years of participation, degree of participation, and sponsorship
support.
The organization’s most essential obligation is to put traffic in
the exhibit aisles to fulfill exhibitor expectations and ensure re-
peat business. Marketing is a key to successful exposition man-
agement and growth as well as the substantial revenue it can drive.
Adequate attention and budget must be devoted to promoting at-
tendance and making participation convenient.
Full use should be made of industry publications, association
journals, and print/electronic media to promote the importance of
the exposition to attendees/buyers. Articles, ads, and interviews in
print should continuously promote the exposition as a major com-
ponent of the convention experience.
In many cases, exhibits must be located away from the confer-
ence facility because of a lack of space. In these instances, buses
should be provided to make travel to the exhibits convenient for
buyers (making certain the bus service is also available to ex-
hibitors, who must be at the show earlier, and stay later, than their
audiences). Without such service, it is too easy for buyers to stop
by the restaurant or dawdle in the bar rather than walk or wait for
taxis for transport to the trade show. Transportation is a small in-
vestment to fill the exhibit aisles, particularly in inclement
weather.
Other methods of increasing floor traffic may include:
■Door prizes.
■Prize drawings (with the requirement that drawing stubs or
business cards be deposited by attendees in exhibit booths in
order to be eligible for the big prize). This involves exhibitors
in the festivities, drives attendees toward the booths, and in-
crementally increases the exhibitors’ number of “leads.”
■Exhibit hours that are noncompetitive with other convention
events such as seminars, leadership meetings, and food func-
tions. This dedicated time for the exposition reflects the im-
portance that the association attaches to its exposition.
■Celebrity “walk-arounds” or appearances on the show floor.
■Inviting exhibitors to give away prizes, samples, and even
specialty snacks or dessert items from their booths to in-
crease visits by buyers.
■Providing a photographer to take memento pictures for at-
tendees to take home.124 Chapter 5 Marketing Association Meetings, Conferences, Events, and Expositions