Sponsorship & Exhibits


Designing Education Theaters On The Trade Show Floor

Attracting and keeping quality attendees on your show floor isn’t getting any easier. The way we, as consumers and businesses, research and buy products and services has evolved — and so must the trade-show experience. The trade show of the future will focus on helping over selling, which is best accomplished by delivering valuable education … [Read more…]

Research: People Want Learning Opportunities At Tradeshows!

Many (exhibition) attendees have dual needs for attending: shopping (69%) and learning (66%). ~ CEIR, What Attendees Want From Exhibitions, February 4, 2013 They come to your tradeshow with very real learning needs related to their own personal and professional development. If you are not integrating more education experiences within and at your tradeshow, you … [Read more…]

Five Symptoms That Your Expo Is About To Fail

I’d estimate that maybe 25 percent of those reading this post would do better to sunset your expo for either your annual or topical conference. Are you stunned by this statement? Hear me out. While most associations crave non-dues revenue, sometimes the expo portion of your program is a drag on profit speed. Perhaps it’s … [Read more…]

Time For Your Conference Sponsorship To Grow Up

Has your conference sponsorship grown up? Or are you still offering first generation sponsorship that flashes logos on any and all available space at your conference venue? If you are, you have bought into the concept that displaying logos to masses of cynical consumers equals marketing return. Guess what, it doesn’t! Four Generations Of Sponsorship … [Read more…]

Getting Your Sponsors To Trigger Their Sponsorships

A trend we’re seeing is that exhibitors are requiring less square footage and shifting dollars to other sponsorship opportunities. Conference organizers need to think about how to convert exhibitor’s marketing dollars into sponsorship opportunities that benefit attendees. The Shift From Exhibiting To Sponsorships This shift requires a more strategic and consultative sales approach. Many conference … [Read more…]

What Associations And Meeting Professionals Want In Tradeshow Partnerships

Imagine this scenario. A nonprofit trade association decides it wants to add a tradeshow to its annual conference. It’s never produced a tradeshow in the past and wants to secure a third-party planner to produce the show. Typically, an association tradeshow should have a potential of $150,000 or more in revenue to justify securing a … [Read more…]

Would You Like Fries With That Booth?

Attendees are changing the way they plan and consume trade shows. If you’re still using static PDF floor plans and exhibitor listings, you’re missing out on the opportunity to upsell — and to connect buyers and sellers. According to research conducted by CEIR (Center for Exhibition Industry Research), nearly 75 percent of young professionals (40 … [Read more…]

Three Trending Tradeshow Sales Strategies

The trend for exhibit and sponsorship revenue is shifting away from the show floor. Brand marketers value marketing and sponsorship opportunities more than the exhibit real estate. The Facts…Are Changing 85% of a trade show’s revenue comes from space.  15% is from sponsorship and advertising. Source: Doug Ducate, President and CEO, Center for Exhibition Industry Research … [Read more…]

Virtual Trade Show Business Plans

Tradeshow organizers and exhibitors are leveraging virtual technologies for their benefit. Virtual events are helping them reduce costs, increase lead generation, improve ROI for the exhibitor and attract future buyers. At IAEE’s 2010 Expo! Expo! Nicole Buraglio and I presented a sesson on Virtual Trade Show Business Plans. We explored several business and go-to-market strategies for leveraging … [Read more…]

Calculating ROI For Your Tradeshow Booth

Was exhibiting at that tradeshow worth your time and resources? How would you know? In today’s world where so much business is conducted on the phone or digitally, meeting customers, prospects and other stakeholder face-to-face is extremely important. At the same time, you want to effectively keep your costs down and use your time and … [Read more…]