Your bags are packed and you're ready to go but do you have the essentials for trade show attendance in Arizona? Depending on which part of the country you are coming from, the weather in Arizona could be a big change (especially when the northeast is being inundated with snowy weather.)
In addition to dressing for the weather here is a top ten list to make your trade show attendance the best it can be:
1) Bottled water -- hotel air can be drying so stay hydrated.
2) Make certain you bring along scissors, tape, sticky notes, even gum or snacks (you may not be able to get away for lunch)
3) Business cards -- a given but bring more than you think you might need
4) Sun block (in case your visit to Arizona includes outdoor activities)
5) Booth location information so you can target who you want to visit
6) Plan ahead for who you want to meet while you're there. Send an email prior to the event. Make appointments to meet with your "regulars."
7) Do a mailing to potential clients and offer a give-away that will "guarantee" they visit your booth.
8) Plan of action for follow-up contacts to individuals you met during the show
9) Make your trade show booth an eye-catching stopping point. Why not offer shoe shines or other traffic stoppers?
10) Are you offering give-aways? What are they? What return do you hope to gain from them? Give an item that adds value and won't get lost amid the other give-aways from the show.
Feel free to share with us the survival tips you've discovered to make your trade show attendance memorable, and more importantly, fun and profitable!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
The next evolution
Here at CSI etc. we've been working harder than ever to bring you the services and stock you need. We've added over $100,000 in new materials since the beginning of 2010 alone, along with more staff to take care of your programs from inception to post-show. We will now help you plan a tradeshow from the ground up, including specific advice to exhibitors to help them walk away with results, that will bring a new tradeshow to life, or revamp an existing show that needs to show new benefits to prospects.
Stay tuned for examples that will make your show stand out!
Want a more effective show in 2010? Contact karenm@meetcsi.com to plan the show that will bring the most to your exhibitors and attendees!
Stay tuned for examples that will make your show stand out!
Want a more effective show in 2010? Contact karenm@meetcsi.com to plan the show that will bring the most to your exhibitors and attendees!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Wings to Fly Bowlathon!
Let the good times roll at the Bowling for Wings Bowl-A-Thon! Join us for a family-friendly bowling event benefiting Wings to Fly, a non-profit organization that promotes lifelong self-esteem among young women during annual summer camps. Bring the whole family for an exciting day filled with fun, food and music. You’ll be “bowled over” by activities like cosmic bowling, face painting, arcade games, a silent auction and raffles of great prizes perfect for all ages.
The Bowling for Wings Bowl-A-Thon will feature local celebrity team captains who will be sprinkled throughout this fundraising event consisting of 40 lanes with 4 bowlers per team. Each team will receive shoes, large pizza, bottomless pitcher of soft drinks and other special surprises!
The winning team will be crowned the Bowling for Wings Team of the Year, receive a trophy, and celebrated on the Wings to Fly website and other publications. Be there or be “spare”!
Sign your team up today! For full details on team sponsor benefits call Karen May 602-923-0011 fax 602-923-0044 or e-mail to karenm@meetcsi.com
The bowl-a-thon tournament fee is $75 per bowler - 6 person team minimum.
No charge for fans and spectators to attend, so bring your entourage to help cheer you on! All proceeds to benefit Wings to Fly.
http://bowling4wings.kintera.org
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Breaking News Post - Face to Face Meetings Make Real Dollars and Cents!
The hard facts we have all been waiting for (even if we already knew they existed):
For every dollar invested in trade shows, returns are in the $4 to $5.99 range!!
Here is the complete release:
SEPTEMBER 15, 2009 -- The U.S. Travel Association today released a study that draws a direct link between business travel and corporate revenue and profit growth.
According to the study, conducted by global research firm Oxford Economics, for every dollar invested in a company meeting, the return is in the range of $15 to $19.99. Conferences and trade shows are in the $4 to $5.99 range. Data also showed that in order to achieve the same effect of incentive travel, an employee's total base compensation would need to be increased by 8.5 percent. According to the figures, an incentive trip yields a return of more than four times the investment, not including any broader motivation the opportunity provides to those who do not meet the award criteria.
Oxford Economics USA conducted the study of 300 U.S. corporate executives and 500 business travelers from late spring through the summer. A professor of finance and economics at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania audited the methodology.
Other findings indicated that for every dollar invested in business travel, businesses average $12.50 in increased revenue and $3.80 in new profits.
"This study shows that not all spending cuts are smart cuts," said Adam Sacks, managing director of Oxford Economics. "When companies cut their travel budgets, there are negative consequences that we can now quantify, in terms of lost revenue and profit growth, and in terms of giving competitors a distinct advantage."
The study also found that curbing business travel can have a strong negative impact on corporate profits. The average business in the United States would forfeit 15 percent of its profits in the first year of eliminating business travel.
"Business travel is economic stimulus," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, which commissioned the study. "In order to grow, businesses have to invest. This study shows that face-to-face meetings and incentive awards to top performers are among the smartest investments companies can make."
For every dollar invested in trade shows, returns are in the $4 to $5.99 range!!
Here is the complete release:
SEPTEMBER 15, 2009 -- The U.S. Travel Association today released a study that draws a direct link between business travel and corporate revenue and profit growth.
According to the study, conducted by global research firm Oxford Economics, for every dollar invested in a company meeting, the return is in the range of $15 to $19.99. Conferences and trade shows are in the $4 to $5.99 range. Data also showed that in order to achieve the same effect of incentive travel, an employee's total base compensation would need to be increased by 8.5 percent. According to the figures, an incentive trip yields a return of more than four times the investment, not including any broader motivation the opportunity provides to those who do not meet the award criteria.
Oxford Economics USA conducted the study of 300 U.S. corporate executives and 500 business travelers from late spring through the summer. A professor of finance and economics at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania audited the methodology.
Other findings indicated that for every dollar invested in business travel, businesses average $12.50 in increased revenue and $3.80 in new profits.
"This study shows that not all spending cuts are smart cuts," said Adam Sacks, managing director of Oxford Economics. "When companies cut their travel budgets, there are negative consequences that we can now quantify, in terms of lost revenue and profit growth, and in terms of giving competitors a distinct advantage."
The study also found that curbing business travel can have a strong negative impact on corporate profits. The average business in the United States would forfeit 15 percent of its profits in the first year of eliminating business travel.
"Business travel is economic stimulus," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, which commissioned the study. "In order to grow, businesses have to invest. This study shows that face-to-face meetings and incentive awards to top performers are among the smartest investments companies can make."
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Plan of Attack - Realism Meets Optimism
This is part two in our (almost!) real time series of how one of our clients is dealing with dramatically decreased exhibitor and attendee numbers.
The assessment completed, we now needed to form a realistic plan of attack. What was equally important to the mission was keeping a sense of vitality and optimism among all parties involved, while clearly communicating the reality of the situation. Here is distilled version of what we did:
Space
The contracted space was much bigger than we now needed and even though we released space back to the venue, they were unable to resell the space in time for our client to avoid penalties. We were able to help them negotiate a cost break due to the overwhelming issues the economy has created, and the loyalty our client has shown to the venue. However, we still had a lot of space. Since perception is everything, we knew we had to visually make the space look full, so we altered the layout of the exhibit hall by dropping airwalls where possible and putting in a large physical "staging area" to reduce width. We also widened aisles, added lounge spaces in open booth areas, and added cocktail rounds to break up the visual openness.
Exhibit Income:
With fewer exhibitors, the budget was slashed for decoration and food and beverage. To help on very little budget, we added background music to provide ambience (and reduce echo) and carefully placed spandex arches and walls with uplights to take the place of planned decoration. Because the elaborate food stations were not possible, we worked with our client to move toward passed hors d'oeuvres for less time and spaced the timing to make them stretch. The hosted bar was replaced by a cash bar.
With fewer exhibitors, the budget was slashed for decoration and food and beverage. To help on very little budget, we added background music to provide ambience (and reduce echo) and carefully placed spandex arches and walls with uplights to take the place of planned decoration. Because the elaborate food stations were not possible, we worked with our client to move toward passed hors d'oeuvres for less time and spaced the timing to make them stretch. The hosted bar was replaced by a cash bar.
We needed our exhibitors to realize fewer attendees wouldn't necessary impact the outcome of their participation. We created and emailed an exhibitors guideline "cheat sheet" before the event that provided a profile of the expected attendees along with tips on how to engage them. We covered items that indirectly addressed the lower attendee count, such as the ability to spend the time to learn their needs so the next steps could be closer to a decision. Quality over quantity became the theme.
In the next entry, we will discuss reaction from the client, exhibitors and attendees to the changes.
Need to tackle a problem with viable solutions? Contact karenm@meetcsi.com to learn how simple steps can make a big difference.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Where there's a will and creativity, there IS a way!
Believe it or not, not every conference is seeing big dips, but the reality remains that some are. What would you do if you realized your 500 booth show was barely cracking 200 and your attendance wasn't even keeping pace with your booth cut? You let out some screams, curse the economy and get on with it.
This is the first post showing how a CSI etc. client is dealing with the shift in numbers around their show and what they are doing to overcome it (with help from the friendly folks at CSI). Today we'll look at assessing and the next installment will cover the steps toward solutions.
Assessing
We keep hearing it: these are unprecedented times, consumers and businesses alike are afraid to spend, and this cycle is affecting everything. We can't be in denial, but we can properly cope to ensure our show isn't brought down in the spiral. When our client realized what was happening, they contacted us to assess the situation and discuss what could be done to turn the show around.
We assessed items that contribute to the financial impact of the show:
Space:
Our client had written the contract with the venue years before, as is often customary, and was responsible for the rental of a much larger space then they now needed.
Exhibit Income:
Exhibit income is down dramatically due to fewer exhibitors, which also impacts viability of show decoration and food and beverage to be served in the exhibit halls.
Attendee Registrations:
Fewer attendee registrations means less pull for exhibitors and fewer exhibitors draw lower numbers of attendees.
That is the reality. Find out in the next installment how we worked with the situation to create a realistic plan of attack.
Have an issue you need to solve? Contact karenm@meetcsi.com to see how a difficult situation can be systematically analyzed to create positive outcomes.
This is the first post showing how a CSI etc. client is dealing with the shift in numbers around their show and what they are doing to overcome it (with help from the friendly folks at CSI). Today we'll look at assessing and the next installment will cover the steps toward solutions.
Assessing
We keep hearing it: these are unprecedented times, consumers and businesses alike are afraid to spend, and this cycle is affecting everything. We can't be in denial, but we can properly cope to ensure our show isn't brought down in the spiral. When our client realized what was happening, they contacted us to assess the situation and discuss what could be done to turn the show around.
We assessed items that contribute to the financial impact of the show:
Space:
Our client had written the contract with the venue years before, as is often customary, and was responsible for the rental of a much larger space then they now needed.
Exhibit Income:
Exhibit income is down dramatically due to fewer exhibitors, which also impacts viability of show decoration and food and beverage to be served in the exhibit halls.
Attendee Registrations:
Fewer attendee registrations means less pull for exhibitors and fewer exhibitors draw lower numbers of attendees.
That is the reality. Find out in the next installment how we worked with the situation to create a realistic plan of attack.
Have an issue you need to solve? Contact karenm@meetcsi.com to see how a difficult situation can be systematically analyzed to create positive outcomes.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Where does the time go?
Here at CSI etc. we work at lightning speeds to keep one step ahead of our client's needs. Sometimes this means the relevancy of a blog post changes before we can finish writing it. This is one such week. Stay tuned for an in-progress case study of how one client took at event from nearly bust to a qualified success...even if there were a few heart attack moments along the way!
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