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e3 insightsThe Seven Sins of Trade Show MarketingWhat mistakes should you avoid. And which trends should you not overlook. The trade show as a continuous management process. Page 4.

Global Insights Magazine

2 6 8 10A rumble in the trade show jungle

A concept rocks the greatest trade shows

Videos and interactive tools change the face of trade show marketing

Trade shows in other cultures follow different rules

Welcome to the Brand Land

Get Ready to Rumble

The Brand is the Star

Around the Globe

Issue 9 - Edited by SPS MARKETING 2013

Welcome to the Brand Land!A trade show booth, catering and hostesses are not enough. Follow these best practices on how to win the competition for attention.

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"An engaging brand world is vividly experienced right under the skin." Norbert Schrangl, trade show expert and CEO SPS MARKETING Linz

An extraordinary product presentation creates attention and highlights the customer benefit.

Involve the expert audience with interactive tools at your booth.

Trade shows offer a perfect platform to launch new products. Maximize the impact of your communication by using the right channels in the run-up to the fair.

The trade show visitors experience technology firsthand, playfully discover innovations with interactive

tools or chill out in extravagant lounge areas. What is offered here goes far beyond an ordinary trade show

booth: Welcome to the Brand Land!

A fascinating worldBMW, Apple or Nike show how it’s done: The experience profile of their brands is communicated with a

multidimensional aspect that serves as the basis for the creation of distinctive brand identities. This strategy

is naturally exploited at trade shows, since today's customers want to be fascinated. "An experienced brand

creates a world that anchors the brand profile intensely in the memory of the visitors to the trade show,"

points out Norbert Schrangl, trade show expert and CEO of SPS MARKETING Linz.

However what is the secret behind a perfect Brand Land? "It is never the architecture, the lighting concept,

or the messages alone. The spirit of a brand has to be felt," says Norbert Schrangl. And that's only achieved

through the intelligent interaction of all process steps, from strategy and planning to the concept and

idea development up to the implementation. In the opinion of the experts, Brand Lands have enormous

future potential. Norbert Schrangl: "The trade shows in emerging markets such as China and India are

growing rapidly. We are witnessing a new chapter in direct communication and sales."

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The Seven Sins of Trade Show Marketing

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The maxim "The most important thing is to take part" no longer applies to B2B trade shows. A well-prepared sales team can, in a few days over the course of a trade show, generate more leads than the field service over several months. It simply must not be left to chance. What mistakes should you avoid? And what trends should you not overlook?

● ● Trade show selection● ● Trade show objectives● ● Budgeting● ● Exhibit selection● ● Trade show coaching

Strategic planning

● ● Trade show motto● ● Communication● ● Design of exhibition space/booth● ● Public relations concept● ● Market research concept

Conceptual planning

● ● Booth construction● ● Booth logistics● ● Trip scheduling● ● Deadline monitoring● ● Cost monitoring

Operational planning

● ● Trade show contacts● ● Team coaching● ● Daily reporting● ● Opinion surveys● ● Competitor monitoring

Trade show execution

● ● Registration of leads● ● Thank-you letters● ● Lead management● ● Reporting

Trade show- follow up

● ● Invitation● ● Quality of contacts● ● New customers● ● Opinion surveys● ● PR

Performance analysis

1 2 3 4 5 67

After the trade show is before the trade show

The trade show as a continuous management process with seven steps

The trade show as a continuous management process is a holistic concept

with seven steps that allow the optimisation of the strategic trade show

planning as well as of the process control. The sales team is involved at

an early stage and the relevant measures are optimally coordinated with

the strategic and operational goals. The seven-step process is followed

by the analysis of the result, which provides decisive hints for the further

process optimisation with respect to the next trade show appearance.

● ● Process analysis to evaluate potential for improvement● ● Improvement and standardisation of the operational process

Process optimisation

The Seven Sins of Trade Show Marketing

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"We're not going to attend. We have a newsletter!"

In times of virtual supplier-customer relationships, the trade fair as

a real customer touchpoint is more important than ever. No social media

channel, no direct mailing can substitute for a personal conversation at

the trade show booth. And even if you are not represented:

Your competition is for sure.

1Sin

"Our goal at the trade show is a good trade show appearance!"

Set yourself specific goals that you want to achieve. No vague targets such

as the generation of new customers or image enhancement!

Only when your goals are precisely defined, is it possible for you to

accordingly adjust the strategy and communication optimally.

2Sin

"Let's wait! We still have time!"In the event that your exhibition team is only fired up shortly before the

trade show, the agenda of their potential trade show visitors will have in

this case long been filled. A successful trade show is planned well

ahead of time: with foresighted timing.

3Sin

"We will rewrite the invitation from the previous year."

Interest for a trade show visit is awakened well beforehand – with the right

trade show invitation. You should thereby always ask yourself: Are the

messages of the invitation relevant? Do they at all reach the target groups?

4Sin

"Someone should hand out flyers!" To talk about innovation and progress is one thing. To make them

be felt and to argue credibly however requires a holistic communication

concept with relevant content and tailored messages. The others also

speak of "innovation", "efficiency" or "sustainability". You can not lure

customers with empty word phrases.

5Sin

"We take what comes." The number of decision-makers among the specialised trade show

visitors is increasing. A good trade show team knows how to separate the

wheat from the chaff. Therefore: Do not waste time with

flukes, but already in advance focus on the relevant target groups and

comply with this objective.

6Sin

"We now have a year off!" Wrong! After the trade show is before the trade show. It should

immediately be followed up with the assessment, potential analysis

and process optimisation. Through the further development and

standardisation of the processes you create the perfect starting point for

the trade show appearance in the following year.

7Sin

Get Ready to RumbleThere is no free ride at specialist international trade shows. In the trade show hall, you do not have virtual competitors, but instead real competitors, positioned immediately in front of you or behind you or else next to you. This is the sharpest competition that one can imagine. The trade show is more challenging than ever before. And more alive than ever before.

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Get Ready to Rumble

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The specialist trade show is an extreme concentration of suppliers and buyers at a given location,

bringing together a highly primed and concentrated available target group as well as an easy

to analyse competition. And that all takes place face to face. The trade show expert Elke Clausen

reveals how companies correctly arm themselves for the ultimate experience in sales –

the trade show acquisition.

Ms. Clausen, you have for over 20 years managed international B2B brands at specialist trade shows. What do you advise your customers? Elke Clausen: The prevalent perception of the trade show as an event, definitely falls short of

the mark. The trade show is an ongoing management process that requires strategic planning and

continuous optimisation.

How does one control the trade show process?Elke Clausen: The trade show process consists of several phases and begins well beforehand. In

the event that a company foregoes the acquisition prior to the trade show, it will disproportionately

invest a lot of time and money in the identification and qualification of potential customers at

the trade show – the trade show success in this case primarily depends on chance hits at the trade

show.

And how does one proceed with the correct strategy?Elke Clausen: A savvy salesperson sees the show as a unique opportunity and incorporates in his

planning already at the start of the year. Knowing that he is able to generate more new leads within

a few days than in the course of a month of field work, he is already fired up weeks before the trade

show. After all, he will only be able to take advantage of the trade show if he leaves little to chance.

Many customers seem insecure at first contact. What do you advice?Elke Clausen: A professionally active team does everything possible to workaround the inhibition

threshold of customers. In a multi-stage acquisition action, potential customers are "warmed up".

This builds confidence, facilitates the first acquaintance and shortens the trade show interlocution.

Ms. Clausen, thanks for sharing your expertise!

Mega Trend: Employer Branding

How a good trade show appearance strengthens

the employer brand

The competition for the best employees is also shifting to to the trade show site. "Image communication as an employer brand towards potential

employees is increasingly becoming more relevant," says Gerhard Preslmayer, employer branding expert and CEO of SPS MARKETING. In order to score with the coveted target groups of engineers and technicians, more

and more companies in the high-tech sector are investing in an attractive brand appearance. This is, according to experts, a mega trend that will shape

communications in the coming years.

Elke Clausen Business consulter

and trade show coach

The Brand isthe Star!See, discover, marvel: The mega trend at the B2B trade shows are concepts that allow touch, convey a feeling of physical proximity and create tension: moving images and interactive tools have evolved into an integral part of specialised trade shows.

Trade show visitors gaze intently at the monitor and dive into a fascinating world. In the competition for

attention, moving image takes a dominant role. Relevant messages moulded into self explanatory

animations or in authentic short video clips quickly penetrate into the relevant set of target groups –

provided the content is right, the appearance matches the company branding, and the aesthetics have

differentiation potential.

"Today's applications offer exceptional possibilities for motion design. If you in also have a creative

team that can fully exploit this potential, the ideas are endless," says Denis Topolic, motion designer at

SPS MARKETING Linz.

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"Today's applications offer exceptional possibilities for motion design." Denis Topolic, motion designer at SPS MARKETING Linz

A video wall becomes a visual highlight with the right branding. Mobile applications support the sales team in direct communication.

Cross Media CommunicationA video can tell a whole story in a few minutes. An interactive tool can take the visitors on an exciting

journey. To multiply the effect, brands deploy these formats in a cross-media manner. A teaser clip, launched

in relevant social media channels, portals and media stirs up the expectations of the target groups long

before the trade show opens. And even long after the trade show ends, the videos can be used interactively

and effectively – on road shows, over the internet, on mobile applications, or in the company's own

reception area. It's an investment that pays off over the long term.

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"Today's applications offer exceptional possibilities for motion design." Denis Topolic, motion designer at SPS MARKETING Linz

Content shared on your Facebook page provides fascinating insights to your customers.

Teaser clips launched on your YouTube channel can raise attention before the trade show starts.

The message of the electronic fair invitation must be perfectly tailored to the target groups.

A branded USB card is a very effective press release.

Trade fair architecture is an integral part of the communication.

Around the GlobeTrade shows in emerging markets are growing rapidly. Companies who want to be successful in China or India, can not afford to stay away, or to violate any local rules of conduct.

Companies who want to successfully present themselves on the international market must know how to

take large and small differences among the cultures into consideration. Everyday behaviours, such as eating

or drinking, can in the emerging markets of China and India, be very different from what any one who is

accustomed the European and American trade shows, would expect. Cultural differences naturally also affect

the sales and marketing activities.

"In order to present yourself successfully, you must develop a cultural understanding of the host country.

Targeted training prepares the sales team – so there are no surprises," says Gerhard Preslmayer, trade show

expert and CEO of SPS MARKETING Linz.

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Gerhard PreslmayerTrade show expert

and CEO of SPS MARKETING

Expert hints

In order to be successful in foreign business markets, it's a good idea to get local support in the process.

Having a local market expert who knows the local customs, how the flow of visitors works, and

typical visitor behavior will help ensure your trade show investment is well-spent. In additional, local

market analysis can serve as the basis for important decisions such as choosing your site within the

hall or planning the entire trade show construction.

"We understand the entire trade show process and can support our customers locally. We permanently

update our know-how in the E3 network," says Gerhard Preslmayer, on why it pays to have an experienced

partner at your side.

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Strong competition on the booming Chinese market Close to the customer at the India Auto Expo Delhi

SPS MARKETING for Magna at the Auto China Beijing SPS MARKETING for Magna at the India Auto Expo Delhi

Gerhard PreslmayerTrade show expert

and CEO of SPS MARKETING

E3 N

ETW

ORK

E3 networkThe E3 Agency Network is a closely integrated

coalition of independent brand strategy and

marketing communications firms from around the

world. With access to this wide pool of talent,

E3 agencies give clients a real chance to make an

impact nationally and internationally.

Find out how the E3 perspective can help you.

www.e3network.com

Administration: veerle@e3network.com

The Seven Sins of Trade Show MarketingTrade show marketing is more challenging

than ever before. The trade show specialists

within the E3 network know the challenges,

the trends and the most effective marketing

tools. Please contact us if you want to find

out how your organization can benefit from

the international know-how.

tradeshow@e3network.com

SPS MARKETING GmbHThis issue of the E3 Global Insights

Magazine was published by

SPS MARKETING, Austria´s leading

B2B agency.

SPS MARKETING GmbH

Jaxstraße 2-4, A-4020 Linz

Tel. +43 732 60 50 38

www.sps-marketing.com

agency@sps-marketing.com

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Bernstein Media Consulting

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