CTSM Candidate Portfolio-20131006 - Exhibitor Online · corporate credit unions became fierce. Float no longer existed. Within 5 years we had grown to 16 major shows and over 100

Chris Bruce Tradeshow Manager

CTSM Candidate Portfolio October 7, 2013

AMX |Chris Bruce, CTSM Candidate 1

Table of Contents

1. Vital Statistics 2 Candidate Profile 2 Company Profile 5

2. Overview 8

3. Measurable Show Objectives 11

4. Management of Exhibit Design/Production 17

5. Management of Integrated Marketing Communications 22

6. Management of Results Reporting 27

7. Conclusion 30

8. References 32


1. Vital Statistics Personal Profile

In 1994 I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s degree in Management. After graduation I started a job as a route salesman for a local beer and wine distributor. I quickly realized I had a strong skill at tracking numbers and putting together sales presentations that did the selling for me. I was analytical and organized! Over time I learned that I enjoyed the marketing activities of the business more than sales. So I focused my resume and went to work on the marketing activities. I spent some time building websites, creating marketing material and planning customer events with a variety of small companies for a couple of years until I landed my first full‐time marketing position in a Corporate Credit Union. Corporate credit unions are considered the big brothers of credit

unions. Ours was a large corporate credit union that provided financial services for credit unions, which rebranded those products and provided them to their members. We offered services ranging from cash and currency necessary for tellers to hand to members, all the way up to financial advice and investment options for their assets. My supervisor was a great mentor who made sure I set and pursued goals. He recognized areas where I had passion and encouraged me and assigned tasks at which I would succeed. After impressing him with the planning activities I performed during our annual customer event, I was almost immediately tasked with trade show planning for our small three person department. At that point our trade show program consisted of 5 regional shows with a 10’x10’ booth. We did not measure success because “we are there should our member customers want to see us and talk to us”. Our products were well known and usage depended largely on our customers’ asset and member counts. The terrorist attack on September 11th set in motion a major change in the financial industry—the way banks and credit unions processed checks. Prior to that point, all financial transactions were handled by physically delivering paper documents (checks) from one financial institution to another. Float was created as a result of the time between when you wrote a check until it got back to your financial institution. However, when all air traffic was grounded, financial transactions came to a stand‐still. Almost immediately Congress set in motion steps to allow electronic transfer of those documents. As a result of that change, corporate credit unions were no longer bound by region with limited


competition. They became national in nature and competition between the larger corporate credit unions became fierce. Float no longer existed. Within 5 years we had grown to 16 major shows and over 100 smaller events and customer meetings per year. Business was booming! Managing shows was a real challenge in organization—but I was able to grow with the increase. It came naturally to me. I was able to build tracking documents and budget forms on previous years’ experience. Measurement still hadn’t taken root because business was growing so fast, success was guaranteed. My statistic search was largely based on trying to anticipate the little questions my supervisor and Executive Board might have. But it was research I enjoyed doing. It was during this time that I discovered the Exhibitor show in Las Vegas. I wasn’t traveling to the company events, however, so spending money to attend the Exhibitor event never fell into the budget, much to my disappointment. After 8 years with the company, the mortgage crisis hit. We were viewed as one of the greedy financial institutions that helped create the problem, so our marketing strategy changed almost overnight. To reduce our company’s visibility, the decision was made to terminate all tradeshows and customer events and I was let go. It was a devastating blow. I was let go not because of my skills and what I brought to the team, but because I was responsible for a large tradeshow budget. In hindsight it proved to be a great learning experience and changed the way I viewed corporate events and tradeshows. It became apparent to me that measurement is imperative to self‐preservation. I spent the next year and a half doing temporary jobs planning events and building my marketability. When I saw my current job listed on Monster, I knew it was perfect for me. They were looking for a full time, dedicated Tradeshow Manager. This person would oversee the various aspects of a successful tradeshow program; a person to travel to the larger shows and oversee set up and dismantle while managing multiple shows in different vertical markets; to carry a budget and time line, submit documentation, make suggestions in both strategic direction as well as design and layout of various booth properties; to work with technical teams to ensure the proper product is displayed as well as being put together on the show floor. This person would also work with the graphics team to create show graphics, help channel communication opportunities to the PR department and increase the company’s visibility. I networked and succeeded in getting an interview with the manager with whom I would ultimately be working. When I left the first interview I had to hide my excitement. This represented the perfect growth opportunity for me and I knew I could perform the functions outlined. Not only that; we clicked personality wise—a real bonus. I had landed my dream job and would be going to work every day loving what I do and loving the team with whom I worked. Almost immediately I set my personal goals, one of which was “learn the industry measurement methods and bring value to the position rather than be a logistical manager”. I had been devastated by losing my job, but I had never personally


taken steps to prove my value or the value of the tradeshow program—I would never allow that to happen again. I spent the first year proving to my supervisors that they had made the right choice by hiring me, proving that I had an ability to juggle events, budgets and make things happen. At the start of my second year with AMX, I felt I had a good shot at moving forward with my personal goals, so I asked for the funds to attend the Exhibitor event in Las Vegas and take a few classes. To my excitement, my manager felt my continued education was important and he pushed me to not only take the classes, but to become certified as quickly as possible. After 10 years of asking and being denied, I was actually being pushed! Tradeshow Manager Role My role is to support tradeshows for the various vertical marketing managers when the show requires exhibit space greater than 100 square feet. As the needs of the booth grow, so does my involvement. In 2012, I had an active role in 16‐20 shows, ranging from a 70’x 80’ booth down to a 20’x20’ booth. I traveled to approximately 10 of those shows to provide direct supervision. When I get involved, I become responsible for the show’s budget, production timelines, labor, show services, technical resources, any necessary international shipping documentation, helping to funnel opportunities for PR and company visibility to the vertical managers and communicating with department leadership, internal stakeholders and vital resource agents for the show’s overall success. For all verticals, I play a lead role in the design, acquisition, updating and repair of all properties. As a result of these activities, I manage the relationship with AMX’s various tradeshow related vendors, such as our display house, freight transportation carriers and I&D companies. AMX also has multiple showrooms around the United States and abroad that require periodic updates, repair and routine maintenance for which I play a supporting role as well—static tradeshow booths if you will.


Company AMX hardware and software solutions simplify the way people interact with technology. With the increasing number of technologies and operating platforms at work and home, AMX solves the complexity of managing this technology with reliable, consistent and scalable systems. Our award‐winning products span control and automation, system‐wide switching and audio/video signal distribution, as well as digital signage and technology management. They are implemented worldwide in conference rooms, homes, classrooms, network operation / command centers, hotels, entertainment venues and broadcast facilities, among others. AMX is headquartered in Richardson, Texas, with regional offices and representatives in California, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, Massachusetts, Washington, Indiana, Arizona, Missouri, Maryland, Minnesota, Colorado, Oregon, Alabama and Rhode Island. Internationally, we have locations in 86 countries, including England, Australia, Canada and Dubai.

History

In 1982, salesman Scott Miller was looking for that special, yet‐to‐be invented product. Miller was looking for a way to use a wireless garage door opener to control a slide projector. From his sales experience, he was convinced people would gladly give up being tethered to a slide projector and appreciate the ability to move around a room during presentations to help keep their audience’s attention. Little did Scott know this concept would drive the vision of the company he and his wife Roslyn were about to found. He built the first run of MX20’s and sent several to customers with an ultimatum ‐ ‘if you like them, pay me for them, if not, send them back’. With that, the AMX MX20 was born, launching not only a new business but an entire industry. AMX was primed to create products and


solutions designed to make technology easier to manage and more enjoyable to use. “I still remember that night in 1982 when my wife and I celebrated the sale of six $200 remote controls for slide projectors–‐our first big order,” said AMX founder, Scott Miller. “The emotional rush I got from that $1237 deal really got me.” For the next ten plus years, AMX employees helped create an open, dynamic corporate culture that enjoyed tremendous growth. But the growth was more than just increases in revenue. Focusing on solutions that enabled and excited, the company produced a wide variety of technology firsts that gained regional, domestic and international attention. Additional growth occurred as AMX spread its vision of simplicity and excitement to new markets and opportunities. AMX Competition The control devices competitive environment is comprised of only a couple of major players. Crestron has the largest market share and focuses largely on the residential market. AMX follows closely behind, but has a more diversified market share from numerous vertical markets. Extron and Control 4 are also competitors, but lack the brand identity and are largely small players in the market. AMX Products AMX products are available domestically through more than 800 leading system integrators who sell, install, and service our products. Outside the United States, AMX has a network of more than 1,200 dealers and 24 exclusive distributors.

Device Control: AMX simplifies technology so that anyone can control and automate their home or work environment. With one touch, our solutions put a series of customized and carefully orchestrated events into motion—from preparing a conference room for a presentation to setting the mood at home for entertaining.

Asset Control: Protecting one's technology investment is critical. That’s why we offer the industry's most robust solution for managing and monitoring electronic equipment. Designed with both IT and A/V professionals in mind, our Web‐based software applications provide real‐time, 24/7 access to the entire AMX control system network—whether in a single facility or multiple locations around the world.

Content Control: With technology adoption at an all‐time high, the need to centrally distribute audio and video—such as broadcast television, music, videos and live camera feeds—throughout a building or home has never been greater. From digital signage and whole home audio to signal switching and routing, AMX can meet nearly any A/V distribution need.


Strategies AMX focuses on developing targeted solutions that meet the ever‐evolving technology needs of customers in 12 vertical markets.

Business ResidentialHouse of Worship

Education Healthcare Entertainment

Government HotelNetwork Operations Center

Broadcasting RetailMulti‐Dwelling

Unit


2. Overview AMX Marketing Department The AMX marketing department is composed of a full team of individuals who are responsible for the different functions required to effectively communicate the company’s goals and strategies. The two AMX executives, VP‐Marketing Communications and VP‐Product and Vertical Marketing, report to the CEO

AMX Chief Executive Officer

Marketing Communications

PR/Social Media Services

Engineering and Event

Web Development

Creative Services

Product Marketing

Vertical Marketing

Product/Vertical Marketing

Product Marketing

Vertical Marketing


Of the 12 vertical markets to which AMX caters, we have active tradeshow schedules in 4 major markets:

1. General Technology (both domestic and international), 2. Education, 3. Government and 4. Dealer Events.

Each of these verticals has a Marketing Manager who oversees all marketing activities within that vertical to include setting the strategies and tactics to support the company goals. Historically, AMX marketing managers had freely chosen who would attend trade shows with no requirement to demonstrate value‐add. My experience with previous employers made this idea unacceptable. So, using my EXHIBITOR education and previous experience, I have worked with the various managers to establish clear objectives, communication and organization management, task management as well as, the all‐important reporting activity. These areas were discussed at length in 20212, ELC #2: Basic Project Management and Reporting Skills and obvious to me, who had experienced the downside to skipping steps in the past. In the last budget cycle the department was asked to cut the coming year’s show expenses by 10%, which seemed like a fairly arbitrary number to me. I knew my efforts to measure the value of show attendance would also help those managers retain their budgets and ultimately grow them. (10812, ELC #2: How to Measure the Value of Trade Show Participation)

The Portfolio Show‐GovComm 2012 For the purpose of my portfolio, I am focusing on a single show, GovComm 2012, a growing show in the Government vertical. It’s a relatively young show and 2012 was our second year to participate. The show is hosted by a very strong tradeshow group called InfoComm. They host a number of other very large shows, both domestic and international, that are well respected and in which we currently participate. They introduced GovComm in 2011, and because of our experience with the host group (InfoComm) AMX felt like our initial decision to attend GovComm was fairly low risk. Moving forward, we would add it to the calendar and set goals and objectives to really zero in on the overall value of attending.


Historically, a comment made by the sales staff is that they have a hard time getting clients to come to an AMX showroom for a demonstration, so the ability to plan meetings on the show floor should make for increased success. In a CTSM Class, we discussed the importance of determining what actions we wanted the attendees to perform and who could perform them (10812, ELC #7: How To Measure The Value of Trade Shows). So I knew it was important to keep the sales people’s comments in mind when creating the objectives for the show. Therefore, we decided to create a strategic push to support the pre‐planned meetings for the coming show. We were also allowed free passes to hand out and encourage potential customers to attend without cost, so the objective would focus on getting customers and potential customers to the show floor for product demonstrations. Show Specifics “GovComm 2012” is a trade show catering to all government Information Technology and Audio Visual professionals. InfoComm has determined that they expect attendance is be in the 2000‐3000 person range. Show hours will last for 14 hours across 2 days, November 28th and 29th in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington DC. This year, the show is being “co‐located” with The “Government Video Expo”. That should draw in some additional attendees, but not in our category, so it is not anticipated to help or hurt us. AMX will take 6 sales staff members and 2 technical resource specialists.


3. Measurable Show Objectives AMX Government Vertical Annual Tradeshow Season (2012) The AMX Government team believes in the value of tradeshows and maintains a busy season. For the majority, a table top sized booth or small inline booth display that doesn’t warrant more than 2 or 3 sales people is most appropriate. But there are a few shows that warrant a larger booth space, for the increased traffic and product demonstration needs as well as the 4‐6 sales people being asked to work the show. Here is a list of our 2012 shows. Larger shows are notated, as are shows that were not officially decided on, but were notated for future attendance.

Event Name Date Customer Location Notes

AFCEA West 1/24/2012 NAVY San Diego, CA 10'x20' build

Fort Sam Houston ‐ Sam Houston Club 1/26/2012 ARMY San Antonio, TX NCSI TT

Fort Hood ‐ Club Hood 1/28/2012 ARMY Killeen, TX NCSI TT

Federal Business Council Inc. ‐ split with Blue Tech 2/7/2012 JOINT DoD SERIES Camp HM Smith FBC TT

Federal Business Council Inc. ‐ split with Blue Tech 2/8/2012 JOINT DoD SERIES

Hickham AFB (JBPHH) FBC TT

Federal Business Council Inc. ‐ split with Blue Tech 2/9/2012 JOINT DoD SERIES Schofield Barracks FBC TT

Federal Business Council Inc. ‐ split with Blue Tech 2/10/2012 JOINT DoD SERIES Pearl Harbor (JBPHH) FBC TT

FAA IT/IS Security (IT/ISS) 2/25/12 CIVILIAN AFCEA TT

National Security Agency (NSA) NBP 4/7/2012 INTEL Fort Meade, MD NCSI TT

Fort Bragg ‐ Officers' Club 4/12/2012 ARMY Fayetteville, NC NCSI TT

DoDIIS 4/1/2012 INTEL Denver, CO 10'x20' build

National Space Symposium 4/16/2012 USAF Colorado Springs, CO AFCEA TT

AFCEA Marinanas Tech Net 2011 4/26/2012 NAVY Guam AFCEA TT

Aberdeen Proving Ground ‐ Spring Technology Expo 4/28/2012 ARMY Aberdeen, MD FBC TT

CIA Spring Technology Exposition* 5/12/2012 INTEL Langley, VA NCSI TT

AFCEA Joint Warfighting 5/15/2012 NAVY Virginia Beach, VA AFCEA TT

GSA Training Conference and Expo 2011 5/15/2012 CIVILIAN San Antonio, TX

Korea LandWarNet 5/17/2012 ARMY Seoul, Korea AFCEA TT

Peterson Air Force Base/USNORTHCOM 5/18/2012 USAF Peterson AFB, CO NCSI TT

InfoComm 6/13/2012 CORPORATE AMX Las Vegas, NV Attend

Ramstein Air Base/USAFE HQ 7/18/2012 JOINT DoD SERIES Ramstein, Germany NCSI TT

Spangdahlem Air Base ‐ Club Eifel 7/21/2012 JOINT DoD SERIES Bitburg, Germany

NCSI TT

AG Wiesbaden ‐ Wiesbaden Fitness Center 7/22/2012 JOINT DoD SERIES

Wiesbaden, Germany

NCSI TT

U.S. Army Garrison, Grafenwoehr ‐ Vilseck Center, Bldg 134 7/25/2012

JOINT DoD SERIES Grafenwoehr, Germa

NCSI TT

USAG Schweinfurt ‐ Conn Club & Pavilion, Conn Barracks 7/26/2012 JOINT DoD SERIES

Schweinfurt, Germany

NCSI TT

Patch Barracks/USEUCOM HQ ‐ Swabian Center 7/27/2012 JOINT DoD SERIES Stuttgart, Germany

NCSI TT

Campbell Barracks/Heidelberg Area Military ‐ FC 7/29/2012 JOINT DoD SERIES

Heidelberg, Germany

NCSI TT

AFCEA LandWarNet 8/23/2012 ARMY Tampa, FL 10'x20'

AFITC 8/29/2012 USAF Montgomery, Al Pop up

FBC, Joint Base Lewis‐McChord (JBLM) 9/8/2012 ARMY Tacoma, WA NCSI TT

National Security Agency (NSA) OPS 1 9/13/2012 INTEL Fort Meade, MD NCSI TT

National Security Agency (NSA) OPS 2B 9/14/2012 INTEL Fort Meade, MD NCSI TT

Modern Day Marine 9/27/2012 USMC Quantico, VA


Naval Support Activity Naples ‐ Ciao Hall 10/3/2012 JOINT DoD SERIES Naples, Italy

NCSI TT

USAG Vicenza ‐ Golden Lion Conference Center 10/5/2012 JOINT DoD SERIES Vicenza, Italy

NCSI TT

Aviano Air Base ‐ La Bella Vista Club 10/6/2012 JOINT DoD SERIES Aviano, Italy

NCSI TT

AFCEA C4IST 10/3/2012 ARMY Ft. Huachuca, AZ Pop up

Tech‐Net 11/1/2012 JOINT Honolulu, HI 10'x20'

GovComm

11/1/2012 JOINT‐ CIVILIAN Washington D.C. 20'x20' Island

CIA Fall Technology Exposition* 11/9/2012 INTEL Langley, VA NCSI TT

Measurable Goals & Objectives As a general rule of thumb, our goal is to make a percentage of sales over the cost of attending the show. In this particular case, we determined that value to be $500,000. The $500,000 goal is crucial to the plan. If that one goal is not met, we need to re‐evaluate our participation in the show, the size of our booth, and the number of our sales people attending the show. This one goal is the pivot point for the whole show. Keep it simple! I knew I would not have a huge opportunity to outline the successes and failures of a list of goals and objectives, so I want to boil it down to a couple key components and let the sales people sell the rest based on their improved pipeline. (125, ELC #4: How to Measure The Value of Trade Show Participation‐ Practical Application‐ Part II) Beyond that, there are a variety of objectives set to help strengthen the pipeline and cultivate new growth—a formula based on show hours, product demonstrations and staffing. (10812, ELC #9: How to Measure The Value of Trade Shows) GovComm 2012 Measurable Goals

Communication Audience Goals

Phone Calls Hot 50/ Salesman

New Website General 1 Live

Website Views General 250 hits

Emails Warm/Cool 20 Opens

Facebook General 2000 Likes

YouTube General

1000 Views 10 Product Videos

Twitter General

50 Tweets 25 Followers

QR Scans General 35 scans

Those additional goals and objectives for this show are as follows:


Each attending sales person should update our corporate database with 5 new future needs and follow up visit touch points Hot Potential Customers

Schedule 4 customers to come to the booth and get in front of equipment to provide hands‐on training and solutions to their needs, documenting the visit for follow‐up calls.

o Calculation Method: 2 Technical Staff members for 14 hours of show = a possible 28 meetings of 1 hour in length are possible. The 6 sales staffers should schedule 4 meetings each. (See Graphic) Cool and Warm Potential Customers

Get 4 customers in front of equipment to provide hands‐on training and solutions to their needs, documenting for follow‐up calls.

o Calculation Method: After Pre‐setting 4 one hour meetings and serving as a “floater” (below) for 5 hours, that leaves a remaining floor time of 5 hours per sales staffer. During that 5 hours, each should pre‐set a total of 4 additional meetings. (See Graphic) Unknowns

Gather 100 lead scans.

Move 10 unknown potential customers into the database. o Calculation Method: 3 sales folks should be floating at all times during the show—they

should each float for 5 hours and gather 2 pre‐qualified lead per hour. (See Graphic) Show Strategies & Tactics Once the show objectives were clearly laid out, we set strategies and tactics to reach the different objectives (30812, ELC #1: Business Marketing Strategies and Trade Shows) In an effort to meet our show objectives, we discussed our experience at the previous years’ show—who attended and what their interests were. By breaking attendees into these groups, we were better able to set our strategies and tactics for the coming show that were in line with the company’s goals and objectives. (21312, ELC #2: BEYOND THE BASICS OF BOOTH SELLING).


Defining the Show Attendee: Existing Customers are those looking to see what’s new in the marketplace, how their existing issues could be resolved, and how they could improve their current systems. Hot Potential Customers have expressed a desire and a budget to move forward in the very near future but have not yet travelled to an AMX showroom to see the products in operation. Cool and Warm Potential Customers are those the AMX sales force has courted, but have not been able to move forward in the process for a variety of reasons. Unknowns are those folks who are walking around the show and don’t know who we are, what our solutions are, and how they can help them.

Existing Customers (Hot): Prior to the show, the sales force was asked to justify their attendance by reaching out to their customers to set meetings and discussing their needs. They were asked to invite existing customers to the booth via phone calls and emails, offer free passes as needed and get a meeting plan on the calendar. By asking specific questions about their needs and interests, the sales force was able to report back to the marketing team to enable them to design the various product stations. Potential Customers (Warm and Cool): The same strategy was employed for those customers not as far along in the sales process, or those not yet fully engaged with AMX. Prior to the show, the sales force was to make phone calls and email communications with their database, invite them to dinner, lunch or for a coffee to discuss details about their future needs, determine budgets and milestones. They would inform them that we would have product stations set up to specifically address common interests in the industry…and of course, offer free passes as needed. Unknowns: Create eye‐catching graphics to draw the attention of the casual observer, create a strong online presence to inform those interested in seeing what solutions we can offer to common needs.


Scheduling and Technical Support We created an online Outlook booth calendar for attending staff to use to plan their meetings and booth activities. First we divided the staff into 2 teams—which are comprised of 3 sales people and a technical advisor on each team. This allowed them to know with whom they could trade positions in the event of a schedule conflict. They were directed to update the calendar as quickly as possible so resources would be maximized.


During show hours, one team was responsible for greeting attendees and floating to ensure all areas were adequately covered and everyone knew where their team mate/buddy would be based on a defined area—front, middle and back. Meanwhile, the other team works with particular clients with whom meetings had been pre‐arranged based on advanced calls and communications. These sales people have worked this format a number of times, so they understand their role and how it impacts the team, so the show flow moves more smoothly than not having an organized plan. (21312, ELC #5: BEYOND THE BASICS OF BOOTH SELLING)

“Hot” Customer Meetings

Floating Responsibilities

“Cold and Warm” Meetings

AMX Tradeshow Flow


4. Management of Exhibit Design/Production Display Management Partnership

AMX has successfully worked with the same display house for years—Southwest Display & Exhibit. They house all our booth properties, as well as handling the install and dismantle labor for all major shows and AMX showrooms. Southwest Display hosts an on‐line database of AMX warehoused assets and an ordering system for all AMX properties. They also have a full design and graphics department that aids in design and layout for new equipment and can ultimately print any graphic necessary. Prior to the show, I created an “event” titled “GovComm2012” in the on‐line order program. I indicate what tradeshow assets they will need to pull and prep for the show, and when it should be ready for transport. It also serves as a repository for the latest version of floor diagrams and general layout documents. It’s a very turn‐key package that both streamlines the process and ensures accuracy for all parties involved. Beyond that, a strong communication channel with my account representative has been established to handle details such as the building of new display pieces and any necessary repair work—those details not suitable for the on‐line ordering system. Between the on‐line order system and good communication, only occasionally do we feel the need to perform RFPs. As a result of the long relationship and certainty of future interactions, a very open and honest approach has come to be the best negotiation method. It ensures mutual gain and allows for more options to be presented in the process (52112, ELC# 1.0: NEGOTIATING SKILLS TO WIN). There was one instance when I broke that style and used a hard bargaining technique (52112, ELC# 2.4.1: NEGOTIATING SKILLS TO WIN) and it hurt the relationship and yielded mixed results. I made a promise to myself that I would avoid that technique in the future.


The Booth Layout The structure that we decided to use came from our existing stock and greatly reduced the purchase/rental cost as well as the time and labor required to put it out for bid. AMX has an extensive selection of similarly designed booth structures and features, all very interchangeable to get a different look and feel, while having the same design components and maintaining the brand identity. The structure we selected from our existing warehouse stock is a tall Agam structure with seven different product station locations. We chose aluminum chairs and blue backlighting accents to help create an eye‐catching visual appearance. We added white cabinets and counters to hide equipment not pertinent to the showcasing of products and a pair of strategically placed bar height tables and chairs to allow for show floor discussions beyond the product stations. To address the various “Messaging Zones”, we decided our hall position was such that hanging signs from the ceiling was not necessary; rather, we took a pair of 10’ LED lit AMX logo signs to hang directly on the Agam structure 20’ off the ground to address WHO owns the booth. Above each product station we placed a product header 7’ off the ground to clearly identify WHAT each station was about. Lastly, we placed diagrams at eye level and detailed product sheets in Plexiglas holders to identify WHY the product station was important as well as QR codes for those interested in using their smart phones to scan for more details. (61912, ELC# 6.3: Exhibit Design‐ From Concept to Completion). The carpet we chose was a soft gray to play off the aluminum and white cabinetry of our structure and blue carpet of the aisles. The structure is offset from the typical square footprint to allow aisle walkers to see


thru the structure and into the middle—a peek at one of our most eye‐catching product stations to help draw show attendees into the booth. Product Placement

After extensive discussions with the sales force, we determined the appropriate products to showcase and how to position them within the structure. We put touch panels and user interfaces that would entice attendees to touch and play with a fun technology at the front of the booth. Next is the larger multi display station (DGX and DVX Systems) with an “awesome” military based video loop in the heart of the booth that helps pull the attendee all the way into the booth. On the back side of the touch panel display, we put important product stations that would be more suited for detailed conversations, or for people who were deeply engaged at this point in their booth experience. Along the back side of the booth, we added a pair of attention grabbing, Digital Signage Product displays with the goal of causing attendees to stop and observe as they are departing the exhibit hall. The overall look was both modern and classy–an image we really wanted to portray in the government arena, a stark contrast to the design we would typically use in our K‐12 education shows, but complimentary to the image we want to portray in other vertical markets.


Booth Positioning

Based on selection rank, AMX selected a 20’x20’ island booth space 3 booth rows back from the main entrance. Initially we felt like it wasn’t the most visible location in the hall, but having an island space meant we could go tall and overcome the perceived obstacle.


GovComm 2012 Budget The budget for our show was set at 15% of the “new sales” goal ($500,000) for the show, $75,000. I always try to leave a small safety cushion in for unknowns. You never know what unknowns will get thrown at you. (wink) (20312, ELC 32: The Nuts and Bolts of Budgeting for Results)

Booth Space / Rental $ 10,000.00

Contract Services

SWD Staging/Handling (pull and prep) $ 4,985.00

SW Extras and Booth Modifications $ 1,749.20

Install and Dismantle Labor $ 10,169.22

AMX Contracted Show Labor (e.g. elec. labor) $ 0

Lighting $ 0

Rigging $ 0

Internet $ 1,500.00

Electric $ 750.00

Cable $ 0

Lead Retrieval $ 2,000.00

Security $ 1,200.00

Booth Cleaning $ 200.00

Access Storage $ 280.00

Grand Total Contract Services $ 32,587.60

Drayage (Mat Handle) $ 5,226.00

Shipping (freight in and out) $ 6,000.00

Misc Show Supplies $ 500.00

Graphics / Signage $ 3,500.00

Literature $ 600.00

Promotional Materials $ 2,000.00

Other Marketing Expenses $ 500.00

Advertisement and Sponsorships $ -

Total Booth Costs $ 60,913.60

Staff Expenses

Housing ($250/person/day) $ 5,000.00

Travel ($500/person air) $ 3,000.00

Dining ($100/person/day) $ 1,600.00

Travel - Personal Auto $ 1,000.00

Other Ground (rental, taxi, train, etc.) $ 500.00

Total Staff Expense $ 11,100.00

Final Marketing Budget Status (booth + staff) $ 72,013.60 **Actuals will be discussed in Section 6


5. Management of Integrated Marketing Communications

GovComm 2012 Show Message Our AMX Mission is “SIMPLE”‐ Solutions that Intelligently Manage People’s Lives & Environments. As a cost savings measure, we didn’t change the graphics, or create anything that deviated from our overall company appearance. Pre‐Show Communications The primary concern facing the sales people was the challenge of getting their customers to an AMX showroom to see a product demonstration—so GovComm was a wonderful chance to bring the product displays to the customer. Pressure was put on the sales team to setup pre‐arranged appointments on the tradeshow floor. Phone Calls and Emails A pre‐show campaign of phone calls and a series of “Simple” branded emails were undertaken by the sales force to try to maximize useful time on the show floor in an effort to accomplish the goals of the show. They were given their event goals of setting meetings‐ so establishing a call volume goal wasn’t a tracked measure for the show. However, with the goal of setting meetings, we knew phone calls were the most effective technique. (31512, ELC #2 Integrated Marketing Communications) Product videos would also be completed at the show site for the AMX Talk “YouTube” channel. Those videos were uploaded and publicized thru email, Facebook and Twitter. The sales force was encouraged to forward those “Simple” messages along to their customers. Social Media Team The Social Media Team was newly added to the AMX marketing team and had been developing an increased web presence for the various verticals to maximize search engine optimization (SEO). GovComm 2012 served as their hard deadline to have those components completed for the Government division. They also set some benchmarks and goals to help measure their value and success. Social media provided an excellent platform to bring product awareness to the AMX suite of products. Social media avenues have proven to have a wide reach and are fairly inexpensive for AMX. The only real down side AMX has seen‐ is that you really can not control who sees them, so you are essentially putting your information into the competitions hands. As a result, the team had to be cautious about what products they explained in great detail, and which they teased. (31512, ELC#6 : Integrated Marketing Communications)


YouTube Channel: With you Tube being the second largest search engine (31212, ELC #3: Realizing Your Public Relations Potential) it’s a natural fit to help improve our Search Engine Optimization as well as to create a buzz to inform customers about what AMX is doing, but also to provide a source for them to go to when they are looking for data.

Twitter: What’s up and coming and going on at AMX. The more people following it, the easier it is to get pertinent information to them.


Facebook Page: Create a buzz that informs customers of what AMX is doing, but also to provide a source for them to go to when they are looking for data.

LinkedIn Page

Google+

QR Codes: Immediate information regarding a product, downloaded directly to their smart phone. Links to the website and request for a product sheet are also available. Web Development The Web team also took this opportunity to turn out a more “Simple” customer friendly government website that was new and fresh. They set about completely redesigning the user interface on the AMX Government website. They also set some benchmarks and goals to help measure their value and success.


During The Show Sponsorship We reviewed the various sponsorship opportunities made available and ultimately decided that it wasn’t in the budget and probably not necessary to obtain the goals established for the show. (31512, ELC#7: Integrated Marketing Communications) Sales Team Activities As a result of the pre‐arranged booth meetings by the Sales Team, additional attendee attention to the booth created a “hey, what are those people doing?” atmosphere‐ coupled with the strategically located floaters to intercept and qualify the attendee. The Social Media Team The Social Media Team was also recording videos of the booth product displays and demos. This activity, again, drew attention and increased the “what are they doing” effect. Other Methods


The objectives of Govcomm have been to generate sales from existing customers and grow the pipeline of the warm and cold potential customers‐ not to generate lots of leads of unknowns as much, so the idea of doing a contest, hosting drawings or even giving out premiums didn’t seem like a good strategy (31512, ELC#8 : Integrated Marketing Communications) Follow Up Recommendations After the show, the work is certainly not done! The sales people have generated a lot of additional data that must be added to the corporate database. They also created a detailed “post show” report listing their meetings, experiences, future sales opportunities and new contacts. Coupled with their existing monthly reports (not included in this report due to the confidential, sensitive nature) were instrumental in determining the success of the show.


6. Management of Results Reporting The Budget Goal Gathering the final event expenses together is generally a pretty straight forward exercise and didn’t yield any great surprises. Based on the post show numbers compared to the budget—we came in under budget and had no “oops” or surprise moments on the floor—a tradeshow manager’s goal!!

Budget Actual

Booth Space / Rental $ 10,000.00 $ 10,000.00

Contract Services

SWD Staging/Handling (pull and prep) $ 4,985.00 $ 4841.00

SWD Extras and Booth Modifications $ 1,749.20 $ 0

Install and Dismantle Labor $ 10,169.22 4 8,820.00

AMX Contracted Show Labor $ 0 $ 0

Lighting $ 0 $ 0

Rigging $ 0 $ 0

Internet $ 1,500.00 $ 314.50

Electric $ 750.00 $ 576.00

Cable $ 0 $ 0

Lead Retrieval $ 2,000.00 $ 2,000.00

Security $ 1,200.00 $ 1322.88

Booth Cleaning $ 200.00 $ 190.80

Access Storage $ 280.00 $ 280.00

Grand Total Contract Services $ 32,587.60 $ 29,345.18

Drayage (Mat Handle) $ 5,226.00 $ 4,480.10

Shipping (freight in and out) $ 6,000.00 $ 6,730.00

Misc Show Supplies $ 500.00 $ 750.00

Graphics / Signage $ 3,500.00 $ 3,250.00

Literature $ 600.00 $ 375.00

Promotional Materials $ 2,000.00 $ 1,825.00

Other Marketing Expenses $ 500.00 $ 375.00

Advertisement and Sponsorships $ -

Total Booth Costs $ 60,913.60 $ 57,490.28

Staff Expenses

Housing ($250/person/day) $ 5,000.00 $ 4,595.00

Travel ($500/person air) $ 3,000.00 $ 2,875.00

Dining ($100/person/day) $ 1,600.00 $ 2,500.00

Travel - Personal Auto $ 1,000.00 $ 987.00

Other Ground (rental, taxi, train, etc.) $ 500.00 $ 375.00

Total Staff Expense $ 11,100.00 $ 11,332.00

Final Marketing Budget Status (booth + staff) $ 72,013.60 $ 68,822.28


The staff expense for dining was a little heavy, but that was a bit expected considering that we had asked the sales team to schedule drinks and meals with customers. Measuring Show Goals & Objectives As a result of reviewing the post show report produced by the sales team, along with the monthly report over the next 9 months, the following results were observed. Generating New Sales

Generate new sales of at least $500,000 o MCAS Miramar: 9 DVX‐3150 & 6 7” Touch panels

AMX Value: $72,000/ Project Value: $300,000 o Missile Defense Agency: Epica DGX 144 w/ fiber

AMX Value: $154,000/ Project Value: $308,000) o Dept. of Homeland Security Headquarters: Enova DGX 16 (56), DGX 32 (6), DVX‐

2155 (27), NXD‐430 (27), MXT‐1000 (65), DXLink (581), RMS (125) and PDU(14) AMX Value: #1,445,169/ Project Value: $3,400,000,000)

Overall Results: AMX Value: $1,671,169

Meetings

Hot Customer Goal: Each sales person should schedule 4 customers to come to the booth and get in front of equipment to provide hands‐on training and solutions to their needs, documenting the visit for follow‐up calls.

o Results: A goal of 24 scheduled meetings was set, a total of 21 meetings were held.

Cool & Warm Goal: Each sales person should schedule 4 customers in front of equipment to provide hands on training and solutions to their needs, documenting for follow‐up calls.

o Results: A goal of 24 scheduled meetings was set, a total of 22 meetings were held Database Updates

Each attending sales person should update our corporate database with 5 new future needs and follow up visit touch points

o Results: 34, with a goal of 30 were updated. The sales folks not only surpassed the number, but they commented about how pleased they were with the future prospects generated by the contacts they had made.

Unknowns Goal 1: Gather 100 lead scans. o Results: 50 total scans—Lead scans are certainly an area worthy of attention in the

future. Typically, only “valuable” leads are scanned—but this assessment has revealed the need to more clearly define “valuable”.

Goal 2: Move 10 unknown potential customers into the database. o Results: 13 new customers were set up as a result of the show.


Results Compared to Objectives The Marketing components were easy to measure, the web and social media groups have built in notifications for website visits, “likes”, “Shares” and scans.

Communication Audience Goal Actual

Phone Calls Hot 50/ Salesman 350 total

New Website General 1 Live 1 Live

Website Views General 250 Hits 310 Hits

Emails Warm/Cool 20 Opens 45 Opens

Facebook General 2000 Likes 2461 Likes

YouTube General

1000 Views 10 Product Videos

278 Views, 12 Videos

Twitter General

50 Tweets 25 Followers

26 Tweets, 56 Following

QR Scans General 35 Scans 0 Scans

The results showed favorably and the marketing strategy played out well. YouTube and Twitter goals were the only goals not hit in their entirety; however, the more important component of each was met. The team was able to produce 12 product demonstration videos. QR scans were nil—but we deemed that to be the result of a media channel being used improperly. If the QR code was located in a place where a sales person was already stationed, the customer didn’t need to scan the code in the first place. So, a zero was actually considered desirable. We still use QR code badges for our products, but we seldom use them to identify the value of our show attendance. So, while the goal wasn’t met—we still considered this aspect a positive, not a negative. All in all, the marketing team delivered big with the online presence! Sales Person Comments include: “Having scheduled meetings proved to be great way to effectively manage a tradeshow, it beats waiting for someone to come to you…”

‐Katheryn Cordova

“With multiple pre‐scheduled meeting going on within the booth, there was a buzz that brought in more attendees.”

‐Ashante Long

“I’ve been trying to get a particular customer to do a demonstration for months! Having those product stations ready to address their needs gave us the advantage to get the win.”

‐Troy Trujillo

“The activity around this show was like fertilizer to my pipeline! I still get calls based on people seeing our product stations discussed on our You Tube channel!”

‐Richard Gatchell


7. Conclusion

Overall Show Value Evaluation The event cost AMX what was expected, so the budget requirements were met for the show. The sales goal of $500,000 was exceeded by more than 3 times ($1,671,169). So the show was successful and we made the decision to renew our option on the 2013 show. However, we decided not to increase the booth size. We felt like we had the proper product and sales staff to attendee mix. Pre‐arranged meeting goals fell a little short of the goal (88% and 92%). But on the whole the floor activity was balanced between the zones and the booth always appeared “busy” which is always a goal for AMX. The sales force enjoyed the push to set meetings and made their event reports more positive than shows without the meeting strategy included. Personal Development I have been able to quickly pull together sound reasons for tradeshow actions. I can support them with facts and calculations (10812‐ Measure the Value of Participating & 116‐ Maximizing ROI with a Numbers‐Based Trade Show) that I learned thru the CTSM program. I provide rational justifications that have made the decision maker at my company take note. Now I am included in decisions as opposed to being a data source for them to make the decisions. Some of the programs also helped me to fine tune skills with which I had little experience. I have also learned, through formal CTSM classes, ideas and concepts with which I had neither formal training nor practical experience. Understanding graphic file sizes has helped me understand what my designer needs, an area I think we have all struggled with a time or two (61712, ELC #3: Graphics Boot Camp). I get asked all the time how much a booth should cost to get developed and all I could site was my past experience, which is fairly limited. However, Mr. Anderson gave us a wonderful basic calculation that helps give us a background for what something should cost. I went back and plugged in our past booths and saw that they fit within the matrix. So now, when I say booth development should cost sX number of dollars‐ I’m very confident I know what I am talking about! (61912, ELC #4‐ Exhibit Design‐ from Concept to Completion) One of the areas I had the least amount of experience, was lighting. I think a lot of tradeshow managers can spend their whole life in the business and never deal with lighting. It was wonderful to take a class like Mr. Wohlitz’s lighting class to help me


understand the various types of lighting fixtures and their applications. Again, it’s awesome to talk to a lighting tech and use their terminology (611 Use of Lighting and A/V Technologies). I have been able to build a strong support network of fellow trade show and event planners that will always be available to discuss topics of mutual interest. It’s not all planning—there are a lot of aspects that might have taken me years to learn. I have found friends who are experts and can advise areas. The CTSM program has aided me in finding those friends. Program Suggestions Moving forward, I plan to continue to follow the plan of the Session 321‐ Making the Leap from Logistics Command to Brand Command and further improve my own personal job security and company positioning. By providing data to support good decisions and dismiss ideas that wouldn’t be successful, I can manage my priorities rather than time and demonstrate the value of exhibiting as a sales tool. The activity of scheduling booth tours and meetings seemed to be very successful for the government division, so I will encourage the other vertical marketing teams to try the method as well. I noticed a deficiency in lead scanning. So I will suggest a program to teach sales how to qualify and evaluate potential customers that visit the booth. I’d hate for sales to be missed for qualifying reasons. After all, without sales, it’s not really a show! (21312: ELC #5: Beyond the Basics of Booth Selling) We tend to get comfortable with our larger shows—we go because we are expected to be there and because we have always gone. By targeting our audience, researching the right tradeshows and measuring their effectiveness, I plan to better tailor our tradeshow program. Taking the data to the decision makers and proving my worth, that will lead to us gathering a larger volume of higher value leads to our sales force and ultimately, increasing sales…that I can measure and tie back to our tradeshow program. CTSM Prior to starting my CTSM training, I had a number of years OTJ experience. However, the formal classroom training I gained helped immensely. As the program continues to grow, I would like to see more, high level focus groups and classes implemented. Lighting was an area that I was very untrained at, I would love to see more classes on both overhead lighting as well as ground level lighting techniques. But on the whole, I applaud the CTSM program as it has helped me learn so many things we typically learn by fire. I will continue to take classes and strive to improve my own value‐ thank you for putting my career into my hands, rather than at the mercy of the economy!


References Overview:

1. 20212, ELC #2: Basic Project Management and Reporting Skills 2. 10812, ELC #2: How to Measure The Value of Trade Show Participation 3. 10812, ELC #7: How to Measure The Value of Trade Show Participation

Measurable Show Objectives 4. 125, ELC #4: How to Measure The Value of Trade Show Participation‐ Practical Application‐

Part II 5. 10812, ELC #9: How to Measure The Value of Trade Show Participation 6. 30812, ELC #1: Business Marketing Strategies and Trade Shows 7. 21312, ELC #2: Beyond Basic Selling 8. 21312, ELC #5: Beyond Basic Selling

Management of Exhibit Design 9. 52112, ELC #1.0: Negotiation Skills to Win 10. 52112, ELC #2.4.1: Negotiation Skills to Win 11. 61912, ELC #6.3: Exhibit Design‐ From Concept to Completion 12. 20312, ELC 32: The Nuts and Bolts of Budgeting for Results

Management of Integrated Marketing Communications 13. 31512, ELC #2: Integrated Marketing Communications 14. 31212, ELC #3: Realizing Your Public Relations Potential 15. 31512, ELC#6 : Integrated Marketing Communications 16. 31512, ELC#7 : Integrated Marketing Communications 17. 31512, ELC#8 : Integrated Marketing Communications

Conclusion 18. 10812: How to Measure The Value of Trade Show Participation 19. 116: Maximizing ROI with a Numbers‐ Based Trade Show Plan 20. 61712, ELC #3: Graphics boot Camp: The Basics Every Event Manager Should Know 21. 61912, ELC #4: Exhibit Design‐from Concept to Completion 22. 611: Use of Lighting and AV Technology to Create Memorable Experiences: Understand the

Technology 23. 321: Making the Leap From Logistics Command to brand Command 24. 21312: ELC #5: Beyond the Basics of Booth Selling

Documents

CTSM Candidate Portfolio-20131006 - Exhibitor Online · corporate credit unions became fierce. Float no longer existed. Within 5 years we had grown to 16 major shows and over 100