And Don't Come Back

October 4 Mary Buffa does what I do - she writes about exhibiting as part of her job with Skyline Displays.  An article she...

Get In the Spirit

September 20 Get In the Spirit People attend events because they like what the event is about.  While that's pretty...

People Buy From People

July 26 Meet Lex.  She makes furniture.  Why should you buy her furniture?  Because, of course, she has a really...

Lessons Learned

April 12 My father Robert Zimmerman, who along with my mother Joan, founded Southern Shows Inc. in 1959, passed away in March at...

Cell or Sell?

March 29 This is one of those things that is so obvious, and seemly easy to do, that I hesitated even writing about it. ...

One Thing Leads to Another

February 16 If you've been following this blog since it began in 2011, you know I have an endless list of reasons exhibiting in...

What Do You Think?

January 5 The gentleman is this photograph, taken at the Southern Christmas Show, is Max Appel.  He is the founder of Orange...

The More Things Change . . .

November 10 The More Things Change . . . I'm a bit of a history nerd.  I always smile when I hear economists and...

How Was Your Meal?

October 13 After a recent delightful dining experience, I thought about what made it special.  I soon realized that the...

Play Date

September 29 IMEX is the association for professionals in the meeting and special events business. One of the four key trends they...

Bad Manners

September 15 The last post was about problem children in your exhibit. This post is about the big kids. You may have experienced...

Problem Child

September 1 Children are cute, adorable, and a joy to most. Their curiosity also leads them to touch everything in sight, and...

Thinking Inside the Box

August 18 The last post described an exhibitor who created a "show within a show," as his attention-grabber. This...

It Was Nice to Meet You

July 7 Following up with potential clients after a show is probably the most important - and most overlooked - element of...

Give It Away . . . and It Comes Back

June 23 Helmut's Strudel has been part of the Southern Christmas Show for 30+ years. Their success is legendary. Their...

Boring Business

June 9 Let's face it. Some products and services are just not exciting. Others are an immediate turn-off to most people....

Park It

May 12 You see a lot of 'wrapped' vehicles advertising businesses as they drive around town. And, many of those...

I'm All Ears

December 9 You should be 'all EARS' at a show. That is: Expert. Know what you're talking about, or...

Too Busy to Succeed

November 25 As the economy and business improves, there are companies that decide to dial back on sales and...

Stand Up and be Recognized

October 28 Being approachable is a key ingredient to success at shows. That involves how you’re dressed, not being...

Where'd You Get That?

October 14 There was once a Southern Christmas Show exhibitor who made wooden holiday-themed yard signs. They were...

Keep Your Friends Close

October 14 . . . and your enemies closer.   And yes, you will find both at shows.  Perhaps not enemies, but...

Counting Chickens

September 30 The last post was about making sure everyone working your exhibit understands why they are there.  Sales,...

Know Before You Go

September 16 There are many reasons to participate in a show.  For most, it’s to create sales.  Other reasons...

Dress for Success

August 5 You probably would not buy from an insurance salesman who shows up in a t-shirt, nor a plumber who arrives in a...

QUICK Selling - Kick

July 22 We’re down to the end of the QUICK method of selling at shows.  We have Qualified the show guest,...

QUICK Selling - Create

July 8 So far, we have Qualified the show guest, Understood what they need, and Identified how we can help them. ...

QUICK Selling - Identify

June 24 In the last two blogs, we have Qualified the prospect in your exhibit space, and have then asked questions to...

QUICK Selling - Understand

June 10 Last time, we introduced the QUICK method of selling, with the first step being to Qualify the person...

QUICK Selling - Qualify

May 27 Shows are selling at warp speed.  If you spend too much time with one prospect, you may miss another...

I'll Be-etle Back

April 15 At the recent Southern Spring Home & Garden Show, Bushwackers Landscaping was one of 22 landscaping companies...

Get In On the Action

March 18 We all know demonstrations, if done well, are a wonderful tool at a show.  What's even more...

Get to the Point

February 25 While most of us have a standard "pitch" for the products we sell, few of us have ever timed or...

Pardon the Interruption

June 25 The great majority of marketing you encounter each day relies on interrupting whatever you’re doing. ...

Story Time

June 11 Brenda Harris Tustian is a very talented artist.  She also knows the world is full of talented artists,...

Winning In Ten Seconds

April 30 We’ve all heard that the standard 10’x10’ exhibit has three seconds to get show guests'...

Show Me You Love Me

March 19 Testimonials are effective because they appeal to all the personalities described in my last four posts. They...

Selling to Personalities IV

March 5 This is the last of four posts about selling to personalities in the exhibit space...

Selling to Personalities III

February 19 This is the third of four posts about selling to personalities in the exhibit space...

Selling to Personalities II

February 5 This is the second of four posts about selling to personalities in the exhibit space...

Selling to Personalities I

January 22 Professional sales trainers will tell you that there are four basic types of personalities. This post, and the three...

Back to the Future

January 8 I’m often asked about the future of the exposition business.  And I'm sure if you're a marketing...

The Seven Ps

November 27 If you want to be a successful exhibitor, forget minding your Ps and Qs. Just stick with the Ps. If you...

Using Literature Effectively

October 16 Product literature seems to be a dying promotional form, but it still has an important place in consumer shows. The...

Tracking Business

October 2 If you’re not exhibiting to create direct sales, then you’re most likely there to spread the word...

Bring On the Kids

September 18 In my last post, I suggested you bring along some distractions to divert little ones’ attention while you...

Happy Kids

September 4 Kids are always ready to head home from a show long before their parents.  If you have ever tried to sell...

Lead the Way

August 21 If you’re the type of exhibitor who collects leads to follow up on after the show, how you collect those leads...

Counting Heads

July 24 After each show, we get calls from exhibitors asking how many people attended the show.  When this happens, I...

Sell Them the Package

July 10 I’m assuming chicken coops have been around since about the time someone first caught a chicken.  They...

What Do You Sell?

June 26 An effective exhibit will clearly and quickly tell the show guest exactly what you sell.  But to do that,...

Face to Face?

May 29 The concept of shows began with bazaars in the Fourth Century.  They figured out that it would be a lot...

Beware the Address Label

May 15 If you have exhibited in public shows, you have seen them: address-label-packing women sticking their names and...

We're all in our places with bright shining faces

May 1 The title of this week’s blog comes from the “Good Morning!” song, one of the few things I...

Follow up, follow up, follow up

April 17 At a recent show, the owner of a kitchen cabinet company, who has exhibited in the show for years, approached me and...

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

February 7 I write this blog because I want you to be successful in the shows we produce. I want you to be successful...

Show Manager's Lament

November 15 Like all good show managers, my friend Gail Schell does personal business with exhibitors.   But being a...

Be Led by Examples

November 1 If you have the type of company that does something different for each client – landscaper, plastic...

Do U QR?

October 18 Most of us have seen, but probably not used, the QR codes that are popping up everywhere. These square barcodes...

Spread the Word

September 20 Everyone knows that great word-of-mouth beats great advertising every time.  No business can succeed...

Who is Working for What?

August 23 Re-reading the last post, I see that I used a phrase we all use. I implored you to send the right people to...

Send Out the Clowns

August 9 According to a national survey, the number one thing people remember about an exhibit is not the exhibit. It’s...

Just Do It

July 12 A few weeks ago, I wrote about redefining demonstrations. The message was to not confine your thinking about...

What's the Matter

June 28 Have you ever exhibited in a show where just about everyone did well except for you? It happens, and barring...