Trade Show Marketing
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The Maintenance Zone...
It's Safe But May Limit Return

If your company is accustomed to participating in trade or consumer shows, I have some questions for you:

  • When was the last time you changed the appearance of your exhibit?
  • Do you use the same staff people at each show?
  • Do you change objectives for each audience?
  • Are you receiving a satisfactory return on the investment for show activities?
If your answer to any of the above is no, you may be slipping into the "maintenance zone". My dictionary defines maintain with several terms -- to keep in a given existing condition, to sustain, to preserve, etc. None of these terms hold much excitement for an astute marketer or exhibit manager. The maintenance zone is where everything stays the same. It is a safe haven for many companies. It doesn't require much thought, creativity, or commitment. It's safe!
  • Are you managing your company in the same safe way?
  • Have your staff, objectives, or operating procedures changed since you started?
  • Are you getting a satisfactory return on your investment?
  • Are you in the maintenance zone?
I won't pretend to be able to tell you how to run your company, but I have some suggestions for improving your tradeshow performance. If you haven't changed the look of your exhibit in the past three years, it probably has a dated appearance. In our fast-paced, ever-changing-world, show visitors want "new". Show visitors have great memories. It's amazing how much they will remember from the year before. There is no need to stop and see something again. Boring! A small change in your graphics can produce a new look and big results.

Your staff can probably use a little refreshing also. People get tired-looking, just like exhibits. Rotate you staff from time to time. Fresh faces create fresh interest. Every audience is different. The audience you see this year may change next year. Their needs may change, their ages will change, the gender make-up may change, the diversity will change. The only thing you can count on is change itself. Make sure you are adjusting your objective to take advantage of a changing audience.

Three little words -- Return on Investment -- can make or break your tradeshow program. There is no set formula to help you calculate what is acceptable. Each company will have a different set of measurements to determine what is satisfactory. Here are a few thoughts to ponder while trying to determine successful ROI:

  • Total cost of your effort
  • Cost per lead
  • The quality of leads
  • The percentage of potential visitors who visited your exhibit
  • Value of sales at the show
  • Value of post-show sales you can directly attribute to your effort.
  • Cost of show leads vs. cost of regular sales call
By taking time to analyze your present performance, you will be able to get a feeling for the level of your ROI Take time to fine-tune your exhibit program and you can avoid the boredom associated with the "maintenance zone".

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