next show mentally and physically and it will serve you well.

Business Trade Show Expo on the air with Event Radio

For those trade show vendors interested in learning a different marketing perspective for your shows, the attached article will give you a few new wrinkles.

The article describes how the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce will distribute 2,000 free Event Radio earpieces at their 2007 Business/Industry Expo & Conferences. The May expo is scheduled to be the first Indiana event to use the new technology.

For those unfamiliar with Event Radio, it allows organizers and sponsors to broadcast messages to those who attend trade shows, expos, sporting events, and museum exhibitions. So, while the attendees i.e. (your future customers) are roaming around the expo floor they are bombarded with a marketing message specific to your event. Further, as the organizers of that event found out, sponsors can be found willing to pay for the earpieces. Its a great marketing prop. Sponsors receive their logo id on each earpiece and can run targeted commercials during the broadcast. Its brilliance and something you could easily do to set yourself apart from the competition.

A Smash Hit Displays is constantly trying to separate ourself from our competition. We strive to achieve an aggressive price for high quality trade show displays and trade show graphics. If you are in need of trade show tips or suggestions please visit our website and other blogs.

Tech firms strive to be seen at CES

For all you CES enthusiasts who can't read enough articles on the massive tech event, this one will wake you up to the fierce competition for attendees and fellow exhibitor's money and more important "attention".
The attached tech article details the fact most companies at the CES show don't have millions or even hundreds of thousands even to invest in the show. So, they must yell the loudest to be heard among the cluttered landscape.
It's typical of any show this size. The smaller exhibitors attempt to hire the best looking models, use flashing signs, and introduce product demos; essentially attaching more bells and whistles than the next guy, as well as, having the best give-aways for each attendee.
In addition to those bells and whistles, they must utilize their budget effectively if they're in the shallower end of the funding pool. So, like those techies, you should do your homework and attain the display that best suits your needs for your trade show.
A Smash Hit Displays specializes in first rate customer service. By customer service, I mean placing people with budgetary constraints with trade show booths, multi sided banner stands, flex flooring and more that meet their needs and stay within their monetary parameters.

How Does a Trade Show Work? Understanding the 4 Major Components

We love Julia O'Conner; President of Trade Show Training and resident trade show guru. Among her many talents, she writes articles which should be read by most trade show attendees as well as exhibitors. They are timely and pertinent to all matters concerning our industry.
For this particular article, Julia talks about the 150,000 trade shows in the US yearly and though most are different from one another they all share 4 basic components: Sponsors, Managers, Exhibitors and the Audience. The article continues to explain each component in depth.
As Julia often states, the more you know about how trade shows work, then the less confused and the more successful you will be. Patience, persistence, and homework go a long way towards achieving the rewards desired from each show.
A Smash Hit Displays agrees with Julia and will give our clients who call with trade show queries the answers they need to make an educated decision for their future trade shows. Whether our clients ask about 10' Straight Walls, 8' Pop Ups, or 10' x 20' Truss Systems we offer as much information as can be processed in order for them to make the best qualified decision and lessen their worries about their upcoming shows, as well as, enable them with more confidence to make the most of their trade show experience.

One Size fits All

What a great article! I find the subject can be applied to our trade show industry as well! The article talks about our client's ideas and how sometimes marketing agencies have to alter those ideas in order to stay within a time-and-time again "reduced" budget. Further, advertising agencies or marketing gurus then get frustrated and some times pissed-off because they've invested too much time working on what was once a huge idea but due to those constraints have widdled it down to a much smaller one.
Sadly, having been involved in the television broadcast industry, I saw this occur on a daily basis. Though I firmly believe the honus can be placed on both parties. This is true because its up to the marketing team at hand to inform their client, based on their budgetary parameters, that their current idea needs to be lessened or the budget needs to be increased. But, that rarely happens because of each parties different perception concerning the situation or simply 'egos'.
I thought the article's scenarios play out on a weekly basis in the trade show industry and therefore resonated within me.
We, at A Smash Hit Displays, will often get asked to price a display(s) based on a customer's original idea, then based on budgetary requirements get asked to slice some of the fat away in order to make a dollar amount. Sadly, that is not always the way a trade show display should be purchased but its life. Evan and I are constantly asked to place our customers with the display that best suits their needs.
Those needs, both immediate and long term, due to the ever changing trade show environment are sometimes hard to meet while attempting to stay within our customer's budget. But, we do the best we can and most often come up with the perfect fit for our customers. Whether it's a truss system, series of banner stands, table top pop up display, or panel system exhibit our client walks away with the satisfaction they have received the best product for their trade show needs and equally important that their budget requirements have been met.

Got a great idea? Here's how to market it

The article referenced above struck my fancy because it talked about those want-to-be entreprenuers out there who come up with great ideas but don't know how to market them. The article referenced a young lady who had a good idea, little money, and a will to succeed. Persistence kept her focused and a little luck tied to the marketing power of a trade show conference got her idea noticed.
So, for all you trade show exhibitors out there who might have budding ideas of your own the following article will give you a concise decription of how to move it past the idea to the all important development stages. Just remember to be patient.
After reading the article, I realized A Smash Hit Displays site followed the tips referenced in that same article. If you want to read some great articles for tips and suggestions for your next trade show, check out our website.

MacWorld 2007 feature presentations

For all you Apple junkies out there your wait is over. The Macworld trade show conference begins January 8th in beautiful San Francisco! For all the coolest gadgets and technology to hit the market in our immediate future from Apple look no further.

Keynote speaker is none other than Apple cheif Steve Jobs.

I'm not a huge Mac/Apple fan myself but understand all the fervor created through their magnificent series of commercials introducing their products as a need moreso than a want. If you ever worked or associated with anyone in the advertising world, you'll understand and appreciate that endeavor more than the average bear.

So, if you have the inclination or wherewithall to make the trip to our west coast or are already planning on attending have a great time and take a moment after to post a remark or comment about the show to this blog.

Ironically my father just presented my mother with an iPod "grande" for Christmas and she loves it. They're getting more and more acquainted with the software daily and should be pros in no time. I too utilized an iPod in the past and both understand and appreciate its brand dominance in that arena.

For all those looking to give your brand and image a boost and/or make a statement at your next trade show look no further than our website, A Smash Hit Displays. We offer American made products in categories such as truss systems, trade show flooring, and table top pop up displays at the lowest prices...

Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Winter Conference set for Jan 5-7

For those of you vendors and supplier in the fruit and vegetable arena, we have the trade show for you in Savannah, Ga, January 5-7. It's the largest of its kind in the Southeastern USA and features the latest in industry technology plus special production and marketing sessions from agricultural scientists. There will also be more than 60 hours of production training, pest management information, and marketing updates are offered to attendees.

This show would be a great way to educate yourself further in your industry.

We, at A Smash Hit Displays, are here to keep our customer base informed about the latest technology and shows available around the trade show industry. For the lastest in trade show accessories, panel or pop up systems for your upcoming shows take a look at our website or give us a call 800-762-9854.

Survey Reveals Most Exhibitor Staff Training is Hit or Miss

Our good buddy Susan Friedmann, The TradeShow Coach, posted an article a while back on her site referencing a survey of why companies conduct their sales staff training for exhibitor trade shows. The questionnaire focused on how often companies conduct exhibitor training, why they conduct the training, how long it lasts, what materials are included, when and where is the training conducted, who attends, who conducts the training, and finally, its impact on overall results..

The article gave some good tidbits and interesting numbers for those who might be considering such marketing. To give you an idea, I found it interesting that 86% of ALL training was accomplished in less than 2 hours. Further, 50% of the respondents said their training was iniated right before the show. It's amazing how we might start out with the best intentions of getting things done well ahead of time but we get caught up in our daily lives and leave items like training till the last second.

For those interested in some staggering and not-so-staggering numbers take a read.

Remember you can find an interesting trade show article daily on A Smash Hit Displays website where we sell anything related to the trade show industry from flooring, to pop up displays, to truss systems.

We strive to keep our content fresh and relevant to the industry at hand.

You can also find similar articles and how my business partner, Evan Owen, feels they're relevant on his respective blog http://trade-show-display-booths.blogspot.com .

Bored with your current life, imagine living a second

After reading an article the other day regarding people enjoying second lives via cyberspace, my scope of imagination was stretched a bit. For those of you bored with your current life and willing to shed such for a second skin... your time has arrived. From a purely trade show perspective, this land of imagination could be adapted to create a realm entirely devoted to the trade show industry or any industry for that matter. For our sake, we'll continue along this tact seeing as it is our livelihood.

That above-forementioned 'cyber world' is reality and it's called 'Second Life'. New arrivals have the opportunity to create an avatar, or visual persona, which can be as weird or wonderful as their imagination permits. Upon creation of a new life you are guided through three-dimensional landscapes through which you can chat - via a keyboard and speech-bubbles - to other avatars, purchase virtual land and teleport yourself anywhere you desire. The result, according to one "travel guide" to Second Life, is "a world of endless reinvention where you can change your shape, your sex, even your species as easily as you might slip into a pair of shoes back home." The most visually impressive of the new generation of social-networking sites are fueling a resurgence of commercial interest in the web, and have brazenly placed its methods into the popular imagination.

Second Life is, according to its website, "a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents" and a "vast digital continent, teeming with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity".

My take is such. Instead of posturing and procuring a higher-than-mighty position to argue the spiritual and social ramifications involved, I've decided to go a different route. Why not apply the idea to a space devoted soley to trade shows. I know give it a minute to settle and resound within you.

Instead of physically traveling to and from the trade shows, advertising agencies, marketing outlets and company websites, one could simply shapeshift within a new world to find anyone and everything associated with the trade show industry. Now, in order for this to be accepted those partaking would have to be members already of the trade show fraternity. Though I'm not sure how you could police that requirement that in itself would allow this space to thrive with a bit of reality as opposed to the 'Second Life' alter ego which is growing based on anonymity. Further, you'd have the opportunity to leave your home, office, cafe, etc less often than in the past because of this spacious domain. Think of the work which could be accomplished from the time saved from the many forms of transportation which wouldn't need to be used with the same level of continuity.

Why would one want to do such a thing? Because they could. It seems to me if any 9 year old can market him or herself and/or their video on a third party website for anyone to peruse just by a keystroke, then there would be those out there curious about a cyberland where the future of the trade show arena is constantly evolving due to the user's imagination.

A stretch... of course, but no more so than those living a second life within a territory only bound by the parameters of your mind.