Marketing Virgin

1 week — time spent in Orlando, FL.
3,190 — number of people who sat through our booth theater presentations.
3,500 — number of “network rockstar” t-shirts we handed out in the booth.
3,000 — number of blinky guitar pins we gave out in the booth.
400 — number of customers/prospects that attended our “by invite only” exclusive after party I put together at the Hard Rock hotel.
2 — number of “stripper-esque” party crashers who I kicked out of the party.
Diamond — level of sponsorship I signed up for in San Francisco next year, taking us up to a 30×40 booth.
3 — number of times I have managed this show.
Universal Studios — rented out by Cisco - we ate, drank, went on rides, and watched the Blue Man Group, for free!
99.5 to .5 — percentage of males to females at the show.

Click on the link below to see the full picture:

Cisco Live NetQoS After Party - I am in the bottom left-hand corner with Steve, our VP of Marketing
After Party - Guitar Hero and Rock Band
NetQoS After Party Staff - My marketing team! Cathryn, John, and Jordan
Full Booth – We certainly know how to draw a crowd
Product Demo – Rob gives an NPC demo
Packed House
Flight Home – 1 of 3 guys sporting our NetQoS shirts on the flight home

Are you planning an event overseas? Are you having a difficult time getting a response to your RFP? Trapped by a language barrier or a timezone difference? Consider getting help from an event planning company. The cost to you is virtually nothing - their commission comes from the hotel you book with.
I’m currently working with a company called Essential Events. They have been such a time saver! Ask for Kimberly Adams.

Did you land a highly sought after presentation timeslot at a tradeshow you are exhibiting at? Trying to figure out how to market your presentation to attendees? Create a business card that advertises your speaking timeslot like the ones below. You can hand these out to attendees that visit your booth. After you scan their badge, place the card in the badge holder as a reminder to attend.

Graphics by Ginger McBride, Tip courtesy of Jordan Weiss

I’m currently planning a customer event in Germany. We’d like this event to leave a big European footprint.

We’ve settled on the first week of October and now we just need to figure out which city. We have narrowed it down to Duesseldorf and Cologne. The time I spent in Germany was limited so I need some advice.

Has anyone exhibited or spent time in either of these two cities? Any advice on venues, entertainment, etc?

Whew! The last two weeks have been crazy!
I ran a 263 customer, 3-day Symposium at Barton Creek Resort…then I hopped on a plane and headed to Vegas for a week to run two tradeshows, simultaneously. I am exhausted, but I’M BACK!
All of these events have taught me many new things that I can’t wait to share. Next up…more tradeshows, a few roadshows, then it’s time to plan the international customer workshops. Finally! Amsterdam….Berlin….anyone?

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A strategy is a plan of action.

What do you need to do to execute a successful event?

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Sponsoring and attending an event is expensive so it’s important to know how much you can spend up front.

Below are some tips that will help you save some cash:

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Step 1 - Goals & Objectives

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Selecting the Right Show

How do you decide which events to attend?

1. Look at your competitors

Most of your competitors will post which events they are attending on their website. Use this information!

2. Look at your target market

What events are they interested in attending? Do they prefer online events, such as webcasts - or do they prefer trade shows?

3. Look at your budget

A show in Las Vegas may be manageable, but sending half of your sales staff to the UK may not be realistic.

4. When in doubt, Google

Search terms realted to your industry such as “content management trade shows” or “computer security trade shows”.

There are two words that will send chills up and down a marketer’s spine.

Event.

Marketing.

Event marketing includes many things – customer symposiums, trade shows, roadshows, etc. The common factor for each of these is expense. Exhibiting at a tradeshow is overwhelmingly expensive, especially if you’re a start-up. It is also incredibly exhausting, as these shows require an intense amount of planning, organization, and successful execution. In the end, however, it’s all about the payoff. Exhibiting is typically a fast way to generate quality leads. If you’re successful, shows will pay for themselves in a few short months.

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