We are now entering the 4^th quarter of 2007. 

Where did the year go?  I think we always ask that question.  Time flies by and before you know it it’s time to buy Christmas gifts.  No matter how much we plan, the year goes by so fast.  In the exhibit business we tend to see a slow down as the year draws to a close.  Many of the larger trade shows have come and gone and the 2007 exhibition events start to draw to a close.

This is a great time to start thinking about 2008.  I know you normally don’t have time to finish most of your daily tasks, let alone start thinking about several months down the road.  This slightly slower time would be a great time to catch up on the normal repairs on your exhibit that are necessary due to the 2007 trade show wear and tear.  This would also be a great time to set up your exhibit and do a general walk-through with your exhibit house.  Setting the booth up will give you a chance to look at the details and perhaps allow you to consider some things that might have been overlooked during the calendar year.  I find that during the show year, most clients are focused on the major changes for the upcoming show and don’t have the time to look at some of the small details that need to be addressed.

Preparing a quick survey for all of the people involved with your exhibit can make the repair/change process really easy.  Create a short form that asks what each involved individual sees as the advantages and disadvantages of your exhibit. This will give you many different ideas from different perspectives that you might have overlooked.  Your exhibit personnel are a great resource for you.  Everyone has an opinion; let them tell you about changes to the exhibit that they see that would be helpful.  Their ideas will provide you with a wide variety of possible changes to present and review with your exhibit company.

 Another good resource is your exhibit house. They can give you further input on the advantages and disadvantages of your exhibit, based on the surveys you received from your exhibit personnel.  By presenting the exhibit house with the areas of  improvements your personnel would like to see (what worked and what didn’t work at the actual trade show), you are providing the experts with the information they need to make your exhibit the best tool it can be for your company.  By looking at what they have built and finding ways to change or expand on it in order to meet your particular needs, your exhibit house can play a key role in your trade show success.  Things always look different on paper than they do when completed, and some things that you think are going to work great at an actual trade show may need to be tweaked for the exact goal or effect you’re hoping to achieve.

Once you have completed this survey process, step back and look at what your budget allows.  Maybe you don’t want to (or cannot afford to) make major changes right now. However, having this information will help you in making future changes and plans.  This survey will also allow you to look at repairs that need to be made and give you and your exhibit builder the time to make repairs and, most importantly, will give you a fresh start to the 2008 exhibit schedule.

The Source Group prides itself on the personal service and attention that we give our clients.  If you don’t have that kind of rapport with your exhibit house, maybe it is time to make a fresh start with a company that values you and your business.  We are always open to hearing from you and are always looking for new clients with whom to develop this kind of personal service relationship.  Please feel free to contact myself or any of our staff and tell us what you are looking for in an exhibit house.  We have a full service staff of designers and account personnel to help guide and work with you.  The Source Group works with clients in many ways to suit a variety of needs.  Every client has different needs and different procedures they like to follow.  We want you to be comfortable in the process, which is why we adapt our process to fit you.  In the end it’s all about YOU and your company!  Give us a call today.

Todd Hawkins - Vice President

Would you go to a job interview or a make an important sales call after staying out until 2 or 3 am the night before?  Would you show up late for that important client meeting?   Would you go to a meeting with a potential new client  completely unprepared?  The answer to these questions should be NO, unless you want to end up in the unemployment line. 

The question then, is,  why wouldn’t you use the same common sense when it comes to your attendance at your industry’s trade show?

Too many times you see them or you hear them talking:  “We didn’t get in until 2am last night” or “Look at Joe over there; he is looking rough this morning”.  You wouldn’t act this way if you were at your home and had an important meeting or sales appointment,  so why would you do this when you have a golden opportunity to sell?

 People go to trade shows for many reasons; some go to see what their competition’s booth looks like or to see the new products, some go to see old friends, and (believe it or not) many go to BUY.  As a representative of your company  you are the first thing these potential clients are going to see.  You are the first  positive or negative image they will encounter  about  your company, so why wouldn’t you be  prepared, well rested, and READY to make the sell?

 I am not coming up with anything new here, just some good common sense.  How many times do all of us get out and beat the streets looking for someone to buy our products?  How many times have you made numerous phone calls just to get one meeting?  Think about this;  potential new clients are coming to YOU.  I am going to repeat that one more time, THEY are coming to YOU!  You have their attention and you didn’t even have to flirt with the person at the front desk to give you a name or number of the person you needed to talk to.  How much easier can this be?

I am not saying that you are going to land the sell- you might not sell anything.  But I ask you; how often do you get the chance to have this much face time with so many decision makers?  Usually a couple times a year, and where?  Tradeshows.   Take advantage of the opportunity and make some good leads or generate some new business.  Save the  college behavior for the last night,  after the show is over.  By this time you should have something to celebrate( new leads, new clients).  After all, I didn’t tell you not to have fun, I just said tone it down during the show and take the trade show seriously, because it is a serious way to increase your company’s bottom line and, therefore your bottom line.