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How has the troubled economy influenced your
approach to face-to-face marketing efforts?
We definitely had to think outside the box. Being in health care, we already have more restrictions on what we can do. Couple that with budget concerns, and we had to be very creative in how we reached our audience. So we had to think about what we could do beyond just hanging banners and advertisements to draw physicians to our booth.
Given the state of the economy and the evolution of digital- and social-media outlets, do you think trade shows will become more or less relevant in 2011?
I think they will stay very relevant within the health-care industry. Physicians seek out new data and want hands-on
experiences, which you can't get through digital- and social-media outlets. We also are restricted on what can be said with social-media sites due to FDA guidelines, so we are very limited as to what we can do with them.
Are there any other tools that you feel will become more prevalent in exhibit and event marketing?
I think virtual trade shows are seeing a big push right now. I'm not sure how quickly they'll be adopted in the health-care exhibiting industry, but they seem to be quite successful in a variety of other industries. I predict we'll see many more popping up, and their use and popularity increasing. However, we'll definitely keep our interactive and educational approach to exhibit marketing, even if we do add virtual components.
How do you evaluate the success of your exhibits?
I'm actually hoping to find new ways to track ROI and ROO for our trade show exhibits beyond just the number of leads captured. We need to figure out how to know if our interactive programs are, in fact, worthwhile  to physicians, and if they're getting the information they want when they visit our exhibit. Our efforts are basically fruitless if we're not providing our customers and prospects with the information they need.
Tim Naegelin,
trade show senior associate,
Abbott Laboratories |
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Looking back at 2010, what makes you most proud?
We increased the number of trade shows and events we attended and enhanced the customer experience, and we did it with the same budget we had in 2009.
How did you accomplish that?
I looked at the broader event landscape, and then prioritized the key customer programs based on the impact on customer interaction, experience, satisfaction, and return on investment. For example, we attend a trade show every summer where vendor participation has dropped considerably. So instead of exhibiting in the traditional way with a large booth, we took advantage of sponsorships and outside networking opportunities.
What other marketing avenues have you explored?
We're creating a specific call to action with our internal sales and marketing teams on post-show follow-up, and making sure we immediately connect with those customers who stopped by the booth. We will also continue to identify customers prior to the show and customize our lead-retrieval program so we're aware the moment a customer has entered the booth. Then, we hope to use that information to direct those customers to the appropriate product stations based on their specific interests.
It sounds like the challenges of 2010 have led you to adopt a more customer-centric marketing approach. Do you think that approach will continue in 2011?
Yes, and I think social media will help keep the marketing focus on the client. I think we'll see more corporations embracing it to help drive traffic to their events, exhibits, user groups, product launches, and to create interactive opportunities to connect one-on-one with their current customers and prospects.
What are your marketing
goals for 2011?
 I want to continue to find innovative ways to connect with McKesson customers through social-media technology, trade shows, and events.
Kathleen N. Theiss,
CTSM, manager,
trade shows and events,
McKesson Corp, |
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What marketing trends do you see becoming more prevalent in 2011?
I am excited to see technologies, such as RFID, being put to good use in the industry. The benefit of this simple technology in providing solid, qualified data is the missing link to assist with a cost-effective solution to the ever-important ROI question. This is something that I believe all exhibitors can benefit from. Plus, I always look at common consumer items and ask myself, "How can I use this to accomplish my exhibit goals?"
So you're like the MacGyver of exhibit marketing?
Well paper clips can't do everything, but I believe a lot of the tools we need are right in front of us - we just have to utilize a very creative eye in interpreting each tool's use with the highest reward.
Do you believe that challenges are, in a sense, golden opportunities in disguise?
That's a good way of putting it. I think that you have to look at the challenges as a simple window opening a host of new opportunities. The downturn of the economy encouraged a lot of marketers to look at everything we do, and to figure out a better way to do it. This ranged from working at a lower cost, to doing away with tasks that did not have a high enough rate of return. However, it also allowed us to look at and leverage new technologies and social media.
Do you have any trade secrets to share with fellow exhibit and event marketers?
I have to confess that I have a file in my desk marked "Ideas." This has traveled from my days in college through my years at a marketing agency, and it's now with me at Caterpillar Inc. I open it often to pull out bits and pieces and to put in new ideas. You never know when you will have the right timing and/or precious  resources to execute something in your idea file, and that idea could save the day. But I can't tell you what's in mine - sorry Volvo, I'm not spilling.
J. Archie Lyons,
senior event producer,
Caterpiller, Inc. |
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It's no secret that 2010 presented face-to-face marketers
with myriad challenges. How have you adjusted your program to overcome those challenges?
We asked ourselves, "How do we deliver even more results with a similar level of resources?" Resources had to be realigned to deal with the economic realities facing not only us, but also the rest of the world. So we focused our resources on simplifying our face-to-face marketing efforts, which allowed us to create more meaningful experiences for our customers and prospects.
Why do you think experiences have become such an important part of exhibit and event marketing?
I've found that people want to have a special, unique experience. Build something unique around your key audience and deliver a special experience with your brand. That emotional connection will resonate, and it's such a simple concept. I find that in our complex world, simplicity and sincerity are welcome respites.
Do you think the evolution of the digital age - and subsequent decline in actual, face-to-face interaction - has propelled people to search out such experiences?
During the expansion of the Internet within even the last 10 years, my friends would ask, "What are you going to do next?" They figured the Internet would make face-to-face marketing - and my job - obsolete. Luckily, that's not the case. Shows and face-to-face marketing will remain and become much more relevant in 2011. The world is in the midst of this digital evolution with new products and innovations brought to market at a rapid pace. But we are social animals, and we thrive on human contact.
What are your professional resolutions for 2011?
I have five:  1) Engage, inform,surprise, and delight our attendees; 2)continue to innovate and do more withless; 3) lead with a sincere effort to make an emotional connection with people; 4) challenge the status quo; and 5) keep it simple.
Victor M. Torregroza,
program manager,
corporate event marketing,
Intel, Corp. |
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Everyone's still talking about budget reductions and having to stretch their marketing dollars. Have you experienced cuts to your program?
We've experienced budget cuts, downsizing, and, of course, increased responsibilities. But we're not giving up - we're adopting new solutions. For example, our budget will be slightly decreased for 2011, so instead of spending
the money and resources to have each of our business units exhibit in their own booth space, at some shows we are pulling all of the units together for a stronger presence.
How do you think attendees will react to that change?
Attendee perception is crucial, especially when so many companies are in survival mode. I think combining our business units under one roof is a positive change. All units still have the opportunity to reach out to our clients.
What are some of your concerns going into 2011?
I'm concerned that it's becoming more difficult to justify the fees charged by convention centers, labor unions, transportation companies, and show services. The cost to vacuum a 3,200-square-foot booth is $1,400 for one day - the actual task takes about an hour. Charges like that make it difficult for exhibitors to stretch their budgets.
Do you think those types of expenses are simply the necessary evils of exhibiting?
Well they certainly seem to be. I don't mind paying a reasonable amount for such services, and I know I can make line-item budget cuts to compensate for those expenses, but when does that stop? Ultimately, these types of charges could influence our decision to exhibit and attend shows.
Has the recession changed the way you work?
 We've had to find ways to work smarter. We evaluate our costs and lookfor less-expensive options, we bring tasks in-house, and if something is too expensive, we simply decide not to do it at all. We are called on more than ever to justify every single dollar spent.
Felechia Justice,
trade show and events manager,
UTC Fire and Security
Global Security Products |
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What have the challenges of 2010 taught you?
We've operated at the same level of funding as in 2009, but focused on increasing the business impact of our participation at trade shows, driving more attendee traffic to our exhibit, and generating higher-quality sales leads. It's clear that we must all try to operate more efficiently year over year, be flexible, and ultimately, we have to be open to new ideas. I realized more than ever the importance of focusing on measurement and demonstrating the value of our work.
Everyone seems to be talking about having to do more with less. Do you feel you have been given adequate resources to accomplish your marketing objectives?
Yes, and I believe it is my job as the manager of industry communications to make the most of those resources.
Has what you learned in the past year influenced your exhibit- and event-marketing resolutions for 2011?
Definitely. I want to think every day about what I can do to maximize the value of my work, enhance the market visibility of my company, and create new business opportunities. Also, as a company, we're going to focus on driving efficiencies and developing solid metrics to evaluate our program.
Have you encountered any marketing tools that will help you make good on those resolutions?
There are some exciting developments in technology
and interactive visual tools now available in the marketplace, like 3-D projection and augmented reality. Additionally, trade show managers are increasing their focus on creating more value for exhibitors and listening to feedback
on what's working and what's not.
 In addition to 3-D projection and augmented reality,
is there anything else you're tempted to try in 2011?
I would like to incorporate more technology-driven tools and visual stimuli to create a buzz on the trade show floor. I'd also like to use the latest in custom-designed booth properties.
| John Zeltin, manager, industry communications, emerging payments, American Express Global Network Operations |
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If 2010 had a rallying cry, it seems "do more with less" would be appropriate. Did you find yourself chiming in on that chorus?
Absolutely. In 2010, we encountered many marketing challenges, specifically budget cuts and event postponements. We were expected to do more with less and find creative new ways to get our message out there.
Did you find a solution to any of those challenges?
We learned more about virtual events and how they could deliver the same message with less cost. This gave us an opportunity to learn how to engage our audience in new and different ways than we had done in the past.
So why not switch to virtual events entirely?
Our audience wants to see products and have hands-on demos. As hard as we try to make a virtual experience successful, nothing beats the real deal of seeing cutting-edge technology up close. Being able to speak with a subject-matter expert who can answer questions in person during a demo can't be replaced by a digital or social-media event. Social media will definitely continue to play a huge role in creating buzz around events, but I don't think it will be replacing trade shows in our industry any time soon.
Do you feel optimistic about the exhibit- and event-marketing industry going into 2011?
I think trade show attendance will start to increase again. But I believe the trend of doing more with less will continue. Executives are slowly loosening the purse strings but haven't gone back to pre-recession spending yet.
Is there anything you are concerned about?
I'm concerned that the generosity that show management has shown in 2009 and 2010 may decrease in 2011. During the recession, our show  contacts worked with us on costs and threw in extras. We got sponsorships at bargain prices and I think that is going to change. Expectations will need to be realigned as we move forward into 2011.
Sarah Jarding,
senior events manager, TelePresence solutions marketing,
Cisco Systems, Inc. |
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Many industries are seemingly still in post-recession survival mode, stripping away as many line items as possible just to stay afloat. Has anything in your exhibit program been able to continue, business as usual?
We have a rather comprehensive Green mandate that we will continue to follow, regardless of economic troubles. My internal mantra is still "reduce, reuse, recycle."
It seems like Green has become less of an issue with the decline of the U.S. economy over the past couple of years and the fast rise of social media as the new marketing zeitgeist. What's your take?
Well, Green has paid its dues and is, for the most part, an established quantity. It may not have hard marketing metrics associated with it, but decreasing the negative impact on the environment - not to mention increasing general good will - is really an evergreen objective. Who doesn't want to help protect the planet we live on?
Social media, on the other hand, is new and still has to fight the good fight for marketing dollars and additional resources required to effectively execute it. And I haven't seen convincing metrics that prove its worth across all industries in the business-to-business world. So we can all hop on the social-media train, but I don't think anyone knows where it's going yet.
So do you think the buzz surrounding social media is just a bunch of unsubstantiated hype?
No, not at all. I definitely think it has a place in the exhibit industry. I just think that finding and maintaining that place is getting harder and harder.
As you begin planning your exhibit-marketing strategy for 2011, what's at the top of your to-do list?
Survive! And continue to deliver excellent results with
a smaller budget. I also have a 2011 wish list, which includes trying to find a way around the continually rising costs of show services. Unfortunately, I think that's
a wish that might continue to
go ungranted.
| Glenda Brungardt, CTSM, trade show / event manager, HewLett-Packard Development Co. |
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As a financial institution, it would seem that the economic meltdown would have a greater impact on your industry than, say, telecommunications or health care. How did you keep going?
We actually experienced an uptick in our face-to-face marketing efforts, and given everything that happened in 2008 and even 2009 and 2010, it was a very important time for us to get in front of our partners and prospects. We didn't want to throw our hands up and give up - we wanted to demonstrate that we were still sound and relevant, and had a service to provide to our clients. So the increase in events was a welcome surprise, although we did bring many of those events in house.
Events are only successful if people can attend them. How did you overcome the challenge of attendees' receding travel budgets?
We made a conscious decision to take the pressures of our clients into account when we planned events. So we adjusted our programs and rather than hosting a huge event in, say, New York City, we parsed it down to our local markets. We went to our clients instead of trying to bring everyone to us. It just made more fiscal sense, and it resulted in a more personable atmosphere.
Have any of your marketing objectives shifted for 2011, based on what you've learned over the past year?
I think that our events will be more focused toward, and I'm hoping better attended by, senior-level managers. If the recession has taught us anything, it's that quality far exceeds quantity, and I think events and face-to-face marketing efforts are starting to reflect that.
How do you think social media impacts that "quality over quantity" theory?
Social media isn't going to go away, but I don't think it will replace live  trade shows and events. I think we'll eventually strike the right balance between face-to-face marketing and
social-media marketing.
Douglass Caldwell,
vice president, senior global event marketing,
JPMorgan Chase & Co. |
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What changes to your exhibit-marketing program do you anticipate for 2011?
Several things are changing or will change in the near future. We received FDA approval for a new product in mid-2010, and there will be more exhibit- and event-marketing opportunities for that product - including opportunities to reach out to new customers, which is always exciting. Also, we are always looking for and trying to stay abreast of new ways to market more efficiently - such as through the use of social media. This is an area I find especially fascinating and exciting. That said, the trend that concerns me the most is social-media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. While these mediums are also exciting, it is difficult to control the user-added content in real-time. Health care is so regulated that my company has to always be in compliance regarding what is said about our products.
Given your concerns about social-media applications within your heavily regulated industry, how do you see social media influencing face-to-face marketing?
We have a strong push to build our digital presence. We have increased those marketing efforts in 2010 and will probably continue to do so. I see virtual events and social marketing as complements or adjuncts to our face-to-face marketing efforts - but definitely not a replacement.
Why do you find virtual events so intriguing?
I keep trying to find new, meaningful experiences to add more oomph and staying power to our marketing efforts. In a highly regulated environment such as the health-care industry, this is an ongoing challenge. That's another reason I'm such a believer in the power of virtual events. There's so much potential there, and we have barely begun to tap into it. We will know we have succeeded when the rush to attend our virtual events in as  great - or greater than - the rush to visit our live trade show exhibits and events, and when attendee feedback tells us we have provided real value in those events.
Diane E. Benson,
CTSM, manager, conventions, GE Healthcare, a division of General Electric, Co. |
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What changes have you made to your program in the past year to help you cope with reduced resources?
Like many other companies, we're doing more with less, especially when it comes to budgets and responsibilities. To help cut costs, we've reduced the number of attendees we send to shows to save on travel expenses. And we make a point to try and negotiate better rates at hotels, and stay at the show hotel when appropriate. We've also adjusted our exhibit spending, and made a more conscious point of keeping within our budgets when possible. Not that we ignored our budget prior to the economic downturn, but to be honest there was more of a cushion if we did happen to overspend. We don't have that cushion anymore, so we downsize our exhibit space when we can, and set up more one-to-one meetings with prospects. It's kind of a catch 22, because although we really need to save money, we also have to spend money to exhibit and keep our products
top-of-mind among our clients and prospects.
Do you think downsizing will continue through 2011?
I've noticed smaller footprints at shows over the past couple of years as companies try to save money wherever they can, and I think that practice will continue for a while yet.
Does it surprise you that more companies haven't completely pulled out of trade shows?
Not really. There are a lot of folks out there that like to see the actual product and have face-to-face interaction with a staffer. So while shows may be getting smaller, they are still the best way to show off products.
Elizabeth A. Richards,
trade show coordinator, Honeywell Fire Systems |
Has that "downsizing" mentality drifted into any other parts of your exhibit program?
Well it's no secret that there is a lot of waste in our industry, including everything from posters and literature to one-off rental exhibits. I'd like to reduce that waste and push toward going Greener. We have already started recycling name badges and lanyards but that's been slow to catch on.
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