September 2005
Cheat Sheet: New product pavilions
Nearly half of shows offer a new product showcase, according a recent EXPOweb poll. Whether you’re looking to launch a new products section or enhance your existing one, here are some tips on how to set parameters, promote and sell it, and handle operational issues.
By Linda C. Chandler

Setting parameters for a new product pavilion
Defining what constitutes a new product is harder than you might think. Here are guidelines used by some shows:
• Admit only new products that haven’t been launched previously — anywhere, anytime, whether at a competing show or at a corporate event.

• Allow only products introduced within a specified time frame, for example, within the last six months or the last year or since the last show.

Other qualifying criteria used by many events include:

• Limiting participation to companies that purchase exhibit space in the show, as a perk for exhibitors. Some also include sponsors or potential exhibitors.

• Permit “upgrades” of older products when the changes are significant. Decide how to make judgment calls about whether a change is truly significant.

• One show allows only products that are available for shipment within 90 days after the show.

• Some shows set limits of one or two new products per company; some create a scale based on exhibitor’s floor space, up to a maximum. Some shows set no maximum number but charge for the opportunity to be in the new products section, so it’s self-limiting to the exhibitors.

How to promote a new product pavilion
• Issue press releases about the new product pavilion, as well as specific products the press can expect to see. Copy participating, as well as nonparticipating, exhibitors on the distribution.

• Provide “teasers” on your Web site or in e-mail newsletters and mailings to encourage traffic.

• Create a separate directory for the new product area or give new products a special section in the show guide. Some shows create special maps distributed in the new products section that help buyers locate the booths where they can find more information about each product.

• Hold a competition, allowing buyers, members and/or the press to judge. Announce winners before or during the show. Promote the results to the press, as well as to prospects for next year’s show.

• Send out post-show press releases about new product winners if you have a contest or create new product reviews for your publications or Web site. One association creates a separate Web page available all year with photos and information about all the new products exhibited.

• Set aside space for new product exhibitors’ interviews with the press.

• Hold an early-bird reception for the press or power buyers to get a first peek at new products before the show opens. This can create a buzz and provide additional value to exhibitors and attendees.

Operational issues
• Some shows put new product pavilions in lobby areas adjacent to the hall.

• Some show organizers use the new products pavilion to draw traffic to particular areas of the floor or to balance a floor plan. Some make it a hub in the center, while others intentionally put the new product display at the back of the hall to pull people through.

• Group new products by theme — color, size, shape, category, etc. Carpet and dress up the area to make it appealing.

• Expensive items may require locked display cases or security nearby.

• Get creative! Consult with your staff or contractor for ideas on how to present the pavilion. For example, one home show created a home of the future to highlight products. Another created a time machine to showcase what new products would be hot for the next year’s Christmas season, while another created a James Bond theme promoting the need to gather intelligence about what’s on the horizon in the industry.

• Don’t allow selling in the new product area. Drive traffic to the booths and keep the sales pitches there.

Should you charge exhibitors to participate?
Here are some issues to consider before making your decision:
YES — Putting a price on something increases its perceived value, and charging for space in a new products area gives you the funds to design and decorate a better space.

NO — Offering the display space free to companies with products that meet the requirements for bona fide new products gives exhibitors who qualify a “value-add” of increased exposure with both buyers and press and results in more press and greater buzz for your show.

MAYBE — Some shows charge exhibitors for displaying in the new product area but offer the space free if exhibitors participate in other programs, such as advertising in a guide or purchasing a larger booth. Or you might offer free display of one product and charge for additional ones.

Sources
Dan Green, National Marine Manufacturers Association, (312) 946-6200, www.nmma.org

Peter MacGillivray, Specialty Equipment Market Association, (909) 396-0289, www.sema.org

Lori Robinson, George Little Management/ National Stationery Show, (914) 421-3200, www.glmshows.com

Judy Scholl, Sellers Expositions/International Lawn, Garden & Power Equipment Expo,
(812) 949-9200, www.expo.mow.org

Tracey Wilson, American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, (203) 532-3612,
www.globalpetexpo.org