Barefoot Business
Barefoot Business conversations with event professionals and segments from the Club Ichi Telethon Membership Drive, held December 12th, 2024!
Barefoot Business
Ichi Telethon | Worst Thing About Tradeshows
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Embark on a journey through the dynamic realm of trade shows with us, where the unparalleled expertise of Glinda Brungart, Jim Sirmac, and Marlissus Arnold transforms challenges into triumphs. This episode is a treasure trove for anyone keen on understanding how to navigate the competitive landscape, manage costs effectively, and foster robust connections that go beyond the conventional trade show experience. Our guests peel back the curtain on creating memorable interactions, achieving a measurable return on investment, and why embracing sustainability might just be your secret weapon in the exhibition arena.
As we dissect the art of exhibition networking and the pivotal role of education in the industry, our conversation pivots to a crucial cautionary tale – aligning exhibitor objectives with attendee interests. We take pride in the vibrant discussions sparked amongst our club members and invite you to immerse yourself in this episode that celebrates the fusion of strategy, innovation, and the power of community. Don't miss out on this opportunity to elevate your trade show expertise; join us in exploring the strategies that shape the very landscape of the industry we all thrive in.
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Improving Trade Shows
Speaker 1That is calming . Great music and then you see the vibrancy of the kids and adults playing with all the slime . I've been to both the Sleumoot Institute in New York City and Atlanta and they just opened one in Houston and I can highly recommend it . Really great place for private events or just for a weekend with the family . So we have our next session coming up , which is near and dear to my heart .
Speaker 1It is all about trade shows and now , when it comes to corporate events , sometimes you're either the trade show person or you're not , and sometimes you have to manage all of the portfolio which includes the trade shows , and trade shows are a love-hate relationship , whether you are dedicated to them or they are part of your portfolio . We've all been through the booths and you complain about the exhibitors who have people walking up and they're just on their phone . We've all been to the shows that were poorly laid out and you have that one last minute booth that got added in in a sea of nothingness and they're not getting any traffic . And then you've been to the trade shows that have two booths side by side , in the middle of the action , and one came back with 400 leads and the other came back with 20 leads and the 20 lead went complained that it just wasn't a good show . So what actually makes a good trade show ? What actually makes a bad trade show ?
Speaker 1We have brought in a few of our favorite exhibit trade show experts to help us understand the worst things about trade shows and how they can fix them . So I've been to a lot of trade shows over my life . I absolutely love trick-or-treating for swag , but , as we saw in our data game earlier this morning , I'm not sure that's the best thing . If you just want leads , fine . If you're going for your MQLs or your SQLs , swag is the way to go . I'm very interested to hear what this group has to say about things like sustainability and giving stuff away . There's just too much to talk about in 15 minutes , and so I can't wait to see how our friends have this conversation . Chris , I'm going to throw it over to you . Let's get started .
Speaker 2All right , hello everybody , I feel like we're on the Jerry Lewis telephone here a little bit , and congrats on such a very innovative program here . So , hey , we've got a great group together and I'm going to quickly introduce them . Glinda Brungart , the one , and only in the center , we're a Hollywood Squares . You're right in the middle . I got Jim Sirmac , who we call Mr Trade Show Coach . I've got Marlissus Arnold , who has written three books on trade shows . You're one up for me . So congratulations , I'm a business and I have the bold and new Rick Rodriguez .
Speaker 1So you know , I did a quick since so much of our discussion today has been on AI , I went to AI and said , hey , what are the worst things about trade shows ? And you know yet predictable .
Speaker 2There were a number of things that were noted .
Speaker 3I'm going to not focus on that , I want to talk that there's a lot of friction .
Speaker 2I want to go down the list , but also throw it at each of you and see what you're , what you would say to that right . Number one was cost . Number two was competition . Number three was logistics . Number four was time consuming . Number five was limited , limited face time . Number six was ineffective , leads , exhaustion , burnout . I mean I was like holy cow . I didn't even go .
Speaker 4We know face to face is where it's at , so I'm going to throw it , Glenn when we start with you , you know how do we fix these , these issues ?
Speaker 2you ?
Speaker 1know , and I , by the way .
Speaker 2I went and said how do you fix these issues ? I got a list of those as well , so , anyway , it's your turn .
Speaker 5You bet . So when we were talking about this so as an exhibitor , I own some of the responsibility , and one of them , you know , as we talked about the costs and that there's things that we can do , I always look at it as what can I do versus what I can't do . And when you start taking that approach to things , you realize how quickly you can , you know , fix things that may be a little more costly . Logistics , you know , forced freight one that comes to mind . What can I do to make sure my freight isn't forced ?
Speaker 2So why don't we swap over to Marmelisus ? What do you think ? Do you touch on some of these in senior books ?
Speaker 4Well , I definitely touch on a lot of things . I actually have the experience of being both a event organizer and an exhibitor , so I've seen it from both sides , and so I'm going to kind of look the script a little bit here and say that one of the worst things I see is when event organizers view their exhibitors as ATM machines , instead of actually investing in this success and seeing them as partners in the whole event .
Improve Exhibition Networking, Sustainability, Education
Speaker 2Jim , what about you ? What would you suggest ?
Speaker 6Well , one thing that is kind of infuriating to me or frustrating and it kind of goes some of the blame falls on both sides on both the exhibitor and on the show planner is whenever I've been an exhibitor over the years , I have a strategy to . I scour the exhibitor list who's going to be there , who do I want to connect with ? And then you go there and life happens and you have a great show . You never get out of your booth and you never get to connect with those people , and so one of the things that I talk about with my clients is make sure you have that strategy , do everything you can do to network . But on the show planner side , show the exhibitors a little love and give them some networking time exclusively for the exhibitors to network with each other . I think that would be a tremendous thing , that would be a nice fix , and that hits on a couple of things that you talked about right out of the gate there , Chris .
Speaker 2Rich is the newbie and the bold one that's kind of coming to our space from software sales a little different , isn't it ? Go from something intangible to tangible . What would you say ? I mean , you're kind of looking at this through the lens of someone brand new , right .
Speaker 3Yeah , I think something that we're hearing from people with budgets that are close to a million dollars , or even people that just have 10 by 10s , is there's a gap between sales and marketing that they sometimes just can't fill . And so , you know , cost is an issue that everybody is bringing up , but if you have a solid enough ROI , that conversation gets a lot easier with leadership .
Speaker 3If I could tell a story in let's see 20 seconds . I was at a big trade show in Atlanta . There was a 10 by 10 that had hundreds of people lined up to get to their booth , including me . You want to ask me what they were selling , chris .
Speaker 2A food mixer or something , something .
Speaker 3Not a damn clue what they were selling . I was in line because they had Hulk Hogan in the booth and I wanted to get his signature . So now as a salesperson , imagine me being handed hundreds of leads for people that have no idea what we sell and it's just wasting time for your organization . And then you know leadership is going to be upset because you couldn't provide a solid ROI for the event .
Speaker 2Right . I think that's a great example . Liz brought up sustainability . Obviously that's top of mind . There's a lot Just finishing article on exhibit city news that will be coming out on trends that I suggest you all take a look at , and sustainability is a hot button here . Linda , what's your take on the impact of sustainability on exhibiting ?
Speaker 5I think it's important . I think a lot of businesses are looking at that . It's no longer a nice to have . It's part of what our clients , what our people who buy our products , are expecting from us . And if we're gonna talk about being a sustainable leader , we better be walking the talk as well , and that carries out , you know , in events we do on the trade show floor , and I think the myth about it costing more . Put that aside . I don't think that's the issue out there . I think it's people don't know where to start .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah . Well , you're shaking your head . You wanna add a pointer to ?
Speaker 4Well , I think that's so true . It's not that difficult , it's not necessarily that expensive , it's just a change in thought process to be more sustainable . You know just and somebody had mentioned earlier about the giveaways you know the what we call the trick or treaters , or what I call scoop and run . You know not giving away stuff that's just wasteful . You know , so many times I see exhibitors giving away things that A don't make it out of the convention center or B don't make it out of the hotel or even onto the plane , for a variety of different reasons . It could be stuff that's just not wanted , or it's stuff that it's too bulky for them to pack and take . Or you know what time I was given a jar , a glass jar , of maple syrup . Oh yeah , like I'm putting that in my luggage . You know I mean thinking through things and giving away stuff . If you wanna give away things at all , give away something that's actually you know makes sense and it's not gonna just be thrown away .
Speaker 2Right right , one of the Jim . Do you have a ?
Speaker 6thought around that I was gonna say as an exhibitor think about your booth and look at modular solutions so that if you , if your branding , changes , your message changes , you don't have to change all the graphics . You don't have to throw away your whole display , but you can maybe swap out a portion of it or a panel instead of having to do the entire thing . Think sustainably that way and that , going back to Glenda's point that can save you money over time , instead of having to redo it every single time that you wanna make a change .
Speaker 2Rich , as someone that's , you know , kind of coming into this industry and you see all this chaos that occurs , that's set up in this panel . What was your takeaway ? I mean , this is the new world for you . What was your sense around sustainability ?
Speaker 3Yeah , well it's , you know , one of the first trade shows I went to , I was kind of just floored by all the plastic and cardboard being pushed down the aisles by the forklifts . You know Ivex does a fantastic job of leading the way for sustainability , eliminating single use plastic , things like that . On the exhibitor side , you could look into a vendor that uses recyclable aluminum , recyclable SEG , graphics , things like that , just to go a little bit more green . Any way that you can . Jim , kind of hit the nail on the head the modular boost is a big deal nowadays .
Speaker 2Okay , one of the things that in the trends article that has really been amplified in the industry is the changing workforce . Covid had a huge impact on obviously a lot of folks in the industry , right , and so we have a new generation you know rich as one of them coming to this space , on both the supplier and the corporate side . What do you have any thoughts around kind of how we're gonna educate and bring those groups together , because it appears that the millennials coming into the corporate side have a mindset that is in some cases more advanced than the supplier base , so there's a real disconnect there . Would welcome your guys's thoughts around that . Don't be shy , glenda .
Speaker 5Boy , I continue to offer classes . I think something like what we're seeing today on this telethon , where you have stackable content that people can get some tips and tricks pretty quick of what to focus on . But also , as the exhibit manager , I need to seek out help and to fill the gaps that I may have , and you know there's a number of associations out there that offer training .
Speaker 2Well , you're a diamond , ctsa or CTSM , so I would think that would be a great start . I know that EDPA and a few other associations are ramping up now their educational programs , particularly in the supplier side , because there is that little bit of that disconnect .
Speaker 5Yeah , and also lean into your suppliers . You know they have a lot of knowledge out there . Allow them to be your eyes and ears as well and ask them to help you . You know what ? What ? What are they saying ?
Speaker 2and have them .
Speaker 5Share that with you .
Speaker 2Right , right , good point , oralysis , what's what's your take on on the whole labor ? I'll call it . You know , shift in , in , in in the workforce .
Speaker 4Well , and going back to what I talked about earlier of the disconnect between the show organizers and the exhibitors , it's in Glenda , said to you , it's the education . You know , understanding especially now the exhibitors that are coming in , the exhibit managers . A lot of them have probably no pre shutdown experience , so you can't assume people know things . So it's so important to educate . You know , providing especially for first timers , providing that onboarding experience . You know I just taught an exhibitor workshop yesterday and you know people were just they were the busy we do when I do the workshop in our Q&A is like roundtables like this afterwards , and the busiest table was the first time exhibitors . You know they had a ton of questions so help them .
Speaker 4You know , don't just assume that everybody knows what they're doing , because sometimes even the ones that have been doing it for 10 or 15 years don't . But but you know , providing that education , providing mentors , maybe having a long time exhibitor that can mentor some newbies and help them understand . You know just little things . Like you know , I talked to an exhibitor recently that didn't even realize that you know , for a gigantic show in Vegas they need to book their hotel several months ahead Because you know I said well , the definition of a citywide means that we take over the city . You better get a hotel route , you know . So it's things like that . Sometimes we forget that the newbies don't even go .
Speaker 2Jim , you're shaking your head . You want to add on ? Yeah .
Speaker 6I was going to say and Marlis here right on the head there's more newbies now in this industry than there ever were ever from COVID , and a lot of the people that I work with are marketing managers and the trade show is one small segment of what they cover in their day-to-day job and they don't have the time to dive in and are not immersed in this industry like we all are , and so for them , for the show it provide that kind of training , like Marlis said , that first-time exhibitor training or what's new at the show , training the key things you need to know about the show training . And then for you exhibitors out there , marketing managers , please seek out great podcasts like Marlis's trade show insights , my Trade Show University . There's a lot of great podcast video channels . There's a lot of free stuff out there , and then , if you need some extra help , go out and find someone who could help you pull this all together and could make you have , or help you have , the right strategy for success going forward .
Speaker 3Yeah , if I could add one thing to that , Chris , it's as a newcomer and I posted about this yesterday I've been floored by the hospitality in this industry and seeking out thought leaders and just people that are so receptive to me , reaching out and just trying to get an education . So yeah , if you put yourself out there , this event planner is top 10 stressful job . I came from logistics and SaaS . I get it , and there's a sense of everyone just being in the trenches in this industry and so people are just there Like they've embraced the chaos and they want to help you through it , so you've just got to ask questions .
Speaker 2Yeah , one of the things I think is really important to stress here today is that the whole process of selling has changed and right now , 80% of buyers' time is spent researching online . And they're researching online and talking to friends and associates over . They even go to a show . So the idea that selling on a trade show floor is the same . It's very different and today the staffing when you talk about how to fix it , in my mind , exhibit never sold anything . It's about the people and unless they're prepped and unless they're really top of their game because the buyer today is coming in with things they want to find out , they pre-qualified you , they have questions they want to ask , they're looking for the experts so I think we can do a beautiful job up front in all the planning , but it still comes down to people , meeting people and engagement and asking the right questions and prepping whatever's aggregated there for the sales force to go out and advance it . So we could spend a lot of time talking about all of these issues , but it still comes down to face-to-face , belly-to-belly , knowing how to treat and as your guests when they come in , and knowing that they're educated , more so than in the past , because think about it shows in the past when there wasn't internet . All that introduction , that education was done on site at a trade show . Now it's not . So it's got to be very mindful of the stories we're telling in that space and that storytelling has changed .
Speaker 2So my two cents in terms of where I see the industry as it is today . We're getting close to time wrap any final thoughts from the gang here . The worst thing about trade shows I think we all know what those are . If there's one thing we could fix , one thing only , what would they be ? We'll go around the corner . Marlissus .
Speaker 4Work together your vendors , your exhibitors , your show organizers , partners , everybody together .
Speaker 2OK , glenda .
Speaker 5Focus on what you can do , not what you can't do .
Speaker 2I'm like you job easier . Ok , rich , what you got .
Speaker 3Man , I'm just going to piggyback . Just a collaboration Trust your vendor , do your research and then trust them because you did that research .
Speaker 2OK , and Jim , you're the final word .
Speaker 6Hey , I'll say for the I'm going to put it on the shoulders of the exhibitors learn how to engage with people , Because those attendees , if they leave and you didn't engage with them , it's on you , it's not on them . And they're going to have a better show if they learn more about you and you're going to have better show if you can engage better .
Speaker 2Yeah , and I guess I might have the last word . So listen , thanks everybody for joining us . I will be drafting the next month or so , it kind of a follow up here . Since this was such a quick 15 minutes . It would be a sense of article in exhibit stating news . So please take time to look at it and enjoy the publication , because we're making some major changes to it as we go forward .
Appreciation for Trade Show Conversations
Speaker 2So , thanks everybody , thank you , thank you .
Speaker 6Chris .
Speaker 1Thank you everybody . Yeah , that was incredible . You should have seen the chat . I know that you all were busy talking , but it was blowing up in there . I think trade shows exhibits , these conversations , are definitely ones that the club , each of you members , appreciate and want to be a part of . If you haven't yet , go subscribe to exhibit city news . Thanks so much , chris , for facilitating that session .
