Trade Show Fallout

As I’m writing this (on the 15th December) I have just finished reading a press release which dropped through into my email inbox from an industry bulletin I subscribe.

Here it is:

MGM Mirage Sells Treasure Island
MGM Mirage sold Treasure Island Las Vegas to Ruffin Acquisition, owned by Phil Ruffin, for $775 million. Treasure Island completed a renovation in August and has 18,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, as well as 2,885 rooms and suites.

Now if MGM is suffering and selling out a major new trade show venue like this then I guess we all know what state the economy has sunk to!

Again and again, I am going to keep banging on about how this is a time of opportunity – everyone is suffering or claims to be, and yet I still keep getting the same old objections from prospects and customers when I call, “Can’t talk just now, we’re too busy!”.

Right now is a busy time and not just because of the holidays – it is busy because so many companies are involved in their year end activities which also means finalizing orders for the new year and the next business cycle. It is also busy simply because there is a lot of business still going on out there!

If anything, I am finding it easier to negotiate my rates for attending trade shows and the logistics behind it; everything is cheaper now for me than it was a year ago and so much so, I am upgrading much of my trade show display.

My supplier has already come in with several quotes for a new modular display to work alongside the one I use now – “NO!”, I’m not replacing the existing one, I’m doubling up my marketing team and we intend hitting more shows in 2009 than this year.

More than this, the accessories I wanted but couldn’t shoot for last year are being included for both the displays; I have not increased my budget, I’m just finding lighting, trade displays and flooring far, far cheaper than I had originally banked on when I sat down 9 months ago and agreed the spend.

If there is trade show fallout it is simply to my favor and yours; be aggressive in your negotiating as this is a buyer’s market, if you have the drive and determination to go for market share in 2009 and get yourself in a great business position for the recovery, then you are going to be getting some fantastic deals on space, logistics and the kit to make an extraordinary impression.

Trade Show Booths – the Optional Extras

Investing in a trade show presence is a significant investment of your time and money; more than this, trade shows provide a great source of revenue so in truth, the real value of your booth and trade show materials is in fact a great deal more than simple cost.

Here we are going to take a look at some of the practicalities of maintaining your investment and ensuring you continue to reap the investment rewards from your marketing budget.

Storage and Transportation of your Booth

A trade show booth, even a small one of 10 by 10, is going to be a significant piece of kit to transport around the country. You need to be able to get the booth and your peripherals to the trade show exhibition on time, have it erected and laid out with the least amount of effort and stress as is possible. Remember, a trade show is a long day and especially if you are a small business looking to test the water with exhibitions and trade shows, you and your staff are likely to be spending very long and tiring days on the booth networking and closing business opportunities.

It makes a great deal of sense for the booth and ancillary materials to be stored and transported to your scheduled trade shows as and when they are needed rather than adopting a do-it-yourself approach. There are not many booth suppliers who offer such storage and transportation services, but for those that do, they provide a very valuable and practical logistical service so pay close attention to suppliers who can provide this very valuable after sales service.

Typically, you should be looking to pay something in the region of $25 per month for storage costs of your booth and no more than $130 checking in fee ( a fee levied when the booth is sent out or received by the storage facility) and be wary of those suppliers who levy their own invoices and shipping charges when it comes to transportation; most use the recognized shipping agents such as UPS and FedEx while a good supplier will only charge you the face value of the shippers costs rather than pad the bill.

Get Smart with Technology

When you are on the floor and networking, how much