Promotional items can be the cherry on the top of a great trade show or event. They will extend the life of the event and keep your company top of mind. The problem is getting the promotional items in the right hands and to keep the trick or treaters at bay.
Trick or treaters are the people that walk around with their giant bag or rolling cart and grab three of everything “for their grand kids”. They are the people that walk up and try to take items off your table that are not even promotional items. They are the life sucks that can walk away with $5 – $15 of items and never say hello or be qualified as a lead.
So how do we get items into the right hands and keep the trick or treaters at bay? Here are my top 3 tips.
1.Promotional items should have a purpose.
You can read my 5 “W”s of Promotional Items here. I do not advocate giving items away just for the sake of keeping the masses happy.
2. Make a game out of giving the items away.
A person must complete a set of actions to get specific items. For instance, if you are giving a pen away, they have to write down one thing they have learned at the show and their contact information – with the pen. You can ask people to take comment, post, like, or tag on your social media profiles. You can ask them to sing a song – whatever works with your goals for the trade show will work here.
3. Do not set them on the table at the front of the booth.
This allows people to do drive-by. They walk over, grab the item, and keep right on walking. Make attendees work for your give aways. Even if you are going for the shot gun approach of trying to hit everyone, a small interaction will make the item and your company more memorable. I will often buy big bags of candy to place out for the people just walking by to grab items. This keeps people happy and allows me to interact with the people who want to talk with me.
Every part of your booth needs to help drive your shows goals forward – especially your promotional items. These are items that people are taking with them and will be used to remember your company. Do not let it be a grab and go process – work on having an interaction and creating a memory to go with the item.
I often take the time in December to plan out my next year, to see where I can improve and how I can push my events to the next level. I have been diving into various TED Talks lately and wanted to share the top 3 that inspired be for 2020.
What I Learned From 100 Days of Rejection by Jia Jiang
Trade shows 80% rejection, people walking by or saying no thank you. Learning how to accept that is a crucial part of the process.
Embrace the Remix by Kirby Ferguson
We rarely start from scratch with our trade show programs. We have Brand Guidelines, legacy materials, and past data that we can constantly remix into better ideas.
How Great Leaders Inspire Action by Simon Sinek
I find that after a long year, going back to Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle and focusing on the why is a great reset for my brain and creativity. We often focus so hard on the benefits and features of the products or services that we forget that people don’t buy those. They buy the why.
What are your favorite TED Talks or inspirational videos?
Craft/ Paint nights have become a common event across the country and for good reason – they are fun and social.
My mom and I host craft days at least twice a year and wanted to share our tips for success. More people crafting is never a bad thing. The world needs more creativity.
Tip 1: Pick ONE craft type
We do succulent pumpkins and card craft days. We have tried to do a “general” craft day with multiple project options but it never works well. People have a hard time deciding which craft to do, we have to purchase a ton of supplies and have more space ready.
Picking one type of craft allows you to limit the supplies and space that you need to provide your guests and keep everyone crafting, not deciding what to craft.
Tip 2: Your guest list depends on your space
We have estimated that each crafter needs 4 feet of table space to feel comfortable working on their item and their chosen supplies. 3 feet is workable but anything less becomes very cramped.
You will need a space for snacks and drinks, a space for finished pieces, a space for general supplies, and a space for drying items if painting is involved. We assume you need 15 square feet per person at your craft day.
Tip 3: Have samples
If you have the self-professed, non-creatives in the group, a sample and some simple instructions can help to get them moving. I have found that most people in this mindset don’t want to be seen screwing it up. Give them the tools and some basic instructions and watch them go to town. It is great to watch them create and love what they have made.
Tip 4: Enjoy!
Craft days should be fun for you and your guests. Make sure you sit down and create as well. We have found that keeping the guest list small allows us to create more and “host” less. 6-8 people total is our sweet spot but you can test the guest count out yourself.
We love hosting craft days and make gifts for others, centerpieces for the holidays, and great memories. Remember that crafting is not about perfection but about enjoyment and your craft day will go great!
Bonus Tips:
Keep any supplies you don’t use this year in a tote for next year! Fewer costs the next time.
Paper plates, toothpicks and wooden skewers have many uses that have nothing to do with snacks.
Have a snack table that is easily refillable.
Disposable tin pans make great organizers for small items.
Tape a garbage bag next to each space. It will help keep the table cleaner and allow your guests to keep working.
Tape all power cords down to put mats over them.
Take pictures! It is fun to see your progress from year to year.
Canceling an event can feel like you have failed. It is a hard decision to make and many valid reasons to do so. I have canceled or postponed events for a variety of reasons and it is always hard. But, it is better to cancel or postpone an event than have a Fyre debacle.
Reasons to Cancel the Event
Poor Attendance
You should have done a cost analysis when you started the event and know what your break-even point is. Even if you are doing a free event, estimate the value of the attendees. Create a drop-dead date and if you do not have the attendance you need, then decide if you want to postpone the event or cancel it altogether. I have gone against this advice and had bad events.
Bad Planning
If you want to see a case of bad planning, watch one of the Fyre Festival documentaries that have been released later. Woodstock 50 learned from that lesson and canceled their event because they could not find the proper venue to host it. You can read about it here. We can learn from these mistakes and know that good planning and know when to pull the plug.
Security Threats
This is becoming more of a concern and every threat made against your event should be taken seriously. Call the local authorities with all threats and have them investigated. If you feel that any threat made the day or is credible, cancel the event. It is better to be on the news for canceling an event than the other options. As an event organizer, you are responsible for the safety of your guests. Take that seriously. See how Cardi B handled this issue.
How to Cancel Your Event
Spread the News as Fast and as Far as You Can
Send emails, letters, post it on social media as soon as you have made the decision to cancel the event. Apologize for the inconvenience, state why you are canceling and the new date if you are postponing it.
Refund the Ticket Costs
I would suggest refunding the entire ticket cost. If you have to keep an administrative fee, make sure that is spelled out in the legal disclosures that people agree to when they purchase their tickets. If you plan to postpone the event – offer the refund the people who are unable to attend the new event date.
I hope you never had to cancel one of your events, but always have a plan in place and a drop dead date on when you will make that decision. I have found when you carry an umbrella, it rarely rains.
People love to travel to events and see new places. Most large conferences choose big metro areas because they have the hotel capacity and the draw for attendees. These huge cities also offer a great way to entertain customers and leads. The drawback is you are hosting an event outside of your home city – and that comes with a host of pitfalls. Here are the top 6 tips for hosting a destination event.
1. Do a site visit whenever possible.
No pictures, no second-hand account, will give you the kind of impression as being on-site yourself. You are able to walk the space, get an idea for flow, smell, parking, and all the little details that can get lost in images and videos. Learn more about site visits here.
2. When not possible to do a site visit – get an expert and knowledgeable second-hand account.
Yelp and Google are great for restaurant reviews for a night out with friends. I do not suggest using them exclusively for your out of town evnet. Every major city will have at least one Destination Management Company (DMC). These companies help you find the best venue for your event, entertainment and act as a sounding board for all of your ideas. They will help you to schedule, negotiate, plan transportation and more. They are the next best thing to being on-site.
3. Pack / Ship your Event Box
I have a box that travels with me to every event. It has the basics of duct tape, zip ties, pens, pads of paper, small first aid kit, scissors, screwdriver and a small hammer. I have fixed almost everything with this particular kit. Other items go in and out of my kit as the event call for it but that is my core and it travels with me. Make sure you have your basics. Learn about what I keep in my trade show box.
4. Arrive to the event at least 24 – 36 hours ahead of your event.
Arrive at your destination and do a walkthrough of the venue as soon as you are able to. It is amazing what an extra 4 – 10 hours can allow you to do in case of unforeseen events.
5. Always be nice to every on-site staff member at the venue before, during and after your event.
I have a policy of arriving at a venue with a small thank you gift and giving it during or before set up. I let the venue know that this is a thank you for the crazy request I know I will end up having. This can be a basket with snacks or a case of beer. If I have not been to the venue before I will stick with the snacks. I then say my please and thanks you’s every time I interact with the venue. The venue staff has the ability to make or break your event. They can have the thing you need or even solve a problem before you know it is one or they can sit back and watch you sink.
6. Roll with the punches
All events have hiccups. When you are away from home and your safety net – small things can feel huge. When things go wrong; take a step back, take a breath, and find a plan.
I had one event where I had specified that the tables should be in a square. In my mind, this meant the tables along the outside edge with an empty space in the middle. When I got onsite, I had 6 tables all pushed together to create a very large square – that I suddenly had to decorate. I redid some of my other decorating plans and had the time to work with the hiccup. If I had arrived later, I would not have had the time to make the table look amazing.
Out of town or destination events are a great way to build customer loyalty or extend the reach of your trade show booth. Have fun planning them!
Growing your business or book of sales is a hard thing to do. Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to grow your business – especially a service-based business.
How do you build up that word of mouth? Host a networking event.
Here are 5 Tips to hosting the Perfect Networking Event
Pick the right venue.
A good networking venue will have three things,
Enough room for people to mingle without feeling claustrophobic. I would take the sitting capacity of the room and subtract 10.
Acoustics that can handle the size crowd you want. You want people to be able to talk easily without yelling. Crowds can get loud but you don’t want it so loud that people cannot network.
Good finger food and drinks.
Timing is Everything
See who your target market is and decide if you want to do a breakfast or happy hour event. You can do an informal survey of your target audience. Now, realize that no time will be perfect for everyone. I like to give people 15-30 days notice that the event will be happening.
Make signing up and signing into the event easy
There are a ton of apps that can help with ticketing, reminding people about the event, sign in and event follow up. You want to have as little friction as possible for your attendees. This also allows you to network at the event, not have the manage everything.
Market it as Exclusive.
I recommend doing exclusive events where you have a certain target and allow only a set number of people to attend on a first-come, first-serve basis. I want my attendees to feel like they have access to an exclusive group of people. Then, I post about the event during and after. You have to be invited to the event but anyone can see that the event happened.
Be the connection.
During the event, make sure you are introducing those that don’t know each other. Ask what your attendees are looking for, what their business needs, and make the connections. This will give you credibility and build your brand. People will come to see you as the person who can help build their business and will go to you when your services are needed.
Hosting a networking event is a simple but effective way to grow your personal brand and build a pipeline.
Check back soon to see the free Networking Event Checklist.
