Building an Exhibit Sales Plan

Building an Exhibit Sales Plan

IAEE DC Chapter

April 10, 2015

Agenda

• Self-Introductions

• What is a Sales Plan?

• Building a Sales Plan

• Executing the Sales Plan

• Lessons Learned

• 30+ years producing exhibitions,

conferences, forums, and

roundtables

• Produced International CES,

GRAPH EXPO, and PRINT

• Consults in strategic planning,

management, and marketing

• Facilitates board meetings, user

groups, and attendee and exhibitor

focus groups

• Produce by-invitation events for the

exhibition industry

Sam Lippman

Founder and President

Lippman Connects

• Account Executive to Sales Director,

National Trade Productions (2002-

2009)

• Director of Sales, Metropolitan

Cooking and Entertaining Show

(2009-2012)

• Managed 5 sales people

• Founder, Craft Beverage Expo

(2012)

• Launched in 2013 with first event

in 2014

• Responsible for all sales in 2014,

hired sales person for 2015

Kellie Shevlin

Executive Director

Craft Beverage Expo

• Consumer Electronics Show (CES)

(2007-2009)

• American Composites

Manufacturers Association (ACMA)

(2009-2013)

• National Trade Productions (2013-

Present)

• Sells 5 shows

• Manages 3 sales peopleRyan Brown

Director of Sales & Event

Services

National Trade Productions

Who’s in the Audience?

• Suppliers/venues/destinations

• Show Managers

• Show Managers = 75% to exhibit sales

• Sell exhibit space and sponsorship

• Sell exhibit space only

• Sell sponsorships only

The Sales Plan is…

• Assessment of current sales

• Statement of sales objectives

• Strategies for achieving these objectives

• Track exactly when, how and if you will

achieve your goals

• Resources available

Must Have a Sales Plan Because…

• Exhibitors are more savvy

– Asking more questions

– Looking for ROI before they commit

• Exhibitors want new options to invest

marketing dollars instead of exhibit space

• Diversified product portfolio a must to

ensure exhibitors spend with you

Must Have a Sales Plan Because…

• Mergers & Acquisitions

– Industries contracting through mergers &

acquisition plus companies going out of

business

– Fewer companies to sell

– Must find new business to stay even

Sales Plan is Your Roadmap to Success

• Sets measurable sales goals– Specific

– Measurable

– Attainable

– Realistic

– Timely

• Creates trackable sales campaigns

• Ensures simultaneous marketing and sales campaigns

• Quarterly reviews ensures mid-course corrections

Building the Sales Plan

• Analyze Industry Data

– Look for industry trends, market shifts, key

business drivers/influencers

– Found in surveys, industry pubs, market

research, Google

– Can identify growth markets, explain sales

trends, help relate to exhibitors


• Set Goals

• Set Budget

• Coordinate with

Marketing

• Start Writing


• Overview

• Define Event Goals

• Database Analysis

• SWOT Analysis

• Sales/Marketing Campaign Detail

• FABs (Features, Advantages, Benefits)

• Lead Generation/Key Targets


• Features, Advantages, & Benefits (FABs)

– Use your prospects’ own words in your sales

materials and scripts

– Know why your best leads say “YES”

– What’s in it for me?

• Common Objections


• Present the plan

• Confirm buy-in from sales & marketing

teams

• Sell! Sell! Sell!

Executing the Sales Plan

• Exhibit Sales Tracking Sheet

– Project where your sales will come

– Breaks sales plan into digestible bites

– Reveals soft spots in industry

– Know your real-time status in a glance


• Eliminate “NO’s” and Get to “YES”

– Identify source and product category codes of

your “A” leads

– Segment the data to call prospects that match

closest to your “A” leads

– Eliminate “C” prospects so not waste time


• Build Capacity and Motivate Your Team

– Be proactive

– Measure Activity/Progress

– Accountability

Lessons Learned

• Know the value of your show to your

industry/profession

• Confirm which source codes produced

• Introduce new product categories

• Sales plan is a daily/weekly/monthly

reflection of your efforts

Lessons Learned

• Don’t be afraid to adapt the plan

• Must get buy in from marketing

• Must get feedback from exhibitors

• Plus 1 month determine changes made to

next year’s sales plan

Questions?

For more information, contact:

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



Building an Exhibit Sales Plan

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