Keep traffic flowing

Finding creative solutions to eliminate “dead spaces”

By Marlys Arnold

Do you have “dark” corners of your show floor? You know, the spaces that sell last and the ones exhibitors grumble about if they’re “stuck way back there.” The answer should be no. Instead, you should have attractions all around the show floor that create excitement and draw attendees.

For example, one popular draw at The Pet Industry Spring & Christmas Trade Shows, produced by H.H. Backer, is the Canine Sports Arena. Various dog acts perform brief shows in a 2,400-square-foot ring once or twice daily throughout the show, says Backer’s Colette Fairchild, CMP, drawing a crowd of about 300 for each performance. The names of the exhibitors who have sponsored the arena are announced at each performance, sending attendees to those booths when the show ends.

For other innovative ideas, H.H. Backer tapped Traffic Builders, a promotion marketing firm. Playing off each show’s theme or location, they’ve used everything from a “spin the prize wheel” game to a virtual fishing simulator. This year, Fairchild is planning a Motor Speedway Challenge, complete with sponsors’ logos on the remote-controlled race cars. Often, the main draw for these challenges is to win a car valued at $35,000. Traffic Builders functions as a turnkey operation, handling everything from logistics to providing prize insurance.

But what if you don’t enjoy lots of high-dollar sponsors? The American Dental Association came up with a solution. For their first-time Golf Challenge, they sold three major sponsorships. Then, for the nine “holes,” attendees must visit those three sponsors, plus the ADA’s booth. Next, attendees could choose any five of the remaining 35 participating companies. In addition to the chance to win a car, the ADA offered golf-related daily prizes for the top 10 scores. “We saw a big difference in traffic and enthusiasm,” says ADA’s Christine Chico. “We will definitely do another promotion.”

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, which represents the specialty automotive industry, has taken a non-game-related approach to building traffic. Instead, they offer information at various “Action Centers” strategically located around the show floor. For their most recent show, SEMA had four centers to help draw attention to new areas, with each placed as a central hub within a section of the show floor. The newest addition was the Mobile Electronic Action Center for exhibitors selling audio components. SEMA partnered with the Mobile Electronics Retail Association and let exhibitors do installation “how-to” sessions where attendees could watch or interact with presenters.

No matter the chosen attraction, the key is placement. “It’s like what a grocery store does with the milk,” says SEMA’s Peter MacGillivray, referring to the fact that milk is always furthest away from the entrance, forcing shoppers to pass numerous displays to pick up the staple. You can’t get to what you want without covering the entire show floor.

Marlys Arnold is a trade show consultant based in Kansas City, MO, and is the author of Build a Better Trade Show Image (2002).
E-mail: marnold@imagespecialist.com