I ran across a terrific interview the other day in the Wall Street Journal with Ira Neimark. The 90-year-old former CEO of Bergdorf Goodman talked about lessons he learned over the course of his career in retail—with some gems that directly apply to the exhibition business.

My favorite bits are at the end. "Always take the opportunity to visit every business that relates to your own," and, "There is no question, in any business, that it is imperative to know as much as possible about your present and potential customer." In the back story, Neimark mentions he is an enormous proponent of an MBWA degree—Management By Walking Around. Focus groups, he suggests, are like "kissing a girl through the screen door."

Some of you will undoubtedly disagree, but I think Mr. Niemark has hit it on the head! An MBWA degree is key if you want to be successful in any business, particularly in ours!

• If you personally haven’t visited your largest competitor’s show in years, what’s wrong with you? They’re going to yours! (And by the way, sending junior salespeople doesn’t count as going.)

• The MBWA really begins at home. Senior show management: How often do you walk around your office to gauge the environment in your own workplace? When was the last time you helped out a group working late on a deadline? Or at least offered to? Is your office deathly quiet? Do people have actual face-to-face conversations or is all communication done purely online? While online collaboration works, face-to-face is, in my opinion, far more effective.

• MBWA on site: It amazes me how many show managers are guilty of sitting up in their "castle" (show office) while the "peasants" (lower level staff) do the work and interact with both exhibitors and attendees. If they deign to come down onto the floor, it’s only for a short visit on their way to a "very important" meeting—but absolutely never, ever, ever during move-in or move out.

What happens when you walk the show floor—without an entourage? You find out first hand the lay of the land. Are exhibitors happy? Sad? What about the attendees? Are they complaining about logistical stuff? Raving about all the cool new things they’re seeing? What happens if you actually (gasp!) speak with your clients directly about their show experience and (now hold on here) ask them what they would do to improve it, then notate it?

• Focus Groups: we all LOVE our focus groups. I think they can be helpful! But if the bulk of your feedback on the show is from putting a bunch of people with a common purpose (current attendees, exhibitors) into a room, giving them some lunch or cookies and having someone ask carefully crafted questions to determine opinion, then it’s a waste.

Frankly, I’d be far more interested in the results of a focus group made up of former and potential exhibiting companies, or former and potential visitors who don’t attend our show to uncover what we need to do to get their business.

What are your thoughts about MBWA and kissing through a screen door?
 

Stephanie Selesnick, CEM is President of International Trade Information, Inc., a Los Angeles, CA-based boutique international exhibition management and conference company founded in 1972. ITI has always had an international focus—whether launching shows in other countries or bringing foreign exhibitors and visitors into U.S.-based exhibitions  and events. Reach her at stephanie@intltradeinfo.com and follow her on Twitter @StephSelesnick.