So to help you better understand the value of competitive intelligence and how it might serve your program, EXHIBITOR spoke with five exhibiting experts who scout their competition. Featuring their advice, the following primer can help you grasp some possible deliverables, select the right methods to collect them, and determine how to use the resulting data.

The list of insights available via intel gathering is practically endless. It includes data on competitors' exhibit sizes and locations, graphic mediums and messages, use and integration of technology, staffing strategies, product positioning and differentiators, off-floor activations, sponsorships, speaking engagements, promotional lures, public-relations and social-media strategies, off-site hospitality, and presentation, demo, and traffic-building tactics. By simply understanding what your adversaries (or even just other exhibitors who don't compete in your market but who do wrestle with you for attendee mindshare) are doing in regard to these elements, you can better position your program and score crucial points with attendees and internal stakeholders alike.

Along these same lines, it's vital to investigate what direct competitors are saying about your product, how they're promoting their wares, and what key differentiators they're using to elevate their products or services over your offerings. "To develop more effective messaging and hold better sales-driven conversations between staff and attendees, you need to know what your competitors are saying about you," says Dana Tilghman, CTSM, CMP, senior trade show and events planner at Minitab LLC. "So read their graphics, listen to their presentations, sit in on demos, and take note of the way staffers pitch their products in relation to yours." Then consider whether your product story competes with what you've learned. If so, play up your strengths. If not, adapt accordingly. "And remember," Tilghman adds, "many attendees arrive at your booth having already heard competitors' spiels. That means your staffers need to know exactly what was said and what differentiators were touted elsewhere so their conversations can address these claims and put your offerings in the best light."

As you gather info on your rivals, don't forget to make direct comparisons to what you're doing within your own exhibit-marketing program. Sources suggest that you apply whatever intel-gathering method you choose to your own program as well to benchmark its efforts and performance. "When done well, this type of comparison draws clear circles around your strengths and highlights the barriers you've built against your success," Lord says. "In my program, this fact-finding process has helped me develop a laser focus to improve our customer experience."

And, of course, any time you or your staff hit the show floor on a fact-finding mission – as opposed to zooming past booths on your way to your own exhibit – you are intentionally or maybe inadvertently soaking up new ideas that may be applicable to your stand. "By taking an analytical approach to the show, you'll likely spot new technology, traffic builders, giveaways, sponsorships, speaking topics, trends, design materials, and more that could give your booth a leg up on the competition," Sherrill says.

But before you jump into action, Glitman proposes that both you and your internal stakeholders weigh in regarding the type and volume of information you want to gather. "Perhaps the single most important component of a competitive-intel effort is to identify what information you most need to collect at the show and how it will be utilized," he says. "So query stakeholders throughout your company to get their wish list of deliverables. Then, if necessary, prioritize and narrow the list down to a quantity that can be managed by you, your staff, or a third party without taking too much time or attention away from normal trade show activities."

At the same time, decide whether you want to make a big splash with an all-out competitive-intel assault at one or two big shows a year, or if you'd rather use a smaller-scale approach but apply it to most events on your calendar. The first option will likely deliver more detailed info on a variety of topics, but the latter could give you insight on a handful of aspects tracked over time, thereby providing historical perspective. Regardless of which approach you choose, the following four methods will help you obtain the insights you seek.

You could also tweak this questionnaire to focus on all competing exhibitors, a select few adversaries, or the entire show floor. "Or, consider a divide and conquer approach," Tilghman says. "This way you could assign some staff to analyze a specific exhibiting aspect – perhaps graphic messaging. Meanwhile, others could be responsible for assessing demos, and another group could tackle all off-floor evaluations."

Either way you go, sources caution that staff training is crucial and recommend that you not only explain what you hope to gain via the evaluations but also educate staffers on how to effectively complete their questionnaires and discuss the amount of time you expect them to spend on their missions. Some sources even suggest adding some kind of incentive – perhaps a bit of free time at the show, a massage at the spa, or a group dinner at a nice restaurant – to reward the troops for a job well done.

This type of third-party recon can easily be customized to your deliverables. For example, you can ask your firm to scout a handful of competitors, focus deeply on two or three, or even secret shop your own booth and compare your attendee experience to that of your exhibiting adversaries.

According to Sherrill, this type of customized analysis often includes gathering photos and videos, talking with staff, participating in activities, etc. The info is usually compiled into a comprehensive report broken out into various categories and companies.

Suitable for upper management and stakeholders, the report includes not only findings regarding established criteria but also recommendations based on the analysis and the agency's past experiences.

In addition to probing a wide range of attendees, sources recommend creating a customer council for this purpose. This committee could take several forms. For example, you could work with internal salespeople to select multiple key customers and prospects attending a specific show. After inviting them to participate in your "special VIP advisory board" (a name that in itself might fluff some egos and foster relationships), you might treat them to an off-site dinner toward the end of the show and ask them for competitive insight. Or you could select a handful of random leads from your booth, offer them a small stipend or discount on your product for their time, and host a post-show conference call to glean the same type of information. "Any type of one-on-one customer interview is an effective tool to collect competitive intel," Tilghman says. "Plus, if you can make these customers feel like rock stars in the process, you're killing two birds with one stone."

To gain further insight, check out your rivals' websites and social-media channels, and investigate blogs and posts from key industry influencers. Before you hit the show floor, these sources can tip you off to big announcements, differentiators, product positioning, traffic builders, presentations, and more.

"And don't forget that off-floor environments can be competitive-intelligence gold mines," Tilghman says. "Whenever possible, look at all ancillary activities, speaking sessions, hospitality events, etc." For example, are executives from rival firms speaking at sessions? If so, what are they saying about their own products – and yours? What type of sponsorships are your challengers using, and do they appear to be successful? Should you be doing something similar or trying to counter their efforts? Are your customers attending your adversaries' evening events, and is this interaction a threat to your existing relationships or in direct competition with your own hospitality offerings? If so, how might you neutralize this attack? The idea is to look beyond the show floor to identify your opponents' tactics and devise ways to defuse those that are particularly effective.

There are generally two schools of thought here. You can create a report for yourself and internal stakeholders and then act on any counterefforts or improvements the next time a show rolls around, or you can immediately apply the information for on-the-fly, on-the-floor fixes.

Should you take the report-now, act-later approach, sources propose that you create a comprehensive document that compiles the gathered info into an organized and easy-to-digest format. If a third-party firm performed your intel, it will likely complete this step for you. But if you and your staff carried out the reconnaissance, you'll need to create some kind of written documentation. To get this ball rolling, Tilghman recommends holding a quick meeting of the minds.

"After the show, gather all of the intelligence you've obtained and host a debrief with exhibit staff," she says. "They may have valuable perceptions or anecdotal evidence that didn't necessarily fit into one of the collection methods you provided, so seek out their input and add it to your report."

Another route for post-show reporting is to create some kind of spreadsheet or document for ongoing updates. "If you plan to collect intel at numerous shows or even over multiple years, generate a document that keeps all info in one central place and allows you to track competitors' tactics over time," Sherrill says.

If you'd like a more immediate impact from your scouting efforts, Glitman recommends completing your recon early in the show, reviewing your findings with booth staff shortly after you've gathered them, and brainstorming with your team to identify instant ways to combat competitors' efforts. For instance, if your intel reveals that competitors' product differentiators and messaging are controversial or derogatory to your brand, or if you simply see clear areas for improvement, staffers can switch things up then and there. "Armed with this knowledge, staff can immediately reframe their pitches to include new and improved messages about your own differentiators that neutralize competitors' tactics," Glitman says.

In addition, competitive intel about traffic builders, presentation timing, and more can be used to aid your at-show efforts. If you know your rivals down the aisle are luring traffic via huge presentations given on the hour, you could tweak the timing so your demos start immediately after theirs end, thereby funneling departing traffic in your direction rather than deeper into other exhibitors' spaces. "The idea is to apply what you've learned immediately, as opposed to waiting until the next show to implement changes," Glitman says.

Clearly, then, gathering competitive intel can be a critical tool to not only increase your program's effectiveness but also counteract your competitors' strengths. And while in-depth, third-party analysis represents a sizeable yet effective investment, you can also devise your own intel-gathering process to determine where you lead and lag within your industry. Even with a minimal investment of time and money, you can take big strides to keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. E