Marry Your Exhibitors

The traditional exhibitor/organizer relationship will not survive the pressures of today's competitive marketplace. As a result, show organizers need to find new and improved ways to keep the exhibitor of the future happy and loyal.

Exhibitors expect a lot more from show management. They are more demanding, more savvy and are driving the tradeshow business more than ever before. Exhibitors will no longer tolerate any tactics that maximize short-term profitability at their expense. They expect to pay for services that provide value and satisfy their needs. When necessary, they will band together and rebel for what they want.

Partnering is the wave of the future. In his book, "Stop Selling, Start Partnering," Larry Wilson compares a partnership to a good marriage. It needs to be: long-term, strategic, value-based, and interdependent.

1. Long Term.

The foundation for a long-term partnership, three to five years or more, is having the same values and sharing a common purpose. Your constant long-term aim should be to deepen and strengthen your ties. The more you meet exhibitor needs the deeper their reliance on the partnership.

Depending on their experience, exhibitor needs vary. Never assume you know and understand their situation. The most effective way to uncover needs is to ask directly. Focus groups, questionnaires, and phone calls are some standard ways to capture valuable information. Needs change, so this must be a constant and ongoing process.

Capturing the information is only the first step. Listening and taking action are key to building trust, reliability and loyalty. Exhibitors want to know that you care and are sincerely interested in helping them succeed. Remember, it is always best to under promise and over deliver, rather than the opposite. 

2. Strategic.

Success in a partnership is more than just selling the exhibitor booth space. It also means being strategic. To make your partnership strategic, work to understand the exhibitors' business, and their exhibiting strategy.

For exhibitors, success at a show means reaching goals. Most of the time, this interprets as hardcore bottom-line results - sales and profitability. What can you provide to help them succeed? For the novice this may mean offering advice on all aspects of exhibiting, from resource information to training. The well-seasoned professional who is open to help, often looks to continuously improve performance. Organizing "think tanks" with other exhibitors can generate powerful new approaches to exhibiting success. 

Your strategy is to help their strategic approach to exhibiting - helping them make more money, save money, or add value to their customers.

3. Value-based.

Another aspect of the partnership is sharing basic values and beliefs regarding business. People want to do business with people they trust and who are like themselves. Honesty and value for money is expected. On a higher level, more is required. The deeper and more connected the relationship, the more trust and values play a critical role. For example, if proprietary information is shared, there needs to be a feeling of complete confidence that the same information will not be shared with competitors.

The first step is establishing your own values as an organization - knowing your business priorities and what you believe is important. Every employee needs to fully understand and be committed to these values. Then look to compare values with exhibitors. True long-term partnerships can only be developed with exhibitors who share common values.

Another essential aspect is how you value exhibitors. How true is the old catch-phrase "the customer is king" in your organization? Who comes first the boss or the exhibitor? The exhibitor-keeping organization organizes itself around exhibitors, not around the hierarchy. Every employee needs to know and understand that it is the exhibitor and not the CEO who makes it all possible.

4. Interdependent.

Interdependence means going from "me" to "we". This is when the partnership takes on the characteristics of one organization, rather than separate, distinct organizations. This involves relationships at all levels in the organization, from the sales force, customer service, marketing, finance, through to senior management. The exhibitor needs to know and understand your organizational dynamics, and you need to understand theirs.

Communication, flexibility, attitude, integrity and user-friendly policies are keys to building partnerships that work. Long-term relationships are dynamic, not static. They are constantly changing, either getting stronger or weaker. If you let a relationship stagnate, it will weaken and eventually die. It needs regular maintenance to keep growing.

The following is a checklist of things to do every day to keep partnerships growing:

1. Always look to continuously improve the partnership.
2. Always understand, respond to and exceed exhibitor expectations.
3. Always anticipate and find solutions to exhibitor problems.

Like marriage, not everyone is right for a partnership. Long-term relationships with exhibitors are reserved for those who are open to making all elements of the partnership work - strategic, value-based and highly interdependent. The sophisticated exhibitor and those serious about tradeshow marketing, will look for and welcome partnership opportunities. They know and understand the enormous rewards to be reaped. They know that the future business model is one of collaboration, alliances and strategic partnerships.