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February 2006

RELATIONSHIPS | RESOURCES | RESULTS

DemonstratingIntangibles

10 Ways to Get Booth Traffic

®

TradeshowsLA Style

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4 Brilliant Results | February 2006 www.brilliantpublishing.com

TEN EASY WAYS TO ATTRACT VISITORSTO YOUR BOOTH 14

Are you ready to bring new life to your currentexhibit? Or are you ready to chuck it becauseno one stopped to see you at your last event?

Your answer is a few steps away with thesetips for attracting visitors to any booth.

By: Bob Thomas

USELESS TRINKETS AND MOUNDS OF TRASH 16

Explore two areas of tradeshow contention -distributing printed matter at the booth, and the

giveaways that sit on the front counter – andfind out how to avoid common pitfalls.

By: Margit B. Weisgal

BRAND LEGACY: WHAT’S YOUR NEXT MOVE? 20

Explore Brand Legacy, which begins from apoint of origin (core idea) and considers historicmessage layering to derive a current perception

as it pertains to your target audience.By: Bill Nissim

PRE- AND POST-TRADESHOW MAILERS 28

An article with a sense of humor that is filledwith some direct marketing tips to make your

tradeshows even more effective.By: Jeffrey Dobkin

Contents

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20

28

columnsIT’S ALL PERSONAL 40

“International Building Show”By: Dave Ribble

WHAT WORKS PRESENTED BY THEPROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS

ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL (PPAI) 42Successful Case Studies and research for your

next powerful promotion.

HOT PRODUCTSTHINGS WE LOVE 50

Brilliant Results previews a treasure trove ofexciting products

INDUSTRY NEWS FLASHES 58Find out what is happening in the promotional

merchandise and incentive industries.

COVER STORY 8TRADESHOWS LA STYLE

Our interview with Mark S. Liberman, President and Chief Executive Officer of LA INC., The Convention and Visitors Bureau, gave us an insiders look at the operations of LA Inc.

TMbrilliant resultsVol. 3, No. 2

features

departments

DEMONSTRATING INTANGIBLES 34Are tradeshow exhibitors who do not

have a product to experience doomed totradeshow mediocrity…absolutely not!

Just follow these demonstrating sugges-tions at your next tradeshow booth.

By: Barry Siskind

INTERVIEWING MARKETINGPROS? READ BETWEEN THE LINES 38Improve the interview process and avoid

hiring mistakes with this sampling of mar-keting interview questions that scratch

beneath the surface.By: Tracey Turner

AN INDUSTRY SUCCESS STORY 57Learn how a mom with a sassy ponytailholder collaborated with a printing and

promotional products distributor to buildher successful “Sassy Tails” business.

PUBLISHER’S LETTER 6

ADVERTISING INDEX 56Get FREE information from

this month’s advertisers

CALENDAR 60

THE LAST WORD 62Brilliant Results speaks with Steven

Hacker, President of the InternationalAssociation for Exhibition Management, and

“One of the 25 Most Influential People in theMeetings and Conventions Industry” for sixconsecutive years beginning in 1996 abouttradeshows and promotional merchandise.

OFF THE CUFF 66Inspiring quotation and Trivia By The Numbers


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2ND LAYERTHERMAL TECH: BODY HEAT MANAGEMENT

3RD LAYEROUTER TECH: COMPLETE BODY PROTECTION

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C O R P O R A T E

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Brilliant Publishing LLC9034 Joyce Lane

Hummelstown, PA 17036Ph: 717.571-9233Fax: 717.566.5431

PUBLISHER / ADVERTISINGMaureen Williams-Berman.....

[email protected]

EDITORIALEditor in Chief

MaryAnne Morrill717-571-9233

Senior EditorsMichelle Donofry, Pierce Roberts

Style EditorCharity Plata

Asst. EditorMildred Landis

Contributing WritersJeffrey Dobkin, Bill Nissim, Dave Ribble, Barry

Siskind, Bob Thomas, Tracey Turner, Margit B.Weisgal, PPAI - What Works Section

CirculationFor any questions regarding circulation, please

email: [email protected]

PRODUCTION / DESIGNArt Director

Percy Zamora

Photos Courtesy: LA Convention Ctr® all rights reserved

“Sassy Tails” Proforma Rhino Graphics® allrights reserved

Brilliant Results is published monthly by BrilliantPublishing LLC, 9034 Joyce Lane Hummelstown PA 17036(717) 608-5869; Fax# (717) 566-5431. Postage paid atMechanicsburg PA and additional offices. POSTMASTERplease send address changes to Brilliant Results, 9034Joyce Lane, Hummelstown PA 17036. Volume 3. Number 2.Brilliant Results subscription rates: one-year $120; Canadian$160 USD; one-year foreign $225 USD. All subscriptions arenon-refundable. Copyright © 2005 Brilliant Publishing LLC.All rights reserved. The publisher reserves the right toaccept or reject any advertising or editorial material.Advertisers, and/or their agents, assume the responsibilityfor any claims against the publisher based on the advertise-ment. Editorial contributors assume responsibility for theirpublished works and assume responsibility for any claimsagainst the publisher based on published work. No part ofthis publication can be reproduced in any form or by elec-tronic or mechanical means, including information storageand retrieval systems, without written permission from thepublisher. All items submitted to Brilliant Results becomethe sole property of Brilliant Publishing LLC. Editorial con-tent does not reflect the views of the publisher. The imprints,logos, trademarks or trade names (Collectively the “Marks”)displayed on the products featured in Brilliant Results are forillustrative purposes only and are not available for sale. Themarks do not represent the implied or actual endorsementby the owners of the Marks of the product on which theyappear. All of the Marks are the property of the respectiveowners and is not the property of either the advertisersusing the Marks or Brilliant Results.


Publisher’s LetterTM


brilliant resultsbrilliant results

262467 Brill492

OK STOP LAUGHING!! Yes, that’s me on ascooter in Las Vegas! Since this is our tradeshow issue, I thought I would interject a lit-tle humor and also let my readers know howdedicated I am to the promotional productsindustry. I have not missed the annual PPAIEXPO in some 14 years and I was determinedthat this year neither sleet, nor snow nor 37weeks into my first pregnancy would stopme! So this month’s photograph is a once ina lifetime opportunity to see what a very pregnant woman looks like doing atradeshow. Scary sight I agree!

I don’t know if it was naiveté or sheer ignorance but let me tell you it wasthe hardest tradeshow I have ever done. I certainly would not recommenddoing any kind of traveling (I now know why there are time limits to air travel)this late in pregnancy especially at my age! But, it was a great show withrecord attendance especially in the education seminars.

Keeping with the trade show theme, we interviewed Mark S. Liberman,President and Chief Executive Officer of LA INC., The Convention andVisitors Bureau, to find out about the exciting development that is going onto make the LA Convention Center a high powered trade show destination.

But, as all seasoned trade show exhibitors know the venue is only a portionof the recipe for trade show success. Success in the booth requires attractingvisitors, demonstrating, selecting the right giveaways and follow-up. To helpyou cover your trade show bases and hit a home run, this issue also includesarticles that address these aspects. Whether it is Pre- and Post- TradeshowMailers, Demonstrating Intangibles, Ten Easy Ways to Attract Visitors to YourBooth or Useless Trinkets and Mounds of Trash, I am sure this issue containssome words of wisdom to improve your next tradeshow experience.

I know mine will be improved by the very fact that I won’t be pregnantand by next month I am hoping to have a beautiful addition to my letter.

Until next time...remember to always

Have a Brilliant Day!

Maureen BermanPublisher

PS: Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance to you!Phone: 541-788-5022e-mail: [email protected]


BR0106_Section03 12/22/05 3:12 PM Page 7


THE CITY OF LOS ANGELESholds many distinctions. LA isthe entertainment capital ofthe world, a cultural meccaboasting over 300 museumsand theaters and a paradise ofgood weather. From touristattractions like the Walk ofFame’s collection of stars tothe only remaining wooden lighthouse inthe world and the largest historical the-ater district on the National Register ofHistoric Places, Los Angeles is the placeto be. It is the only city in the world tohost the Summer Olympics twice anddowntown LA is the largest governmentcenter outside of Washington, D.C. Withall of this to attract the meeting and con-vention planner, Los Angeles is a greatplace to hold a trade show and the addi-tional construction activity in the area ofits Convention Center caught our atten-tion when we were researching this issueof Brilliant Results.

The Los Angeles Convention Center isoperated and marketed by LA INC., TheConvention and Visitors Bureau, a private,not-for-profit business association con-tracted by the City of Los Angeles. Staffedby 75 employees and headquartered in

Los Angeles, LA INC. has aconvention sales office inWashington, DC and salesrepresentation throughout

the United Sates. LA INC.also maintains interna-tional marketing offices inalliance with Los AngelesWorld Airports (LAWA) in

Tokyo and London. The mission of LAINC, The Convention and Visitors Bureauis to advance the prosperity of LA’s visitoreconomy and the livelihoods that dependon it. This is achieved by sales and mar-keting to the principle segments of boththe domestic and international traveltrade and consumer.

In particular, LA INC. represents theLA destination to the meetings and con-vention industry nationwide; the interna-tional travel trade and traveler; the cruisepassenger and cruise lines; the domesticleisure traveler as well as the worldwidetravel media. Los Angeles hosted 24.3 mil-lion visitors in 2004 generating a total of$12.0 billion in spending. LA is one of thetop travel destinations in the U.S.According to the Travel IndustryAssociation of America, LA is the fourthlargest destination for domestic travel in

Mark S. Liberman

President and Chief Executive Officer

LA INC. The Convention and

Visitors Bureau

TRADESHOWSLA Style


Brilliant Results | February 2006 9www.brilliantpublishing.com


the US, surpassed only by Las Vegas, Orlando andChicago. To help organizations build attendanceand excitement for their upcoming meeting, con-vention, or trade show, LA INC. offers a wide vari-ety of promotional items and visitor materials. Theyalso encourage businesses to take advantage oftheir marketing tools, complimentary guides andpostcards and will help enhance your theme andattendance further with customized pins, keychains, and other items available for a nominal fee.

To find out more about the Los AngelesConvention Center, trade shows and business, wespoke with Mark S. Liberman, President and ChiefExecutive Officer of LA INC., The Convention andVisitors Bureau since June 2003.

Prior to joining LA INC., Mr. Liberman spent over34 years with United Airlines in a variety of salesand operational positions. Based in Los Angelessince 1995, he was most recently United’s VicePresident, North America - Western Region. Prior tomoving to Los Angeles, he was Vice President –Latin America, based in Miami, Florida, where helaunched United’s Latin American Division in 1992.

Mark serves on the board of the Travel IndustryAssociation of America (TIA), the Los Angeles AreaChamber of Commerce, the HollywoodEntertainment Museum, and the Los AngelesSports & Entertainment Commission and is a mem-ber of the International Association of Convention &

Visitor Bureaus (IACVB). With such a wide range ofexperience and involvement, in addition to theresponsibilities associated with marketing a cityand its trade show/exhibition venue, BrilliantResults enjoyed asking Mark a few questions.

BR: How did you become associated with the LosAngeles Convention & Visitors Bureau?

ML: Having been in the travel field with UnitedAirlines for over 30 years, I moved back to LosAngeles in 1994 and was on the Board of Directorsof LA INC., The Convention and Visitors Bureau.After I retired from United Airlines, I decided to stayin Los Angeles. At that same time, the individualwho was the President of the Convention Bureaubecame gravely ill and the Board of Directors askedme to take on the position of President. I had a 3-week vacation between retirement and becomingPresident of LA INC. But, the most important rea-son I took the position was because of how I feelabout Los Angeles, which obviously with all thework that we do here, is that Los Angeles is thegreatest city in the world.

BR: In your opinion what is the most importantservice Los Angeles Convention & VisitorsBureau offers?

ML: I wouldn’t say that there is one service thatwe provide that is most important; I would saythat we provide many services. We provide servic-es to many individuals, many businesses and ofcourse to our member organizations. Additionally,we provide services to the city of Los Angeles.Services that I think are at the top of the list areselling conventions and self-contained meetingsas well as marketing LA worldwide. We provideinformation to visitors who are here in LA throughour Visitor Centers and of course we provide infor-mation to those people who are planning to cometo Los Angeles.

BR: Would it also be true to say that your organi-zation helps the public access the Los Angeles areaamenities?

ML: We sure do. We are an organization that cantell anyone worldwide that is interested in comingto Los Angeles everything that is going on in LAand how to have a wonderful vacation or visit toLos Angeles.




BR: What new developments are taking place at theLos Angeles Convention Center?

ML: This is probably the most exciting time that wehave had in Los Angeles in the Convention Center areafor many, many years. As you and your readers probablyknow, Los Angeles is a city that has never had a hotellocated adjacent to the Convention Center. Not only willLos Angeles have a Convention Center Hotel, but wewill also have an entertainment district with a 7,000seat theater called the Nokia Theater with restaurantsand shopping and other venues that will be so excitingand change the look of downtown Los Angeles.

BR: That sounds like it will attract a lot of new conventioneers.

ML: You are absolutely right, it certainly will attractnew conventioneers, new clients, new customers, andwe have felt that already. We have received many calls,inquiries and visits and most importantly additionalbookings from customers throughout the country.

BR: Of the marketing campaigns you and your teamhave developed which do you feel is the most notable/rec-ognizable and what was the key(s) to its success?

ML: The one marketing campaign, which has reallybeen associated with us for the last few years, is the SeeMy LA campaign. One of the greatest assets in LosAngeles are the celebrities that live and work here.These are the people that are recognized worldwide,whether it is Eva Longoria or Jamie Lee Curtis or DianeKeaton or Wolfgang Puck or Magic Johnson and the listgoes on and even new mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa. Allof these people and others, almost 50 of them, are thefocus of our campaign and the focus of the campaign isto tell people what LA has to offer. The celebrities telleveryone what their favorite things are about LosAngeles and See My LA has really branded us.

BR: How do you use promotional merchandise and/ordirect marketing strategies to increase Los AngelesConvention & Visitors Bureau brand awareness and mar-ket the Convention Center?

ML: We do. Promotional merchandise and materialsare very important. The key component is making sureyou get the right item for the right audience. We have allof the gadgets and everything else that sell LosAngeles. Is there one particular one? Probably not.

But, when I think of what sells Los Angeles, it goesbeyond merchandise. Los Angeles is unlike any othercity in the world, we talk about brand – we are a brand

in itself. Everybody has heard of Los Angeles. Our brandis our weather, our brand is Hollywood, our brand is allthe venues and attractions, the beaches, the restau-rants and all the excitement that is a part of LA. Wetend to find ourselves selling Los Angeles for all of thethings we have to offer.

BR: How does the Los Angeles Convention & VisitorsBureau source its promotional merchandise and incen-tives: via a bid process or via a regular supplier/distribu-tor or agency?

ML: We are like many other organizations, dependingon what we are purchasing if it is over a certain amountof money, we have strict procedures on bidding for that.We use many vendors and we use vendors that normal-ly are members of our organization.

BR: Has the Los Angeles Convention and VisitorsBureau used Trade Shows to encourage corporations toschedule events at the Convention Center?

ML: We certainly do. We actively participate in tradeshows. We see this not only as an excellent way to solic-it business, which of course is important, but also as away to tell the LA story.



BR: Do you have any suggestions for our read-ers about pre, during and post trade show market-ing that would increase the success of their showexperience?

ML: We work with anyone that needs assistance,whether they be in the trade show area, whetherthey be people that are having self-contained meet-ings, or people having conventions. We are anorganization that is here to assist anyone that iscoming to Los Angeles to make their visit enjoyable,worthwhile and in a business environment – a visitthat is economically positive for that organization.We have a Client Services Department that is calledon every day to assist people that are schedulingmeetings and events in Los Angeles.

BR: Does your Client Services Department haveany suggestions for exhibiting companies on how tomeasure their ROI, or do you have a formula you usefor measuring trade show success?

ML: We measure every trade show that we par-ticipate in. We see who visits us; we take a look atthe leads that we get and how many of those leads

are turned into definite pieces of business. We arereally a partner with our planners. We form thispartnership with our planners so that we as anorganization with whom the planners work havepositive results.

BR: What is the best show you have ever attendedor been a part of?

ML: All shows are important. As you can imaginewe participate in many throughout the world. Ihave been here now for a few years and I have per-sonally participated in POW WOW, MPI, ASAE andLA COMBRE to name a few. But, we think that, asI mentioned before, it gives us the opportunity toboth sell and tell our story.

BR: What do you see as the most significantchanges coming in the convention center/trade showarena in the next 5-10 years?

ML: Everyone in our business, and we continual-ly hear this, is doing more with less and makingtheir trade show dollars really work harder to drivethose desired sales results.



BR: Do you have any final thoughts or advice forour readers about the use of promotional merchandiseand direct marketing strategies in their overall mar-keting efforts?

ML: My advice is really about branding. You need tohave brand identity. What you do in today’s marketplacehas to be current. It has to be easily understood and youhave to send a clear message and finally, it has to get tothe right person. To do this, I always tell people that workin our organization – we must understand our customerand we must understand our product to be successful.

BR: Do you remember the last promotional productyou received and from what company you received it?

ML: The last promotional product that I received wasfrom Universal Studios Hollywood. The people atUniversal were promoting King Kong with a stuffedKing Kong doll in a cage with DVDs of former King Kongmovies. Once someone received that promotional item,

as I did, there was no way that I wasn’t going to go seethat movie. Everyone that comes into my office, theireyes go right to that promotional item and it reallycatches your attention which is what a promotionalitem should do.

BR: Any other thoughts or things that you think wouldbe of interest to other marketing executives with respectto the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau?

ML: I do have one other piece of advice. If your read-ers haven’t been to LA in a while, they need to comeand see the changes and excitement that is taking placein our city. Additionally, if they have been here recently,they need to come back again and enjoy, as they know,everything that we have to offer. •

For additional information about LA INC., TheConvention and Visitors Bureau visit their web site atwww.seemyla.com.

“What you do in today’s marketplace has to be current. It has to be easily understoodand you have to send a clear message and finally, it has to get to the right person.”



ARE YOU READY to bring new life to your currentexhibit? Or are you ready to chuck it because no onestopped to see you at your last event? Your answer is afew steps away with these tips to attracting visitors toany booth.

Improve your lighting. Any booth will attract atten-tion if it is well lit. The human eye is naturally attractedto bright lights. Be the brightest on your block andattendees will gather like moths to a porch light.

Color your world. Bright colors are pleasing to our eyesand exciting to our brains. Bright, rich colors presented inhigh contrast attract visitors to your booth. But be awareof the mood you put people in with the colors you use.Green = nature, Red = excitement, Yellow = optimism,Black = authority, White = purity, Blue = serenity.

Use the soft touch. Upgrade to quality carpet andpadding. Your feet, your staff, and your attendees withthank you. The soft feel underfoot gives the impressionof quality and class. Extra Tip: Match your booth carpetcolor to the aisle carpet and be sure there is no breakbetween the two and you eliminate physical and psy-chological barriers to your booth!

Create an open atmosphere. Eliminate all other phys-ical and psychological barriers to your booth by makingit open and inviting. Move the furniture to the back andsides to create space for attendees to come into yourbooth for discussion and ultimately sales!

Make something move. Provide movement to attractsattendees’ eyes and in turn their bodies toward yourbooth. If your product doesn’t move, toss a giveaway intothe air (and catch it), move your arms, play with a yo-yo,or blow bubbles. Activity attracts people’s attention andpiques their curiosity. Be sure to involve your productphysically or through a sales pitch or anecdote.

Tickle the senses. The olfactory sense is our mostpowerful sense. Smells often trigger the most pleasantof memories. Put a drop of vanilla on a light bulb, rentcookie baking equipment, warm brownies, or bakebread to attract visitors to your booth. When was thelast time you weren’t hungry at a show?

Personalize your exhibit. Your exhibit doesn’t have tobe all work and no play. Put a table lamp in your booth,lay down an area rug, use props (holiday, seasons,sports, or regional), or decorate with items you plan to

10Easy Ways to Attract Visitorsto Your Booth

BY BOB THOMAS

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give to key clients — all to attract attention and ini-tiate conversation.

Invent a corporate dress code. Don’t make theattendee search for your staff. Have corporate attiremade so that everyone wears the same shirt, tie,scarf, vest, or jacket. Even a simple accessory will letthe attendee know whom to approach in your boothor elsewhere on the floor.

Go high-tech. Use all the tools at your disposal toprovide information to your clients and potentialcustomers. Use websites, email blasts, fax broad-casts, electronic product directory, web links, andPDA downloads. Don’t pass up these inexpensiveand effective opportunities.

Staff your booth with the best. While steps 1-9 aregreat ways to improve your exhibit, nothing willincrease your ROI like choosing the right people to staffyour booth. Only send your best, happiest, and mostoutgoing staff — no matter what their position withinthe company. You need people willing and able to ini-tiate conversation with anyone, answer questionsabout your product, and record lead information.

If the idea of implementing all ten stepsseems daunting, take it slow. Try out a fewideas to see how they work with your productand within your industry. Whatever you do,have fun and be comfortable with your exhib-it, your marketing plan, and your staff. Yourconfidence and faith in your decisions willmake a difference with your staff and thatpotential customer.

Look around your home, favorite coffee shop, orpub. What is it that makes you feel welcome? Usethe same tricks of the trade that retail use — theystay in business for a reason!

Bob Thomas, CME is Founder and President ofExhibit and Event Management – an exhibit man-agement and consulting company based inColumbus, Ohio. He is also Past Chairman of theBoard of Directors for the Trade Show ExhibitorsAssociation and has been managing trade showand marketing exhibits for more than 15 years.For additional information, Bob may be contactedat 614.538.9004 by email at [email protected] or visit his web site atwww.exhibitmanagement.com.

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“Look aroundyour home,favorite coffee shop,or pub. What is itthat makesyou feel welcome?”



THIS ARTICLE IS going to cover two areas of exhib-it marketing that are always going to be areas ofcontention: distributing printed matter at thebooth, and the giveaways that sit on the frontcounter. Some exhibitors love using them because,if they’re handing out ‘something,’ they don’t haveto really talk to anyone. Others have learned thatthe most profitable use of time is in the dialoguewith prospects and customers.

Catalogues and spec sheets will always have aniche in trade show marketing. They providedefined information about the products and servic-es the exhibitor offers. But if your sole purpose is todistribute this material, it is far less expensive to doa mailing, even with the cost of lists, postage andpackaging added in. Ads in trade journals areanother, far less expensive, alternative.

In other words, standing in a booth, accosting vis-itors with “Would you like a catalogue?” is a largewaste of time, money and your exhibit investment.

There is a time and place to do this. Yes, you shouldhave material with you, but given the cost of theprinted matter these days, running as much as $4-5each, giving a copy to every passer-by only increasesyour exhibit expense. You are far better served byusing the time to qualify prospects and customers bydefining their needs. Only then, and if the specifiedneed is so great, would you give them a catalogue.

MOUNDS OF TRASHWhy do we use catalogues and spec sheets?

Usually out of a fear of having to talk to someone wedon’t know. If we give a catalogue, we often feelwe’ve done our job. There are companies outthere who gauge their exhibit success byhow many catalogues they’ve givenaway. But what happens tothat material is anotherissue. A study done bythe Trade Show Bureau

Useless Trinkets andMounds Of Trash

BY MARGIT B. WEISGAL



says 60-85% is thrown out - another way of sayingit’s never read, looked at, or even filed for future ref-erence, a sad ending for something in which you’veinvested so much time and money.

There is another, even greater benefit, to not givingaway catalogues. By collecting names - and needs - ofprospects and customers, you then have another con-tact opportunity. You get a second chance to talk withthem, or, if you mail the catalogue, for them to seeyour name. A trick I’ve talked about in ‘Boothmanship’seminars is to add a post-it note on the front cover say-ing, “I’ve highlighted three items which I think willinterest you.” Don’t forget to highlight the items!People - prospects - will look inside to see what you’ve

chosen. They will alsonote how closely you’ve paid

attention to their stated needs.A main dissatisfaction with salespeople in any field is the fact thatthey don’t listen. Prove you’re dif-

ferent by being responsive.

HOW NOT TO DO ITA couple years ago, while attending a show, I

visited three vendors to purchase something for aclient. As an educated attendee, each vendor wastold about the project, the deadline, the budget andmore information so I could get the most assistance.The first vendor said, “No problem. I’ll send you thecatalogue and highlight the information for you.”“Great,” I thought. So on I went to two others fromwhom I got a similar response. So guess what hap-pened when I returned to my office? Almost noth-ing. The first vendor sent a catalogue with a stan-dardized letter, no highlighting, no response to anyof my queries and an invitation to contact the com-pany to discuss my future needs. The second ven-dor sent something akin to the first and I neverheard from the third.

We all have competitors. What separates us fromthe pack is how we deal with prospects and cus-tomers. Almost every survey that evaluates whatcompanies look for in vendors lists service as the



most important. Price is usually around fifth. Intoday’s world, we are farther from our customersthan ever when we use voice mail, email, and yes,even snail mail. We post information on our websites and wait for customers to do our sales job forus. Vendors who will succeed in the future willmake customer service a priority – unlike the com-panies mentioned.

THE USELESS TRINKETSWe’re all guilty at some time or other. We’re

strolling down the aisle at a trade show and there,on a tabletop, is something we want. My favoritewas the show where I found piles of note pads,free for the taking. We all have a preference, usu-ally an item that for some reason we just want tohave. So we take one. Are we prospects?Customers? Will we ever buy from that company?In the case of the note pads, the answer was aresounding NO! I’ve never been, nor will I ever be,a prospect or customer for that company. Nor did Icare. All I wanted to do was stuff my tote bag with$10-15 worth of pads…which I did. How many oth-ers like me roamed the aisles? And how muchmoney was wasted?

Trinkets are trash - if they don’t lead to a mean-ingful conversation. You are almost equally well offstanding on a street corner giving away dollarbills. The purpose of giving away something is tothank someone for having spent time talking withyou. It’s a reward, plain and simple. Yes, there isstill some wasted distribution, because not every-one you talk with is going to be qualified. But themore people with whom you talk, the more you’llfind who are qualified.

At one show, I saw several people doing a greatjob with their promotional items. In two cases, thetime involved in preparing the gift also allowed timeto talk. One company was using laminated luggagetags, the processing of which takes a couple min-utes. While one person was putting together mytag, another spoke with me about the company.Admittedly, I’m not a prospect. But they had creat-ed a great opportunity for those who were.

A second involved “Butt Sketches,” somethingclever I’d not seen before. While the artist madethe drawing, a 3-5 minute job, the booth stafferswere free to talk with the ‘model.’ Again, purposeaccomplished.

When planning in-booth promotions like these,there’s only one additional aspect that can makethem better. Choose whom you want to talk withprior to the show and send them a special invita-tion. You can even go so far as making appoint-ments for times when the floor isn’t busy.

Both keep in mind the ‘reward’ aspect. Both alsogave the prospect something personal. (When wasthe last time you threw away something with yourname?) And both allowed time for the qualificationprocedure. Neither one was a promotion I wouldhave termed ‘trinkets and trash.’ And last, bothenhanced the image of the company: professional.

When planning time comes around for the nextshow, keep these tips in mind. You will probablynever write an order on the show floor, but at leastyou’ll have identified a qualified group of peoplewho will help your bottom line in the future. •

Margit B. Weisgal, CME, is an internationallyknown consultant and trainer on exhibit marketing,and the author of Show and Sell: 133 BusinessBuilding Ways to Promote Your Trade Show Exhibit(AMACOM, 1997). She works with Fortune 1000 cor-porations and show managers presenting seminarson making your trade show a success. Visit her website at www.sextantgroup.com or contact her [email protected].




THE FOURTH QUARTER is the planningseason, a time for developing next year’smarketing plan. Although we oftenaspire to make dramatic changes in 2006,the final version of our plan typically mir-rors remnants from the previous year. Insome instances, we feel a sense of obliga-tion to complete unfinished business orto carry forward those past initiativesthat delivered positive results. Thesecumulative efforts, whether consciouslyor unconsciously, help to solidify thebasis of your organization’s BrandLegacy. Why do you suppose this isimportant?

My neighbor owned a local Italianrestaurant; they served authentic foodand were especially well known for theirmouth-watering pizzas. Each night of theweek they were busy with people stand-ing in line for a table. Their Brand Legacywas a combination of Mama’s old fashionrecipes (she was from Sicily) and therestaurant’s interior design, whichresembled a comfortable Italian home.Soon Roundtable, Domino’s, and anassortment of Pizza firms inundated thelocal area and offered speed of serviceover authenticity. Feeling the pressure ofcompetition, Mama’s strayed from herwinning brand proposition (traditionalItalian food) to mimic the competition.

Today, the once time-honored cuisine andSicilian ambiance (experience) has beenreplaced with video games and a servicecounter. Any remnant of Mama’s legacyhas disappeared and so with it, a differ-entiated brand.

What exactly is a Brand Legacy? Isearched the American MarketingAssociation’s “Dictionary of MarketingTerms” (marketingpower.com), Google,and Yahoo and found no such officialterm. As a result, I’ve coined the termand have provided a definition, whichsuggests that the foundations of yourbrand can have an impact on your currentbrand strategy.

BRAND LEGACY DEFINED:A Brand Legacy begins from a point of

origin (core idea) and considers historic mes-sage layering to derive a current perceptionas it pertains to your target audience.

All brands possess a starting point(like a cornerstone of a building) andeach additional “brick” adds to the ulti-mate shape of the building. Think backto 1984. Apple produced a commercialthat ran only once, in which a femalerunner sped through a crowd of clones tolaunch a hammer at the screen of “BigBrother.” The message from Apple –we’re different!

BY: BILL NISSIM, IBRANZ ©

Brand Legacy:What’s Your Next Move?





Apple’s many innovations both support and val-idate the initial core idea made in 1984. Theseinclude application icons on a desktop (versesMSDOS prompts), multi-colored desktop comput-ers, the first commercially available mouse, andinnovative software applications (Quick Time).Despite a few bumps in the road (Newton, forexample), Apple has stayed true to their BrandLegacy. Recent product offerings such as the iPod(Mini, Shuffle, and Nano) reinforce this core idea totheir constituency.

Another example - if I said VW, you wouldrespond with…? The origin of VW was the “Beetle”brand and spoke to a specific audience (the people’scar). Although VW pursued a myriad of vehicledesigns and brand offerings (The Thing, Passat,Cabrio, Golf, Jetta, etc.) since its introduction in the1950’s, the number of new car sales in NorthAmerican shrank from a half-million cars to only40,000 units by 1990. When VW decided to resur-rect the Beetle, sales took off, it helped bolsterincreases in all other models, and VW produced425,000 units by the turn of the century. In thiscase, the legacy (Beetle) not only enhanced the VWbrand, in many ways, it was the brand.

During a recent speaking engagement, I wantedto demonstrate to the audience the power of aBrand Legacy. My visual presentation displayed theUnited Airlines™ (UAL) logo on screen and I askedthe audience to tell me the company’s by-line(sometime referred to as a tag-line). Most handsshot high in the air and one participant yelled out“Fly the Friendly Skies.” I alluded that UAL hadmade a change(s) and asked for the current theme.The room fell silent. I then displayed the 1997 by-line “Rising” and in 2004, UAL’s unveiling of “It’sTime to Fly” campaign. As with this audience, theflying public in general has a right to be confused –during a recent flight on UAL, the safety videoplayed the familiar Rhapsody in Blue piano piece

(auditory reminder of the past) and even used theoriginal slogan at the end of the video. Is it the“Friendly Skies” or “Time to Fly?” I’m not sure?

UAL once served (legacy) as a moniker for an ele-gant, professional, and friendly airline. As a 1K or100,000 mileage flyer, I was so enamored by theirservice and offerings in the early 1990’s that I onlyflew UAL and was extremely brand loyal. By 1997,they tried to enhance the business traveler’s mind-set regarding customer service through a new by-line titled “Rising.” Next, they introduced UnitedExpress (aimed at discount travel) on many routesand my fierce devotion began to wane. Since then,they’ve again changed their by-line to “Time toFly,” cut services, rolled-out “Ted,” and reduced themileage program benefits. At this point, they arefollowing the same path that Mama took with herItalian eatery.

With the Brand Legacy definition and a fewexamples in hand, let’s return to the original ques-tion posed – what is the next move as it pertains toYOUR Brand Legacy? To plan these moves, we needto start with your “core idea.” From there, we canbegin to map a future direction.

CORE IDEA:As mentioned in my Brand Legacy definition, the

final summation a consumer (whether B2B or B2C)extracts from your brand is a core idea. A core ideais a word or thought that encompasses all facets ofyour brand. Let’s try a few: Hershey’s™ = chocolate;Quaker Oats™ = oatmeal; Chevron™ = gasoline;IBM™ = computers; Macy’s™ = department store;Hollywood = movies.

We practice the use of these “core ideas” every-day to aid us with our consumption practices. If weare hungry, we mentally sort through all the brandsavailable and select one that closely resembles anideal core brand. Every time you make a choice,there resides a reference point or origin from whichyou base your purchasing criteria.

A noted Harvard Professor and author, Dr.Clayton Christenson, phrased it another way…”thefunctional, emotional, and social dimensions of thejobs that customers need to get done constitute thecircumstances in which they buy” (InnovatorsSolution, 2002).

Let’s expand upon this Core Idea concept tounderstand the dimensions of choice. A core ideaoperates on three distinct levels. The “BrandRadar” depicted below may be used to visuallydemonstrate these differences.



CORE BRAND:This represents the true or original core idea.

The constituents of the core possess somethingthat can’t be substituted.

AFFILIATE BRAND:Although closely associated with the core idea,

this surrounding area represents a close approxima-tion or facsimile.

PERIPHERY BRAND:This represents a distant offering that maintains

some resemblance to the original core idea.We can apply these three levels by viewing, for

example, the habits of devout coffee drinkers. First,we need to narrow the target audience down tothose consumers who “buy-on-the-run” verses“make their own” coffee. The habits of our “mobile”consumers can be observed at any coffee house.Their profile resembles the following – always in arush, have something specific in mind, and demandconsistency/quality. Whether “walk-in” or “drive-through”, these people don’t have time to relax andenjoy the ambiance of the coffee house.

For this particular target audience, they have aset pattern or behavior. In their minds, only the corebrand will do. I’m one of those “mobile people.” Isee the same faces at Starbucks™ each morning, atthe same time, ordering roughly the same products.I took the opportunity to ask different patrons whythey stopped there each morning. The resoundingresponse was “I love Starbuck Coffee!” When I sug-gested Dietrich’s (affiliate brand) down the street,the variety of contorted looks ranged from confu-sion to “you’re crazy.” I’m sure if I visited with theDietrich’s crowd, I would garner the same responsetowards Starbucks™. The point here – we strive forthe original whenever possible. As a brand manag-er, this type of response is exactly what you wantout of your patrons.

Imagine the following scenario - you’re travelingin another city and the concierge at your hotel has-n’t the faintest clue where to find a Starbucks™.Although your profile remains the same (mobileconsumers), we instinctively broaden our brandacceptability to those products/services that areadjacent to the core. An Affiliate brand for themobile consumer could include other coffee housesthat share the same attributes as the original.Depending on the city, this subset may includeDietrich’s, Seattle’s Best, Caribou, or any facsimile

of the original. I was in Minneapolis recently andconfronted with the same dilemma. Fortunately, myfriend directed me to the nearest Caribou Coffeehouse (aesthetics are very similar – design,ambiance, taste, etc.) and my expectations weremet (to a degree).

Although you’ve gotten the idea by now, it goeswithout saying that the Periphery brand has thelowest ranking and these brands are purchased inthe absence of no other choice. These offeringsinclude Donut shops, mom and pop stores, and themart area at gas stations. Believe it or not, all ofthese venues promote their Periphery brands, whichare derived from the core brand. Are you not con-vinced? Just look at the display signs and designs(colors, visual images, etc.) used on the foam cupsand the similar brand names they use. They all, inone-way or another, resemble the core idea.

YOUR LEGACY:When I was a child, we use to play on a hill that

was carved away by a bulldozer. The bulldozeruncovered layers of strata or sedimentary layersthat had accumulated over thousands of years. Aswe dug through this hillside, it was apparent thatthe topsoil looked very different than what wasbeneath. The same can be said for many companies(brands) today.

Let’s consider McDonalds™. The core idea of thisfast-food restaurant was hamburgers, fries, andshakes at affordable prices and quick service. Thefirst facility was built in 1940 and grew as a fran-chise business. By 1957, a motto was created thatpermeated throughout the nearly 100 stores:



Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value (Q.S.C. & V.)As history records it, it’s safe to say the core ideawas: McDonalds™ = Hamburgers

Fast-forward to 2005. After many decades ofadvertising layering, promotions, slogans, and jin-gles, what does McDonalds™ = today? I’m notexactly sure. Over the years, they’ve introducedbreakfast items, ribs and steak sandwiches, burg-ers for grown-ups, healthy meals (variety of salads),and specialty desserts. Just like the sedimentaryhillside we used to play on, I know somewhere inthose layers of messaging still resides a basic ham-burger. Have they drifted too far from the core idea?

Have you heard of In-n-Out Burgers? If you evervisit California, Nevada, or Arizona, you’ll likely findone just off the freeway. What is their brand legacy?Hamburgers! Even their jingle stays true to thecore: In-n-Out, In-n-Out, that’s what a hamburger isall about! No confusion here.

What about your brand legacy? Let’s start withyour point of origin. If someone asked 10 people inyour organization to answer the following equation,would the answers be the same?

Your company’s core idea = _____________

How did the answers stack up? Were they simi-lar or vastly different? No matter what business you

are in, you should be remembered for one thing oridea. The next obvious question should be whatbusiness are you in today? If you’re past (point oforigin) and present (perception) do not match, thenits time to re-examine your Brand Legacy and ana-lyze what that means.

At this point, you have one of three strategicchoices. Depending on the landscape of your indus-try or business, your organization may ________your Brand Legacy:

1) Embrace 2) Discard3) Re-invent

EMBRACE:Let’s look at a few organizations that have

embraced their Brand Legacy. Both VW’s Beetle andFord’s Mustang have returned to their “roots” andleveraged the heritage of their core idea. In effect,they took the original car concept and modernizedthe design to include conveniences and amenitiesthat the buying public would demand. The BrandLegacies instilled in the Beetle and Mustang aremore than just names or symbols; they represent alegend or storyline that consumers can follow. Sincethe “shell” or chassis resembles the original, thisvisual perception was enough to prompt a purchase.

DISCARD:In 1984, Integrated Electronics Co. (later known

as Intel) produced DRAM or dynamic randomaccess memory chips by the millions and was theirmain source of income. The onslaught of Japanesecompanies (Fujitsu, Hitachi, NEC, and Toshiba)invaded this market space and proved to be moreefficient (80% - 90% yield rates) compared to Intel’ssuccess rate of 50% to 80%. By the mid eighties,Intel was losing market share due to low prices andthe “dumping of chips” into North America. AndyGrove (Intel’s CEO) made a tough decision– discardthe manufacturing of DRAM chips and focus all oftheir energy and efforts on the development ofmicroprocessors. Following Moore’s Law of dou-bling power and halving costs every eighteenmonths, Intel transformed itself from a marginallyprofitable commodity memory chip maker into thestandard (1989) processor that drove all the worlds’computers. The 1990 “Intel Inside” campaign inaffect solidified their new core brand position.




REINVENT:What comes to mind when you think of baking

soda? Would you agree that most consumers wouldrespond with Arm & Hammer?

In 1846, Dr. Austin Church and John Dwight setout to sell sodium bicarbonate in little boxes. By1867, Austin Church retired and his two sons formChurch & Co. and introduce the hammer-wieldingarm of Vulcan (god of fire) to their packages.

Through the years, this simple product foundnew applications including: cooking, personal care,household agent, deodorizer, laundry detergent,dental care, and a variety of other uses. Their web-site states their value proposition very succinctly:

ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda – pure, versatile,effective, environmentally safe and economical.Evidence that good solutions for your home, yourfamily and your body are timeless.

As with A & H, it doesn’t mean that you abandonyour core, you merely find new ways to leverageyour Brand Legacy.

YOUR NEXT MOVE:We’ve defined your Brand Legacy and filtered

out the core idea. Next, we evaluated what yourcore brand represents and identified the affiliateand periphery brands that surround your marketspace. Finally, we charted a course for your brand(embrace, discard, re-invent). The next step is tointegrate this brand strategy into your future mar-keting plans.

A word of caution - great care must be consid-ered when you take your next step. For AndyGrove, it was huge: he laid-off 3,000 workers,sought government protectionism against for-eign competition, and walked away from hisbase business. His calculated moves were madeto save Intel.

When Michael Eisner was considering the CEOposition at Walt Disney in 1984, the company wasstumbling along and vultures loomed overhead.Eisner embraced the Disney legacy and put intoplay the many assets the organization had lockedaway in a vault. He, in affect, generated cash byraising theme park fees, released to video the clas-sics, purchased ABC, and invested heavily into newfilms and entertainment venues. By embracing the“Mouse,” Eisner generated $65 billion in marketwealth to this organization.

Another bold business leader laid-off nearly100,000 workers in 1981 and radically restruc-tured the composition of the company he washired to reinvent – Jack Welch. His mantra was tobe first or second in the marketplace or get out!Although his approach seemed unconventional,he did convert GE into one of the most valued cor-porations in the world.

Your next move may not be as earth shatteringas Welch, Grove, or Eisner, but in your organiza-tion, it may be the next plausible direction yourcompany will take. After careful analysis, you maydiscern that your organization is not growing,hardly profitable, or just stagnant in your desig-nated market space. As Chris Zook stated in hisbook Profit from the Core, he suggests that nar-rowing your focus and strengthening your corevalues will drive top and bottom-line results. Zookgoes on to suggest that only after your have astrong core do you venture out to an adjacent busi-ness as a growth strategy.

CONCLUSION:We began our discussion with this question:

Brand Legacy: What’s your next move? Wedefined a Brand Legacy and suggested thatyour core idea or point of origin can impact yourcurrent perception. Often what customersremember through years of message layeringcreates confusion if the message conflicts withtoday’s meaning. We also explored threeaspects of the core idea by breaking them downinto three constituents: core, affiliate, andperiphery brands. Your position on the brandradar as it pertains to the competition remainsthe key to your future trajectory.

Next, we considered your Brand Legacy andwhat your core idea equates to today. We alsopresented three possible strategies for yourorganization to consider: embrace, discard, orreinvent your brand. Several examples demon-strated how business leaders took bold actions tochange their strategic direction. The challengefor your Brand Legacy in the future remains –what is your next move? •

Bill Nissim consults with organizations on strategicbranding imperatives. His website www.ibranz.comcontains reference materials, links, and helpful articleson the many facets of branding. In addition, Nissimreleased his first book “The Brand Advocate” to pro-vide a tool-kit for the marketing practitioner.


ASI l 95280 W l www.warwickpublishing.com Contact your local Promotional Products Distributor

make a date with success!





AS A DIRECT MARKETING GUY I’ve always consid-ered trade shows as my second least favorite way ofmarketing, the first being the phone. Why should Ipick up the phone and call a dozen people in an hour,when I can send out four thousand letters in thesame amount of time and never have to face anymore rejection than the usual “Not tonight dear, Ihave a headache,” from my wife.

But some of my clients seem to need that facetime, that one-on-one with prospects. These are theclients that seem to live in a world of yesteryear:where there was no Internet, no fax machines.Some of my clients seem to even pre-date colorbrochures, let alone print on demand presses. Theygo back to the days prospective purchasers had noway to view a vendor’s image other than what theywere wearing when they showed up at the

prospect’s doorstep: a suit and tie. Maybe that’s what I hate so much, wearing a

tie. What a useless garnish of clothing unlessyou are going to a hanging, and it’s your own. Soit all comes out now. Anyhow, I still hatetradeshows, old clients, ties, writing, this comput-er I’m typing on, and yes, I’m the guy who shotyour dog in the butt from the just-slightly-open-window-on-the-third-floor with my BB gun afterhe crapped on my lawn and you didn’t clean it up.OK, I’ve come clean. Where is my analyst whenI really need him?

But still, some clients not only like trade shows,they thrive on trade shows as the lifeblood of theirmarketing, ridiculous as it may seem. So here aresome direct marketing tips to make trade showseven more effective.

Pre- and Post-TradeshowMailers

BY JEFFREY DOBKIN ©2006



THE PRE-SHOW MAILER: A letter is fine, so is a post card. Mail two weeks before the

first day of the show, to arrive in your prospects’ hands a weekbefore the show. Mail first class. Don’t use a label, they lookcheap. Always have. And you know that cheap suit youbought a few years ago and said “maybe no one will notice?”They do. It looks cheap, too. Get a new one.

About your pre-show mailer - don’t worry, they’ll read it. Ata week before the show, attendees are committed to going - andit’s probably costing their firm a few thousand dollars to getthem there and put up with them, er… put them up. So, at thispoint they’ll read anything that’s show related. It won’t be untilthe third day of walking the show floor that they’ll be sick of theshow, the products - yes even yours, the rubber chicken lunch-es or the $9 dollar hot dogs they find at the convention center,and they’ll be truly disinterested in any mail you send them.

Mail to a list of attendees, less exhibitors. If unavailable,mail to attendees and exhibitors. Still no dice? Mail to lastyear’s attendees. Still no luck attaining the list? You’re notreally going to a trade show, are you? You just told your bossthat didn’t you? Quit going to those cheap x rated shows dur-ing working hours… you can get that stuff online. Call me forthe best URLs.

MORE… Get your mailer opened by using the best teaser copy for any

envelope or mailer: “Gift Certificate Enclosed.” Gift certificatesmake for ideal letter-opening teaser copy, plus they’re inexpen-sive to print and light to ship. Redemption value can be revealedinside the package, or at the show booth. This is a great line to

“Mail two weeks before

the first day of the show,

to arrive in yourprospects’

hands a week before

the show.”


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get any of your mail opened, and it’s copyrighted byme, Jeff Dobkin: send me ten bucks every time youuse it or I’ll sue.

The objective of your letter or post card shouldbe to drive people to your booth the first day or two- or… or… remember paragraph 6 about the thirdday? Make a nice offer - give something away.Don’t make the same mistake I did - I tried to giveaway my wife. Not only didn’t people come to mybooth, I kept the entire isle clear. Eventually on theway home I got a bottle of wine for her. It was apretty good trade.

At one show a client of mine gave away CrossPens, and it was a pretty successful promotion forboth of us. The Cross Pens drove even the mostelusive upscale prospects to his booth - so it wassuccessful for him. I charged him three grand forthe campaign, so it was successful for me. We wereboth happy.

To give the pen out I wrote in the Johnson box ofour pre-show letter (upper right corner of the sheet,above the salutation) “If your award number: JD-122446” (printed on its own line in a rubber-stamp-looking font,) “matches the winning number: ‘JD-122446’ then Congratulations! You have won abeautiful new CROSS PEN! Please bring this letterwith you to our booth and pick up your new CrossPen during show hours!” No one knew that every-one won, not even our exhibit staff.

Unfortunately we ran out of a thousand dollarsworth of Cross pens the first hour. So, we boughtthe entire stock of Cross Pens at the local officesupply stores - and gave them out during the sec-ond hour… Then we finally gave up on theinstant gratification we had hoped to providealong with our sales pitch, and gave out rainchecks — and mailed pens a few days later to theother few hundred letter-waving tradeshow boothvisitors clinging to our promotional piece in theirsweaty little hands.

Other pre-show ideas: Mail something bulky toget prospects’ attention. Mail a golf ball to eachattendee - and have them try to shoot 3 holes in 1,and win $100. Send a Frisbee; have them toss itinto a round hole cut into a basketball backboardabout 20 feet away - three times in a row for $1,000.Cut the hole 1” too small. Ha, ha ha. Oops, just kid-

ding. Cut the hole 2” larger in the center to acceptthe Frisbee. It looks easy because of the big roundhole, but the Frisbee will only fit in the exact center.People who miss get to keep a Frisbee. Nowthey’re walking around with your ad.

POST SHOW MAILINGS: Don’t give expensive literature out during the

show: what a waste, it just gets sandwiched in a plas-tic bag between everyone else’s literature - to belooked at sometime between later and never and itusually gets the briefest glance or more likely justwinds up being thrown out. Mail your trade literatureon the last day of the show to the people who stoppedat your booth. This shows attendees you’re on theball, and you’ll be a responsive team to work with.

Personalize the letter you send with your litera-ture because you met the person. Act civil - likeyou had a meaningful relationship with them in the7 minutes or so you took to speak with them at yourbooth. Don’t write to the woman who you met atthe cheap piano bar at the hotel and had a little toomuch to drink with, and took to dinner. She lookeda lot better after a few drinks, didn’t she? So didyou. At the end of the night, don’t give her yourbusiness card: give her someone else’s card - onethat you picked up at one of the trade booths at theshow. For this reason I always get a few cardsfrom my competitors…

“At one show a client of mine gave away Cross Pens, and it was a prettysuccessful promotion for both of us.”



Instead of giving out tons of great and expensive lit-erature at the show, give away some simple flyers.Send your good literature - along with a personal letter— to arrive 2 days after the show closes. It lands on theirdesk without lots of competing literature while the showis still fresh in their minds.

“While I instruct my clients to do this,” says JeffDobkin, author of this article. “In reality - where I virtu-ally think we are - who knows when they send it out, ifthey ever do.” I hope your marketing team is run in amore timely fashion.

The sales team gets the hot leads for immediate fol-low-up, and the soft leads are placed in a prospect or sus-pect database for subsequent mailings. I recommendthat you send several letters to attendees over the periodof a few months. Our post-show mailing pattern is pack-age #1-immediate, #2-two weeks, #3-four weeks, #4-eightweeks. All contain personal letters, usually with, butsometimes without a brochure for a more personal feel.The tone is always personal - if you really do it

right, no one will suspect you are sending the samepersonal letter to the other 2,000 people who stopped atyour booth.

Remember, one overbearingly long follow-up letteris usually tossed out, but the same three or fourpages of material make three or four great one-pageletters. For about two fifty in postage you can send aseries of six letters to a highly qualified prospect.And I recommend it.

Sounds like a good pre- and post-show program.Hey, if this works for you - send me a bottle ofChampagne, will you? And quit walking your dog infront of my house.

Jeffrey Dobkin is a direct marketing copywriter, ahumorous and fun speaker, and an all around goodguy. He can be reached at 610-642-1000, and hiswebsite - where you can read other articles of his -can be found at www.dobkin.com. Call him forother articles, free samples of his work or a freereview of your current campaign.

Jeffrey Dobkin is also the author of two books,Uncommon Marketing Techniques, and How ToMarket A Product For Under $500!, a direct mar-keting how-to manual. Thanks. SatisfactionAlways Guaranteed.



®

DemonstratingIntangibles

BY BARRY SISKIND



IN AN ENVIRONMENT where competition forvisitor’s attention is at its highest and yet theirattention span is at its lowest. Using demon-strations is a great technique to help you gettraffic to your booth.

Allowing attendees to experience your prod-ucts and services with as many of their sensesas possible (sight, sound, touch, taste andsmell) elevates their level of interest and com-mitment. Food show exhibitors allow their visi-tors to sample their products, high technologyexhibitors encourage attendees to try out theequipment and automobile companies let thevisitor sit in their latest model.

What about exhibitors who do not have a prod-uct to experience?

Are they doomed to trade show medioc-rity…absolutely not! The topic of demonstratingis applicable to all exhibitors whether your offer-ing is tangible or not.

Here are a few tips to help you develop ademonstration for your intangible.

DECIDE WHAT YOU ARE SELLINGThere is an old saying that goes “Customers

buy benefits not features” This is true for tangi-ble products and especially true for those sellingservices. The first test is deciding what yourservice has that is of interest to your customer.If you said, “access to a great network of profes-sionals, forty years of experience, on-line 24hour accessibility, customized solutions or gov-ernmental or industrial compliance, you are leftwith the question, “how can I bring these fea-tures to life?” However when you approachyour product and ask what do you really sellfrom your customer’s point of view you will have

important clues to creating a powerful demon-stration. Let’s take this same list and look at itfrom another point of view:

1. FOCUS ON THE BENEFITS The next step is to brainstorm ideas that will

bring these benefits (feel secure, less anxiety,reduced conversion time, and minimize con-cerns) to life and that will get the messagethrough to your audience. Exploring the bene-fits of your intangible will help you develop yourdemonstration. Brainstorming will often revealhidden ideas that can provide spectacularresults. Here are some tips on running a brain-storming session.

a. Invite everyone involved in your program to alate afternoon session. This can include yoursales staff, display people, administration etc.

b. Explain that you are trying to come up withideas to bring your benefits to life. Tell themfor purposes of the exercise there are no limi-tations. All ideas are fair game.

c. Sit back and listen. One of the ways of killinga good brainstorming session is interjectingafter each idea saying something like, “Wehave done that before,” or “Are you kid-ding?”

Feature Benefit

Access to a network of professionals We can save you time

Forty years of experience You can feel secure

On-line 24-hour accessibility You will experience less anxiety

Customized solutions You have reduced conversion time

Governmental or industrial compliance Minimize your concerns



2. EDITAfter everyone has left sift through the ideas and

look for the hidden gems. You will find little bits andpieces that can be strung together to produce a demon-stration that will set you apart from the competition.

3. DEVELOP YOUR DEMONSTRATION.Discuss your idea with your booth builder, technical

staff and sales staff and ask for refinements and feed-back on the feasibility of the idea.

4. KEEP YOUR DEMONSTRATION SHORT. The attendees are suffering from information over-

load and adding more information to their already con-fused state of mind is counterproductive. Stay focusedon the benefit that is most likely applicable to the audi-ence. Remember, “Sell the sizzle, not the steak.”

5. KEEP IT INTERACTIVE.When you are preparing your demonstration find

places for audience involvement by letting them touch akeyboard, flick a switch or answer a question helpsimprove their level of commitment.

6. GIVE THEM A REASON TO STAY.As interesting as your demonstration may be to you,

not everyone will agree. Often you will need to add anincentive to have your audience stay for the wholedemonstration. Have a draw for a prize given after thedemonstration or a special gift to all of those who com-plete and hand in a lead form.

7. LEAVE THEM WANTING MORE.During your demonstration let them know that your

service has many more benefits and that your booth staffis available to discuss these following the demonstration.

Demonstrating an intangible is possible. What isneeded is that creative spark to find new and excitingdemonstrations. •

Barry Siskind is one of Canada’s most sought after speak-ers and North America’s foremost trade and consumer showexpert. He is the President of International Training andManagement, a company specializing in helping peopleimprove their performance on and off the trade show floor.He has traveled throughout the world, providing keynoteaddresses and educational programs to public and privatesector clients. Prior to the launch of Bumblebees Can’t Fly,already translated into 10 languages, Barry has authoredtwo other business bestsellers: The Power of ExhibitMarketing, and Making Contact: the art of business net-working as well as over 500 articles for trade and consumermagazines and newspapers around the world. For moreinformation visit his web site at www.siskindtraining.com.

1. Focused objectivesDon’t fall victim to the common show fallacy that your booth can be

everything to everyone. It all starts with having a focused objective - theone or two results that will justify your show participation.

2. Choose the right showEvery show attracts a different group of attendees. The attendee at

any shows should closely match the profile of your prospective customeras closely as possible. The trick is to choose shows that provide qualityrather than shear quantity.

3. Pre-show promotionThe show promotion that your show manager conducts will bring

qualified prospects to the door. Your promotion will bring them to yourbooth. Don’t ignore this crucial element to your success.

4. Well trained booth staffWorking a show presents a unique set of challenges to booth staff.

Ensure that you have taken the time to acquaint them with the skills theyneed to make this show really pay off.

5. Effective follow-up plansWhen the show is over your real job begins, and it has to happen as

quickly as possible. In order to make sure your leads turn into business,your follow-up plans should be finalized long before the show starts.

6. Reasonable staff scheduleWorking a booth can be gruelling. In order to ensure that your staff

is at their best, regular scheduled breaks are necessary. Every 3-4 hoursis the ideal length of time to spend at a booth before a break is needed.

7. Proper booth signs and graphicsAttendees at our show quickly get overloaded with information. This

confusion in their minds makes it difficult to understand booths thathave signs and graphics that are vague and difficult to understand.

8. Good informative literatureIt seems like everyone wants your brochures. In order to ensure they

are read, have fewer brochures to give out. Take the names of those whoare really interested and mail material to them after the show.

9. Take advantage of the hidden opportunitiesLots of business comes from your booth but there is more to a

show. To take advantage of other networking opportunities check yourshow schedule and plan to participate in as many events as possible.

10. Have fun. Trade shows can be exciting, challenging and fun. If you can

approach your show with this attitude, your positive outlook will rub offon the attendees.

Ten Tips for aSuccessful Show




NO BRILLIANT MARKETING CAMPAIGN would bepossible without a top-notch team of dedicated pro-fessionals. But identifying the best and brightestmarketers can be tough: Industry professionals excelat promoting and packaging things, including theirown talents. The result? You may not always getwhat you bargained for when making a new hire.Most of us have encountered situations in which thecandidate who appeared slick and sophisticated dur-ing the interview failed to meet expectations.

While there’s no way to avoid hiring mistakescompletely, you can reduce the chance of makingthem by asking interview questions that scratchbeneath the surface. Following are several thatmay prove useful:

What is your greatest professional achieve-ment? The response to this question indicates howaccomplished the candidate is and — perhaps moreimportantly — how the professional defines suc-cess. Was it a group or individual accomplishment?Did it involve overcoming an obstacle? Was theachievement pleasing to someone else or did it pro-vide a more personal sense of satisfaction? Wasthere a competitive element?

While the qualities you seek depend on the posi-tion you are filling, candidates whose successdemonstrates a healthy competitive spirit oftenmake the best marketing professionals. Team-ori-ented achievements also are a good sign in collabo-rative work environments. Be wary of the profes-

INTERVIEWINGMarketing Pros?Read Between the Lines BY TRACEY TURNER



sional who doesn’t discuss the resultsof his or her successes. For example, acandidate who notes that his or hergreatest accomplishment was develop-ing an alliance with a major tradeorganization but doesn’t discuss theoutcome of that relationship may not bea strategic thinker.

Whom do you consider to be amentor and why? The answer tothis question reveals the types ofpeople and qualities the candidatemost values. If the person counts allformer managers as mentors, forinstance, he or she likely respectsauthority and has a goal of acquiringsome over time. Someone whosementors tend to be professors orinstructors may strongly valuelearning and prefer a more hands-onmanagement style.

How would your closest friendsdescribe you? This question tendsto yield useful clues about a per-son’s personality. When you asksomeone how their managers orcoworkers would describe him orher, you may receive a fairly patresponse that centers on the per-son’s work habits. This questionwidens the field and may yield moreinsight into the applicant’s charac-ter and what he or she truly is likeon a daily basis.

Do you know …? With this ques-tion, you’re purposely trying to askabout something the candidate doesnot know — a person or organization,for example. The goal is to see howthe professional responds. Applicantswho are upfront and confess igno-rance are confident enough in theirskills to admit they don’t know every-thing. Watch out for the professionalwho pretends to know something heor she does not.

When conducting job inter-views, remember to ask each can-didate roughly the same numberand types of questions. This givesyou a more objective standard onwhich to base your conclusions.Take notes on the responses youreceive and compare them to what

you learn from the applicant’s refer-ences. Finally, keep in mind that thesavviest candidate isn’t necessarilythe best hire — he or she may simplyhave the most interviewing experi-ence. Seek substance over style andyou’re likely to end up with a mar-

keter who has passion and potential.Tracey Turner is executive director of The

Creative Group, a specialized staffing serv-ice placing creative, advertising, marketingand web professionals with a variety offirms on a project basis. For more informa-tion, visit www.creativegroup.com. •



WE RECENTLY ATTENDED the InternationalBuilding Show. The IBS hosted over110,000 attendees from all parts of theglobe and what a magnificent show it was;3-story high displays at booths with morespace than most houses and amazinglybeautiful. The brochures were slick andplentiful. The products on display werebeautifully arranged.

However, in very few instances was itapparent that the personnel in the boothswere on-purpose. Rather, they were there toanswer questions and say little.

In this day and age, whom can afford tonot do everything one can to capture asmuch attention as possible?

Trade Show exhibiting is an expensiveundertaking. If you’re spending $10,000 or$100,000 to exhibit, what do you need in ROIto justify your expense for being there? Weask this question all the time. Frankly, weoften get a blank stare in return.

One of the most respected Trade Showexperts in the business is my friend, SusanFriedmann, The Tradeshow Coach,www.tradeshowcoach.com. Susan consultsand has written marvelous books about thisvery subject. One of her recent articles isentitled “Coming Un-Done: Five Things YouCan Do To Wreck Your Trade Show Exhibit.”I’ve added ‘It’s ALL Personal’ comments initalics, below.1. Be Unprepared-Effective trade show

exhibiting begins at least one year beforethe actual event. What to wear?Giveaways? Games? Strategy to getTargets to the booth? All of this needs fore-thought and plenty of time to execute.

2. Be Uninformed-Everything you need toknow about the show should be contained

in the manual. Skip reading this and be pre-pared to pay higher prices for just abouteverything. Order your premiums late andyou’ll pay a premium for your premiums.

3. Be Uninspired-Over 90% of attendees arelooking for what’s new and exciting. Evenwithout a new product, your booth is new,your games are new, your giveaways arenew, your uniforms are new, yourbrochures are new, your approach is new.

4. Be Untrained-Give your people the toolsthey need to succeed. You want an enthu-siastic, engaged sales force, familiar withyour marketing objectives and any demon-stration materials. The right promotionaltools can not only entice and entertain, butthey can EDUCATE! Empower your salesforce and drive home the message.

5. Be Unsure-Prior to the show, establishhow leads will be handled. Have yourPackets already prepared and send themout each night via email back to homeoffice. Have your Premium ready to bedelivered with your information in personafter the show is over. Be on top of thingsand get there first.

Want GREAT Trade Show results? Whenyou think about what it takes, it comes downto this: It’s ALL Personal.

Dave Ribble ([email protected]) is President ofThe Company Image, Inc./Geiger, an Award-winning Distributor of Promotional Products,818-906-9894. Browse over 3,000 items atwww.Tradeshowcoach.TCI4Me.com. Look forthe 8-question Survey. Fill it out, send it in andTCI will contact you immediately.

It’s ALL Personal

Dave Ribble

INTERNATIONAL BUILDING SHOW

“The IBS hostedover 110,000

attendees fromall parts of the

globe and whata magnificent

show it was...”




Next month, Hollywood’s best and brightest will be

recognized by winning the coveted Oscar. In the

promotional products industry, it’s the PPAI Pyramid

award that signifies the pinnacle of success because

it recognizes the very best promotional campaigns of

the past year. And last month at The PPAI Expo 2006

in Las Vegas, 17 promotional consultants won this

award for unique, memorable and effective campaigns

that achieved results!

Here are three of the winning campaigns—maybe

you would like to try some of these ideas:

To launch the new fragrance, Britney Spears Curious,

in the New Zealand market, promotional consultants

at High Impact Marketing Limited came up with the

idea of using silicone wristbands. Participating

department stores gave out 40,000 wristbands to

interested customers who were sprayed with the

fragrance by the store cosmetic consultant. The

wristbands were supported with a comprehensive

POS, television, radio and web campaign. As a result,

the sales target of $575,000 was achieved in three

months, not the proposed eight.

To generate interest in Foothill Independent Bank’s

checking account services and sign up new accounts,

a promotional consultant at Shearer & Associates

developed the theme, “Welcome to Free Checking,”

and hit upon the definitive promotional item—welcome

mats displayed throughout the lobby. The scene on

the mat reflected a lively re-interpretation of the

bank’s logo and captured the sunny spirit of

Southern California. The mat was offered as a

giveaway with new checking accounts and positioned

as a limited edition item. The bank, hoping for a

10-percent increase in new accounts, doubled that

goal with this campaign.

A promotional consultant at Australia’s Wompro

Pty. Ltd. produced a campaign for SIDS & Kids

Australia to bring awareness to the prevention

of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Retail sponsors

sold promotional products such as lapel pins,

designer writing instruments, temporary tattoos,

red foam noses, button badges and plush bears

with the proceeds going to the organization. The

results were phenomenal—sales of the products

broke $4 million and online sales of the products

were up by more than 18 percent.

Big Winners Have Big Ideas For Promotional Campaigns

Presented By:

BR0206-WHATWORKS 1/27/06 1:05 AM Page 42


CHALLENGE:Atlanta Gas Light lost its direct contact with customerswhen, because of industry deregulations, it became areseller of natural gas. AGL wanted to promote thevalue of natural gas, create awareness of its brand,drive traffic to the AtlantaGasLight.com website andleverage its stadium presence at Atlanta Bravesbaseball games in Turner Field Braves Stadium. How to do all of this in a June/July timeframe was the challenge.

SOLUTION:AGL Marketing Manager Michelle L. Fallon decided tosponsor four events—Dealer Kick-Off and PartnerRoll-Out parties, “Super Saturday” cookouts andLucky Row at Braves Stadium—to capitalize on theconnection between natural gas and grilling duringsummer cookouts and hot dogs and baseball. Withthe help of promotional consultant Patti Simmons,CAS, of Hartwell, Georgia-based PK Promotions LLC,Fallon tied all these events together by handing outimprinted battery-operated fans and balloons as wellas simple, natural-colored aprons, imprinted with“Get Fired Up,” the AtlantaGasLight.com logo andpartner logos on the pockets.

AGL solved the challenge of its competitor havingexclusive energy category messaging rights at thestadium by partnering with local Publix

Supermarkets that owned that same exclusivity inthe grocery category. “By partnering with Publix, we were able to slip into the stadium with the LuckyRow promotion where we put goodie bags with ourimprinted promotional items underneath the LuckyRow seats,” says Fallon.

RESULT:Awareness of the AtlantaGasLight.com websitepeaked during the promotion to 71 percent (with a 60-percent awareness measured previously). The unique visitors who spent 15 minutes at thewebsite—the main indication of how many peoplewere learning about the lifestyle value of naturalgas—went from 10,000 per month to 30,000 permonth during the promotion.

“The surprise bonus of this promotion,” says Simmons,“is that because of the outstanding attendance atthe Super Saturdays, the purchase of hot dogs and drinks at these events amounted to more than$5,000, which was donated to the charity, JuniorAchievement.”

INDUSTRY: Utilities—Atlanta Gas Light

Find a promotional consultant at www.buildapromotion.com

FACT: So many products, so little time! Yourpromotional consultant can quickly identifyand recommend products that best representyour organization and its message.



CHALLENGE:All kinds of books fill library shelves—fiction, non-fiction and everything in between. Whether you pick up one for simple enjoyment or seriousresearch, something exciting awaits you between the covers. ARIN Intermediate Unit #28, an educationservice agency, wanted to promote the joy of readingand create an awareness of local libraries’ adult reading programs in the Pennsylvania counties ofArmstrong and Indiana. How could it show both chil-dren and adults that reading is an enjoyable pastime?

SOLUTION:Right away, Elizabeth Duncan, adult programs coor-dinator for ARIN, knew she needed an energetic program to capture the interest of children. So sheteamed up with promotional consultant Wendi Riceof Indiana, Pennsylvania-based Red Oak Advertisingto create an appealing reading awareness campaign.

Summertime was the perfect season to kick thingsoff—and they knew exactly where to find children

and parents. A bookmobile traveled to several summerhot spots, including area pools, YMCAs and commu-nity centers. Children selecting a book received acanvas tote bag, bookmark, picture-frame magnetand wipe-off board, while parents received literaturepromoting family literacy programs.

And when they visited their local libraries, childrenwere given zip-lock wallets to hold their free librarycards. Rice had a reason behind the chosen promo-tional products. “They were selected for their visualappeal to children and functionality for adults,” shesays. “They’re highly visible in the home and meantto be constant reminders of the educational programsin which families can participate and for which theycan volunteer.”

RESULT:A 30-percent increase in adult student enrollmentfor academic programs was reached in the first twoweeks of the two-month-long campaign. Enrollment

for various library programs also showed adramatic increase.

“Adult education has become a vital partof our teaching systems and our econo-my,” Duncan says. “Promotional materialsare the invaluable tools we have beenlooking for to reach those who most

desperately need our help.”

FACT: Promotional products have long-lastingreach and recall, so the cost-per-impression isoften lower than other advertising media.

INDUSTRY: Education—ARIN Intermediate Unit #28



CHALLENGE:Because the cost of a single lost-time injury caneasily run more than $26,000, Spartanburg SteelProducts wanted to develop a program to raisesafety awareness among its 500 production andoffice employees, promote a safe work environmentand reduce the number of work-related accidents.The company also wanted to generate and maintaininterest in the program andreward employees for safe per-formance.

SOLUTON:For this year-long safety program,a movie theme was selectedwith the grand prize being atrip to Universal Studios inFlorida. “To let the employeesknow something exciting was aboutto begin,” says promotional consult-ant Cindy Bartlett of RoebuckAdvertising in Roebuck, South Carolina, “we hung teaser posters. One was a movie ticketwith ‘Admit One—Ticket To Safety.’ Others read,‘Auditions Begin Next Month’ and ‘Safety Now, This IsNo Rehearsal.’”

Each week employees in accident-free departmentsreceived scratch-off game cards, redeemable forprizes in the company store display case in the cafe-teria. These prizes included imprinted caps, t-shirts,umbrellas, desk clocks, flashlight, multi-purposeknives, travel mugs, tote bags, CD cases and lunchcoolers. The scratch-off cards also indicated eligibilityfor the grand prize drawing, movie theater ticketsand gifts from the catalog.

To maintain program interest throughout the year,Spartanburg Steel developed weekly trivia games byposting questions and handing out cards on whichemployees could write the answers and deposit intoan entry box. Drawings were held periodically duringthe program to award movie-related prizes—TV, DVDplayer and camcorder.

RESULT:Spartanburg’s Safety Manager Rick O’Hara reports,“As a result of this program, the accident incidentrate is 33 percent lower than last year. The timewithout lost-time injury—188 days—set a newrecord for our 40 years in business.”

FACT: Buyers interviewed about the importance of purchasing brand-name products said the degree of importancevaries with the target audience and thenature of the promotion or event. But, ingeneral, branded items get more attention.

INDUSTRY: Manufacturing—Spartanburg Steel Products




CHALLENGE:You sink into the sofa, flip on the TV and soonbecome bored with the few available channels. Ifonly you had cable! And better yet, wouldn’t it becool if you had internet access right on your TV?Click! Network, a cable television and internetprovider, wanted to offer it all to its customers.How could it increase new subscriptions by onepercent while encouraging one percent of currentsubscribers to upgrade to premium channels andinternet service?

SOLUTION:In search of the perfect product for this campaign,Jody Veeder, product and promotions marketingmanager for Click! Network, called on Bill Kaufmann,CAS, promotional consultant for Adventures inAdvertising in Tacoma, Washington. Thinking of ways to appeal to the target audience, they decideda music CD was the answer. Unsure of the genre ofmusic to use, they held a focus group to help themselect the appropriate tunes.

The final product was Cinema Classics 2000, a cus-tom CD featuring soundtracks from numerous classicmovies often available for viewing on premium TVchannels. The CD was personally delivered to newcustomers by Click! technicians when they installedhardware for the new services. For current customerswho were simply upgrading to premium cable orinternet service, CDs were mailed in attractivecustom packages. Included in each CD was a personalmessage from Click!’s CEO to reinforce the buying decision.

In addition to TV spots that ran for a two-week peri-od, Click! spread the word of its CD incentivethrough direct mail to 43,000 non-subscriber house-holds in the Tacoma area. “My client was able toleverage local ‘new millennium’ excitement to bolstera traditionally slow period of movie channel andinternet sales,” Kaufmann says.

RESULT:Click! was very pleased to welcome 481 newcable TV customers to its family, exceedingthe overall goal by 43 percent. Current cus-tomers also responded well to the campaign,with 166 upgrading to premium channels orinternet service. This exceeded Click!’s goal by 78 percent.

“We not only exceeded our response rategoals, but we received many positive com-ments about the campaign from our new andexisting customers,” says Veeder.

INDUSTRY: Printing—Broadcasting—Click! Network

FACT: Trade and professional associa-tions are among the top 10 buyers of

promotional products and, according to theAmerican Society of Association Executives,there are more than 140,000 associations inthe U.S. alone.



CHALLENGE:This manufacturer of surgical headlights andoperating room video documenta-tion equipment wanted to getthe news out to the healthcareindustry and to all associatedwith the sales and marketing ofLuxtec products about its recentacquisition by Prime SourceHealthcare. Luxtec needed to gen-erate excitement and enthusiasmamong the 50 new Prime Sourcesales representatives to increase prod-uct awareness and stimulate greatersales volume. Because operating roomnurses are instrumental in such productpurchasing decisions, informationhad to be presented to 1,500nurses at their annual conventionand tradeshow.

SOLUTION:“We selected ‘There’s A New Sheriff In Town’with western-themed promotional products forthis promotion,” says promotional consultant DonPayne, CAS, Don Payne, Inc. in Indianapolis, Indiana.At the tradeshow, Luxtec exhibitors handed out largesix-point gold-star sheriff badges and western ban-danas to operating room nurses and distributorsales personnel visiting the booth. They also hadthe opportunity to have their photos taken with aJohn Wayne look-alike, who asked them to completea marketing data form. On the final day, the luckywinners of these drawings had a choice of westernboots, western hats and full-grain leather jackets.

At the end of the year, the top five sales leaderswere awarded a luxury weekend trip to Tucson,Arizona, and the opportunity to play in a “Winner-Take-All” poker game with a $5,000 pot.

RESULT:Ron Flora, Luxtec director of sales and marketing,says sales increased 40 percent above the year’s

goal with Prime Source reps’ focus on andincreased attention to Luxtec products. “Mostimportantly,” says Flora, “225 new sales leads weregenerated by 1,200 operating room nurses visitingthe tradeshow booth—virtually doubling thepromotion’s primary goal.”

INDUSTRY: Manufacturing—Luxtec, a Division of Prime Source Healthcare


FACT: A study by Georgia SouthernUniversity proved that including the offerof a product in a pre-show mailing greatlyincreases the likelihood of an attendeestopping by the tradeshow booth.



CHALLENGE:The next time you’re in a fast food restaurant, lookaround. It’s hard work hanging promotional signsand applying window decals. Point-of-sale materialsmust be carefully positioned in premium spots. Fastfood managers are often overwhelmed by the promo-tional materials constantly shipped to them. Howcould Lighthouse Marketing, an advertising agency,encourage Burger King managers to display and confirm the use of POS materials at their drive-thrus?

SOLUTION:Since the materials promoted Frozen Coke, RobChaput, vice president of marketing for LighthouseMarketing, wanted to make it fun. Working with pro-motional consultant Pamela Menne Irle, CAS, ofAdventures in Advertising in Marietta, Georgia,Chaput decided to up the fun factor by including adisposable camera in each kit of POS materials. To

generate curiosity, the camera was custom-printedwith graphics that coordinated with Frozen Coke.

To sweeten the deal, Burger King offered $500 to onelucky manager whose submitted photo was selectedas the best. The catch—the manager must have hisor her picture taken at the drive thru while posingwith the newly displayed POS materials. This was aclever way to encourage participation when managerstypically fail to confirm materials have been displayed properly.

Irle understands the relevance of POS materials.“Research has shown that with materials displayedat drive-thrus, sales of the featured product increaseapproximately 30 percent,” she says. “So it wasimperative that we develop a promotion to encourageinstallation of the new display.”

RESULT:The program generated a 20-percentresponse rate—a phenomenal successfor the promotion and the new product.The traditional response for the displayof such a POS kit without additionalpromotion is only two percent.

“By making this program a photocontest, we could be certain managersdisplayed the point-of-sale materials,”says Chaput. “We were very pleased

with the results.”

INDUSTRY: Advertising—Lighthouse Marketing

FACT: Look around yourdesk. Chances are you’ll

see at least two items from the top-sellingpromotional products categories—writinginstruments, calendars, drinkware, and deskand office accessories. You may even bewearing the top item—logoed apparel!



Everyone indulges in a little harmless voyeurismfrom time to time. Have you ever glanced into aneighbor’s open window or door when taking anevening stroll? Do dark sunglasses hide stolenglances at others lounging around the pool or sunbathing on the beach? Or while waiting in theairport, isn’t it interesting to observe all the peoplecoming and going?

This harmlessly clandestine behavior allows us tosee how others are doing things—and to form abenchmark for ourselves. That was the point of aPPAI study* of some 700 companies—about half ofwhich were manufacturers, professionals, retailersand wholesalers with the rest in various industriessuch as education, financial, healthcare, real estateand travel—with revenues ranging from mom-and-pop dollars (less than $100,000) to upwards of $1billion. All were asked how they buy promotionalproducts. Although many respondents indicated promotional products were a part of some sort ofbudget, particularly striking was the largest groupof respondents—nearly 29 percent—who answeredthey had no designated budget and the productswere purchased as needed.

So, does this mean they purchase promotional productswith the same whimsy as gum, breath mints, lipbalm and a TV Guide at the check stand? Whilepromotional products don’t require the same duediligence as purchasing a new car or home, there is a payoff to giving more thought to the process.

For example, if you fall into the buy-as-neededgroup, how often has your promotional consultanthad to charge a higher price to cover rush production

charges, overtime pay and overnight delivery? Thosedollars could have been put to better use.

Consider the funds in your budget that you alwaysmake available for all those impromptu purchases,and tell your promotional consultant about theevents you have planned for the year and what youwant to accomplish as a whole. By Relying on your promotional consultant’s know-how, you can securelower per-unit prices for higher quantities and havetime to find the best item for your campaign thatwill best offer a return on investment.

Now that’s a pay off for using a promotional consultant.

PROMOTIONAL PROOF

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL3125 Skyway Circle NorthIrving, TX 75038888-I-AM-PPAI (426-7724)www.ppa.org

PPAI—the promotional products industry’s only international not-for-profit trade association—offerseducation, mentoring, public relations, publications,technology, tradeshows and legislative support to its7,000 global member companies.

INDUSTRY RESEARCH: The Power Of Promotional Products


*2005 End-Buyer Study: A Barometer of the Current Conditions in thePromotional Products Industry

© 2006 Promotional Products Association International

How Do You Spend Promotional Dollars?

28%

20%29%

3%

18%

1%

1%It’s Part Of Advertising Budget

Promotional Products Have ABudget Of Their OwnNo Budget, We BuyPromotional Products WhenWe Need Them

No Budget, We Buy Them IfWe Have Money Left AfterEverything Else Is Paid

It’s Part Of The OperatingBudget

I Don’t Know

Other



1. Trade Show Display Light……with the varylyte™ Modular Display System.

A versatile, lightweight, portable, high quality, uniquesystem of panels that assembles and disassembles quickly

and easily with no tools or special skills needed. Bring“what you offer” to life with sophistication, while you

save on expensive shipping costs! Multiple panel optionsallow you to create booths to fit any venue whether

in solid, window, light box, slat wall or shelf panels there is a varylyte™ solution.Schlueter Design &

Exhibit Systems, Incorporated

2. Don’t Lose It… Tag It……with Full-color All-In-One Tags printed on durable

Teslin® material. This excellent trade shows giveaway issold in letter-sized sheets with 3 tags per sheet for easy

distribution. Print one side or both sides. Tags are easy toslide onto bags without any strap and to write-on with

permanent pen or marker for personalization. Halls & Company

3. Record It Now, Write It Later……with the innovative Post-it® Auto Message Center.Store digital voice recordings to capture information

when you can’t write it down. Dispense Post-it® Pop-upSuper Sticky Notes when you can write it down. Clips tovisor and makes an excellent trade show winner’s prize.

3M Promotional Products

3

1

ThingsWeLove

2



20064. Want To See Your Logo……on the arm of every trade show attendee? Then a quality bag like this Cabana Series BeachTote could be the answer. Available in 7 differentstripe colors, it has a large capacity at 21 x 15 x5, rope handles, an interior mesh zippered pocket,and toggle button closure. Landes USA

5. Because One Gift Does Not Fit All……sometimes a Giftybox® is just right. Whether asa prize to draw attendees to your booth or as anincentive or appreciation gift, the recipient canchoose a unique experience so every gift ismemorable! All Giftybox offers & themes arecustomizable to meet the needs of your business so put your brand on a Giftybox and win.Giftybox

6. Give Special Attendees……a shirt that they will wear long after the show isover. Put your logo on a high quality pique poloand you know it will show up in the nicest mostinfluential places.Greg Norman Collection

5

6

4



7. Naked Display Tables Don’t Attract Positive Attention…

…so make sure yours is wearing a classy cloth.Available in many upscale colors, these stain

resistant cloths are washable and will look goodshow after show.

Display Solutions

8. Huge Results. Small Package.…available in 17 amazing flavors and colors,these delicious premiums are sure to add fun,

excitement, and pizzazz to any event or show!A perfect tradeshow give-away that is

guaranteed to get your marketing message read.Match corporate colors to these innovative and

delicious cookies. Take them to the next level byadding optional custom packaging or delicious

chocolate dipping. Try one and you are likely torecall the slogan of a famous potato chip maker--

"Betcha can't eat just one!"Fancy Fortune Cookies

9. Serve Cold Drinks Quickly…… rapidly chill beer/soda/juice/water etc. in

cans to refrigerator cold (43°F) in 1 minute andbottles in 3.5 minutes. Or chill wine from room

temperature (77°F) to refrigerator cold in 6minutes. This technologically amazing machine

lets you chill beverages anywhere from the tradeshow to the tailgate and makes the perfect gift for

the person with ‘everything’.Cooper Cooler™

9

8

ThingsWeLove

7




10. Hang Around for the Next Trade Show……when you provide this trade show badge clip your

logo is going to get noticed. These quality badgeclips, with a cord that extends and retracts for easy

scanning, may even go on the road to show aftershow because everyone has to wear a badge and not

all clips are created equal.Key Bak®

11. Why Give An Ordinary Pen……when you can give a pen that is sure to make it home

from the show and onto the executive desk. Top clientsand prospects will appreciate these high quality pens

and long after the show is over and may even use themto sign their next order for your products.

AT Cross®

12. They’re coolers/lunchpacks/gymbags……and they are sure to attract attention wherever they

are carried. They are available in two sizes, small(holds 6 cans and ice) and the new large tailgater

(holds 24 cans and ice). The only hard part is choosingbetween Footballs, Baseballs, Basketballs, Soccer balls,

Tennis Balls, Hockey Pucks and Racing Tires. So getyour clients ready for summer.

GTM Products

11

ThingsWeLove

12

10

8



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3M ® 3

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THINGS WE LOVE Section

Supplier Page No. Product No.

Schlueter Design &

Exhibit Systems, Inc. 50 1

Halls & Company 50 2

3M ® PromotionalProducts 50 3

Landes USA 51 4

Giftybox 51 5

Greg Norman Collection 51 6

Display Solutions 52 7

Fancy Fortune Cookies 52 8

Cooper Cooler ™ 52 9

Key Bak ® 54 10

At Cross ® 54 11

GTM Products 54 12

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brilliant results



ANY PARENT CAN TELL YOU how much work it is to gettheir child dressed in the morning. From what time theywant to get up to what they want to wear, little squabblesbetween parents and children take place every day. KimMadden, Owner of Sassy Tails, knows just the feeling. Thebiggest topic she and her six-year old daughter squabbleover – hair bows. That is, until Kim and her daughter collab-orated on a solution.

That solution turned into a brand new hair accessorythat’s sweeping the market, Sassy Tails. These clever hairaccessories, dubbed the hip and stylish alternative to hairbows, consist of an elastic rubber band and colorful ribbons,jewels and other fun accents.

CHALLENGEKim didn’t realize the great business idea that she had

until she began to receive several inquiries from moms at herdaughter’s dance classes. People were even stopping her onvacation in Mexico asking her where she found the hairaccessory. That’s when Kim turned to Steve Spence whoowns Proforma Rhino Graphics, a printing and promotionalproducts distributorship in Greenville, S.C. Together, they’vebuilt an amazing brand.

SOLUTIONSKim’s initial needs included a logo, hang tags and some

sell sheets just a week before her first tradeshow. “I wasinvited to participate in a tradeshow with very short notice,”says Kim. “I turned to Steve because I worked with him inthe past. Steve always provides the highest quality productsand exceptional customer service despite tight deadlines. Iknew I could trust him.”

Steve certainly delivered on his promise. He and his teamwere able to put together the sell sheets, hang tags and dis-plays Kim needed for the tradeshow. Afterwards, they satdown with Kim to establish the Sassy Tails brand; they’vebeen the driving force behind the promotion of Sassy Tailsever since.

Because of the product’s simplicity, Steve and Kim knewthat branding was the most important element. They spenta great deal of time thinking things through to make sure thedesign and message was right. “When Kim came to me withthe Sassy Tails product, I knew it was going to be a hugesuccess,” says Steve. “The challenge for us was learningabout the market and finding ways to differentiate Kim’sproduct from the rest.”

Just how did they brand the product? After researchingthe market, Steve was able to provide Kim with informationon the demographics where Sassy Tails would be successful.They also worked on the packaging, distribution, sell sheets,press kits and sample kits needed to get the product off theground. Steve has also helped Kim merchandise the productin stores as well as online sales. “We’ve learned a lot alongthe way,” says Steve. “Proforma Rhino Graphics is proud tobe a part of Sassy Tails. We look forward to working withKim to take her business to the next level.”

RESULTSSassy Tails have become so successful that Kim has left

her high-profile job to devote her attention to the business.She and Steve work together weekly to develop the promo-tions and printed pieces needed to grow the business.Currently, Sassy Tails are sold in 130 specialty boutiques;they are also talking to national chains. •

Ponytail Holders, Profitable Business and ProformaRhino Graphics – A Sassy Combination

An IndustrySUCCESS STORY



PMA’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2006BRANDING 360° - ACTIVATING INNOVATION

Learn the new rules of engage-ment and stay competitive! JoinMcDonald’s, GE, Coca-Cola, BestBuy, Campbell Soup, SouthwestAirlines, Unilever, Yahoo!, AOL, IBM,Citigroup, T-Mobile and others asthey share crucial insights on thehottest topics affecting our industry. • Leverage interactive media • Strategies others have tried and succeed with • Research & ROI – Are we measuring the right things? • Building your creative muscle in a hands-on ideation workshop • Selling your innovative ideas up the ladder • Managing the creative tension between legal and marketing To Register go to http://www.pmalink.org/conferences/annual2006/ or call PMA 212 420 1100.

INDUSTRY NEWS FLASHES ~

DOUG ALBRECHT, President and Chief ExecutiveOfficer of the Centric Group promoted Laurie Gilnerto President, Travel Gear Division, TRG Group.Laurie will be responsible for domestic, corporate,and international travel gear businesses under theVictorinox and OEM divisions as well as any newtravel gear opportunities.

SONOMA, CALIFORNIA-BASED supplier SonomaPins (UPIC: SONOMA) has acquired Denver,Colorado-based Clink Communications Inc., manu-facturer of Tag It All ID bracelets. Sonoma Pins willnow offer Tag It All bracelets to its customers as analternative in the Emergency ID, Medical Alert andpromotions bracelet market.

HITTING THE JACKPOT IN LAS VEGAS is not acommon occurrence; consistently winning is evenmore rare. But last week, Promotional ProductsAssociation International (PPAI) continued a win-ning streak as The PPAI Expo 2006 drew a record-breaking 13,700 distributor attendees to the annualtrade show at the Mandalay Bay Convention Centerin Las Vegas. This reflected a 2.5 percent increaseover last year’s distributor attendance. In addition,distributor companies in attendance were up 7.5

percent over the 2005 record. Exhibitor participationwas also on the rise with a total of 1,603 suppliercompanies exhibiting at 3,788 booths, up 6 percent.Participation in paid seminars was up more than 150percent. In 2004, The PPAI Expo was named 48th ofthe top 50 largest shows in the U.S. by TradeshowWeek magazine.

WHAT WAS HOT FOR THE HOLIDAYS? HindaIncentives Merchandising Director Mike Horn, sayseverything iPod and anything related to MP3 playersin general were hot for the holidays. “We sold out ofthe iPod Shuffle, the Mini and the Nano. TheSoundDock from Bose and other products related toMP3 players from iHome did extremely well. The BoseQuiet Comfort headphones and their Wave radio alsoredeemed well.” Plasma TVs, DVD players and digitalcameras from Canon, Nikon and Sony did well, as didhouse wares like the Cuisinart Mini Food Processorand Baker’s Secret cookware, he adds. One of thenewest and most exciting items was the Palm Z22organizer. It’s an easy-to- use, lightweight handheldwith a bright color screen and plenty of memory. “It’sa great new item for anyone who wants to get organ-ized— college students to soccer moms. It keepsappointments, phone numbers, to-do lists, and pho-tos,” says Horn. •




March 5 – 7 The 2006 Retail Conference & EXPO: Marketing Magazines & BooksOmni Orlando Resort at Champions Gate, Orlando, FLInformation at: www.magazine.org/retailconference or Call: 212.872.3746

March 5 – 9 ASD/AMD Trade Show – Las Vegas - SpringSands Expo & Convention Center, Las Vegas, NVInformation at: www.merchandisegroup.com/ or Call: 800.421.4511

March 5 – 9 Exhibitor Show 2006Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, NVInformation at: www.exhibitoronline.com/exhibitorshow/2006/index.asp orCall: 888.235.6155

March 6 – 9 VoiceCon Spring 2006Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center, Kissimmee St. Cloud, FLInformation at: www.voicecon.com/spring/ or Call: 800.227.1234

March 7 – 9 The Travel Goods ShowLas Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NVInformation at: www.thetravelgoodsshow.org or Call: 609.720.1200

March 8 – 9 PMA’s Annual Conference & 2006 Reggie AwardsHyatt Regency Hotel, Chicago, ILInformation at: www.pmalink.org or Call: 212.420.1100

March 17 – 19 ISS Imprinted Sportswear Show Atlantic CityAtlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, NJInformation at: www.issshows.com or Call 562.436.3636

March 17 – 21 AphA 2006 Annual Meeting & ExpositionMoscone West Convention Center, San Francisco, CAInformation at: www.aphameeting.org or Call 202.429.7593

March 21 – 23 INTERPHEX 2006 – International Pharmaceutical Industry CongressJacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, NYInformation at: www.interphex.com or Call 888.334.8704

March 22 – 23 Medtrade Spring 2006Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NVInformation at: www.medtradespring.com or Call 800.241.9034

March 22 – 24 The ASI Show – Las Vegas – Advertising Specialty InstituteVenetian Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NVInformation at: www.asi.com or Call 800-546-3300

March 28 – 29 Chicago DM Days & ExpoNavy Pier – Festival Hall, Chicago, ILInformation at: www.cadm.org or Call 312.849.2236

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April 3 – 5 Los Angeles Majors Market Fall ‘06California Mart Exhibit Center, Los Angeles, CAInformation at: www.californiamarketcenter.com or Call: 213.630.3600

April 9 – 10 Premiere Birmingham 2006Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex, Birmingham, ALInformation at: www.premiereshows.com or Call: 800.335.7469

April 9 – 12 HRMStrategies 2006: IHRIM Conference and ExpoWashington DC Hilton And Towers, Washington, DCInformation at: http://www.ihrim.org/events/2006spring/index.asp or Call:866.236.6879 x 203

April 12 – 15 National Business Educations Association – NBEA 2006New Orleans Marriott Conference Center, New Orleans, LAInformation at: www.nbea.org or Call: 703.860.8300

April 22 – 27 NAB2006 – National Association of BroadcastersLas Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NVInformation at: www.nab.org/conventions or Call: 202.429.5300

April 25 – 26 Printsource New YorkHotel Pennsylvania, New York, NYInformation at: www.printsourcenewyork.com or Call: 212.352.1005

April 26 – 28 Human Resources Outsourcing (HRO) World – New YorkNew York Hilton and Towers, New York, NYInformation at: www.hroworld.com or Call: 203.878.2577

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* To have your show listed in our Calendar please send your information to Brilliant Results magazine. *

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TheLast Word

The International Association forExhibition Management (IAEM) is atrade association established to pro-mote growth and expansion of theworldwide exhibition industry. Thisincludes professionals who organize,conduct and support trade shows,exhibitions, meetings and events atprivate and public venues. IAEMaccomplishes its mission to promotethe unique value of exhibitions andevents and serve as a principalresource for those who plan, produce,and service the industry by serving itsmembers, partner vendors and serviceorganizations that have business interests in theexhibition industry throughout some 46 countries.

Organized in 1928 as the National Association of Exposition Managers to represent the interests of tradeshow and exposition managers, theInternational Association for Exhibition Managementis today the leading association for the global exhibi-tion industry. Since it first organized, IAEM has pro-moted the concurrent values of education and net-working. As it enters its 77th year IAEM continues tosuccessfully adapt itself to the changing environ-ment of the exhibition industry at the beginning ofthe 21st century. IAEM uses many channels to com-municate with the industry and its members, includ-ing the monthly digital magazine E2: Exhibitions &

Events. It has also become very active inthe state and federal affairs arena of theU.S. and is pro-active in internationalaffairs relating to trade show and exhibi-tion issues.

Steven Hacker began his associa-tion management career in 1970 andhas served on dozens of boards ofdirectors as key staff, chief staffexecutive, consultant, and advisor.Earning his “Certified AssociationExecutive “ (CAE) designation in1976, he has also been recognized asa “Fellow” of the American Societyof Association Executives, one of

only 78 individuals in the nation to be recog-nized in this way at that time.

As President of the International Associationfor Exhibition Management (IAEM), Mr. Hackerhas succeeded in building membership and mak-ing IAEM the center of a growing network ofnational and international organizations in theexhibition industry. He has been named “One ofthe 25 Most Influential People in the Meetingsand Conventions Industry” for six consecutiveyears beginning in 1996.

For this trade show focused issue of BrilliantResults it seemed only fitting that we should giveSteven Hacker CAE, President of the IAEM, theLast Word.

Steven HackerPresident of the InternationalAssociation for ExhibitionManagement (IAEM)



TheLast Word

BR: How long have you been involved in the tradeshow/exhibition business?

SH: I participated in managing my first exhibitionin 1972 when I represented an association of prop-erty and casualty insurance agents.

BR: How did you become involved with the IAEM?SH: In 1991 I was invited to apply for the position

as IAEM’s CEO (then NAEM, the NationalAssociation of Exhibition Managers). I began withIAEM on January 2, 1992.

BR: Of the various services provided by the IAEMwhich do you believe is the most important to your members?

SH: IAEM was organized in 1928 and eversince we have regularly asked members thisquestion. The answers are almost always thesame. Members join and remain members fortwo principal reasons, education and network-

ing. Education, we know means the sharing ofinformation on a peer-to-peer basis but it alsomeans formal education programming that wedeliver to members. The networking part ofIAEM’s experience is vitally important because itremains one of the most reliable and valuablesources of communication. Knowing how trendsare actually affecting exhibitions has never beenmore important. Our members have come to relyupon each other as important sources of thiskind of business intelligence gathering.

BR: In your opinion, what critical success factorsare necessary for an exhibitor to have a successfultrade show/exhibition experience?

SH: Exhibitors must first make certain that theyare selecting the exhibitions that deliver the audi-ence with whom they wish to communicate. This isone reason why the independent auditing of exhibi-tions is taking on much more importance. Exhibitors



want to be able to rely upon a uniform and consistentreporting system that will tell them exactly whatkinds of buyers are attending different events.

Once the correct event selections have been made,it is equally important for exhibitors to properly plantheir event objectives. It is still all-too-common thatan exhibitor will arrive on site and have little or noreal grasp of what it is that they hope to achieve fromthe event. Smart exhibitors know that they need topromote their participation in an event to their targetaudience before, during, and after the event; thatthey have to have a message that is relevant andpowerful; that they allocate sufficient resources, suchas booth staff, to properly support their participationin the event. Exhibition marketing success is definite-ly not coincidental. It is the result of planning, plan-ning, planning.

BR: What are the biggest mistakes an exhibitorshould avoid?

SH: Sending the “junior varsity” team into anexhibition. In too many cases the staff that goesto an exhibition are the newest hires, the mostinexperienced, and the least prepared rookies. Ofcourse, exhibitions should be part of an employ-ers training program for its sales and marketingforce but it is vitally important that the team yousend to a show be highly experienced and effec-tive. If not you are just wasting time and money.

BR: What is your opinion regarding the mostimportant aspects in designing a successful tradeshow exhibit?

SH: An exhibit should be purpose designed forthe objectives you want to achieve and its size mustbe determined as the result of planning. How manypeople do you want to interact with concurrently?The answer will determine what size exhibit andhow many support staff you will need to bring tothe event. The design of the exhibit, especially thegraphics must reflect the message you want to con-vey.

BR: I understand that IAEM is introducing the useof RFID technology in tracking exhibition atten-dance. Do you think this will become a common prac-tice at exhibitions?

SH: There is no question but that RFID willenhance the exhibition experience. There will ofcourse be a period of adaptation, experimentation,and buy-in, but the potential the technology offersis far too effective for its use not to become virtual-ly universal. We are just on the frontier of this excit-ing new technology but we know it gives showmanagement the chance to measure the ebb andflow of traffic; we know that exhibitors can marshalthe technology to enhance their communicationsand marketing; we know that RFID offers a spec-trum of innovation that has heretofore beenunavailable.

BR: What do you think is the most successful mar-keting tactic to increase the number of attendees (orexhibitors) at an exhibition?

SH: Pre-show promotion is the most effectiveaspect. Even if you don’t get everyone to attend,you are certain to be reaching your target audi-ence with a series of pre-show messages. Somewill respond to the message even if they ultimate-ly don’t attend the event. Those who do attendthe event will be much more likely to visit yourbooth. Failure to engage pre-show promotion rel-

TheLast Word

“In too many cases the staffthat goes to an exhibition are

the newest hires, the mostinexperienced, and the least

prepared rookies.”



egates you to just on of several hundred or sever-al thousand exhibits competing for very limitedtime and attention.

BR: Do you think that educational opportunitiesshould constitute a major part of any organized exhi-bition?

SH: This depends upon the nature of the eventand the audience. Almost all events today willinclude an education or learning component. Howrobust that component is will depend upon theneeds and desires of the audience. Scientific andtechnical audiences will generally want more programming, for example. This is where a closecollaboration between show organizer andexhibitors can be vital. Often, the expertise thatresides among exhibitors, as well as their experi-ence in dealing with buyers in an industry, can be oftremendous value to the shaping of an appropriateprogram to support the exhibition. The key term is“support” —- too many state and regional associa-tions still don’t understand that an association’seducation program should not conflict with theexhibition but must support it.

BR: What was you best trade show experience . . .your worst?

SH: One that comes to mind as a ‘best’ was anevent that services the cruise industry. The combi-nation of program content, exhibition layout,exhibitor participation, and relevant networkingevents combined to create an electric atmospherefor everyone.

The flip side is exhibitions in which there does-n’t seem to be any consistency or theme or pur-pose. If not properly planned and managed anexhibition floor can quickly dissolve into what

looks like just a big flea market or bazaar. Creatingthe environment that is most conducive to commu-nication between buyers and sellers is vital andnot easily achieved.

BR: What is the best trade show/exhibition youhave ever attended, and why?

SH: I would not dare say which of the more than10,000 events that IAEM members conduct eachyear are the best. Of course I have my own opinionsbut this question is not much different than asking,“which of your relatives do you like the best”?

BR: How do you use promotional products toincrease awareness of IAEM exhibitions?

SH: We believe in promotional products, in fact,we offer IAEM members a wonderful program ofpromotional products through our partners at4imprint.com. If used wisely promotional productsallow us to build excitement and help us cementour members (customers) awareness of us in acrowded marketplace.

BR: What is your favorite promotional product?SH: Years ago I was able to recruit several hun-

dred members at another association by mailing aplastic 14” long fish. Inside the fish was our themedmembership recruitment promotion and member-ship application. If I recall correctly, the openingline was, “There’s nothing fishy about this offer”.

BR: Do you remember the last promotional prod-uct you received and the name of the organizationyou received it from?

SH: Of course! It was an elegant coffee mugdesigned to fit into the cup holder of my car and itwas sent to me by 4imprint.com •

TheLast Word

“We believe in promotional products, in fact, we offer IAEM members awonderful program of promotional products through our partners at4imprint.com.”



%

96.5 ~ Percentage of Internet users who selectGoogle as their search engine of choice

90 ~ Percentage of business users & IT profession-als who use the Internet to research productsand services

80 ~ Percentage of anything that is trivial comparedto 20% that is vital

65.3 ~ Percentage of 35 – 44 year old Americanswith Internet access at home

61 ~ Percentage of U.S. adults who do not know allthe words to the national anthem: “The Star-Spangled Banner”

51 ~ Percentage of NFL tailgate partiers who claimneither rain, sleet or snow would stop themfrom tailgating

39 ~ Percentage of Americans who admit searchingthe Internet for their name

36 ~ Percentage of Americans who love their car

20 ~ Number of federal agencies trying to install asecurity system designed to protect onlinetransactions

QuoteA brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation

by trying to do hard things well. Jeff Bezos, CEO and cofounder of Amazon.com (1964 - )

Off The Cuff

Trivia By The Numbers

1. (KnowledgeStorm survey), 2. (KnowledgeStorm survey for CMO Council) 3. (U.S. Census Bureau), 4. (Harris Interactive

survey for The National Association for Music Foundation), 5. (Weber-Stephen Products Co. survey)

6. (MSN sponsored survey), 7. (Mercedes-Benz USA survey) 8. (GAO, 2004), 9. (TNS Media Intelligence data)


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