Getting the most out of Sin City without getting a headache.
Las Vegas thrives on fake. The place boasts imitations of the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids, the Statue of Liberty, a Venetian piazza, Elvis... and we won't even catalog all the fake body parts on display.
When it comes to trade shows, however, Vegas is the real deal. There are planes flying in from all over, hotel rooms aplenty, amenities fit for the King, and more event space than you can shake a feather boa at.
"We are easy," says Chris Meyer, vice president of sales for the destination marketing organization Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which owns and operates the Las Vegas Convention Center and Cashman Center. What he means is that it's a snap to book a room, get transportation to the hotel and exhibition hall, find fine cuisine at all hours, make valuable business connections, and experience world-class entertainment.
Also easy in Vegas: getting overwhelmed.
Between the long hours, the 24/7 amenities, the constant temptations, the intensive walking, and the dry desert climate, staying sane in Sin City requires a special level of commitment - not the drive-through wedding chapel kind. You don't need the best poker face to have a winning time at a conference here, but high-stakes style preparation is essential, whether the show brings together a few hundred people or a hundred thousand.
From keeping customers happy to keeping employees in check, it's time to put all the cards on the table.
Surviving a Las Vegas Trade Show: Be Prepared
Procrastinators could find themselves left in the dust. One of the most common rookie mistakes Meyer sees is the attendee or buyer who finally got around to reading the conference materials on the plane ride to Vegas.
"There are always time-sensitive cost savings in those materials," he says. Securing the best deals on accommodations and amenities avoids surprising high costs later. Reading the materials ahead of time also provides opportunities to attend unique networking events that usually require reserving a spot well in advance. "Maybe Bill Gates is at a cocktail reception, but you didn't RSVP in time and you can't go," Meyer warns.
Exhibitors should start planning at least half a year in advance while attendees should start coming up with an action plan six weeks in advance, suggests Candace Adams, an event and exhibition management consultant known as "The Booth Mom." Such a plan outlines who would be useful to see, what sessions to attend, and a daily schedule detailing the hours on the show floor, in classes, and in meetings. Adams also recommends doing a keyword search on the trade show website to make relevant connections. "It will bring up all the exhibitors who checked that off as a keyword," she says. "You want to be organized when you get there because time is not your friend in Vegas."
Vegas can be incredibly valuable to the bottom line. Creating leads at a trade show is far less expensive than creating them anywhere else, says trade show consultant Joyce McKee. She cites a Center for Exhibition Industry Research report from fall 2009 that found each face-to-face exhibition lead will cost a company $96 while the same kind of lead elsewhere costs $1,039. Exhibitors who plan well and have with booth personnel trained to ask the right questions can see an ROI of 12 percent or more. "If you're not planning," McKee says, "you're wasting money."
In March, Christina Gay attended and exhibited at a trade show in Vegas for the first time. As marketing communications manager for Atalasoft, a document imaging software company based in Easthampton, Massachusetts, she experienced days that started at 8 a.m. and kept going until 3 in the morning. "Everything you do, have a strategy in mind," she says. "You have to budget for everything, down to the number of beers you're going to have with a client."
Dig Deeper: Why I Love Trade Shows
Surviving a Las Vegas Trade Show: Surround Yourself With the Best People
Forget the fishbowl full of business cards, McKee tells exhibitors. "For current customers, I'd have your sales people hand deliver invitations whether they're in Vegas or not," she says. "Make them destination-bound to come see you." Using the company's database of current and future customers to communicate a product launch in Vegas will keep the target audience engaged and updated, whether they can make it to the show in person or not.
Identifying the right team to attend is another crucial step. For some workers, the temptations in Las Vegas will be too enticing to resist. The effect on a company's image could be devastating. No matter how great a salesperson's work, if he or she is battling demons, Vegas should not be the place for that fight. "You need enormous willpower to survive," says trade show industry consultant Susan Friedmann who goes by "The Tradeshow Coach." She knows of an employee who showed up to a trade show booth seriously hung over after a night of hard partying and was promptly fired. "There's only so much coffee you can drink," she cautions.
Dig Deeper: Tips for Trade Shows
