HEROware: Trade Shows - are they worth it?

Hey All - this is Lynn Shourds, President & CTO of HEROware. We recently attended the SMB Nation Fall Conference in Las Vegas. This was the 5th show we attended this year and looking back, it's time to talk about the ROI of doing these types of shows.

We all know that trade shows can be expensive, and according to a really terrific ROI report from American Image, those fees include "...show fees, airfare in many cases, hotel stays, meals and wages, not to mention the actual display."

However, trade shows are successful in many ways; namely 3: PR, Branding, and Sales. Of these three, sales always gets the most attention. But don't be fooled, the PR and Branding associated with trade shows pays massive dividends down the road. Sure, they're not as flashy and in-your-face as sales are, but no company can thrive and survive without them.



Candy Adams - "Booth Mom"

 American Image talks about ROO (Return on Objectives) and ROR (Return on Relationships) as being strong factors in measuring the success of a trade show. “A lot of events that we do these days have to do with ongoing relationships with people and upselling,” says Candy Adams, known as the Booth Mom. “Too many people are using a shotgun approach, saying it’s a numbers game. Numbers are nice, but give me a focused group of people — this is where the rubber meets the road, is these relationships, this ROR.” It may seem difficult to measure these types of variables, but it can, and should, be done.

So how were the shows for us? Well, sales were increased, and nicely I might add. But for me, the Branding associated with trade shows is King. The chance for thousands of resellers and end-users to see our brand, and get to know who we are and what we do is where I measure our greatest success. I'm a huge fan of ROR. The culture of our company is key to how we do business and how we treat our customers and partners. This culture is very entrepreneurial and overflowing with customer service and caring about every reseller, customer and technology partner.

So I would say YES...trade shows are worth it. Factor in your leads with your relationship building and throw on top some branding success and you've got a the equivalent of a triple-scoop ice cream sundae with extra fudge and whipped cream. I don't know about you, but that's really good for me!

Thanks for listening,

Lynn
>check out what we do at http://www.heroware.com/