Below is a Video of My Services at a trade show- watch this one first before you watch the other videos below so you can actually compare.

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This video from Melbourne from Applause Entertainment is a classic example of companies promoting a service/product to an industry they know nothing about.

The Video speaks for itself- and Yes I still cringe when I see it. so for the record

1. It is not interactive
2. It is not engaging
3. PooPoo the clown will make people want to walk away (watch the video you will see what I mean)
4. Stopping 3 people is not considered success

Ask Your self:

1. Will this have a positive impact on lead generation
2. wouldn’t it be more cost effective to hire a pro presenter to present your products
3. Do you want the drunk guy or poo poo the clown talking with your customers

With regards to ADVERTAINMENT Advertising and entertainment
A clown making fart noises is not entertainment, juggling in and of itself is not engaging

With regards to the drunk guy- Color and movement- if you want colour and movement- get a flag if you want to generate results and not go out of business get an infotainer

here is the video- don’t say I didn’t warn you

I love magicians, they are fantastic at Cocktail parties and as After Dinner Entertainers however on the trade show floor, doing magic tricks to try and stop people from a distance looks like a good idea- however that is similar to having a Magazine advert that catches the readers attention- but doesn’t do anything else

People stop because they want to see the magic trick- after the performance, customers:

1. Don’t know the company name
2. don’t know what you do
3. Don’t stay around after the end of the performance

You will see this guy perform some card tricks to 3 people (HUH?) he doesn’t target anyone- he looks at people’s name badges as they walk past trying to see if they might be customers

I do find it funny when the voice over says
“He doesn’t let anyone past” at the same time you see a big bunch of people walk straight past the stand
and when he is performing he is performing to a single person- If you do hire a magician make sure that they have video proof of what they can actually do.

This video takes a bit to get going,

Here is a quote from John Naisbit in his book “MEGA TRENDS”
“In a world of High Tech- people respond more to High Touch”

And this quote has never been more correct with this service/product

What you will see is a Computerized face on a plasma screen, trying to stop people
Please understand this is in the USA where their visitors size at a trade show range from 10000 to 50000 yet you will see no crowds

The testimonials are OK but there is nothing about lead generation- the purpose of your exhibit
The Plasma screen is also facing one direction- it cannot move

Also you will see “COZMA” sing songs- what does this have to do with the product- you need to attract potential customers into your stand- not just anyone

here is the video BOOTH MAGNET- I think not

Cartoonists have been on trade shows but the truth of the matter is and I know it sounds like a running theme but you will see in this video despite the fact that he says he draws a crowd- there are no crowds

The sales process here is all wrong- In the video you will see him stop 1 person, draw a picture and then pass it onto the sales team.

1. Is there any qualifying here? (NO)
2. does the lady getting her picture drawn know anything about the product? (NO)
3. What is the point of drawing a picture of one person that doesn’t draw a crowd or at the very least – stopp traffic (none)

So the core problems here are (and yes they are the same as all the other comparisons

1. He doesn’t stop traffic
2. After each drawing you don’t know anything about the product
3. The drawing is done before the qualifying process
4. it takes up alot of space
5. he even admits he doesn’t convey the message

In a nutshell when you book a Cartoonist in Australia- you are going to get the same results which is nothing
if you have seen my video- imaging me standing opposite this guy- by the time he has finished a single picture- I have stopped 30 people, conveyed the message and had 10-20 people come it to fill out the lead generation forms

Once again we have statues at trade shows

the problems here are quite obvious

1. They take up alot of room
2. They do not convey your message
3. It is not interactive and has nothing to do with the product
4. it doesn’t stop people it does not engage people

You will see from the video that there are no customers around

Below is a video of a Man who acts as a Statue at the trade show stand.

The core problems with this is that:

1. It has nothing to do with the product at the stand
2. It has ZERO impact on Lead generation
3. The focus is on the entertainer and not the product- thus the message or product info is overshadowed by the entertainment

The core problem you are going to face will be discussed below

PRICE:
Effective direct mail must be done- several times- not a one off- send out once and hope- but it needs to be sent at least 3 times- (it could be a post card- followed by a sales letter than another post card reminder)- so your list that you send it to- if you have 1000 on the list you will be sending 3000 mail)

Effectiveness:
With normal direct mail- you send it out (several times) and then finally they pick up the post card (or whatever you send) and phone for an enquiry or visit the web site- i.e. they are potentially ready to buy the product- with trade shows you are trying to motivate them to come to your trade show- not now but in 1 months time, now if they don’t put your trade show into their diary- your screwed- they are going to forget about you, so your little “whatevers” that you send out have to be so powerful that they make you either

• Book an appointment to visit your stand at a particular hour
• Write it down in their diary
• Go to your web site and buy it now- without needing to go to the trade show at all.

An example of ineffective direct mail:

The  Safety in Action trade show in Melbourne has the following pre show marketing to get only 10000 visitors to the trade show (copied and pasted from their pdf)

700,000 emails & faxes will be sent

275,000 trade invites & postcards will be mailed

531,000 contacts will be reached through hard copy

magazines & online publications

61,000 hard copy & electronic trade invites will be sent

via associations

293 media representatives will be contacted

22 trade magazines will publish advertisements

200,000 decision makers & influencers will receive

personalised invitations

Lets be clear here- that’s a hell of allot of pre show marketing and direct mail for 10000 visitors i.e. it’s  a hell of allot of money for a small amount of results- yes 10000 people is considered a big show in Australia- but that’s not terribly an effective way to market

what are your thoughts.

Do you have a question that needs an answer- this is the place to post it- Ask any Trade Show Sales & Marketing related question and I’ll answer it ASAP.

Simply post your question as a comment.

In this section I will be delivering video’s and typed sales strategies for trade show exhibits