Exhibition is a battlefield. It is a battlefield where companies battle for ATTENTION -the visitors’ attention. This war mentality will help any company joining the event to be prepared. As the saying goes, planning is half the battle won.

Now, how do you win the battle? In my experience there are 5 Collaterals that you must have and that you cannot win the battle without it.

1. Flyers and Brochures

Flyers and brochures are very important. This is where visitors read information about your company offerings. This maybe simplistic but I have seen a lot of companies neglect this basic collateral. Yes, you know the answer - lost of selling opportunities.

Therefore, never forget to design an attractive brochure or flyers. It can convert sales in exhibitions.

2. Samplings

There is a study that in food expo those exhibitors that give free tasting get to sell more as compared to those that do not.

In car expo, those that provide test drives get to convert sales.

In other products the same hold true that clients/visitors who are given a chance to sample or experience the products and services get more opportunities to maximize their investments in exhibitions. You may call this experiential marketing, and yes, definitely, everybody crave to experience something before they purchase it.

3. Giveaways

Everybody loves free and it is a magnet that never fails to attract a lot of visitors. So never forget to offer free giveaways. It does not matter if it is not expensive. The most important thing is your visitors get something free.

Call this building Goodwill to future and new clients.

4. Calling Card

A mortal sin that is often repeated by those manning your booth is that they forget to bring their calling cards. Again, this is business and exhibition is about building trust and relationships – calling cards cover this ground for you on the initial stage of building trust and relationships.

If you do not have calling cards you lose the chance to be remembered by your future clients. You ask me why?  Of course, there are other booths and exhibitors out there who is better prepared than you, that is with calling cards; and even if they did not make any impression they might still have the edge when potential buyers return to their office and start recollecting what took place in the event.

5. Lead Information Sheet

Exhibition and events engagement does not automatically convert to sales. If this is the case you need to get back at those visitors who qualified as your target market. A lead information sheet is vital to take down all necessary information about the buyers and visitors you talk with.

Making a follow-up is one of the sales processes that will only be successful if you have taken all the important information of those that you intend to follow-up.

Lead generation is only successful if you have properly documented those that expressed their interests on your products and services.

This is the 5 collaterals that you cannot be successful without and this is a guarantee, so take heed and enjoy your exhibition marketing.

Yesterday I attended an event for entrepreneurs; it was almost 4 years since I attended again this particular event. I was happy to see there are many attendees. It made me conclude that the subject matter has reached the tipping point and now it is part of our daily life. So attendees like me wanted to know this new world and learn how to cope and maximize its presence.

The night is going well, the speakers are great not until the second to the last speaker shamelessly begun selling instead of teaching. A big No No when you are given the opportunity to speak in front of a large audience.

Speakers are thought leaders in a learning event. They should not be salesmen who sell snake oil in front of a captured crowd. I pity those people who are methodically influenced by the presentation of the salesman pretending to be a speaker.

Distasteful is a very mild word to describe what was happening. It is crime and will always be categorized as a crime if you abused the trust that was accorded to you by the organizers and attendees. The podium or rostrum for that matter is a respectable platform and respect must be given at any cost.

Again, if this is a product presentation event then it is ok to sell but it’s not. It is a knowledge sharing event about your success, failures, best practices and pitfalls (I hope you get the grip of what I am talking about).

So now, always remember do not sell to me, teach me and let me be transformed by the lessons you bring. It is not too much to ask and it is all I expect when you use the stage, hold the microphone, and flip your awesome PowerPoint.

Until now when that moment passes my mind, I scratch my head in dismay and heave a sigh coupled with this word, “ Anoooobayaaan”.

Talk to me, it’s all I want from you. Talk to me like you mean it. Look into my eyes and listen when I speak. Listen intently. Listen and place yourself into my shoes. When you do this I also expect you to respond accordingly. You should be knowledgeable and you should be honest if you do not know the answers. We may share a few laughs and exchange banters that will remind me about you, as a distinct person, out of the many people that I will talk with.

Yes, talk to me and try to warm me up. Try to gain my trust. Only when you do this with sincerity will I part ways with my hard earned money. Only when I give my trust to you as a person will I give trust to the products and services that you are offering.

This is how we do business. This is the way business should be if we are aiming to exist in the long haul. Business is a marathon not a sprint. So do not rush me as if you just look at me as an ATM machine to get your income. Invest time and relationship and I will invest my resources on your business. Heck! I can even be your zealous disciple advocating that everybody try your products and services.

Now that you know what I want will you still talk to me?

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Catch us at Look and Feel Great Expo, April 15-16, 2011 at Market, Market, Taguig City. For partnership or brand activation objectives, call us at tel # 643-3887.

When I attend your event I am not only there to be educated, I am, also, there to be entertained. Or if in the case, you wanted to entertain me, I am not only there to be entertained, I also need to be educated. This is a challenge to conferences or special events – lines are now blurred between education and entertainment.

You do not want to see me yawning because I am so bored listening to your talk and irritated at looking on your PowerPoint presentation that you keep on reading and the fonts are too small I need a microscope to see it clearly (sorry for the exaggeration, I just want to make a point).

Yes, the audience, the crowd nowadays are tough and unforgiving. They have raised the bar on what event managers or organizers should do.

But life is a process of continuous improvements, and we should be up to feet and meet the challenges head-on and excited.

This is the reason why events are special because it must be special and it must create memories.

For convention, conference or a simple seminar, there is no other way but to EDUTAIN me!

Our first produced event of the year is just barely one week from now; we have prepared edutaining activities so I hope you could drop by. I promise we will continue our discussions about this interesting word.

The event is “Look and Feel Great Expo”, April 15-16,2011 at Market, Market, Taguig City. For more information, visit www.lookandfeelgreatevent.com.ph

Do you agree with me?

FREEBIES can make my day in attending any events. Even if there is a chance that I am not going to win of those freebies, still the fact remains that the temperature of my blood rises and my head feels like exploding – all because of the FREEBIES that I can possibly could win.

FREEBIES are great it make attendees time, money and effort on being inside an event worthwhile. It is one of the much anticipated parts of the event – the announcement of winners.

In my experience I always saw flock of people that do not leave their seats after the end of the last speaker in the conference because the winners of the freebies are yet to be announced.

Freebies indeed is very powerful – it is (to borrow Marx quote) the opium of the event attendees.

So next time you do an event do not forget the freebies because whatever it is the crowd will love and crave for it. More so if your are an event management or tradeshow organizer in the Philippines, Filipinos love and die for freebies.

The good news is we will be giving away freebies to 11:00am to 12:00nn early birds attendees of the “Look and Feel Great Expo”, April 15-16, 2011 at the Market, Market.

Offer lasts while supply lasts, First Come, First Serve. If you are asking about the freebies it is enough to make you smile!

It was my first time to attend a bloggers event. Yes! I am not kidding. I have been into a lot of events; and every year, at a minimum, produce and manage 30 events. But attend a bloggers event was something new to me.

So here I am at the College of Law, University of the Philippines – the site of IBLOG 7, among the early birds, I am so curious and fidgety on what to expect with the crowd that will converge on this special event.

Guess what? It was fun and I get to meet and listen to some of the Gods of the Blogging Community. I thought that their over exposure in front of their PC have deprived them of their social skills – I was very wrong. In fact, they are very warm and friendly.

One of them that I am lucky to have encountered was Manuel Viloria (www.viloria.net), a veteran blogger with a big heart. You see he has been blogging, as I remember hearing from him, for over 14 years and yet is doing it out of his passion for writing and proving to the world that blogging is an effective medium to spread information. I think his point is as sturdy as an oak tree as shown by the explosion of blogs and the number of bloggers.

Of course, I saw a friend, Azrael Coladilla (azraelmerryland.blogspot.com), one of the Toycon organizers. I always look forward of attending Toycon because I will always be an eternal child in my heart craving for toys, CGI and Samurai CDs.

Why am I humbled by this experience? Well the speakers are great, the organizers are greater and the crowd are the greatest. Great for me means it has the element of WOW and AHA – I have a lot of these while swimming in this new psychic soup.

So this morning I am returning to IBLOG 7 to again savour this whiff of fresh air. I have no doubt I will be reinvigorated again.

EXLINKEVENTS as organization is expert in the following field of services. As client you may choose one or a variety of available services in order to make your realize and implement your events and allow you to enjoy and focus on big things that matter most.

A. Conference/Convention Services

13. Conference/Convention Management

B. Tradeshow and Exhibition Services

3 Reasons Why You Should Visit Look and Feel Great Expo

There are a lot of reasons to go and visit “Look and Feel Great Expo at Market, Market this April 15-16, 2011. However in the interest of your time we will zoom in on three BIG REASONS why you should be there.

1. Health Related Activities and Education

The event gives you a lot of very useful knowledge on different aspects of your health. We have a Laughing Yoga Session, Biggest Loser Awarding by Herbalife, Fashion Show by Herbalife,  Aerobic Session by Slimmers World, Health Education and Product Presentation by Pharmatrix, Look and Feel Great Dance Competition, Red Cross Health Education, Breast Cancer Prevention Education and a lot more to come.The activities are enough to whet your appetite for a healthy living.

2. Health, Beauty and Wellness Business Opportunities

There are a lot of business opportunities on this sunshine industry which is available during the two day event and if you want to enter and take part of this business you can begin the first step by visiting the expo.

Among the partial list of participants are San Miguel Coffee Mix, Philam Life, Herbalife, Victoria Towers, Earth and Style Corp., Moldex, Eton Properties, Pharmatrix, Intermed Marketing, Slimmers World, Crystal Powers, Variety Finds, Rhodesian Marketing, Carelink, Citibank, Excellente Marketing, Business World, Tarpographics, Netopia, Busybee, Asenso Pinoy, FAME Publishing and Filbars.

3. MY FREEBIES for the 11:00 am to 12:00nn visitors

This makes your time, education and opportunities available in the event worthwhile and exciting!

Yes ! Exciting because a lot of health products given by the sponsors are up for grabs to the early birds.

May I also remind you that you cannot be late because offers good while supply lasts and it’s on a first come, first serve basis only.

There you go the 3 reasons that make going into the event compelling and I hope I have convinced you to go there. If not I do not know what to say. Maybe you can make a comment and let me hear your thoughts on what makes an event compelling for you to come.