Product/Service Presentation
Attendees visit an exhibit for a number of reasons. They want to interact with the staff and products/services, as this is something they cannot do in their offices. This is what makes trade shows so unique among all marketing initiatives. It is possible to participate firsthand in demonstrations, which are efficient learning tools for customers. This satisfies attendee’s desire to engage with people and participate firsthand in the educational process. It is a unique opportunity for prospects to evaluate products and services and see how these apply to their organizations. This is why it is critical regardless of what you sell to find unique ways to present company resources. Getting attendees to do something, anything is mandatory for increasing retention for the visit. If the only thing your audience does is scan their badge and get a gift, it is important to reconsider why you are going and think about the recommendations in this section. These will help you become far more productive and memorable as a result of your participation.
To be effective, product and service presentations/demonstrations require thoughtful planning based on the following criteria
a.) Understanding your typical customer or prospect
b.) Creating an engaging, interactive, informative experience through thoughtful planning to address what they want to see, do and experience in your exhibit. And most important, what they are likely to participate in.
c.) Planning how the demonstrations or presentations fit into the entire booth experience so all initiatives complement one another. All product presentations and demonstration should prolong the stay to increase retention for the message
Remember, attendees are there for hands-on, interactive educational experiences. Your job is to give them that unique, interactive involvement they cannot get while sitting in front of a computer screen in the office. They want to be able to efficiently and effectively collect and evaluate product/service information and understand how your products/services can help their business.
Attendees were scored in the following areas. This is supported by ideas to improve product/service presentations and results.
a. Are products physically displayed or presented? A display is static. A presentation or demonstration is interactive. Tradeshow attendees want hands-on, interactive educational experiences. Simply placing products or pictures of the products in the booth is not enough to accelerate retention. Ask yourself, what is our core message about this product and how can we get visitors to experience this in a more unique way. And this applies whether what you sell is tangible (products) or intangible (services/solutions). There has to be a way to make this more exciting and/or interactive so attendees understand what you offer and what you offer to them.
b. Is the display/presentation thoughtful/creative/unique? The extra thought and effort you put into your product/service presentation is instantly evident to visitors and demonstrates your commitment to providing a quality visitor experience. The objective of your product/service presentation is to display a little creativity or imagination while economizing on the amount of time visitors need to invest in the booth and acquire the information they are looking for. Think about your product or service and try to find a fun, unique and engaging way to recreate field based or real world applications for maximum impact. Proving your claim in a more interactive way is effective.
For example, intangibles such as services or solutions can be demonstrated in interactive PowerPoint or flash presentation, games, self-directed educational activities, etc. One booth at the BioPharma conference used a rebus (word puzzle) and asked attendees to solve the formula for success. All it required was a sign at the corner of their 10x10 exhibit and design of a clever word puzzle that reinforced what the company sold. It was amazing how many attendees played which provided unique opportunity for the staff to interact and have more in depth conversations. It was also a way to weed out visitors that were not prospects for the service.
c. Is the display/presentation engaging and/or interactive? Visitors want to physically engage with products and services. Design your product presentation so the visitor can touch a screen, push buttons, feel temperatures and textures, hear sounds, and test toughness by banging a product. At Sterling (subsidiary of Kohler) the company introduced the new silent stainless steel sinks. The company installed steel drums, triangles and symbols alongside the sink and invited people to play these to see the comparison in sound. This was an unique way to reinforce that the new sink was silent even when played with drumsticks. So you can see that long term retention is improved when multiple senses are engaged: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. The more this occurs the more effective the impact and recall.
d. Is feature/benefit signage integrated into presentation? Don’t just show them, tell them. You have no idea how many silent monitors we have experienced in the thousands of shows we do. Or how many products that are haphazardly spread around tables with no descriptors whatsoever. Don’t expect attendees to understand it without explanations. If they don’t’ get it fast, they are gone. Especially those who are not familiar with your company.
Presenting products without feature benefit signs or at the very least product titles limits comprehension. Attendees don’t know what they are looking at or why they should care. Supporting product messages with visible, bulleted copy expands comprehension of what you sell. This can also be achieved with interactive monitors and/or with continuous loop PowerPoint or DVD presentations. These approaches help increase comprehension, retention and post-show recall. If you are presenting a PowerPoint, video or DVD on monitor(s) in the exhibit be sure to identify what’s being shown on the monitor. This can be achieved through topper(s) attached to the monitor or on an easel sign on the counter. The signs can be very helpful for the audience as too often the volume is turned down and attendees are watching a “silent movie”. The signage identifies the presentation topic and helps put content into context for viewers so they know what they are viewing. Or you can add captions (sub-titles) to ensure attendees are fully informed about what they are viewing.
e. Is takeaway product/service information readily available? Despite increasing preference for receiving information post-show, there are still a considerable number of attendees who want detailed information to take with them for more immediate review. Whether you use printed materials and/or provide data via USB drives, CD ROMs or QR codes, it is important to have information readily available for those who request it. It’s a good idea to always bring some bring limited literature and have it available for those who need or want it right now too. You could choose to have a print on demand station in the booth.
And organize what you hand out. We have been to so many exhibits where are laying laying haphazardly on tables when it is just as easy to use an inexpensive table top or free stand literature dispenser instead. Another way to avoid the expense of shipping a lot of literature is using the QR codes either through the show or through your own system. Again, know your audience. Many attendees that are not quite as computer literate won’t be interested in receiving information this way so you still should have some on hand. Also, remember that despite the QR code being a leading edge delivery option, most smart phones need to have an app to be able to read these. Having a visible link where to download the QR code reader app will be a service to attendees that don’t often use them but are open to the technology.
We hope you found your evaluation and the information in each section helpful. The goal of this resource report is to give you additional information in conjunction with your individual report to guide you in making any necessary corrections in your exhibit program to improve your overall effectiveness. We realize you may have additional questions and sincerely welcome your questions. Please feel free to submit any and all questions to jefferson@tradeshowturnaround.com. If you have suggestions let us know and feel free to share your ideas on how to improve the reports.
Be sure to reserve your space for next year’s expo and contact us with questions: jefferson@tradeshowturnaround.com or call Jefferson Davis at 704-814-7355