Welcome to ExhibiTALK. Learn exhibiting tips from the pros!

The team at Marketplace Events strives to take each show beyond exhibit space, banners and logos... We build experiences. ExhibiTALK is where the Marketplace Events team shares best practices and strategies to truly get the most out of your show experience.

We bring buyers and sellers together in environments that ensure opportunity and success for our customers. Online, in print or on the show floor, we connect businesses with the audiences they need to reach; and we want to make sure every connection is worthwhile.

Brand Awareness

A home show is a great way to reach your target audience.

Face to Face

Have meaningful interactions with potential customers.

Lead Generation

Find your future customers through surveys and contests.

Celebrity + Expert Appearances

Opportunites to present to a live audience.

Social Media

Connect with a fabulous home + garden community looking for new ideas.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Before the Show: Set Goals and Measure Success

In order to make the most of your participation in a home show produced by Marketplace Events, its best to have a marketing plan that includes pre-show, on-site, and post-show promotion.  It should be decided what you would like to accomplish during each stage of your campaign.  Create a list of specific goals and objectives and have them in mind before moving on to the execution of your plan.  By having a well defined list of goals and a plan to achieve them, you will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of your plan and will be able to adjust it if needed.  It is the foundation upon which you will measure your overall success.
The most common indicators of success are sales dollars and leads - these are the easiest to measure.  However, although more difficult to measure, other indicators of success should not be ignored.  For example, you may choose to use the show as a recruiting venue and tally the number of interviews you conduct.  In addition, you may use the show to showcase new products and trends by capturing your teams observations on how these are being recognized by the audience.  Either way, your analysis must be tailored to your specific company objectives.

With tight budgets, limited staff, and not enough hours in the day it can be hard to commit to taking part in a show.  After investing your valuable time and money, having good data to back up your success is priceless.  Plus, learning from your mistakes can assist you in making improvements, these lessons are considered to be "little treasures" by our marketing team.  Analyzing your goals and objectives will also help evaluate your long term strategy - there is a reason many companies complete their renewal contracts before the current show ends!  Securing the best booth space, and committing to a new plan a year out from the next event puts them on the path to success.

If you continue to take part simply because you do so every year, it may be time to look at your objectives.  First define your goals, then have specific indicators in regards to your success.  Below are a few examples:

GOAL: MEASUREMENT:
Company awareness - Branding or PR Reach out to show management and let them know about your company and why it is media-worthy. Review the publicity generated in dollar value, readership, etc.
Introduce new product or service Instruct staff to interact with customers and meet daily to discuss public reactions. Consider non-traditional means such as a blog article or social media which can be measured by engagement and the number of viewers.
Generate leads Offer a show promotion or discount. Use a tablet to collect email addresses and decide the desired number you'd like to collect as your daily goal.
Hire new employees Advertise the position available and invite selected applicants to meet you at the event. Finding the right applicant = success.
Market research Consider sponsoring a contest where you include a few specific questions on the entry form. Success can be measured by the number of entries, optins, and answers.
Close sales Invite your current prospects to your booth for an in person meeting and measure success on the final contracted dollar amount of closed sales.
At the end of the show, if you have completed your goals you can summarize your overall success.  At the same time when you sign the renewal contract you will be ready to alter and adapt your plan toward success at future events.


Marketplace Events
US Shows  |  Canadian Shows

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Friday, November 22, 2013

Before the Show: Research and Plan

Achieving our goals often hinges on pre-Show planning. Those exhibitors that develop a thorough understanding of the Show and the opportunities it represents towards their organizational goals and resources will dramatically increase their chances for success. It is known that the single most common mistake exhibitors make is “just showing up” without properly preparing. Marketplace Events delivers buyers to the Show but it's up to you the exhibitor to attract them to your booth and interact with them.

Getting the right people into your booth is critical to your success. However, you also need to know what to do with them when they arrive. Take time to think through your goals, write them down, and make sure that everyone on your team understands them.

Speaking of time, the best time to start planning is as soon as you book your booth - or even better - well before you book! Our teams at Marketplace Events know what it feels like to have the show quickly approaching and not much time left to complete the task list. At this point it's time for an all-nighter. You can avoid having to stay up all night by creating a work back calendar with all your key dates marked out in advance. Working on your goals months away from the show can help ensure you meet them and experience the greatest amount of success. Trust us, you'll be light years ahead of the guy that just showed up.

Do you want Show attendees to see your new equipment demonstration? Meet a celebrity or your company VIP?  Try out your new product/service? Collect a premium? Leave behind a resume? Whatever the objective, make sure that it moves your business plan toward your final goal.

The next few weekly blog posts will be dedicated to "Before the Show" and offer tips and strategies on how to get the most out of your participation in a Marketplace Events home show through pre-show planning.

Some topics we'll cover are:
- Setting Goals and Measuring Success
- Deciding How Much Space You Will Need
- Training Your Team
- Developing an Effective Lead Card
- Learning the Marketing Opportunities

Remember the wise words of Benjamin Franklin, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."

Marketplace Events

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USA   |   Canada