Every show organizer has a list of things they’d love to implement at their event if money and resources were no object. But in this economy, those items are in short supply. Making changes, however, doesn’t have to be about grandiose re-launches requiring vast internal resources, reserves of money or an extra month in the year — sometimes the quick fix just requires a little creative thinking. Here are nine things you can do to improve your show’s bottom line — right now.

Every show organizer has a list of things they’d love to implement at their event if money and resources were no object. But in this economy, those items are in short supply. Making changes, however, doesn’t have to be about grandiose re-launches requiring vast internal resources, reserves of money or an extra month in the year — sometimes the quick fix just requires a little creative thinking. Here are nine things you can do to improve your show’s bottom line — right now.

1. QUESTION TRADITION
Now’s the time to examine each and every moving part of your show, question why it’s there and if it’s still working. It’s time to stop keeping every age-old event component for tradition’s sake, and start analyzing what elements are — and aren’t — delivering return on investment. The Specialty Equipment Manufacturer’s Association (SEMA) made the choice at this year’s show to stop doing a long-running silent auction as part of the event. “It required a lot of work, a lot of coordination, and ultimately, it wasn’t generating the type of return in terms of dollars that was worth putting into it and it wasn’t creating a buzz or sizzle at the show in terms of an attraction,” says Peter MacGillivray, Vice President of Events & Communications for SEMA. “That went away, and those are hard decisions to make.” In the same vein, examine your valuable assets and think about how to make them even more valuable. SEMA this year moved its new product showcase to a more optimal spot on the show floor. “It was a better use of the space, we promoted it more with our internal channels and that ended up working,” MacGillivray says. “All we did was move its location and promote its value to people and more people took advantage of it. More people were receptive to it.” Remember to keep the big picture in mind and think hard before you start making any big cuts. “Don’t gut a show just to reduce expense or improve the bottom line,” advises Ben Wold, Executive Vice President of the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

2. WORK LOCAL ATTENDANCE
To drive attendance to this year’s show, Info- Comm put a last-minute renewed focus on qualified attendees in the regional market, implementing a large-scale pass program that offered recipients a free ticket to the show floor, plus other local benefits. The show mailed the Power Pass, a small trifold pass, to 50,000 potential attendees within driving distance of Orlando (the location for this year’s event) a month ahead of the show. Exhibitors were given passes to distribute to their customers as well. The pass included complimentary access to exhibits for three days, two free seminars, a free parking pass and an Orlandoarea discount card that the show put together with the convention and visitors bureau. All told, 2,500 of those passes were redeemed. “It was very successful for us, and the cost was pretty minimal given our overall marketing budget,” says Jason McGraw, Senior Vice President for InfoComm.

3. GET ON THE HORN
Unless you’re planning to accept dismal attendance and blame the economy, it’s time to talk to attendees and exhibitors to find out exactly why they aren’t coming — and what you can do to get them there. To that end, the National Retail Federation (NRF) went old-school this year and implemented a telemarketing campaign designed to stave off attendance decreases. “We wanted to find out the primary reasons people were deciding not to attend,” says Susan Newman, Vice President of Conferences for NRF. “Based on the buckets those reasons fell into, we implemented new marketing campaigns.” For example, to target those who said they weren’t coming because of the economy, the show came up with price point promotions, such as a special rate for a two-day pass, or reducing the number of people a company would have to bring to qualify for a team rate.

4. MAKE THE SWITCH TO ONLINE COLLATERAL
You’ve already considered it — heck, you may have even dabbled in it — but you’re just too worried that attendees will want to hold that physical brochure in their hands. Well, if you’re looking to save money (and get the added bonus of showing attendees and exhibitors that you’re committed to being green), it’s time to make the switch. Unless your show is very small, chances are you’ll reap big savings from making the switch to online only, and the practice is so prevalent now that you’ll likely hear nary a grumble from attendees. “You’re being green and saving money at the same time,” McGraw says. “A lot of shows have done it. We took the plunge last year, and it worked very well for us.”

5. TELL EXHIBITORS WHAT YOU’RE DOING
An e-bulletin is a great platform for keeping exhibitors abreast of what you’re doing to make the show successful. “Before this year, we haven’t really shared our marketing plan with exhibitors,”MacGillivray says. “But this year we took that extra step.We updated them on the progress of the show, and we made sure to update them on what we were doing to promote the show, create attractions and create value.We didn’t want to assume that people didn’t care, or it didn’t matter to them.”

6. FOCUS ON TAKEAWAYS
Too often, copywriting gets short shrift in favor of more direct sales and marketing efforts. But don’t underestimate how seriously attendees consider the presentation of show content when determining whether they’ll attend the show. Instead of creating fluffy, breezy session copy, put the focus on attendee takeaways. “We’ve shortened our session descriptions, but now we’re giving more bullet points, what you’re going to walk away with, what you can implement tomorrow,” Newman says. “It’s a little more to the point and a little more direct.”

7. HELP EXHIBITORS SELL IT
To make it as easy as possible for exhibitors to sell the show to upper-level management, the Association of Equipment Managers (AEM) creates sell sheets for exhibitors to give them all the info they need. They’re looking for data, stats and numbers. “Instead of hiding it in a 16-page marketing brochure, we’re giving them one easy piece,” says Megan Tanel, Vice President of Exhibitions at the AEM. “Basically, it gives them what they need to sell this to their boss. It gives them all the information they need as it relates to their product-specific area.”

8. THINK CUSTOM
Is your direct mail strategy doing everything you want it to? Nicole Buraglio, Director of eMedia at Hanley Wood Exhibitions, says the company has cut down on the number and format of direct mail pieces and replaced them with variable data postcards and smaller pieces. “The customization really speaks directly to our prospects,” Buraglio says. “And, with the Web redesign we completed last year, there’s nothing that’s not on our Web sites. These pieces drive prospects directly online.”

9. BE REALISTIC
If the potential decrease in attendance and revenue for the show this year might be too difficult to bounce back from, get your key internal decision-makers together to think long and hard about the options. “If a show’s having a tough time, or doesn’t have a critical exhibitor mass, postpone it for a year versus producing a bad show and risking long-term damage to the event,” Wold advises.

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