Trade shows and corporate events: Nowhere else in an organization can someone justify a major expenditure with “We do that every year” or “Our competitors are doing it” or “I like to go there.” Some organizations spend as much as 20 percent of there total marketing dollars with only those kinds of justifications.

Those days are fast coming to an end. Smart marketers are using the wisdom of Trade Show and Event Marketing to turn the biggest black hole in their budget into their greatest lead and income generator. In 370 pages it provides authoritative information from the industry’s insiders on how to:

• Zero-in on the key strengths of trade shows and events and profitably fit them in your marketing mix.
• Bridge the gap between the roles of sales and marketing.
• Develop the right positioning for your events.
• Use the most profitable strategic approaches based on the needs of lead generation versus branding; customer life cycle, product life cycle, customer value, and customer buying process.
• Use agencies properly and profitably.
• Plan right the first time, including choosing and setting objectives, connecting objectives to metrics, and setting objectives for staff.
• Select the best show for your organization
• Planning and managing all aspects of your trade show booth, from location selection  to design, staff training, scheduling, and signage.
• Market yourself before, during, and after the show.
• Master all the important elements of lead generation and qualification.
• Get the best publicity and visibility for your booth and event.
• How to “read the tea leaves”—identify and use the right metrics for measuring success.

Plus 10 case histories giving the insights of a broad range of companies that have made trade shows and event work produce for them.

Smart trade show and event management can be a company’s most important success generator—if they are planned, strategized and managed properly. Trade Show and Event Marketing can be your guidebook to that marketing success.

Chapter

1. Introduction
2. Trade Shows and Corporate Events
3. Prior Planning
4. All About the Trade Show Booth
5. Trade Show Booth Management
6. Event Promotions: Before, During, and After
7. Business Event Marketing Beyond the Trade Show Booth
8. Lead Generation and Qualification
9. Lead Management and Nuturing
10. Press and Publicity
11. Post-Event Results Analysis
12. Case Studies

Appendix

"Do your homework! Trade shows are expensive and time-consuming. Instead of just winging it, consider this practical, nuts and bolts approach to maximizing your return on investment."

Seth Godin
Speaker and Author
Purple Cow & Free Prize Inside

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"Finally, a definitive and comprehensive guide to the strategic use and measurement of trade shows and events written specifically for the sales and marketing exec. Long overdue. . . ."

Skip Cox
President
Exhibit Surveys, Inc.

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" . . . anyone who wants to improve marketing productivity and effectiveness needs to keep this great reference handy for repeated use."

Mary Donato
Associate Director
Institute for the Study of Business Markets (ISBM)
SMEAL College of Business, Pennsylvania State University.

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"Extremely useful advice (backed up by data) on the strategy of trade show marketing. . . . Few books give you this thorough a strategic overview. . . ."

Anne Holland
Publisher
Marketing Sherpa

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" . . . filled with great ideas and practical advice that will maximize your effectiveness at trade shows, where the selling, prospecting and relationship-building possibilities are endless."

Rick Kean
Executive Director
Business Marketing Association

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" . . . the first work I've seen that clearly identifies the opportunities for strategic marketers to maximize their business event investments and the importance of measuring their effectiveness. I highly recommend the book for event organizers and their clientele."

David Korse
President & CEO
IDG World Expo

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" . . . the must-read book on trade show and event marketing. She zeroes in on today's issues that corporations, agencies, and exhibitors all face . . . strategically, operationally, and financially."

Pam Larrick
Chair
McCann Relationship Marketing

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"Finally . . . a resource that provides an easy-to-follow effective guide for delivering a great customer experience—at a trade show or event. . . . [I] found the chapters on objective setting, customer acquisition, and appropriate metrics most rewarding. A must-read for ensuring a flawless event!"

Diane McGarry
Chief Marketing Officer
Xerox Corporation

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"A long-needed, strategic view of Trade Shows and Event Marketing. . . . Don't plan a show or exhibit without this handbook."

Don E. Schultz
Professor, Integrated Marketing Communications
Northwestern University