Exhibit Training Solutions for Companies

When it comes to training, there is no such thing as one size fits all. To be effective training must respond to your company’s unique needs - your environment, budget and exhibit situation.

That's why we have developed a variety of training tools to suit your resources and training requirements..

Customized Workshops

All of our workshops are fast-paced, interactive, motivational and fun; they give your booth staff a unique opportunity to learn new skills and how to apply them. We customize each workshop to suit your show and industry and your boothers level of experience.

Your investment in your booth staff can last from one hour to one of our intensive one-day programs or start from scratch and create your own customized workshop.

Here is a list of our workshops with brief descriptions. Choose one or combine workshops into a full day training program.

Exhibit Marketing – the Option of Choice (1 - 2 hours)

Trade shows, corporate events, consumer shows, private shows and special events all have one thing in common: they are face-to-face marketing. In an age where technology is doing everything it can to stifle human interaction, participating in a well chosen event brings you face to face with the people you most want to meet. Your booth staff will:

Learn why face-to-face marketing still makes sense
Unearth the 10 biggest mistakes marketers make
Cultivate a face-to face marketing plan that produces measurable results.

Visit a show for results (1 - 2 hours)

Shows are big, noisy and filled with possibilities. Walking a show can be overwhelming, and visitors often complain about falling victim to information overload. There is simply too much for visitors to absorb in the short time they have. However, one visit is all that most people usually have.

This workshop offers eight tips to help your staff make the show easy and profitable to walk. This is also an excellent workshop for trade show attendees.
They will discover how to walk a show and get results by learning how to:

Set focused objectives
Carry out research
Work with the show program
Prepare questions
Gather Competitive Intelligence
Develop a walking plan
Avoid overload

Plan for Success (1 - 3 hours)

Planning a show consists of two distinct parts: strategies and tactics. Tactics are typically referred to as “show logistics” and include such things as move in, move out, electrical and show services. Strategy refers to techniques that lead your exhibit program to produce measurable results. Strategy is what this workshop is all about. It’s an opportunity to examine all the elements of pre-show planning and learn to:

Examine exhibit objectives
Create a winning booth
- The theme
- Booth graphics
Create a dynamic promotional plan
- Brochures and catalogues
- Invitations
- Premiums
Organize the show logistics
Establish a unique presence
Develop a follow-up program

Double Your Show Results (1 - 3 hours)

Many exhibitors fail to produce the results they had hoped for. Why? The three barriers to show success; time, fatigue and attitude. This workshop will help your booth staff deal quickly and effectively with large numbers of people on the show floor. They will learn how to:

Develop instant rapport
Integrate the secrets of working the booth
Master the skills of approach, qualify and disengage at the booth
Pick up tips that make your presence unique
Become a “stage four boother”

Become a "Stage Four" Boother (1 - 3 hours)

Working a booth is different from doing business anywhere else. No matter how proficient your booth staff may be in the field when it comes to working an exhibit, they need guidance in translating their existing skills into techniques that work at a show. Understanding the four stages of boothing will ensure that your booth staff can make the right adjustments so they are prepared to work most effectively in the unique environment of trade shows. Your booth staff will learn how to:

Develop rapport
Approach strangers
Gather information
Present information
Disengage
Handle brochures, draws, premiums and other exhibiting tools
Follow up and report

The Secrets of Working the Booth (1 - 3 hours)

Working an exhibit is different from working anywhere else. There are distractions everywhere, and yet a show is one of the most effective ways to generate leads, create excitement, reinforce your status with existing customers and write orders. Your booth staff will learn how to:

Discover the six steps to qualifying visitors
Make the most of give away items
Determine a strategy for collateral
Develop a formal contact recording system
Establish your exhibiting do’s and don’ts

Exhibit Measurement and Evaluation (1 - 3 hours)

Exhibitors need methods of measuring the results of their exhibit program. Yet a recent study shows that 76% of these same exhibitors do not measure results. Many simply throw up their hands and say, “We don’t sell anything at a show,” or “We are only trying to create awareness,” or “We don’t know how to measure.” This last statement rings true. Here your booth staff will learn to :

Develop a step-by-step method for measuring and evaluating their exhibit results

Successful Exhibiting - Train the Trainer (3 hours)

Barry Siskind, author of the training package will certify an in-house trainer in a half-day program. As part of their certification, the trainer will sit through the program as a participant and then spend another half day with Barry Siskind reviewing the complete facilitator’s guide and learning more about the program content and delivery. The program has been customized for many of our clients.

Five Sure- Fire Ways to Make your Next Show a Success (1 - 3 hours)

Plan, promote, implement, follow up and evaluate are some of the keys to doubling your show results. Whether your company is looking to increase sales, obtain quality leads or gain exposure, let us help you uncover five key challenges and build a workshop focused on them.

By focusing on your top five challenges, your entire exhibit program gains the potential of surpassing your objectives. Together we select the five keys, depending on your particular challenges. Here are some examples of key issues that you may want to consider:

Why are we still exhibiting?
What do we get from our exhibit program?
Is our exhibit program worth the time, energy and resources?
What’s in it for our staff?
Which products should we bring?
What are the key criteria in choosing a show or event?
How many brochures should I bring?
What's the best way to distribute promotional products?
When is the best time to follow up?
Other?... (You give us your questions and we will create a workshop that focuses on the answers.)

Successful Exhibiting (4 hours)

This four-hour training program is specifically designed to develop exhibitor’s booth skills. It is our most comprehensive exhibitor-training program. It provides booth staff with an excellent opportunity to learn new skills and obtain reinforcement materials to use before each show they attend. The program provides booth personnel with the skills and techniques to help them develop a professional approach at trade shows. There is ample time to support each learning principle with group discussions and role-playing exercises. The program also has a train-the- trainer module (see below). Your staff will learn how to:

Set show objectives
Approach
Qualify
Take ACTION in six crucial areas
Disengage
Follow up
Practice good boothmanship

Successful exhibiting uses a number of learning methodologies to help participants get the full value from the workshop experience. These include:

Pre - workshop assignment
Small group work
Trainer-led questions and answer sessions
Video-based role modeling
Paper-based exercises
Role - play with feedback
Job aid "The Exhibit Planner"

Program materials include a Participant's Manual with a pre-workshop assignment and content summaries and exercises designed to help participants improve their booth skills. Participants also receive a personalized show planner, a 60-minute CD and a copy of Barry’s book Powerful Exhibit Marketing

Effective Booth Presentations (3 - 6 hours)

Making the right presentation in a booth involves dealing with the challenges of time and interruptions. A booth presentation should whet the visitor’s appetite and give your boothers a chance to set up an appointment to deliver the full story after the show ends. During this workshop booth staff will learn how to:

Say the most in the limited time available
Determine the visitors’ key issues
Develop a meaningful presentation
Integrate features and benefits
Uncover secrets of effective face-to-face presentations
Assimilate technology into the presentation
Leave the visitor wanting more

Making Contact, The Art of Building and Maintaining a Business Network (1 - 6 hours)

Business opportunities crop up in the strangest places. While new business results from direct contacts such as sales calls, presentations and cold calls, opportunities also exist at social gatherings, business lunches, seminars, trade shows, formal networking events, even the locker room of your health club. Networking is a difficult process for the experienced networker. Without guidance, novices can become overwhelmed. To do the job properly, you need a bag full of skills. Your staff will learn how to:

Understand the objective
Analyse the event
Develop positive ways of engaging in conversation
Make the right impression
Gather information
Disengage
Following up

Turn Show Leads into Sales (3 - 6 hours)

Research has proven that the majority of leads gathered at a show are mishandled. From the exhibitor’s point of view, this is the result of questionable lead quality, lack of follow-up resources and a failure to plan. Visitors on the other hand, are frustrated: one of their top-ten pet peeves is that exhibitors make promises and don’t follow up.

Whether your company participates in shows to make sales, gather leads for future follow-up, or simply to reinforce the brand, follow-up is crucial. During this strategy building workshop, your boothers will develop a follow-up initiative that realistically works with their strengths and weaknesses. They will learn how to :

Understand the corporate culture of follow-up
Find the resources
Create high-quality contacts
Orchestrate a follow-up strategy into your overall show plan
Assign responsibilities
Work with lead management
Manage the process
Measure success

Gathering Competitive Intelligence at Trade Shows (3 - 6 hours)

Trade shows are one of the best places to collect Competitive Intelligence (CI).
Uncovering key information about your competition, the business environment, your market’s perception of your company and your staff’s performance is crucial for your success. This information allows you to make well-informed decisions about your marketing initiatives. Most important, it assures you minimize surprises and open the door to many new opportunities. One of the best places to collect competitive intelligence is at trade shows.

During this strategic session your company’s key decision-makers will learn a step-by-step approach to creating a CI strategy designed to give you the information your company needs. We will examine your CI initiative from four key decision points:

Overall scope
CI strategy
Implementation
Reporting
Understanding your CI cycle

Working the Show from Both Sides of the Aisle (3 - 6 hours)

Opportunities can crop up in the strangest places. There are plenty of people to meet at your booth, but there are also countless opportunities to meet people throughout the show. A well-balanced approach to exhibiting takes working both sides of the aisle into your strategic planning. Your booth staff will learn how to:

Master the booth skills of approach, qualify and disengage
Learn the subtle skill distinctions between working the booth and working the rest of the show
Acquire the networking skills including:
- Approach strangers
- Make meaningful social conversation
- Gather contact information
- Disengage
Uncover surprising places to network at the show

Trade Show "Booth Camp" (1 - 2 days)

This workshop is designed as an opportunity for key decision makers to focus their attention on an upcoming show or series of shows. During this intensive program, you will develop a strategic exhibit plan which will focus on the following steps:

Set exhibit objectives
Establish success metrics
Create, develop and manage an attention getting display
Develop a winning promotion campaign
Select, manage and train booth personnel
Develop a proactive follow-up program

For more information on how you can bring one of our workshops to your company, please contact Barbara Siskind.

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