Hello Friends,

Welcome to the May issue of Skyline's Trade Show Tips.  This month it's all about YOU – quite literally, since we are presenting the results of a survey that you responded to last month.  It is very rewarding when nearly 500 of the busiest trade show marketers in the country take the time to sit down and respond to our questions about how their work is going.  Thank you.

Our survey has two purposes. First, we want to hear from you regarding your information needs; and second, we also want to give you a chance to offer your tips and nuggets of exhibiting wisdom for use in the newsletter.  In the coming issues we will try to touch upon your most urgent information needs, and we will use the most timely and relevant of the tips that have been submitted.

Sincerely,

Marc Phibbs - Vice President, Marketing

Trade Show Tips Readers' Survey

The questionnaire form was emailed to our most active readers who have opened the newsletter at least 3 times this year.  We received 486 completed surveys.  In the survey we asked two basic questions.  First: "Who are you?"  We asked which of four different groups you feel describes you best.  Your responses to this question are shown in the table below.

Who Responded to Our Survey?

From the table above we see that 81% of the response came from people who consider themselves "veteran" exhibit marketers and 22% do their exhibiting in island booth environments.

The other question, "In what area of your work do you need information the most?"  And the respondents chose as many categories as they wanted from a list we provided.  The results are displayed in the table below.

What Areas of the Job Need the Most Help?

Three topics gathered attention from about half of the respondents: "Setting Objectives and Measurable Results," "...Promotions," and "Measuring Results."  This observation strongly underscores the overall trend in marketing toward greater accountability from all active programs.

Not far behind are the topics, "Exhibit Design" and "Value of Trade Shows," and we have already planned to focus on these topics in upcoming issues.

From the final part of the work, here are a couple of brief tips that we collected from you, our readers.  Once again, thank you for participating in this survey.

On Design:

When designing your trade show display, keep words to a minimum.  No one is going to walk by your booth and read posters with lots of copy.  The key to attracting traffic with your display (and creating a lasting impression) is to use eye-catching images and short, compelling messages.
 - Robyn Wolf, APCO Worldwide

On Staff Training/Preparation:

To better prepare for the show, I distribute a Trade Show summary sheet to all those attending the show.  The dates of the show, location, and those attending all listed.  Most importantly, this allows them to return the summary with a list all the supplies, literature, banners and equipment they would like for the show.  Given many of our sales team travel often, this allows us to plan for the show without an official meeting.
- Susan Beohmerle, C. A. Litzler Co., Inc.

To keep your trade show budget, you must prove your program's success.  Before you can prove it, you must first measure it.

Skyline Exhibits
3355 Discovery Rd
Eagan, MN 55121
Phone: 800-328-2725
www.skyline.com

If you wish to be removed from this newsletter mailing list, please send an e-mail message, making sure the FROM address is the same one we mailed so that we can find it in our database, to the following address.
Unsubscribe. Thank you for helping us serve you better.

Permission Granted!
Want to use content from Skyline Trade Show Tips? 
Click here to find out how.

© Copyright 2005 Skyline Exhibits. All rights reserved.

To see many more exciting exhibits,
click here to visit our Design Portfolio.