Stephen Nold

Crossing the Atlantic
November 28, 2007

In the rapidly globalizing society we live in today, issues dealing with transnational citizenship, policies involving immigration and emigration, and relocation struggles continuously crop up within public awareness. A recent Wall Street Journal article points out the certainty of the illegal immigration question in determining outcomes for the upcoming elections. However, the complications surrounding the subject of migration are not solely limited to the political arena. For those of us in the meetings technology industry who have wrestled with the problem of expanding company activities across boundaries and oceans, the questions of global migration are wrought with complexity and urgency. What differences exist between clientele at home and abroad? What kind of marketing strategy will work on clients who only have been faithful to technology native to their events? How will a company fare in a distant nation in which recognized connections are scarce or nonexistent?

As I have mentioned in a previous blog post, I had the pleasure of speaking to Sam Smith of Shockfish a few weeks back, and the topic of business expansion from their Swiss headquarters to the U.S. became one of the prominent discussion points we circled back to. Though well distinguished in the Europe, Shockfish and its innovative device, Spotme, carry relatively little brand visibility in the States—a predicament not lost to Smith as his company envisions global expansion. In many ways, Smith is not alone in that respect. European technology companies seeking the U.S. market often have to scale formidable walls in order to succeed. Critical issues such as more diverse event audiences, technological distrust of clients, and the establishment of new relationships can truly make or break a company’s attempt to penetrate the U.S. marketplace. Yet despite the numerous obstacles that present themselves to those in this position, there are several examples of companies, such as ASP Inc.  of U.K., who are surmounting these difficulties and seem capable of thriving.

First of all, the problem of servicing varied types of events with diverse audiences must be addressed In order to attract clients in the U.S. For instance, if a technology company only specializes in corporate meetings or high-tech exhibitions yet lacks client history with tradeshows, a significant revenue opportunity is lost. Marketing to tradeshow clients is distinctly different than their corporate counterparts because budget constraints and ROI pressures have greater weight. Having experience in both tradeshows and corporate or high-tech events, rather than one or the other, is fundamental to establishing a reliable costumer base. With ASP, for example, their clients range from both ends of the spectrum to encompass all exhibition types.

Another contention point for migrating business ventures is trying to convince the clientele to replace their legacy solutions with newer, more innovative products. Unfortunately for European technology companies, meetings industry customers possess a general distrust for technology entrepreneurs. This is particularly evident with registration tools, some of which are deemed archaic in the face of the current solutions available on the web. From a client viewpoint, stubborn adherence to old methods is the safe approach. Why risk new technology that has the potential to fall short when the current tool, full of weaknesses and gaps can be patched together enough each year to get the job done? Factor in the cost of product migration and the distrust grows into a distinct disadvantage for European companies. In many cases, the leading solution is not necessarily always the best. If we can glean anything from how the market-friendly Microsoft operating system beat out the more efficient Apple computer nearly a decade ago, it’s that product visibility depends heavily on a solid marketing plan. In the instance of ASP, effective marketing strategies and constant promotion of their global clientele success stories should help them successfully prevail over the industry tendency to stick to the technological status quo.

A third obstacle that European technology companies face is forming liaisons and beneficial associations with clients and business partners that are recognizable in the United States. Focusing on promotion strategies that increase brand awareness and visibility is crucial in keeping one’s products from being pushed to the technological periphery as the meetings industry’s best-kept-secrets. In order to prevent this, companies must determine the ways to gain exhibition experience in the United States and set themselves up with U.S. representation. For example, a European technology company that decides to partner up with an U.S. registration company has engaged in a shrewd move that may effectively boost its visibility in this country. A part of ASP’s success in the U.S. is owed to its extensive international client list, with recognizable companies like the British Broadcasting Company and Reed Exhibitions, to bolster its experience and expertise claims. In addition, ASP cleverly launched their U.S. branch in Las Vegas, a location long considered as a meetings industry spotlight. With these resources and initial adequate funding, ASP’s expansion from U.K. to the States is certain to achieve flourishing results.

While politics, commerce, and ideas ultimately permeate national borders and geographical boundaries, we will have to face the certain complexities of transnational and migration dilemmas that did not exist before. The meetings industry and associated technological innovations which are evolving our industry are of no exception. In concluding my dialogue with Sam Smith, I pondered the actions of seasoned European companies that have successfully expanded their business ventures across the Atlantic Ocean. I hope that future international technology companies come to our shores and continue to find our land as opportunistic as those who crossed and settled in our country. I hope they also are able to share their success with future generations.

Posted by Stephen Nold on November 28, 2007 | Comments (0)