Hybrid Trade Show Displays

When you have a restricted budget and restricted space you have to look at how much bang for your buck you can extract from the resources available.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention so exercise your mind and imagination because if you have a space of any dimension, a hybrid design will be able to use it to the best effect per dollar you spend.

Hybrid trade show displays provide great eye-catching displays because they utilize space in such a different way than what the eye is accustomed to. Curved panels forming a backdrop provide the illusion of greater depth; minimalism provides the feeling of space when in fact you are not occupying much of an area – even better, a hybrid display is easily the best option when you are using an odd shaped space!

The bulk of the cost of a trade show is in the rental of the space – the capital cost of the booth itself is actually spread out over time as you attend show after show and in fact is a minor part of the operating overhead. Using a hybrid display you can take advantage of the offcuts of trade show space – in fact, while most exhibitors are looking to avoid these misshapes you can actually monopolize them and drive down the cost of attending the trade show.

Hybrid displays are also very easy to assemble and disassemble and the designs usually are lightweight in construction. You will also be very surprised at the amount of space and shipping weight that these displays take up – most of these displays are in fact made up of empty space which is created by the design. I also find hybrid displays useful when we are looking to scale up or down – they are eminently flexible so we can add to them when we need “more” or take up the smallest booth space without detracting too much from our overall impact on the trade show floor.

Wheelchair Access

I was meandering around PMA 2009 earlier this month while in Las Vegas and was surprised to run into a whole bunch of people in wheelchairs; I have several clients and contacts I have made over the years who use a wheelchair and it was only when confronted by 20 or so attendees at once that it really hit me what was going on.

I got on the phone with John Turnton who is a good friend of mine from way back when and as he says, “You see a wheelchair but I live in it.” Out of this conversation came some of the following advice for those of you who will inevitably meet up with those less physically able than us less disabled.

“I know I’m in a wheelchair stupid!”

John’s number one bugbear is people staring or stating the obvious – he’s in a wheelchair, he doesn’t need some schmuck being cute about it but there are also some other habits the less disabled have – talking loudly as if John has a problem with his ears instead of his nerves not working with his legs.

Don’t stare – don’t talk loudly – don’t ask stupid questions!

Wheelchair Access

Modern day wheelchairs are fast, small and mobile – someone in a wheelchair can get from A-to-B faster than someone on two legs so watch out for them!

So saying there are some things that are hard to navigate, stairs being one though they are not the barrier they used to be but still difficult while narrow confined spaces are not welcoming for someone in a wheelchair either.

Maintain Eye Contact

When you are with a wheelchair-bound prospect don’t hunker down or hang over them – pull up a chair and sit maintaining eye-level contact with them.
Another thing to bear in mind is that some people may have a guide with them, and this applies to others as well such as the vision impaired; now while you should acknowledge the guide as a courtesy it is impolite not to address the person with your questions or responses (it is a common mistake to direct all the questions and answers to the guide instead who in fact, are not the ones making the decision or have the money to buy).

“When your eye-level is maximum 3ft you won’t watch a demo at 4ft!”

Finally, one of John’s penetrating remarks, he isn’t going to check out a demo taking place a foot or more above his head – I’m 6 ft in my socks but I am not going to look at a demonstration that is taking place a foot higher than my eye-level so why should someone who’s eye-level is 3 ft above the deck look at yours if it situated too high?

Initial Trade Show Numbers are Way Down!

The initial burst of frenetic activity in 2009 has now finally given way to action after so much preparation and we are off to San Diego for our first event of the year. After Christmas and New Year holidays coupled with the general high energy levels required to kick start the new year I am looking forward to getting away from the base and enjoying the trade show event.

For me this is one of the high points of the year because it really starts the marketing season as far as my own diary is concerned and selling feels like it has started for real.  The trade press is full of stories of this company going under or that company gone into Chapter 11 bankruptcy and I note that this applies equally abroad as at home but I am sticking to what has worked in the past and I have no doubt will work in the future and more importantly, right now – increasing my efforts in times of recession puts us into a far better position when recession ends and the recovery arrives.

In the interim, I am enjoying the fruits of recession – our pre-event marketing and communications have already generated several good inquiries and sales meetings to take place at the event next week including a major prospect who a competitor has been supplying for the last five years or so; now they are looking at us and guess why – our competition is doing the same old thing everyone else is doing and cutting back to save cost and leaving their customers high and dry for me.

Recessions are great if you are prepared to go the extra mile and increase your effort levels because everyone else is leaving the playing field precisely because they think that they are saving money – they are not – what they are doing is cutting back on profits!

Trade show numbers may be way down in terms of exhibitors and trade show displays,  but attendees do not have the same obstacles to overcome if they wish to attend – it’s as simple as this – the zebras are still flocking around but there are not so many lions hunting them.

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.