For for many trade shows, live exhibitor education events have long struggled to garner any real interest or attendance from exhibitors. When the events are held several months in advance of the show — giving the exhibitors the opportunity to really take the tips and takeaways and incorporate them into their show strategy — exhibitors often don’t have it in the budget to send someone to an event separate from the show.

 

When the events are held in the days leading up to the show, the hustle and bustle of putting the finishing touches on the booth often mean ancillary events are the first thing to fall to the wayside. But exhibitor education doesn’t have to move to the backburner just because it’s difficult to coordinate a live event; more and more organizers are looking to the Web as a way to augment, or even replace, their live exhibitor education programs.

 

Why does online work? Accessibility, for starters. When cost or time is a barrier to getting someone face-to-face, giving them the option to get the same content — from their desk — seems like a no-brainer. Another reason? Sustainability. Even if a person can’t log on to the Webinar while it’s live, they can always check it out later on-demand. Is your interest piqued?

 

XPO checked in with two pros, Charles Allen, CEO of the C.W. Allen Group, and Jefferson Davis, President of Competitive Edge, an exhibitor training company, to get the skinny on what makes an effective online exhibitor education program.

 

CUSTOM CONTENT

A one-size-fits-all approach won’t work if you truly want your online education program to hit the right notes with exhibitors. Allen says the most effective exhibitor programs will cover everything from setting objectives to developing strategic and tactical success plans to engaging booth presentations that will translate leads into sales and returns on investment for exhibitors.

 

EXHIBITOR TRAINING

Davis advises dividing exhibitors into at least three groups: Anchors, the VIP exhibitors that are mainstays at the show; Most Growable exhibitors, the ones with the most potential to upsize their net-squarefootage at the show if they see success with their exhibit; and Attrition Prone exhibitors, those (often first-timers) who you may have to replace every year. Once you’ve divided the exhibitors into segments, think customized content.

 

For Anchors, high-level custom content is key; consider surveying those exhibitors to see exactly what they’re looking for and then tailoring the online approach to those needs. Also consider bringing in some of those exhibitors to present part of the program — Anchors will appreciate hearing straight from the horse’s mouth exactly what has worked and why. The Most Growable exhibitors may be more interested in learning about how the show can help best support their corporate marketing and sales objectives, and how to determine the best size for their presence at the show.

 

Attrition Prone exhibitors will need and want more of an intro-level exhibitor education program — think about content that combines trade-show specific content with general how-to content to help them maximize their experience on the show floor, Davis advises. “If you think in terms of targeting groups and customizing to those groups, you’re going to not only justify the investment in the program, but you’re probably going to get paid for it five, 10, 15 times over,” Davis says.

 

TIMING

While your live exhibitor education events can often last anywhere from several hours to an entire day, an online program can only hope to engage attendees for a fraction of that time. Davis says that the average event runs at about 45 minutes, but can go up to approximately an hour and 15 minutes if the content warrants the length. “If it’s boring, they’re going to check out,” Davis says.

 

How do you deliver the same quality info in a time crunch? The key: cut down the content to key deliverables, while giving exhibitors opportunity for questions at the end. Creating separate Webinars for each target group will also help cut down on time — in a live event, you would typically be speaking to a wider group at once. And if you find that you really can’t fit all the info into one Webinar, consider a series of two or three, each focused on one or two topics.

 

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

As exhibitors adjust to the idea of an online education program and as organizers are learning to communicate it effectively, it’s important to give the initiative time to get off the ground. “Organizers have to have realistic expectations,” Davis says. “If they can get 10 to 25 percent of companies involved in the events, that’s a good start.” From there, to gauge the effectiveness of online exhibitor training, there are four metrics to keep in mind, Davis says.

 

■ Total companies exhibiting vs. number participating in online training — Track the percentage of companies participating in training each year to determine if the show is effectively getting the word out about the training or if word-of-mouth is driving more exhibitors to participate.

■ Exhibitor satisfaction — Look to post-show exhibitor surveys to see if there are increases in overall exhibitor satisfaction.

■ Retention — Track how many exhibitors who attended online training exhibit at the show the following year.

■ Growth — For the exhibitors that do return the following year after attending the online training, track the ones that have increased their square footage and by how much.

 

MARKETING STRATEGY

Getting exhibitors on board for an online program will require more than a couple of e-mail blasts. It’s important to integrate the messaging into the entire exhibitor communications process, Davis says. Start with the exhibitor prospectus, and then make sure to add online education dates to the show calendar, exhibitor checklists, deadline reminders, the Web site and more. Finally, personal phone calls from booth salespeople to the appropriate exhibitor contacts are the best way to ensure that the right people are being contacted and are aware of the training. “Weave it into every touch point you have with exhibitors,” Davis says.

 

REWARDS PROGRAMS

As a final way to ensure high attendance for online education events, consider instituting a rewards program for attendees. Anything from a few priority points to a free vendor coupon booklet can go a long way to ensuring that exhibitors attend the program, Davis says.

 

KEEP IT GOING

Once exhibitors are keyed in to the effectiveness of online training, keep the momentum going by offering additional educational opportunities, such as short e-mail snippets with tips and takeaways. Some programs even provide monthly educational e-newsletters branded to the show and monthly audio podcasts of exhibitor Q&As, Allen says.