Every marketing dollar needs to be squeezed fully in order
to produce results, or to evaluate which of those dollars
contributes to the sales process. All too often this
thorough analysis has been deferred because marketing is
unsure of the best methodology for analyzing the results.
Determining ROI on
trade shows is daunting, especially for
those new to investing in exhibitions. How does one
go about it? What are the best practices for it? Well
now we have the answer.
Exhibit Surveys, along with several trade show industry organizations
(IAEE, CEIR and PCMA) have created an ROI Tool Kit that any
exhibitor can use to determine the effectiveness of their
trade show program.
And the best part – it is free!!
You may have been to a show earlier this year and want to
assess the value of that
activity or you may be planning
for next year’s show schedule. Or you might be
questioning if you should have a larger presence on the show
floor. Well all those questions and more can be answered
with this ROT Tool Kit.
The Tool Kit answers questions regarding exhibit expenditure
and its return.
Pre Event Planning:
- Should we exhibit?
- How many staff is needed to engage our Potential Audience?
- How
much space is required to attract and accommodate our Potential
Audience?
Post Event
- How many of our Potential Audience did we reach?
- How active
were our staffs in reaching the Potential Audience?
- What
is the ROI potential from leads obtained?
Having
answers to these questions takes the guess work out of
marketing. With solid results, plans can be
created to take full advantage of this proven marketing
strategy.
Like any new tool or program, it will take a bit if learning
to totally grasp the dynamics of it, but once the learning
curve is mastered – one or two passes through the
tool should do it – you will have a valuable instrument
to determine the return on all those shows you manage.
One fascinating aspect is the “what
if” capabilities
of this tool-kit. It allows you to adjust some parameters,
like booth size, booth staff, etc. and compare resulting
numbers based on alternative specifications. This planning
based on variable objective parameters provides a point of
reference for a decision to scale up or scale back your show
activities.
The website to sign-up for this free ROI Tool Kit is here.
On the Let’s Talk Trade Shows website there is a two
part webinar on how to use this valuable tool. The
webinars can be found at www.letstalktradeshows.com/resources. These
webinars will assist you in learning the functions of the
Tool Kit and how it can apply to your unique situation.
About
the Author
Joyce McKee has a 25 year history in the face-to-face event
world. Her trade show efforts are now directed towards
the site www.letstalktradeshows.com. Here
she shares her wisdom and insight on the powerful industry. To
contact her directly – joycemckee@letstalktradeshows.com
