ExhibiTALK

Northwest Flower & Garden Festival and Southern Spring Home & Garden Show take top two spots in Better Homes & Gardens Magazine top five list.

Last year Bizzabo emailed over 400 mid- to senior-level marketers asking for their thoughts on the events industry. See the results.

As you prepare for your Marketplace Events home show, we wanted to remind you of an important resource you may be overlooking that will help you before, during, and after the event: social media.

In addition to over $7,000 in donations raised for Habitat for Humanity, Marketplace Events was able to provide Hurricane Irma assistance on a local level at the Jacksonville Home + Patio Show. Read on to find out how.

At Marketplace Events we pride ourselves on our ability to produce home shows that are loaded with real inspiration, fresh ideas, and expert advice -- all elements which create a winning recipe for bringing people to the show and introducing them to your business as an exhibitor.

Successful exhibitors know the importance of training. They will take the time to teach their staff (and themselves) how to sell while working the booth. Always top of mind is presenting both yourself and your company in a professional way - without being too overbearing - and without being so indifferent that potential customers pass you by. In seconds, people will either be attracted to your booth or repelled by it, and you should always be aware of the image you are presenting.

As a leader in the home show industry, Marketplace Events has several new and effective strategies in place that are being developed to benefit exhibitors throughout the entire year!

In April the Marketplace Events spring home show season winds down. By then all of our spring home show exhibitors have taken on new projects, and the days working the show floor are just a distant memory... BUT...

After watching our show teams work incredibly hard during the months leading up to our busy spring home show season, we wanted to share their tips for exhibitors on having a successful show.

At Marketplace Events we love to acknowledge our exhibitors, whether it be for the best booth, most creative booth, or even the best dressed. Yes, best dressed is an award! We know participating in our events takes a lot of planning and work on your part, and we appreciate all exhibitors who make the effort to continually improve their displays and raise the bar. After all, it is our goal to produce the best quality home shows for both our exhibitors and our attendees. A quality show translates to more traffic to your booth and more sales!

In May 2016, Marketplace Events held a company meeting in Austin, TX. ​In the Austin spirit of keepin' it weird the theme for the meeting this year was #BoomBiscuit. According to UrbanDictionary.com, the top definition of the slag term "Boom Biscuit" is: Success has been achieved. You have done what you said you would do. A term of endearment towards a successful outcome.

In addition to booth space, exhibitors are encouraged to take advantage of all marketing opportunities available to them when taking part in a Marketplace Events produced home show. Aside from the standard show guide listing during the event, we also provide a listing on the home show website. The exhibitor listing remains active from the time you sign up for your booth until the end of the renewal period after the show closes.

The art of selling at a home show is based upon how well you can personally communicate and demonstrate your product or service, so that a qualified attendee can relate, understand, and respond to your presentation. Remember, selling at a home show is much different than selling in the field, in a store, or on a telephone. It is much more intimidating. Even the strongest salesperson can have trouble selling at a home show.

Once you are set up and the show opens it's time to interact with the customers that enter your booth. Plan at least three unique greetings that do not have a "Yes" or "No" answer. Look people directly in the eye when introducing yourself and/or your company and prepare a thirty second introduction about your company, products, or services.

When you are assigned booth duty at any trade show remember that you are on display along with your company’s products. You are a selected representative of the company. You are on duty to meet, sell, educate, inform and service customers and prospects. You're not only selling your products - you're selling yourself.

Many customers will remember MORE about the salespeople manning a booth than the booths themselves! Your success depends largely on the collective talent, product knowledge and energy level of your sales staff, AND of course how prepared they are. The foolproof way to insure everyone is prepared is to share your knowledge of the show with those who will be manning the booth.

In this next series, we will address each of these three critical areas. Think of this as the "to-do" list which will enable you to be better prepared, do everything right the first time, achieve the objectives you have set for your company, and have a stress-free experience.

After you have enjoyed the rewards from the pre-show exposure, it's time to maximize your participation while at the home show. There are numerous ways to create brand awareness on the show floor, from large sponsorship partnerships to smaller visual ways which help bring traffic to your booth.

The most effective marketing plan is one that is customized based on business objectives. Below are just a few of the marketing opportunities available to our exhibitors, sponsors, and partners. Our goal is to work with all taking part to ensure they have a successful show.

Marketplace Events continues to lead the home and garden event industry with innovative marketing initiatives and strategies that drive attendance and add value to your participation in our shows. These strategies have been developed with exhibitor participation in mind!