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October 2006
Cheat Sheet: Road shows
Tips on creating, producing and promoting road shows
By Linda C. Chandler
What makes a good road show concept
• Enough qualified attendees in each location.
• A niche to fill in the marketplace, not up against a well-established strong show of the same kind.
• Easily movable exhibits that require less shipping or drayage.
• Major exhibitors/sponsors willing to back each stop or committed exhibitors/sponsors for each locale.
• Convenience of getting staff and attendees to the site, by air or road commute.
• Adequate facilities at reasonable costs.
• Opportunities to extend your brand to new audiences.
Challenges for road shows
Registration. Balance the paper trail of keeping track of different locations vs. on-site registration at each stop.
Backing. You can’t produce a good concept without committed exhibitor and sponsorship dollars.
Stress on staff. You need good operations people who can handle back-to-back shows.
Organization. Quick move-in and move-out is often required, so scheduling is critical. If you have more than one exhibitor/sponsor, assign them move-in/move-out hours, so they won’t all be there at the same time.
In-depth knowledge of various markets. Monitor local newspapers. Send salespeople to the cities regularly to track the pulse of the market.
Tight schedules. In moving your own materials or receiving materials from a home office, if a shipment is late, it may be lost as the show moves on to the next place. Have a contingency plan.
Cost-saving tips
• Work with a small, permanent, full-time staff. Hire part-timers during show periods or rotate staff for limited periods to assist the manager.
• Use the same general service contractor in multiple locations.
• Print poster and flyer shells then customize the location dates and places. Create print ads in the same way to save design costs.
• If using hotel exhibit space, explore deals with one or two chains, if they have local facilities capable of handling the events.
• Reserve a block of rooms for exhibitors, establish a cut-off date and let exhibitors book their own rooms.
• Investigate possible billboard buys or radio time with local outlets of the same companies. Take advantage of any deals or sales.
Exhibitor/sponsor issues to consider
Manning booths in various stops. Companies may need to enlist help from local distributors or sales representatives rather than assign people to the entire tour.
Pricing. Try a multi-show pricing discount to encourage participation at more locations. Offer special pricing on larger booths.
Costs. Negotiate the best possible room rates at hotels for exhibitors.
Transportation. Give personal attention to exhibitor needs, whether it involves finding a box or helping arrange transportation for exhibitor “roadies” who are traveling with the show to various cities. For example, one show chartered a bus to transport exhibitors from show to show.
Burnout. Schedule after-hours events to help create a sense of camaraderie among the regulars on the tour and help make the pace of the road show less stressful.
Meet the experts
• James J. McLaughlin, MAC Events, (800) 332-3976, www.macevents.com
• Randy Schwartzenburg, America’s Traveling Truck Show, (800) 633-5953, www.travelingtruckshow.com
• Mary Upton, ASI!/The Advantages Road Show, (800) 546-3300, www.asicentral.com
More on expoweb.com
Find this related EXPO archived article: Best Practices: Producing roadshows
Tips on marketing road shows
• Use all advertising to drive attendees or exhibitors to your Web site.
• Begin marketing in advance as you would for a larger show.
• Combine national or regional with local advertising
• Use direct mail and telemarketing to an established list of potential exhibitors and attendees.
• Use a variety of media from newspaper to radio. Take advantage of contract or multi-insertion rates. Build relationships with media.
• Partner with relevant local organizations or clubs.
• Send notices and invitations to local press. Make the most of public relations.
How to sell and service partnerships
• Remember you have to service what you sell over the entire span of the road show.
• Enlist major sponsor companies that market nationally or at least to the region the show will cover.
• Create a channel to allow smaller local sponsor participation.
• Don’t accept a sponsorship that will overly burden the logistical challenges involved in a road show. Keep it simple.
Linda C. Chandler is a freelance writer/editor based in Tyler, TX. She has written for association and convention publications for 17 years. She served as Director of Publications and Editor of Meeting Professionals International’s magazine. Contact her at linda.chandler@earthlink.net.
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