the May 2008 Issue in PDF Format - Trade Show Executive

Continued from page 34
are reducing sales costs and probably
increasing the growth rate because a lot
of new sales are going toward growth
rather than replacement,” says Cox.
Post-Event Measurement
Being able to show ROI can also
help to prove value and keep exhibitors
returning. The post-event segment of the
ROI Tool Kit focuses on this aspect. Data
required here includes show information
as well as exhibitor-generated numbers,
such as inquiries and leads obtained,
expenses and conversion to sales. The
results analyze reach efficiency, staff
performance and potential ROI for
qualified leads.
Having this information can help
exhibitors compare shows more fairly.
The program provides a template for
exhibitors to use across many shows
with different audiences, which has been
elusive for many until now for a variety of
reasons.
“The lack of ROI metrics has been an
issue for SEMICON West. The exhibitors
have a long sales cycle – a few years – so
it makes it difficult to track leads from a
show. Exhibitors also have a hard time
tying their leads from their lead retrieval
units back to their customer database in
the office,” says Carunchio.
The Show Manager as a Partner, not a
Salesperson
The ROI Tool Kit can not only
complete the calculations but also
help exhibitors to organize
their data. Organizers who
assist this process, i.e.
providing audited
data and
directing
exhibitors to the tool kit, become true
partners. “If there is no assistance
from the show manager in that game,
ultimately the purse strings will tighten,”
says Wentz. On the
other hand, if ROI
can be proven by
any metric, even
reach efficiency,
then justification is
provided.
Steven Hacker
Teaching the
Teachers
“The calculation of ROI is not easy,
and so we have some challenges to
surmount before it becomes commonly
accepted as a tool,” says Steven Hacker,
CAE, president of IAEE. One of those
challenges is getting the word out about
the tool and teaching exhibitors and
organizers to use it.
“People can take the time to work
themselves through it and there are plenty
of descriptions to use it, but it’s probably
better to be taught how to use it through
a demo of some sort,” says Cox.
IAEE has a link to the tool kit on its
home page and has organized webinars
to teach exhibitors and organizers about
its use. The organization will also offer a
“train-the-trainer” session in conjunction
with CEIR on June 23 in Schaumburg,
IL. BPA will also offer a user webinar
this Summer, which will be added to the
company’s archive of web events on its
web site. In addition, the company will
include the tool kit in presentations to
exhibitors.
Show organizers are also being asked
to participate in the awareness campaign.
Carunchio notes that SEMI will highlight
the ROI Tool Kit in its monthly exhibitor
updates as well as within its exhibitor
university program.
“Hopefully, there will come a day
when exhibitors researching a show will
go to either the EEIAC [Exhibition and
Event Industry Audit Commission], BPA
Worldwide, or Exhibit Surveys websites
and pull down a show audit report and
then go to the ROI Tool Kit website
and plug in the data. This would help
the exhibitors to be more self- sufficient
and informed on what shows are best
for them,” says Carunchio. But, she adds,
it also helps the show organizer to be a
better consultant and reinforce credibility
and promises – a big return for a free
investment.
Reach Gia Carunchio, senior
director, global exhibitions, SEMI, at
(408) 943-7936 or gcarunchio@semi.
org; Skip Cox, president and CEO,
Exhibit Surveys, Inc., at (732) 741-3170
or skip@exhibitsurveys.com; Steven
Hacker, CAE, president, International
Association of Exhibitions and Events
(IAEE), at (972) 687-9204 or shacker@
iaee.com; Glenn Hansen, president
and CEO, BPA Worldwide, at (203)
447-2800 or ghansen@bpaww.com;
Beck Wentz, director, customer events,
AmerisourceBergen Corp., at (610)
727-7015 or bwentz@amerisourcebergen.
com; and Joseph W. Zuccerella, manager,
events marketing, BPA Worldwide, at
(203) 447 2819 or JZuccerella@bpaww.
com
36 May 2008 Trade Show Executive www.TradeShowExecutive.com