Exhibiting Like A Pro
WITH SEMA SHOW ATTENDEE NUMBERS SURGING, OPPORTUNITY AWAITS. IS YOUR GAME PLAN READY?
BY MICHAEL IM LAY
If you've signed onto the 2024 SEMA Show as an exhibitor, you've likely heard already: This year's trade event, slated for November 5–8 in Las Vegas, promises to be among the biggest ever. With industry participation seeing approximately 7% growth over prior years, the attendee numbers are now expected to top 150,000. That creates a lot of opportunity for the Show's projected 2,400 exhibitors, yourself included. But how will you leverage it and stand out in the crowd? Fortunately, there are steps you can take right now for a successful return on your SEMA Show investment, says Tom Gattuso, SEMA vice president of events. "I'd say that the number-one step is to really start thinking through your plan right now, ahead of the Show," he advises. "A good plan will involve goal setting, understanding what you're trying to get out of the event, and what you're trying to accomplish throughout your SEMA Week." For most exhibitors the prime goal will be lead capture. Many also emphasize brand exposure, media outreach, customer feedback or perhaps a combination of these and other objectives. "Really thinking through how you measure success will help you understand and plan out your next steps for achieving it," Gattuso notes. ADVICE FROM THE PROS Here, newer exhibitors might especially want to take some cues from returning brands that have learned to set clear goals and effectively leverage the Show to meet them.
"A GOOD PLAN WILL INVOLVE GOAL SETTING, UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO GET OUT OF THE EVENT, AND WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH THROUGHOUT YOUR SEMA WEEK."
"I think the SEMA Show has a unique ROI for our brand simply because of all the different avenues you can take advantage of to highlight your company— not forgetting the sheer volume of potential customers that SEMA brings in to the venue," says Michael Wahl, FiTech vice president of sales and marketing. "Our first goal at the Show is to release new products for the upcoming year. It's the best place for us to display and educate our customer base [in] the largest pool of customers." With that goal in mind, FiTech benchmarks its success through several factors, "the first being Show orders [because] capturing a purchase order is always important," continues Wahl. "Second would be the interest the customer shows towards a particular new product—or lack of interest. Third would be the new relationships we make with not only customers but possible other manufacturers."
Hypercraft President Brian Bowers says his electric powertrain company also aims for clear benchmarks. "The metrics our sales and leadership teams set in advance help define the level of success achieved following the event. This includes a target goal for leads generated, meetings held, attendees that tour the booth, as well as press or media opportunities and social-media engagement," he explains. Meanwhile, Christina Kwan, who manages marketing, public and reseller relations for Michigan- based Race Ramps, views the Show as a key venue for deepening existing relationships while pursuing new leads. "Even though we work throughout the year to develop existing relationships and reach new partners, our exhibit provides us with an important physical presence where we can connect and educate [them] about our products," she explains, adding that such relationships often grow organically before, during and after the Show. "Return on investment is seen when long-term business relationships grow out of an initial meeting at the Show. I have also had many pending partners come to see me at the Show where our presence finalizes the deal." Consequently, taking the time to alert and invite current and potential business partners to your
At last year's SEMA Show, Hypercraft created a booth experience that took attendees through the stages of an EV system purchasing experience, demystifying electrification options.
booth in advance of the Show can boost your ROI at the event. LEVERAGING PRE-SHOW TOOLS The SEMA Show offers numerous tools to assist with these goals and more. Entering your new and featured products in the New Products Showcase is a proven strategy for driving traffic to your booth. The first entry is always free, and registering your product(s) is a step you can take right now. (Through October 6, additional entries are $95 each. After October 6, the cost for each additional entry rises to $175.) The Show's free online media center (accessible at semashow.com/media-center) also helps alert the media to your plans, whether they be new-product debuts, special announcements, media events, vehicle displays or Show discounts. You'll also want to solidify your pre-Show publicity by verifying or updating your SEMA Show Directory listing by August 14. SEMA also offers cost-effective sponsorship opportunities to heighten exhibitor visibility, along with a CMS lead retrieval system to help collect booth visitor information for postevent follow-up. (See exhibitor.semashow.com for complete details about these and other tools.) Beyond such built-in Show features, you'll additionally want to begin reaching out and inviting existing customers and potential leads to your
booth via phone, email and your own website and social-media channels. Now is also the time to strategize your booth layout and operations. "Especially for our smaller exhibitors, we suggest taping or chalking out a mock space at your business and thinking through its feng shui and work flow," says Andy Tompkins, SEMA trade show director. After mapping your booth outline, ask yourself: Will you have enough space for what you're planning on putting in there? Will you have a vehicle? Will you have room for people to walk around? What will each staff person do? What will it feel like when you have all your products, furniture and other items in your exhibit space? Mark their positions as well and eliminate whatever you don't really need. The result will be a more inviting and functional booth that also contains costs. Again, your Show goals should drive how you utilize your booth space. "For instance, at SEMA 2023, we created a booth experience that took attendees through the stages of an electric-vehicle (EV) system purchasing experience," says Bowers at Hypercraft. "Pick your power, pick your range (batteries), pick your options, etc. People were blown away by the simplicity of the presentation and compared it to shopping at an Apple store." "Although our products and technologies can be marketed well online, they land even better
The 2023 Race Ramps booth was simple and effective, using a vehicle and ramp to draw customers in while providing plenty of space for visitor interactions.
with customers when they can see the designs in person, experience EV performance first-hand, and ask questions directly to one of our many experts," he added. "Many of our employees and customers have crossed over from internal combustion engines [ICE] into EV/hybrid because they see and understand just how great an impact our
"WE UTILIZE SEMA TO CAPTURE CONTENT THAT CAN SERVE AS AN EXTRA FUNNEL TO EDUCATE AND ENTERTAIN OUR COMMUNITY…"
powertrains can have on their ICE conversions and OEM vehicles. We enjoy sharing and talking through these experiences." While finalizing your booth plan, reviewing and finalizing your Show budget as soon as possible can also enhance your ROI. In doing so, pay close attention to important Show discounts and deadlines in the final lead-up to SEMA Week. "We have a variety of discounts available, including our October discount deadline for ordering booth fixtures and items through Freeman, our primary decorator/supplier," explains Tompkins. "Evaluating your advanced ordering needs, getting your whole team registered, and adhering to all the guidelines deadlines laid out in our Exhibitor Services Manual [exhibitor.semashow. com] can help immensely to control costs." "In general, now is also a good time to get ahead of all your other Show needs," he adds. "For example, printing can get stressful if you're rushing to get materials at the last minute. Wherever you can minimize any stress points before you arrive at the Show, the better." While alleviating stress points, make plans to get any new products into the New Products Showcase by the judging deadline (10:00 a.m., Monday, November 4), since winning an award can boost traffic to your booth. Moreover, watch for the targeted freight schedule that Show officials post in August to efficiently coordinate your move-in process. But in all your planning, don't lose track of the Show's social factor. Arrange for team meals and customer get-togethers, and plan to attend the
FiTech's primary goal at the Show is the release of new products, so its space naturally focuses on highlighting its latest offerings and educating potential buyers about their features and benefits.
"ALTHOUGH OUR PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGIES CAN BE MARKETED WELL ONLINE, THEY LAND EVEN BETTER WITH CUSTOMERS WHEN THEY CAN SEE THE DESIGNS IN PERSON…"
Consider the Show a series of conversations with potential buyers and hone your elevator pitches ahead of time—and be ready with a lead-retrieval plan for follow-up.
Tuesday-evening Industry Night @ SEMA featuring the Goo Goo Dolls and other networking events. The Show's many education seminars also provide enrichment opportunities for you and your team. ON THE SHOW FLOOR Once the Show opens Tuesday, November 5, it's time to leverage all your preparation and implement your game plan. At Race Ramps, Kwan says seeing the Show as a series of conversations and maximizing those interactions has been a key to the company's success. "These conversations include meeting with existing distributors while gaining introductions to new potential distributors, meeting with industry colleagues and discussing our current experiences and outlook on the future, meeting with industry media to educate [them] about new products, and gaining product feedback from current customers," she explains. Tompkins agrees, and advises exhibitors to have their "elevator pitches" honed and ready. Know what information you'd like to impart to each different type of visitor in one- and three-minute increments—or longer when visitor interest merits it. "You really want to get your team aligned on how to greet customers, on talking points and on lead retrieval procedures," Tompkins emphasizes. "If you have a front-desk person or greeter, it's very important they know how to screen and hand off leads. Plus, it helps to evaluate how your booth processes are working on a daily basis and make adjustments accordingly."
The Show floor magically takes shape Monday of Show Week. Adhering to freight and other deadlines will help contain costs and manage stress points associated with move-in.
Whatever your processes, make sure your messaging supports your overall goals. For example, Bowers says Hypercraft goes into the event with a clear proposition: "The Show is a forum for [us] to share the customer solutions and technologies we've poured countless hours and resources into developing. We utilize our SEMA experience to launch new products and let the world know of our new developments." This includes not only fielding booth conversations but leveraging booth activities to engage a wider audience and generate buzz outside the Show halls. "In addition to placing an emphasis on in-person interactions, Hypercraft is extremely active on our LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram platforms. We utilize the SEMA Show to capture content that can serve as an extra funnel to educate and entertain our community," he explains. Of course, conversations are a two-way street, and many exhibitors find they can glean valuable insights from their interactions with buyers, media and Friday Enthusiast Experience attendees. Many veteran exhibitors will tell you that attendee feedback can often lead to new ideas, product improvements or entry into new markets. Plus, astute exhibitors can scope out the competition and see what's trending on the Show floor. As MagnaFlow Senior Manager Richard Waitas notes, "The SEMA Show continues to be the workshop for us to see how our industry peers and enthusiasts [get their] needs met. While the industry has evolved, the SEMA Show is still the place to network and benchmark ideas and strategies in a place we can also share [our news and developments] efficiently with the media world." ANTICIPATING FOLLOW-UP Officially, the SEMA Show ends Friday, November 8, but if you've prepared and executed a solid Show plan, you'll continue to see the dividends for months to come. Be ready to capitalize on them with a good follow-up strategy. "This is certainly something you should think about before the Show as well," notes Tompkins. What will that strategy look like? One strategy is to score leads as you gather them and prioritize follow-ups accordingly." Regardless of how you prioritize leads be sure to engage with them quickly and at regular intervals after the Show. Realize that some leads take
"THE METRICS OUR SALES AND LEADERSHIP TEAMS SET IN ADVANCE HELP DEFINE THE LEVEL OF SUCCESS ACHIEVED FOLLOWING THE EVENT…"
Demonstrations are crowd-pleasers. Utilize the Show's online media center to announce special booth activities, and invite your customers ahead of the Show as well.
Entering a new or featured product in the New Products Showcases is a proven, cost-effective way to lead attendees straight to your exhibit space.
"RETURN ON INVESTMENT IS SEEN WHEN LONG-TERM BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS GROW OUT OF AN INITIAL MEETING AT THE SHOW…"
time to nurture. Make initial follow-up contacts within weeks, and then check in again a few months later, and perform a third follow-up within a year. "We have found that the sooner a lead is followed up on, the more interactivity there will typically be," says Tompkins. "Plus having that more immediate feedback loop can be very beneficial to your business." To be sure, exhibiting at the SEMA Show is a big investment and a prolonged commitment, but if you take the steps laid out by the pros above, you'll significantly increase your chances of success. As Show veteran and Katzkin Creative Director Miles Hubbard puts it, "There are many line items in Katzkin's marketing expenses, and nothing comes close to the investment we make in attending the SEMA Show every year, but in our experience, the returns far exceed the investment. The Show provides a venue unlike any other where we can launch new products, demonstrate our existing capabilities, speak face-to-face with thousands of people who work in our industry exclusively, and just show off."
