Trade Shows & Event Management

Trade Shows

Companies find unique value delivered by trade shows which are not provided by other marketing channels. Trade shows give exhibitors and attendees the chance to talk face-to-face, an increasingly difficult struggle in the era of video communication, emails, and text messages. Trade shows and expos lead to more conversations, more leads, and more sales than other marketing events

Relevant fact, regarding Trade Shows

Some lessons from the facts:

• Most visitors are on an information search, not a shopping trip.
• Most exhibitors focus strongly on selling.
• Exhibitions and trade fairs offer an unrivalled opportunity in key-account management.
• Dissonance between exhibitors' aims and visitors' aims often results in disappointment for both parties.
• Exhibitors need to establish measurable objectives.
• Sales promotions are useful as deal sweeteners or facilitators.
• Sales promotions can be used for the sales force, for customers, or for the customers of customers.

Types of Shows

• Regional vs. National vs. Global
• Trade vs. Consumer
• Wholesale (or to industrial users) vs. retail
• Association vs. Independent
• Vertical vs. Horizontal (One industry or profession versus many)

Why Exhibitions Fail

• Unclear strategies.
• No set objectives.
• Inappropriate objectives.
• Not evaluated activities.

"If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!"

–   Benjamin Franklin

Planning a Trade Show

1. Define Goals & Objectives

2. Select the Show & the Space

3. Set a Realistic Budget

4. Design the Booth

5. Create Your Trade Show Marketing Plan

• Pre-show
• At-show
• Post-show
• Develop your sales message

6. Train the Exhibit Staff

7. Manage the Leads

8. Evaluate the Show's Success

Define Goals & Objectives

Prioritize answers to the following question:

• Why are you exhibiting?
• To close a sale?
• To create a database of names?
• To make contacts ?
• To establish a presence?
• Other?

Sample Goals

• How many attendees do you want to stop by your exhibit space?
• Collect X leads from business cards or badge scans
• Collect feedback from X number of attendees
• Are you focusing on promotion or launching a new product?
• Make X amount of sales

You can have more than one goal, of course, but the point is that you need to be clear about what your participation in the trade show is intended to achieve.

Tip: $997 US to close a field sale lead V. $550 US to close a trade show lead (Source: Center for Exhibition Industry Research)

Select the Show & the Space

You need to choose the trade shows that will give your business the best return on investment in terms of your goals. If your goal is on-site sales, having a booth at that big splashy trade show where your display is one of a dozen selling similar products may not be the best choice.

You want to choose the trade show that best targets the audience that you want to reach and best suits your participation goals. Find out what the particular trade show's objectives are and investigate and evaluate the trade show's audience.

Tip: ask your best customers which shows they visit as attendees.

Set a Realistic Budget

• Exhibit Design, Construction, Prep, Refurbishing
• Space Rental Costs
• Freight Transportation (including Drayage)
• Show Services (Electrical, Rentals, Labor, Water, etc.)
• Other (Presenters, Accommodations, Training, etc.)

Tip: 34% of expenses are affected by construction Source: Center for Exhibition Industry Research

Design the Booth

Who is it that you're targeting with your trade show display? Retail customers? Wholesale buyers? Other businesses in your industry? Different audiences "shop" trade shows differently and have different needs.

• Who is it that you're targeting with your trade show display? Retail customers? Wholesale buyers? Other businesses in your industry? Different audiences "shop" trade shows differently and have different needs.
• What one (1) message should your exhibit communicate in three (3) seconds?
• It's the visual bite generation!
• Competing with hall clutter
• What are your step 1 goals?
• What's your timeline?
• What's your draw?
• Feature/Benefits?
• Pre-show promotion?
• Entertaining or skilled staff?
• Contest or at-show promo?
• Product interest?
• Company recognition
• Booth design?

Determine Space Needs

• Correlate to your:
• Objectives
• Product
• Plan for generating leads and conducting business
• Guidelines
• Products you will promote
• Space to showcase those products
• Size of signage
• Number of staff
• Budget

Booth Graphic Elements

• Simple design, strong message
• Appeal to the senses, if it's possible make it Interactive. Be Eye-Catching
• Sight
• Color
• Motion
• Sound
• Smell
• Lighting
• Identify your focal point
• Visual impact, impression, and message
• Other considerations:
• Type of lighting supplied by the facility
• Can you get more power?
• How is lighting attached to your booth?
• Budget

Create a "Taste" Experience

Tip: 75% of attendees come with a prepared agenda

Create Your Trade Show Marketing Plan

Pre-show

• Develop your sales message
• Advertise in Advance
• Put the word out that you're participating in a particular trade show by inviting your clients, customers, suppliers, and other contacts to attend the show. Be sure you give them all the details, such as your booth number. If you have one, be sure to advertise your coming trade show attendance on your website as well.
• Identifying Buyers
• Increase traffic
• Identify the right people
• Understand your prospects and customers
• Traffic to business
• Promotional Items
• Increase booth traffic
• Considerations
• Complement your company and image?
• Match your budget?
• Contact info?
• Can you get it in time? Is it unique?
• Using giveaways effectively
• Print your marketing materials
• Teach Something
• Many people attend trade shows in order to learn about new products in their industry and the companies making them. Or about the latest discoveries and developments in their specific fields. If this apply to your business. Why not lean into this fact and offer attendees a truly educational experience when they visit your booth?

At-show

• Walk the trade show and gather information
• Look for potential customers that you fail to contact or know.
• Re=evaluate your strategy and act in consequence

Post-show

• Prepare follow-up info packets
• Follow-up with attendees

Train the Exhibit Staff

• Review show & staffing goals
• Create & communicate a schedule
• Review competition
• Review ergonomics
• Develop the sales pitches (Role-Play)
• Hold accountable for lead generation or sales

Tip: Hire a trade show sales coach to lead your team through role-playing. Compass Consultores has the experience to help you to train your team, evaluate them, give them feedback. Our goal is to help you succeed

Booth Staff Guidelines

You as Brand Ambassador

You represent the company as soon as you arrive at the airport

Dress for Business

You'll meet some of your best contacts in transit.

Confidentiality

Our company will never be one to disparage the competition or discuss our customers in public.

Use first names only - no last names, no company names in any public place.

Review & consider all NDAs in place.

Professionalism

Business etiquette applies throughout the trip - keep alcohol in check.

Relationship Building

Free time should be spent with current and prospective customers whenever possible.

Trade show booth staff should be assigned a specific area of the exhibit to cover and should have the expertise to convey important company information to attendees. Some companies even provide staff with a customizable greeting and sales script, so each member of the team is prepared to deliver a consistent, polished, and effective message to attendees.

Beyond the sales script or elevator pitch, company representatives in a trade show booth should be prepared to answer basic questions or know where to obtain more information. The booth should also always be managed by at least one person who has that expertise or authority, and that person should be accessible to supporting staff and attendees at all times.

Manage the Leads

• Decision Point: What is a qualified lead?
• Create a lead sheet or lead info system for each lead
• Create a Lead follow-up system
• Assign the lead manager
• Define Success Measures

Sad fact: 80% of trade show leads do not receive follow-up. Sample Lead Sheet

Evaluate the Show's Success

• Number of leads?
• Staff Feedback?
• Booth Attendance?
• Sales?
• Cost per Lead?
• After the trade show, critique your giveaways with your exhibit team:
• Did it draw specific prospects to the booth?
• Was it eye-catching enough to persuade passers-by to stop?
• Did your customers find it useful?
• Did it project the right corporate image?

Event Management

Our goal is to help you succeed.

Running an event can be exhausting, challenging, and scary.

Our customer success team is ready to help you succeed every step of the way.

No matter when you need it, our team is ready to help.

Either in your locality or in any other place in Mexico or Spain, we organize the event you need.

We can serve you with the most succesfull event, such as:

Team building

Definition of team building: Group activity based challenges that test the mental, physical skills of the individual whilst reinforcing the value of working effectively as a team.

Team building can be expensive or it can be creative. Either way, it is crucial because a good team is far more capable than the sum of its members.

Team building is too often used as a Band-Aid solution for business problems. Low office morale? Try a team-building activity. Want to improve productivity? Let's do some team building! The coffee maker isn't working? Team building.

Team building is not a quick fix, or really any type of a fix at all. It's an investment in your most valuable business asset - your people.

Reasons for team building include

• Getting to know each other
• Boosting morale
• Improving communication and relationships
• Discovering unknown skill-sets within your team
• Making the workplace more enjoyable
• Motivating a team and increase their confidence
• Getting everyone "onto the same page", including goal setting
• Teaching the team self-regulation strategies
• Helping participants to learn more about themselves (strengths and weaknesses)
• Identifying and utilizing the strengths of team members
• Improving team productivity
• Identifying and developing leadership, communications and problem solving skills
• Practicing effective collaboration with team members
• Breaking down personal and cross-cultural barriers and improve effectiveness
• Emphasising achieving goals and targets
• Encouraging effective planning
• Addressing specific problems within the team

Companies that have implemented corporate team building claim they've experienced the following benefits:

• Corporate bonding activities facilitate company culture, which 88% of employees believe leads to business success.
• Corporate team building events involving creative challenges often lead to better negotiation and problem-solving skills.
• Team building leads to more engaged employees who then earn 2.5 times more in profits than rival companies with unengaged employees.
• More engaged employees may lead to higher retention rates, which is considered the number one most challenging task in HR by 47% of professionals, who expect to shell out about $15,000 for every former employee they have to help replace.
• Employees who participate in team building activities are said to improve their communication as a team and individually.

The goal of this event type is usually to foster better communication and collaboration amongst team members. It's also a great time to address and resolve conflicts in the present, while also preventing them in the future.

The aim is to bring people together in fresh and memorable ways. Your team-building ideas can spark new relationships, create lasting partnerships, and set the tone for future success. They can even resolve tension and improve the productivity of the office as a whole.

Simply put, the most effective team-building activities are fun. But they also need to have purpose.

Forming: Getting to Know One Another

• Characteristics of this stage
• Unclear roles and responsibilities
• Unclear purpose and tasks
• Lofty, conceptual discussions as people try to express who they are
• Discussions about what information needs to be gathered
• How to address this stage
• Take time to get to know one another
• Make sure the purpose and task are clearly defined
• Set and communicate expectations
• Complete a team "contract"
• Clarify roles and responsibilities
• Begin developing a "road map" i.e. a plan of action
• Share responsibility
• Encourage open dialogue
• Provide structure
• Direct team issues
• Develop a climate of trust and respect.

Storming: Overcoming Conflict

• Characteristics of this stage
• Most difficult stage
• Issues of control and "turf"
• Frustration, irritation, and impatience
• General disagreement over process, task, and overall purpose
• Lack of progress
• How to address this stage
• Acknowledge it as a natural - and necessary - developmental step
• Surface the conflicts and address them
• Review team contract and administrative matters
• Clarify roles and responsibilities
• Revisit the purpose of the team
• Joint problem solving.
• Norms for different points of view.
• Decision-making procedures.
• Encourage two-way communication.
• Support collaborative team efforts.

Norming: Getting Down to Business

• Characteristics of this stage
• Ground rules and formal procedures are now taken more seriously
• Conflicts are addressed and resolved
• Less time is spent on idea generation and more on decision making
• Agenda items are limited to focus on specific topics
• Subgroups may be formed to move along faster
• Progress is evident
• How to address this stage
• Implement an effective work process
• Identify and delegate tasks
• Optimize use of resources by drawing on members' strengths
• Follow the "road map" to ensure successful completion
• Provide constructive feedback to one another
• Focus on the problem - not the personality
• Be honest and be kind
• Joint problem solving.
• Norms for different points of view.
• Decision-making procedures.
• Support collaborative team efforts.

Performing: Achieving the Impossible

• Characteristics of this stage
• Highly effective problem-solving
• Proactive behaviors and language
• Loyalty to the group
• Respect for opposing viewpoints
• How to address this stage
• Self-regulate "road maps"
• Offer feedback when requested.
• Support new ideas and ways for achieving outcomes.
• Encourage ongoing self-assessment.
• Develop team members to their fullest potential.
• Look for ways to increase the team's capacity.

Transforming/Adjourning

• After goals are met, results evaluated and accomplishments acknowledged:
• The team may be dismissed,
• The team may be assigned a new project, or
• Some members may leave the team and new members join for a new project.

Characteristics of Effective Teams

• Members have a clear goal
• The focus is on achieving results
• There is a plan for achieving the goal
• Members have clear roles

• Members are committed to the goal
• Members are competent
• They achieve decisions through consensus
• There is diversity among team members
• Members have effective interpersonal skills
• They know each other well and have good relationships
• Each member feels empowered to act, speak up, offer ideas
• Each member has a high standard of excellence
• An informal climate and easiness exists among members
• The team has the support of management
• The team is open to new ideas
• There is periodic self-assessment
• There is shared leadership of the team
• The team is a relatively small size
• There is recognition of team member accomplishments
• There are sufficient resources to support the team work

Working group

This is a group where there is no significant incremental performance need or opportunity that would require a team approach. The members of the group interact primarily to share or obtain information, share "best practice", or perspectives and to make decisions to help each individual perform within his area of responsibility. Beyond that there is no realistic or truly desired common purpose or goal that call for a team approach or mutual responsibility. They often perform well and the good performance is because no energy / time is spent on conflicts, the time to build trust and confidence. (1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4).

Pseudo-team

This is a group for which there could be a significant incremental performance need or opportunity, but it has not focused on collective performance and is not really trying to achieve it. It has no interest in shaping a common purpose or set common performance goals, even though it may call itself a team. Pseudo teams are the weakest of all groups in terms of performance impact. They almost always contribute less than working groups because their interactions detract from each member's individual performance without delivering any joint benefits. In pseudo-teams, the sum of the whole is less than the potential of the individual performances. (1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 3).

Potential team

Potential teams are very common in organizations.

In this group there is a significant performance need and the group is really trying to improve its performance. In order to progress, they need to work on clarifying their purpose, goals, and common approach, i.e. get more structure around how to cooperate (a common working approach). The potential team members have not yet developed total trust in each other. They have not yet established common, collective responsibility (mutual accountability).

A great possibility for a potential team is when the team starts to gain understanding of what their mission and their reason for being is. As the Performance Curve illustrates, when a team approach makes sense, the performance impact can be high - the steepest performance gain comes between a potential team and a real team.

Real team

A real team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are equally committed to a common purpose, goals, and working approach for which the hold themselves mutually accountable.

The performance level and results of a real team are much higher than those of potential teams and workgroups. ( 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5)

High-performing team

This group meets all the conditions of real teams, and has members who are also deeply committed to one another's personal growth and success. That commitment usually transcends the team. The high-performance team significantly outperforms all other teams, and exceeds all reasonable expectations given its membership. It is a powerful possibility and an excellent model for all real and potential teams. ( 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 14)

Douglas K Smith & Jon R Katzenbach conclude that all too often the choice between work group or team is not made deliberately and with reflection. It is important to ask whether it really is potential for a team or whether it is better to create / maintain an effective work group, which probably performs better than a non-functioning team.

Embodying the 5 Elements of a Team

• Clear roles and responsibilities: Define each member's role, but realize there is a shared purpose. All members should understand all roles, not just their own. Discuss team progress at meetings.
• Open and honest communication: Constant, continual communication. Team norms and ground rules will help with honesty and trust issues.
• Supportive and knowledgeable leader: Use "we" instead of "I". Listen actively, solicit feedback, build trust, and allow the team to make mistakes.
• Decision-making authority: Set boundaries about which decisions are made by the team and which are made by the leader. Developing teams may require the leader to make decisions with team input. Self-managing teams can handle consensus.
• Rewards and recognition: Reward both the team and individuals. Celebrate milestones. At conclusion of a project make sure to record what was learned, make recommendations for the future, develop tips for other teams, and talk about follow-up.

Team Building Basics

• Everyone is different. To build a solid team, everyone must know their teammates. Know your team members.
• Define the team mission or goals. All team members must accept and agree on the team goals.
• Define the team organization, structure and responsibilities.
• Define tasks and titles within the group that matches their skills and responsibilities.
• Make a game plan and ensure all members know everyone's job.
• Use group language to develop team ownership of the goals.
• Share information freely within the group. Establish strong lines of communication.
• Have fun activities to enhance the team interaction.
• Brainstorm and freely share and listen to ideas.

The most effective teams arrive at decisions through consensus by following a rational process that includes:

• Identifying the issue.
• Setting a specific objective.
• Gathering and analyzing the facts.
• Developing alternatives.
• Evaluating the alternatives.
• Deciding and acting.

Problem Solving Process

• Identifying the issue.
• Setting a specific objective.
• Gathering and analyzing the facts.
• Developing alternatives.

• Evaluating the alternatives.
• Deciding and acting.

Principles of Team Development

• Teams and team development are about results.
• Know what you are trying to build.
• Team development is a process, not an event.
• "Just in time" is the best time for training.
• Development must be a felt need of the team.
• Team development demands a safe environment.
• Use the work of the team to build the team.
• There are no shortcuts to team effectiveness.
• Willingness precedes skills.
• Team leaders need a head start.

Compass Services

Our team building activities are tailored to your business requirements for some truly amazing results. Create memories that last, bond, ignite performance or just have a great laugh with fellow employees. Whatever your objectives or group size, we can create the best corporate team building events for your team away day.

Compass has developed a strong reputation within the industry for:

• Our enthusiastic and competent multi-national management team
• Our ability to go the extra mile to ensure the client's programmes are a success.
• Our diverse range of quality outdoor team building challenges
• Our ability to customise our programmes to meet the specific needs of clients
• Our additional services: Pre and post tours, hotel bookings, transport / transfers, outdoor dining, special events, theme dinners & more.
• Our reach; we can operate team building events anywhere in Mexico or beyond.

Let us help plan and organise your next team building event.

Pricing & Policy

Team Building Programme Prices - start from as little as $xxxx per participant to $xxxx - per participant for the programmes listed in this presentation.

Prices are dictated by several factors:

• Programme Type - Some require the use of more resources than others.
• Location - Indoor or onsite programmes are generally lower cost as they do not require us to provide transport for the group - but some venues charge a usage fee for function rooms, outside areas.
• Number of Participants - Our fixed costs mean that the optimum size for a group is app 40 participants. (max is around 500 but could be higher.) Groups of less than 40 participants pay a small surcharge per person.

Bookings - must be confirmed and deposits paid 6-2 weeks in advance depending on programme type and groups size in order that we may secure and allocate the resources required.

Corporate team building activities are amazing for bringing people together and improving businesses overall. Many people don't realize that behind the goofy names and silly antics that are sometimes involved, corporate team building activities are backed by science, have an impact that can be measured, and are easy to incorporate into your business no matter what time or budget constraints you may have

Motivational Speakers - Corporate Training Specialists

As well as ice breakers, active indoor and outdoor, physical challenges, Compass can help to enhance the effectiveness of your seminar-conference or event by working with you to create subject specific and/or work relevant workshops or training sessions for your group.

Your seminar/workshop can focus on any specific business, team work or leadership based subject. Let us have your desired training objectives and we will custom-design a programme to suit your requirements by providing the right experienced locally based foreign motivational speakers or corporate training specialists for your event. Team Building Challenge Portfolio

You tell us the number of people you'd like to include, an idea of the provisional budget you have and a rough location, or even a venue if you have one in mind. We then propose a number of fantastic indoor event & outdoor event options tailored to you.

We'll send a proposal with sample itineraries, an in-depth description of each event and its respective activities, and quotes. The prices won't change unless your requirements do.

Once you've decided upon your venue and event, you sign the e-booking form, and that's it apart from payment. Then relax while we get everything sorted for you!

Organising events isn't easy, there are a great many factors we need to arrange in order to deliver your perfect event, but you don't need worry about that... We'll be at the end of the phone to answer any questions you have in the run up to the big day.

Then come along on the day to find everything ready for you. Our experienced Event Manager and friendly staff will be on hand to ensure everything runs smoothly.

View our Terms and Conditions for our payment and cancellation policies.

As experienced corporate event organisers (established in 1996) we can help you with:

• Corporate event planning both resources and venues
• Organising transportation to and from the venue
• Corporate team building indoor and outdoor activities to suit your group
• Theming and ice breakers for any accompanying conference
• Corporate event planning ideas and tips for your event
• Suggesting corporate fun activities, games and exercises

This leaves you free to concentrate on your in-house sessions or conference arrangement. As advisers we will involve you all of the way, so you make the final decisions, but we make sure that everything happens the way you want it to, from ice breaker to finale.