July 30th – August 1st, 2013 McCormick Place, Chicago, IL Integrated Tools for Lead Gathering and Post Show Follow Through

About Your Instructor Bob Milam, aka Trade Show Bob  A past winner of Exhibitor Magazine’s All Star Award  Has produced exhibit campaigns for the retail grocery, food ingredients, medical device, super- computing, non-profit fund raising, property management, and computer graphics industries  Contributing columnist & blogger for EXHIBITOR magazine

What will I Learn?  In a changing world – what timeless truths are there?  Why today’s lead capture systems fail  What needs to change for Sales people?  Revolutionary new approaches to lead capture

Timeless Truths  Trade shows are the oldest form of marketing  People have always gathered together to exchange goods and services in “marketplaces”  True in all cultures, and all eras.  Manifest now as “the trade show”

Timeless Truths  Trade shows are mis-understood  The least studied of all marketing disciplines  The level of understanding varies greatly within organizations

Try a simple experiment Ask: Why do we go to trade shows ?  “We’ve always gone”  “To get new leads”  “To support the industry”  “My boss said I had to go”  “Because our competition will be there”  “It gets me out of the office”  “To meet with our customers”  “I don’t see value, I don’t think we should go”  “For the parties” Timeless Truths

If a company can’t agree on why they go to shows, and what they hope to achieve there, Why should expensive exhibit campaigns continue? Timeless Truths

To understand how true value is created & delivered Organizers Attendees Exhibitors Timeless Truths

Value Delivery Organizers Exhibitors Attendees Revenue Face-to-Face Opportunities Solutions Qualified Audience ROI Timeless Truths

 To maintain itself, all three entities must benefit  If unbalanced, the show will eventually die.  Number of entities in each group:  Potentially many 1000’s of attendees  100’s of Exhibitors  Only one Organizer Timeless Truths

Why today's systems don't work  Out of Step – 1980’s technology  Current up-to-date solutions circumvent the organizer  Trade show are viewed as “stand alone” events, not integrated into an exhibiting company’s work flow.

Old Technology  Paper leads  Distractive, unfamiliar interfaces  Plug-in badge scanners  Bulky table top scanners  Printed out put  Customization is an after-thought  Requires extensive manual work post-show

New Technology – Under the Table  Fails to acknowledge Organizer’s key asset  Places Exhibitors and Organizers at odds  Marketed to Exhibitors as “end runs”  Fails to leverage the full power of Organizer’s asset

Trade Shows Are Not Isolated Events  Exhibitors must re-purchase a new system for each show  Social media permeates events  A need for integration of tools  Continuity of both messaging and tools  Reduction of redundant training redundancies  Drives down expectations of show performance

What must change  All 3 of the aforementioned areas  New Technology  Support a growth-oriented “Triangle”  Integrate into a company’s normal year round activities

Revolutionary Approaches  Mobile App based  Stand alone  Internet connected  RFID  Multiple input options  Hardware/software neutral  Multiple use adaptability

New Technology for Qualification  Quickly supports aisle qualification  Drills down to exactly the right spot in the right way  Allows full salesmen’s presentation capability  Eliminates printed paper  Works anywhere in the Hall

Integrated Fulfillment  Total flexible fulfillment  Integrated into every day presentation tools  Flexibility to centrally control content delivered  Full metrics on visits, fulfillment and following click-thru’s  Integrates with CRM systems

Reduce Exhibit Manager's Workload  Reduce staff training  Use the same tools  Control content  Harvest metrics  Tools to report to management

20  Trade shows will remain  Trade shows will change  All key parties must benefit  Old technology holds us back  New technology isn’t inclusive  Trade shows are only one link in the chain  To encourage the growth that our medium can provide, we must demand more integration from our own tools. Summary

summary Thanks for coming Questions Bob Milam 21