Whether you’re watching the ball drop from underneath a palm frond in tropical bliss or are huddled together in Times Square in a foot of wintery wrath, Nomadic wishes you a Happy New Year and one tip of advice: Aim the champagne bottle away from moving objects! 

If adding a new trade show display to your marketing arsenal is one of your longstanding New Years Business Resolutions, we are here to help!

Large budgets and small, let Nomadic take your trade show program above and beyond

Last Wednesday we talked about three ways to drive critical mass to your trade show booth using event landing pages.  We established some simple tactics to optimizing your landing pages such as: harnessing the power of SEO, streamlining your online communications and appropriately engaging your visitors. Below are even MORE ingenious trade show tidbits to drive traffic to your booth.

Last year’s collateral is this year's TREASURE
1)Even if you’re launching an entirely different campaign this year, using last years assets can ignite interest with newbies and prompt repeat visits from your existing customer pool. Incorporate photos and video footage from your trade show booth last year to spark interest in your prospects this year.  Also, if you had a compelling number of people stop by your booth last year, it can always be a selling point in increasing booth traffic this year.

Help'em hightail it to your booth
Make sure to include a hero shot of this years booth (even if it is just a rendering), the hash tag for the event (so customers can follow your tweets live at the event) and a link to the event floor plan (preferably zoomed in on YOUR booth location).  If you realllly want to get snazzy you can add a twitter feed on your landing page with live tweets of the event like Greenbuild did for their 2010 expo.

Know you’re A/Bc’s…
2) If you decide to have a registration form on your landing page (to sign up for event giveaways, attend exclusive lunch and learn sessions etc.) much like A/B split testing the subject line and content in an email, you should a/b split test landing pages and use the landing page design that gets the best results for your Event Marketing Program .

Houston we have Contact
3)There is always the chance that someone is going to have a question regarding your booth and product offerings that they did not think to ask while at the  trade show.  Incorporating a personalized email such as johnsmith@nomadicdisplay.com versus a generic email marketing@nomadicdisplay.com will appear more personal to your customer base resulting in post show inquiries that will possibly lead to sales down the road. 

4) It’s a Landing Page NOT a departure page
Remove any ambiguous inbound links that will redirect your target customer elsewhere.  It’s called a Landing page for a reason, not a departure page.

Landing Pages are conversion genies and when used properly will yield significant return on your investment.

Exhibitor 2010 gave thousands of Exhibit Marketers the tools to achieve greater success in their event marketing programs. One lucky attendee from Ripple even won a FREE trade show display from Nomadic by participating in our 2010 Exhibitor Grand Prize Drawing. 

Ripple LLC, a young Utah based company, develops medical instrumentation and implantable products for patients with neurological disabilities.  Daniel McDonnell, a representative of Ripple, visited Nomadic’s booth and expressed his need to unify various campaign initiatives under a new custom display for an upcoming event. 

As a visitor to the Nomadic Display booth, Mr. McDonnell was automatically entered into Nomadic’s Grand Prize Drawing for a complete 10’ trade show display valued at $3,300.00 usd.  Shortly after Exhibitor 2010 wrapped up, Mr. McDonnell was pleasantly surprised to receive a call from Nomadic’s President, Pat Goeke.  Our President advised Mr. McDonnell that he had won an Instand® display system backed by the industry’s best “No Questions Asked” Lifetime Warranty.

Ripple included the 10' custom display in their dedicated marketing arsenal and decided to expand their existing 10x20’ trade show booth to a 10x30’ footprint. Ripple used their coveted Instand® trade show display to increase customer impact and drive brand awareness through one unique selling environment.  Nomadic helped Ripple integrate their existing displays and their new Instand® display with new, high definition trade show booth graphics.

The new exhibit design debuted at the Society of Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Ripple’s largest and most comprehensive event for attracting new customers. The meeting draws over 30,000 attendees ranging from Neuroscientists to Professors.  Ripple’s new trade show display served as a visual springboard to drive their brand, core messaging and newly launched products to their key targets. Ripple drew large audiences into their trade show booth by conducting live demonstrations of their innovative technologies which enabled prospects to interact with their one-of-a-kind products.

Don’t miss out on seeing Nomadic at Exhibitor2011 in booth 1745.

Learn how Nomadic can make waves of Show Smart success in your event marketing program.

What are you doing to increase traffic to your trade show booth?  Part of generating excitement about your trade show display and services is through your pre show promotions. Your event landing page is an integral part of pre show promotions and is the place to sell customers on putting your trade show exhibit on their “must see” list.  Below are some tips on optimizing your landing pages so that your key buyers won’t miss out on your trade show booth.

1) Harness the power of SEO
93% of your potential prospects start their formal buying process with an Internet search.  Increase the likelihood that your website will be delivered in search results by including your top keywords in the messaging on your landing page.  Additionally, by incorporating keywords you can expect improvement in your company’s search engine ranking.

2) Assure visitors a smooth landing
Use the same overall theme, graphics and typeface on your landing page as in your email communications. If your email and landing page are visually disconnected, you could risk confusing visitors into abandoning your event landing page.   

3) Welcome your visitors to their final destination
Many times a visit to your landing page will be a prospect’s first interaction with your brand so make sure to educate them about your company and your products/services. 

Motivate prospects to visit you at your upcoming event by expressing your offer with a sense of urgency. Be sure to include information on your event incentives, location, booth number, date and giveaways.  

Clearly state the next step or “call you action” whether it's submitting an online form or attaching to your social media channels.

If you liked today's post, check back next Wednesday for Part II of Ways to Make Your Customers Leap Frog to Your Landing Page

The Holidays are right around the corner and some are just rounding out Christmas shopping while others are headed up to the basement to see what gifts they can “repurpose”. Shopoholics and regifters alike, Nomadic wishes you a happy holiday season full of cheer, cherished family moments and safe travels.

With temperatures dropping in the single digits and snow storms from coast to coast, we thought we’d let you in on a secret family recipe that’ll keep you warm when you’re facing Mother Natures vengeful wrath.  Our Mexican Lasagna is a medley of zesty seasonings and savory meats that’ll have your friends pining for more! 

Check out our animated Holiday Card.

Our Sizzlin Mexican Lasagna

1lb Chicken Breasts – cubed
1 Pkg Fajita seasoning
2 Large Red Peppers – cut into narrow spears
1 Large Yellow Pepper – cut into narrow spears
1 Medium Sweet Onion – cut in half and diced
1 Large Can Green Enchilada Sauce
1 Medium Can Green Enchilada Sauce
1 Can Green Chilies
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar/Jack Cheese
1 Pkg Corn Tortillas

Directions

• Preheat oven to 435 degrees
• Preheat large skillet over medium heat – cover bottom of the pan with olive oil 
• Add cubed chicken and ¼ fajita seasoning packet.  Cook until Chicken is barely browned, remove from pan and set aside (temporarily)
• Preheat large skillet over medium heat. Cover bottom of the pan with olive oil, add:  red and yellow peppers, onions and ¼ of fajita seasoning packet. Cook several minutes more until mixture has lost its stiffness and is cooked.
• Return chicken to pan and cook chicken and mixture together for several minutes: season to taste.
• Cover the bottom of a large baking dish (13x9”) with corn tortillas. Coat tortillas lightly with enchilada sauce. Layer ½ of chicken mixture and green chilies in to the dish. Liberally coat this later with enchilada sauce and place 1/3rd of cheese on top of the mixture.  
• Repeat once, then cover top layer with tortillas and coat lightly with sauce then sprinkle remaining cheese on top 

Cover dish with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes at 435 degrees

Enjoy!

Turner Broadcasting Systems 40x30' Island, Brand Licensing London, 2010, view 1

This year’s Brand Licensing 2010 was a spectacle of fresh, new products attracting brands and retailers (Licensors and Licensees) from 60 different countries.

Turner Broadcasting Systems, a Time Warner Company, is home to Cartoon Network and other entertainment channels.  Turner became a client of Nomadic Display almost three years ago when we designed the ultimate trade show display for their much anticipated debut at Brand Licensing 2008.

Cartoon Network (part of TBS) 20x15’ Peninsula, Brand Licensing London, 2008

Nomadic’s Solutions Design Studio created the most memorable trade show display for Turner.  Customers were drawn in by the high definition graphic arches that defined their semi-enclosed meeting area where key buyers were immersed in Cartoon Network’s brand and product offerings. 

Since then, the Cartoon Network’s trade show display has traveled extensively to international destinations including: Poland, the Czech Republic and Dubai.

Turner Broadcasting Systems 40x30’ Island, Brand Licensing London, 2010, view 2 

For their 2010 event, Turner was so pleased with their trade show display, that they returned to Nomadic for another trade show booth to “wow” their audience.  Turner doubled their space so their brands could dominate the show floor.  Nomadic created an unconventional environment full of contrasting shapes and colors that commanded critical attention. 

The exhibit design’s unique features include a 1,650 lb suspended light box with embedded 3D logos, a ten foot tall rotating character, 5 L shaped tension fabric structures that pierced a white wave wall and 12 meeting areas. Turner’s impactful design had buyers lined up from every direction waiting to preview Turner’s portfolio of products. 

Let Nomadic draw buyers to your next event with a brilliant, new exhibit design from conception to completion.   
 

We noted in last week’s post that part of launching an effective social media campaign isn’t just about pushing your selling points down your customers’ throat, this will most likely cause your valued audience indigestion and hurt your overall brand reputation. Below are some best practices to have in place for future social media campaigns in 2011.

Baffle Them with Brilliance
Part of providing value to your customer base is sharing knowledge, insight and wisdom that will help your key targets improve their business practices. Providing insight and best practices is a way to establish a meaningful relationship with your customers which may lead to future sales. In your social media messaging you can redirect your audience back to your corporate web assets which allows interested parties to opt into your corporate communications. 

Create a Widget Wonderland
Incorporating your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN and Foursquare widgets in your email marketing campaigns, email signature, landing pages and electronic collateral help grow your follower base, so when it comes time for a corporate event - you can broadcast your message over multiple channels and get better results.

Measure your success and failures
Robust dashboards such as Google Analytics, Hootsuite and Radian6, (preferred tools for the B2B markets) allow you to monitor just about everything pertaining to your audiences behavior from how many times they visit your Event Landing Page, what web browsers they are using, aggregate click rates and pageviews, they sky is the limit! If you're noticing your numbers and reach is dropping readjust your messaging and re measure.  

Social media is a springboard for your event communications, used correctly and you’ll start reaping the rewards via increased: followers, fans, friends, community engagement, retweets, mentions..the list goes on.

From left to right: Gwen Parsons, Amanda Parsons, and Pat Goeke

As the temperature dropped this past weekend, the Nomadic Team huddled
together to celebrate Gwen Parsons “25th” birthday. The gathering was filled with holiday cheer and candor, spread by new acquaintances and old. 

There was plenty of wine and spirits to go around paired with exotic foods and birthday cake. Some reported even seeing a flurry or two!

Gwen Parsons, SVP of Marketing at Nomadic, has been an integral member of the Nomadic Team for 25 years and continues to be a thought leader in the event marketing industry. 

Coworkers and close friends left this festive celebration with full stomachs and Holiday glee!

Happy "25th" Birthday Gwen!

According to the Exhibit Media Group 76% of Event Marketers cited social media as their preferred new media marketing tool. Whether you're new to social media or are a web 2.0 master, below are some tips to consider before you gas up for next years social media campaign.

1) STEER clear of being labeled a “Chatty Cathy”
You're well aware of people that tweet ON the hour EVERY hour and are rightfully annoyed by their virtual chatterbox; keeping this in mind, make sure that your tweets are timely, succinct and are of value to your particular market or you might cause your community to hit the breaks and detach from your social media channels.

2) Avoid messaging GRIDLOCK
State your call to action clearly and up front in 140 characters or less (ex: "Register for our B2B Summit"). Your messaging should contain links back to your event registration form/landing page. Use bit.ly to shorten your long urls so you have more real estate for your event messaging.

3) Change GEARS on being a lean mean selling machine
Although upper management may think otherwise, selling is not the primary objective of social media. Constantly pushing your services and selling points may annoy your audience into unsubscribing to your online communications. Make sure to provide your customers relevant information about your event: booth #, product launches, demos, live presentations, giveaways etc. and tips that will help them improve their daily business practices

4) NAVIGATE your key market
Listening is equally important whether you market B2B or B2C. Monitoring your social media streams gives you the opportunity to engage with your audience and cultivate positive business relationships by using applications like Hootsuite, Radian 6,  TweetDeck and newly launched Tweet adder.

In adopting these tips you'll put your social media efforts into OVERDRIVE!!

If you liked this post check out our other post on how to drill down your social media platforms. 

Oldcastle Architectural, the leading manufacturer of concrete masonry, lawn, garden and paving products in North America, wanted to debut a new trade show display at Greenbuild. Greenbuild is the largest Green Expo dedicated to showcasing the latest in sustainable products and services for the building industry. The Annual Greenbuild Conference and Expo reaches over 25,000 people and was held in the windy city in November.

Oldcastle came to Exhibit Systems open to renting a custom display and possibly purchasing one. Exhibit Systems partnered with Nomadic to blend the best of both worlds (rental and purchase) into one seamless custom exhibit rental solution. Together they developed a custom tailored concept that would meet Oldcastle’s unique design requirements and satisfy Greenbuild’s standards for exhibitor use of sustainable materials.

From the aluminum extrusions to the rotationally molded shipping cases, Nomadic incorporated recycled and recyclable materials into Oldcastle’s custom display.  Our Green policy and business practices made us the optimal manufacturer for Oldcastle Architectural.

Oldcastle’s 20x20 island trade show display blew their audience away. Not only was the trade show exhibit visually compelling, but it featured hands-on live sessions for visitors to touch and learn about Oldcastle's masonry products, which became a chief selling tool. Oldcastle got the custom design they needed without incurring post event ownership expenses. 

Grow your event marketing program with green custom rental solutions that are friendly to the environment and to your budget