Eight Trade Sh TiShow Tips

Maximize your investment at Outdoor Retailer

OIA Outdoor University® webinar

Your presenter: Robin Enright

Yeah for a diverse audience!

This presentation is intended for first time exhibitors as well as veterans, and is meant for everyone working the trade show, not just those setting up the booth!

All topics were chosen to increase customer engagement.g g

So bear with me if we come to a subject you feel you’ve got covered and perhaps consider how you might disseminate theconsider how you might disseminate the information to your booth workers!

Webinar overviewThe Eight Tips we will talk about include:

Marketing ahead of time, during the show and following the show.

Actively loving being there!Actively loving being there!

Booth merchandising elements.

Providing retailers with product placement guidance.

Telling a story with your merchandising elements.

Attention getting ideas

Forget-me-nots

Long-term relationship building

Summary

Your booth is an empty stageYour booth is an empty stage. Get it ready for Show Time!!

Tip #1: Marketing andTip #1: Marketing and social media

Social media is an active relationship building tool.

H i F b k f d t itt Having a Facebook fan page and twitter account only counts if you use it regularly and interact with others!

ROI comes from building long-term relationships, not from pushing your product of the month on a regular basis.

Social media is not going away. Jump on the boat. It’s not scary. I promise.

Only the young use socialOnly the young use social media?

Think again!

What a fan page looks like:

What a twitter feed looks like:

Engaging or Annoying?

“Visit my booth because what I sell is the best (insert product or service) ever!”

OR

“I just joined OIA and found out I get a 10% booth discount! Sweet!”

Who should you interact with?

Your customers.

Your potential customers.

Your competitors. Yes. I said, interact with your competitors.

O td R t il Outdoor Retailer.

Outdoor Industry Association.

Trade publications like SNEWS.

Need I say more?

What do you have to say?

Let everyone know you will be at Outdoor Retailer!

T ll f h it d t b h di Tell fans why you are excited to be heading to OR! (i.e. to see old friends, make new friends, check out cool gear; you get the picture)p )

Share what you are most excited about with your product line.

Share any events you have planned at your booth (demonstrations, interviews, etc.)

Hint: This is a chance to share your uniquenessshare your uniqueness (otherwise known as Seth Godin’s “The Purple Cow!”)p )

Remember:

Use it or lose it!

Engage your followers and let them know h !who you are!

Interact with your followers by answering questions, adding comments, and re-tweeting their news.

Do not try to be anyone but yourself.

Be relevant and entertaining.

Social media is not going anywhere.

Excellent book on effectiveExcellent book on effective marketing!

Tip #2: Actively loving beingTip #2: Actively loving being there!

“Success doesn’t come to you…you go to it.” - Marva Collins

You have the power to attract your customers!

“Success consists of doing the common things of lifethe common things of life uncommonly well.” -Anon

Smile.

Say hello.

Welcome expression for everyone entering your booth.

St t di Y Y ’ll t ti d Stay standing. Yup. You’ll get tired.

Think ahead of time about what you will do to actively engage with your customers.y g g y

Smile some more.

This is a test.

Which of the following people are you most likely to engage with in a trade show booth?

A.

B.

C.

D.

If you answered A

You are confused. The question was not what do you wish you were doing. It was:

“Who would YOU be most likely to interact with at a trade show?”with at a trade show?

The correct answer:

D!

The welcoming smile wins every time. And it costs you nothing.

Tip #3: Your key visualTip #3: Your key visual merchandising elements

Lighting

Color

Flooring

Display

Signage

Lighting

Never underestimate the value of good lighting in your booth.

LED t d fi iti d i t LED ropes can create definition and impact.

Table lamps can create warmth.

S tli ht tli ht! Spotlights can spotlight!

Color

Did you know that the colors you use can either repel or attract? For example, black can overpower, red is emotionally intense, and green implies wealth?

Did you know that when color stories are told, the visual noise can be decreased ,allowing attendee’s to ‘see’ more clearly?

Did you know that some colors help to ‘pop’ others?others?

Did you know that color is one of the easiest ways to get attention?

Color is power.

Got your attention, didn’t it?

You don’t have to ‘wow’ people to you. Check out the following two examples of simplicity in color and design.

V t S b d ThVenture Snowboards: The natural background spotlights the art of snowboardsthe art of snowboards.

Photo By Robin Enright, merchandising editor for SNEWS Retail College – www.snewsnet.com.

MeCo: Subdued colorsMeCo: Subdued colors quietly attract.

Create calm out of potentialCreate calm out of potential chaos:

Flooring

Get creative! Some ideas for flooring:

A bright or complimentary area rug

Carpet tiles

Interlocking mat tiles like those utilized in fit Y fi d th ifitness rooms. You can find these in bamboo patterns, colors, etc.

Artificial turf

Examples of foam mat colors

More flooring examples:

Display

Show your product in use and help it speak!

One of the best ways to engage with trade h t ffi i th h i l di l fshow traffic is through a visual display of

your merchandise.

Use mannequins whenever possible or appropriate. Rent them if you can’t afford your own.

Magnify smaller items by ag y s a e te s byrepetition(Remember the grocery store visual?)

Create impact by grouping multiples (Water Create impact by grouping multiples. (Water bottles, sunscreen, socks, etc.)

Sea to Summit at Winter OR

Signage

Chalkboards.

Whiteboards.

Banners.

What do all these things have in common?

Good signage can:

Educate

Announce

Spotlight

Provide product information

Promotions

Brand

Sea to Summit at Winter OR

Tip #4: Providing retailers with product placementwith product placement guidance.

Help retailers envision what your products could look like in their environment by:

D fi i t i Defining categories

Delineating by line or end use

C ti h di i th t ‘ ’ Creative merchandising that ‘wows’

Utilizing them in display with other brands retailers might carry (partner up!)g y ( )

Burton at SIA

the store

Photo By Robin Enright, merchandising editor for SNEWS Retail College – www.snewsnet.com

Spy Optics at SIA

Photo By Robin Enright, merchandising editor for SNEWS Retail College – www.snewsnet.com

Wenger, Boulder, CO

Photo By Robin Enright, merchandising editor for SNEWS Retail College –www.snewsnet.com

Wenger, Boulder, CO

Photo By Robin Enright, merchandising editor for SNEWS Retail College – www.snewsnet.com

Tip #5: Tell a story with your merchandising! An effective display will have a story to telltell.

Consider:

Theme

If using mannequins:If using mannequins: Who are they? Where are they going? How old are they? How old are they? What is their relationship?

Telling a story:Telling a story:Obermeyer at SIA

Photo By Robin Enright, merchandising editor for SNEWS Retail College –www.snewsnet.com

Another story being told!

Photo By Robin Enright, merchandising editor for SNEWS Retail College –www.snewsnet.com

Prana at Winter ORPrana at Winter OR

Photo compliments of SNEWS Retail College – www.snewsnet.com

Tip #6: Attracting Attention How can you encourage visitors to stop at your booth?

Engage with people passing by! I was entertained (and educated) by the guys at Wonder Warmer at Winter OR because they reached out to me.

Demonstrate your product!Demonstrate your product!

Have you ever considered using live mannequins?

Interview someone, and film it live!

Understand why you are unique and work it to your advantage.

Be a show expert. Know where the important things are and have extra maps at your booth!are and have extra maps at your booth!

Give something away. Hint: We are all hungry and thirsty the entire time we’re there, right?

Tip # 7: Forget-me-nots

Be memorable!

Think this will work?

Tip #8:Tip #8: Building relationships

What does networking mean to you?

Increased sales?

Profitable business connections?

Connecting with important people?

What if we stopped measuring networking in the standard ways?

We would build relationships!

Think in terms of connection not number of connections. Intend to be in this for the long term.

Make a point of learning something about your visitors before you talk about your product or service. p

Don’t neglect a visitor if they don’t seem to be able to do anything for you. Some of the most powerful connections do not bear fruitmost powerful connections do not bear fruit for months, maybe years.

Be memorable. Be generous with your time. Be yourselfBe yourself.

Before the show:

Utilize your OR planner and start connecting with others.

OIA b T k d t f OIA members: Take advantage of publishing press releases!

Utilize social media (especially twitter with the OR hashtag!).

Utilize e-mail blasts to your mailing list (via Constant Contact or other source)Co sta t Co tact o ot e sou ce)

Have a plan!

During the show

Add a memorable detail to the back of all business cards you receive.

S t th i t t i ( ft l d Separate them into categories (soft leads, follow up, add to newsletter, etc.)

Consider combining your card with something memorable.

Visit the booths of your competitors and friends. Support others.e ds Suppo t ot e s

Remain an expert of the show and read OR Daily!

After the show:Did you know that this is where many exhibitors

fall apart? You might be ready for a vacationfall apart? You might be ready for a vacation after the show, but now is when you really need to get to work!

Send a ‘nice to meet you’ email and ifSend a nice to meet you email and if appropriate schedule a follow up call or meeting.

Connect on LinkedIn.

Ask if you can add them to your newsletter mailing list.

If id ld d hi f h If you said you would do something for them, do it!

Build outdoor community and invite key contacts to a gathering/meeting that utilizescontacts to a gathering/meeting that utilizes your products!

Summary

Be prepared.

Have a plan.

Be yourself.

Take advantage of your OIA membership d OR land OR planner.

Actively engage.

Follow up.

Resources:

robin@merchandisingmattersnow.com

Follow me on twitter @rpemerch

htt // l i d /2010/02/16/ t d f i l t k http://royal.pingdom.com/2010/02/16/study-ages-of-social-network-users/

http://www.outdoorretailer.com/summer-market/events-seminars/merchandising-tours-sm

http://www.outdoorretailer.com/winter-market/events-seminars/merchandising-tours-wm

http://www.softtiles.com

This webinar was madeThis webinar was made possible by:

With the generous support of OutdoorWith the generous support of Outdoor Retailer/Nielsen Business Media