Show Selection: What Do Exhibitors Look For?

Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 7/12/2004

Tradeshow operators sometimes take their lead from TV producers: If you see something that works, do it yourself ... again ... and again ... and again. Consequently, exhibitors in industries labeled ¡ª at least for the moment ¡ª as hot, sometimes have plenty of options.

So Tradeshow Week Contributing Editor Gary Tufel asked some exhibitors and consultants:

Given limited resources, time and staff, how do you choose the best show or shows in which to exhibit?

"It would all boil down to the potential number of prospects the show attracts who match my company's target market. These numbers must be independently audited and the show have a proven track record."

Lynne Parry, Tradeshow manager, Apple Rubber Products

"I would typically start with the largest and most established show and go to it. I would then have business units focus on the smaller, regional versions of the same show.

"If my company is well established in the industry, I would attend and participate with a thought leader or visionary positioning in mind. Even if we don't have a new product to announce, I would still support the industry by being present at the show, and most likely my company would be a leader in how the industry is shaped. I would attend with the idea that we would bring out new ideas or innovations to grow the industry in the future.

"For specific product announcements, I might look at the show that has the most targeted reach for that product, if it has any regional or drill-down vertical appeal."

Francesca Lendrum, Director, marketing services, Navteq

"I am much more inclined to participate in a show where show management will supply reliable demographics and partner with me to make sure the choice of their event is best for my company.

"The primary factor is audience demographics, the main factor in developing an estimate of potential ROI and managing expectations. Reliable information is not always easy to come by. I'm always concerned about the validity of the sales pitch.

"The availability of audited data is always a big plus. In our industry, it is not uncommon to have only 800 potential customers out of 2,500 attendees, so it's easy to be misled.

"Show management that is willing to share information about past and current exhibitors, a detailed agenda, and pre-show registrations helps me to decide which event gets the nod. Show management should also be willing to help me sell their show to my upper management. This can be achieved by offering us speaking or panel participation opportunities in conjunction with the event, and helping us to arrange press meetings."

John Cook, Tradeshow manager, Hitachi Data Systems

"Quality of attendance. If five of our largest customers will be at a show, we'll be there. That's less true for a show with 300 potential customers. Also a consideration, but much less important, is if our competition is going to be there.

"The real factor is the quality level of the attendance. If a company feels the quality is not there, they won't exhibit. In fact, that's why so many hold their own events and just invite the people they want to see.

"The decision about whether or not to exhibit and how much of an effort to make comes from the division level. If they decide not to exhibit at a particular show, a regional person may say he has six of his biggest customers coming and insist that the company be there. Then it depends on how much he pushes it, but the funding usually goes to the person who screams the loudest.

"For a medium-sized show, the head of marketing decides. Others may disagree, and compromises happen over whether or not to participate and how big the booth should be. I've seen regional people decide to exhibit despite the marketing department's decision not to, and just take a 10¡ä¡Á10¡ä, but when that happens, it looks bad for the company."

Sal Cavallaro, Manager, marketing support programs, United Technologies

"The factors that determine which shows we go to are target audience and if the show maps back to overall strategy and goals set by the industry. BearingPoint goes to market by industry, and knowing the target audience for each industry is key. If the show doesn't bring decision-makers who want our services, then there will be very little ROI.

"Of course, there are always a couple shows that make the list even if the target audience isn't perfect, and we take this opportunity to focus on brand recognition. Although we changed our name from KPMG Consulting almost two years ago, we still need to penetrate the market with our new brand and capitalize on that effort at every tradeshow we attend."

Jen-Hope Belis, Event manager, BearingPoint

"The size and value of the exhibitor's potential audience is the primary criteria we recommend using to judge whether a show justifies participation and/or to determine the relative value of each show if there is more than one show in a field or industry. The basis for determining size and value will vary from exhibitor to exhibitor (job titles, type of business, size of company, buying influence levels for their products), but we have found that the level of audience interest in seeing the exhibitor's types of products is the best predictor of their potential for success.

"Calculating potential audience size for each show and then comparing this figure from show to show will determine the relative value of each. It should also be the basis for determining the level of investment justified. These calculations are contingent, of course, on the availability of audience profile information from show management. They are also contingent on having accurate attendance figures for making potential audience projections. This underscores the value of having audited attendance figures."

Skip Cox, President, Exhibit Surveys