Service Marketing: Doin' the Old Soft Shoe

By Heidi Genoist -- Tradeshow Week, 1/8/2007

There are probably as many ways to sell convention services as there are service providers in the business (about 3,500, according to the 2007 Tradeshow Week Buyers Guide). But ask providers their sales secrets and they'll all agree on one thing: When it comes to convention planners, nothing beats a soft touch.

"It has to do with longevity and relationships within the industry," said Terry Keenan, executive vice president of sales for The Expo Group, when asked what approach he uses to connect with attendees at the Professional Convention Management Assn.'s annual meeting.

Unlike most other industry associations — Intl. Assn. of Exhibitions and Events, ASAE & the Center for Assn. Leadership, and Meeting Professionals Intl., for instance — PCMA has no expo as part of its annual meeting. Suppliers are welcome, but they don't have the dedicated sales opportunity that comes with a booth and showfloor hours.

So, how do they spend their time there?

It all depends on why they're at PCMA to begin with.

"You have to have clear expectations of what you want to get out of the meeting," Keenan said. "You probably have identified who your potential clients are, and you'll try to meet with them during the course of the meeting. We're there to solidify relationships with existing clientele and meet new people."

Rose Dubrovich, director of sales and marketing for the travel and event management division of Ambassadors, has a similar goal to Keenan's: relationship-building.

"It's not a sales venue," she said. "It's an educational venue."

Convention managers attending PCMA tend to be high-level decision-makers who are there to learn, Dubrovich and other sources said. She tailors her approach to this atmosphere by bringing information about Ambassadors to clients and prospects.

The environment also lends itself to small, intimate gatherings. This year, for instance, Ambassadors is hosting a tea party for about 20 to 25 people.

Keenan said he also does "targeted entertainment," usually a dinner that could be as small as four people, but probably not larger than 40.

PCMA helps facilitate one-on-one communication through PCMA Connect, a new matchmaking service that helps attendees find and get in touch with others whose goals and interests are in line with their own.

The annual meeting also offers built-in opportunities for networking; for instance, Party With a Purpose, a charity event for which founding sponsor GES Exposition Services solicits fellow underwriters.

Richard Maples, vice president of sales for Shepard Exposition Services, pointed out that it's important for suppliers to understand exactly who they're dealing with. Although medical-industry convention managers started PCMA, the organization has grown to embrace nonprofit meeting, conference and expo planners from a broad range of industries.

Dubrovich described her PCMA clients as "lawyers, people from food and nutrition, the Natl. Safety Council — a real mix."

And their job description is just as important as the industry they're from. The clients Shepard has at PCMA tend to be "from smaller organizations where the exhibit and conference manager work in tandem, or are the same person," he said. "Larger organizations may not send their exhibit manager, but will send their conference manager."

The real key to the soft touch, though, is listening. With the emphasis at PCMA on networking rather than exhibiting, sources said they don't even bother creating special marketing materials or launching new products at the meeting. Instead, they take the opportunity to sit back and listen to what's going on in their customers' world.

Like other sources, Saira Beig, director of sales for Stronco Show Services, said she strives to emphasize the client, instead of her own company. "A big part of our results comes from being able to understand the clients' needs," she said.

Beig has never attended a PCMA meeting, although Stronco, the largest Canadian-owned general contracting firm, does send one or two people each year. Because this year's meeting is being held in Stronco's home town of Toronto, more staff from the company, including Beig, will be able to attend. She said she is looking forward to finding out what's unique about PCMA attendees.

In the end, Dubrovich said, that's really what everyone at PCMA is there for: a learning experience. "You can learn from your customers and potential customers, and they can learn from you. We need to keep it that way. If they gave us the opportunity to exhibit, it would become a potential sales environment."