Leaky pens and bad sandwiches. Why the brand experience matters at trade shows.

Whether it’s 900m2 of floor space over eight days or a booth for?just two, the key things to a successful trade show remain?essentially the same.

On Tuesday Bright Space brought together in conversation the three main parties involved in pulling together an effective trade show experience; an exhibitor, a delivery partner, and an agency.

Bright Space Principal Ian Firth along with Frank Neve, Bright Space Specialist Advisor and Patrick Zundler, CEO of AWZ unpacked why a trade show is more than an exhibition stand and how to get a positive return on investment.

Here’s?what they recommended;

Plan. And plan some more. There's a few imperative questions to ask at the starting blocks; what do you want to achieve by attending and does it align with business strategy? Who are you hoping to engage with? And what does a successful event look like to you? Frank's advice is to "begin with the end in mind – know why you are at the show and what you want to say."

Build a team you can trust. Consider putting a team together based on capability matched to function rather than purely available resource. Bring everyone together at kick-off to build support, create ideas, and ensure understanding of objectives and KPIs. Patrick's key takeaway is to "be transparent about resources right at the start"

Promote, promote, promote. It's foolish to think if you build it they will come. Ian's advice is to "consider a campaign to drive awareness that you will be at the show – sales and marketing teams will be letting customers and potential customers know, but use the opportunity to widen that reach through social channels?and also use the organiser’s promotional channels. And don’t forget your call to action.”

Be distinct. Trade shows are busy, noisy places with everyone vying for a slice of the attention. Patrick says "know what you are there to do – is it a new product launch, new brand, or to build on the existing brand?"

Follow up. The show is not the end. Use the immediate time after the show to follow up on leads. Keep the comms?channels open and reuse assets to continue to push your message.

Subscribe to Bright Space's weekly newsletter The Friday Five here.

Here is this week's Friday Five

1. Maximising trade show participation

?? Ian Firth, Frank Neve and Patrick Zundler discussed strategic and practical tips for making the most out of in-person B2B marketing when at trade shows. Watch the replay by registering here.

2. "You can't strategise on purpose"

?? That's the outlook of Oatly's Chief Creative Officer. The oat milk trailblazer has a very clear purpose; to steer people away from animal consumption towards plant alternatives. The amount of oat milk flat whites consumed in London daily is a probable marker of its success. John Schoolcraft says purpose shouldn't have to be dug deep to find, or be over crafted. Read more of his reflections on articulating purpose here.

3. What's worse; greenwashing or hushing?

?? Talking about sustainability in business is nuanced. Too much and it could be perceived as, or indeed be, greenwashing. Nothing at all and it could have the potential makings of greenhushing. Where's the middle ground between virtue signalling and sweeping things under the rug? As Leo Rayman said in a recent Raconteur piece; "greenwashing is bad, but keeping quiet puts us all in?danger." He outlines three ways to help get messaging right here.

4. Room for improvement in B2B marketing

?? New research from LinkedIn and Warc has found that 18% of B2B campaigns recently submitted for awards made an explicit promise to the customer while 82% did not. Those B2B brands that communicated promises to the customer are nearly three times as likely to drive a market share increase. Warc's managing editor of research and insights said there are “far fewer” promises made in B2B marketing than in the B2C space. And B2B marketing was lacking “big, bold, brand-led ideas”. More on his findings here.

5. The (happy) Meal

?? McDonald’s has removed the iconic smiles from its Happy Meal boxes. The move, titled The Meal marks Mental Health Awareness Week and encourages families to have important conversations with each other about varying emotions.

We hope this leaves a happy meal sized smile on your dial as we round out the working week.

Until next Friday,

The Bright Space Team