Exhibit Training Solutions for Governments

When it comes to training, there is no such thing as one size fits all. To be effective training must respond to your departments 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 mission members.
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

Working the Show from Both Sides of the Aisle (1 - 3 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

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.

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, introduce a program or initiative, recruit, and reinforce your brand. 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

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 Opportunities (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 department participates in shows to gather leads for future follow-up, or simply to reinforce the brand, follow-up is crucial. During this strategy building workshop, your exhibitors 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 department 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 department’s key decision-makers will learn a step-by-step approach to creating a CI strategy designed to give you the information your department 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 (1 day)

This workshop takes a holistic approach to improving performance at trade shows and provides booth staff with techniques to work throughout the show. The day is divided into four elements, working the booth, working the show floor, working your leads and planning for the future.

Work the Booth

Set exhibit objectives
Strategic planning steps
Create an attention getting display
Work at a stage four proficiency
The skills of working a booth
Handle brochures, draws, premiums and other exhibiting tools
Follow up and report

Work the show floor

Set focused objectives
Research
Working with the show program
Prepare questions
Gather Competitive Intelligence
Develop a walking plan
Avoid overload
Follow up and report

Work the leads

Turn leads into sales
The $100.00 solution
Follow up

Plan for the future

Evaluate the show
Measure your R.O.I.

Discover Your Exhibiting Excellence (1 day)

This fast moving no-nonsense day will introduce 24 strategies that will motivate, invigorate and activate your exhibit program. That’s almost one new idea every 15 minutes!

Participants will come away with new approaches used by accomplished exhibitors worldwide. You will learn how to:

Sharpen your focus
Develop strategies for measurable and realistic objectives
Develop a prize-winning booth
Create a memorable experience
Boost your display’s drawing power with proven promotional techniques
Ready your booth staff
Develop strategies to turn visitors into customers
Evaluate the show
Verify your R.O.I.

Making Trade Shows Work (1 day)

This workshop is divided into two sections so you can invite staff and clients who are responsible for the planning of a show to the morning session. Those who work the booth can attend the afternoon session. This is a perfect solution for those exhibitors who have one dedicated group of staff for the planning and another to work the booths.

Morning Session: Getting Ready

Unravel the mysteries of successful exhibiting and put some pizzazz into your next show.

6 steps to choosing the right show
8 criteria for developing a winning booth
14 proven promotional techniques
4 steps to creating a powerful follow-up program

Afternoon Session: The Secrets of Working the Booth

Good booth skills are developed; it takes time, patience, and a sure-fire method. This workshop will improve the effectiveness of everyone who works in the booth.

The four stages of an effective boother
How to proactively approach visitors
The six steps to ensuring you are spending the right time with the right people.
How to disengage quickly and confidently
The 6 do’s and 7 don’ts of working a booth

Making International Trade Show Work (1 day)

Trade Shows are still the number one method of bringing new products and services to market. Participating in a domestic show domestically is one thing, taking part in an international show is a whole new ball game. During this interactive full-day workshop, participants will have a chance to unravel the nuts and bolts of international exhibiting. They will learn how to:

Set objectives
Find the right venue
Participate in a National stand
Develop a winning display
Cultivate attention-getting pre-show promotional ideas
Work with the international media
Maximize their time at the stand
Approach, qualify, present and disengage
The challenge of culture
Effective follow up

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

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