Event Maximization

0:00 All right.

0:01 So we have 4 questions to ask you today, and I'll go ahead and start with the first question.

0:08 So coming from our prospects and clients, my executives only care about lead count, but I know that brand moments matter more.

0:21 How do I bridge the gap in that reporting?

0:26 Well, yeah, they so the the data is showing that these impressions like on social media are, are there's a total uptick.

0:35 And in fact, we just learned at the EDPA meeting earlier in the month that you would suspect that a lot of it, a lot of that activity is on LinkedIn.

0:44 But where it's really showing up is in Facebook, Instagram, TikTok on, on people's like their social networks.

0:51 So I think you can measure, you know, impressions and mentions and, and demonstrate to leadership that, hey, we're having an impact beyond just leads.

1:01 We're having brand impressions that extend well beyond the the show floor.

1:05 So I think, I think the social data is, is, is a clear, is a clear opportunity to add that to, to, to reporting.

1:14 Yeah, You know, it's also interesting because I think it's a leading indicator.

1:18 And so to kind of emphasize how the trade show and these brand impressions and things that show up on social media, they, they are creating a relationship with the brand that ultimately helps influence the the purchasing or the engagement.

1:40 Yeah.

1:40 So question #2 how can we make an exponential leap in our presence this year without simply doubling our budget?

1:53 Well, I would say, I would say design a different environment for sure, just to avoid that.

1:59 Hey, you know, we, we've seen that last year type of thing.

2:02 So I think this this idea of really surprising and delighting your audience with your brand activation.

2:07 So I think that's where I would start is just look at look at the activation from prior years and just say, how can we reformulate this, tell a different story and do a, an offer really a different experience.

2:20 That in itself does not necessarily have to cost more money.

2:25 And so I think just being more creative with the resources that you have allocated, but I really just start with the overall design of the environment for sure.

2:33 So what is the science behind attendee engagement that one might be currently missing in their booth flow?

2:44 Well, I think if everybody knew the answer, you know, it would be, it would be easier.

2:50 But here's what we do know.

2:52 We, we do know that the average attendee spends only 12 minutes inside of your, of your environment.

2:58 And that's an average, right.

2:59 So I think we want to, we want to design experiences that captivate that audience for a longer period of time.

3:07 I always remind exhibitors that, look, if they're in your exhibit, it means that they're not in somebody else's.

3:13 And you know, we've got these hours of the show so that the opportunity to engage is really defined and limited by those show hours.

3:20 And we want to create experiences that keep them in our environment as long as possible such that they're not in someone else's environment.

3:28 So be just really intentional about whether it's the engagements or it's hospitality, there's tactical things that you can do to drive more time in your, in your, in your space.

3:40 I just think if you, if you can measure that time and, and extend it beyond that 12 minute average, you're doing a better job than most people around you.

3:49 Yeah, you're winning for sure.

3:51 How do I ensure our 30 by 30 island booth feels like an immersive brand experience rather than just a large piece of architecture?

4:02 Yeah, that gets into a little bit of, you know, design science, if you will.

4:07 But there there are some things that you can do.

4:11 One is you can create a space that's just more captive.

4:13 And in sort of back to your first question, we did an environment, a large scale environment for a client where the exterior of the exhibit was just really there for Instagram able moments.

4:25 And there was a clear threshold that you had to go through to enter into the space.

4:31 And so that's a way of designing an environment where you, you, you know, the, the access and the egress into the space is very limited by on purpose.

4:43 And then you're using the exterior of the of the environment for something totally different, which is back to the first thing.

4:49 So I, I think you think about restaurant design, for example, there's now there's these really, especially here in Vegas, right?

4:58 There's these really long extended thresholds.

5:00 You got to walk through a tunnel, through a door, all this stuff.

5:03 So these same sort of techniques can be used in exhibit design.

5:07 And far too often they're not used.

5:11 It's just sort of everyone wants it to be open and accessible from all aisles and that.

5:16 And like you don't enter into any other environment that way.

5:18 You don't enter into hotels that way, you don't go into restaurants that way.

5:22 And yet when we design a lot of exhibits, I shouldn't say when we design them, but a lot of times that's a requirement from clients, is that it's just open.

5:33 Well, open is not very captivating.