On the last blog we discussed why you’d want to change a stand designer when you’ve already got one.  Now we’ll expand the conversation to look at how you find someone to meet your needs.  You may want to use someone with experience of the suppliers but equally you may want to manage this yourself.  As ever with marketing, I recommend you start with some questions to make sure that you know what you want out of the designer.

Where are you based?  Do you want a stand designer that you can meet regularly?  Do you want a stand designer in the country that you’re exhibiting in?

Where is the exhibition?  Check the exchange rates to see if it’s advantageous to use local or foreign designers - obviously this changes day by day but it’s worth consideration. I’ve found it can be worthwhile taking a large simple stand over to the US to install there but it’s not often cost effective to bring a US stand over to Europe.

If the exhibition is in the US don’t forget that you need to use local labour and pay drayage (movement of the goods from your vehicle to the stand) both of these can add considerably to your costs.

How much are you willing to pay?  Think about your brand and the quality level you want.  As with any supplier you can pay a lot for a highly spec’d, top quality build but are you just paying for the stand designer’s brand and reputation?  You can also pay the bare minimum but end up with rough painted wood which doesn’t reflect the clean lines and profile of your brand.

Who do you know?  Can any of your partners or suppliers recommend any stand designers? Are you still in contact with old colleagues or companies within your industry - ask them who they use.  I do find that it’s good to use designers who have experience of the industry I’m working in.  It’s much more challenging to use a designer who builds fantastically creative backdrops when you need a high tech ergonomic design.

Are you connected on LinkedIn?  Join some exhibition based groups and ask them for recommendations. 

Even with all my contacts and industry knowledge I’m always interested in meeting new suppliers and building relationships.  As such I did all of this recently and found some new suppliers in the US and across Europe, all of whom came recommended and were worth starting a conversation with. 

So when should you start your event and which day is best? Over the years I’ve heard many different event managers comment on this, all with gusto and most with experience to back up their decision.  At the end of the day it depends on your audience and your topic - are you aiming for business or consumer and is it something that people want to make time for in their busy days or would they rather team it up with some drinks and make an evening of it?  The questions (as ever) are never ending but here’s some thoughts to help you decide.

- I’ve found that people like Monday mornings to decompress from the weekend and get their thoughts in order for the week.  Hence Monday’s may not get the best attendance.

- Similarly, Fridays are either frantically full of the work that hasn’t yet been finished or is the wind down day.  Catching up on emails and work in the office so you can leave for the weekend with a clean conscience.  

- So let’s aim for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Being a pragmatist these may already be booked up for travel and meetings so get your invites out early to book these slots.

Should we now go for morning, afternoon or evening?  

- Evenings are great if you want people to network or be sociable - I concede that some are happy to do this on company time but a lot of people will be focused purely on their job during the day and so evenings, give them the option of a learning/networking opportunity with the possibility of a a free drink or canapé thrown in.

- Afternoons have never been particularly successful for my clients.  The audience fills up the morning with work and then it’s hard to justify/find the time to leave for an event.  Something always seems to come up be it traffic, bad weather, another meeting, a shortened deadline - small things can tip the scales to prevent attendance.  Do you want to risk it?

- Mornings are often the best option as people go into automatic pilot, check their diary and head to the first appointment - your event!  OK, traffic can affect timings but you can plan around that.  The crucial thing is that something else hasn’t managed to squeeze it’s way into the diary that day.

And don’t forget to look up bank holidays, any strike action due, election days, school holidays and annual national holidays ie some European companies effectively shutting down in August. It’s a complex business working out the best time and date to hold your event.  The best advice is to research your potential audience and find out how they plan their week.  Fit that research into knowledge about the local calendar and you should be able to make a rational and effective decision which gives you the best chance to get your audience to attend.

Technology is moving on fast nowadays.  After all we can now talk to our phones and ask them to find a suitable meeting time, then email or text the people to invite them.  The only trouble is, we now seem happy to talk to a phone but not to actually contact the person and talk to them about the meeting.  OK, that’s taking it to extremes but I’ve had a few instances recently where I’ve been invited to meetings and yet not one person has tried to speak to me.  Hence - I haven’t gone along.

As a person I want to be engaged, encouraged and spoken to - emails just don’t always fit the bill.  So here’s 3 circumstances that may just make people think about how they invite people to events and meetings.

Case 1: I was invited to meet up with a new employee at a supplier.  I don’t use the supplier regularly but am willing to stay in touch.  However, I have now been sent 3 group emails inviting myself and other clients to contact them to set up a meeting.  This seems so lazy to me and as I’m not valuable enough to the supplier to warrant a phone call I’m just not going to use them any more.  

Case 2: A venue finding client wanted to host a small seminar in London and they had met a collection of potential attendees.  This seminar did incur a small cost but the Return on Investment on attending was huge - so it should have been an easy sell.  However, the client refused to call the interested parties and get them to sign up.  They were trying to be more subtle and didn’t want to appear to pressurise people. Emails are great but they can be ignored (see Case 1!).  If you really want to get people to sign up you need to do more than just blast them with social media.  Try the old-fashioned picking up of the phone - especially for a small event where you have already got agreement of interest.  It may take more time but I am sure it will get you the sign ups you need.

Case 3: I was invited to visit a local venue recently - the emailed flyer was once again sent to a large group of recipients. Emails such as these are almost junk to me - with so many arriving they have to stand out to get my attention.  So I didn’t pick up on the first email but was surprised to receive another mail, marked urgent, which asked why I hadn’t responded and was I attending.  Again, it’s not a venue that was essential to my business so I put the email to one side to consider and a few days received another mail, once again demanding I let them know if I was attending.  I can’t believe that this small venue had invited more than 100 people so wouldn’t it have been so much more impressive to call me and invite me personally.  I’m not someone who goes to the opening of an envelope but I am someone who has serious business clients who might use the venue.  Group emails may get you some numbers but do they actually get you the quality atttendees that you need?So this may all seem like a rant but hopefully  you can all see that each scenario would have been so much better by the organiser knowing their mailing list, what motivates and engages them and then making sure that they use a variety of communication, especially a phone call to encourage attendance.  Please PICK UP THE PHONE!

I’m considering launching my own events and thought I’d share some of the questions that have been running through my head.  It’s not an exhaustive list of things to consider but a broad sweep just for starters and it may help trigger some inspiration or encourage you to put aside some time to work on these issues.

• • Who’s your audience?
• • No, really.  Who is your audience?  What do they look like?  How do they behave?  What inspires and motivates them?
• •  Is this a paid for event?  Will this encourage attendance or put people off?
• •  If it’s paid for, how can you create real value for the audience.  It’s not just about telling people about your product but about inspiring them.
• •  Why would your audience attend?  Education, personal growth, fun?
• •  What does your audience want to leave with?  Inspiration/ideas/news/products?
• •  How can you get them to turn up, even if they pre-register?
• •  What experience can you give them?
• •  How long will they stay at the event?  How can you extend this?
• •  How can you build a relationship with your audience before, during and after the event?

I used to work with a wonderful lady (let’s call her Jo) who has left an impression on me as few do.  She was a hard worker who smiled constantly, she helped me grow my business and see the vision for what developed in the year’s after she left.  However the biggest impact she had on me was watching her deal with different people.  She was incredible and always won people over. 

In our job we have to deal with a lot of egos, people who in a stressful situation can try to categorise you and put you in your place as they’re scared of how successful you could be.  In spite of some difficult personalities Jo always managed to take on board people’s comments and keep smiling.  I always envied that ability - and still to this day, 10 year’s later I can hear her saying “ Kill them with kindness”.  Now this wasn’t about violence but about responding in a way that completely disarms your ‘opponent’.

I saw one of our suppliers totally flip out at an event and end up blaming Jo for many, many things, even getting deeply personal.  This lovely lady just kept on smiling and seemingly absorbing all the comments but not once retaliate.  Jo knew she was in the right and she knew that this tirade was the result of a stressful situation and lack of sleep.  So she didn’t rise to the bait but answered questions politely and with respect.  I think she even offered to go and fetch them a cup of tea once the situation had been diffused.  Yes, it did affect her but she was able to move on and keep moving the event forward without going into a corner for a screaming at the wall session.  She had enough self-esteem and courage to let that all wash over her and then not store it for future use.

So to this day I always try to respond to anger with kindness and understanding - I can’t say I manage all the time but it has helped me enormously.  Arguing about a situation in a stressful moment is pointless - what you need to do is let the other person’s steam escape and then work with them to find a solution.

I keep confessing to you all and I really have to stop this but then what value would a blog be if it didn’t reveal a little more about me and my thoughts each time?  That’s just my view though - I don’t feel I can write a regular blog without outlining my thoughts and values.  Many other people do write very plain, business like blogs and have enormous success with them.  I’m not aiming for a huge blog following but am still happy that it’s growing gradually.  So why do I do this?

Writing a blog each week can be a challenge - how to come up with ideas and how to allocate the time to post and promote it?  However, I’ve been surprised at the range of people who read it.  These range from local business people that I network with, to old clients who I’ve worked with for years and not forgetting the people I just don’t know but have found me via Twitter or SEO. So given that range of readers how do I make sure that I keep you all entertained, even if just for a 5 minute read?

I wonder how many people really have a good blog strategy and how many just write week after week?  My strategy - to keep my clients and prospects informed of my activity, my thoughts and my business values.  It’s the personal touch to my website that is hopefully, the inviting and more intimate element of my company.  But now I have these other followers should I focus solely on running a small business or go for hard core events tips? That’s my challenge -  to keep evolving the blog and keep you all interested - do let me know what you’d like to read.

So many companies outsource their social marketing to a specialist.  I’m sure this works really well to ensure it gets done and that it’s promoted effectively but is it really the right strategy for your company?  As a small business owner I’m very protective (over-protective?) of my brand and even when I employed staff I still had to oversee the use of the brand.  As such I just can’t see how anyone else could encapsulate and extoll the heart of Nutmeg.  For those that outsource I would really recommend that you use the agency as an alarm and a formatter but come up with the text, the message yourself.  Only the brand owner (be it company director or marketing manager) can really speak of the values of the brand so don’t give that away lightly.

I have to admit - this blog post is a shameless promotion but I was so impressed by the venue that I just had to mention it.  I recently visited the Quantum Hotels in Bournemouth and the wonderful Alice Smee gave me a show around the work in progress.  

Three hotels on Bournemouth sea front have recently changed hands and the new owners Quantum Hotel Group are gutting the Cottonwood  Boutique Hotel, the Ocean View Hotel and the Bay View Breeze Hotel. Stepping over the rolls of carpet, the pots of paint and the new furniture deliveries I was impressed by the vision and sense behind the plans.  The three hotels are next to each other on the spectacular Bournemouth Eastcliff.  With stunning sea views and plenty of light these hotels have already ticked off two of my event wants.

However it was the vision that really impressed me.  The three hotels are being designed to meet all needs. The basic Bayview Hotel has the value rooms.  There are no mod-cons but for position and price I see little to beat it. The mid-range Cottonwood Boutique hotel is wonderfully quirky - from the pink and gold wall paper to the deliciously comfortable seats this is somewhere you just want to sit and chill.  Last but definitely not least is the high-end Ocean View Hotel.  This is the meeting and wedding venue, with a calming serene design feel, you can use this simple backdrop to create any mood you desire.  Watch out for the wall paper in the main areas - it’s fascinating and simply has to be touched.

So that’s the buildings but what about their staffing vision - this is a hotel group that is working to empower staff and make sure that customer service is topmost in everyone’s minds.  What a difference it will make if the staff are looking out for opportunities to impress and make your visit that extra bit special.

There is a long way to go to get all three hotels fully up and running but I do recommend that you keep an eye on progress and sign up to their website to get a cheeky first look. www.quantumhotelgroup.co.uk 

I’ve written before about attendance at events - the good news when some exhibitions are showing great increases in visitor numbers but also those companies that assume people will turn up without putting in any effort.  It’s the difference between the two that interests me - is it the topic that draws the audience or is it the marketing programme surrounding it?

Good topics inevitably draw people to look at an event but they won’t always get people to attend, especially if there is no call to action.  Why should they attend? What are they going to get out of attendance?  What’s in it for me needs to be very clear.

With most people inundated with information nowadays, we need to make sure that we get our events in front of the potential visitors as much as we can.  Repeating the same event invite is frustrating and will turn off your audience so it’s time to think outside the box.  How can you build a relationship with your audience and give them some information or benefit for free?  

Social media is a great help with this but it is not the panacea that some think.  Not everyone is up to date on Twitter or has the the time to read your fabulous blogs.  So you need to spread your marketing over a range of activities.  

Make sure that you have a good list to start with - don’t use the 5 year old company database that you used last time.  If it’s 5 years old probably best to tear it up and start again.  The time it would take to clear out the deadwood means it would be cheaper to buy in a specific lead database targeted at your customers.  Can you work with other media, affiliate companies and publishers to do joint promotions? But do make sure that any agreement on sharing data allows you to continue to promote the event after the initial contact.  

Once you’ve got a good database work out why this group should attend your event.  Is it chargeable?  In which case, you have to make the registration and payment process as easy as possible so you don’t loose people on the way - once a person is turned off, it’s very hard to get them back on your side.

Think about building a relationship.  Think about how you’re going to tease and encourage more interaction from your potential audience.  What do they need and how is your event going to provide that?  If it’s a small tight-knit community you’re after - can you afford to send some direct mail with a unique angle?  I’m not talking about the calendar with your brand on it but something relevant and useful to the audience that will open their eyes to your event.  If you’re after sheer numbers - as exhibition organisers often are then it’s about getting the message out as far and wide and making sure you have enough avenues for each type of visitor to engage with you.

Lastly, don’t forget it doesn’t all end once they’ve signed up - you then need to get them to the door.  Work especially hard at reminders and making their visit as easy and comfortable as possible.  Give your visitors no excuse not to turn up!

I’ve been very lucky in my working life - I’ve spent a great deal of time travelling the world at the expense of my employers.  I’ve had some great experiences and really loved the diversity and challenge of working with different cultures.  Whenever I was recruiting I always looked for staff that had stepped out of the rat race and done something different, people who had the courage to travel abroad and really experience a new country.

Your experiences definitely colour your thoughts and I remember being really surprised at a temp Event Co-ordinator who didn’t know how to call The Netherlands and even when she learnt how to do it, she was scared of making a call to another country.  Maybe I’d just become to used to this extended world of events. It had become common place for me to just call someone up on the other side of the world and ask if they could provide services for us. It also has to be said that we’re very lucky in that English is nearly always understood.  The upside is we can work very easily across the world, the downside is our language skills can flounder as it’s just too easy to fall back on English. My French and German just don’t get the outings anymore and so they’re really, really rusty.

Mind you, English as a common language didn’t always mean that working onsite was easy - often the office account managers spoke fluent English but the teams they’d send onsite spoke a bare minimum.  We always made it work - venues, other suppliers and distributors are always a great help to get the job done.But it’s not just the language that’s an issue, it’s also the culture.  From my experience British events staff are used to long hours and getting their head down to get the job done.  We grab food whenever we can but basically keep on going until we’re all done or have reached a good point to stop.  It’s not the same for other cultures where they down tools at lunchtime and expect a full meal, even if it requires a 3 hour break from the work.  Now, I love food and realise that we English don’t always respect our food properly however, when a jobs got to be done, surely everyone can put aside our usual expectations and fit in?

It has to be said I love working across Europe - the events staff are generally so friendly, speak at least 2 languages and are organised and supportive.  It makes such a difference to an event - we all know that calm in the face of challenge is a great asset in events and throwing your toys out the pram just doesn’t help.  However, if that’s what you’re faced with, then it’s up to you to appreciate the differences in culture and find a solution. My experience has helped me manage this - as you work you can learn, amend and avoid situations that might have stopped you in your tracks earlier.

Hanging signs above exhibition stands seem to flow in and out of favour with the budget holders.  They are an additional expense but they are also one of the main ways that your visitors can find you.  Amongst the mass of stands tall and short in the route from entrance to your stand what better way to signpost your presence than with a sign hung in the air above your stand?

Hanging signs come in all shapes and sizes from the magnificent lighting rigs with rotating promotional material to a simple hanging vinyl banner.  All of them serve one purpose - to shout about where exactly you are in the hall and whilst you will never know what every stand in front of you will do, hanging a good sign will help bring visitors to your stand.Height is the key to being found at many tradeshows - I would always advise clients to consider how their stand can be found from key entrances/areas of the exhibition.  This may be as simple as having a tall back wall with a logo clearly displayed but do think about the angles and the visitor flow to make sure that they match.  If, for example, the entrance is in the front left hand corner of the hall, a small triangular or round hanging sign may be much easier to see from the entrance than a flat wall facing straight forwards.  Simple signs are easy and cheap to create and should only need a couple of suspension wires to fix.

I know that you all contact your clients and prospects before an event and tell them when and where you’ll be at the show, and if possible make appointments but let’s make it easy for them to find you as well.  If you can’t get a space right at the front of the tradeshow then consider whether the investment in a hanging sign would improve your visibility and your presence on the show floor.