January 2012

ammunition

Many exhibitors go all out for VIP customers, and rightfully so. But medical-device company Baxa Corp. extends this lavish treatment beyond VIPs - to customers that have expressed concerns and who have the potential to take their business elsewhere. At shows like the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting, Baxa hosts a VIP customer breakfast where existing clients can talk openly with its executives. But instead of inviting only top customers, Baxa invites those customers who have recently had some kind of issue with the company, such as a significant delay caused by a backorder. By showing these customers that Baxa cares about their needs and truly wants their business, it helps mend some fences in process. Selecting staff uniforms can be a nightmare for exhibit managers, and trying to please everyone is almost impossible. But print and design studio Dempsey Press Inc. found a perfect solution for the 2011 National Stationery Show. The company allowed staffers to come dressed in basic black pants and any black shirt in which they felt comfortable. Then the staffers, all of which happened to be female, donned green scarves. While all staffers got to choose their own style of shirts and pants, the scarves - which matched the company's bright-green corporate colors - clearly identified them as Dempsey employees without the need for branded polo shirts or booth uniforms. Cortec GmbH wanted to display its CortEco line of biodegradable hang- ers at EuroShop 2011 in Dusseldorf, Germany. But simply displaying the hangers didn't communicate their eco-friendly makeup or biodegradable benefits. A pile of Green hangers doesn't look all that different than a pile of non-Green ones. So since the hangers are made from corn starch, the company chose to position them sticking out of large bowls filled with kernels, displayed atop flooring that featured a graphic of ears of corn in a repeating pattern. Corny? Of course. Effective? Absolutely. It's no surprise that Kitchen & Bath Industry Show attendees like to get their hands wet. It's also no surprise that most attendees want to touch and feel products such as faucets and showerheads to truly get a sense of how they perform - rather than simply reading the specs in a brochure. The problem, however, is that the combination of running water and curious, handsy people often results in a big wet mess. So to circumvent that issue while still offering attendees the opportunity to feel the water pressure its shower heads emit, Kohler Co. installed a Dyson hand dryer in its exhibit, right next to its Flipside showerhead display. Booth staff invited attendees to stick their hands under the Flipside's flow of water, and promptly encouraged them to dry their hands quickly and efficiently with the Dyson dryer right around the corner.		To tout its reliability to attendees at the Healthcare Convention and Exhibitors Association Annual Meeting, international freight forwarder TransManage Worldwide filled its booth with nothing but a rented chair, grey carpet, five cardboard boxes, and a sign that read "I should have shipped with TransManage." Even without the active staffer, who chatted up passersby and relayed the company's reliability message (that no-shows like this can be avoided by using TransManage), the humorous delivery stopped attendees in their tracks. While most exhibits at the International Vision Expo in Las Vegas showed attendees items they can use in their business - eyewear frames, diagnostic equipment, etc. - VSP Global Inc. asked eye doctors to give away their services. The Rancho Cordova, CA-based organization brings ophthalmologists to poor and under-served areas of the country to offer free eye care. But to do so, it needs eye doctors to sign up as volunteers. The centerpiece of the program to convince those docs to lend a hand was VSP's Mobile Eyes/Transitions Optical Mobile Clinic, a 30-foot RV-style vehicle the organization takes on the road for its charitable work. The vehicle, which served as the VSP exhibit, was outfitted as an eye-care clinic complete with exam room, a selection of frames, and a lab where lenses could be processed. Staffers led eye doctors into the vehicle's spacious interior to show off the mobile lab and pitch the idea of donating their time and medical talent to help those in need. At the end of the tours, staffers handed out refrigerator magnets that were shaped like the mobile lab and included the organization's contact info, giving attendees a friendly reminder to donate their time and services. To encourage attendees to visit its booth at EXHIBITOR Show, exhibit-marketing firm Jack Morton Worldwide offered them an invitation in the form of a bag drop. But it didn't rely on conventional postcard-size collateral. Instead, the company enclosed a bag of "Sleepytime" tea inside a small, clear plastic baggie. A white label on the outside of the bag featured Jack Morton's logo and the text, "What keeps you up at night? Tell us at Booth #1036 for your chance to win a Kindle!" The charming tea bag struck the right chord with attendees, several of which stopped by the booth to chat.
		What's The Big Idea? Do you have a clever exhibit-related tip? Did your last exhibit have an über-cool traffic builder? Contact Kelli Billstein at kbillstein@exhibitormagazine.com.