Fantastic Norway - Cardboard Cloud
We’ve all heard the ubiquitous term “thinking outside the box”. But, even as this stale phrase is finding its way to fossil status in the business vernacular, there is one place where it is more applicable than ever.
In years past, trade shows have been a place to set up a structure, slap on your logo and spread out your wares. Well, times are certainly changing and so is the trade show. Creative marketers who find themselves challenged to squeeze the most out of this traditional medium, are increasingly looking beyond their booth for answers. Some have tried tying their exhibit programs to online events, games and social media campaigns. Others have created multi-city mobile marketing programs that coincide with, and support, their traditional trade show schedule. Even within the exhibit itself, we are seeing a lot more theater and a lot less old-school selling.
Whatever the tool or tactic, by thinking “outside the box”, these creative brand and event managers are completely redefining it.
EXPERIENCE vs. STRUCTURE
Over the last few months the long debate over “Experience vs. Structure” has surfaced regularly within the exhibit/events community. With exorbitant labor rates for set-up, drayage, shipping and other show-related costs, most exhibitors are looking for better ways of leaving an impression on their target audience without leaving an equally large impression on their marketing budget. One way is to focus on the experience and let the structure take a back seat rather than the leading role.
I have to admit that most clients still present creative briefs that read like grocery lists: “We need a reception desk, two demo stations, storage, literature racks and a meeting space…”. Briefs like this have a way of always producing very similar results and stifling any real creative thought that may have surfaced.
In contrast, those who provide briefs focused on goals, rather than “stuff”, often have a better shot at getting unique solutions that they might have never considered.
This approach is becoming much more common as exhibitors and marketers are starting to tap their creative partners for alternatives. In the end, focusing on the overall visitor experience, and what you want them to take away from your event, forces you to think about true brand direction and goals in a way that the standard “grocery list” approach never will.
After all, in today’s world of Twitter and Facebook, it’s no longer just about how brands talk to people, but more about how people talk to brands. With the number of “follows, shares and likes” starting to have a direct impact on many brands’ bottom lines, how people experience your message is critical to how they feel about, and promote, it.
