We are well and truly into conference and exhibition season, and I have already been to a few of both.
The conferences are interesting at the moment, because I don’t know what some of them actually want to be – a lecture style or an unconference style? Personally a blend of the two works for me.
The point of todays mini- rant however are exhibitions.
Having just spent two days visiting the NEC for The Gadget Show Live, my negative exhibition experiences again reared up!
I have been to a number exhibitions recently, both work and pleasure, and they are all left me with the same feeling, disappointment and annoyance!
So, here are my three main exhibition rants:
1. Women do actually exist. They are not imaginary or 2nd class citizens – they are decision makers just like men (admittedly they get it wrong more than men…………… you know I am joking, right?) So why is it then, that stand staff always go towards to male, sometimes even blanking the woman completely!! Just out of interest, since when did females fail to exist (don’t answer that Peter – you will only get into trouble!!)?
So rant one is equality – if you are exhibitoring soon, treat everyone the same, you have no idea who holds the budgets, so don’t pre-judge and make stupid assumptions!!
2.If you are selling or demonstrating a product, then make sure it frigging well works!! This is a real bugbear of mine – when you go to a stand to see what the product/service/software does, only to be told that it:
a) isn’t working – just pathetic, but sometimes excusable
b) batteries have run out – get some more stupid, or just charge them up
c) don’t actually have any working examples – stay away from the damn show then!
d) the software doesn’t work in exhibition halls – well it won’t work for me then!
e) sold the last one yesterday – and? Have you heard of a thing called transportation – get more!!
f) can’t show you the product without a live example – derr!! build a simple demo then – smokescreen for no actual working product yet – stay well away!
g) sorry I don’t know anything about the product, I am from an agency, I don’t actually work for XXXXX. You can come back tomorrow to see Richard……. – my absolute total hate point!! You invest all that money to have a stand (not cheap), you want new customers, and you entrust it to a (no offence) an attractive agency temp with 36DD qualifications!
As you can tell, these things are all just so wrong, but yet so common. (If you know any other massive #fails please share them in the comments below)
3. Fantastic, you use social media to engage with people before the show!! Then you direct them to your stand, who have no idea you are doing it and no interest in social media anyway!! Talk about destroying credibility…..
This actually happened last week. The company – Logitech – in this instance, did a great job pre-show in picking up #hashtags and keywords on Twitter. Then they followed you, and sent a few (not too many) tweets ‘encouraging'(by encouraging I mean freebies, by the way) you to visit their stand. Great, just how it should be done (in my opinion) using the social media channel.
But when you get to the stand – there is no interest whatsoever and no knowledge of the Twitter campaign at all!! Brand damage done!!
[Footnote to this little story: On way home in the evening we made comment regarding #Logitechfail, only to receive a direct tweet asking for address to send an appropriate goodie bag by way of apology. Nice, but maybe you want to connect your social media activity to your sales staff? That would be better!]
Rant over for now……
Well, until the Internet World Exhibition at the end of April, that is!!
As I said above, I know you will have other experiences at exhibitions that have made your blood boil as well – please share them – it will make you feel better!
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