Sean Riley: So with all the fancy introductions out of the way, welcome to the podcast, Jefferson.
Jefferson Davis: Thank you so much. I'm super excited to be here.
Sean Riley: You have tons of experience in the trade show world. From your experience, what is the most important aspect of a trade show that exhibitors need to pay attention to?
Jefferson Davis: There is so much that goes in. You've got the logistical operation side. Get the space, get the booth, get the people, get the products in, up, down, out, on time, on budget. And then you've got the strategic side, and there's a lot that goes into that. But if there were one thing that every exhibitor has to accomplish if they're going to win the exhibiting game, especially at PACK EXPO, a large show like this, is you going to be able to identify, attract, and meaningfully interact with enough of the right people? Do that, and you win the game. Don't do that, and you struggle.
Sean Riley: You mentioned a bunch of different elements in there, though. Could you unpack some of that for us so that we kind of have a little clearer idea for our exhibitors on what to do there?
Jefferson Davis: So it really starts with identifying. So I think for each exhibitor, it comes down to the question is who are the right people for us? And you think about the different types of audiences, it really comes down to three, what I would call, primary audiences that every exhibitor should be targeting. And it's almost like a triangle to me. The base of the triangle is your customers. These would be people you are now or have done business with. There are a lot of exhibitors who tell me, they say, "Hey, I don't want to invite my customers to a show." And I'm like, "Why not?" Because all of our competition's going to be there. And I always tell them, "Today, buyers are using trade shows to revalidate existing buying relationships. Are you still the best overall source? Quality, service, price, value, everything."
So you start with your customers, and then the overlooked group, so the base of the pyramid is the customers. Then the overlooked group on the right side of the pyramid, which is, by the way, where the quick cash flow and return on investment are hiding, is prospects that are already in your sales pipeline. These are people that you're actively engaged with. You know them, they know you. And so you're going to try to use the energy and the excitement and your product displays and the technical experts and just everything, the magic that PACK EXPO brings to move them one step closer.
So you've got customers, circle the wagons around your customers, relationship management, meeting different influencers, ears to the ground for change, and new opportunities within the customer account. Prospects, you got one real objective, how can we move them one step forward, one step closer? And that's where the quick cash flow comes from. I've helped my clients; we've combined and pulled over $800 million out of trade shows. A lot of it comes really from moving that prospect who's in the sales cycle to that next step. And then the third group would be new opportunities. These would be companies that, based on what they produce, what they package, and what they manufacture, you know are a potential good fit for your company, but you have no meaningful engagement with them. And you're going to try to use the days and the weeks and the months leading up to PACK EXPO to get in their mind on their agenda and then put a face with a face at the show, open that door, get a meeting of the mind.
So what's cool about that approach, Sean, is that the value stack of customers, prospects, and new opportunities, that really makes sure that you have a booth full of what I call HVI, high value interactions. There are other audiences that I don't want to overlook because some exhibitors don't sell directly; they sell through dealer-distributor networks, so that would be an audience if you sell through a channel to support your distribution channel. Of course, the media, including today, with the explosion of social media influencers. So who are the real influencers in this space? And recruiting, what a place to find hires, employees, and investors. Many companies are out there, they've got great products, they're looking for venture capital, they're looking for mergers and acquisitions. So, for CPS, customer, prospect, suspect, to me, is a starting point. And then the other legs are unique to each individual exhibitor.
Sean Riley: Interesting. There are thousands and thousands of people to show. How do we make sure that we're getting the right people into our booth, that we're getting those prospects, those potential leads? How are some companies exploring these opportunities, and are there tools out there to assist with it?
Jefferson Davis: There are tools, but I think what precedes the tools is when you look at these different value groups that you're going to target, understanding that the competition for their time and attention is fierce.
Sean Riley: Right.
Jefferson Davis: It's absolutely fierce. And every decision that a trade show attendee makes is a values-based choice. They're going to look, should I go to this booth? Should I go to that booth? Should I go to this session? Should I go to that session? So once you know who you're targeting, then you've got to really find your value proposition. Your reason why out of over, I think, what do we have? 2,600 exhibitors at PACK EXPO.
Sean Riley: Yeah.
Jefferson Davis: Why come see us? If you've been to PACK EXPO and ever tried to walk it and about killed me, you're talking about some serious miles. So the value proposition is that crystal clear statement. It's focused on them, and it's benefit or outcome-focused as to why they should put you on their must-see list. And the problem that I see with a lot of companies, especially in the industrial, manufacturing, and even the packaging industry, is they're really close to their products. They know what they're producing, but they're not stepping back and trying to look at it through the eyes of the target customer. What situations are they grappling with that would force them to think about you, that would make you instantly relevant and instantly important? And how can you provide a solution?
Sean Riley: What can exhibitors do to make sure that they're able to then connect with them at the show that they're in their daily plan?
Jefferson Davis: Yeah, that has to happen. The goal here was in the mind, on the agenda, and with enough of the right people. So what you're looking for, what you're trying to get in your pre-show communications, is you're trying to get some level of commitment from the visitor. Yes, I'm coming to PACK EXPO. Yes, I'm coming to see you. And there are two levels of commitment that you can look for. The first level is the confirmed appointment. Wednesday at 10:15 AM, right? Harder to get, but golden when you get them, especially if you have a good way to remind and be secure of the appointment.
The second one is the verbal commitment, where they go, "Yes, I'm coming to PACK EXPO. Definitely want to come see you. I'm not sure I can nail down a specific day and time, but I definitely want to come see you." So that's your verbal commitment. Something is important for all PACK EXPO exhibitors to know is that attendees have the ability to schedule onsite meetings with exhibitors in the My Show Planner. So you want to make sure that you are aware that you have this tool and that you're checking this calendar to watch for these meetings and put a direct link in your outreach to everyone. Go, "Hey, block 10 minutes." Don't ask for a lot of time. Don't ask for 30 minutes. Don't ask for 45. Ask for 10, maybe 15. People will always stay longer when they're engaged, but don't ask for a lot of time upfront.
And then from there, there are two sides to the outreach. You have the DIY, do it yourself. These are things that you can and should be doing, like email, social media, and picking up the phone. Let's get back on the phone. Setting up a really cool event landing page that has additional assets and the ability to calendar and check those appointments. Having your sales team, your dealers, your distributors do personal outreach on top of what the corporate marketing is doing. And PACK EXPO has tools like the Customer Invite Program and package upgrades with these online leads. And some of this stuff's free. And then some of this stuff is very low cost.
And the PMMI Media Group offers a tool to get on attendees' radars. It's called Game Plan. It's a customized walking guide for attendees that gets sent both in paper and digital form before the show, highlighting the solutions, and they self-select during the registration process. So that's a powerful tool. And then you've got the PACK EXPO Discovery Tours, which are helping attendees navigate this needle in the haystack, so to speak, which basically takes them right to your booth. And even after the show, they can use a PACK EXPO tool called Second Look, which is like a game plan, but it reaches all those attendees who may have missed your show. So work with them through PACK EXPO, deliver a clear and compelling value proposition to enough of the right people. Get in their mind on their agenda. And chances are that you're going to walk off the PACK EXPO floor saying what I want everybody to say. What a difference a well-executed trade show can make.
Sean Riley: In your opinion, and again, you have an expertise on this, what does it mean to meaningfully interact with an attendee? How do we determine what a meaningful interaction that is going to generate business is?
Jefferson Davis: One of my favorite quotes was, "The buyer's perception is the seller's reality." So it's not what we think. It's going to mean I think comes from the attendee's perspective, not ours. And a good starting point is to step back at a higher plane and think about why packaging professionals attend PACK EXPO? And there are many reasons. They come to learn. They come to network. They come to stay current as to where things are. They come to the future pace, see where things are going. They come to find solutions to known bottlenecks, problems, and frustrations. They come for career enhancement. The more of those reasons that you can help with, the more value your value prop's going to have. So what can you teach them? They come to see what's new. How do you get them to engage? Networking. And they come to have fun too, right?
Yeah. So anytime you spend a little fun into your visitor experience, man, you're going to get your fair share of traffic. I do a lot of exhibit staff training where we develop what I call VIP, a visitor interaction process. The rule in our VIP is that we don't say much of anything until we know three things. Who we're with, why they're visiting, and what they are trying to accomplish in our time together. Some of these companies have so many things they're going to feature in the booth, they struggle, "What do we feature?" So I get a lot of questions around, "Hey, we're a multi-solution company. All of our product managers want everything in the booth. What should we have in the booth?" The key phrase at a trade show is " less is more, because their minds are already at complete information overload. The longer in the day, the longer in the show, the more they get-
Sean Riley: Great points. Yeah.
Jefferson Davis: ... yeah, physical and mental fatigue. And if you think you're going to dump a lot of content into a mine that is already at information overload, it's not going to happen. So, looking at your products, lead with new. New is a magnet. Which of your solutions are really speaking to a proximate pressing top-of-the-mind industry challenge or concern? They'll come running for that. And then of course, your bread and butter or your pillar products, reinforcing those. Now, the latest research on the two things that attendees want the most is to create meaning for them. So first, as they're moving about the show and they glance toward a booth, their brain is instantly searching for relevance. If it's important to them, they're going to engage.
So the two ways they want to engage in the booth, and this is so important for everybody. Number one is they want an immersive, interactive experience with your solution. They want to see it, they want to touch it, they want to interact with it. And number two, big one, is that they want subject matter experts in the booth. They want people in there who aren't coming necessarily from a sales pitch angle, but who are going to understand them, their situation, their needs, their project, their problem, their goals, and be able to have authentic, personalized, focused conversations that are relevant and important to the attendee.
Sean Riley: Okay. So you need to have stuff that they can actually interact with, they can even touch if possible—
Jefferson Davis: Yes.
Sean Riley: ... and subject matter experts are the two takeaways that you want to have in your booth when you're exhibiting.
Jefferson Davis: Have an authentic conversation with a knowledgeable subject matter expert, who will be a high-value visitor interaction that makes a big difference for the attendee.
Sean Riley: I love it. That's a perfect button to put on our little discussion here today, Jefferson. I want to thank you for taking the time out of your day to come on here and give us some information on exhibiting at the show.
Jefferson Davis: Take the ideas that resonated with you and put them to work and have a great show, man. I'm looking forward to it.
