Feature article—
"Future of
Trade Show Marketing? You Decide."
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Makes you
stop and think when your presence in the business-to-business marketing
budget is eclipsed by television!
I fear that
we're being left behind.
And that
concerns me. Not only do I believe that trade shows work, but I can
prove it. When faced with a cornucopia of marketing options, I choose
trade shows because they deliver results. If we lose share because our
business isn't glamorous enough for the front pages of the trade
publications (and I suspect that the print media folks may have more
nefarious motives for hiding our light under a bushel), then everyone
loses. But our reality is a powerful tool to impact how we are
perceived.
Don't take my
word for it. Arm yourself with data from the Center for Exhibition
Industry Research (CEIR): The Power of Exhibitions II — an independent,
objective study conducted by Deloitte & Touche — identifies and
quantifies the real value of exhibition marketing as a tool for doing
business. As far as mainstream credentials go, Deloitte & Touche is
about as straight as you can get. And trade shows shine brighter and
brighter the closer you scrutinize the data.
Okay, so
who's going to get with the Wall Street Journal to ensure that our real
value is communicated front page on a regular basis?
Who will
advocate exhibition marketing mañana? In this era of corporate
downsizing, will the top management that remains have the institutional
knowledge necessary to make the right decisions in lieu of dedicated
"exhibit management" expertise? Do they have sufficient background to
establish meaningful measurement criteria to evaluate trade show
performance? ROI is a terrible thing to waste. So are misplaced
marketing dollars.
Perhaps
managers will look to their advertising agencies for "objective" advice
on the most effective tactics selection (by the way, don't agencies
still earn commissions on their print advertising buys?). Many of these
so-called integrated marketing boutiques still talk about exhibitions
with opinions based on the conventioneer characters depicted in movies
like Silver Streak and Airport '75.
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