Measurement Tip 20

Six Straight Forward Steps for Banner Trade Show and Event Marketing Results in 2013

Can you believe it? It’s show time in 2013!  As you read this, many of you are already on the show floor, enthusiastic that your event marketing program will be a success this year. That success rests largely on how effective your plans are for each show.

Here are six simple steps that will prepare exhibit managers and their extended teams to deliver the increased performance and measurable results their companies are looking for through effective planning:

Planning for Success - Exhibitors who come to the show with a good plan will capitalize on the rich business opportunities and achieve good results in marketing, sales, business process enhancements and profit improvement.  Planning for each event must begin with enough lead time to implement the plan.  Some shows require planning as much as one year in advance, or more.  Most shows and events require planning to begin three to six months in advance.

The planning process should foster and support internal discussions with the extended event teams and expand planning participation to others who should be involved.  Here are the six sequential planning concepts that you should include in your process:

1. Set Realistic Business Improvement Objectives - Map out a broad set of goals for each show. Include an array of business development and marketing communications goals.  Address activities and accomplishments in each of the three event phases: a) pre-event, b) at event and c) post-event.  Identify the most important accomplishments and top measures of success at each event.

(See my blog post “Value is A Lot More Than Leads…” http://constellationcc.blogspot.com/2012/03/value-is-lot-more-than-leads-how-to.html for a deeper explanation and examples). 

2. Target Market Identification, Attraction and Content Mapping Should Be the First Elements of the Plan - Targeting activity allows exhibitors to correctly identify the attractive, high-value targets available through participation in a show or event and to match their products and messages to each targeted audience. This activity will also greatly improve the quality of visitors and produce more, well-qualified leads.  

3. Develop Effective Messaging and Communications Plans – Weak or ineffective messaging is one of the most common reasons for event marketing failure. There are specific requirements of trade show and marketing event messages that must be studied and well executed in order for your program to work.  Communications must span the periods before, during and after the show using a variety of traditional and new digital and social media tools to facilitate post-event activity among sales ready leads. Additionally, the various media available through event activity must produce the maximum exposure practical from show participation. This includes managing the press opportunity and generation of press results associated with the event. 

4. Combine Elements 1 – 3 into a Cohesive Plan – This plan should pull everything together into an interactive planning format that aids in team coordination and communication over the ensuing weeks before the show.  It must also set proper expectations with upper management.  The plan document is quite often a PowerPoint deck that is updated and presented weekly or bi-weekly on a planning call for the extended team.

The event plan should address the qualitative objectives of the company and business units, as well as quantitative elements of performance and effectiveness.  Use the four elements of payback, revenue development, revenue retention, cost reduction and value of promotion to detail value and the key performance measures to detail exhibit, staff and program effectiveness.  (See Measurement Tip 7 http://constellationcc.blogspot.com/2011/12/measurement-tip-7.html).

5. Brief and Train Your Staff on the Plan and Effective Visitor Engagement and Management Skills – Pre-show training and briefings may be any combination of on-line and live presentations on the knowledge and skills necessary to execute the plan. The exhibit manager must ensure the staff is properly trained on effective visitor engagement, qualification, management, presentation and demonstration delivery and the commitment skills necessary to convert visitors into sales ready leads. 

6. Measure and Report Your Results - Obtaining and reporting your results should be as straight forward as evaluating and documenting your activities “According to Plan” using the elements of the five elements above. If consistent measures (and plans) are used for each show and event, the entire event program may be evaluated on an event by event basis and as a whole. Comparison of one event to another, and to future events under consideration, is possible when your results are consistently reported.

(See the case study “How Trade Shows Can Influence Executive Perceptions, Positively Influence Financial Markets & Gain Top-Level Visibility for Event Managers” http://constellationcc.blogspot.com/2010/11/case-study-how-trade-shows-can.html  for more insight on managing executive perceptions.) 

2013 is a great year to refine your planning process and to implement an event marketing measurement program if you have not already done so.  We wish you great success in 2013 and please feel free to call upon us with questions or needs.   

To get started on your event marketing measurement needs, please email us today at edjones@constellationcc.com or call us +1.770.391.0015.

Ed Jones

President, Constellation Communication