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, March 28, 2014

After the Show: It's NOT Over When it's Over!

It is the end of March, and the Marketplace Events spring home show season is winding down. With only one more event on the spring schedule, the Central Florida Home + Garden Show at the Orange County Convention Center, April 4-6, 2014.

By now all of our spring home show exhibitors have taken on new projects, and the days working the show floor are just a distant memory... BUT...

Remember, "it's not over when it's over." Make sure all your post show follow-up work is completed on a timely basis.

Two Weeks After the Show:
Information and samples should be sent to those who requested them within two weeks of the show's conclusion. According to the CEIR Center for Exhibition and Industry Research, 80% of exhibitors DO NOT follow up with show leads. In addition, a survey conducted by the University of Massachusetts Center for Marketing Communications showed only 43% of prospective buyers receive material they requested after they have already made a buying decision. Another 18% never receive the material at all. Backing up these statistics, the home show office's regularly receive post show calls from buyers trying to connect with exhibitors that did not follow up with their inquiries. We also see many emails sent through the exhibitor listing tool requesting brochures and information for a second time.

One Month After the Show:
Follow-up actions and responsibility should be assigned to specific individuals on your team. At the end of 30 days, many companies request a summary from those team members listing the status of each lead including whether it has been converted to a sale, or is still pending, and what the next steps are. This process ensures that all sales leads are handled properly.

One-to-Two Months After the Show:
Continue to monitor the progress of lead conversions. Your staff may already be working on new opportunities from other sources, and consequently, may view the show leads as already stale. However, every lead should be pursued as a potential sale!

In addition to those prospects who were "very interested" or were "ready to buy," don't forget to follow-up with those attendees who only had a question, complaint, or comment. This gives you an extra opportunity to reinforce the positive benefits (time or cost savings, for example) of using your product or service. Everyone that entered your exhibit did so for a reason. A short note or small product sample may turn someone with a question into a customer ready to buy.

Also remember those attendees you wanted to see who didn't make it to the show. A quick email or phone call reminding them about your company, maybe including a video or pictures of your booth, and extending any show specials can go a long way in creating a new customer. 

Want to keep the buzz going? Exhibitors are always welcome to reach out to the Marketplace Events team via social media. If you have a current promotion, or exciting news you'd like to share feel free to reach out to our team. You can find team members on Twitter by viewing the following list:  http://twitter.com/HomeShows/marketplace-events-team/members


Marketplace Events
US Shows | Canadian Shows

Visit HomeandGardenBlog.com for tips + trends!
Facebook.com/HomeandGardenEvents
Twitter.com/HomeShows


Friday, March 14, 2014

Show Tips from the Show Teams

Today is the opening day of the National Home Show and Canada Blooms in Toronto, one of the largest home shows in North America.  After watching the show teams work incredibly hard during the months leading up to our busy spring home show season, we wanted to share their tips for exhibitors on having a successful show.

Also opening today is the brand new Cleveland Home + Remodeling Expo, and the Denver Home Show. Best of luck to all of our show teams and exhibitors -- may all the shows be a great success!

  1. It takes 3 seconds to draw someone into your booth! Always keep your eyes open for prospective clients. The bigger the booth, the better the results. Size does matter! 
  2. Take advantage of all the offerings from show management. Build your online profile, advertise with us and sponsor an item to get your logo in front of more attendees. Utilize the tools Marketplace Events has to get consumers to come directly to see you in your booth. Concentrate on bringing the people to the show to see your booth and specific product offerings.
  3. Don't miss the unique opportunity to engage face to face with qualified buyers. At the show, be yourself; friendly and knowledgeable, open the door to increased sales by building relationships one at a time.
  4. Have a plan going in and know how you will execute it! Prepare yourself with plenty of marketing materials and be sure to collect leads from the show. This way you will have a qualified list of who to follow up with.
  5. The best attire you can ever wear is a SMILE. Be excited, engage and educate people about your business. That's 90% of the game! The remaining 10% it showing them what sets you apart from the rest!
  6. Better late than never is not a motto to live by with consumer shows.  Avoid hassles and submit forms and other important exhibitor information as early as possible.  In the end, this will save you a lot of time and keep you stress free.
  7. Create a warm and inviting space. A positive attitude and smile goes a long way! Striking up a conversation about something other than business reflects a genuine interest in your prospective clients.
  8. Make every customer feel important and give them your undivided attention without distraction - be genuinely interested in them.   And above all, remember the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
  9. Home Shows are so much more than just booth space! Yes, your booth is the key component of your marketing strategy with us, but we have additional advertising options from online marketing to post-show research surveys to support your booth space investment. Plus, be sure to ask your sales representative about all the research we’ve already gathered on our consumers to help you better target your products and services at the show.
  10. Don't forget to leverage the show's advertising. Taking advantage of opportunities like show guide ads can greatly expand your company's profile during and after the event. It's a super cost-effective way to get your ad in front of a very targeted audience.
  11. The visual impact of your booth and signage are possibly the most important aspects of any trade show display. A general rule of thumb for signage? When someone looks at your display, they should be able to tell within four seconds who you are, what you do, and what problem you are solving.
  12. Think about traffic flow within your booth. We put a lot of thought into traffic flow within the show but if the visitors can't flow through your booth at the show then your potential impact is decreased. Have lanes and clear paths to entice visitors into your booth so you can engage them.
 Marketplace Events
US Shows | Canadian Shows

Visit HomeandGardenBlog.com for tips + trends!
Facebook.com/HomeandGardenEvents
Twitter.com/HomeShows



Friday, March 7, 2014

Exhibitors, We Appreciate You and We Have Awards to Show It!

At Marketplace Events we love to acknowledge our exhibitors, whether it be for the best booth, most creative booth, or even the best dressed. Yes, best dressed is an award! We know participating in our events takes a lot of planning and work on your part, and we appreciate all exhibitors who make the effort to continually improve their displays and raise the bar. After all, it is our goal to produce the best quality home shows for both our exhibitors and our attendees. A quality show translates to more traffic to your booth and more sales!

In addition to the more formal awards, there are some fun awards which the show teams enjoy handing out during the show. We love seeing the smiling faces of our winners when presenting awards on the show floor and taking pictures for promotion.

The following are samples of some of the award categories at our events:

Formal Awards
Best Large Booth
Best Small Booth
Rookie of the Year
Best Showcase of Services
Best Marketing Partner
Best in Show
Best in Show - Gardens
People's Choice Award

Fun Awards
Best Dressed
Happiest Exhibitor
First to Renew
Most Prompt

 So SMILE and be HAPPY... You never know, you may just get an award for it!


Marketplace Events
US Shows | Canadian Shows

Visit HomeandGardenBlog.com for tips + trends!
Facebook.com/HomeandGardenEvents
Twitter.com/HomeShows