New for Exhibitors to Use

A few new items specifically intended for the tradeshow exhibitor have entered the pipeline in recent months.

Exhibitors can design their booths and keep track of each stage of construction with two new services available from design houses.

Exhibit designer Studio1011's latest visualization tools provide exhibitors with an interactive virtual model of their tradeshow booths as they move from design to completion. Using it, they can create three-dimensional layouts, view alternative traffic flow patterns, try out different multimedia and animated lighting effects and move through the booth as if they were attendees. They can also view all possible booth configurations without waiting for new renderings of the entire design.

The tools save time and facilitate constructive comunication. “Our process allows us to develop and simulate all aspects of the experience, fostering a more cohesive solution in a shorter time frame,” said Finn Yonkers, principle designer for Studio1011.

The technology recently enabled Studio1011 and client Revention Restaurant Management to finalize a new exhibit design for Intl. Pizza Expo in less than a week.

On Nimlok's secure Web site, exhibitors can use their keyboards to direct cameras to view their exhibits in various stages of production. Unlike systems that feature stationary video cameras, the Nimlok Web cameras can be moved remotely at the customer's command. The entire process, from pre-production to full installation, can be viewed by way of nine Web cameras in strategic locations throughout Nimlok's Niles, Ill., manufacturing facility.

The Web cameras also enable a large customer team to view the exhibit, review and approve graphics virtually, speeding the overall approval process, Scupin said.

For more information on Studio 1011's products, go to www.studio1011.com.

For more information on Nimlok, go to www.nimlok.com.

Offering attendees a massage in an exhibit booth is nothing new, but exhibitors can now offer tradeshow attendees a message along with that massage.

A company called Video Massage Chairs now offers a chair that includes a video screen capable of projecting featured advertisements, sales videos or even full-length movies. Robert Baschnagel, Video Massage Chairs creator and president, said at many tradeshows in the past year lines formed with dozens of attendees waiting to receive free massages – and get a promotional video about his company thrown in.

While being massaged, attendees can only see the exhibitor's presentation on the chair's monitor. If they close their eyes, they hear the presentation on the Bose headphones, perhaps associating the exhibitor's presentation with the relaxation of the massage.

“This can be beneficial to any business that needs to deliver a new message to consumers,” Baschnagel said.

Users of the still-new product have included Bradco Supply at the Natl. Roofing Contractors Assn.'s Annual Convention and Intl. Roofing Expo and Contrex at Buildings New York.

For more information, go to www.videomassagechairs.com.

CompuSystems is offering an upgraded program that tackles one of the exhibitor's most difficult challenges: following up on leads. According to Executive Vice President and COO Paul McCaffray, 80 percent of the leads exhibitors gather at tradeshows are never followed up on.

So CompuSystems added a new exhibitor component to BuyerConnect, the service that typically offers exhibitor information to attendees. The upgrade allows exhibitors to view, sort and print leads; follow up with a post-show broadcast e-mail; and print mailing labels from their list of leads for a post-show mailing. The information is contained in an e-mail exhibitors receive from CSI after the show with their own personal list of booth contacts.

The new service is free to exhibitors who rent a CompuLead device to scan attendee badges in their booth.

See www.compusystems.com for more information.

Impact Unlimited's new Eventrends measurement tool allows exhibitors to better understand and measure their effectiveness at live events while offering real-time data reporting.

Eventrends gathers information in advance of the show from exhibitors about specific buyers that have received personal invitations to stop by their booths. After the VIP buyers swipe their badges in the booth, Eventrends sends an immediate message to sales representatives there in the booth, alerting them to the hot prospect in their vicinity. Once the visit is complete, sales representatives can enter information about the visit into the system, reporting to other sales people not present via e-mail.

Typical reports include an executive summary, audience overview, product interest and behavior tracking. Customer-specific reports can be designed on request. What's more, users can choose the elements that best fit their needs or use Eventrends as a full turnkey solution.

Go to www.eventrendswithimpact.com/default.html for more information.

Say you're an exhibitor who isn't particularly interested in tradeshows. This may be what you're looking for.

Unisfair's Virtual Events, simulated online versions of the real thing, feature conference sessions in authentic-seeming meeting rooms, realistic-looking exhibitor booths on detailed showfloors and networking in what resemble real lounges, all in a three-dimensional environment that Brent Arslaner, Unisfair vice president of marketing, swears mirrors and feels like a real live physical event.

On the virtual site, exhibitors can keep track of what product information every visitor downloaded and what product demos they watched, view transcripts of conversations attendees had with booth reps, find out how long they were in the booth, and obtain contact and demographic information.

Arslaner said a recent virtual event attracted 2,000 attendees, and one exhibitor had 600 booth visits.

More information is at www.unisfair.com.