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Samtec displays innovation
A trade show adventure
Creating good live presentations
Employee Spotlight: Steve Goodin
Rules of the Road: Rule 240
Susan Friedmann: Pre-Show Promotion
The key to successful pre-show promotion is targeting those people who you really want to actively walk into your exhibit, find out more about you, and do business with you. The best pre-show promotions are multiple, distinct programs aimed at various target visitors. Most companies’ selling strategy at show includes reaching out to four specific groups:
1. Key customers: existing customers who provide most of your business.
2. Other customers: customers who buy from you but don’t give you all their business.
3. Prospects: hot prospects who are (hopefully) about to buy from you.
4. Other good prospects: people who you would dearly love to sell to if only you had time to devote to them.
Before joining the D&M team, Steve Goodin worked in theater, including a 13-year stint at Actors Theater of Louisville. Steve, pictured above with wife Robbin and daughter Julia, describes himself as a “behind-the-scenes kind of guy.” While he seldom ventured in front of an audience himself, his work was part of countless productions.
Whether it had to fly, rotate, raise up from the floor or just look pretty, Steve made it happen. He puts the experience he gained working in theater to good use at D&M. His knowledge of materials, techniques and ability to calmly attack problem solving helps us not merely build exhibits, but craft experiences for our clients.
The next time you are stranded at the airport, try invoking rule 240, it may get you where you need to go faster. Originally created by the Civil Aeronautics Board, rule 240 was a federal mandate stating if an airline couldn’t get you to your destination on time for any reason other than weather, it was required to put you on a competitor’s flight if it would get you there faster than your original airline’s next flight.
Since deregulation in 1978, airlines are no longer obligated to adhere to this rule, but many will still honor some version of it. This can be an expensive policy so airlines are pretty hush-hush about it. But if you ask (and ask nicely) you may just get lucky.
- Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968) American Baptist Minister, Civil Rights Leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner
Samtec, a worldwide manufacturer of PC board level interconnects (the assemblies and interfaces that make up solid state circuit boards) desired to update the design of their exhibit, to make it as high tech as their product line.
To create this new 20' inline exhibit, D&M utilized one of the latest exhibit structural systems with integrated lighting and modern textures.
The open, airy feeling of the booth is partially achieved by utilizing the new Lumiture extrusion system which integrates lighting into the framework of the backwall. Tension fabric graphics featuring Samtec's trademark tiger on a colorful background seem to float, suspended within the frame and surrounded by a halo of light. The airy look is continued throughout by elevating counters with slender legs, using voile fabric graphics and frosted acrylic accents.
The exhibit solution also resolved some functional issues Samtec had with their old booth. Previously a single product display cabinet contained many products and was located at the front of the booth, acting as a kind of barrier that kept visitors in the aisle and limited their number during busy periods. New selling stations, including two rotating product showcases on the backwall, provide ample space for Samtec's extensive assortment of small parts and a new level of interactivity that brings visitors into the space. The more welcoming design also integrates a large flatscreen monitor, and adds plenty of workspace and storage.
The exhibit created for the Pepperdinkle & Pals Club conveys a sense of quirky fun and innocence that defines the brand and its line of plush “adoptable” toys. As first-time exhibitors, P&PC wanted an exhibit with high visual impact that would draw visitors in, as well as communicate the essence of their product. Using standard portable components as basic structure, D&M brought the clubhouse to life with beautiful watercolor illustrations created for P&PC by a local artist.
By carrying the graphic theme with photomural panels, counter graphics and custom dye-sublimated table throw, the effect is more one of a theatrical set than an exhibit. However the exhibit is designed to be functional, portable, lightweight and easy-to-use. The backwall is a pop-up featuring Nomadic’s new monitor mount showing a looping presentation of P&PC’s website where kids can read stories about the characters and play games. One of the cases converts to a counter (disguised as a hedge) for use as a laptop workspace. The custom table throw disguises the standard 6’ table and provides ample display area for products, and space underneath to hide sundry items.
To find out more about how D&M can upgrade your pop-up with Nomadic’s new line of Instand Accessories, or transform your portable graphics into a brand statement, call us at 888.501.7469.
According to trade show research, live presentations are the third most important reason people remember a trade show exhibit, after display size and product interest. Any form of live presentation, such as a staged product demonstration, theatrical skit, magician, game show, choreography, video, audio, robots or singers, can attract a throng of visitors to your booth.
Before deciding to make this powerful promotional tool an integral part of your trade show exhibit, reviewing this list of action steps can help start thinking about how to do it best.
1. Consider your show objectives
2. Project the right image
3. Think about your audience
4. Have a realistic budget
5. Be professional
6. Grab attention and encourage action
7. Focus your staff
8. Monitor and capture leads
9. Deal with logistical issues
10. Evaluate success
For more detail on how you can use these criteria to determine if a live presentation or demonstration is right for your trade show program, click here to read Susan Friedmann's full article.